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  #46  
Old 05-05-2017, 08:28 AM
tbeltrans tbeltrans is offline
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Originally Posted by Grinning Boy View Post
Hi All,

The general feeling people expressed about this song is that it's repetitive, so I tried to think of ways to mix it up a little. At first I thought about modulating between a few keys.

Then I remembered someone describing this song as John's "anthem for a movement of people". So I thought it would be cool to play it as if a different person/voice is saying each phrase, like a TV commercial when different faces appear one after another to express support for a cause.

To give each phrase a different voice I was thinking to ascend in 4ths, but since the second chord of each phrase was a 4th that didn't work. So I ended up using the circle of 5ths to change the key for each phrase to try and give the illusions of different people speaking up!

It sounds different I know, but if nothing else it's been good practice for playing the circle of 5ths! I start on key of B and play every key and end in E to play the last final measures and finally return to B.

The picture word prop over my left shoulder was a last second addition when I remembered it hanging on our bathroom wall. I bought it on a whim at a tourist shop on vacation one time. Sort of corny I know, but it seemed right for this for some reason.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io-xKOvc6YE

Paul,

That was a fine effort and I apologize for not having giving more than one sentence response to your video. Your efforts deserve more than that, and I hope more folks will chime in here.

The playing is quite relaxed and you have an interesting exploration of the the tune around the fretboard. Your playing is very "bell like" in this video, and playing the melody higher up the fretboard really brings this out.

You have opened up the door to experimenting with new ways of presenting a tune that many of us felt was not suitable for a solo arrangement, and proved that, in fact, it is.

Tony
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  #47  
Old 05-05-2017, 08:46 AM
Grinning Boy Grinning Boy is offline
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Originally Posted by tbeltrans View Post
Paul,

That was a fine effort and I apologize for not having giving more than one sentence response to your video. Your efforts deserve more than that, and I hope more folks will chime in here.

The playing is quite relaxed and you have an interesting exploration of the the tune around the fretboard. Your playing is very "bell like" in this video, and playing the melody higher up the fretboard really brings this out.

You have opened up the door to experimenting with new ways of presenting a tune that many of us felt was not suitable for a solo arrangement, and proved that, in fact, it is.

Tony
Thanks for the very kind words Tony!

When I got this idea to use the Circle of 5ths, I was undecided. It does sound pretty dissonant and unexpected, especially since most everyone knows the song so well the way John did it.

In fact when I would change to the next key I thought I knew what the right notes to play were and I often realized I was still playing in the same key or some other key!! That's why I have that dazed look of surprise so often in the video. I was thinking...can that note really be "right" ? And I knew this group would know if there were some wrong ones!
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  #48  
Old 05-05-2017, 08:58 AM
tbeltrans tbeltrans is offline
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Originally Posted by Grinning Boy View Post
Thanks for the very kind words Tony!

When I got this idea to use the Circle of 5ths, I was undecided. It does sound pretty dissonant and unexpected, especially since most everyone knows the song so well the way John did it.

In fact when I would change to the next key I thought I knew what the right notes to play were and I often realized I was still playing in the same key or some other key!! That's why I have that dazed look of surprise so often in the video. I was thinking...can that note really be "right" ? And I knew this group would know if there were some wrong ones!
Are "wrong notes" really "wrong" or do they add flavor to an already interesting arrangement? It sounded fine to me. I suppose if this were a classical concert where everybody must play exactly what is on the sheet music, then maybe that kind of rigidity would be the norm. But that is not what this is, so as far as I am concerned, your video sounded good to me.

Tony
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  #49  
Old 05-05-2017, 09:17 AM
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SprintBob SprintBob is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grinning Boy View Post
Hi All,

The general feeling people expressed about this song is that it's repetitive, so I tried to think of ways to mix it up a little. At first I thought about modulating between a few keys.

Then I remembered someone describing this song as John's "anthem for a movement of people". So I thought it would be cool to play it as if a different person/voice is saying each phrase, like a TV commercial when different faces appear one after another to express support for a cause.

To give each phrase a different voice I was thinking to ascend in 4ths, but since the second chord of each phrase was a 4th that didn't work. So I ended up using the circle of 5ths to change the key for each phrase to try and give the illusions of different people speaking up!

It sounds different I know, but if nothing else it's been good practice for playing the circle of 5ths! I start on key of B and play every key and end in E to play the last final measures and finally return to B.

The picture word prop over my left shoulder was a last second addition when I remembered it hanging on our bathroom wall. I bought it on a whim at a tourist shop on vacation one time. Sort of corny I know, but it seemed right for this for some reason.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io-xKOvc6YE

That was very creative. As a listener, I wonder if you could try a kind of short fill or maybe even slowing the tempo down a bit (or perhaps a pause) between the phrases in the different keys. You looked like you were having fun playing it and that enhanced it for me as your audience.
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  #50  
Old 05-05-2017, 02:56 PM
Grinning Boy Grinning Boy is offline
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Originally Posted by SprintBob View Post
That was very creative. As a listener, I wonder if you could try a kind of short fill or maybe even slowing the tempo down a bit (or perhaps a pause) between the phrases in the different keys. You looked like you were having fun playing it and that enhanced it for me as your audience.
Thanks for the comments SprintBob. And good points you make that I will try and incorporate. In this case I was hanging on for dear life hoping I found the right chords with each change. Plus I still get nervous which I know makes no sense as I can just delete it if I don't like it. The befuddled look was me wondering if I actually found them I'll try and do more fills too.
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  #51  
Old 05-06-2017, 10:09 AM
Jusca Jusca is offline
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Originally Posted by tbeltrans View Post

With the system I am learning on the piano, I can learn to play a nice full, flowing arrangement from a fakebook (i.e. endless repertoire), and folks WANT to hear that.


Tony
I don't want to take up any precious PM space in your inbox but I am wondering if the system you are using is called "Piano Magic?" If not, do you mind sharing the name of the piano system you are learning from?
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  #52  
Old 05-06-2017, 06:52 PM
tbeltrans tbeltrans is offline
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I don't want to take up any precious PM space in your inbox but I am wondering if the system you are using is called "Piano Magic?" If not, do you mind sharing the name of the piano system you are learning from?
Here is the link:

http://www.pianostar.com/product_det...ord_system.php

Tony
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— Franz Schubert

"Alexa, where's my stuff?"
- Anxiously waiting...
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  #53  
Old 05-09-2017, 12:15 PM
Jusca Jusca is offline
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Thanks a bunch!
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