Playing Whipping Post w Zero Rehearsal at a Gig

[RichardW]

Maybe counter offer with One Way Out. That's a piece of cake.

Whipping Post is a lot of fun to play, though.

 

[HeavyDuty]

All the political BS was removed. Not cool, OP.

 

[Jrussblues]

All the political BS was removed. Not cool, OP.

I need a Facebook admin lol

 

[Engle]

From an article on drummagazine.com

The classic Allman Brothers track “Whipping Post” starts in the very odd time signature of 11/8 phrased as 3-3-3-2. The groove is spelled out very literally with bass drum and snare combinations following that phrasing. The verse switches to 12/8 with a double-time ride cymbal pattern and a bass drum and snare pattern similar to a paradiddle, followed by a five-stroke roll. At the chorus, the time signature remains the same but the groove switches to a half-time feel because of the slower ride cymbal pattern and the strong crashes on2 and 4 (assuming you count 12/8 1 & ah 2 & ah 3 & ah 4 & ah). Triplet fills at the end of certain bars add energy as the band leads into the break.

Hmmm, My drummer isn't really an Allman Brothers fan, but if he were to read the above, he would take it as a challenge, and probably learn it.

 

[two fingers]

You should try playing bass and singing it! It's like doing long division in your head!

....with remainders

....while chewing gum

....and walking a tightrope

....that's on fire

.....in a room with two women you are dating at the same time

.....and two ex-girlfriends



Yeah, it's like that.

 

[kartiste]

The basic patterns are really easy. Do the 3-3-3 alternating A open and E-string at the 3rd fret, then the -2 D open and A-string 3rd fret. For the verse, be sure the octave-root jumps are done in the right order in the pattern. At the chorus, do the octave-root jumps from 7th fret to open string and let the open string ring while you are fretting the next four notes. Then when you move down to C, don't neglect to hit C# on the way. Most guys I hear play the song just go from D to C.

 

[bluesblaster]

I'll stand by my original statement.

 

[Joe Nerve]

My band just did the same with Black Hole Sun. Text on Thursday night for a shows on Friday and Saturday.

Another guy I play with did that to me with I'm Your Captain/Closer to Home a few months ago. I told him no frikken way, and then he told me a well known drummer was sitting in for it (someone I really wanted to play with) and I said yes frikken way, and then I woodshedded and had an awesome frikken time . And a newfound love for Grand Funk Railroad.

 

[Joe Ty]

My band just did the same with Black Hole Sun. Text on Thursday night for a shows on Friday and Saturday.

Another guy I play with did that to me with I'm Your Captain/Closer to Home a few months ago. I told him no frikken way, and then he told me a well known drummer was sitting in for it (someone I really wanted to play with) and I said yes frikken way, and then I woodshedded and had an awesome frikken time . And a newfound love for Grand Funk Railroad.

Even if you've never played BHS before, you'd sound better than Cornell did on his final performance of the song.

 

[ZAR14]

Did that a practice a cpl wks ago. We were playing One Way Out and when we finished I winged it and played the intro to Whipping Post as close as I could...
Rest of the guys jumped in and we had some fun with it...

 

[silvertone]

Well we sound checked it with trepidation and it was a struggle.

Then we chatted about it and the real hold out was the 26 yr old drummer who had a lot of trouble with the transitions, the bridge and the big ascending crescendo.

So after playing a solid and funky set - way down at the tail end of the thing we went for it....

Worked out ok - but that drummer was still not happy.

Other than the kid the rest of us are in our 50s and the AB Repertoire up until any new material in the Warren Haynes Era is in our DNA.

Thanks for the interesting conversation on this thread.

 

[jeffbrown]

As an aside, I do believe the bassist in the Zappa clip is Scott Thunes. Am I right?

 

[StatesideRambler]

Whipping Post is my favorite song for pick playing! I mean, play a thick, hard pick and damn the prospect of broken strings! That tune makes the set and for me it's one of the best closing numbers there is. Mmmm, savory. I see it throwing anybody who has to play it without knowing it pretty well.

 

[Pbassmanca]

So I'm at a Festival in the Sierra Foothills when I get an instant message from (headstrong) band leader informing band that he plans to sing Tied to the Whipping Post in honor of Gregg Allman at upcoming Tuesday night gig.

Having seen the brothers dozens of times since my my first experience back in 1980, I think to myself - isn't that the one with intro in 11 and the rest of the tune in 12/8 time?

Why would a band leader force this upon his band and take the risk of public failure?

(Mod edit)

Anyway, I got home from the festy and started reviewing Youtoobs.

The tune is certainly not complex on the level of Dreams, E. Reed or a few other classic AB Instrumentals but the trick will be making this tune flow with a drummer who never saw the Allman's and is only 26 yrs old.

I'll report back tomorrow on whether we succeeded or failed miserably....

First time I played that song was no rehearsal. About a 20 second discussion IN BETWEEN SONGS, and then off we went. As I recall, we made it through but yeah, a little intense.

 

[s_wood]

As an aside, I do believe the bassist in the Zappa clip is Scott Thunes. Am I right?

Yes. That's Scott Thunes. He is a monster player.

Zappa started playing "Whipping Post" in 1981, after keyboard player/vocalist Robert Martin joined the band and was able to sing it. I saw Zappa at the Fox theater in Atlanta in 1981, and vividly remember when the band kicked into the 11/8 intro. The venue was oddly quiet for a few seconds, as if collectively everyone was thinking "wait – is that…" Once we all realized what they were playing the place went berserk. And they nailed it! Frank Zappa playing Whipping Post not far from the Allman Brothers adopted home in Macon would be like seeing Ozzie playing "Born to Run" in Asbury Park or Beyoncé playing a Phish tune in Burlington, VT.

 

[Not yet]

Mellowinman's video is a lesson primer for it. NICE version btw

If you've heard it you can play it. Think lot of us of us here w steady gigging bands have learned lots of songs on own and played first time on stage.

You'll kill it

 

[devnulljp]

Ha, I've done whole gigs like that with songs I don't know (doing one tonight with a bluegrass band, so it'll be easy enough, root-5, root-5 wash rinse repeat -- jazz is harder, but as long as there's a chart somewhere it can be done). Did an impromptu Halleluia when we heard Leonard Cohen had died. You'll be fine.

 

[muggsy]

Since somebody else posted an acoustic cover, I'm posting this.

 

[BassFishingInAmerica]

This has always been my favorite cover. The guy on vocals just nails it. Wish the sound was better.

 

[okcrum]

Whipping Post is a pretty good check for joining bands - if they can't do the intro/break correctly, move on.

I first heard Mountain Heart on Radio Australia, of all places. Notice the way the banjo player fingers; same thing happened to him as Django Reinhardt. I was actually at that Zappa show on the pier in NYC because I worked a few blocks away - easy walk over. Best bennie by far of working in TV.