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Learning "Subdivisions"
- Thread starter mstillman
- Start date
Winner winner, chicken dinner! And also shows that complete tab can be used to sound out a familiar song just as complete standard notation can.
Next time I'm passing thru the 614 enroute to home in the 419, I'll buy you a beer. But rest assured I won't root for ohio.
That's what you get for not being cool or conforming: you get cast out.
Good luck. You'll need it. Not to burst your bubble, but these kind of things cannot be learnt overnight. Practice, practice, practice, then multiply that by a million.
Bubble not burst. If only I didn't have other things going on, including learning a few other songs for this. At least now I have my songs, all transposed down a semitone.
Well, that’s why you write a chart. The time signature changes aren’t randomly “all over the place,” they are as organized as the chords are.
Any musician would be better prepared on short notice to have it all charted out in front of you, as opposed to trusting your memory.
You need no advice. That’s about all it takes. I might skip the tabs and do my own charting if needed, but other than the time sig changes, it’s actually one of the easier Rush hits.
Keys are only MAJOR or MINOR, never one of the church modes. 2 Sharps is either D major or B minor, but lots of modern music freely ignores key signatures to impose more modern harmonic conventions. Just look at almost any song by The Beatles. Rush is just following their lead.
For the record, I have two computers I use for transcribing, one is very old (a 20 year old desktop, I kid you not). There is something slightly wrong with the old fella and when I play the notes on Sibelius, they are not at 440 and are more than a little out of tune so it is possible I have adjusted up instead of down which is probably why the transcription is in G not F#. I have checked on the newer laptop and it is clearly in F#. I will revisit it when I get a chance and post an F# version (Changing keys in Sibelius is easy and it wont take more than a few minutes). Nobody has drawn this specific example to my attention before although there are other examples of Rush moving things around in terms of drop tunings etc. My transcriptions are of the notes as I hear them not where they may or may not be on the instruments being used.
Your chart is fine. The synth part at the beginning is F#, but when the bass comes in (which is what you transcribed), it's G. Take a look at my partial transcription which I posted later in the thread (and which borrows from yours).
That said, the more I look at this, the more I wonder whether these sections should be in 6/4 rather than 3/4:
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I agree
It is exaggerated but indeed only slightly These things take time, everything in music mostly has to do with muscle memory and gaining muscle memory is a long term process. Everything done quick in music has a great potential of failure.
Learning subdivisions quickly is slightly similar to trying to learn an instrument quickly - it can be done, but only if you really have a natural talent for it (meaning, this type of rhythmic expression has already resided in your ear somewhere and only needs to be called upon).
P.S.: Letter to OP - counting the bars in these cases sadly won't work, you will inevitably glitch out somewhere - it really needs to become internalized up to a point where counting is performed by feel rather than active thought.
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Smooth_bass88
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- Oct 31, 2006
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Sure, but you could certainly say something like "this song is based around F# phrygian"
i.e. I laugh every time I hear someone say they have 30 songs to learn by Saturday's gig, with a band they've had zero practice/rehearsals with.
Man, I wish I was THAT good. Lol!
Well I work as a professional bass player (meaning I live exclusively from gigging and teaching) and this actually happens a lot. Technically demanding projects and sometimes all you have is maybe 2 rehearsals max and you've got to make it work. My personal record was when I got contacted by a big band and they desperately needed a bass player replacement (the guy broke his arm or something that day - ouch) and I was on vacation, somewhere at the seaside, in another country (I'm from europe) - the band leader calls me, asks me if I can step in, naturally I said no problem but then again I asked, "when is the gig, I need to check whether I have something booked already?" And the man replies "well the rehearsal would be today in about 2 hours and the gig is tomorrow!
I was at least a 6 hour drive away so I couldn't make it to the only rehearsal. Thank god that was one of the best big bands in europe with excellent musicians, so I simply got a bunch of big band leadsheets and on the next day I was already sitting on my chair at that gig, mostly sight reading most of the tunes.
But that doesn't happen overnight, took me at least a good 10 years to perfect my reading up to a point when I could feel at least somewhat comfortable pulling this off. Even 3 years prior, I would instantly decline the offer.
Then back to subdivisions - it is very much the same thing - if you don't internalize it, one difference or different emphasis in the drummer line is enough to set you off track. Believe me, I, and all the other guys who did it, have gone through the exact thing.
No disrespect... I laugh at quite a few things, which others don't find funny.
By no means have I detected any disrespect from your side
But I'll tell you what, with this "1-2 rehearsals + gig" combinations, even at the very top level with top musicians, still many times the projects end up like trash. Admittedly, since the musicians are all at a very high level it still somewhat sounds, but you very much feel the sloppy playing and how much more tight this group can sound. Too many variables to rely upon to make a sound cohesive like that. So you just can't justify this type of rehearsing unless it is the last thing you can do to pull something off, or are way to busy to make it work with a bit more preparation, or at least know that everybody at home will check their parts 1000% and when you get on stage it's just more a matter of having fun...
