Jimmy Raney - What Is This Thing Called Love (transcription)

[grahambop]

Here's a great Jimmy Raney solo to keep you busy (!). It's from the first track of the album "Raney '81". This was actually the first Jimmy Raney track I ever heard, I always wanted to transcribe it so now I have. There are some wonderful long lines and chromatic phrases in this solo.

Jimmy slides up to the note quite a lot, I have indicated this with sloping lines in front of the note. I have also indicated some positions (roman numerals) and occasional LH fingerings (numbers), this is just my interpretation. For me most of this solo sits comfortably around the 8th position, but of course I don't know exactly how Jimmy played it.

I didn't include the 8-bar intro, but I included the theme statement because Jimmy phrases and embellishes the melody so creatively, it's almost part of his solo.

Here's the track in question, and a PDF of the transcription.

[Vladan]

Wow!

Couple of questions:

- How long it took you to "get it" and then to write it down?
Likely, I would need many years for similar result.

- Can you play it?
I think I could never make it.

[grahambop]

I can only do these things a few bars at a time, then I get tired of it, and leave it for a while. So maybe it took a couple of weeks altogether. It’s too fast for me to transcribe directly so I put the audio into Audacity and slowed it down quite a bit. First I wrote it by hand on manuscript paper, so it probably then took another couple of days to input it in Finale.

When I started learning jazz I used to spend a lot of time figuring out phrases from records by ear (not necessarily writing them down), also the only way I had to slow them down was with a tape deck at half speed. So I think this developed my ears a long time ago, I can figure virtually anything out these days.

I can’t play it at Jimmy’s speed, that’s not really my aim, I just want to absorb some ideas from it. I can more or less play it ok at a slower speed. Actually the hardest bits for me are the irregular rhythmic groupings of some of the repeating phrases. The long lines of eighth notes are easier for me.

[mr. beaumont]

This is fucking GOLD. THANK YOU.

[ragman1]

Well done, not an easy transcription. Presumably that's an overdub at the end?

[grahambop]

Well done, not an easy transcription. Presumably that's an overdub at the end?

Thanks, yes some of the ‘chromatic clusters’ were a bit tricky, they don’t make so much sense when heard slowly.

Do you mean overdubs on the record? No, it features Doug Raney as well as Jimmy on all tracks, so there are some passages where they play a kind of counterpoint together.

[ragman1]

Ah! Thanks, didn't check it. But good work, definitely. Labour of love!

[grahambop]

Thanks. I’ve also got this one I started a year or so back, but I hit a really tricky rhythmic bit further on and didn’t continue. Maybe I’ll have another go at it.

[sgcim]

It's funny- I was just reading something on Raney where someone called "WITTCL" on a gig or record date, and Raney refused to play it. When asked why, he said he didn't like the tune, and never knew what to play on it.

[grahambop]

It's funny- I was just reading something on Raney where someone called "WITTCL" on a gig or record date, and Raney refused to play it. When asked why, he said he didn't like the tune, and never knew what to play on it.

Yes you’re right, I also read that recently but I can’t remember where I saw it. Strange he said that, because this solo is so good!

[sgcim]

Yes you’re right, I also read that recently but I can’t remember where I saw it. Strange he said that, because this solo is so good!

I agree, he plays the schlitz out of the tune! I saw him play like that live on "Lover Come Back To Me", it was mind-blowing! It gave me the feeling that all the other junk going on was nowhere compared to this.

[grahambop]

Ok I found it, it’s in that Glen Hodges thesis on Jon Raney’s site.

[sgcim]

Ok I found it, it’s in that Glen Hodges thesis on Jon Raney’s site.

Yes, that's where I got it from. It's also got a transcription of "WITTCL", but it's good that you did it on your own. There's no better way to improve as a musician.

[grahambop]

Yes, that's where I got it from. It's also got a transcription of "WITTCL", but it's good that you did it on your own. There's no better way to improve as a musician.

yes I noticed that while I was completing mine! I didn’t look at his though.

[sgcim]

yes I noticed that while I was completing mine! I didn’t look at his though.

Good Boy!