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Post by bod on Aug 13, 2009 15:28:05 GMT
Hi Like bluebottle, I've googled around this term a bit and Bluebottle's gloss does a good job of pulling together much of what is out there on this, but some of the variations are interesting, too. I first got interested in the term when checking out old harmonicas online, I kept coming across 'Vamper' models and didn't know what that was about - eventually it dawned on me that they were pretty likely to be built for vamping (whatever that might turn out to be). New searches quickly led me to a Youtube entry by one Jason Ricci, who demonstrates this and gives some useful tips on vamping on a harmonica. The term seems to have some history with keyboards and in some places is actually defined in terms of piano techniques. Other times a special reference is made to piano - e.g., "vamping. Improvised acc. to a song or instr. solo, often by pianist who cannot read notation but ‘plays by ear’." (Oxford Dictionary of Music, cited by encyclopedia.com) The reference here to improvising also comes up a lot - and I guess that goes very much with Bill Stig's mention of the currency of this term in the jazz community. And a Wiki page suggests that this improvisation aspect is kinda core to the term, in that this connects 'vamp' in musical contexts with its use elsewhere to mean improvising, in the sense of putting something together from what is available etc and inventiveness more generally. And, of course, all of this hangs together quite well. A take which I personally liked and felt went to the heart of the matter comes from a site about country dancing, which says: "Vamping is the art of providing rhythm back up for dancing" (The same site goes on to say, "You may think you're a pianist, but you're really a drummer. You are providing a rhythm to help the dancers".) homepage.ntlworld.com/greenery/Minimal%20Ceilidh%20Tune%20Book/vamping/index.html As you can probably tell, this word caught my interest, Cheers Dave
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Post by bod on Aug 10, 2009 14:51:25 GMT
It's not like I know anything, just making this up as I go - but if you want to slide up to the IV chord and then vamp in that chord, have you tried just swapping the slide finger out and the next finger in at that juncture? (I haven't) Also, whilst genuinely appreciative of the insight that there is such a thing as too much playing of chords in this way, I also wonder if there might be such a thing as too little - like none at all, ever! Can I be the only one who'd be slightly encouraged into doing this now and then by the idea that it is 'the refuge of scoundrels'? ;D Dave
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Post by bod on Aug 6, 2009 18:58:54 GMT
The Grass Skirt CD is great, but it does not have Sol playing in that tuning as it is much earlier. you want the Rounder CDs that Bob Brozman compilled. OK, cheers - but, as you say, the Grass Skirt CD is great, I've been listening to it a lot since it arrived, plus now I have an alibi for buying more Sol Hoopii Also thinking I might try some Sam Ku West - sort of feeling my way in the dark here, but it's always interesting to buy some music without knowing quite what you're getting, I'm sure it is how many of us first stumbled across some of our most cherished sounds Dave
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Post by bod on Aug 2, 2009 18:00:07 GMT
... Major 7th- all strings (like JJ Cale's Magnolia) 6th tuning effect - strings 2 3 4 G tuning effect - strings 1 2 4 5 6 G tuning effect - strings 1 2 3 4 5 6 (in this to get your root note G on the 3rd string you have to play it one fret up from where it normally is) D tuning effect - strings 1 3 4 I hope that makes sense! Yep, got my head around it alright - the hands will take longer, of course...still, it is nice to have a long-term project Thanks also for the pointer to Sol Hoopii, internet searches had indicated Hawaiian use of said tuning, but hadn't yet revealed much about who / what to listen to ... I visited Grass Skirt Records earlier and ordered their Sol Hoopii in Hollywood cd. Not heard much of his work before, but am looking forward to hearing more... That is about all I can say on this subject. The rest is playing and practicing. . You have - again - been very generous with your time and advice, Michael. I'll certainly be playing and practicing in light of it Thank you Dave
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Post by bod on Aug 1, 2009 19:44:09 GMT
Thanks Michael, much appreciated
I'm somewhat amused to find I'd more or less mistaken a tuning for an instrument! Still, I'm learning something about the depth to which a given voice can be a function of tuning (one of those things that seems kinda obvious once you know, perhaps). Good news, too, as my dobro proves capable of roughly approximating the sought kind of sounds reasonably well once re-tuned.
