I never even got that much out of it. I still hear 'every night at ten we do it again' and have no idea which line in the published lyrics that might be.
I really like 'Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress', have read the lyrics, but I still only hear snatches of them.
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Van Ronk's diction varied by the time of night. I caught him once at the Cafe Lena in Saratoga. He disappeared after the first set. Lena's had a very tasty non-alcoholic drink made with orzata but my wife, brother-in-law and myself had something else in mind so we hit the street too looking for the first bar. It was just down the block and there was Dave holding court. We settled in figuring it would be time to go back for the second set when the performer headed out. The scheduled time came and went. Then Lena appeared and dragged Van Ronk back bodily. The place had filled up but Lena let us hang out on the back stairs to listen to the second set.
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That's one of the few songs I tried to master and never succeeded even though Van Ronk has an instructional video. My version is closer to Reverend Gary Davis' where Van Ronk learned it but I can't get his phrasing.
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In grade school when it came time for music lessons I said 'cornet'. The teacher thought I said 'clarinet'. That didn't last long and I switched to flute. I have a Boehm system flute but usually stick with the six hole simple system.
I enjoy software design but there's more to life.
I saw her in a roadhouse on the Albany-Schenectady road. Probably '68 when she did some east coast touring and before really taking off. It wasn't a prime time venue. The stage was a raised dais on the dance floor and people were free to wander up and leave pints of Southern Comfort.
Despite not being able to remember lyrics, it's the lyrics that make a song for me.
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?v=Grp5oROAfBg Different stories. Or are they? Dylan's is more apropos since the powers that be still hate the Russians. Brendan Behan's brother Dominic write the lyrics to the Patriot Game. Dylan probably copied Behan though at one point he said he might have maybe heard it from Jean Redpath.
A lot of Springsteen is the same. The melodies, if not recycled, are simple enough that they are similar but the lyrics tell the stories.
My appreciation for the Dead is for albums like Workingman's Dead or American Beauty. Those 20 minute musical journeys to nowhere do nothing to me.
A fine little girl, she waits for me Me catch the ship across the sea Me sailed the ship all alone Me never think I'll make it home
Three nights and days I sailed the sea Me think of girl constantly On the ship, I dream she there I smell the rose in her hair
Me see Me see Jamaica, the moon above It won't be long me see me love Me take her in my arms and then I tell her I'll never leave again
If you memorize them (or read them) and listen to the music, they actually "fit".
And, they "make (some sort of) sense". Not true of many lyrics!
I recall seeing a series of interviews with various musicians asked what THEY thought the lyrics to be. It was hilarious!
Mitch McConnell will be thrilled to know that a singing career isn't out of the question! :>
When I played an instrument, it was always to sheet music. I never had to try to mimic someone else's performance. Kind of like paint by the numbers -- no room for improvisation.
I played many different horns -- but always valved instruments (e.g., no trombone). Big difference between a trumpet, french horn, baritone horn, etc. in terms of how much air you have to move (and how heavy the damn thing is when marching!)
I apply hardware/software design skills to the various problems I encounter in the activities in which I'm involved. Whether it's automating "inventory" or wiping disks or building systems, etc. How can I leverage skills and available equipment to make this easier or less error prone.
It also lets me try out new design approaches in a more forgiving environment: "Make one to throw away"
I saw Buddy Guy in a similar venue -- but no raised stage, just a small open space with the "patrons" (~50 of us) standing around and him standing in the middle. Very intimate.
Saw Dizzy Gillespie in a similar venue.
There's a lot of harmonizing on those albums instead of reliance on instruments. "Ripple", in concert, is mind-blowing. EVERYONE is singing it! And nothing beats Sugar Mags! But, I'm a fan of Jerry songs.
Not Fade Away, as a show closer, is predictably "audience participation". It's always interesting to see how long the audience can keep the song going AFTER the band exits the stage!
