Have you enjoyed structured arrangments?

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

I've always had the good fortune of having a truly skilled and talented lead-guitarist at my side in most of the bands I've had the pleasure of playing in. This was true with one exception, the three year long television show we did over Oregon's NBC affiliate KGW-TV.

Heck Harper, the TV-Band leader, hired a highly skilled accordianist and a great fiddle player that teamed up regularly to perform harmonized arrangements. Occasionally, we'd do a three part harmony instrumental which was a lot of fun. These tunes were worked out in 15-20 minutes and then played 'live' on the show.

Video's from the television show can be viewed/heard on You Tube by checking out Ray Montee........

An interesting aside: One night we had the pleasure of playing a show down on the Oregon coast and Spade Cooley was the featured STAR of the event. When we got into the BIG Cadillac, Spade was excited and talking a mile a minute. On the flight to PDX from LAX, he'd written an instrumental on the back of an envelope. He explained how anxious he was to get to play it someday.

Nuff said.... our fiddle player got out some paper and wrote out the music in three part harmony. By the time we reached Tillamook, Oregon, they had put together a great little instrumental tune that sounded like they'd been playin' it together for many years. That's the stuff that always made playing music.......a really BIG FUN TREAT!

Have many of you got to enjoy such pleasures?

Les Anderson · From: The Great White North

I am firm believer in a structured performance if playing on stage as a band. A throw together band can and usually will make even the best musician sound absolutely terrible. I have/had been playing on a stage for more than fifty years and have always stuck with bands that insisted on rehearsals at least once a week; twice was even better.

Many bands now just gives the musician a CD of their music and expect the musician to work with that. As far as I am concerned, every musician is unique and to work with that person in a live rehearsal is essential.

Being on the road of course sort of puts rehearsal time in the back seat of the bus.

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

There's nothing quite as satisfying as executing your 'part' of an arrangement, then hearing it work in tandem with the other musicians as they do the same.

It's infinitely more fun than the 'Shipwreck Chorus' approach ('Every man for himself!') that seems to prevail in amateur groups.
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

Totally agree Les. It's what's lost on alot of bar bands out there. Structured arrangements. Alot of people just want to show up, make noise, get $60.00, and go home. Dress like a bum also.

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

Structure is a lot of fun, when you know what's coming up and can listen for the finer points of blend and phrasing instead of just avoiding walking on each other. There's real musical joy in tweezing the subtleties and honing an already polished arrangement.

That being said, it's an entirely different ball of fun to be working things out on the fly, with accomplished players who listen and honor the song.

I've been very fortunate to be able to play in both kinds of ensembles, and with the "other kind" as well, just for contrast.
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Les Anderson · From: The Great White North

Bo Legg · Posted 1 May 2012 8:44 pm

Ray I don’t mean to rain on your parade but when you play in several different bands in the local area and with out of the local area bands you’ve never heard nor have a clue about their song list, structure somehow never comes up.
I had one band want me to show up two hours early to run over some twin parts. I told them to twin this and get somebody else. It just don’t pay enough to even consider that option. Maybe they could send some tab out a couple of weeks before the gig. Laughing

There is no demand or incentive around here to twin parts in dance gigs now days when just about every thing they play is Billy Rock Country and the band leader never asks you to play an instrumental much less write a new one.
It’s pure unregulated picking freedom with screaming vocals. That seems to be the way the bands stay busy around here.
I’m not asking here if folks still beat their wives or saying Steel Guitar has gone in the crapper.
Just saying momma don’t ‘laow no Twin pickin’ ’round here.

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

i've played in a few good bands/acts with structured arrangements. overall these gigs gave me a stronger sense of pride, as they sounded quite professional.

on the other hand i've played a million unrehearsed gigs with jam-the-best-you-can sensibilities. these can have great magical moments but many of them leave me frustrated and doubting my abilities.

Steve English · From: Baja, Arizona

This is a really fun gig! Everybody's reading....
We had one rehearsal for about an hour the night before the gig.
Lots of VERY structured arrangements and lots of fun.
The show was a replication of the "Domino Joe" album recorded in 1979. Sold out in advance and standing room only.
We'll be doing a similar show in the near future...can't wait.