You mentioned this tuning a few months back in the context of tips on learning to play lap-style. I recall trying it and being a bit overwhelmed by its 'many interesting possibilities' while not really having much sense of what to do with them. It's quite a different thing to try it again having become fond of a couple of its actualities. Equipped with the pointers you've kindly provided - as well as a free trial download of Transcribe, so I can listen in slow-motion if needs be - I shall be seeing if I can work out something approximating at least some bits of these numbers, can but try!
Thanks again
Dave
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Post by bod on Jul 31, 2009 14:11:43 GMT
Hi Michael,
I'm listening to King Guitar (and enjoying it) Can I ask what guitar you're playing on 'Steel Guitar Blues'? (And is it the same one - a Dobro of some variety? - you used for 'Love to Burn' on From the Horses Mouth?) It is (what I think of as) those very liquid - almost watery (in a good way) - tones on these tracks that prompt my question, so any relevant info you might care to share about this would be very welcome
Thanks,
Dave
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Post by bod on Jul 30, 2009 15:06:40 GMT
I've no idea whether it is one of their best or not (and I guess many of you will have received the same email from Document anyway) but this one is a nice idea - seems to be Document's response to the credit crunch and its impact on them - and might be an interesting mix, too: Bankers Blues - A Sudy in the Effects of Fiscal Mischiefwww.document-records.com/fulldetails.asp?ProdID=DOCD-32-20-16Truth to tell, there's a fair few names on this that I don't know - but they are anything like reasonable company for those I do (e.g., Memphis Minnie, Mississippi Sheiks, Big Bill Broonzy) it could be great (I'll probably get it to find out - and cos I like the idea).
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Post by bod on Jul 30, 2009 8:08:17 GMT
Hi Fibrebundle - forget, if you will, my earlier GAS-fulled response to your post. I do yearn for such an instrument, but that is a fairly dull fact and has little to do with this topic - much more interesting is your point that the same piece "asks" to be played differently on different kinds of guitars. This has set me thinking, not least because while it strikes me as hugely plausible I am also and equally (if differently) struck by the realisation that I don't find myself in much of a position to comment on this from experience.
The two guitars I play most are very different - a small-bodied fingerstyle instrument tuned EADGBE and a squareneck spider-bridge resonator that spends most of its time in GBDGBD - and though I hadn't quite realised this before thinking about your post, I really haven't tried to play the same pieces on both. Beyond that there is a dreadnought that has largely been taken over by my son now, but which I still dig out for occasional bouts of strident strumming (for example after listening to Frank Black's fab Christmass album), then there is a (budget) semi-acoustic with single coils and a bigsby-style trem that likes jazzy-sounding chords and passing tones, on the one hand, and rockabilly licks, on the other. Each leads so readily in different directions that I simply haven't spent time exploring the same pieces across the different instruments, but now that you have drawn attention to it, it does sound interesting - so thanks for that - I can feel an exploration coming on.
