Tuckster
199 posts
Jun 28, 2009
11:59 AM
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I just watched that Lester Butler vid,and it has me wondering. He talks about "trading 4's". ??? I've been playing them since probably right after I first picked up the harp,but never knew it was called a shuffle until a year and a half ago. How do you learn "BandSpeak"? I wanted to try something like Kim Wilson's "Lighthouse is Gone" on chromatic,but I was unable to describe what I wanted to the band in words. Does this tie in with music theory? I'm almost illiterate in that regard.(I've always called myself a harp player and NEVER a musician.) Resource suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
34 posts
Jun 28, 2009
12:05 PM
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It's different everywhere you go. I've many times played in the key of "Gee-Haw!"
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lumpy wafflesquirt
69 posts
Jun 28, 2009
12:31 PM
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trading 4's= 4 bars solo for me, 4 bars solo for you etc.
in the big band we had 4 trombones and once traded 4's for 12 bars, then 2's then 1's. we then collapsed in giggles before we could try crotchets. :^)
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Greg Heumann
92 posts
Jun 28, 2009
1:39 PM
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Learning band speak is an essential course in becoming a complete performer. You must be able to direct the band. It involves understanding only a little music theory, not a lot. The more you know, the better off you are though. Here are some typical, very basic examples. If you don't know what they mean, you should ask. If you DO know what they mean, you're WAY ahead of the averge/typical jammer. You can learn ALL of this by going to a jam and watching and listening to the better players communicate.
Structure:
It's a I-IV-V
It's got a long I
It's a 16 bar blues
It's got a 1-6-2-5 turnaround
It's got a quick IV
It's got a bridge that goes IV-I-V-IV-I
We'll start on the V
Play the stormy monday changes
It stays on the I
Rhythm/groove:
It's a shuffle
It's a rhumba
It's a slow blues
It's a rock beat
It's a flat tire shuffle
It's a swing
It's a funk
It's got a 6-8 feel
etc
I'm sure others can add useful things to know to this list!
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/Greg
http://www.BlowsMeAway.com
http://www.BlueStateBand.net
Last Edited by on Jun 28, 2009 1:42 PM
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Tuckster
200 posts
Jun 28, 2009
1:59 PM
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Thanks,Greg. That was what I had in mind. I understand some of it,but not everything. Flat tire shuffle? Is that one used in country/rockabilly? I need to get better a this,it's definitely holding me back. The more good tools you have,the easier it is to get the job done.
@Lumpy 4 bars! Duh! It's rather simple, once you know.
Last Edited by on Jun 28, 2009 2:00 PM
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The Gloth
119 posts
Jun 28, 2009
2:03 PM
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16 bar blues, I understand ; shuffle, rumba, slow blues, swing, funk, rock beat : I have a good idea.
The "Stormy monday changes" I think I see what it is, from a youtube vid from Buddha I saw recently.
The rest of it... no idea ! When jamming, I play by intuition. Usually I try to listen to the structure before I jump into it... I play mostly with french-speaking musicians anyway, so the vocabulary is slightly different.
The gesture is very important too, but not complicated : when to start, when to stop, when to play harder or softer...
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bluzlvr
216 posts
Jun 28, 2009
2:22 PM
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Tuckster: Here's an example of what I think is refered to as the flat tire shuffle, also called the Texas shuffle. Just click on track 9 "I Don't Believe".
http://www.amazon.com/gp/recsradio/radio/B001F4T8YO/ref=pd_krex_listen_dp_img?ie=UTF8&refTagSuffix=dp_img
Edit: The Stormy Monday changes refer to the Allman Brothers version of the song, not the T-Bone Walker if I'm not mistaken.
Last Edited by on Jun 28, 2009 2:25 PM
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GamblersHand
44 posts
Jun 28, 2009
2:25 PM
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Greg - nice post
Another one is to make sure to differentiate between a "jazz" 16-bar blues (like Watermelon Man) and a standard lengthened I-chord song like, say, "Don't Go No Further"
four-four should be there, and four-four with triplets
I call a "Bo Diddley beat" sometimes, it's different enough from a rhumba. Or call a "New Orleans r&b" groove - again it sounds similar but looser.
a "flat-tire shuffle" - is it a shuffle that leads the beat more?
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jbone
93 posts
Jun 29, 2009
3:51 AM
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or you could do what i used to do if you're working with one band- make a work cd or tape and actually play what you want to work on. like "it starts with this- cue song- goes to this-cue another song- ends with this"
working with bands and partners has always been a mad scientist experiment. i have not always gotten what i had in mind but sometimes it has worked out better than i imagined!
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