BbAltered Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 Hello. The soul dance band wants to cover The Meters Just Kissed My Baby. Here - https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=meters+just+kissed+my+baby Great cover by Jon Cleary - Great cover by Maceo Parker - I confess: I'm having a lot of trouble locking into the beat. I keep hearing those off-the-beat bass notes as on the beat; my counting, toe-tapping, etc. gets thrown off. Any suggestions for getting a better feel for the tune is appreciated. The good news is the song is harmonically very simple (two chords only), and the organ part plays around and is not really foundational. Quote J.S. Bach Well Tempered Klavier The collected works of Scott Joplin Ray Charles Genius plus Soul Charlie Parker Omnibook Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life Weather Report Mr. Gone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 It's a funky azz tune. Instead of counting it by toe-tapping, use your neck. Lay your hands on the keys. Nod your head to the rhythm. Now, play it. Quote PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adan Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 Go online and book a flight to New Orleans. Get a room in a funky hotel or bnb on the outskirts of the french quarter. You want to be in easy walking distance, but distant enough to be out of the noise when sleeping. Go when something's happening, or go when nothing's happening, it doesn't matter because both are great ways to experience the town. Then laissez les bon temps roller for 3 or 4 days. Go home, sober up, and then start planning your next visit. Repeat this procedure until you can play JKMB. Even if this doesn't work, you'll be glad you did it. The times we're in make this a bit more tricky, so that part is up to you to figure out. Quote Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro Home: Vintage Vibe 64 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewImprov Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 Wow, that Jon Cleary version, so good, so completely relaxed and funky. I was supposed to run sound for a him at a show last summer, but Covid... I had the same issue with learning Tell Me Something Good. All I can say is, Work with a metronome. Just play the notes that fall on the -Ands of the beat for a while, like an hour if need be, then add in the other notes when you got those down. Then work with metronome some more. Do it until you can't hear it any differently than the right way. Then do it some more. After doing the above, then try Adan's advice above. Quote Turn up the speaker Hop, flop, squawk It's a keeper -Captain Beefheart, Ice Cream for Crow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morrissey Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 I had the same issue with learning Tell Me Something Good. I agree these two tunes have the same rhythmic quirk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfields Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 I often turn this sort of thing into an exercise I can do away from the instrument, with just finger-tapping and/or singing. I've learned more than a few rhythms this way. (And probably made a strange impression on some fellow bus-riders.) Disclaimer: still not particularly great at it. Current challenge: trying to understand the off-beat organ playing on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTfRjihu2rY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAJUSCULE Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 Play some drums. Quote Eric Website Gear page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz+ Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 break the keyboard parts in to two beat fragments ...play/practice/learn a fragment repeatedly at slow tempo, thus learn the sound (feel) of a two beat fragment... then once learned and "felt" learn the next two beat fragment, then put the two fragments together....baby steps... it's what i do when stuck... it takes time and diligence...Transcribe! software can loop and slow down each 2 beat fragment... this approach enables one to slowly learn any difficult music . simple solution for any musical part problem Quote Find 660 of my jazz piano arrangements of standards for educational purposes and tutorials at www.Patreon.com/HarryLikas Harry was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarrell Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 I confess: I'm having a lot of trouble locking into the beat. I keep hearing those off-the-beat bass notes as on the beat; my counting, toe-tapping, etc. gets thrown off. Any suggestions for getting a better feel for the tune is appreciated. The good news is the song is harmonically very simple (two chords only), and the organ part plays around and is not really foundational. Yes, the bass is syncopated, but just listen to the snare - backbeat on 2 and 4 - get your groove from there, then tap your foot in quarter notes and hear eighth notes in your head while locking to the snare... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AROIOS Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 Hello. The soul dance band wants to cover The Meters Just Kissed My Baby. Here -... Great cover by Jon Cleary - ... Great cover by Maceo Parker - ... I confess: I'm having a lot of trouble locking into the beat. I keep hearing those off-the-beat bass notes as on the beat; my counting, toe-tapping, etc. gets thrown off. Any suggestions for getting a better feel for the tune is appreciated. The good news is the song is harmonically very simple (two chords only), and the organ part plays around and is not really foundational. The 13sus4 - 13 - 13sus4 - 13b5 progression at 2:45 in Cleary's performance grabs my attention like a magnet. It never ceases to amaze me how much interest a half-tone movement within a dominant chord can generate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AROIOS Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 In terms of getting a better feel for the groove, it should help you by listening to some Reggae, and get used to only accentuating the "off" beats (2 and 4 in a 4/4 tune). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cp-the-nerd Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 Are you trying to toe tap quarter notes? I was tapping eighths and the groove felt good with the bass falling on a tap instead of between them, but I'm just sitting at my desk not playing keyboard. Quote Keyboards: Nord Electro 6D 73, Korg SV-1 88, Minilogue XD, Yamaha YPG-625 Bonus: Boss RC-3 Loopstation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MathOfInsects Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 Is it the upbeats on the bass walk-up during the groove-pedals on G? If so, to learn the placement you can try hearing it in a double-time 4, and just count quarters. The walk-up would be 1-E-3-F | 1-F# -etc., with the letters being the bass notes in place in the count. (You'd hear the snare on 3 in this construct.) That might help slot the parts, before you start hearing it as a "bigger" 4. Quote Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material. www.joshweinstein.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 Get a room in a funky hotel or bnb on the outskirts of the french quarter. You want to be in easy walking distance, but distant enough to be out of the noise when sleeping. I've only stayed outside the Quarter once, and all the stays inside the Quarter were perfectly fine as far as noise. In fact, one hotel was less than a block from Bourbon, the room was on the ground floor, but I guess because it was "inside" with its own courtyard, the sound from Bourbon was non-existent. OTOH, the hotel we stayed at that was outside the Quarter was noisy inside because it had one of those lobbies that went to the roof and the rooms overlooked it, so the voices of anyone talking in that part of the building carried everywhere. Quote "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...
MAJUSCULE Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 I stayed Uptown, closer to the Maple Leaf, and that was great too. Little cheaper and a longer commute to the action, but still plenty of cool stuff around there. Quote Eric Website Gear page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted May 16, 2021 Share Posted May 16, 2021 Interesting how a thread asking for help for getting a better feel for a song turned into a commercial for Travelocity Hey, it's Saturday night, just breaking balls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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