Rockford Files Part 2--The Little Plinky Parts
Friday, October 8, 2010 at 09:26AM Two weeks ago I played at Rockford Res Life, sitting in with their church band. (click here) I felt...unprepared. So this time I played the music a lot, poured over the charts, made sure I was ready. Twenty minutes before anyone showed up, I sat in the parking lot at the strip mall down the street, dome light on, listening and reading through the charts. Jon, one of the guitar players, teased me, "Did you spend all night in the parking lot?" He wasn't terribly far off.
So it went much better. I’m relieved. I think. I didn’t make any big mistakes, and there were a couple of times I actually just closed my eyes and played from the heart—always the goal. This might have been due, in part, to there being no important keyboard parts for me to play. Not sure whether this was by design, but I didn’t ask because I didn’t want to know. Although at one point I hit all the marks in a little rhythmic passage, and Steve (the worship leader) said into the mic, "You hit every one of those! I was watching."
Sigh.
The music is well within my ability to play it. Billy Joel said “Everybody’s talkin’ ‘bout the new sound, honey, but it’s still rock and roll to me.” Mostly that’s true with the stuff they play at Rockford Res. In fact, it’s not challenging in the sense that I can’t keep the chord changes straight, or pull off fast passages. Nothing like that. I can play the Cma9’s and Asus2’s, and take a whirl on the bridge, etc.
What I find difficult is the way this music goes together. It's tricky for me, knowing who I am in the band, because the parts they give me aren’t the kind of parts I’m used to. The guitars drive the sound along, so I’m not ‘holding down the fort’, and the second keyboard player is playing ‘pads’, filling in all the cracks. So what’s left? The little plinky parts. That's what I'm playing; little plinky parts. Is that what the music needs?
I’m used to holding the whole middle together with strong 2-&-4 chords, working at keeping my voicings away from the vocals, coloring it up with altered 5’s and 9’s, pushing and pulling the band along, doing a workman’s job. If I was a cyclist in the Tour de France, I’d be one of Lance Armstrong’s domestiques, pulling the Peloton along, protecting the team leader, fetching water, watching out for aggressive riders, etc. I like that roll onstage. In this band, I feel like the guy Sinatra used to hire for recordings, the guy who sat in a chair on the side and played little tasty, jazzy riffs whenever Frank stopped to take a breath. Yeah—there was a guy especially for that stuff.
So I dunno know how I feel about my little plinky parts. They don’t feel, well, necessary, and I like feeling necessary. I like the work of it. I like the adrenaline rush, solving problems by playing my way out of them. But the little plinky parts? Who'd miss those?
I’ll figure it out. I always do.
Reader Comments (5)
Don't sell yourself short Ed! We are definitely a guitar driven band, but then again Doug is our Pastor! There's room for lots of tasty stuff from you though, cover the things that stand out to please Steve's ear and do what comes natural on the rest. It's great having you play with us, your holding down the fort just fine. I got a good laugh reading your blow by blow accounts, its good to know I'm not the only one who has those thoughts racing through my mind in the midst of the madness! Looking forward to the next time your playing with us.
Thanks, Joe! I'm having a blast, and it feels good to get up in front of the crowds. You guys are a terrific band, and it's a pleasure to play along. Okay, more Hammond organ...but other than that....
See you on the 17th.
Ed
ED! Don't capitulate. We keyboard players need to organize and revolt againts the little plinky parts that are being composed by Holy Spirit led guitarists! :-p
Ohh man, I can relate to this, too much. Two weeks ago I played elec guitar for a night of worship, with my son Matt also playing elec guitar next to me. Technically I'm more advanced on guitar than Matt but he has such a better grasp of picking sounds, moves, and grooves for the newer music. I felt mostly like musical frosting, nice on the cake but not needed. And the stage had too many instruments already. Didn't help that I have played guitar in public only a few times in 3-4 years. But I realized that my thinking is hopelessly locked into 70's-80's guitar which means that, yes, I am in fact dated. And the people who really want this style are just those my own age. Sigh. The stuff that they're playing now isn't bad, and it isn't hard, but I just can't easily *think* that way. (which is why I'm into jazz lately - you can be old in jazz and still be respected.)
...The U2 cloning got tiring for me 10 years ago (and I kinda like U2). For a long while it seemed that 3/4 of the new songs followed a transposed version of the chord progression D/A/Bm/G. U2 made it huge with "With or Without You". I think Journey beat them to it with "Any Way You Want It". Original blame goes to Johann Pacobel, circa 1694.
Yeah, yeah, yeah...but it's HOW you play the ; little plinky parts :).
Looking forward to Sunday!