Del's Tiny Steps...

[AllanAllen]

Congratulations on the gig, I hope you had fun and have many more!

[digger]

Another tiny step... Another gig. But a proper one this time. We used the archtops rather than the gypsy guitars, though, because we needed to be amplified. But still a similar set,maybe a few more standards, and a few vocal tunes that Chris sang really well. The gig went well and we've been asked back, which I always think is a good indicator that the management like it. Also there was a chap who runs a local restaurant was keen to take our card, so something may come of that.

My playing remains pretty basic, a few licks that I plug and play, some ii-Vs, but mostly playing around the melody. Chris meanwhile soars way up there. But quite pleased with my rhythm playing.

All in all, nothing to excite anyone here, but nice that the journey continues to edge forward and, after all these years and practice, I've actually got this far.

Derek

[AllanAllen]

All in all, nothing to excite anyone here, but nice that the journey continues to edge forward and, after all these years and practice, I've actually got this far.

Quite the contrary! I'm very happy to see it's working for you! Care to share a setlist? I always like to see what other people are doing.

[Reg]

Another tiny step... Another gig. But a proper one this time. We used the archtops rather than the gypsy guitars, though, because we needed to be amplified. But still a similar set,maybe a few more standards, and a few vocal tunes that Chris sang really well. The gig went well and we've been asked back, which I always think is a good indicator that the management like it. Also there was a chap who runs a local restaurant was keen to take our card, so something may come of that.

My playing remains pretty basic, a few licks that I plug and play, some ii-Vs, but mostly playing around the melody. Chris meanwhile soars way up there. But quite pleased with my rhythm playing.

All in all, nothing to excite anyone here, but nice that the journey continues to edge forward and, after all these years and practice, I've actually got this far.

Derek

Yea... great to see your having fun... and improving
Best Reg

[digger]

Quite the contrary! I'm very happy to see it's working for you! Care to share a setlist? I always like to see what other people are doing.

Sure. These were what we played, not necessarily in this order:

1. Tenor Madness
2. I Cant Give You Anything But Love
3. Minor Swing
4. Autumn Leaves
5. Sweet Georgia Brown
6. Blues for Ike
7. All of Me
8. Sister Kate
9. Avalon
10. Out Of Nowhere
11. Blue Bossa
12. Blue Monk

13. Hit the Road Jack (Vocal)
14. Aint Misbehavin (Vocal)
15. Summertime (Vocal)
16. Blue Moon (Vocal)
17. Georgia On My Mind (Vocal)
18. What A Difference A Day Made (Vocal)
19. Sporting Life Blues (Vocal)
20. Route 66 (Vocal)

Others we had up our sleeve if we'd have needed them:


1. Coquette
2. Seul ce Soir
3. Limehouse Blues
4. It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)
5. Honeysuckle Rose
6. Sunny Side of the Street
7. Satin Doll
8. Nuages

Derek

[AllanAllen]

How did the rest of summer go? Any more gigs? I listened back to your tracks, even the fist one sounds like a competent jazz solo.

[digger]

How did the rest of summer go? Any more gigs? I listened back to your tracks, even the fist one sounds like a competent jazz solo.

Hi Allan.

Thanks for the interest - and the compliment :-)

Couple more gigs at the same place. The last but one was pretty cool. A Friday night in a town-centre wine-bar made me a little nervous, but actually it went really well and several people commented how great it was to have jazz there, especially at a volume where they could listen if they wanted, or hold a conversation, (or both). I was reasonably pleased with my playing - essentially two hours of basic comping and even more basic soloing and getting away with both :-) I'm trying really hard to get my right hand in better shape (see video below), but under pressure, at gigs, I tend to revert to the bad habits. I'll get there, though.

Then we were asked back again and the last gig was (for me) everything I dreaded. This time it was exactly what one would expect from a city-centre bar on a Friday night. We started off playing our swing set, and it was sounding nice, and we were getting some good reactions. But then, despite having booked a jazz duo, the owner passed us a note asking if we could play more up-tempo and more modern songs that people would know. Basically it was karaoke time. We ended up playing the "party" songbook rather than the Great American Songbook - Sweet Caroline rather than Sweet Chorus. The drunken young men and women loved it. I hated it. I've been there, done that, and these days, at about three times the age of most of them in the bar I felt very out of place. Luckily Chris is a great singer and has almost a thousand songs on his iPad so we were able to do a decent job - and luckily I took a regular acoustic, too, which helped. But it wasn't what I signed up for, even though, having seen how that bar has changed over the summer, it was exactly what I was expecting.

So I'm not sure what's next. Feeling a bit down about the whole thing, if I'm honest.

Meanwhile here's a little run through All Of Me with me trying to focus on the right hand...

[AllanAllen]

Sorry to hear about that experience. I would have told the owner no, I just know jazz tunes. Mostly because it's true, but also if I'm going to play Sweet Caroline, you're paying me top 40 cover band money, that's like $250+ a guy here. I'll also burn a venue like that because why go back, best case they'll just book you as a jazz duo and change your format next time.

