WesG Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Okay, no laughing. Can any of you guys play the flute part and the marimba tremolos at the same time? If so, would you care to share your strategy? I can't seem to play either part fluidly with my left hand while the right is busy, so that seems to be out. Have a CP4 with a VR09 in my rig at the moment. Would be nice if there was a pedal I could step on or something which would stop the flute from re-triggering when I tremble. rethink - how important is it that tremolos are in time? Maybe there is a sustain-tremolo function I could leverage? Wes Hammond: L111, M100, M3, BC, CV, Franken CV, A100, D152, C3, B3 Leslie: 710, 760, 51C, 147, 145, 122, 22H, 31H Yamaha: CP4, DGX-620, DX7II-FD-E!, PF85, DX9 Roland: VR-09, RD-800 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokely Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 I just play electric piano on that! Haven't had any rotten fruit hit me yet, though we don't often play the tune to be honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Tough call. As there is a wurlitzer part in there also. The song is in D I think. The marimba part stands out more so if you are the only keyboard player concentrate on that. Remember like playing brass parts you are creating an illusion with the marimba these parts are key as they are call and answer with the vocals: "But I know" is answered with the marimba riff "it's nobody's fault" is also answered with the marimba riff Almost all the song is call and answer because of the way it was written. I hope that helps but sometimes being the only keyboard player sucks in a band and playing a song like this is one of those times. "Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello" noblevibes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threadslayer Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 I just play electric piano on that! Haven't had any rotten fruit hit me yet, though we don't often play the tune to be honest. It really isn't the sort of tune that people listen to all that critically. Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. -Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveMcM Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 If I must play that song, I typically just use acoustic piano. Although I do pull up a string patch and play Spanish Eyes over the last verse. Wm. David McMahan I Play, Therefore I Am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 I just play electric piano on that! Haven't had any rotten fruit hit me yet, though we don't often play the tune to be honest. It really isn't the sort of tune that people listen to all that critically. No but the parts are significant enough that they are important. "Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello" noblevibes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DulceLabs.com Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 I just play electric piano on that! Haven't had any rotten fruit hit me yet, though we don't often play the tune to be honest. It really isn't the sort of tune that people listen to all that critically. ^^ THIS ^^ -- Also, I have heard many live versions of the songs -- and they all are different. My favorite is a very lively "Lost Verse" rendition that uses horns instead of the marimba. I wouldn't sweat getting it perfect, just make is *sound* right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan_evett Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Feels like I've been playing this one for eons I've normally used a Multi, Performance, or Combi made up of acoustic piano and FM EP layered. This type of layer works well, in both a supportive rhythm role and for the signature opening and closing riff. In a mix the EP layer adds an island percussion type of flavor, yet the piano allows for more solid comping support. This sound is a go-to for current gigs, as the band does a fair amount of Buffett on summer jobs. In the past couple of bands the guitarist picked up that little, ocarina lead at the end of the tuned percussion solo. Have also heard harmonica used as well. I had an ocarina Program set up in one of my many 'Buffet' Combis on a Triton Extreme, circa 2001, when I was in a Jimmy Buffett tribute band. But I didn't sweat it, during the instrumental break, trying to cover the island metals sound at the same time - especially as the ocarina lick is two measures long; I just reached up and grabbed the sound for a moment, then went back to the piano / tuned percussion layer. For the ocarina sound that twins the top voice on the opening / closing riff, you could trying layering it in a multi-patch if you like.. But I don't think it'll be missed if you don't cover it. It's party music, and as mentioned previously, 'no one is listening that critically'. 'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo. We need a barfing cat emoticon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 I layered