I’m working on a little project I’ll think you’ll enjoy, looking forward to getting some of the sounds down so you can have a listen. In the meantime, we were talking about guitar parts, so here is that second experience from that same series.
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Messing around with mics, we were. When we were done, I asked if they’d mind just one more for me. These were the reels, never did have a chance to ask what they’re called.
First the tunes –>Reel Set
Two tunes, one firmly G-major, the other’s just as firmly in something else. I think of this second kind of tune as a modal D. The melody forces the chords to drop down one (yup, that’d be a C), then back up, to give it that particular feel. Sometimes I keep the D-chord and move only the bass note. I’m funny that way. The ‘other’ chord in that tune is based around an A. Neither major nor minor, I think of it as an A5. Probably worth pointing out that I’m not playing the bass D-string on that chord, and I might not play the treble D-string, either.
Okay, let’s be honest here, I never really know what’s going to happen in a set like this. The sum total of planning at a session is often overhearing one player to another ‘three each?’. Apparently the traditional response is ‘yeah, we’ll see’, which allows a player to either play the tune a number of times, or not. That number might be three. Or not. Took me years to figure it out–don’t count, just play.
If I’m very lucky, a melody player will lean over and clue me in to a tune change, some nice people even supply a suggested key. The fact that the letters b,c,d,e and g all sound exactly the same when spoken with a fiddle under one’s chin takes little away from the kindness of the thought, also makes for some very interesting arrangements du jour. To tell the truth, I’m always happiest when I get a catch of eyes and a nod to tell me to pay attention, something’s coming up.
The rhythm of a set of reels is what it’s about. Whatever you play, don’t get in the way of what’s being played. After a time through I feel like we’re laying back into a groove rather than driving ahead. In a reel I’d normally be tempted to start playing the off beats (one-AND-two-AND-three-AND-four-AND), setting up the drive in the same way as a mandolin in a bluegrass tune. But on this tune I hear a different kind of thing going on in the second half of each musical phrase. So I fall into the first off-beat, then I wait to hear what’s going on. After a few phrases I can match the rhythm, and it translates well to the guitar. Let’s stay here for a while. At this point I start paying attention to the line of the melody so I can help accent or swell. A little goes a long way, no need to overplay.
A nod confirms that we’re coming into a new tune. I’ve been warned beforehand where we’re likely to go. The question is always whether the rhythm I’ve set up is going to work in the new tune. One way to find out. The tune stops, I know it’s coming, so I’m ready. Hit the G to finish off the first tune, leave a space, then firmly on the downbeat with the new chord. And I’m playing basically the same groove as before. Hey, it works.
By this point my head’s down and I’m grooving, listening closely to what Pat and Kelly are laying down. When you’re playing a tune like this one, no matter how long you play it, it never seems quite enough times through. I understand why people put together medleys for concerts and such, but sometimes you barely get to know one tune before it’s gone. I’m all for keeping people’s attention, but sometimes I just wanna hear the thing roll for a while. Guess I played too many dances.
(Many thanks to Kelly Hood and Pat Simmonds for the tunes.)