Dave
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Post by bod on Jul 29, 2009 12:15:35 GMT
Aww man! You had to go and mention tricones... Tricone Heaven ;D or Tricone Hell ?! I love art deco style anyway and these things have it by the bucket load, these are the resos that I fell for first and in some ways still want the most - love the look, love the sound - but since getting into playing lapstyle and listening to and dwelling on early tricones (partly through some of the threads here, partly through listening to Black Ace) I feel like it'd have to be a squareneck for me and a hollow one at that! Now whether you go hunting for an old metal one or choose a new maple one from FR that is way outta my range this side of winning the lottery (or at least finding secure employment) - still, I'd not feel justified in getting either unless I could play a darn sight better than I presently do, so I'll work on that some and see what unfolds in the meantime... well, you never know
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Post by bod on Jul 29, 2009 6:50:45 GMT
Hi First off, and almost willfully missing the point, don't (at least) the vast majority of guitars involve both wood and metal anyway? Second, Robin, Gouranga, thanks for the further discussion - this is very interesting to me, some things that I value greatly (and ponder much) about playing on/with musical instruments are touched upon here. I don't really know how to put these things into words and when I try I tend to end up saying things that sound like they should be followed - a la Fast Show - by an awkward pause and then 'I'll get me coat!' Still, never one to know when to shut up , I'll say a tad more... Robin wrote about different instruments having different voices and leading us down different musical paths / letting the voice of the instrument define your musical direction - I'm sure this works at various levels if you can access them, but even for a mere dabbler such as myself there is something quite enchanting (I use the term advisedly) about toying and noodling around on a particular instrument and finding and attuning to the "vocal" qualities and aspects that it offers. For me, sometimes, the sense that I am following the instrument in this can be so strong that it feels almost like the instrument is my music teacher and that it is letting me in on things that I'd not find out about from (even very good) books or dvds (helpful though they are)... More prosaically, isn't it these different voices that make it so tempting get and keep a number of guitars? (I have four and could really do with turning one or two into cash for other purposes - but am loathe to let any one of them go as in each I would be giving up things that I just can't seem to find in the others and worse yet, from a financial point of view I feel myself slowly being drawn ever closer to the prospect of an MM Lightning!). Gouranga talked about guitars as instruments - instruments for bringing out different states of consciousness - moods, feelings, things we want to say. Funnily enough, I'd never looked at it that way before - and to start with I found myself almost resisting the idea (don't ask me why, I don't say I had reasons, its just an observation), but on reflection there seems to me to be something right about this. When I dwell on this I find myself thinking about all the stored up "dialogue" between human beings, strings and boxes that lies behind the guitars we play today, of different people learning the voices of different combinations and how to borrow these to give voice to something within them - and sometimes some people learning how to co-operate with strings and boxes to preserve, enhance and develop the possibilities ... and still, methinks, there will often enough be more to the materials and resulting instrument than was clearly foreseen and so the dialogue continues... Ok, I'll get me coat now! Cheers Dave
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Post by bod on Jul 23, 2009 13:18:51 GMT
Interesting .... I wasn't quite sure whether this gores here as 'and he plays Cash' follow up or whether it would be more at home in 'unusual resonators' (I think it is probably another Pogreba - there's a few in that thread - but don't know for sure). Anyway, at bottom I'm just taking the opportunity to share a link to Keb Mo's tribute to Johnny Cash - I love this version (and the original), but do wish the other players were visible.
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Post by bod on Jul 8, 2009 5:29:32 GMT
Here's a couple more vids of MM guitars on youtube: Gerry C has done several good uns with his Lightning, here's one of them ( look out the others, they're nice): I think this might be the video by (the person known in some places as) 'knuckle'
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Post by bod on Jul 3, 2009 19:30:42 GMT
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Post by bod on Jun 30, 2009 17:01:59 GMT
Just bumped into this one online and couldn't quite believe my eyes, felt compelled to share it . It might be just the thing for a Slide Guitar Tour Down Under, Michael - the travelling real light option, as offered by Cole Clark of Australia ;D Are they serious? It would seem that they are: www.coleclarkguitars.com/product_SK8Lap.aspAnd its not April 1st (I've checked, twice!)... Amp and speakers in a hat anyone?
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Post by bod on Jun 28, 2009 15:37:28 GMT
Hi Giampaolo, As it happens, I have found my way to Ermanno Pasqualato's website in the past (from links posted on another forum that I sometimes look in on) and thought his instruments looked good and seemed likely to be great value for money, but also felt a little unsure as I hadn't had any contact with anyone who actually owns one, so it is nice to hear recommendations from you as someone who does own one of these instruments. I was also interested - as others here might be - to see that this luthier also offers a weissenborn-style instrument with a resonator cone (dobro-style - which I guess makes it almost like a cross between influences on and descendants of early tricones). It also turns out that this and various other instruments from the same chap can be viewed on Youtube at www.youtube.com/user/ermannopasqualato Cheers Dave
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