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Tune Of The Month, July 2015: American Patrol


Jim Besser

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Well, I've been working on this all month. With all the chromatics, it's not as easy as it sounds, at least on the Hayden. I started the 4th of July weekend by transcribing a scan of a piano arrangement into abc. Then I transposed it from D to G, which makes more sense on the Hayden (and, I would think, many other instruments) but makes it impossible to play the 2nd half up an octave (as in the original and in Bob's entry, above). So I play both halves in the same octave. I wound up altering a few chords and eliminating a few internal lines here and there.


It never occurred to me until I was way into this process how similar the 5th - 8th measures are with the corresponding measures of "Redwing" (or "Union Maid," if you'd rather).


I still can't play it as well as I'd like to, but it's time to be done with this thing. Here's what I've got. 46-key Wheatstone Hayden.

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Well, I've been working on this all month. With all the chromatics, it's not as easy as it sounds, at least on the Hayden. I started the 4th of July weekend by transcribing a scan of a piano arrangement into abc. Then I transposed it from D to G, which makes more sense on the Hayden (and, I would think, many other instruments) but makes it impossible to play the 2nd half up an octave (as in the original and in Bob's entry, above). So I play both halves in the same octave. I wound up altering a few chords and eliminating a few internal lines here and there.
It never occurred to me until I was way into this process how similar the 5th - 8th measures are with the corresponding measures of "Redwing" (or "Union Maid," if you'd rather).
I still can't play it as well as I'd like to, but it's time to be done with this thing. Here's what I've got. 46-key Wheatstone Hayden.

 

 

 

Well done, David.

 

You're approach to the transition was much truer to the original than mine, which was pretty much a lazy crib.

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Lovely contributions so far, however I reckon my approach still being somewhat different...

 

I took up the dots from Paul's great tunebook (thanks a lot for this great ressource) which to my understanding have some of the syncopations by Glenn Miller (at least not present in David's accurate take).

 

Still a bit rough but will give you the idea...:

 

American Patrol

Comments much appreciated!

 

Best wishes - Wolf

Edited by blue eyed sailor
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Lovely contributions so far, however I reckon my approach still being somewhat different...

 

I took up the dots from Paul's great tunebook (thanks a lot for this great ressource) which to my understanding have some of the syncopations by Glenn Miller (at least not present in David's accurate take).

 

Still a bit rough but will give you the idea...:

 

American Patrol

Comments much appreciated!

 

Best wishes - Wolf

 

 

Different approaches = good. I like the approach you're taking, and I like it that you post in-progress projects; I find it helpful to see how people are honing a tune. I should do more of that myself.

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You're approach to the transition was much truer to the original than mine...

 

Credit where it's due: Bob got there first.

 

I took up the dots from Paul's great tunebook (thanks a lot for this great ressource) which to my understanding have some of the syncopations by Glenn Miller (at least not present in David's accurate take).

 

Paul's great tunebook? I must have missed that thread. Do you have a link?

 

As far as my "accurate take," I may have changed the key and a few notes and a few chords, but as far as I know, the rhythm is intact from the source, pre-Glenn Miller.

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David, some missunderstanding here, apparently, as I - as almost always - just meant what I was saying: what I didn't hear in your accurate (pre-Miller) recording (which I "liked" on SC as you may be aware of) would probably be the Miller part...

 

And as to the dots, Paul was first to post a recording here, and was referring to the well-known and commonly used ressource of his, supplemented quite recently as I seem to recall. I took "his" dots for the melody, thereby completely ignoring the harmony (which seems to be computer-generated in this case, as he is remarking himself).

 

So let's talk about the music, and the fun of listening to the different approaches of our fellow musicians... :)

 

Best wishes - Wolf

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THanks for that! Sounds like you've been listening to a little Glenn Miller.

 

Yes, although he was more my parents generation! Dots were from the Paul Hardy book, with a few omitted.

 

I see another post mentioned similarities with Redwing, I have always thougt there were similarities in the B music with the B music of Jenny Lind. I think (correct me if I'm wrong!) both tunes are around the Tin Pan Alley era, although there is about 10 years between them

 

ian

Edited by iradcliffe
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https://soundcloud.com/moonsagotunes/the-red-white-and-blue

 

This for now. Had trouble recording this... got jittery once the recorder was on. I practiced playing it in two different octaves but for now here's only the lower one.

 

There are mistakes... but it's still okay. Will try to re-do it but I need to catch up on some things, like sleep, etc... then I'll try again.

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https://soundcloud.com/moonsagotunes/the-red-white-and-blue

 

This for now. Had trouble recording this... got jittery once the recorder was on. I practiced playing it in two different octaves but for now here's only the lower one.

 

There are mistakes... but it's still okay. Will try to re-do it but I need to catch up on some things, like sleep, etc... then I'll try again.

 

That foot bass is so much fun! Thanks.

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And what happens, harmonically, in bars 7 and 8? Don't all answer at once...

 

I'll bite. What happens?

