Re: How do you figure out which songs to cover?
- From: walkinay@xxxxxx (hank alrich)
- Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 10:54:09 -0700
rguitarharding wrote:
Greg Thomas wrote:
On Jun 15, 9:24 am, rguitarhard...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
I'm a classical guitarist so I play nothing but covers. ;-) I end
up playing the music I hear all the time in my head. If I hear it
walking down the street and feel compelled to play it, I'll end up
learning it. Its been this way for me since before I started playing
guitar. The same impulse got me to start playing guitar. That and the
girls.
My process is that I usually have the piece memorized before the music
goes on the stand; meaning I can hear it start to finish in my head.
Then I might map out the phrasing on the page; matching the printed
score to the phrases I've been hearing. This is just a start because
through study and familiarity with a piece, the concept of it
(hopefully) becomes refined.
Then its play, play, study, study, be open to new ideas, listen,
listen, play, play, perform, perform, refine, listen, listen, etc.
Robert
Robert -
I'm working on a couple of classical mandolin pieces right now, one by
Boccherini and one of Vivaldi's mandolin concertos. Since the Vivaldi
was written for mandolin, it's pretty straightforward: listen, listen,
work out fingerings, practice, listen, cuss, etc etc. The Boccherini
is from the Night Music of Madrid. Since that was written with the
cello carrying most of the melodic load, I get a chance to do a little
arranging, but not much. I have the score, and most of the parts lay
out well on mandolin. When you're taking a piece written for another
instrument, how do you handle parts that are unique to the original
instrument?
Greg
The Boccherini is really my own transcription from a string quintet,
but whatever.)
Hi Greg,
I forgot to list the cursing! I was learning the Aranjuez Concerto up
in the mountains of northeast New Mexico one summer and I would run up
into the hills every hour and curse the hell out of Rodrigo. That
music is so hard to play. But I was acting like a teenager screaming
at his parents. I love Rodrigo, but just had to cure his name that
summer.
Addressing your question, I would consider how the part contributes to
your conception of the music you are arranging. How does the part fit
range-wise? Can the effect of space used in the original score be
maintained? Is it worth maintaining?
Years ago I looked at the Moonlight Sonata's Adagio sostenuto to see
if I could play it on the guitar. I immediately decided that the range
Beethoven employs in that work is (to me) absolutely critical to the
piece. Compacting it into the relatively limited range of the guitar
would just ruin the piece for me. So I dropped it.
Its hard to be absolute about arranging. You have to go with your
best, studied, opinion. I try to follow the one rule of "will this
work musically - is it true to the composer's/ songwriter's
intention?" Then again, I've heard many covers and arrangements that
are drastically different from the original work and they seem as
valid as the original. So what are you gonna do?
Devise a new tuning that offers the range wanted?
--
ha
Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam
.
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- How do you figure out which songs to cover?
- From: Bob Dorgan
- Re: How do you figure out which songs to cover?
- From: rguitarharding
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- From: Greg Thomas
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