CTO ... Dulcimer Day on the Mountain 2013

What a hard-working group! Chord patterns - inside, outside, upside down. I think that's how it felt at times. But here we are in the middle of the afternoon with smiles on our faces.

Check This Out ... Last Saturday, 14 experienced hammered dulcimer players came together to spend the day practicing back-up strategies. We were stuck in 'reel' time all day, but nobody seemed to mind. Bass lines, various rhythmic patterns, chord inversions, snippets of harmony ... I just kept bringing it on and they soaked it up!

At one point, we had fun backing up Cindy Ribet's band using her recording, The Slow Zone, which includes 8 fiddle tunes played at a slower than usual tempo for practicing lead or backup. Check out her web site, or see her in person next month at the Winston Salem Dulcimer Festival May 3 - 4. She'll be teaching a couple of repertoire classes ... "Old Time Tunes" and the popular Christmas tune, Sleigh Ride. Hope to see you all there!

Is is OK if the notes in the bass line don't match the chord progression?

This Saturday I'll be leading a group of experienced players in an all-day structured jam session. The goal is not to learn a bunch of new tunes. The goal is to practice a bunch of cool back up ideas.

We'll be focusing on chord progressions and experimenting with different rhythms.  Single notes, root arpeggios, open chords, compact patterns, drones, boom-chucks, down beats, off beats, snippets of harmony ... we intend to try it all! But right now I've got bass lines on my mind.

There are four basic ways for a bass line and a melody line to interrelate:

• contrary motion - movement in opposite directions
• parallel motion - movement in same direction and at same interval, e.g. parallel thirds or sixths
• similar motion - movement in same direction but at different intervals
• oblique motion - one line (usually the bass) sits on the same note while the other (the melody) moves up or down. Think 'drone'.

Bass lines are fun to play and add pizazz to a piece of music. They suggest movement, giving direction to a tune. There are a variety of ways to go about establishing a bass line, but the idea often intimidates players who are new to arranging and playing backup. Here's an easy way to get started:

• Know the key of the tune
• Play a descending scale that starts and ends on the root of the key.
• Believe it ... this works in a lot of tunes!

For example, consider the standard fiddle tune, "Whiskey Before Breakfast". It's typically played in the key of D. Try this in the last four measures of the B part. Go to the lowest D scale on your instrument. While someone else is playing the melody line, you play the D scale backwards ... | D - C# - | B - A - | G - F# | E - D - | ...single notes on beats 1 and 3. Notice the notes of the bass line are exactly the same as the notes of the melody line on beats 1 and 3. (You should be playing the bass line an octave below the melody.) This is a type of parallel motion. Two lines moving together on a unison note creates a powerful sound ... most effective in small doses.

This idea often works throughout an entire A or B part of a fiddle tune. In fact, it will work throughout the entire B part of Whiskey Before Breakfast. Go ahead. Give it a try! (Hint: You'll be playing that backwards D scale twice.)

Now, I know somebody out there will be paying attention and will notice that when you apply this idea to a larger portion of a tune the notes in the bassline do not always jibe with the notes suggested by the chord progression. Yes, it's true. Sometimes a bass line will contain notes that don’t actually belong in the chord progression. It's an accepted exception. The bass line takes precedence. Those odd notes will have some relation to the chords!

So, the answer to the question is 'yes' ... it's ok if the bass line doesn't exactly 'fit' the chord progression. Go ahead ... experiment. Know the key. Start somewhere and MOVE, even for a few notes. Trust your ear. Have fun!

CTO ... Need help figuring out how to play back-up?

There’s nothing magic about playing back-up. It must be practiced! Jam sessions have a spontaneous feel, but you can be sure that those who appear to be playing with abandon have spent plenty of time honing their chops. If there’s a session tune you love, work out a back-up plan so you’re ready to spring into action!

The thrill of knowing a tune that’s being played in a group setting can quickly turn to boredom after you’ve played it through the umpteen^th time.  What to do?

• Know the tune
• Know the chord progression
• Know how to play chord patterns
• Know the rhythm of different types of tunes
• Work out your ideas and practice them
• Have fun!

Check This Out ... Don't know where to start? Need some guidance? I'm teaching a two-hour workshop for advanced beginners this Sunday afternoon, 2 - 4pm in Cary. We'll be playing chord and scale patterns in a variety of rhythms to develop back-up ideas for a couple of familiar tunes. Come play with us!

Sue Wilson, teaching at the monthly HD Slow Jam
January 13, 2:00 - 4:00pm
Topic: Playing Back-up, Level of Play: Advanced Beginners
Registration fee:  $25
Community of Christ Church, 912 W Chatham St, Cary
For information or to register for the workshop contact Viola