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Location: south east Michigan | I know the solution already.
A longneck would save the day.
But did you ever have a song where you got everything worked out and there is just one darn vocal note… one stinkin’ little note ruins the whole thing.
The Beatles… Two Of Us….”You and I have memories LONGER than the ROAD that travels up ahead”.
BrianT & I have it just about ready for public consumption but we have had to tune down a half step to do it. I’ve waited till the house was empty, picked up a concert pitch guitar and just went at it trying to hit that note at least a couple times out of 20. Stephen28, if the two of us are gonna take a run at The Two Of Us at Amelia, I think we better take a couple minutes and tune down our gits. Or maybe see if there are any baritones with in reach. |
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Location: closely held secret | ...or, ya could just play it in a different key. |
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Location: NJ | ". . hit that note at least a couple times out of 20 . ."
Then try it 20 more times . . . and then 20 more . . and then 20 more . . . you'll get it, eventually.
It's almost like that involuntary "muscle memory" that you have to develop that allows you to quickly grab that D or G chord on your guitar neck without thinking about it . . .
And try singing it barefoot (don't laugh, it helps . . .) |
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Location: closely held secret | Try it with ice in your shorts. |
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Location: south east Michigan | A key change is not always an answer. With "Two of Us" it's important to play a G with a D shape chord up the neck. You just don't get the same sound in a different key. Other times it just doesn't feel right when you assend rather than decend to reach the chord. The frequency on the tuner might say the right note but it just doesn't feel right.
It might sound like I think I know what I'm talking about but beleive me... I don't. I'm winging it bigtime.
Cliff... your advise is sound and I will take it.
When we started doing "Pretty Woman" we had to do it a half step down. After playing it a hundred times we found it was not such a big hardship to go to concert. |
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Location: NJ | It's just simple "exercise" . . .
(tho' when Moody sings, it's more "exorcise" . . .) |
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Location: closely held secret | Brad, I know exactly what you mean, and I sympathize. What little range I have includes the lower part of tenor and the upper part of baritone... not the most useful combination. |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | But manly....
Brad, you move that 'D' shaped 'G' two frets down... it's an 'F'. |
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Location: Jet City | I'm pretty much tuned a half step down 80% of the time these days now that I'm strummin' and singin more.
Half of that 80% I have both "E" strings dropped another full step.
I like the baritone more for the sound it makes that for changing a key to sing in. |
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Location: NJ | A while ago, I picked up the recent Genesis "Live Over Europe" CD.
While listening to it, some of the songs just didn't sound . . . "right".
They didn't have the "punch"/"sparkle" of either the original recording or previous live versions. It almost seemed as if they'd slowed the tunes down a bit . . yet not quite . . . it just seemed "lacklustre".
I thought that it was a shame that they hadn't toured for so long, that they'd HYPED the piss out of the tour, charged exorbitant ticket prices, and then 'phoned-in" the performance (and had the balls to record and SELL it . . again).
I was driving in the car with it on, and singing along with one of their songs that I used t'do, and it was then that I "noticed" it.
They'd lowered the key.
Granted, I can sympathize that Phil's gotten older & might not be able to hit some of those notes, but I just found it un-listenable.
Thankfully, I have a good rapport with CDshop owner in my town, & he took it back . . . |
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Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by fillhixx:
But manly.... Thanks, Phil!
Originally posted by fillhixx:
Brad, you move that 'D' shaped 'G' two frets down... it's an 'F'. You know, I was going to suggest that. Cahpoh up one fret (or 2) and play it in F (or F#) in the E position.
But I've found most people who can't hit an 'E' note don't like playing 'B' chords, so I didn't bother. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Originally posted by fillhixx:
Brad, you move that 'D' shaped 'G' two frets down... it's an 'F'. Well... yes... theoretically. :D
Thanks. I'll give it a try tonight after work. |
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Location: closely held secret | Brad, you realize that would bring the dreaded Bb into play... |
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Location: chicago | Your right Cliff I was playing along with turn it on again(used to play it in a band in the 80s)anyway I know the gtr part but it was a half step out guess thirty years of singing live did phil in! Jeff |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | Well, if there's a question on the theory of it all, we'd better call Temp. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | What note is it? Most pop singers are tenors, which creates problems for baritones looking to perform songs writtin in the tenor range. I'm a second tenor and can usually nail a B flat, but not for very long and not repeatedly. My comfort range is A and below. |
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Location: SoCal | Brad, this is going to sound odd, but I've found that sometimes (not always) when playing a tune and thinking that if I drop it a note or so it would be better, what actually works is bringing the tune up a half note. Try the tune in Ab instead of G..... |
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Location: south east Michigan | Paul.. that is not odd at all. We will capo up often. We describe as getting "out of the mud" and getting more leverage under the vocals. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.
When Brian & I play Mrs. Brown he is playing open chords and I'm capoed up 5.
And B flat don't scare me none. I'm from Detroit ya know. |
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Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by moody, p.i.:
Ab Sorry, Paul, try again. Ab is not the 4th chord... |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | When you come to that note, you could always change it to a harmony. That will make the song different, and put your own signature on it. The lady who used to sing for me (she called me her guitarist, but I called her my singer), had one low note in a particular song we did, that sometimes she could hit, but sometimes not. We just changed the note to something she could hit. After all, when you hear a live performance of just about any song, it's usually different from the original recording. And look at Joni Mitchell. She can't hit those high notes anymore, so she just changes the melody a little bit when doing the old ones. In some cases (most actually), she sounds better than ever. |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | This discussion reminds me of the 'Star Spangled Banner'... |
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| What - you've been standing to attention gripping your left tit for four hours? |
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Location: Yorkshire, England | Easy, practice 19 times, save the 20th for when the gig comes ....... Hey Presto !
Seriously though- had this trouble with `She Loves You' in G. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | How close can you get to the last few notes of Crying? I could do it till my voice changed. The recent Falling Slowly starts low and gets pretty high, but I'm thinking that the guy switches to the harmony and the girl does the high note, but I haven't listened to the song enough. It sound fine if you just hit the harmony on the high part.
I'll have to check out the range with a piano someday. I know I've lost an octave somewhere and didn't gain it on the low end. |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | I have trouble with the last notes of Perfect.
I just yell. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Okay... I transposed down from G to F. First, I concede Waskel.. that B flat don't make it. And just moving the D shape up doesn't make it either because the droning, open D string is an important element.
So I got my shoes and socks of and I'll just keep pluggin' away.
I've had an awful, nagging cold and then when I started to get better, Brian got sick. So it's been a while since I've sang & I can notice it.
As an exercise I'm moving the capo up on every song as much as I can to streach my voice. The guitar sounds like crap but a greater purpose is served. |
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Location: NJ | Brad;
Bring it to Amelia.
We'll work on it . . . |
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Location: south east Michigan | Thank ya kindly. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Originally posted by The Wabbit Formerly Known As Waskel:
Try it with ice in your shorts. That'll make you go flat. Wouldn't want that. |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | I tried that.
No one noticed and the dogs started barking. |
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Why that one darn note??!!