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In a rock band the instruments are usually too loud for any groaning to be heard. However in the studio I've heard myself groaning while tracking a guitar solo and heard the drummer kinda groan singing the tune while drumming. Not sure why it happens other than the energy being put into the playing maybe? Think about other times we may groan without thinking about it. :D
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Actually, we always say our drummer has Tourette's Syndrome because he's always yalping or making some kind of vocal noise when we're playing. It really became noticeable when he started singing backing vocals with a headset mic. All of the sudden we could hear every little noise he made. He actually sings his fills --"Bap bap badap bap badabadap bip!" It was hilarious until he learned to sort of keep the mic away from his mouth when he wasn't singing. I think it's kind of natural to sing or make noise while you're playing.

\m/

Erik

"To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."

--Sun Tzu

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I think it comes fromm KIND OF singing. Elvin Jones and sometimes Oscar Peterson, Mingus are some others. These guys are improvising and are pushing this stuff out. I do this too at times. When you're relaxed, which is the best way to play, even if the stuff you're playing sounds tense, your body becomes an instrument to. It's almost as if it's sympathetic, like sympathetic strings. Maybe not. I'm only guessing.

All the best,

 

Henry Robinett

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Rod Morgenstein, from the Dixie Dregs and, regrettably, Winger, used to do this continuous talk/moan thing when he played. On one of their early albums, they actually recorded it on a song--low but audible. It was their first tune with "vocals" and their last until those truly...regrettable vocal songs on Industry Standard.
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Sympathetic BOWEL strings? I can tell you there IS a lot of farting going on! I just think that since jazz is 90% improvised you have a higher percentage of guys doing this sympathetic vocalese. And since jazz is a regretable macho, male dominated music, there's simply a higher percentage of men playing so it appears that more men are doing it; because they are.

All the best,

 

Henry Robinett

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How about classical pianist Glenn Gould? I have his second recording of the Goldberg Variations, and he's quite audibly singing and humming along with the whole thing. -Chrono
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Well, the early blues guys did that too. A holdover from African tradition I suppose... a lot of African music features rhythmic grunts and groans, even a lot of African languages sound like that. Probably that tradition carried from blues into jazz. Hendrix used to sing his solos while he played them, too. I've definitely played with a couple of drummers who would let out all sorts of strange noises when playing. :D And yeah it's funny when you get a mic on them! Recording drums where the drummer does that can be a challenge. Our drummer says he used to do it, but when he started singing all the time with a headset he had to break himself of that habit! He still tosses in the odd grunt, will do a great scream before a solo sometimes but that's all just to step up the excitement. I like it personally, so long as it's not totally distracting and so long as they're still listening to the lead vocal! --Lee
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[quote]Originally posted by CMDN: [b] It really became noticeable when he started singing backing vocals with a headset mic. All of the sudden we could hear every little noise he made. He actually sings his fills --"Bap bap badap bap badabadap bip!"[/b][/quote]This could very well be the worst mistake you ever made! There should be some sort of law against drummers with headset mics.

Kris

My Band: http://www.fullblackout.com UPDATED!!! Fairly regularly these days...

 

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Kris... Normally I'd agree with you. We used to tease him about looking like he was a Burger King employee all the time, but our man has learned to use his headset for the forces of rock. He's a really excellent drummer, and his harmonies are great. Using a regular mic didn't make sense for him, because we usually don't have the room onstage for another stand near the drums. Plus, our mic stands tend to bounce away from us when other people hop onstage with us. I could just see him trying to to follow a mic around with his head while holding the beat together. Fuggedaboudit. The headset was the only way for him to go. Man, that mic gets SO nasty after shows -- he literally squeezes sweat out of it and has to hang it in front of a fan to dry it out.

\m/

Erik

"To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."

--Sun Tzu

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david helfgott (classical pianist featured in 'shine') sings/moans/grunts along quite loudly i had the fortune of seeing him in a small hall in mullumbimby, and although it was a little disconcerting, it didn't detract from the rachmaninoff concerto all the drummers i've played with sing their lines, that's why i love working with them i try to sing my guitar solos in my head, and sometimes it comes out to the front of house as a kind of humming (most embarassing) cheers max newcastle, oz
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It's part of the music, man. No more embarrassing than tennis players grunting when they hit the ball.... IMO the recording process is no longer about a quest to capture the music - it's now a quest for sterile perfection. Blecchh.

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I agree with DC, sometimes it can be quite a distracton! I have a recording of Beethoven's 5 Piano Concertos with Pollini playing with(I think) the Berlin Philharmonic. He is singly rather loudly throughout some of the recordings and it becomes quite a distraction to the listener.
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I agree with henryrobinette. I have been known to do it from time to time when something really good is happening (not neccessarily during MY upright solos). It may happen on electric gigs, I not sure, chances are my bass is to loud to hear any vocal noises.
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I tend to creak and groan a bit without noticing- many is the time I've heard a live tape where after a guitar solo, when I approach the mic to sing, the growling suddenly picks up on the mic.

A WOP BOP A LU BOP, A LOP BAM BOOM!

 

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I know I'll do a "yeah" or grunt at times, but it's not a continual thing - it's usually at key points in the song (like a transition). And usually I'm doing "yeah" because we actually got thru it. Apart from it screwing up the vocals, I can take the grunts and moans. I look at it like the player is really feelin' it. I still discourage bowel noises if they come out. Tom

www.stoneflyrocks.com

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I think sometimes when something is soooooo good going on around you, all you can say are those 3 magic sounds, MMM, Mmmmm, mmmmmm!!! Can I get a amen!! Burp* Groan...
Who keeps moving my chair?
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I would think the worst at this was Erol Garner who was actually famous for it. (Although McCoy Tyner is also getting pretty loud these days). I played a session about 10 years ago with an older semi-legendary jazz bass player. One song had a bass solo and he kept singing on every take along with his playing. It actually sounded pretty cool in a very wierd way. The odd part was that he was completely unaware that he was doing it until he heard it in the play back. I asked him what he thought was going on and he guessed that he was sponteneousy thinking out loud as he was improvising.
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While mixing down a project a while ago, I was trying to track down this weird noise that was popping up. A weird guitar noise? Effect processor gone bad? After soloing each track, we found it was the drummer who was moaning along to the song. We had alot of fun playing that for him, over and over. :D :eek: :D
-David R.
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[quote]Originally posted by posterchild: [b]But why vocal cords? Why not your bowels? :D And why does it only seem to be jazz [i]guys[/i]? Not that there's a whole lot of famous female jazz instrumentalists, but I've never heard a woman make similar noises (in the context of playing an instrument -- you know what I mean :D ).[/b][/quote]Women are far more dignified. It's why you pretty much never see women picking their noses at stoplights, either! :) Actually, I record a fair amount of different kinds of people, and rock and avant-garde musicians sure make groans and noises when they play too! You can really hear it when rock musicians play acoustic guitar for a track. They'll do things like make the drum noises: "Tsh...da-tsh-tsh....mm...da-tsh-tsh-mm". Drummers often mouth the fills or do other things. Avant-garde players that I have here seem to do things like bump into things, clear their throats, make odd noises (but not purposefully to add to the music) and other things. They also seem to trip over things more than any other sort of musician!
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