How do *you* play songs?

[devilstone_the_bard]

Hi all, I have been thinking about playing songs. Wasn't sure if this would be better off in general or tips & technique so I flipped a coin and here we are.

How do you actually play songs. I know in a jam it's usually once thru as instrumental, then a mix of verses & chorus and individual breaks or solos. What if you were to go somewhere and play. You're at an airport, picnic, nursing home, wherever and you are the only one with an instrument and someone asks you to play a few songs, what do you do?

I've learned a buncha fiddle tunes, and the book usually has you play Part A, Part A, Part B, Part B or Part A, Part A, Part B Part A. Is that all you do? Do you repeat the whole thing once so it's more like A, A, B, B, A, A, B, B? Does that get kinda boring? Some tunes I have either learned the examples or applied the ideas and made my own examples of John McGann's 'Variations on Fiddle Tunes' so then I can do something like A1, A2, B1, B2 or the like. I want to hear what you (or someone you know) does, particularly alone, actually "playing for someone" not just practicing or learning the tune, and particularly for mando. I played electric bass for a long time ( and still do ) but that's a completely different approach to "playing a song". I have to admit that I 'know' a ton of tunes (just started mando in October '06) and have attended a few jams, but every once in a while, someone sees the case and asks 'Can you play me something?' and I get really nervous.

So put yourself outside on a comfortable lawn chair (or standing up) or indoors in your living room, and imagine a few friends or family or neighbours or strangers gathered to hear you (just you) play some Old Joe Clark or Blackberry Blossom or Arkansas Traveler or Liberty or whatever old timey / bluegrassy tune you want.

What do you do?

Am I the only one having trouble with this one? I'm not a singer so I'm looking for another way to do this.

Would your approach be any different if you were either opening up (solo) for a popular local band or doing a free show at an event or nursing home? I mean "planned playing" as opposed to an impromptu request for a couple songs.

Thanks for reading this and thanks again if you're about to reply http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[TonyP]

I've struggled with that as usually someone hears me practicing and wanders up. So what to do to make it sound full? I do the couple of chord melody things like Jethro's version of Greensleeves etc. The rest are crosspicked tunes of various genre's I've learned outta books. I've since gone back to the very first tunes I learned like Old Joe Clark and Arkansas Traveler and made up my own crosspicked arrangements of them, mixed in with the straight melody. The trick is for most people, don't get too fancy or you lose your audience. Gotta remember most folks are geared toward vocals, and they get bored with instrumentals very quickly.

[Mark Walker]

I would think - in an 'informal' setting - you'd just sort of wing it and react to the people around who are listening. #As in, if they don't seem too interested in one tune, scale it back and only do Part A and Part B once - and don't repeat anything. #If it's something 'catching their ear' then run through it an extra spin or two.

You'll never be able to please everyone every time, and if your goal isn't to use an informal setting for practicing a very disciplined and 'static' set of songs, it's probably just as good to 'ad-lib' and go with the flow. #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

JMHO, YMMV.

[farmerjones]

i usually play like you said, A,A,B,B, usually three rounds or enough to get it smoothed out. One time i commented, "i never did get that smoothed out." To the response, "i never heard a mistake." But you know how that goes.
I've seen Steffie and/or Bibby do a tune one time through plainly, then swing it, then syncopate it, then just go out into outerspace, then maybe finish with the last round somewhat plain. See DVD Live at the Violin Shop.

[fatt-dad]

Are you asking about "songs" (i.e., music with words) or "tunes" (i.e., music without words)? When I play my mandolin I usually just play fiddle tunes and I usually play AABB, unless I forget then I just play what falls beneath my fingers. At a jam it's almost always AABB except a few of them where we get all messed up and then it's a train wreck - ha.

f-d

[hanknc]

There are rules for fiddle tunes. Within the rules pretty much anything goes. Outside the rules and "that ain't no part o'nothin', son".

[JeffD]

My singing is horrible, so I have to limit myself to playing a tune. But I find that most fiddle tunes are too esoteric for the general public. (All that deedle on the feedle stuff.) They just nod politely and say "isn't that nice".

