'' What To Play ''

Gary Preston · From: Columbus, Ohio, USA

Something to pick your brain about ! At our last '' Sharing '' the subject came up like this ! The question was asked when its your turn to play a song what do you play ? The fellow said that he was told by a very respected '' pro . '' steel player and teacher that when you play a song what you do is play only a '' SCALE ''!!! I will stop right here and not say what i told him ! Feel free to give your thoughts on this if you would ! Lets be friendly please . G.P.

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

I think if you took a poll at one of our gatherings the most common response would be "start with the melody and see what follows." The guys that can make you cry with the melody move more hearts than the guys that can squeeze eleventy-hundred notes out of sixteen bars every time Whoa!

although I will be the first to admit to a notable case of eleventy-hundred note envy.... Oh Well

I will suggest that, for the non-professionals among us at least, starting with the melody is the most effective way to conquer the psychological hurdles inevitably present, particularly for those already uncertain about "what to play" when it's our turn. Little in the civilized world is more intimidating than when the guy sitting next to us just tore the entire musical universe apart and put it back together again in twenty seconds, all while grinning from ear to ear and making it look easy, and suddenly he is all done and everybody turns to look at us and it's "oh $#@!" time.

To paraphrase David Mamet, "allways play the melody, it's the easiest thing to remember. Razz

Dick Sexton · From: Greenville, Ohio

Even though the "Student" said that his Pro Steeler Teacher told him to only play "a Scale" when it was his turn to play, it is hard to imagine any instructor telling a student to play Do Re Mi Fa So La Te Do(in that order), when it was his turn to take a ride. Even though that might fit against any of the chords in the song, given a C scale in a song in the key of C. I believe he ment for the student to understand that any notes in the C scale, in any order, would fit against the C chord being played. Preferably in an order that sounds like the song. Note: I picked C scale and chord only as an example.

Unless, of course the instructor was trying to impart a rudiment understanding that, any note in that scale will musically fit against the chord. Which is true. However, not particurly interesting or easy to listen to maybe, unless perhaps manipulated by accent and or timing.

This of course, is just my opinion and not what I might play in a given cercumstance.

Bob Hickish · From: Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.

Melody is best , scale’s can work, but the time you know how it’s going to work for you is Daves comment on the "oh $#@!" time --- for me that was always the first ride - you knew if it was going to be a fun gig or a nightmare

Joe Casey · From: Weeki Wachee .Springs FL (population.9)

Its better to learn what not to play..It's not easier but it's better..

Jason Rumley · From: Foley, Minnesota, USA

I saw an amazing 6-string guitarist play on New Years Eve, I asked him how he approached the guitar and he gave me the simplest and best answer: "I play like I talk or sing"
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Rick Myrland · From: New Orleans

This may sound like a simple question for many of you, but how do you pull the melody from the scale? Are there rules of thumbs or tricks of the trade?
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Mike Neer · From: NJ

A scale is not music in the same way an alphabet is not a language.
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Sonny Jenkins · From: Texas Masonic Retirement Center,,,Arlington Tx

Am I missing something??? I thought melodies were scales,,,or fragments of scales,,,,or modified scales???

"A scale is not music in the same way an alphabet is not a language"

Language is made from words,,,and words are made from the alphabet,,,,,,,and melodies are made from scales,,,,,a concept that Jeff Newman always stressed,,,,

Mike Neer · From: NJ

A scale is a collection of pitches. Without knowing how to shape and organize them into phrases and sentences, and embellish them with notes out of the diatonic scale, it is still just a scale.

So, yes, melodies are derived from scales, but just playing a scale sequentially (which is what I got from the original post) is not going to make for a very good melody. But we all knew that, right?
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Bob Hickish · From: Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.

To Quote Dave
“Little in the civilized world is more intimidating than when the guy sitting next to us just tore the entire musical universe apart and put it back together again in twenty seconds, all while grinning from ear to ear and making it look easy, and suddenly he is all done” .

Not being the sharpest knife in the drawer , I have been in this position and the only thing comes out of my hands is some modified scale arranged in context with the cord structure of the tune . not a good place to be unless you have as much musical skill as you counter part - IMO its better to just go back to the melody -- I think thats kinda what’s on the table here .

Gary Preston · From: Columbus, Ohio, USA

To comment on Joe Caseys remarks i would say this ! When it's your turn to play you better know what that is ! What not to play works when a singer is singing ,or at least that is what i was taught ! When it's your turn to shine '' Play The Melody As Best You Can '' ! Playing a scale simply won't work then ! Ok now i have said it thats what i told the other player ! We all know that you play notes from the scale when playing a song right ? Maybe some havn't learned this yet but now they have been educated ! Razz

One more thing -- when you are playing a lead line and all you do is play a scale how will the other musicians know what you are playing ? I have been there and it's no fun ! G.P.

Ned McIntosh · From: New South Wales, Australia

I only know of one example where a scale (actually a series of scales) was played as the principal break and also happened to be very close to the melody. In my view it is also the definitive example.

John Hughey's intro and lead-break on "I've Just Destroyed The World I'm Livin' In" is about as good as it gets in that regard.

It's well worth studying to see how to take something very simple and turn it into something totally unique.
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Rick Myrland · From: New Orleans

As many times as I've seen this topic posted, it seems the same responses are offered which discuss applying scales to melody but they consistently fail to describe how this is accomplished. Those of us who struggle to put this into practice don't need a refresher in terminology or scale/chord theory, what we are looking for is this: when you hum the molody of a song, how do you pick out the scale notes to correspond with that hum (words of the song)?

