I was having a look at the dots for 'Orange Blossom Special' , and at the beginning there is one bar of 4/4 marked "vamping E chord", with no notes specified.
Anyone tell me what this means? (in general, but particularly in terms of fiddle-playing) . I did several searches on Google and found various references to it, but not much consistency in what it means.
Give a listen to anyone doing the tune and you'll pretty quickly understand. I'm not too sure how to describe it to you on the fiddle because I'm not a fiddle player (more of a fiddle didaster, really), but I can try. Vamping on a fiddle is holding a half chord with the left hand and then on the offbeat chopping those strings with the bow, creating the rhythm. You're emphasizing the offbeat by chopping the half chord of that key, but not playing any melody, like tapping your foot on the strings.
Orange Blossom Special is about a Florida train so by vamping you're trying to mimic the rhythm and sound of the wheels clacking along the tracks, and you're later pulling the bow across the strings for the moan of the whistle. Then pull into high gear and start making up time tearing through the rest of the tune. You've got a ladyfriend in one of those meadows. See it? That one, right there. Now say hello! Do you have a recording of the tune? It's hard to mimic a train from written music....
The E7 bit goes on for an unspecified time actually and is a chance for the fiddler to "express" her/himself a bit, before going into the syncopated shuffle on the A chord.
Listen to Vassar Clements' version on the "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" (Nitty Gritty Drt Band) set of CDs for some inspired "vamping"
I've backed up on guitar a friend of mine on fiddle who loves to play this tune, and part of his schtick is to start it off and let me hang on E while he makes jokes about the guitar player trying to keep this tempo up. Funny to those who are watching, but all the time I'm about to cry from the effort required to do exactly that. And then when he goes to the B part, it accelerates greatly. A true test of stamina...
Sorry to add to this so late. Here's some more general stuff about vamping. In show music, vamping is what the band does to fill time before a song in order to match the action or the dialog. The band would have two or four bars that they repeat over and over, while someone on stage is talking, or trying to get on/off the stage or whatever. When the actors are ready to start the song, then the band goes right into the song from the vamp.
"vamping E chord" ?
"vamping E chord" ?
I was having a look at the dots for 'Orange Blossom Special' , and at the beginning there is one bar of 4/4 marked "vamping E chord", with no notes specified.
Anyone tell me what this means? (in general, but particularly in terms of fiddle-playing) . I did several searches on Google and found various references to it, but not much consistency in what it means.
Thanks
# Posted on July 19th 2006 by domnull
Re: "vamping E chord" ?
Give a listen to anyone doing the tune and you'll pretty quickly understand. I'm not too sure how to describe it to you on the fiddle because I'm not a fiddle player (more of a fiddle didaster, really), but I can try. Vamping on a fiddle is holding a half chord with the left hand and then on the offbeat chopping those strings with the bow, creating the rhythm. You're emphasizing the offbeat by chopping the half chord of that key, but not playing any melody, like tapping your foot on the strings.
Orange Blossom Special is about a Florida train so by vamping you're trying to mimic the rhythm and sound of the wheels clacking along the tracks, and you're later pulling the bow across the strings for the moan of the whistle. Then pull into high gear and start making up time tearing through the rest of the tune. You've got a ladyfriend in one of those meadows. See it? That one, right there. Now say hello! Do you have a recording of the tune? It's hard to mimic a train from written music....
# Posted on July 19th 2006 by gravelwalks
Re: "vamping E chord" ?
*disaster, ahem.
# Posted on July 19th 2006 by gravelwalks
Re: "vamping E chord" ?
lonesome train by the pirates does this vamp to replicate a train starting off slow and going up to a crescendo
079900 E
046600 C#
057700 D
068800 D#
# Posted on July 19th 2006 by Ripthecalico
Re: "vamping E chord" ?
it's more of an E7 really
gravelwalks has described it pretty well
The E7 bit goes on for an unspecified time actually and is a chance for the fiddler to "express" her/himself a bit, before going into the syncopated shuffle on the A chord.
Listen to Vassar Clements' version on the "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" (Nitty Gritty Drt Band) set of CDs for some inspired "vamping"
# Posted on July 19th 2006 by Bren
Re: "vamping E chord" ?
Doesn't vamping also include the mimicking of the train whistle by doing a bit of a slide on the chord, too?
Or, is it specifically the shuffle bowing?
# Posted on July 19th 2006 by KeepFiddlin'
Re: "vamping E chord" ?
Shuffle the train going down the tracks--quickly!
I've backed up on guitar a friend of mine on fiddle who loves to play this tune, and part of his schtick is to start it off and let me hang on E while he makes jokes about the guitar player trying to keep this tempo up. Funny to those who are watching, but all the time I'm about to cry from the effort required to do exactly that. And then when he goes to the B part, it accelerates greatly. A true test of stamina...
# Posted on July 19th 2006 by Audeamus
Re: "vamping E chord" ?
Inspired is the word for Vassar Clements vamping on that track.He even throws in a quote from the theme music of the ancient tv series "Dragnet"
# Posted on July 19th 2006 by dafydd
Re: "vamping E chord" ?
Sorry to add to this so late. Here's some more general stuff about vamping. In show music, vamping is what the band does to fill time before a song in order to match the action or the dialog. The band would have two or four bars that they repeat over and over, while someone on stage is talking, or trying to get on/off the stage or whatever. When the actors are ready to start the song, then the band goes right into the song from the vamp.
# Posted on July 24th 2006 by fluti31415