shniggens Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Can someone explain to me the harmonics involved in making those cool descending blues runs like the beginning of "House Is A Rockin'" by Stevie Ray Vaughn? I hear this kind of riff played all the time. What scale degrees are they generally played off of. Are they thirds? Sixths? Octaves? My ear sucks. Amateur Hack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Look over some of this stuff: http://www.shopwiki.com/search/New+Orleans+Piano+Professor,+Tuts+Washington You may be talking about the "famous lick" and if you are you'll find it in some of these lesson series. Good luck with it. "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legatoboy Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Shniggens, If you mean the octaves in the intro its a simple blues scale descending. In C, (I think the tune is in Bb but not sure ) it would be (from memory) C,Bb,G,F,Eb,C,Bb,G or something pretty close to that played in octaves. Basically just a descending blues scale if I understand your question correctly. Can someone explain to me the harmonics involved in making those cool descending blues runs like the beginning of "House Is A Rockin'" by Stevie Ray Vaughn? I hear this kind of riff played all the time. What scale degrees are they generally played off of. Are they thirds? Sixths? Octaves? My ear sucks. CP-50, YC 73, FP-80, PX5-S, NE-5d61, Kurzweil SP6, XK-3, CX-3, Hammond XK-3, Yamaha YUX Upright, '66 B3/Leslie 145/122 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Nightime Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 The riff at the beginning is octaves running the blues scale. The riff in the solo is 6ths. Just picturing it in my mental keyboard, a believe it is, in straight 8ths, with the bold as beat 1... Ab A Bb B G B Bb A F A Ab G E G F# F D F Eb E C Reese will go on from there, but this gives you the basic lick that is used so much. "In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome. So God helped him and created woman. Now everybody's got the blues." Willie Dixon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legatoboy Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Thats right Mr.Nightime, I used to love to play that riff in the solo, that old time signature riff. I often wondered where that riff came from. It sounds like it has a country or rock-abilly history. lb The riff at the beginning is octaves running the blues scale. The riff in the solo is 6ths. Just picturing it in my mental keyboard, a believe it is, in straight 8ths, with the bold as beat 1... Ab A Bb B G B Bb A F A Ab G E G F# F D F Eb E C Reese will go on from there, but this gives you the basic lick that is used so much. CP-50, YC 73, FP-80, PX5-S, NE-5d61, Kurzweil SP6, XK-3, CX-3, Hammond XK-3, Yamaha YUX Upright, '66 B3/Leslie 145/122 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Sorry, I was thinking about the solo. "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shniggens Posted January 11, 2009 Author Share Posted January 11, 2009 The riff at the beginning is octaves running the blues scale. The riff in the solo is 6ths. Just picturing it in my mental keyboard, a believe it is, in straight 8ths, with the bold as beat 1... Ab A Bb B G B Bb A F A Ab G E G F# F D F Eb E C Reese will go on from there, but this gives you the basic lick that is used so much. Yeah, that's the V chord "turnaround". I'm familiar with that one. What about the descending riff, like in the intro, or even the descending figure played after this turnaround riff in the solo. It sounds more chorded to me. More than just ocatves Amateur Hack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexico Charlie Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 That's right. The melody note in the figure preceding that starts on the seventh (Bb) of the C7 chord, then goes to the seventh (Eb) of the F7 chord (the recording is in B, but in our example we're working in C.) Mr. Nightime's lick is on the G7 chord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 You guys don't play it in B, do you? "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonysounds Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Nope, it's in C; Stevie Ray tuned down a half step for tone reasons. Also, to make matters really confusing, Reese, as I recall reading, did tune his keyboards down a half step, except for the organ (!??!), so he would play (for instance) this song in B on the organ, but in C on his piano. WHY he would do that is beyond me; I can understand not putting a cycle regulator in his organ (that keeps it in tune regardless of the power as anything but 60cycles per second changes the tuning of the Hammond) -well, actually, no, I cant understand why he wouldnt do that- but purposely sabotaging yourself to be playing in two keys at once.I dont do blow, and I wouldnt have done it, and those guys were higher than kites back in the day! Oh..maybe thats WHY he did it!? Anyway, the songs actually played in C. Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Actually Tony, this song was on "In Step," after they got clean and sober. Hence the name of the album. "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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Whatever Reese was on, I'll have what he's having. "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWeldon Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I studied the opening to House is Rockin for a couple of nights with "Transcribe!" slowdown software to try to get the opening. I never could get it exactly right. It does sound close however if you play a descending blues scale in octaves and add the fifth in the middle. Example CGC, BbfBb, GDG, FCF, EbBbEb, DAD, CGC. Make sure you add the fifth in the middle of the octave because that will give you the "sound" of Reese Wynans. Try that technique for example on a song like Pride and Joy. When you are wailing away in octaves and fifths, crushing every black note that is convenient, you can almost compete with the usual enthusiastic SRV guitar poseur. The only drawback for me is the next day my hands are sore as hell. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexico Charlie Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 We don't play it. I just listened to the recording. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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