For instance, I can sing the phrase "All My Ex's Live in Texas." And each of those words correspond to a note in the scale -- the do re mi, etc, but how do I assign the do re mi to the words "All My Ex's Live In Texas" so my steel sounds like the words? I've had some instruction on this but it still is not as clear as I'd like it to be.

In a recent post in the tab section someone posted tab for Crazy. It's perfect. When you play it it sounds just like someone singing it. What's the best way to get there?
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Wally Taylor · From: Hardin, Kentucky, USA

Mike Neer nailed it! Think about it.

Rick Myrland · From: New Orleans

I did. But again, theory of "Diatonic Scale" does nothing to explain application and execution. I also understand the theory of flight, that doesn't mean I can build an airplane working simply from that knowledge base--I need to know how to cut, bend and rivet metal, none of those are explained in the theory of flight.
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Niels Andrews · From: Salinas, California, USA

Best advice I ever heard was "Don't start by burning down the woodshed."
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Dan Galysh · From: Hendersonville, Tennessee, USA

"One more thing -- when you are playing a lead line and all you do is play a scale how will the other musicians know what you are playing ?"

Didn't the Big E play a straight major scale as the lead line in the intro and TA for Strait's "Check Yes or No"?

Dick Sexton · From: Greenville, Ohio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHxS8wlDngI

How could they possibly follow him doing this... Oh yeah, maybe Mr.Emmons was laying it down, "against" what was being played by the bass, drums and rhythm. That gives the lead instrument much more latitude, space to streach out and "not" just play the melody. I think that sometimes, the melody is just not called for. As here... JMO

Mike Neer · From: NJ

I've been working my whole life on creating my own melodies spontaneously. When it's my time to solo, I'm not going to play the song's melody--I'm going to try and create something to enhance the song, like a composition within a composition. That's just the way I do it and I won't do it any other way.
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Dan Galysh · From: Hendersonville, Tennessee, USA

If the other musicians are well versed in the song, playing the melody is fine. What makes it interesting is if the soloist embellishes upon the solo---improvises around. It can make for some "wow" moments on stage. I remember an ISGC where there was a line of steel players on stage. They were playing I Love You Because. Paul took an immaculate country E9 solo, followed by Hal starting out with country E9, then "bluesing" out as his solo progressed. It all boils down to musical knowledge, proficiency and most importantly-taste, in my opinion.

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

I've always been interested in the comments on "just playing the melody". It implies to me that playing with a band or sitting in somewhere one would have to have memorized the melody of every song the band was going to play. If one's ear is well trained enough to hear/remember/regurgitate the melody at will when hearing a new setlist for the first time, trust me, the ear would be well-developed enough to be able to create an awesome improvised solo... so why "just the melody"?

Anyway, to begin to learn to work out a melody from scratch, start simple. Nursery Rhymes, Christmas Carols, car commercials... let's imagine "Three Blind Mice".
Doesn't matter what key you're in, that melody starts on the third scale tone and goes 3-2-1 3-2-1 then for the "see how they run" part, it moves up to scale tones 5-4-4-3 5-4-4-3. And so on.
If you familiarize yourself with the major scale in whatever position/key you want to play in, you can find the notes within that scale (or, for some songs, in between the notes of the scale!)
Some tunes start, or move to, different octaves within the scale, for instance, Auld Lang Syne starts on the 5th below the root, then moves up to the root, then down a half step to the seventh... 5-1-7-1-3-2-1-2 (Should Auld ac-quaint-ance be for-got).
The more melodies you figure out, the easier it gets, and easier to pick them out on the fly... or to play something you hear "in your head" spontaneously.
But it is all easier if you start with the scale.
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Clyde Mattocks · From: Kinston, North Carolina, USA

As Dan Galysh suggestested, there are many instances on record of Buddy Emmons simply playing a scale as a fill. What makes it work and interesting is how he chooses when to attack the next note or pedal into it or gliss into it. He can slip it right by you and you accept it as a really classy lick. You will find that all the greats can do that.
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Gary Preston · From: Columbus, Ohio, USA

I have played in many jam sessions in the past and more in the future i suppose . I listen to what the other players do before it gets to me and have the melody pretty much in my mind when it's my turn . There are places where a scale maybe will work just fine but in general playing the melody is the best way to get the job done so everyone knows what you are playing . I look at it like this . If you are singing a song maybe like Today I Started Loving You Again and you play something like a do re me scale i'm thinking you will throw a singer and the rest of the band out in left field ! Yes i have heard some intros that i didn't think fit the song at all ,but that's just me . Just let me say this when i played bass guitar in a country band i expected to hear the lead or steel to play the song and not something not rehearsed ! This is my reason for saying play the melody the way the singer sings it and everyone will have a good day ! Just me !

Rick Myrland · From: New Orleans

As Mark Van Allen states:

Anyway, to begin to learn to work out a melody from scratch, start simple. Nursery Rhymes, Christmas Carols, car commercials... let's imagine "Three Blind Mice". Doesn't matter what key you're in, that melody starts on the third scale tone and goes 3-2-1 3-2-1 then for the "see how they run" part, it moves up to scale tones 5-4-4-3 5-4-4-3. And so on.
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Once again Mark provided valuable insight, which is useful and practical. From here my question is this: How do I known that "three" begins on the 3rd note of the scale, for 3-2-1, versus on the 5th note, for 5-4-3?
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