Here's some pics: http://timfuller.com/chapsplush/

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

I for one can't live without it, Ray.

There is a huge difference between simply playing a bunch of songs together and presenting a show. Musical arrangements, as well as patter, pacing, drama and humor establish an emotional connection with an audience that a simple jam band can never achieve.

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

One example I've encountered... I always tell the "It's all good, Maaaan" guys that don't want to arrange the song ahead of time, that if more than 2 seconds go by and no one is soloing (they are usually all looking at each other wondering whose turn it is at this point), it's automatically a Steel solo.
Laughing

'Never had a problem closing the loop with an audience in the Jam Band scene, though.
They are usually so fanatically into it no matter what happens.

Rick Schmidt · From: Prescott AZ, USA

This was my office last night...

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

"Back in the day" as old musicians like me are prone to say, especially in the southwest, Bob Wills was the KING of western swing. All working musicians were intimately familiar with the arrangements of all of his recordings, including all of Hank Thompson's.

As a result, you could call a diverse number of musicians for a western swing job and they were all competent to work their "parts" without a rehearsal.

The same for uniforms for the job, i.e., white shirts, red ties and black pants....or red pants, black ties and check shirts, etc. Every musician had all of the diverse combinations that might be required for the job. Those were the salad days of music for a musician.

These days, we are expected to show up early and rehearse (without pay), for a three or four chord song that changes can be anticipated even if you are drunk and asleep.

Yes, I admit that I'm an old fogey, but, I'm glad that I'm retired and too old to play anymore!
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"FROM THEN TIL' NOW"

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

Alan Tanner · From: Near Dayton, Ohio

Years ago I worked with a fireball steel picker that played all the standard steel guitar tunes. We played them the same way every time, twin parts and all. It never got boring either because it was great to hear a tune go thru flawlessly (well....) and have it executed correctly. Now days, yer lucky if other guys in the band can even kick a song off the same way twice. Singers missing their Q spot, breaking to play in the wrong spot, never knowing whether they will come in on the bridge or the verse after a break, guys in the band not paying attention to song call outs and key info, twin a kick one time, maybe not the next, not watching the singer so when it comes time to pick you pick and not just get that blank look on yer puss, etc etc etc, even after you have played the same songs 978.5 times. This is what makes groups sound amateurish and "jam band" style. It used to be if a picker didnt know a song or messed up, they usually went home and LEARNED it. Now, you can just rely on the same mistakes in the same spots........maybe it's age and a memory thing too. For me, if I was trying to do "modern" crap, I would not be able to remember any of it because it's not very catchy music any more.

Bo Legg · Posted 6 May 2012 11:06 am

Yeah! There is nothing like practicing and putting all kinds of new crap in 10 or 12, 4 chord songs then forgetting about half of it when you play a gig. What a train wreck.
I'd rather take my chances with ad-lib.

Roger Edgington · From: San Antonio, Texas USA

I feel very proud to play with a structured band. We do western swing and old country with most songs arreanged and played in 2/3 parts with lead,fiddle and steel. Western songs are cool because they often have a lot of chords and you can strech out more as they are typically longer. So,you might play a verse in parts and also free style once. We do the boots,hats,western suits and all. I've been with this band 18 years this month. Sometimes I think the extra work we do helps hold the band togther. It amazes me how good the band is when you consider we are spread out over 120 miles apart in oposite directions. We play about once a month and work things out before a job starts.

Kevin Lichtsinn · From: Minnesota, USA

My favorite dance band of all time, now retired, was a very structured band. They practiced and it showed. They played fantastic country music and they performed in CW boots, hats, shirts, pants, belt buckles....The whole deal was very professional. Smile

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Someone here is likely gonna flame you for being unAmerican with all of that enthusiastic "UNIFORM" talk.

Personally, I can't agree more with you.

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

What's wrong with uniforms? Smile

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"FROM THEN TIL' NOW"

Kevin Lichtsinn · From: Minnesota, USA

Roger Edgington · From: San Antonio, Texas USA

Gene,
Who's the good looking fella playing the Fender. I grew up playing my Dad's steel like that. The uniforms are way too cool.

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

Roger, I don't admit knowing that guy! Oh Well

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"FROM THEN TIL' NOW"

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