Write This Down ...

 Write This Down ...

The task seemed simple enough: Learn this tune. I’d been playing the tune casually for years, but this time the goal was to do an authentic reproduction of the original recording. Guess what. Difficult tune. So I got out my notebook and mapped out the song’s arrangement -- bar by bar -- only to discover that the original performance was rather complicated drum-wise.

So how do you handle a challenge like this? If given a chart, the pros might make a copy and then cover it with personal annotations. Hal Blaine had a huge collection of such annotated charts (which he’s personalized with a stamp that says “Hal Blaine Strikes Again!”). Some go as far as to write their own charts. And they always take notes. When I finished analyzing that allegedly simple tune, here’s what I ended up with:

Time feel: 4/4 Slow rock, 88 bpm
Form: A A B + C  (A=8, B=8, C=6)
Arrangement: AAB AAB C AAB AB

Drum Parts:

Intro: 5 bars, no drums
Lay out first 2 A sections, enter on B
Lay out next A section, enter on 2nd A
Lay out on C
Enter on A and play A A B
Lay out on final A and enter on B

OK, that’s a lot of stuff to remember. Once again I turned to my favourite problem-solver and memory aid: file cards. I put it all on a single 3 x 5 card, along with some notes. Here’s what it looks like:

Song Title 4/4 Slow Rock, 88 bpm Form: AAB + C A=8, B=8, C=6 Intro: 5 bars No drums Arrangement AAB  AAB  C  AAB  AB No drums on sections with (  ) (I)  (A A)  B  (A) A B  (C)  A A B  (A) B

 

It doesn’t matter how you create your notes. I find pocket-sized cards handy. You might prefer a notebook or a computer screen. In the end, the only thing that matters is that it’s something you understand and can work with.