Re: [Harp-L] Need help with Gary Primich songn "Vermint"

[michael rubin <michaelrubinharmonica@xxxxxxxxx>]

As a bass harmonica player playing the bass role in a non harmonica
band that plays originals and Eastern European songs, the songs chosen
are often crooked but the songleaders cannot explain it.  It is up to
me to figure out what is going on and it is a real challenge.
Michael Rubin
Michaelrubinharmonica.com

On Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 3:48 PM, Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Crooked tunes exist in many traditions, not just those of Eastern Europe. They're big in parts of Canada where the French and native influences are strong, for instance.
>
> Old-time blues guys self-accompanying with a guitar often stretched or curtailed the number of beats in a measure, especially at the end of a phrase. They didn't have to keep time with anyone else, so why bother?
>
>
> Even in popular music, the Beatles often would snip out beats they felt were unnecessary to the timing of a phrase. They must have been right, because nobody notices until you point it out!
>
> W
>
>
> Winslow Yerxa
> Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
> Harmonica instructor, The Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance
> Resident expert, bluesharmonica.com
> Columnist, harmonicasessions.com
>
>
> ________________________________
>  From: The Iceman <icemanle@xxxxxxx>
> To: ana.radzic@xxxxxxxxx; harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Sent: Thursday, February 2, 2012 7:05 AM
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Need help with Gary Primich songn "Vermint"
>
>
> one way to describe this type of song is "crooked tune"
>
>
> in other words, it does not follow the "Western Music" format that is mostly based on even number of measures for a song, but actually follows a specific melody that doesn't conform to this type of outline.
>
>
> I first learned of this studying traditional old tyme tunes in which the melody may actually be only 11 bars long and then repeats. (sometimes even 11 1/2 measures).Threw me for a loop till I stopped feeling and thinking in 12 bar blocks.
>
>
> Perhaps this is a throw back to music developed in the Rumanian hills - gypsy songs, folk tunes, etc, which just were pure melodies. Bela Bartok studied this music and wrote some pretty cool symphonic stuff based on it. Zoltan Kodaly was a contemporary of Bartok that also trecked into the hills to record this folk music.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ana Radzic <ana.radzic@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Thu, Feb 2, 2012 9:44 am
> Subject: [Harp-L] Need help with Gary Primich songn "Vermint"
>
>
> Hi guys,
>
> This is my firms posting here so I hope I'll do it right:)
>
> Last night after work I decided to make a break with the "Smokin'
> joint"....and just to be sure I'm talking about song here:).... cause 19
> rounds is way too long to play after a long working day..... so I started
> learning a new song...it's Gary Primich song called "Vermit".
> What confuses me is that after two normal rounds of 12 bars there is 8 bars
> following with 7 bars (not sure if I counted it right) of progression which
> I'm not familiar with...after that the songs continue in 12 bar
> blues...progression for a few rounds and then there is goes same
> structure as I've
> describe above....it's not that I can't play it cause I can, I just do not
> understand if this is something common in blues songs which I need to be
> familiar about, or this is something that band just made up on the spot and
> that kind of progression is not regular one.
>
> I'm not sure I managed to explain what troubles me as I do not the
> technical terms but I do hope someone will try to help:)
>
> I am pretty much bad with music theory but I think I will be able to
> understand even if you explain it in technical terms... if I don't there is
> always my friend google to give me a hand:)
>
> Thanks in advance!!!
>
> Ana Radzic