Little Rock Getaway (Jethro)

[gdae85]

Do you have any suggestions for the pick direction?
LRG

Thanks

[Magnus Geijer]

I'm working on it and I'm doing d-u-d-u-d-u-d-u-d-u.

But I suck.

/Magnus

[gdae85]

This is so typical of the forums. No response. Thanks anyways

[250sc]

gdae85,

Don't get frustrated. I almost answered but even though I play the song I don't play Jethro's arrangment. If it helps, I hardly play anything that isn't picked d u d u d u d u.

[Tom C]

It's a holdiay weekend. People are more active during the weekdays.
I play it DUDUDUDUDU. Skipping over that string takes practice.It does look like cross picking but I think you'd be changing direction too much. I will play with it that way later.

[gdae85]

At least at the beginning of the tune it seems that XP would work much better. Cant this be alternated with standard DUDU?

[250sc]

There are great players who differ on the whole pick direction issue so there are legitimate opinions supporting both schools of thought.

If it works for you, do it.

[Jeroen]

There are different opinions instead, and different solutions, but I think those are about things like: evenly timed 8th note crosspicking patterns, triplets, jig approaches and such. In this case I think dudu is the only way to go.

With Jethro's heavy swing (almost as if he is playing the outer two notes of a triplet for his 8th notes) I think it is impossible to mess around too much with pick directions.
The Little Rock Getaway transcription does not have any triplets in it, which makes it easier.

I might play a little upstroke on a 1 coming out of a Jethro triplet (and there is something where opinions might differ), but for the rest it's yom tidom tidom ti (d ud ud ud u).

Don't let the tabledit midi sound fool you. Try Jethro's timing instead:
http://www.robcoleman.com/jethro/Dis...ockGetaway.mp3

and I think you will find it utterly impossible to use alternate crosspicking pick directions and keep it bouncy like Jethro does at 1:32 in the mp3.

Of course things will be different if you play (Django-style) even notes over swinging accompaniment, which will give you much more freedom for using alternative pick directions.

This tune will make a great exercise!

[gdae85]

I dont like his playing at all. Dreadful. But the song has a lot of potential if taken away from Jethro's hands

[Moose]

Welll...., I ain't touchin' THIS thread NOW! - Go for the jugulum boys!!....

[GBG]

Just play it note-for-note like Jethro did and I'm sure your playing will sound a lot better.

[Spruce]

"I dont like his playing at all. Dreadful. But the song has a lot of potential if taken away from Jethro's hands "

Hi Chris...
Got a link we can go to to check out the CDs you've played on?

Love to hear what it's supposed to sound like....

Thanks in advance...

[Jeroen]

That is what Jethro did gdae85: Butcher songs.

It's supposed to be funny, don't you see?

[archie]

I like it when someone sings one song and then plays a different tune for a break.Sometimes Jethro had fun sandwiching LRGA as an instrumental during "The Billboard Song"...one chorus of which is...
"Smoke Coca Cola cigarettes, chew Wrigley's Spearmint beer;
Kennel Ration Dogfood makeds your wife's complexion clear;
Chew chocolate covered mothballs, they always satisfy:
Brush your teeth with Lifebuoy Soap and watch the suds go by"
It was a great spot for that tune, I think.

-archie

[gdae85]

I did not intend to offend anyone with my commentary. It is just a matter of personal opinion. I do think that Jethro has very charming tunes and I recognize the contributions that he has provided to the mandolin. His technical ability is remarkable, there is no discussion in that. But there is something is some of his recordings that just leaves me empty.

I apologize if I offended people with my opinion. Did not mean to be rude.

[250sc]

I think it smells like fresh bait in here.

See you.

Good luck Chris.

[Peter Hackman]

I did not intend to offend anyone with my commentary. It is just a matter of personal opinion. I do think that Jethro has very charming tunes and I recognize the contributions that he has provided to the mandolin. His technical ability is remarkable, there is no discussion in that. But there is something is some of his recordings that just leaves me empty.

I apologize if I offended people with my opinion. Did not mean to be rude.

Could be those heavily dotted eights that Jeroen referred to
above. It's a very old-fashioned rhythm and either you like it or not. I have trouble with his tone.

[jaizbones]

Pete Martin breaks this tune down in The Winter 2002-2003
Mandolin Magazine. His breakdown of the fingering should help with the pick.

[Perry]

Regarding Jethro's tone:

I think one of the reasons why his tone might not appear
to be "top notch" at least in my case, is that all the tunes I heard him play were Mel Bay (usually terrible recordings) or the MP3's on R. Colemans site. That is until the Grisman stuff came out.

Listen to the Acoustic Disc stuff; especially Back to Back and Jethro sounds just fine to me.