Wrong Note

Bill Duncan · From: Lenoir, North Carolina, USA

Have you ever played a solo and totally blow it by starting the intro run or scale on the wrong strings or fret?

Embarressing and hard to recover from.
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Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

No. Never. Evil Twisted

Paul Wade · From: mundelein,ill

a few times done that Embarassed

Bud Angelotti · From: Larryville, NJ, USA

Hey Bill - I have found it's easier to play the wrong notes than the right notes if that helps. Winking

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Dave Harmonson · From: Seattle, Wa

They call that playing outside the lines.
About a week ago I was sitting in on Jim Webb's(local Jim Webb, not the famous song writer, and BTW great player) Emmons. He has it set up Day copedant same as me except that he tunes it to D9. I always just think like I'm a step higher than whatever the band is playing and it works fine. Song is in D I'm playing in E and so forth. Was doing fine until on one song decided to switch over and play C6 in the middle of a song. His C6 is in C not a whole step lower, but I was still thinking a step higher. Took me about 2 measures to get my thinking back in line. Glad there's no recorded evidence that I know of.
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Jerry Van Hoose · From: Wears Valley, Tennessee

Yes, and of all places, during my 1st studio session in Nashville, Feb. 1983. I sat there quietly waiting for the break, then proceeded to play it in the wrong key Shocked

. It was in a small studio either adjacent to or beside RCA studios. Lots of Alabama pictures hanging around. I wish that I could remember the name of the studio. At any rate, Nat Stuckey was in the control room during the session, either worked there or was visiting.

Jim Eller · From: Kodak, TN (Michigan transplant)

I usually repeat the mistake two or three times, then folks think that's the way it is suppose to be.

Heck, sometimes it even starts to sound good Very Happy

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

do you mean, has the whole band except yourself ever played in the wrong key during your solo?

Bill Duncan · From: Lenoir, North Carolina, USA

No, band was right. I just wasn't paying attention. Trying the BE trick, talking and playing.
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Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

"A quick slide to that fret will often save face."
Yup! Ya gotta be fast on your feet, confident, and not easily flustered.

David Graves · From: Indiana, USA

Not that I make mistakes to start with.. But when the entire band is playing something different than I am I just smile and say " JAZZ!!! You ought to learn some boys"
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John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Or point at the bass player and start laughing at him.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Every time our old guitar player would hit a clam, he'd raise a finger of his left hand to his eye and exclaim..."I think I got a splinter". Very Happy

As for me, I had my own little routine - I used to keep a big roadmap folded up in the back of my amp, and whenever someone caused a "train-wreck", I'd pull out the map real quick and open it up right on my steel and exclaim loudly..."Where in the hell were you guys going?" Laughing

William Lake · From: Ontario, Canada

Doug Beaumier & John Billings got it right.
Something I learned a long time ago is that there is no such thing as a 'wrong' note. They are only notes that have not been resolved. As Doug said....one fret away and it just sounds like a chromatic approach so long as you don't freeze and make a face. Smile

To make it sound even better go one fret above the target note and then back to the right note.
For instance you hit an F# instead of a G. Go to Ab and then to G.
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Bill

Paul King · From: Gainesville, Texas, USA

Reminds me of the story Larry Sasser told while playing the Opry. Come to find out Hal Rugg and Weldon Myrick had taped a fretboard on top of his and he never knew it. They also wired a volume pedal backwards knowing he would change steel guitars.

Jack Stanton · From: Somewhere in the swamps of Jersey

I have a tape somewhere of Buddy Emmons sitting in with Willie Nelson around the time of the Willie and Family Live album (late 70's)doing Rolling In My Sweet Baby's Arms, where Willie steps to the mike and say " Mr. Buddy Emmons, will you please play it on the steel guitar?" and Buddy proceeds to play that brilliant pedal down banjo roll he does in the wrong key, very great authority . He stopped for split second and proceeded to recover nicely. I doubt 95% of the audience had a clue.

Jim Park · From: Carson City, Nv

I remember Buddy on Church street station backing up an an artist, and starting a solo on the E9th neck and struggling for about a second then he switched to the C6th and WOW did he go......... it was almost a seamless transition..I was a relatively new player ....but recognized what had happened and always remembered that lesson The lesson for me was, if it aint workin.....do something else

Paul King · From: Gainesville, Texas, USA

I remember a man playing at the ISGC around 1991. He was a music teacher and he made the statement he had never played a wrong not but he had played a bunch of poorly chosen ones. I have to fit right in there with him.

Steve Green · From: Gulfport, MS, USA

It happens to everybody. Check out Tom Brumley's lick on the intro (at the 0:14 second mark)of this video compared to the lick played during the lead break (the 2:07 mark). During the intro, when he hits what I believe is a sour note, you can see him look off-camera and grin at someone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96WjJ2WDVug
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Dick Wood · From: Springtown Texas, USA

I've played the wrong intro in the key of the tune we were supposed to play on a few occasions. That will usually screw the lead singer up because he now has that song stuck in his mind.
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Dale Rottacker · From: Walla Walla Washington, USA

Not only have I done that, but once at a concert we did for church, I had the 6th string unravel and slide right out under my bar at the end of a song...I was suppose to kick off the next one which relied heavily on that now gone 6th string...I was so shook by this sudden turn of events that the 3/4 timed song was now being kicked of in 4/4...thank goodness my brother was playing bass and just kept pulling harder on his strings to get me back in time...yikes!!! Whoa!

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Jim Eaton · From: Santa Susana, Ca

Your not out of tune until the bar stops moving! Smile

JE:-)>
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CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

Just like Doug B mentions : USE that wrong note - don't let it stop you - move on up or down a fret or 2 & fly on
can be used when playing out of key too
it IS flying by the seat of yer pants until you find the right directions : root, third, fifth, fourth, second minor & whatever else is in the chart
is'nt musik fun ?... Winking

Larry Robbins · From: Fort Edward, New York

I just tell them I was playing Jazz Wink

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