Last night at my regular Wednesday night spot I had these 2 Old Hippies that sometimes come in. He's an ex teacher turned Compter repair guy and she's a realtor ( I think ) ...... be that as it may - they still sport the same basic look from the flower children era, long hair, beads, flowery prints, jeans .....
Anyway - we started talking about Peter, Paul & Mary, CSNY, John Denver and other icons of that era, so I started ressurecting some of the music using the "Live Steel Guitar" sound and the "Finger Pickin'" style from the country section on the psr3k.
I found that this combination was great for so many songs ... I played "Teach your Children", "Ripple", and a host of others using this combination ...... it works well in 1/2 time as well....... give it a try ... the 1st and 2nd variations are basic and simple and go a long way!

Hi Dave

You are right.
I like play the same combination to play songs as "Is blowing the wind".
Live steel guitar for the first part and sweet harmonica for the second part.
It's very good.

Chico

[This message has been edited by ChicoBrasil (edited 01-13-2005).]

Over on the Musicians Room site under midis,talent midis,by Harry Leffingwell give a listen to guitar ride. I can't find that sound on my 3000.
He has a post under general keyboard list.

"HarryLeff - Country Man!
Posted: Monday, January 03, 2005 4:34 PM (EST)
Many thanks for your kind remarks.Yes most of my songs are written for the C&W folks. Funny thing, I originally came from Connecticut and didnt even know what Country was until by the auspices of U,S. Air Force I ended up in Myrtle Beach. There I met some of the kickers and got to like the stuff.

I have written over 100 original songs but never tried to publish any. Seems to me like a tough field to get into and a lot depends on either who you know or how large your pocketbook is. I play on a Yamaha arranger PSR3000 which to me is one of the finest instruments on the market. I use Band in the Box and Busker music programs as aids.Please dont ask me for help with either as I am a neophyte on them. I am a member of the Yamaha Songs Group and in the past year have sent in 141 songs. Ran into a "gentleman" last year who referred to C&W music as "Catterwallin" and was definitely not a fan. Last week I had an original song "Pretty Christmas" played on the huge theatre organ at the ROARING 20'S CLUB in Ellenton Florida. I live nearby.

Love to hear from any other C&W fans...till then adios....HarryLeff"

Smokey

[This message has been edited by Smokey (edited 01-13-2005).]

Dave, when you "pull out" these songs, do you use a MIDI, Recall from Memory, or use charts that you have on your Laptop?

Just wondering what technique you use to accomodate requests.

Al

UD doesn't know what a MIDI is ... ....
and he has all his songs memorized ...
t.

Tony's right. I "pull them" from my past memory banks. If I get lucky, most of the words and music just sort of "come back" in stride, but sometimes, I have to really WORK for it!

I've found that the key to successful memorization is in 2 parts:

1) Lyrics - we've discussed this before, but if you WRITE out the words, then READ them out of rhythm(spoken, out loud) ... they seem to stick in your mind better. The better the lyric, the easier it will be to memorize, because it will make sense.

2) Music - Memorize the CHORDS only. Train your ear to understand and recognize the intervals. Many patterns repeat and follow logical progressions, like the classic:
I - vi - IV - V7 that made up UMteen-thousand 50s and 60s ballads.
Once you recognize where the chords are going - you can find the melody much easier.

I also believe that a good solid understanding of bass lines helps you to better understand the entire arangement. That's why I love playing my own manual lines as much as possible. The bass line is like the road map to the song ..... it will lead you in and out of all the changes!

I only have about a dozen charts on my laptop. These are songs that somehow get lost, and forgotten ... I don't even think of them unles they are requested. I can't tell ytou the last time I even accessed one of them. My restaurant gigs ( happy now??? ) are pretty predictable. They are mostly Italian places, so Sinatra, Bennett, Martin ..... get requested alot. There's not a whole lot of oddball stuff that I throw at them during dinner. It's AFTER dinner that I start to get creative!
Last night I did Taxi(Harry Chapin), AND the sequal (did you even KNOW there was a sequal?), The Loadout(Jackson Brown), But you know I love you(Kenny Rogers & 1st Edition) .... I was havin' a ball !

