I never compared my version of this song to Chet's but I've always thought that Chet's version resolved to the Key of B major. I don't think that key is normal for western music but I don't really know. To this day when I play it (mostly to keep my fingers nimble), it resolves to the most unused key in music. Thanks in advance! It's strange but many times I just like to learn old Chet arrangements from what I remember in my head. I don't possess perfect pitch but I like to work tunes out in my head and through my fingers although I had to ask the late Paul Yandell which key "Main Street Breakdown" is in I never tried to play it as I gave up. It's beyond my ability!
Sincerely,
Rich Irvine
Re: one note samba
Rich, I resolve it to the key of A. There was no particular reason other than that it allowed for the right combination of open strings and fretted notes. I was never trying to match it to any recording.
Rande Dager
We are all capable of doing more than we think we can!
We are all capable of doing more than we think we can!
- DagerRande
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Re: one note samba
You can't beat a bossa nova beat, especially when Chet plays it!
I've always loved the rich sound of Chet's chords in this, contrasted against the wonderful melody section.
I never realized it had lyrics, though. Lyrics that I will never learn! But you may get a charge out of this: https://youtu.be/AuEv942wOZs
I've always loved the rich sound of Chet's chords in this, contrasted against the wonderful melody section.
I never realized it had lyrics, though. Lyrics that I will never learn! But you may get a charge out of this: https://youtu.be/AuEv942wOZs
- Doug Working
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Re: one note samba
Thanks guys. Back when i first learned the tune I had great difficulty with the single note bridge part. I tried to use all thumb picking which I was never able to do very well. Years later when I saw Jerry Reed's thumbpick and index finger method I worked on it again and that technique made it much easier to pick that part. All of my single note playing now is using that method.
- rhirvine
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Re: one note samba
I wish I could get used to that thumb pick plus index finger technique. I rely too heavily on the pick. It's a bad habit. I'll bet Chet used the technique in Old Joe Clark and Sugar Foot Rag.
- Doug Working
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Re: one note samba
Doug it seems any of the techniques I know I learned by the time I was 30, not to discourage you. I don't think these days I can learn anything new in the way of techniques such as the super lick (I never even tried it). I believe that Chet used the thumb index finger single notes on the tunes you mentioned and "Yakety Axe".
- rhirvine
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Re: one note samba
I do admit that bad habits / techniques are really hard to break. REAL hard. Not that it can't be done. But t's hard.
Years and years and years ago, I took some classical instruction from a classical guitarist/teacher. The FIRST thing he did was point out my bad technique habits and try to help me correct them. I say "try," because I'm not sure if he made a lot of progress, lol.
But I tried because I was paying him a goodly sum, and I wanted to get my money's worth. Had a family to raise and mouths to feed, and every dollar counted.
Now I got myself to raise and MY mouth to feed, and guess what? Every dollar counts! Lol, but I digress.
But yeah, bad habits are hard to break once they are ingrained..
Like I said, I got a sax now, and I want to learn, but # 1 I have NO idea where to even start, and # 2 I'm afraid that without pro instruction I might develop bad technique habits that, as with guitar, will be dang near impossible to break further on down the line.
Years and years and years ago, I took some classical instruction from a classical guitarist/teacher. The FIRST thing he did was point out my bad technique habits and try to help me correct them. I say "try," because I'm not sure if he made a lot of progress, lol.
But I tried because I was paying him a goodly sum, and I wanted to get my money's worth. Had a family to raise and mouths to feed, and every dollar counted.
Now I got myself to raise and MY mouth to feed, and guess what? Every dollar counts! Lol, but I digress.
But yeah, bad habits are hard to break once they are ingrained..
Like I said, I got a sax now, and I want to learn, but # 1 I have NO idea where to even start, and # 2 I'm afraid that without pro instruction I might develop bad technique habits that, as with guitar, will be dang near impossible to break further on down the line.
- Doug Working
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Re: one note samba
And then there is Brent Mason who uses his thumb and index finger, or even thumb and any combination of the others, and manages to sound like he's using a flat pick the entire time! That's pretty impressive with a Telecaster and all of those hot licks and yet maintaining that "Tele sound"!
Rande Dager
We are all capable of doing more than we think we can!
We are all capable of doing more than we think we can!
- DagerRande
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Re: one note samba
Ya'll were talking about two finger runs from Chet. It's amazing to me how Chet could do those thumb and index finger runs so cleanly and with a full sound for each note while still playing it fast. Sounds like they are scale runs at times. If I'm remembering correctly there are a lot of those nice runs on the two albums Chet did with Les Paul. Took me a long time to figure out that sound was a two-finger run.
Thanks
Steve
Thanks
Steve
- Steve Moran
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Re: one note samba
Steve, Tommy Jones used to show me even 3 finger runs along with the thumb! When each finger can take a longer break before it's "turn" comes around again, it can make a significant difference but it also seems to have to be planned out in advance!
Rande Dager
We are all capable of doing more than we think we can!
We are all capable of doing more than we think we can!
- DagerRande
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