a steel drum and marimba patch. Maybe it was a self inflicted Jedi Mind trick but the steel drum gave it a flute like quality while give the whole layer a nice attack. I didn't mess with the flute. "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonglow Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 I just use a Rhodes patch on the lower/weighted manual and a marimba patch on the upper manual. I don't use an ocarina patch (good call Allan, never knew what was making that sound) as our sax man steps all over that part anyhow. "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthaholic Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Pssst! It doesn't matter. The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatricklov Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 I use a vibes patch (read EP or Rhodes as has also been mentioned) for the majority of the song and switch to steel drums to play the end-of-verse riffs and the instrumental solo. Instead of taking the entire solo, I shared it with the lead guitar player in a kind of question-and-answer phrasing... so he'd essentially echo my part, and our rhythm acoustic guitar player would play harmonica towards the end... (D) Steel drum verse notes, lead guitar echo (D) Steel drum verse notes, lead guitar echo (D-A) Steel drum finish verse (G-A) Steel drum verse phrase (D walkdown) Harmonica! (woman to blame) (G-D) Steel drum (same as intro) MainStage; Hammond SK1-73; Roland XP-80, JV-90, JV-1080, JV-1010, AX-1; Korg microSAMPLER; Boss DR-880; Beat Buddy; Neo Instruments Ventilator; TC Electronic ND-1 Nova Delay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe P Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 I never bothered with the flute. I used "Island Mallets" on my FA, and I played the ocarina part on those as well. I comped with piano. The end of that song always seemed to have some funny business to me, like it was punched in or something. A slight groove discontinuity. Maybe it's just me.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marzzz Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 I hate tequila. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnH Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 I still love the songs everyone loves to hate so I don't hate this one and I sing it. It's typically done on two keyboards, flute on bottom kybd and marimba or electric piano voice on top keyboard. We just don't do it as much as we used to, if the crowd is real mellow or it's a quiet dinner open set we do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timwat Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Okay, no laughing. Can any of you guys play the flute part and the marimba tremolos at the same time? If so, would you care to share your strategy? I can't seem to play either part fluidly with my left hand while the right is busy, so that seems to be out. Have a CP4 with a VR09 in my rig at the moment. Would be nice if there was a pedal I could step on or something which would stop the flute from re-triggering when I tremble. rethink - how important is it that tremolos are in time? Maybe there is a sustain-tremolo function I could leverage? Wes Absolutely no laughing. If you're going to play a tune, play it the best you can. Yes, party music and no one paying attention, etc. So what? I appreciate you asking the question, I think it's a low-risk, fun opportunity to work on hand indepedence technique. Yes, if you're going to do the marimba tremolo the timing would be important. Consider how a marimba player approaches it - as a percussion instrument. So I'd slowly work up keeping the marimba tremolo in time, with a metronome, using wrist rotation and the the larger muscles from the elbow down (keeping everything flexed, loose - no stiffness!) to keep a steady movement. Think of the pinky side of your hand coming down as your downbeat. Work on being able to keep it steady and in time without thought or effort. Gradually work up the tempo. Once you're able to do that, now try adding flute with the other hand. Not the figure from the tune, just half notes to start. Once that's perfect, move to quarter notes. Now do syncopated quarters (off beats, not down beats). When that's perfect, start to work on the flute figure. It ain't perfect until you can play it perfectly 5 times without sweating it. I concur that on the one hand, a drunk audience trying to hook up won't deduct points if you only play rhodes on the entire tune. But good on you for playing the nuances for the tune. And as far as hating tequila, I find the more you drink at one sitting, the less you'll hate it...or anything else, except the morning after. Tim .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 And as far as hating tequila, I find the more you drink at one sitting, the less you'll hate it...or anything else, except the morning after. That depends on the tequila! "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...
