Re: [Harp-L] Bluegrass

[sheltraw@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Hi David

I like your emphasis on using chord fragments when comping. This is
something that works well in most group situations. By playing chord
fragments you can choose notes that don't step on the musical toes
of other members of the group. One should use those ears to find a
temporal and harmonic space that is not already occupied by others
in the group.

Listening and responding is such an important part of making good
music with others. I wish I was better at it. With practice I will
be. My concern at this point is executing a good chop. Your ghost
chop idea was very helpful but I still have a ways to go before I
will be satisfied with my chop.

Cheers,
Daniel



> Hi:
>
> I just want to make sure that I don't give the impression that this beat
> stuff
> is more complicated than it really is. When you explain it, it comes off
> complicated, I would imagine the part about spreading out a syncopated
> rhythm
> over multiple measures would sound more complicated than it is.I want to
> make
> sure it's clear that there is no wrong or right way to do it. I know I
> don't
> approach a song with any preconceived notion of how the rhythm is going to
> go
> down before I play a song the first time - or even a song I've played
> before if
> I'm playing with new musicians. When you play with musicians, you feed off
> one
> another, you compliment one another. Sometimes, you'll accent what they
> are
> accenting. Sometimes, you'll accent what they don't. It just depends and
> it
> won't take long for you to get the feel of it.
> One thing I'd like to add:
> Note what David Grisman does here on the mandolin at 3:14 while Doc Watson
> is
> picking lead.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-tuhyWgt00
> So the set up of music at that moment is like this:
> Doc is playing lead.
> There is a rhythm guitar playing.
> David stops playing chords and plays a 7th note.
> What happens when you play one note like that? You change the chord of the
> whole
> band. let's pretend the band is playing a G chord and you are cross
> harping on a
> C harmonica. You bend down the 2 draw to an F. The result is: the band is
> playing the notes G B D, you throw in an F note. Now, the band is
> producing the
> following notes G B D and F, a G7 chord. That's why you don't have to play
> a
> complete chord on the harmonica if you don't have it. You can play double
> stops
> and it sounds perfectly fine because the other instruments are playing the
> notes
> of the chord you don't have on the harmonica.
> A ton of players do that without realizing it. I started thinking about
> that
> watching my grandpa on the mandolin. I never saw him play a full chop
> chord. He
> always played double stops instead of full chords. On a G chord, for
> instance,
> he would chop only a G and a B note and I wondered why that worked. It
> worked
> because the rest of the band was playing the D note. It was a unique
> sound, the
> overall sound of the band was a full G chord, with a little more emphasis
> on the
> 1st and 3rd notes. Another interesting thing I've seen from old school
> guitar
> players is them playing almost entirely basslines - they did that back in
> the
> day when pretty much nobody had a bass, but they wanted that sound they
> heard on
> the radio. My point is, there is no "right" way to do it and you can learn
> a lot
> by watching what musicians are doing on other instruments.
>
> David
>
> ________________________________
> From: "sheltraw@xxxxxxxxxxxx" <sheltraw@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: David Payne <dmatthew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: Harp L Harp L <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Tue, February 1, 2011 1:28:30 AM
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Bluegrass
>
> Hi David
>
> Thanks for the YouTube link. That was a great example of the chop. Your
> time-keeping tips of using ghost chops on the 1 and 3 is fantastic. I will
> give it a try.
>
> Did you overdub the barking in the vid? Can't beat that authentic
> dawg sound!
>
> Cheers
>