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December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | well in my build up for the open house I always try to practice some before the tour. I just don't want to sound like a dork while playing.
my nephew came over on saturday, my sister told him to learn some elvis tunes to play for his grandmother it was her 70th birthday on sunday and she is a big elvis fan. my first meeting with herrevealed a shrine to him in her living room way back in the day.
anyway the kid wants to learn 'don't be cruel" so he starts playing it for me. he used a straight strum and it sounded like crap. I got him to play a rhythm that I later realized was done with the backing vocals on the record and for the stop verse I taught him the rhythm that was played on the snare.
I realized at that point that part of my personal style of rhythm playing is to mimic of fool the listener into thinking there are other things going on then there actually are. It sort of fills out the tune for the listener and gives it more character. sure if you had a whole band you can just play a straight rhythm but solo you have a lot of air to fill.
my questions to you
does this make sense?
do any of you also use this technique?
should I just shut up and continue to practice so I don't sound like a dork at the open house? |
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November 2005
Posts: 1126
Location: Omaha, NE | In my case, I try to fool the listener into thinking that there is a guitar player in the room. |
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October 2006
Posts: 5576
Location: big island | a-ha! that's what you were telling jeff w in that picture. "jeff, next time you are jamming with us, try a "straight" rhythm, dangit!" (verbage cleaned up in order to avoid censorship) |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | I understand what you're saying, Al. As a solo accompanist, I tried to fill in all the parts all the time. Playing in a band is much easier, especially being able to rely on the bass player to fill in the bottom end. By the way, we had a celtic electric violin play one number with us last Sunday. What a great sound! |
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May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Yes.
In a way.
You'll sound great don't worry. |
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December 2003
Posts: 13997
Location: Upper Left USA | Depends on the number of players in the band.
Solo I learn the bass runs and fill but as a part of a band I have to learn to play less but with more articulation. |
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August 2006
Posts: 2804
Location: ranson,wva | i play a good bit of rhythm and terriable lead..lol so i cant give any good advice, i pratice 3-4hrs a day and my playing is not improving. so i do belive ill be the worst player at the tour.....but i dont care!!! it pleases me and that all that matters...now back to your normaly scedualed programing....jason |
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March 2002
Posts: 15682
Location: SoCal | One of the things I always try to do, when playing with a group, is to try and figure out what's not being done, then to go there. Sometimes it means playing up the neck, sometimes it means just doing little 3 note chord fills.
When I'm doing this, I'm also trying to do as little as possible while implying that I'm doing a whole lot more. Just because there's a hole in the music, it doesn't mean that you've got to fill it up entirely.... sometimes you just want to fill up a corner and leave the rest of the hole..... |
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January 2005
Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by moody, p.i.:
One of the things I always try to do, when playing with a group, is to try and figure out what's not being done, then to go there. Which hopeully means leaving the musicians to what they are doing while you go out and get some damn pizza !!!
Dave |
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October 2005
Posts: 5332
Location: Bluffton, SC | "...sometimes it means just doing little 3 note chord fills."
3 note chord fills when we only know 3 chords. Pretty efficient there, Paul. Pretty soon you should have it boiled down to one string! I've always thought there was way too much waste on the fretboard anyway! So many duplicate notes, etc... :D |
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August 2006
Posts: 3145
Location: Marlton, NJ | Even better - when I played the bells (or bell, I should say) on Easter - I had it boiled down to one note! |
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August 2006
Posts: 2804
Location: ranson,wva | ive been learning the godfather them and ive got it down to basicaly one string...sounds good to me..lol jason |
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January 2007
Posts: 672
Location: New South Wales, Australia | A one string guitar.......is that what they call a unitar :confused: |
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August 2006
Posts: 2804
Location: ranson,wva | lol i knew one of those coments was coming..lol i play it on one string at a time....single notes because im a crappy player..lol jason |
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Posts: 672
Location: New South Wales, Australia | I'm right with ya Jason. I sometimes wonder why my guitar needs to have six strings :) |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | As acoustic players I think we eventually try to fill out the sound without realizing we are even doing it. Things like slapping the the strings down so they hit the fret board with a percussive thud. |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | A good loud fart will add to the arrangement too. Usually after the pizza. |
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September 2006
Posts: 713
Location: Alberta, Canada | I think trying to add some fill is a natural progression as you gain more time on an instrument, especially when you play alone.
I find I try to add some hammer-on notes alot. Sometimes I think I'm overdoing it and sometimes I just don't care. Especially if I'm just fooling around, killin' time.
My biggest irritation with myself is not consistently hitting the bass notes and screwing up the pattern. Mostly that is from a lack of concentration, or maybe I'm just lazy! :)
Some songs I just can't do the rythm the way it should be, and sing at the same time, but I like the song so just do it my own way.
At some point you just have to accept what you can do and live with it. Enjoying what you can do is the most important thing. Striving to do what you can't, is the challenge that keeps us trying. |
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November 2005
Posts: 4833
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Belching on key and in time is my specialty.
Really helps a crowd relax. |
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March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | If I was able to go to the tour I would sound like a dork. Elvis was a singer. Just tell him to sing louder to cover up the guitar. That's what Elvis did.
Actually, I do what Woody does. I learn the bass runs and then try to fill in the rest. Most songs I learn as close to the original as possible, but there are occasions when I fill in something from a second guitar, just because it is essential to the song. |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Mostly that is from a lack of concentration, That concentration thing is yet another knifes edge to walk on. To much of it and the music lacks any feeling. On the other hand a song can be feeling soooo so right to the point that you think you're bullet-proof and nothing can possibly go wrong. Then of course, it does. |
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April 2006
Posts: 2491
Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Interesting point that Alpep is raising here...,I like to make the guitar sound like a whole band,yet,I like finger-picking ,so I like to mix ,say,Travis picking with strumming,but when playing with others,I have to keep it simple,or I get accused of being dominant,I guess that "big sound" is what I `m aiming to do,coupled to individual notes,which often leads to different/strange arrangements,..that`s maybe what could be defined as the fingerprint/style of the "Artist" ( pronounce: Arteest ) ;)
Vic :cool: |
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rhythm
