| Subject: Article: Playing a New song |
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Joel
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Date Posted: 17:01:08 08/25/02 Sun
To Play A New Song
by Arty O'Connell
Previously, I wrote an article titled "To Be A Better Player". It was well received and I thank you all for that. If I may, I would like to add a few more thoughts about playing music. In my first article, I talked about learning to play with other musicians and listening to all kinds of music. I believe we should also be aware of what the other musicians are doing around us and that we should know as much about the songs we play as we can.
Learning New Songs
Right from the outset we need to understand that both speed and accuracy should be our goal. In most situations, we as musicians may only get together a few times a week at most. So learning to retain what we have learnt and then recall it at short notice is critical. We as musicians need to be secure in the knowledge that the band (this includes us) is going to be able to confidently play a new song well. Following are two of the more common scenerios you would find yourself in when introduced to a new song.
When a band member has written a new song and has bought you the music chart or sheet to have a look at.
When the band decides to play some covers and you are given the music sheet or chart and a recording of the song to listen to for reference.
Ideally, someone in the band should have some prior knowledge of the song so as to help direct the rest on learning the new song. From my experience as a bass player and teacher, there are six points I feel need to be addressed when approaching a new song.
Check what the tempo of the song is (100bpm,110bpm whatever)
Check what key the song is in. 1 flat = F major, 1 sharp = G major, and so on. It is important as musicians that we recognize key signatures. Even if you are a "ear" player you still need to know.
Check to see what the time signature of the song is, i.e. 4/4, 6/8, 3/4, etc.
Listen to, and go through the music sheet or chart of the song and note the structure of the song, i.e. all the repeats, codas, verses, choruses, bridges, tags etc. Look and see where and when all these occur. When doing this, it is a good idea to have a marker pen available.
Make a note of some of the key reference points in the song, e.g. note the difference between the first and consequent endings of the song, where a lead break may occur, key changes, and so on.
Finally play the vocal melody or, for our sakes as bass players, play the left hand piano line. This should (though not always) give us a good idea to the feel, groove and rhythm of the song.
Remember, as the bass player, it is us who, along with the drummer, sets the mood and groove of a song. Knowing how a song is written, how it works, what the composer is trying to put across, and all the other things that go into playing the song, will give us a head start into playing each song we do confidently and well.
Keep slappin'.
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