Doing a sub for a blues gig this week... oy

[Rich K.]

Got a call to do a sub or put together gig in a nice club for this Thursday with a run through on Wednesday. The leader sent me a spread sheet with the song list and youtube links for 3 + sets. Been listening and making notes. It looks something like this...

1. Medium shuffle (HH)
2. Medium shuffle (ride) stops at verse
3. Slow 6/8
4. Fast shuffle, stops at verse
5. Funk stops at verse
6. Fast shuffle
7. medium shuffle (HH)
8. Cissy Strut!!
9. Slow 6/8 stops at verse

and so on...

Oy. I just don't get it...

 

[Houndog]

A blues band is going to rehearse ?

 

[JDA]

Use very fat hickory sticks so you won't overplay
(?+/-..
I mean like 2lbs each. Plus by playing slowly and sparsely, you'll get to hear all the interesting parts better.
And may learn to appreciate the slavery prison role you've been thrust into. (maybe wear a striped shirt for added effect)
(I'm kidding- probably have a packed/room

but don't play all your good notes at once in the first 15 minutes; save something for the later sets.
Like move from whole notes to half notes to quarter notes gradually over the 3.5 hours
and by the end of the night hit em with sixteenths
then pack up.

 

[Tornado]

Use very fat hickory sticks so you won't overplay
(?+/-..
I mean like 2lbs each. Plus by playing slowly and sparsely, you'll get to hear all the interesting parts better.
And may learn to appreciate the slavery prison role you've been thrust into. (maybe wear a striped shirt for added effect)
(I'm kidding- probably have a packed/room

but don't play all your good notes at once in the first 15 minutes; save something for the later sets.
Like move from whole notes to half notes to quarter notes gradually over the 3.5 hours
and by the end of the night hit em with sixteenths
then pack up.

Prisons are packed too.

 

[cashmanbashman]

Are you going to bust in with some metal drumming? Sorry I’m the guy who goes to Pizza Hut and orders tacos. I hope it is a good time for you.

 

[Tornado]

Good advice @JDA. Overplaying blues might be more fun, but the playback is pure cringe... Record the rehearsal if you can and don't do all the stuff you hate when you hear it. Learned my lesson.

 

[JDA]

Prisons are packed too.

I've used the procedure I described above. And many times it saved me from strangling an unaware, totally innocent, random patron
and 12-14 yrs in lockup (kidding)

 

[repete]

A blues band is going to rehearse ?

right?

 

[pwc1141]

I have done a few Blues gigs and the secret is to learn to love "feel", groove and simplicity.....and a Purdie shuffle is always out of place ....

 

[Skins_in_the_game]

This video is taught by the man himself. Zigaboo on how to play Cissy Strut

 

[JDA]

if you've any clout ...demand a blues rhumba

 

[JDA]

(was in our set list 1971-1975) naturally.

 

[cworrick]

#5 Funk
#8 Cissy Strut

These are now considered "Blues"?!

 

[JDA]

sorry proper term. Rhumba blues.

 

[Tornado]

(was in our set list 1971-1975) naturally.

We play that song occasionally.

 

[TPC]

Got a call to do a sub or put together gig in a nice club for this Thursday with a run through on Wednesday. The leader sent me a spread sheet with the song list and youtube links for 3 + sets. Been listening and making notes. It looks something like this...

1. Medium shuffle (HH)
2. Medium shuffle (ride) stops at verse
3. Slow 6/8
4. Fast shuffle, stops at verse
5. Funk stops at verse
6. Fast shuffle
7. medium shuffle (HH)
8. Cissy Strut!!
9. Slow 6/8 stops at verse

and so on...

Oy. I just don't get it...

I like these tips! If there are stops, be on the lookout for a last second panicked look by the bass player. No stops, just keep going!

 

[Squirrel Man]

#5 Funk
#8 Cissy Strut

These are now considered "Blues"?!

I was wondering the same thing.

 

[notINtheband]

I like these tips! If there are stops, be on the lookout for a last second panicked look by the bass player. No stops, just keep going!

And if you blow a stop, COMMIT!
just play through that beach at Maximum volume like you Meant to do it!

 

[Squirrel Man]

Just play blast beats, you'll be fine.

 

[drumsforme]

Shuffles, Shuffles, Shuffles..........

 

[wflkurt]

right?

I played a lot of blues in my early 20's. I was just starting to gig out out of high school and this was right around the time SRV passed away. Up in my neck of the woods (NH), blues was everywhere in the early 90's. It was a lot of fun for the most part but I played with one guitar/bass/drums trio where the guitar guy wanted to rehearse a lot. It sucked because he wanted to have every little dynamic rehearsed and it was so painful to do that. Blues felt more like jazz to me where often times the mood would take you different places. Rehearsing quiet parts and other things like that was just painful. The gigs also got so boring because every little thing was planned out. For some things that is OK but I hated it in a blues band. Most of the time I played blues it was watch the leader and fly by the seat of your pants.