Marzzz Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 And as far as hating tequila, I find the more you drink at one sitting, the less you'll hate it...or anything else, except the morning after. Well, I definitely despise Margaritas. I do have a bottle of Don Julio 1942 (given to me as a gift), about 2/3's gone over the past several years. I don't mind sipping it straight on rare occasions. I can manage sipping a shot of a decent blanco, if I happen to be in a good Mex restaurant. But I will stick to vodka or really good scotch, thank you very much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 My band used to play this song and it will occasionally make a cameo if requested specifically...but we mostly retired it for other songs. We have a few other Buffet songs in a similar space like Fins and maybe something else. When we were playing the song regularly, I spent some time and came up with a pretty cool keyboard program that involved a number of splits, layers, and sounds brought in via control sweeps. I had a island-like sound that was a blend of steel drums, marimba, and flute for the intro riff and then used this for the marimba tremolo parts as well. I used an EP during the verses. I used a harmonica sound for the ocarina part, but had that hidden way up at the top of the keyboard and brought it in via slider. I'm on vacation and just realized I have not had a single margarita. I need to do something about that today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 There is no steel pan in this song. "Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello" noblevibes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 Pssst! It doesn't matter. Actually it kind of does. I guess it depends on how you want to come across. "Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello" noblevibes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 There is no steel pan in this song. I know. But I like it. Using a steel drum underlayer makes it sound more Buffet than Buffet. I also ditch the flute. "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 There is no steel pan in this song. I know, but it is a fun sound that can't be used that often and it layers nicely with marimba. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
16251 Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 I bet Brad Mehldau could play both parts at same time! AvantGrand N2 | ES520 | Gallien-Krueger MK & MP | https://soundcloud.com/pete36251 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 Play the Wurlitzer part and the marimba part at the same time, that would be ultimately what you want. "Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello" noblevibes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synthaholic Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 Pssst! It doesn't matter. Actually it kind of does. I guess it depends on how you want to come across. No. It doesn't. Unless your goal is to be a human jukebox. The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonglow Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 Play the Wurlitzer part and the marimba part at the same time, that would be ultimately what you want. That sounds like a cool solution, but for the whole song? I only play electric piano during the verse and chorus and use the marimba patch for the intro, fills, solo, and outtro. My band does this song so infrequently...maybe once or twice per year...that I half-way enjoy it when it comes up. "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 Sure why not. "Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello" noblevibes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatricklov Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 There is no steel pan in this song. I know. But I like it. Using a steel drum underlayer makes it sound more Buffet than Buffet. I also ditch the flute. There is no steel pan in this song. I know, but it is a fun sound that can't be used that often and it layers nicely with marimba. +1 MainStage; Hammond SK1-73; Roland XP-80, JV-90, JV-1080, JV-1010, AX-1; Korg microSAMPLER; Boss DR-880; Beat Buddy; Neo Instruments Ventilator; TC Electronic ND-1 Nova Delay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesG Posted July 10, 2016 Author Share Posted July 10, 2016 Wow, thanks for the great ideas in this thread! I still haven't figured out the "right" solution for ME, but have explored a number. I'm getting a lot of miles of Wurli comping with Marimba and Vibes on a split. I tried Wurli plus Marimba, which worked well in some places, but really poorly in others. The Marimba attack is too sharp. Similarly, I tried Steel Drum with Marimba, and while I like the sound of the steel, there is no sustain on these in the CP4, so I can't "fill out" like I'm supposed to. For the curious, I know the song, but have never gigged it. It got added to the "possible audible" list for a gig I played last night, but wasn't called. Plain old AP throughout works reasonably well for me, and organ for the solo is actually kind of cool. But I like the Marimba tremolo part, it adds that "island" vibe. Wastrel is right, nobody is listening, but I like the challenge of trying to do it "right" - I have lots of learning to do, PLUS poor tremolo technique. Two birds, one stone.. Outkaster is most on the money, though. This song sucks to play with one keys player. Wes Hammond: L111, M100, M3, BC, CV, Franken CV, A100, D152, C3, B3 Leslie: 710, 760, 51C, 147, 145, 122, 22H, 31H Yamaha: CP4, DGX-620, DX7II-FD-E!, PF85, DX9 Roland: VR-09, RD-800 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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