Wow..it's incredible you remember all those lyrics. I'm much better memorizing chords and progressions rather than lyrics of all those seldom used songs.

I'm impressed...

Interestingly enough, it's not the lyrics but the (chord) changes that more often throw my memory. I'm not talking about the simple I-vi-IV-V, I-vi-ii-V patterned tunes (those are easy ) but many other songs don't don't follow this pattern. In fact, there are literally many thousands of different predictable chord change patterns, as well as chord substitions used to provide an entirely different (and often more interesting) feel (harmony) to the melody.

You might be able to get-away with playing a continously REPEATING I-vi-IV-V progression (some songs actually require this: ei some 50's R&R 12/8 ballads), but for MANY other songs (beyond basic country & folk tunes), it's the un predictable chord changes (and chord substitions) that give the song its unique character. Simply playing I-vi-IV-V for these won't 'cut the mustard' professionally.

It's for those audience unusual song requests that having a 'chord chart' and/or lyric sheet handy to refer to (but of course NOT STARE at ) that can truly be a lifesaver. Hey, NONE OF US (no not even UD ) could possibly know and/or remember the lyrics & chords to 'EVERY SONG' out there.

Scott

Of course not, but it's amazing at how many things come back to you when you start playing it. It's more of an ear trsining than memorization really. You get to "hear" where the next chord is coming from just by sheer repetition of so many similar changes.
Sure, the C&W & 50s tunes were the easiest because of the simplicity, but even some of the more interesting changes come back if you get inside the chords while you play it.
I forget LOTS of stuff ... daily, but I'd still rather play a request as soon as it's asked for rather than let them see me search for a chart. Even, if my "hap hazard" arrangement could be better .... sometimes the spontinaity of the moment is more valuable to me than a missed #9/13 chord. I still like the "seat of my pants" approach for most things .... except Bridal dances or showcases. If it's just a dance, and they're drinking ....... they get what comes off the top of my head, and they usually like it !
(which ISN'T hair !)

UD: I believe you and I have actually always been on the SAME side of the fence on this issue. My point is that it's not a bad idea to have a fakebook conveniently handy for those situations when a memory lapse may have prevented me from feeling confident enough to perform a song that I may not have performed in a LONG time (or one I NEVER PLAYED before). Playing from the seat of your pants (solely by ear) has its merits (spontaniety), but having a lyric/chord chart handy adds insurance that I'll be able to pull off an unfamiliar (or totally unrehearsed) song succesfully. At a more casual laid back environment, I might take RISKS to play an unfamiliar song totally by ear alone, but not at a more toney venue where the stakes are much higher.

Use of charts is also dependent on the type of gig venue. For a stage show where YOU are the 'main attraction', lyric sheets and/or chord charts are of course a no no, but for instrumental background music, I see nothing wrong with utilizing them if needed, especially if you're playing with other musicians who need to know 'what changes' you're using. Utilizing charts helps to keep all band members on the same track.

Scott

It's great working with no charts, but it's nice to have them handy for an emergency ...
Even Sinatra used monitors for the lyrics, and I'm not just talking about his later years ... I saw him a couple of times (the first time was at the old Cherry Hill Resort in NJ) .. the last time I saw him was in Providence ... great seats .. up front in a 'theater in the round' setting ... I could read the words on the monitor and even his lyrical "embellishments" were written in ...
t.

Tony...That was at the old "LATIN CASINO" on Rt 70 that was eventualy sold to become Suburo Hqt. ....when did you see the Master, and who was he with????, I was there for every appearance he made...and yes, he did have monitors....those were the days....

what were the "embellishments" that Mr Sinatra had written on the monitors?

Wow!, Ol Blue Eyes would have really LOVED the MusicPad Pro. Sinatra's performance style here HIGHLIGHTS my case in point. - Scott