#1
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How to play Motown?? anyone have advice?
I would like to learn to play some of the Motown songs i grew up listening to, i play mostly blues rock.Anyone have any advice or tips?Is there a good songbook i can learn from?
thanks james |
#2
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Lots. Such as:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Motown-50th-...town+song+book
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"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." - Leonard Cohen. |
#3
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The guitar parts can be very small...Guitar is even more of a rhythm instrument than bass in a lot of motown tunes...
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#4
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See if you can Google any video of Pete Huttlinger playing Stevie Wonder's songs. His thumb pick bass technique may be the 'hook' you're looking for.
Rick
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#5
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Quote:
Go to youtube and listen to any of the clips titled 'Funk Brothers' They are, for the most part, the instrumental tracks with very few, if any, vocals. It is absolutely scary what you'll hear going on, especially because they often used 3 guitarists………..for a perfect example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85ukCg-p_L0 Turn off the woofers, or risk wanting to become a bass player. HE |
#6
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I do several acoustic covers of soul/R&B/Motown songs: My Girl, The Letter, Hold On I'm Coming, Midnight Hour, and others... you don't have to play "just the guitar part" for people to enjoy the song. I do some other horn-band songs (Tower of Power, Chicago) - sing the horn parts with a harmonizer. It is well received.
Make your own arrangement. I was raised on that music. I played it in bands in the 60s and 70s, and still like to play it as a solo... you just go with what works for you. Have fun with it - your audience will, too. Jim |
#7
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Steve cropper gave some funny/ interesting tips on playing " knock on wood"
- follow the dots. Plays the whole thing in an e shape barr chord following the dots up the neck ( except it ends on the 10th fret and starts on the open e). Too funny. Also works in reverse for midnight hour. |
#8
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And, just add an A7 bar chord and E7 ( c7 form) both played at the fifth fret and you have the whole song. Fun to play and easy to figure out.
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#9
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I think there are 3 things I might add of value here.
1. learn some 9ths and 13ths and other jazz chords and use those 2. learn to pop your strings, you can do it with a pick, just dig, think of Sly and the Family Stone..."I want to thank you for letting me be myself, again..", get that groove going, its a great gateway into funk pops 3. do some one fret slides resolving into a chord, for example, in the key of E, put one finger on the top 4 strings on the 11th fret and slide up into the 12th, gives you that smooth mowtown feel Motown is all about syncopation, play just slightly ahead of the beat. Its about finding a groove and holding it. Not that interesting from a pure guitarist point of view, basically you work along with the high hat, following it. Have fun. Stevie Wonder covers are a great intro. Note how he uses lush, rich chords with lots going on in them. But Sly and the Family Stone covers will really unleash that sense of funk. |
#10
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If you're looking for a magic bullet, there are none. Take each tune on its own. Learn the progression, melody, and the various elements of the original arrangement that make it special. Then try to distill it all down so it works well within the confines of 6 strings. A change of key may be involved.
P.S. It's not material for anyone still relying on patterns.
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Rick Ruskin Lion Dog Music - Seattle WA |
#11
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#12
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Quote:
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#13
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I've been playing around with "Ain't that peculiar" by Marvin Gaye.....nice easy strumming tune...my friend says I've ruined another perfectly fine tune by countryfying it...
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#14
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I do "Enough for the City" countrified with some blues scales, its nice. Its a simple progression, E, D, A. E D A A boy is born, in hardtime Mississippi.. X4 with other lines Chorus C D E Living just enough, just enough for the city The bridge Bmaj7, Cmaj7, Fmaj7 up to 2 steps to Gmaj7 Bmaj7, Cmaj7, Fmaj7, Amaj7 Have fun! Add you some pops on the 5-7th position on the A string and off you go. |