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Solo Instrumentalists


senorblues

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Thinking about taking a closer look at venues that focus on instrumental music. I was asked to sub at an art gallery opening, which I've decided to accept, even though it's only a week's notice and . . . . I've never played a solo instrumental gig. Always a band or solo with vocals. One advantage is that I learned a lot of songs for other vocalists that I couldn't sing for any number of reasons but which should work well as instrumentals. And I don't have to haul any gear - house piano (tuned the morning of the gig.)

 

Thoughts?

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I took it, but it required some cajones . . . . I was out of town and felt like I needed to accept or decline before getting back to the studio and playing for a while with this gig in mind to see how I felt about it. It's an art gallery opening, and I've been assured that there will be a lot of folks chattering. Maybe I can tap into the Ahmad Jamal vibe. (obscure; I know.)

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I am biting my tongue, figuratively....there are a number of inappropriate responses I could have popped in here...but I like being a mod.... ;)

 

AHEM!... Harlem Nocturne is a sterling example of function and form occupying the same space and time simultaneously...the 1946 Brooks version, IMHO, is the definitive...but you can't discount the Viscounts version [yes, I did that, sorry]... if, for nothing else, the 'dramatic' sax work and throbbing tremolo...and then again, there is the Illinois Jacquet version, smooth and soulful, mid 1950s IIRC...

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Thinking about taking a closer look at venues that focus on instrumental music .… And I don't have to haul any gear - house piano (tuned the morning of the gig.)

 

Thoughts?

 

Tuned the day of the gig is nice.

 

If you're looking for instrumentals to play, you'd do well to scan wikipedia for best-selling songs of any given year or decade. I was surprised at how many instrumentals that charted well. Here's a start:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UK_Singles_Chart_number_ones_of_the_1950s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_year-end_top_30_singles_of_1950

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Billboard_number-one_singles

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrumental#Number-one_instrumentals

 

You'll probably know most of them but if you don't recognise a title, cut and paste to a youtube search. It's a bit like panning for gold.

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Here's the thing . . . . I'm not a "real" piano player. All gigs when I was young were on organ. Very little involvement in melody; all about rhythm and changes. So this gig isn't going to be about recognizable songs. Instead you'll get mostly moving block chords with the RH and a bass line in the LH. No LH changes!

 

Wish I'd learned stride.

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Never, ever. Seriously, ***NEVER*** play Kazoo in public if you value your musical life.

 

I know this from bitter experience. I was accompanying/duoing with an excellent but aged (my age, now) singer and I hoped to get her to take some of the breaks, so I gave her a gold-plated kazoo for her birthday. She was a quick study and quickly became the best horn player in town. But people were horrified and embarrassed, thought she had lost her marbles, and it ruined her stage creds.

 

I think kazoo is cool, though I need both hands to play it properly. And if I ever need to ruin my reputation as a musician and a sane human being, I'll take one out on stage.

 

Seriously. DON'T DO IT.

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The way I see it, pretty much any song can be done as an instrumental, especially on piano. Another source for gigs would be wedding ceremonies and reception cocktail or dinner music. I know of a guy in New Jersey that plays piano during cocktail hour then DJs during dancing.

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The way I see it' date=' pretty much any song can be done as an instrumental, especially on piano.[/quote']

 

Agreed. But there are songs whose strength is the lyric. The tune by itself may or may not make the cut. The best songs, of course, are strong musically as well. I guess that's the difference between "can be done" and "should be done."

 

There are many more songs, though, that have wonderful music and stupid lyrics. Maybe some of those *should* be done instrumentally. Like "Where the Boys are."

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Chuck Berry used it on occassion, like the first chord of 'No ParticularPlace to Go', although often written as an major augmented chord, can be played as a minor with a major 7 as well. All in how you want to think of the chord in context, I suppose...but the notes played can be interpreted many ways.

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Two different things. The V chord you refer to is a dominant chord - a flat seven with a raised fifth. I use it a lot in both major and minor keys. The minor/major seven is a tonic chord in a minor key, usually used as a passing chord from a minor triad to a Im7. "This Masquerade" is a good example.

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This sort of gig has a lot of potential if you can get in a rotation, but for a first time, one-off sub gig, I'm keeping it simple. Nothing brand new for this one. Some three chord blues songs sound pretty silly without lyrics, so they're out, but most of what I do sounds OK, and I've added maybe a dozen songs that I know from recent band gigs that work as solo piano songs. Oddly enough, I don't have any instrumental hits on the current list, but I could see adding a few if this works out.

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If the song has a recognizable melody, then there is no reason to do it...there are many songs that may have great lyrics, but suffer from lack of melody [many older Dylan songs, for instance], but if there is a hook, then you could certainly get way with it as an instrumental.

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This song does indeed have a simple melody, but I had fun throwing in some suspensions . . .

 

The Times They Are A Changin’ – F

 

INTRO: Fadd9 Dm11 Bb69 C9sus :||

 

Fadd9 Dm11 Bb6 F a -

 

Come gather 'round people wherever you roam

F a Dm7 Bb69 C9sus

 

And admit that the waters around you have grown

Fadd9 Dm11 Bb6 F a -

 

And accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone

F a [ - /G /A ] C9sus -

 

If your time to you is worth savin'

C /Bb Am7 G7sus

 

Then you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone

F c - Gm7 F/A C7sus |

 

For the times they are a-change in'.

 

Fadd9 Dm11 Bb69 C9sus :||

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