I was at a friends gig, just listening, and this drunk guy went up to him trying to talk his way onstage to sing Wonderwall, then failing to convince the pianist, he moved over to the sax player, this is while they were playing a tune. So, things could always go worse.

There's a guy in my band who will say "looks like more of a rock crowd, let's throw some Santana in" or something. I always turn him down, I don't know Santana and this is my time to play jazz.

The video sounds really good man. Don't give up, just pivot.

[CliffR]

Hey Derek. I just listened to this because All Of Me is a track I'm revisiting after having a crack at it a couple of years ago. I'm sorry to read you're feeling a bit down about you're playing, but I wanted you to know I thought what you just posted was really really good! Very musical, and something I'd be very happy to hear in a live situation, and something I can only wish I could achieve. I hope you regain your mojo and keep at it!

[digger]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the encouragement.

Derek

[digger]

This is Oscar Pettiford's "Blues in the Closet". Not really progressing my playing ability any, but sometimes it's just nice to cut loose and have some fun amongst all the hard work and angst!

[AllanAllen]

Dude, that was really good. Didn't know you played clarinet too.

[digger]

Dude, that was really good. Didn't know you played clarinet too.

Thanks Allan. I was just having a short moment of fun with that one. After all, that's why we do this.

I'm not much of a clarinet player. I've tried on and off over the last few years but a variety of dental issues has meant it's been difficult to find some consistency. Fingers crossed those issues are about to be behind me so I may we'll get to play a bit more. But I love swing music so I love the clarinet.

I also love clarinet and guitar duets, too, and Chris - the other player in the jazz duo - has played with clarinet players in the past and is up for including a bit in our set sometime in the future. We have jammed on some Bb blues and it might work...

Edit: I should also add that I find playing an instrument where you can't rely on patterns and have to know the notes in chords is beneficial, too. Plus being a single note instrument it's much easier to sight read!

Derek

[digger]

Back to proper learning this morning. I'm still transcribing Charlie Christian and slowly identifying the various ideas, motives and patterns he uses a lot. In an effort to get just one of these ideas under my fingers here I am trying to drop something similar to one of his lines into this gentle effort wherever there's a dom. 7th chord.

[AllanAllen]

That's a nice sound man.

[digger]

Thanks again, Allan :-)

I had a second CC inspired line that I've been trying to remember so I added it in - same backing track - along with the first lick from the above video.

I dug this Tele (Made in Mexico 72 Custom Reissue) out of my cupboard a week or so back as I was thinking of selling it, but it's so easy to play and so comfy compared to the archtop that I'm going to play it a while and see if it might be something I can keep.

We have a saying here in the UK that you wait ages for a bus and then two come at once. I suspect that this thread will now go quiet again whilst I head back to the woodshed. Don't like to raise my head above the parapet too often in these hallowed halls!

Derek

[digger]

Thanks James. I'm very slowly taking more of these tiny steps! Edging forwards, and as long as I keep my blinkers on and don't get distracted too much I'm happy with progress!

Cheers
Derek

[digger]

On my slow journey of tiny steps one of the books I'm working through is Roger Edison's "Rhythm Guitar". I'm a slow learner and I tend to go over and over the same stuff (probably way too often) so I'm only on Exercise # 2! Anyway, this is just a rhythm guitar exercise but I have added a melody line, in order that the tune can be followed.

In places, I've deviated from the book's written exercise in order to play some of the chords in different positions, and I've swapped out a couple of chords to more closely match the melody. I do enjoy playing this type of back-up guitar, and when the chords can be moved around and changed and the tune is as sweet as this, playing rhythm can be just as much fun as lead guitar.

[AllanAllen]

If you give is some pep I think it'll really swing. Quick, sharp and percussive strums. It sounds really nice.

What program do you use to make that kind of split screen video?

[digger]

If you give is some pep I think it'll really swing. Quick, sharp and percussive strums. It sounds really nice.

What program do you use to make that kind of split screen video?

Thanks Allan. I use an old copy of Cyberlink Powerdirector. I probably only use about 5% of its capabilities (rather like my guitars, then!) but it's very easy to import video and audio, synch them up, and then create movies. My copy is version 13 which is very old and thus cheap on eBay :-)

Derek

[digger]

I stole another lick, and I wrote (or at least devised) one, so here I am dropping them both repeatedly into a couple of choruses of Autumn Leaves with the aim of trying to memorise them. The rest of the playing is pretty much just other licks I've already memorised, although once or twice the note choices were unplanned which may indicate a new door just opening a tiny crack...

Derek

[AllanAllen]

Very nice! It doesn't sound like a bunch of licks to me, it sounds like music.

[digger]

Very nice! It doesn't sound like a bunch of licks to me, it sounds like music.

Thanks Allan. I always try and make it musical, no matter what.