Learning a tune remotely

[TimR]

I got a call last night from the lady who has booked us for her 60th Birthday on Saturday.

 

"When you play When I'm Sixty-Four......" the conversation started.

 

Well I didn't know what to say, that tunes not in our set list, what was she thinking?

 

It transpires that she sent me a mail (one of two) that I didn't receive. One of her friends will be 64 that night and she wants the guests to do a sing along.

 

I went along with it and said we'd do it. Two evenings to chart out, distribute and get a band to look over their parts in advance. Tomorrow will be interesting. Our keyboard player returns from Spain tomorrow morning.

 

Luckily its a simple tune (I learned it after 3 playthroughs) and its one we all must have played before, just not together. Everyone is up for it.

 

One interesting point was that I've found several recordings and it seems to suffer that dreaded 60's semi-tone problem. Some recordings are in C some in Db. I've opted for C for ease. The recording I have from Sgt. Peppers is in Db. The one from the Yellow Submarine film is in C.

 

It seems to me that people who were teenagers in the 60s take live bands pretty much in their stride and expect you to be able to play any tune in the universe. Its our job not to disillusion them and make it look easy.

 

I think a night of busking the band through every Stones and Beatles number is long overdue.

 

What Would Jeremy Do. ( I know the answer to that one)

[jeremy c]

We've played that song with no rehearsal.

 

 

I probably still have a chart.

 

Last week we played Landslide.

 

Another week it was American Pie. I sang that one and played guitar because I didn't want to have to play bass and sing the song with no rehearsal. The guitar player played bass and sight-read the chord chart I wrote.

 

Actually once someone in the crowd said to the guitarist: "wow, you must know every song ever written" and he answered, "yeah, and nothing else."

[TimR]

I've played lots of tunes to chord charts that I've never played heard before, and few I've never even heard, but as you say Jeremy, usually there has been a leader who knows the tune. I'm banking on our guitarist knowing it well enough to drive it.

 

We played Auld Langs Ayne on New Years Eve with no rehearsal. Another ridiculously simple tune. I can see why proffesionals don't bother rehearsing lots of complex tunes when there are some many simple "crowd pleaser" tunes about.

[jeremy c]

I just wrote a chart for the Israel Kamakawiwo'ole version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. He shamelessly reharmonized the tune.

We'll give it a shot tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

I want the whole forum to learn the version of My Generation by the Zimmers and play it for me on my 60th birthday which is in two weeks.

 

Does anyone need a chart?

[TimR]

Well it went down an absolute storm, the whole place was singing it. Ages ranged from 4 years old to 80.

 

I love those big family gigs with a great diverse age range.

 

I still can't stand to listen to those Beatles tunes, but everyone else seems to, so I'll happily keep playing them. I'd rather play tunes I don't like to a packed dance floor than tunes I do like to an empty one.

 

Its a hard life when you're the only one with any musical taste while the rest of world hasn't any

[SteveC]

We regularly do tunes "on-the-fly" at gigs. As long as someone can sing and sort of knows the tune, we'll give it a try.

[tnb]

It seems to me that people who were teenagers in the 60s take live bands pretty much in their stride and expect you to be able to play any tune in the universe. Its our job not to disillusion them and make it look easy.

 

Yep.

[jeremy c]

People who were teenagers in the 40's do the same thing.

 

A friend of mine was playing solo piano in a hotel bar and finally slammed the piano lid shut, saying, "Lady, I told you I didn't know the song and it's highly unlikely that I will learn it before midnight!"

[Phil W]

Talking of requests, playing a jazz club on Friday playing jazz standards and jazzy soul. A guy in the audience holding up a piece of card with a Rage Against the Machine song written on it as a request! Yeah, right!