 

Here is my attempt. The month was too short. I look forward to the time when I can do more then desperately try not to mess up too much.

 

My great grandfather played ivory clarinet in Sousa's band, and would have played this when it was a hot new number. Great tune.

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And what happens, harmonically, in bars 7 and 8? Don't all answer at once...

I'll bite. What happens?

 

Here is my attempt. The month was too short. I look forward to the time when I can do more then desperately try not to mess up too much.

 

My great grandfather played ivory clarinet in Sousa's band, and would have played this when it was a hot new number. Great tune.

 

Can't listen to (and thus can't comment on) your take right now, and should better not answer in place of David; however a hint might be considered as adequate: He's obviously targeting one of his very favourite subjects, as to be read in several posts from his side, which you could re-read... :D

 

Best wishes - Wolf

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And what happens, harmonically, in bars 7 and 8? Don't all answer at once...

 

I'll bite. What happens?

 

Here is my attempt. The month was too short. I look forward to the time when I can do more then desperately try not to mess up too much.

 

My great grandfather played ivory clarinet in Sousa's band, and would have played this when it was a hot new number. Great tune.

 

 

Very nice.

 

What instrument are you playing?

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And what happens, harmonically, in bars 7 and 8? Don't all answer at once...

I'll bite. What happens?

 

Here is my attempt...

 

He's obviously targeting one of his very favourite subjects, as to be read in several posts from his side, which you could re-read... :D

First of all, Patrick, nice progress.

 

To answer your question, what I'm talking about can be referred to by several names: tonicization of the V (five) chord, V of V (five of five), secondary dominant. They all mean the same thing (although some are more general than others).

 

Scales have seven distinct notes in them (the octave doesn't count as distinct). Chords (1, 3, 5) built on these seven notes can be referred to by number, usually expressed as roman numerals—capital for major chords, lower case for minor) or by name (all seven have names, but I'll only mention the most common ones: the I chord is the tonic, the IV chord is the subdominant, the V chord is the dominant).

 

You're playing the tune in F. The key of F major has a key signature of one flat, Bb. All the other notes in the key of F (and the F major scale) are natural. Many tunes can be played in F by using nothing but these notes. This tune is not one of them. It borrows notes from other keys (for instance, the 4th notes in the 2nd and 4th measures).

 

Similarly, many tunes can be harmonized in F by using nothing but the notes of the F major scale. Bars 1 through 6 of this tune follow this pattern. Bars 7 and 8 clearly call for something else. Even though there are no notes in the tune here that are outside the key, the tune sounds like it wants to pretend, for a little while, that it's not in F, but in C (the V chord in F). We can help it achieve this by preceding the C chord at the end of the phrase with the dominant chord of C, which is G major, even though the G major chord has a B natural in it that is outside the key of F. After you have read this paragraph a few times and begun to digest it, look back at the paragraph three earlier, the list of names, and try to understand what each of them means in this context.

 

Your playing includes this II major chord.

 

Now look back at what I said about previous TOTMs:

 

Harliquin Air

Da Slockit Light

Vedder Michel

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Well, I've been working on this all month. With all the chromatics, it's not as easy as it sounds, at least on the Hayden.

David--

 

For some reason I overlooked this when you first posted it, but having heard it just now I'll join fhe chorus of admirers. Very cool arrangement, with some lovely left hand stuff. I don't imagine it was easy, though you do indeed make it sound that way.

 

Bob Michel

Near Philly

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To answer your question, what I'm talking about can be referred to by several names: tonicization of the V (five) chord, V of V (five of five), secondary dominant. They all mean the same thing (although some are more general than others).

Thanks for the clear and patient explaination. I think I've got it.

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And as to the dots, Paul was first to post a recording here, and was referring to the well-known and commonly used ressource of his, supplemented quite recently as I seem to recall. I took "his" dots for the melody, thereby completely ignoring the harmony (which seems to be computer-generated in this case, as he is remarking himself).

 

As the eponymous Paul Hardy, the resource invoked is my Paul Hardy's Session Tunebook - see http://www.pghardy.net/concertina/tunebooks/ for free downloadable versions or to order a printed and bound copy.

 

I freely admit my chords have been rather suspect - not playing a chord instrument myself other than teenage strumming a guitar, and having managed to avoid the harmony paper of 'O'-level music by playing cello! The chords are intended to give the learning melodion players and guitar strummers some guidance, using basic chord sequences. As you say, some of the earlier tunes have computer-generated ones without much manipulation, and some are just wrong. However the chords have got better in recent releases of the tunebook, and are continuing to improve, mainly due to the arrival of a couple of competent chord-aware musicians to my local practice session which uses the tunebook.

 

I've also got an errata at the back of the current Annex Tunebook, which says among others:

American Patrol - Delete D chord in 5th line. Change G chord to D in third line, and add G chord at start of next bar.

 

That should help, but a good anglo or duet player ought to treat them as a skeleton for their own improvisation. I'm always very willing to accept critique of chords and better suggestions. :)

 

Regards,

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