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Superstition......


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I just came across this dusty thread and tried to follow lots of the links. Almost none of them work. Is this because it is so old and people have taken their charts / recordings down, or might there be a problem with the new site?

What are you looking for? This video covers the Clav parts and matches what Josh has in his thesis (I also have that and can send you a PDF if you want).

 

[video:youtube]

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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I just came across this dusty thread and tried to follow lots of the links. Almost none of them work. Is this because it is so old and people have taken their charts / recordings down, or might there be a problem with the new site?

What are you looking for? This video covers the Clav parts and matches what Josh has in his thesis (I also have that and can send you a PDF if you want).

 

[video:youtube]

 

That's very good, EXCEPT that he plays the A7 chord wrong. Needs to be a flatted fifth on top (Eb, not E).

 

Jerry

 

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As with everything, you're playing for RUBES, who haven't listened to the original that closely, and frankly don't care. They notice the (A) HOOKS and feel the (B) OVERALL SPIRIT. Those are really the only two things that matter. As fun as the rest of it is, that's all "musician's fluff". And realistically, if it had been recorded on any other week, a lot of those subtleties would have been completely different. As musicians, we often spend hours digging in to the exact parts as they were recorded, but also as musicians, we have the perspective to know that a lot of those timeless parts were created on-the-fly, at the whim of the band/producer who were likely VERY HIGH at the time. Had they had a different strain of Ganja or a different supply of Blow things could have turned out very differently. But the spirit is what matters.

 

So, as musicians, it's our job for the public to correctly identify the hooks that 95% are going to remember, and capture the spirit of the musicians. I think Superstition serves as an excellent example, and a lesson in restraint. You GOTTA have the main Clav part as it appears in the intro, the rest is all Stevie jamming out, and my suggestion is to jam out too. Don't play the notes, don't bother with learning the exact line, just bang those Tangents like it's 1699.

 

Trumpet/Sax parts? The reality is noone off stage cares what instrument is playing them. At the end of the day, you're a dude with a dull box copping a buncha cats with shiny metal horns, who would most likely be doing synchronized dance routine while playing. That's the truth. Even if you're so studio perfect that the blind Stevie Wonder can't tell it's a synth, it's not gonna have the visual or energetic impact. That's why I always gig with a trumpet... nothing is more kinetic to a show than a live horn, even if you suck (which I do). If that's not in the cards, throw the part to the guitar player and let him strut his stuff. I guarantee the audience is going to be more receptive to it unless you've got some serious stage mojo... I do, and that's why I'm the most sought-after player in this city, but I can't do it on board alone.

Puck Funk! :)

 

Equipment: Laptop running lots of nerdy software, some keyboards, noise makersâ¦yada yada yadaâ¦maybe a cat?

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I just came across this dusty thread and tried to follow lots of the links. Almost none of them work. Is this because it is so old and people have taken their charts / recordings down, or might there be a problem with the new site?

What are you looking for? This covers the Clav and matches what Josh has in his thesis (I also have that and can send you a PDF if you want ]

 

Many thanks Joe & Josh!! So nice of you to go to all that trouble Josh - I am most impressed!! :)

 

"Turn your fingers into a dust rag and keep them keys clean!" ;) Bluzeyone
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Ah, a revisit to this thread wouldn't be complete without yet another reminder that the only thing that ever matters in music is getting things close enough to be more-or-less recognizable to the drunkest and most clueless of audiences, and that any attempt at acquiring a deeper education or understanding than that is a self-indulgent waste of time.
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Ah, a revisit to this thread wouldn't be complete without yet another reminder that the only thing that ever matters in music is getting things close enough to be more-or-less recognizable to the drunkest and most clueless of audiences, and that any attempt at acquiring a deeper education or understanding than that is a self-indulgent waste of time.

 

This is me editing my original post not to exist anymore.

Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material.
www.joshweinstein.com

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Ah, a revisit to this thread wouldn't be complete without yet another reminder that the only thing that ever matters in music is getting things close enough to be more-or-less recognizable to the drunkest and most clueless of audiences, and that any attempt at acquiring a deeper education or understanding than that is a self-indulgent waste of time.

Oh, do gain as much of that understanding as you possibly can, absolutely. Then boil it down to its essence. Not a waste of time at all!

Puck Funk! :)

 

Equipment: Laptop running lots of nerdy software, some keyboards, noise makersâ¦yada yada yadaâ¦maybe a cat?

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I just came across this dusty thread and tried to follow lots of the links. Almost none of them work. Is this because it is so old and people have taken their charts / recordings down, or might there be a problem with the new site?

What are you looking for? This video covers the Clav parts and matches what Josh has in his thesis (I also have that and can send you a PDF if you want).

 

[video:youtube]

 

That's very good, EXCEPT that he plays the A7 chord wrong. Needs to be a flatted fifth on top (Eb, not E).

 

Jerry

 

I listened again and Josh is (of course) correct - the Ab chord is a sus... I tried holding a C against every track I could find and it's wrong. Got to be the Db.

 

The Vulf video is a great resource, even though it's a little busier than how Stevie plays it live. But it helped me to refine my sound, getting some serious compression on the clav to help the RH part out. On the Kronos I actually split the clav into two zones. The lower one to cover the riff (up to the RH Gb), and then another clav range dedicated to the "slapped" Ebm7 chord, so I could adjust the level, the release etc. better for the slapping part. It's still hard to sound right on a MIDI keyboard the triggers at the bottom, but it's getting there. Thanks for this!

 

 

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