Thanks Rick, I've uploaded an audio file with some bass-line backing and me counting the measures. Now I've listened to it over the changes a bunch it makes a lot more sense to me. I was getting lost on the change to IV, where you repeat first 5 notes of the basic groove figure starting measure 5 and then hit the IV (1-blow) 5 times (last beat of measure 5 and each beat in measure 6). I wasn't hearing the changes in my mind and that made it difficult to keep the notes in my head so I could sing them. Now I'm hearing it better I can appreciate how you're mixing things up rhythmically and harmonically to make it live.
This is a great lesson! The rhythmic variations are awesome, and that has me wondering...
Are you thinking about or feeling the changes when you're playing this solo?
I know the groove is the thing you want us to focus on. I'm doing my little dance. When I play a regular 12-bar progression under this, it seems to me the harp part lays on the chords and downbeats in an odd (but cool) way in the 2nd half. Though it comes out right at the end, I'm having a tough time feeling the chord groove from lesson 1 through the IV and V changes. I've added chords to your slow version at the end of the lesson to help me "get it" as I practice by playing along.
But I'm wondering if I'm going about it the wrong way. I've noticed with some older recordings the timing of the chord changes and even the number of beats per verse is more fluid than we're used to today. Maybe if I understood more about what you're feeling in terms of the changes and downbeats it would help.
Hi Moto - As far as I can tell I'm sticking to a standard 12 bar form on this piece. I'm not thinking about it when I'm playing. I'm pretty much on auto pilot regarding counting measures or anything like that.
Hey Moto - I went back and checked and I think I figured out what you might be referring to. When I play the piece in the beginning of this lesson, I break and cut it off after the 11th bar - Maybe that's the part you're finding confusing. It's actually a 12 bar piece, but there's a break at the end of some verses. Make sense now?
Thanks for pointing this out!
Moto Coderman
commented on:
Juke Lesson 2
Nov 12, 2012
Thanks for the lessons on Juke! That song pulls together so many of the skills you covered, plus it swings hard and is so much fun, even at half speed. Having just started to work on the harp, I've been impressed by how the tongue slaps and ta-doos I never heard before are so important to a swinging feel.
I've been more and more aware of songs that catch your ear with variations in time and early or late chord changes. This song has it, but it doesn't seem like it was uncommon in the '50s R&B scene. Chuck Berry did it. When I was younger I thought, "Oh, he made a mistake" but now I can't believe Little Walter didn't know exactly where he was in the progression. Maybe he just felt like he should mix things up a little.
You mention that when you play Juke now, you play the progression straight. Do you feel like you need to stick to the progression and 4/4 all the time? When you were coming up did it seem like things were rythmically more free and the bands more able to go with the flow?
Thanks Rick, I've uploaded an audio file with some bass-line backing and me counting the measures. Now I've listened to it over the changes a bunch it makes a lot more sense to me. I was getting lost on the change to IV, where you repeat first 5 notes of the basic groove figure starting measure 5 and then hit the IV (1-blow) 5 times (last beat of measure 5 and each beat in measure 6). I wasn't hearing the changes in my mind and that made it difficult to keep the notes in my head so I could sing them. Now I'm hearing it better I can appreciate how you're mixing things up rhythmically and harmonically to make it live.
This is a great lesson! The rhythmic variations are awesome, and that has me wondering...
Are you thinking about or feeling the changes when you're playing this solo?
I know the groove is the thing you want us to focus on. I'm doing my little dance. When I play a regular 12-bar progression under this, it seems to me the harp part lays on the chords and downbeats in an odd (but cool) way in the 2nd half. Though it comes out right at the end, I'm having a tough time feeling the chord groove from lesson 1 through the IV and V changes. I've added chords to your slow version at the end of the lesson to help me "get it" as I practice by playing along.
But I'm wondering if I'm going about it the wrong way. I've noticed with some older recordings the timing of the chord changes and even the number of beats per verse is more fluid than we're used to today. Maybe if I understood more about what you're feeling in terms of the changes and downbeats it would help.
Hi Moto - As far as I can tell I'm sticking to a standard 12 bar form on this piece. I'm not thinking about it when I'm playing. I'm pretty much on auto pilot regarding counting measures or anything like that.
Hey Moto - I went back and checked and I think I figured out what you might be referring to. When I play the piece in the beginning of this lesson, I break and cut it off after the 11th bar - Maybe that's the part you're finding confusing. It's actually a 12 bar piece, but there's a break at the end of some verses. Make sense now?
Thanks for pointing this out!
Thanks for the lessons on Juke! That song pulls together so many of the skills you covered, plus it swings hard and is so much fun, even at half speed. Having just started to work on the harp, I've been impressed by how the tongue slaps and ta-doos I never heard before are so important to a swinging feel.
I've been more and more aware of songs that catch your ear with variations in time and early or late chord changes. This song has it, but it doesn't seem like it was uncommon in the '50s R&B scene. Chuck Berry did it. When I was younger I thought, "Oh, he made a mistake" but now I can't believe Little Walter didn't know exactly where he was in the progression. Maybe he just felt like he should mix things up a little.
You mention that when you play Juke now, you play the progression straight. Do you feel like you need to stick to the progression and 4/4 all the time? When you were coming up did it seem like things were rythmically more free and the bands more able to go with the flow?