I'm hosed...
GregD
singing Motown tunes at a benefit at the end of this month and who I
will be backing came over tonight. I knew she could sing, but I didn't
know just how well.
The MoTown stuff came off OK, so we tried something different.
Summertime - how hard is that? Well, she needed a better player than I
am because she was doing all sorts of cool things with the melody and
at 4x the tempo I was used to.
Geezsch, it sucks to suck at playing.
Greg
Joe Finn
news:943ae705-c039-4e13...@f63g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
I wouldn't worry about it. Singers are full of suprises. As long as you can
agree on the set list, keys, tempos, styles, etc., it should be no problem.
Preparation is everything. ...joe
--
Visit me on the web www.JoeFinn.net
GregD
> "GregD" <wilderkom...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
Thanks, Joe. Yeah, prep is everything, but it would have been nice to
move beyond what I knew to play and really back her up with something
special when she started singing something special. I'm very limited
in off-the-cuff playing; canned playing I do OK, but with a really
talented singer, that's not enough.
Greg
patmp...@gmail.com
I like to be around people who make me feel like a failure. It is the
way to improve.
The opposite is not so nice.
Maj6th
When you get them, woodshed like hell. It would be somewhat like asking
her to sing songs that only you know and do it spontaneously.
Maj6th
"GregD" <wilder...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:943ae705-c039-4e13...@f63g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
Joe Finn
>Thanks, Joe. Yeah, prep is everything, but it would have been nice to
>move beyond what I knew to play and really back her up with something
>special when she started singing something special. I'm very limited
>in off-the-cuff playing; canned playing I do OK, but with a really
>talented singer, that's not enough.
>Greg
In so many situations in life it's a good idea to go forward with a plan.
This is generally the case in music where we would have a definite program
all mapped out and rehearsed ahead of time. There are times when we'll just
wing it too, but in the situation you are describing I would get the program
finalized and then stick to it.
Some people [even singers] may want to go forward with a more spontaneous
approach. This can work out well but the down side is that this may put the
musicians in an awkward and uncomfortable situation where the music will
suffer. My advice is make a plan and stick with it. ......joe
GregD
Point taken!
Greg
GregD
> I think you have the right to ask for a list of songs she will be doing.
> When you get them, woodshed like hell. It would be somewhat like asking
> her to sing songs that only you know and do it spontaneously.
We have an hour to fill when we do this gig. We have 12 Motown songs +
Summertime + Body 'n Soul.
Anyway, she's a real singer - knows keys, understands chord
progressions, sings a zillion standards and, like me, is probably
wishing now for a real jazz guitarist :)
Greg
>
> Maj6th
>
> "GregD" <wilderkom...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>
> news:943ae705-c039-4e13...@f63g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
>
>
>
> > The main singer of the group of teachers/librarians who will be
> > singing Motown tunes at a benefit at the end of this month and who I
> > will be backing came over tonight. I knew she could sing, but I didn't
> > know just how well.
>
> > The MoTown stuff came off OK, so we tried something different.
> > Summertime - how hard is that? Well, she needed a better player than I
> > am because she was doing all sorts of cool things with the melody and
> > at 4x the tempo I was used to.
>
> > Geezsch, it sucks to suck at playing.
>
> > Greg- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Hotfoot
a support structure she can rely on when she starts improvising. If you
start trying to add fancy bits in with her fancy bits it could all start
sounding a bit messy if your not as fluent in the genre as she is.
Yes I am going to say it... " less is more". Its more impressive to see a
player who knows how not to be seen to be trying to impress than to see a
player who is trying to impress and is not. (did I get that right?)
Hotfoot
"GregD" <wilder...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:0a650ddd-128b-4305...@f36g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
Tim McNamara
<0a650ddd-128b-4305...@f36g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
GregD <wilder...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On May 10, 12:56 pm, "Maj6th" <Maj...@dslextreme.com> wrote:
> > I think you have the right to ask for a list of songs she will be
> > doing. When you get them, woodshed like hell. It would be
> > somewhat like asking her to sing songs that only you know and do it
> > spontaneously.
>
> We have an hour to fill when we do this gig. We have 12 Motown songs
> + Summertime + Body 'n Soul.
>
> Anyway, she's a real singer - knows keys, understands chord
> progressions, sings a zillion standards and, like me, is probably
> wishing now for a real jazz guitarist :)
Hmmm. Did she actually say "gee, you suck and I'm sorry I am playing
with you?" If not, it must have sounded promising enough to her. As
Maj6th says, get a set list worked up, learn those tunes. Ask her which
recordings she liked, get 'em and play along with them.
14 songs, a one hour gig... you'll actually get to play 8 Motown tunes
plus Summertime/B&S. The rest of the time will be eaten up between
tunes.
Tim McNamara
wrote:
> "GregD" <wilder...@yahoo.com> wrote
> >Thanks, Joe. Yeah, prep is everything, but it would have been nice
> >to move beyond what I knew to play and really back her up with
> >something special when she started singing something special. I'm
> >very limited in off-the-cuff playing; canned playing I do OK, but
> >with a really talented singer, that's not enough.
Why not? Think about the great, talented singers who played during the
big band era. Those bands played "canned music" except for the solos;
they just called them "arrangements." A guitar is just a compact big
band and it is OK to have arrangements for it, too. There is no
requirement for everything to be spontaneously improvised; relatively
few players who are not full time jazz professionals can do this.