It's a double edged sword, hence why I always say, no matter the level, things done quickly still have a great chance of failure
have studied music theory, learned to read and developed a credible technique. 20 years ago I bought 'Funkyfying the Clave' by Lincoln Goines. I joined a Latin band called Albino Cubana and played some Latin rhythms and generally had a good time but, as these things do, that band collpased and people moved on.
Last night, I got in from work at around 5.45 pm and was chatting to my wife when the phone rang. It was the guy who runs The Fleece, a Suffolk based Jazz 'venue' (that isn't at The Fleece anymore). They had a band on that night and their bass player was stuck in London. Roger O'Dell (drummer in Shakatak) had recommended me; could I make the gig? 'When do you want me'? I asked. 'Now'. ok, double bass or electric. Double bass. So, after downing a cup of coffee, I set off for Stoke By Nayland with both basses in my car. Remember, I have no idea who I am playing with and have never played the Fleece because local guys never get to play The Fleece!!
On arrival, I am greeted by the little Cuban guy who walks over to me and says 'I think you are my Guardian Angel'. I shake his hand and we talk for a moment and then he calls the sound guys over and asks them to help me load in. He says 'electric' so the double bass stays in its case. I move my car and when I get back my gear is on stage. I still have no idea what the music is going to sound like but there is a full drum kit and 5 congas so I am thinking maybe this is going to be Latin based [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] I m handed a pad by a fifty-something sax player who introduces himself as Nick Walker and also introdues me to Steve, the trumpet player. That'll be Steve Waterman. I am now starting to brick it.
'Let's look at a couple of charts' says the conguerro, Robin Jones. We look at a couple of charts during the soundcheck and it sounds ok but then the doors are opening and we retire to the bandroom. So I am about to go on stage, with no rehearsal, with the best Cuban conguerro and trumpeter I have ever met and some other guys who I have not got a handle on yet but are clearly very good. What follows is an absolute dream....these guys.
[media]
[media]
Anyway, I nailed the gig and, despite a few small gaffes, hit the mark most of the night. Reading the dots, knowing the idiom reasonably well, lots of eye contact, supportive players etc etc. 32 years of practise, playing, experience and knowledge all came together in two 50 minute sets. Lots of smiles from the band (who had had a really stressful day trying to get a dep for their regular bass player (johnny Gee, I think) - I think I as the 6th they had called). Massive buzz for me. A really good night for me and the audience were really positive etc. Makes you realise that all the work is worth it in the end. The leader wanted my card at the end of the night so he could call me if they ever needed a dep again. for this band or their 12-piece larger group. If I never hear from him again, I will have had this night of great music with great players . And it all came exactly when I needed it, when there are fewer and fewer gigs and you start to ask what is the point of it all!! Well, that answers that!.
Oh - and I got paid!! [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Last night, I got in from work at around 5.45 pm and was chatting to my wife when the phone rang. It was the guy who runs The Fleece, a Suffolk based Jazz 'venue' (that isn't at The Fleece anymore). They had a band on that night and their bass player was stuck in London. Roger O'Dell (drummer in Shakatak) had recommended me; could I make the gig? 'When do you want me'? I asked. 'Now'. ok, double bass or electric. Double bass. So, after downing a cup of coffee, I set off for Stoke By Nayland with both basses in my car. Remember, I have no idea who I am playing with and have never played the Fleece because local guys never get to play The Fleece!!
On arrival, I am greeted by the little Cuban guy who walks over to me and says 'I think you are my Guardian Angel'. I shake his hand and we talk for a moment and then he calls the sound guys over and asks them to help me load in. He says 'electric' so the double bass stays in its case. I move my car and when I get back my gear is on stage. I still have no idea what the music is going to sound like but there is a full drum kit and 5 congas so I am thinking maybe this is going to be Latin based [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] I m handed a pad by a fifty-something sax player who introduces himself as Nick Walker and also introdues me to Steve, the trumpet player. That'll be Steve Waterman. I am now starting to brick it.
'Let's look at a couple of charts' says the conguerro, Robin Jones. We look at a couple of charts during the soundcheck and it sounds ok but then the doors are opening and we retire to the bandroom. So I am about to go on stage, with no rehearsal, with the best Cuban conguerro and trumpeter I have ever met and some other guys who I have not got a handle on yet but are clearly very good. What follows is an absolute dream....these guys.
[media]
[media]
Anyway, I nailed the gig and, despite a few small gaffes, hit the mark most of the night. Reading the dots, knowing the idiom reasonably well, lots of eye contact, supportive players etc etc. 32 years of practise, playing, experience and knowledge all came together in two 50 minute sets. Lots of smiles from the band (who had had a really stressful day trying to get a dep for their regular bass player (johnny Gee, I think) - I think I as the 6th they had called). Massive buzz for me. A really good night for me and the audience were really positive etc. Makes you realise that all the work is worth it in the end. The leader wanted my card at the end of the night so he could call me if they ever needed a dep again. for this band or their 12-piece larger group. If I never hear from him again, I will have had this night of great music with great players . And it all came exactly when I needed it, when there are fewer and fewer gigs and you start to ask what is the point of it all!! Well, that answers that!.
Oh - and I got paid!! [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
