… what tools do you use?
LOL… I’m asking about what instruments, of course, but also what do you use to know where you are going in a tune you don’t know.
Sometimes I am slopping around trying to even find the key, let alone figure out what obscure chords are getting popped in …
EDIT : (…large long sigh…) This was intended to be in another forum… sorry about that.
Know the tune, or don’t play. Nothing is more unwelcome than someone bashing away with no understanding or knowledge of the tune being played. This seems impossible for some people - to just sit this one out - but its allowed. Really!
djm
1): Cittern.
2): Familiarity. Not trying to sound snide, but that’s essential. There are familiarity with the tunes and familiarity with the range and quality a tune encompasses given the standard 2-octave compass, and familiarity with where the tonic sits in relation to what keys you generally play in, which means familiarity with your instrument. First off, there are the tunes you come to know so well that the first three or so notes usually cue you as to the tune and its key. You know those tunes, after all, and you should know their keys without thinking about them. Then there are the ones you may not recognise but you get the tonic right away. If you’ve been backing up a tune in Dmix, say, and the melody player launches next into an A major tune, with time and practice you should be only missing a beat or so. Sounds simple, but it takes a lot of close listening for most of us, me included.
Then there are the tunes where there are numerous essential key changes within them, and sometimes the opening tonic isn’t the overall tonic (Bank of Ireland, to cite a familiar example). I sit those out if I don’t know them until I get my head around them, presuming I can. I don’t feel under any pressure to jump in as soon as possible. I’d rather join in later with something that is a logical and meaningful contribution if that’s what it takes. I hate flailing around and ruining it for others with halfbaked meanderings. This is all about sessions, of course. If I’m performing, on the other hand, and especially doing sets on the fly, the melody player should let me know in advance what’s up just in case. That’s common courtesy, I think.
Just my $.02USD…
Unless you’re Arty McGlynn, ideally you should know the tune inside out before you join in. I also think this should apply to bodhran players too. Melody players go to a lot of trouble to play tunes right, and a poor accompanist undoes everything. One guy in our session can play nearly all the tunes he accompanies on guitar on the mandolin too, and that’s a definite plus for all of us. Even if you’re a competent accompanist on a lot of tunes, a new tune can faze you with its unexpected twists and turns. Sometimes there’ll be another sessioneer who will whisper the basic chord outline to you before a tune begins. Keep it simple and not over-loud, and don’t play a chord on every note of the tune!
Steve