I'm not fond of "Space" or "Drums". But, I really enjoy the transitions between songs -- especially in concerts (where you are the first people hearing it so you have no idea what's coming next!). Carefully listening to bass rifts or percussion changes and trying to anticipate where its going.
Certain combinations are standard fare. E.g., China Cat into Rider. It just fits!
I recall a show where they started song A then morphed into B after a while. Then C. Then D. Then, *back* to C. And back to *B*. And, finally, finished up A. It was delightful. Much more satisfying than A, pause, B, pause, C, pause D.
Many of the studio albums seem too "produced". Of the classic albums, I probably like Europe, best, as it is most suggestive of a live show.
The Movie is actually a pretty good "treatment" -- especially the intro graphic and initial tunes. (I much preferred the Keith and Donna lineup -- despite Donna's flat renditions -- than most of the subsequent ones)
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Morning Dew is delightfully performed (near the very end) -- even better than on Europe! Sure beats the 4 minute singles that were on the "pop" airwaves.
I've gotten better at reading music but have trouble with the times. I've been trying to learn Garryowen, which is a jig. The sheet music has a lot of triplets but damned if I can see how they go. I've never been fond of jigs and reels but have always thought I should know at least one. The Screaming Orphans explained it all. If you can say rutabaga rutabaga, it's a reel.
I saw him at the Boston Tea Party. Hardly an intimate venue but I remember him wandering around through the audience.
Triplets are just... triplets. Just speed up your internal clock, a bit so you can cram an extra note in the time of two! Dunno how that relates on a string instrument. On a valved instrument, you just pump the valves at a slightly different rate (or tongue the mouthpiece if the same note). It sort of becomes "muscle memory".
Time is something I tend to feel, not "see". It's mainly a convenience for writing the music; you know the time based on how the music feels. I only use the "bars" in sheet music to keep track of where I am, visually, as (playing in a school band) I had to keep one eye on the conductor so needed a way to findmy place back on the sheet music with little glances.
Lots of pieces have weird signatures. "The Eleven" is 11:8 (and now you know why it's called The Eleven! :> ). Often, "St Stephen" (12:8) would morph into it... they just dropped a beat and, voila!
"Playing in the Band" is 4+2+4:8. "Estimated Prophet" is 7:4 but written as alternating 4:4 and 3:4 bars. Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun" can't seem to make up its mind what signature to hold. <grin>
But, each piece, somehow, *feels* like it was written correctly, regardless of any syncopation that might creep in.
[And *that* triggered a memory:
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] If you paid attention to the bass line and percussion, in their concerts, you could keep track of where the music was *likely* headed. Or, when it would "return to normalcy" in things like "Space".
It was cool to be a few feet from him while he played -- with no "security" in the way, etc.
Same thing with Gillespie (christ, his cheeks are amazing!). Some performers are "all about the music", others are "all about themselves"!
Sorry, my reference was just a memory throwback brought on by the use of syncopation in a discussion re: music. (I'd not heard that song in at least 40 years and had forgotten I'd *ever* heard it! Amusing how much stuff one can dig up with a search engine!)
"Comes easy/doesn't" -- in terms of being able to *reproduce* it or "relate" to it?
What about this? Not quite as severe?
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Lots of tunes exploit the "up beat" as it adds a bit of tension to the rendering.
I only have a prpoblem with it when the first word of a verse occurs "off-beat"... it always seems too early -- until its sung.
Comes easy, not as a note by note reproduction but able to play 'in the style of'.
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That's another easy one for me, again the style, and I don't play a set piece that could be transcribed. Whatever feels good.
It's jigs and reels that I have a problem with, getting that lilt, swing, or whatever it is. It's one of those things I've promised myself I'll do but I don't particularly like that genre.
I've opted for the easy way out -- making little black marks on a staff and hitting "PLAY"; lather, rinse, repeat. It's absolutely AMAZING how consistent my performances! :>
[A big part of getting older is realizing where I want to spend my time, given that it moves at a rate considerably faster than desired!]
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