Monday, August 19, 2019

Stretching...


Nothing to do with the new hip.

Last night, I received a piano track from my friend and music partner, Mark.  Mark is a musician - he makes a piano come alive.  When he sends me music tracks, I know I am going to be impressed with his musicianship.  He makes me want to be a better player.

I am an old rock 'n roller at heart.  I love to make music, but I subscribe to the saying, "Close enough for rock 'n roll."  ;-)

This is not the first time he has sent files that make me think, "Are you just messin' with me?  You know I can't play like that, right?  Where's the back-beat?" 

Do you know the difference between a jazz musician and a rock n' roller?  A jazz musician plays 1,000 chords for 3 people... a rock 'n roller plays 3 chords for 1,000 people.  (rimshot)  Mark can go back and forth between the genres; I stay in my comfortable little wheelhouse.

All that said, he sent me a file for a medley with What The World Needs Now and Get Together.  Yeah, one is a Burt Bacharach/Dione Warwick song, the other is a rock song by the Youngbloods.  Who puts those together?  And does it in a key that makes me stretch way up or way down? 

I spent about 3 hours listening... trying to get the phrasing... rehearsing (now, Joan can't get that song out of her head).  Then, I set up my Spire Studio at the dinette in our motorhome and went for it...


I recorded two tracks: one high vocal, one low vocal.  One take each.  Then sent that back to Mark to let him decide if either one sounds OK to him.  A snippet of each track...


Nice piano playing.  That isn't rock 'n roll.  ;-)






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