Goodrum04 Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 About 2 weeks ago, one of my buddies who I've played guitar with for a while referred me to a director of some not very good horror movies. Anyway, I can play a banjo and he wants me to play a song for his movie trailer that is similar to Dueling Banjos from the movie Deliverance. I don't think I lack the skill but I just can't get it right because I've never played bluegrass music before. I'm in the key of G here and I need to know what characterizes a bluegrass song besides the alternating bass. edit: O the deadline is in like 2-3 weeks and the duration of the song needs to be like 2:20-2:40 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeybrain Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 listen to bluegrass music. it's like country-folk or something. also, if you play banjo, how could you NOT have played bluegrass? isn't that like the only kind of music you can play on a banjo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodrum04 Posted July 31, 2007 Author Share Posted July 31, 2007 lol good assumption, but when I play, it sounds like classical guitar or a more rock type sound. I have been studying Bluegrass for like the past 2 weeks and I've been listening to Tony Rice. Although the chords I play on the banjo sound country as hell, when I roll on my lead, it has so much influence from other more popular genres that I can't get that horrible country sound. edit: Also, I'm not only talking about getting that bluegrass sound on my banjo, but on my guitar as well. The guitar will accompany the banjo and they will switch off leads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dafydd Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 You should totally remix that song from the Super Mario Land 2 soundtrack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friendlyHunter Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 If bluegrass is what I think it is, then the key might just be that oh-so upbeat rhythm. If I recall, the rhythm goes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 (very fast), with bass on 1 and 5, and a STRONG upbeat on 3 and 7, often followed by a weaker note on 4 and 8. Sorry I don't really know if that's the case - or maybe that is the case and it's just plain obvious - but I hope I can be of some minuscule help =] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devyn Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 Just play some damn bluegrass - get into the vibe of it, and then try making your own composition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siven7 Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 I agree with the dudes above - a lot of it is listening and either 1) seeing the similarities between songs or 2) seeing what you like in the song/style and stealing it lol. Hear are some things that I draw on for blue grass... 1) Focus on major pentatonic scales 1 2 3 5 6 (1/8) G A B D E G... (for example) If you wanted to add some chromatic colour, you could connect scale degrees 2 and 3 with a b3 in the middle (G/A/Bb/B/D/E). The b3 is more like a passing note, try and use it either going up (b3 to 3) or down (b3 to 2) instead of just by itself - not always, but general rule. Again, not all the time, but if I'm writing bluegrassy stuff, it's usually major. 2) Drones/Repeated notes You'd have to find the right chord tones and probably double-check your banjo's tuning for it, but having a lot of open/repeated notes adds for some twang... (not the best example, but it works) Again, the open notes should usually be notes of the chord, but not always - use your ear and see what you like 3) Use the Internets http://www.projectsandhobbies.com/playingthebanjo.htm http://www.banjohangout.org/lessons/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluegrass_music Okay, right on. Good luck with the banjo stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeybrain Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 i advise you go to myspace, go to the music directory and search through the entire bluegrass genre. there's a lot of crap but among it i'm sure you'll find something you're looking for. just take scraps from songs here and there that will fit together stylistically. i won't tell anyone. isn't there that one song from super mario world that sounds really bluegrass, with a banjo and all? maybe just remix that one, that'll be sweet (i'd listen to it fosh). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodrum04 Posted July 31, 2007 Author Share Posted July 31, 2007 I think what siven7 said has helped the most. I can't remix something because I'm using it for an actual commercial. The legal shit I would have to go through would break my balls hardcore. If you will tell me what the track name is from the song on Super Mario Brothers 2 is, I will definitely check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dafydd Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 I wasn't suggesting you should remix for your work thing, but as far as I know we don't have a lot of banjo players here and that song needs a real banjo if it's ever going to be remixed. It's the first song in the gbs: http://www.zophar.net/gbs/sml2.zip You can also get the song here: http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/4788/12 The download link is a little hard to find - it's on the 3rd row of text under the advertisement banner, where it says "click here". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodrum04 Posted August 1, 2007 Author Share Posted August 1, 2007 My specialty is acoustic guitar. I am not into country and I doubt I will ever be. I enjoy learning new types of music and that is what I'm reaching for right now with bluegrass. I got a myspace for music. www.myspace.com/collinlg All of my old stuff is on there and it's really not a good representation of what I do. I have just recently learned to keep a perfect tempo and it is very evident on my old stuff where I have tempo problems. If you want to hear one of my new songs I would be glad to show you just pm me or get me on aim (goodrum04). It's what got me the job with this director and after he heard it he mentioned nothing about my age. I have always wanted to do a remix for this site though, I just didn't want to do something and get rejected. With the apparent shortage of banjo players, I think maybe they will be a little more lenient with my mediocre remixing skills. It will probably be a while before I think about doing the song, I've just got too much shit on my mind right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dafydd Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Hey - no hurries, I just thought "hey, omfg, a banjo player" and couldn't resist telling you about this song I'd really like to hear a remix of. I'm not generally a fan of country music (at least not the kind that Shania Twain makes, if that's country, or that horrible song about West Virginia), but I like the music in e.g. "Oh Brother Where Art Thou", and the duelling guitar/banjo thingy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodrum04 Posted August 1, 2007 Author Share Posted August 1, 2007 Shania Twain is not country. Most of what you hear on the radio, that's not country. I don't like listening to the new country (that's what I call the stuff on the radio) or the old folk and bluegrass, I just happened to be good at the banjo because of my studies on classical guitar and straight music theory. Also, I'm not sure if the songs you and monkey are referring to are the same ones so I'm a little confused there. and how many bluegrass type songs exist on OC? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dafydd Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 Ok, I suck at genres. I don't know any bluegrass songs on OCR. The closest you'll get as far as I know (and this is pretty far off, I reckon) is this. I think me and monkey are talking about the same song, but I wouldn't know if that song is bluegrass - it's just one of the parts (the one that is neither melody nor bassline) sounds like something you would hear being played on a banjo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanthos Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 Goodrum04, ever heard Bela Fleck? Some of his stuff is bluegrass and classical, some of his stuff (particularly his new album, a duet with Chick Corea on piano) is jazz, and his stuff with The Flecktones is jazz with some neat world influences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodrum04 Posted August 4, 2007 Author Share Posted August 4, 2007 No I haven't heard of him, but I will definitely take a look. I've been listening to a bunch of bluegrass and I need all the help I can get here. I found out today why i was having so much trouble. I started in the key of G and about a week later I thought i was in the key of D so I was hitting a couple C# notes that were messing it up really bad. I didn't do this intentionally but I feel better now that I figured out part of my problem. Anyway, now half of the song is in the wrong key and it doesn't fit at all so I gotta change that sometime soon. edit: I did some recording today and I think I'm shit outta luck. I am horrible at creating bluegrass and I only got about 50 seconds of music that sounds close to bluegrass. It's also way too melodic for bluegrass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodrum04 Posted August 4, 2007 Author Share Posted August 4, 2007 I got it finally! Bluegrass is characterized by rolls (ridiculously fast patterned picking) when it's just guitar and banjo. You make alternating bass from the guitar and then roll like a motherfucker with the banjo. I got traditional G, C, and D rhythm for the guitar, and I'm rolling 5th chords with 16th notes at a 140 tempo. I just assumed 5th chords aren't frowned upon on the banjo, considering your right hand does everything. Now all that is left is the lead and some filler. Thanks everyone that at least tried to help out and pointed me in the right direction in a couple areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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