Re: Help! I can't hear the beat when I play a break
Originally Posted by
FLATROCK HILL
... Grace-notes (sometimes referred to as Slip-notes) have absolutely no connection to the subject at hand.
To get an idea as to what a grace (slip) note sounds like, put some Floyd Cramer on the Hi-Fi.
Not to sidetrack too much, but maybe worth saying (especially as those who don't know Floyd Cramer also don't know from "Hi-Fi"!) :
A grace note (sorry to duplicate the nomenclature) is a lead into an individual note, usually from the note immediately below, that is SO quick as to not be calculated into the timing of the measure or of the beat, and is not essential to the melody or harmony of the line. They simply sound pleasing when used in moderation, and most often denote a strong beat of the melody or of the (presumed) underlying-but-unsung vocal line. Yes, Floyd Cramer on piano is a fine example, where while proceeding to play a white key, the finger simply slips over from the adjacent black key.
On a fretted instrument, think of playing 4 quarters of ANY fretted note. Now continue at the same pace, but slide (or hammer) quickly up from the next lower fret, so that you just barely hear the (again sorry but...) lead-in note. THAT is a grace note. When notated, they often show as tied 8th notes OF A SMALLER SIZE and are not included in the beats of the measure, as they have no time value. Technically, a measure might "read" as 4 & 1/8 beats, but we know better!
Oh, what the heck:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvfG9uFswis
Okay, back to the latest pick-up line ...
- Ed
"Then one day we weren't as young as before
Our mistakes weren't quite so easy to undo
But by all those roads, my friend, we've travelled down
I'm a better man for just the knowin' of you."
- Ian Tyson
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