ReedSqueal
474 posts
Sep 06, 2013
1:04 PM
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Maybe another phase in the learning curve. I've known this for a while, but I now feel the need to try and actually get "it"
I learned early on, to have "good ears" and not incessantly play and stomp all over the song and other instruments or vocals. I have been complimented by other musicians at jams that I am a good listener.
But for some reason I am having a difficult time overcoming an almost sense of urgency to rush or to play when I don't need to. The "less is more" thing. That has been getting me into trouble lately as in timing, or finishing a riff too early or hitting a turnaround too early.
Edit: maybe it's sub-conscious, I am not FEELING the groove or letting the song happen. I dunno.
Any suggestions or exercises that might point me in that direction?
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"You hear that cat...On the Harmonica?....That's the Canned Heat!"
-John Lee Hooker, Boggie Chillen'
Last Edited by ReedSqueal on Sep 06, 2013 1:06 PM
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wolfkristiansen
206 posts
Sep 06, 2013
1:30 PM
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Hi ReedSqueal-- just talking about the rushed timing for now, (not the urge to play when you shouldn't)--
You might be rushing your notes because you are nervous on stage. Stage fright. Solution-- have a beer or three before you play. Works for me. I'm sure others will have more thoughtful solutions.
As an aside, I do feel that some people naturally rush the time, others lag it. (Check the discussions about "lagging the beat" vs "leading the beat" in this forum and in drum forums. I tend to rush the time even when not nervous, but have learned to recognize that and adust.
Hope I've given you something to think about.
Cheers,
wolf kristiansen
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Leatherlips
219 posts
Sep 06, 2013
1:34 PM
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I think you've already said it yourself. Allow the spaces to happen, play a single note maybe, repeat a single note, even play over the turnaround, it's not against the rules.
If you are truly feeling the song you shouldn't need to think at all, It will happen for you. And as you say, sometimes less is more.
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The Iceman
1141 posts
Sep 06, 2013
4:15 PM
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Consider the silence the same as a note...inject it as you would a note....think of it as a note that no one can hear....use it as you would a note in a melodic line.
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The Iceman
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S-harp
170 posts
Sep 06, 2013
4:46 PM
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Less is more is one thing ....
Rushing / lagging is another ...
Rushing and ending up way ahead, and/or lagging, in an uncontrolled manner, is a matter of not ... yet ... having internalized the beat, the puls, the groove ...
Contemplating "less is more" is a higher, more advanced state, where rushing/lagging no longer is much of an issue.
It's essential to feel the puls, the beat, the groove ... and to play around with it.
Playing with/against a metronome is one way to go. What then becomes obvious is that the parts in our playing that is not " wood sheaded enough" will loose tempo ... those runs/licks will lagg ... on occasion will be rushed.
So much is about the groove ... to nail those important " beat markers" that defines the groove.
Playing with a band with this in focus is of course optimal. What then becomes obvious is that it's not you that have issues with timing and the groove ... it's the bass player !!
"Less is more" is more about the feel of the music ... the character ... what you are saying with it all ... the nerve ...
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The tone, the tone ... and the Tone
Last Edited by S-harp on Sep 08, 2013 1:28 AM
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Barley Nectar
14 posts
Sep 06, 2013
4:54 PM
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Maybe nerves, maybe tring too hard to fit. Relax and feel the groove. I play more that most guys but most of the time I'm in the backround. Fills and chords. Dynamics. My job is to make everyone else sound better. Make the sound bigger. Add a layer. This way I don't have to try and hit it just right because I'm already in there. Be tastful and courtious with this. Then when you get the nod, hit it. This works for me and my fellow musicians have no complaints...BN
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STME58
536 posts
Sep 06, 2013
5:53 PM
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Frank posted this great timing drill from Victor Wooten.
It's not easy but I think it is worth doing.
Here is a pointer to Frank's post;
http://www.modernbluesharmonica.com/board/board_topic/5560960/5428212.htm
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colman
258 posts
Sep 07, 2013
2:06 PM
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For a long time ,i lay down a slow walking bass line then
i walk with it on a harp.after a few times around, the harp naturally goes on it`s own trip so after a 5 mile hike so to speak i`ve been somewhere.just one of the many
ways to do a slow blues...this has always been a part of my woodsheading....
Last Edited by colman on Sep 07, 2013 2:11 PM
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jbone
1347 posts
Sep 07, 2013
4:24 PM
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I studied Muddy Waters and how he arranged his guys on stage and in studio, and learned from that. He really did put the UNK in FUNK. A lot of that was how he had his players hang off the back of the beat.
This is not a big analytical thing, I'm fairly uneducated in actual music terms, I just mean I listened and learned. He had Walter way in the background on some things as well but it totally fit the song at hand.
Once you "get" this it will be hard to play with guys who rush a song. It's sort of an acquired taste in that I had to learn to "wait for it" that extra half beat, and I had to get the guys I worked with to lay it out the same way. If the rhythm guys are in a hurry it will not work.
As for a few drinks, that's a personal choice you can make or not. I began learning AFTER I let all the enhancers go.
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http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa7La7yYYeE
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ReedSqueal
475 posts
Sep 07, 2013
10:27 PM
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Thanks for the comments. LOL Tooka!
How about some metronome excises? I just found this youtube video posted by Richard Sleigh:
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"You hear that cat...On the Harmonica?....That's the Canned Heat!"
-John Lee Hooker, Boggie Chillen'
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