So it depends on who I am playing for. If they are church friends I can't go wrong playing a few hymns. I learned several just for this purpose, and I find that I enjoy playing them. For my non folkie non musical friends, I have learned a few standards with which they have some familiarity - Tennessee Waltz, Crazy (Patsie Kline), and a few Hank Williams songs, like Your Cheating Heart, or Down in the Valley. I just play them as one would expect them to be heard. I usually play through at least twice, and if I detect some enthusiasm I will continue.

If there are youngsters around it helps to play a few bluesey riffs, a little 12 bar improvisation. Though its not my strength, it goes well.

The most important thing is to let your enthusiasm show through, in your playing and talking about music.

[duuuude]

So are you talking about playing to entertain folks or just playing for yourself? I wouldn't worry about the folks listenin' too much, if you're playin' fiddle tunes it'd be rare if they knew what you were playing anyway, so just play to please your own ear and more than likely other folks will enjoy it too. Life isn't a talent show, relax and enjoy the ride!

[John Flynn]

The best dissertation I have heard on this topic is in the CD liner notes of John Hartford's "Speed of the Old Long Bow." There he talks about his "windows" concept (no relation to Microsoft!). Hartford explains how you vary the AABB structure to keep it interesting and creative. I asked Mike Compton about it at a workshop (he played on that CD, BTW) and he had a group or us at the try it. It is harder than you would think and it is mind-blower creatively.

The short version is that there are about a dozen different approaches you can take to playing or backing a tune. I won't list them all, but they include playing the melody, playing a harmony, playing rhythm, etc. Every eight maesures each person in the band changes thier approach spontaneously and then the band members "adapt" on the fly to thier new role, in relation to the rest of the group. As Mike Compton put it, this is very risky. It can be incredible, or it can crash and burn. It is all up to the skill and creativity of the musicians. I think it is what can potentially take old-time music from mindless repetition to high art. I now do my humble best to do try to follow the windows as much as I can at jams, gigs, etc. Sometimes the other musicians pick up on it and when it works, it is great.

This concept is mostly for group playing, but there are versions of it you can do in solo play. My instructor, Curtis Buckhannon, is a master of it. He will vary between melody, double stop melody harmony, muted melody, chord-over-melody, etc. He will also vary rhythms within a tune and even vary the melody into a mode and then vary back out again. I do my humble best to try to emulate that also.

[John Flynn]

I realized my post really didn't answer the original question, not that that has every stopped me before! When someone says, "Play something," I always have a few "slam dunk" tunes that I know so well I could do them in my sleep. I never play my most challenging tunes, because a simple tune played well bests a complicated tune played poorly and my experience is that you will screw up more often in front of a few familiy and friends than you will in front of hundreds of total strangers. I usually only play each one a couple of times through the AABB, because "Play something" does not mean "Give us a concert."

[JeffD]

Mandolin players have a slight advantage in this because the general public has less idea what to expect - while thier expectations for guitar are astronomical, and violin even more so.

[Walter Newton]

If you're talking about the average, not particularly musically inclined person on the street, I don't think you need to sweat the details of things like ABAB vs AABB etc. - just relax, they really won't notice one way or the other and they will think it all sounds just fine. #If you really want a good response in this sort of casual, social sort of setting I think if you can play something very popular and easily recognizable (perhaps easier to do on guitar than mandolin? - I mean stuff everybody knows, like a Beatles song) I think you'll often do better than with something more interesting or technically difficult, but obscure.

[fatt-dad]

I thought it was universally accepted that Cafe members had to have "A Place in the Heart" ready for showtime. That way when somebody asks us to, "play something", were ready!

f-d

[MikeEdgerton]

I thought it was universally accepted that Cafe members had to have "A Place in the Heart" ready for showtime.

Man I love that song. It cracks me up but that's usually the one I pop out.

[John Flynn]

"Ashoken Farewell" for me, if I want a slow tune. "Goin' Down to Cairo" for a fast one.

[Kevin Briggs]

Just play whatever you just finished polishign up. That will be the most fun for you.

I will song few tunes while lightly chopping. A fiddle tune or two always goes over fairly well.

Most importantly, try to rope in a guitar player. Then, you can play accompaniment. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[psann]

I thought it was universally accepted that Cafe members had to have "A Place in the Heart" ready for showtime. That way when somebody asks us to, "play something", were ready!

f-d

Works every time! Always impresses and non musicians aren't familiar enough with it to know the difference if you lose your place..