> In so many situations in life it's a good idea to go forward with a
> plan. This is generally the case in music where we would have a
> definite program all mapped out and rehearsed ahead of time. There
> are times when we'll just wing it too, but in the situation you are
> describing I would get the program finalized and then stick to it.
Exactly!
> Some people [even singers] may want to go forward with a more
> spontaneous approach. This can work out well but the down side is
> that this may put the musicians in an awkward and uncomfortable
> situation where the music will suffer. My advice is make a plan and
> stick with it. ......joe
I agree. This is not a jazz gig as such, it is a pop music performance.
GregD
> In article
> <0a650ddd-128b-4305-a5c5-f376c24f5...@f36g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
>
> GregD <wilderkom...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > On May 10, 12:56 pm, "Maj6th" <Maj...@dslextreme.com> wrote:
> > > I think you have the right to ask for a list of songs she will be
> > > doing. When you get them, woodshed like hell. It would be
> > > somewhat like asking her to sing songs that only you know and do it
> > > spontaneously.
>
> > We have an hour to fill when we do this gig. We have 12 Motown songs
> > + Summertime + Body 'n Soul.
>
> > Anyway, she's a real singer - knows keys, understands chord
> > progressions, sings a zillion standards and, like me, is probably
> > wishing now for a real jazz guitarist :)
>
> Hmmm. Did she actually say "gee, you suck and I'm sorry I am playing
> with you?"
No, she said, "I've enver in my life heard anything as atrocious as
this. Get it right or get out, buddy!!!!". Ok, she didn't say that :)-
>If not, it must have sounded promising enough to her. As
> Maj6th says, get a set list worked up, learn those tunes. Ask her which
> recordings she liked, get 'em and play along with them.
>
> 14 songs, a one hour gig... you'll actually get to play 8 Motown tunes
> plus Summertime/B&S. The rest of the time will be eaten up between
> tunes.
Yeah, you're right.
Greg
Tim McNamara
<ab273d6c-0295-46e5...@k13g2000hse.googlegroups.com>,
GregD <wilder...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On May 10, 9:01 pm, Tim McNamara <tim...@bitstream.net> wrote:
> > In article
> > <0a650ddd-128b-4305-a5c5-f376c24f5...@f36g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
> >
> > GregD <wilderkom...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > > On May 10, 12:56 pm, "Maj6th" <Maj...@dslextreme.com> wrote:
> > > > I think you have the right to ask for a list of songs she will
> > > > be doing. When you get them, woodshed like hell. It would be
> > > > somewhat like asking her to sing songs that only you know and
> > > > do it spontaneously.
> >
> > > We have an hour to fill when we do this gig. We have 12 Motown
> > > songs + Summertime + Body 'n Soul.
> >
> > > Anyway, she's a real singer - knows keys, understands chord
> > > progressions, sings a zillion standards and, like me, is probably
> > > wishing now for a real jazz guitarist :)
> >
> > Hmmm. Did she actually say "gee, you suck and I'm sorry I am
> > playing with you?"
>
> No, she said, "I've enver in my life heard anything as atrocious as
> this. Get it right or get out, buddy!!!!". Ok, she didn't say that
> :)-
Well, then, you've got the gig! :-D
I remember playing for a friend's wedding years ago. The singer was the
church "music director" who sent appallingly bad sheet music, didn't
turn up for the rehearsal, was barely on time for the service, had no
idea how to make the sound system work so my guitar could be heard, had
no sense of time (the hangover she had might have had something to do
with that)... it was pretty disastrous. After the service she angrily
asked me "what do you do for a living? You can't be a musician- you'd
starve!" :-O
Your gig will go better- it sounds like she can really sing and
understands music.
> >If not, it must have sounded promising enough to her. As
> > Maj6th says, get a set list worked up, learn those tunes. Ask her
> > which recordings she liked, get 'em and play along with them.
> >
> > 14 songs, a one hour gig... you'll actually get to play 8 Motown
> > tunes plus Summertime/B&S. The rest of the time will be eaten up
> > between tunes.
>
> Yeah, you're right.
Sometimes for seconds on end! :-P
Maj6th
There isn't a musician here that hasn't been in the same situation you are
now. It is part of a learning experience for growth. You will be better
able to deal with the same experience when it arises in the future, and it
will come up again. Take it, work with it, and learn from it. These are
the things that make us all better as musicians even if, at the time, they
seems totally insurmountable. After your gig the earth will still be
circling the sun, so put it in perspective.
Maj6th
and in the long run.
"GregD" <wilder...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:0a650ddd-128b-4305...@f36g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
GregD
> There is another aspect to your dilemma. Your situation isn't unique.
> There isn't a musician here that hasn't been in the same situation you are
> now. It is part of a learning experience for growth. You will be better
> able to deal with the same experience when it arises in the future, and it
> will come up again. Take it, work with it, and learn from it. These are
> the things that make us all better as musicians even if, at the time, they
> seems totally insurmountable. After your gig the earth will still be
> circling the sun, so put it in perspective.
Well, that's certainly no consolation considering I was more worred
about the seas drying up than the earth going out of orbit :)-
>
> Maj6th