Working out "Londonderry Aire" one note at a time
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2019 6:22 pm
I'm assiduously working out Londonderry Aire, from Chet's "Alone" album. When it comes to playing chords, I am so used to the standard way of striking the strings, each finger assigned to an individual string, what we all know as the free stroke, but It occurs to me, as I listen to Chet's recording , that one of the secrets to his beautiful tone, and a reason that it's so hard to imitate, is that he often, when playing triads, will use a simple up strum with the index finger. I am almost positive he is employing the technique in this recording, yet it's very subtle.
You have to listen real hard and replay each phrase repeatedly to catch it. And even then, I'm not exactly sure about all spots where he is using it. Some places I am left to guess.
Anybody else ever work this recording out and come to that conclusion? That up-strum with the index finger on triads seems to be a mainstay of his technique. Chet was so DARN good at it. So polished.
I've made good progress in working it out, but I'm getting cold feet about some of the chords he is using up in the higher register at certain sections of the tune. I'm afraid I might get so far, then suddenly get stuck because I just can't figure the durn thing out totally by ear..he often uses moving voices within the chords. Those moving voices chords are so freakin' hard to nail. Especially when he's doing it up at the 12'th fret and beyond.
Actually, the middle arpeggio section of the tune I figured out years ago, and I can do that part in my sleep. I figured it out the hard way. The "old fashioned way," by placing a penny on the tone arm of the phonograph, thus slowing it down just enough to hear what he was doing. Ahhhhhhh! Those were the good ol' days!
Now all I have is a CD, my vinyl album long lost, and I can't slow the CD down, and at normal speed, a lot of those licks fly by REAL fast! It takes me hundreds of repeats to match on my guitar to what my ear is hearing. Patience, patience, patience...and tons of persistence.
The first time I heard the arrangement, as a young kid, I was astonished and enamored of the beauty of it. Decades later, I still feel the same. I know I'll never get it as perfect as Chet, but maybe I can get kind of close. (Providing I can figure out what he's doing on the upper register with the moving voices.)
There's method to my madness: I'd like to get this one down good to be able to do it as a solo in church. "Londonderry Aire," "Danny Boy," and finally "He looked beyond my faults and saw my need" was by Dotty Rambo, if my memory serves me. The last one justifies me being able to do it in church!
If it had remained "Danny Boy," my pastor could reject it as not appropriate for church. But when you add the gospel lyrics (same tune!) then suddenly I'm golden. So that gives me extra motivation to really work it out till I nail the whole thing.
It's on my list of Chet tunes in my head I've toyed with learning for years, but just never knuckled down and did it. 2019 is gonna be different!
You have to listen real hard and replay each phrase repeatedly to catch it. And even then, I'm not exactly sure about all spots where he is using it. Some places I am left to guess.
Anybody else ever work this recording out and come to that conclusion? That up-strum with the index finger on triads seems to be a mainstay of his technique. Chet was so DARN good at it. So polished.
I've made good progress in working it out, but I'm getting cold feet about some of the chords he is using up in the higher register at certain sections of the tune. I'm afraid I might get so far, then suddenly get stuck because I just can't figure the durn thing out totally by ear..he often uses moving voices within the chords. Those moving voices chords are so freakin' hard to nail. Especially when he's doing it up at the 12'th fret and beyond.
Actually, the middle arpeggio section of the tune I figured out years ago, and I can do that part in my sleep. I figured it out the hard way. The "old fashioned way," by placing a penny on the tone arm of the phonograph, thus slowing it down just enough to hear what he was doing. Ahhhhhhh! Those were the good ol' days!
Now all I have is a CD, my vinyl album long lost, and I can't slow the CD down, and at normal speed, a lot of those licks fly by REAL fast! It takes me hundreds of repeats to match on my guitar to what my ear is hearing. Patience, patience, patience...and tons of persistence.
The first time I heard the arrangement, as a young kid, I was astonished and enamored of the beauty of it. Decades later, I still feel the same. I know I'll never get it as perfect as Chet, but maybe I can get kind of close. (Providing I can figure out what he's doing on the upper register with the moving voices.)
There's method to my madness: I'd like to get this one down good to be able to do it as a solo in church. "Londonderry Aire," "Danny Boy," and finally "He looked beyond my faults and saw my need" was by Dotty Rambo, if my memory serves me. The last one justifies me being able to do it in church!
If it had remained "Danny Boy," my pastor could reject it as not appropriate for church. But when you add the gospel lyrics (same tune!) then suddenly I'm golden. So that gives me extra motivation to really work it out till I nail the whole thing.
It's on my list of Chet tunes in my head I've toyed with learning for years, but just never knuckled down and did it. 2019 is gonna be different!