I play this tune and lifted some double stop -based break & fill ideas
off the JD Crowe & The New South version (on "Come on Down to My
World")
Also Sam Bush's break on the Lyle Lovett version is worth listening
(not the Monroe style you're looking for I know, but does show how a
"notey" apprach would get you past the simple melody.)
On Oct 15, 11:23 pm, "Don Grieser" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I think you could get into some syncopation/rhythmic things with the
> limited melody. Think about what Neil Young can do with a one note
> solo.
>
>
>
> On Wed, Oct 15, 2008 at 12:19 AM, Jonas Mattebo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > Thanks!
>
> > I also always start with the melody when I make up new breaks. The thing
> > with this tune 'White Freightliner Blues' is that the melody is kind of
> > boring to play, it's more or less one prolonged note twice, and then a
> > little variation at the end. It's a great song, but to play the melody is
> > just not cutting it this time.
>
> > So far I've come up with a unison e-note on the a and e strings for the
> > c-chord, followed by some 'slidin' around' in g chord position an d chord
> > position and then ending up with the unison e again, but fretting the a
> > string one half step down so it get's a little dissonant at the end...
>
> > It's hard to play crooked! I really love the crookedness of Monroe's
> > playing.
>
> > /Jonas
>
> > 2008/10/15 Sally and Nelson Peddycoart <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
> >> I am a pretty new player, with limited experience. If the tune is a
> >> pretty quick one, I look for notes to break down (1 quarter note to 2
> >> eighths or 4 sixteenths). That helps fill voids. I also look for open
> >> notes that I can move to a lower string and get a unison double. I also
> >> look for places to add an additional chord note in appropriate places. I
> >> like to use Finale because I can scan a melody line in and screw around
> >> with
> >> it then get it close to where I want then start playing around on the
> >> instrument.
>
> >> This month's Mandolin Magazine has a short article by Butch Baldassari on
> >> creating bluegrass breaks.
>
> >> There is a decent book by John McGann called "Developing Melodic
> >> Variations on Fiddle Tunes", which carries you through different ways to
> >> change a tune up.
>
> >> Take a look at Tater's pdf of Methodist Preacher in the files area and
> >> compare it to the fiddle version. You'll be able to see/hear the nature
> >> of
> >> the adaptation.
>
> >> Nelson
>
> >> -Original Message-
> >> From: taterbugmando@googlegroups.com
> >> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Robin Gravina
> >> Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 5:21 PM
> >> To: taterbugmando@googlegroups.com
> >> Subject: Re: Thinking up breaks
>
> >> I also have to produce solos for public consumption, without having the
> >> art or technique, but my theory and it is absolutely not guaranteed, is to
> >> play blues licks from the chords with loads of strings going- e.g. for your
> >> tune in C, when I was working on a solo for 'Sweet love aint around' in C,
> >> I
> >> took the Taterbug solo for 'Rocky Road Blues' which is on mandozine and
> >> tried to just use the positions while bearing in mind the tune of the song.
> >> If nothing else, it lets you hit some of the tune notes while playing with
> >> a
> >> load of sound rather than fiddling around with clever melody lines, which I
> >> have to say I cannot do, and if you do it badly it sounds really weak.
>
> >> You could also try the Monroe and Bush versions of 'Walls of time' which
> >> are both on the mandozine website and give you rocking things to play in
> >> the
> >> C and G chords... The Bush one just has to be moved over one string
> >> downwards.
>
> >> Anyway, those ideas have made my soloing at least sound acceptable, when I
> >> hit it right, even though the last thing it is is original!
>
> >> Best
>
> >> Robin
>
> >> On Tue, Oct 14, 2008 at 10:29 PM, Mark Seale <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> >> Jonas -
>
> >> For new tunes, I typically stick around the melody and the chord
> >> progression. Then I focus on interesting transitions from one change to
> >> the
> >> next. Usually that will get you there in an old-time style.
>
> >> Mark
>
> >> On Tue, Oct 14, 2008 at 3:09 PM, Jonas Mattebo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >> wrote:
>
> >> Dear All,
>
> >> How do you people approach designing tasteful mandolin breaks for
> >> songs? Start with the melody, or play out of chord positions, or just
> >> opening the box o' tricks & licks? I'm trying to play in the Monroe/
> >> Compton vein of mandolin playing, and I find it hard to come up with
> >> new stuff still within this style. How do I approach it?
>
> >> For example, I'm now trying to come up with a break to the Townes Van
> >> Zandt song 'White Freightliner Blues', and it's not really coming
> >> along. (The problem is I'm supposed to play this song in front of a
> >> 'trusting audience' this friday, so I'm running out
