in between

  1. billkilpatrick
    i asked this over at fiddle hangout as well - how many stupid questions does a newbie get? ...

    at present, the only jam opportunity i have is playing along with a few old-time cds and the occasional youtube video. reading music is a challenge but i can usually get the tune - one way or another - and then play the chorus - sometimes even attempt a break. but what do i do inbetween? ... just play the key note on a long bow? ... pluck the strings with my fingers? ... keep quiet and maybe punctuate the phrase with a little lick here and there?

    repeating the phrase over and over again would be boring - even at half volume - but what would be an acceptible contribution to make when someone else is singing or taking lead with another instrument? it was simple with mandolin or guitar - just play chords.

    i realize every song presents its own opportunities but is there a general rule of thumb to follow when playing accompaniment ... when and IF! i ever get to play with real people?
  2. catmandu2
    catmandu2
    It's what I was taught as "seconding" -- probably equivalent to vamping or comping: usually entails shifting over to the low strings and playing phrases, counterpoint, doublestops or partials with rhythmic emphasis.
  3. farmerjones
    farmerjones
    Look around, see if you can find Darol Anger's great explanation of his "chunk." Lot like a mandolin chop. I will too.
    Now that you're more fiddle centric, you'll be listening to the fiddle more in every tune/song. There's so many ways to back a tune/song. Maybe John Hartford said it, but there's alot to be said for just laying out too.
    (Absence makes the heart grow fonder )
  4. catmandu2
    catmandu2
    "Maybe John Hartford said it, but there's alot to be said for just laying out too. (Absence makes the heart grow fonder )"

    FJ...he just got the darned fiddle...now you're telling him not to play it? That must be the zen koan approach to seconding
  5. billkilpatrick
    it was such a stupid question but both your answers were really good - i think i've got the idea, if not the practice. i take "doubling" to mean noodling around in the backgroud with the bass line. "empty spaces" - between the passages and inside them - is what makes it music.

    another biggie on the horizon is making my right, bow-hand work better. what i can do with a pick can not be done with a bow.

    ... but what a fabulous instrument.
  6. catmandu2
    catmandu2
    Not inane at all, Bill. Kidding aside, those spaces between and inside are vital, as you state. FJ's answer (via J.H.) reveals that it's more than just "noodling." But, noodling is a good way to begin exploring: maybe start by playing the melody on the G and D strings for a "B" section. Then, imagine someone playing the melody on the A and E strings along with you, which might give you some ideas about how to "accompany" another player--laying out a little with various doubling techniques.


    If you ask me, you should turn it around and think, "what you can do with a bow cannot be done with a pick."
  7. Mandoviol
    Mandoviol
    Regarding what to do when not playing melody, you can chord (these will just be two-finger chords); FJ's right when saying that the "chunk" is a lot like a chop (sort of similar wrist movement), and you can also do variations on the theme in the background. You could even do a drone if it fit the piece.

    Your options are limitless when it comes to accompaniment.
  8. Jim Garber
    Jim Garber
    I agree, Bill... not a stupid question at all. The problem, as I see it, is that you don't have much opportunity to play with other players. Of course, a lot of what you do depends on what genre of muci you are playing. The "chunk" could be fine in some but just annoying, esp if you have quite a few other players.

    I was in an old time band many years ago that did a lot of vocals. We had 5 musicians. Initially, every one played behind the singer but it got too noisy and did not present the music well. We eventually assigned backup parts to each verse to individual musicians which worked out much better. In other words the other melody instruments laid out behind the singing.

    Other times, simple chords or even single note runs work well. The idea is simplicity and not to interfere with singing or others taking leads.
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