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Author Topic: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played  (Read 5405 times)

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Barry M

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How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« on: September 27, 2017, 01:21:15 PM »

Hi all
May be a silly question
While playing I'm losing track of when how many A's or B's I have played
Would appreciate any thoughts or tips
Thank you
Barry
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JimmyM

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #1 on: September 27, 2017, 01:32:08 PM »

usually by concentrating hard ;D but when i notice it being a persistent problem such as in some tunes where the A is not hugely different from the B I'll use my foot position as a marker.
I find it much more of a problem when running a slow session as my mind will sometimes wander off.
And of course you get those wonderful moments when you are absolutely sure that you should be playing, say, a B part but someone else starts an A and all of a sudden the doubts are there and, and, and...  ;D
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Graham Spencer

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #2 on: September 27, 2017, 01:36:39 PM »

I don't always.........
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deltasalmon

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2017, 01:37:38 PM »

I try to count and more importantly listen to who I'm playing with to see if they started playing something different yet.
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Lester

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #4 on: September 27, 2017, 01:48:42 PM »

Helena Handcart

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #5 on: September 27, 2017, 01:48:52 PM »

Hi all
May be a silly question
While playing I'm losing track of when how many A's or B's I have played
Would appreciate any thoughts or tips
Thank you
Barry

Badly sometimes although control is getting better with time - and apparently without thinking about it.

There's more than one good friend of mine used to be me hissing 'is that three?' at them in sessions :)
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Lester

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2017, 01:59:45 PM »

Mostly becomes second nature nowadays I only get lost if the tune is one where the B uses the A as its second half so AABA.

Or alternatively use the cricket umpire's 6 balls an over system and keep 4 pebbles in your pocket and swap one to the other pocket every time you play a part  ;)

Barry M

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #7 on: September 27, 2017, 03:19:18 PM »

Thank you for those replies
So it's not just me that gets lost!
You have made me feel a lot happier
Cheers
Barry
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Howard Jones

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #8 on: September 27, 2017, 03:20:10 PM »

I am constantly surprised by how difficult it can sometimes be to count up to 2.

Steve Coombes

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #9 on: September 27, 2017, 03:42:15 PM »

I always assume that I've gone wrong when I hear someone playing something different.
The danger tunes for me are the ones I'm gaining familiarity with, you think it 's in the bag you relax and all of a
sudden your on the wrong part.
 
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Helena Handcart

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #10 on: September 27, 2017, 03:48:02 PM »

I am constantly surprised by how difficult it can sometimes be to count up to 2.

Especially three times in a row
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Steve_freereeder

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #11 on: September 27, 2017, 03:54:38 PM »

If you are playing for dancing, then you should be watching the dancers. Knowing the dance and knowing which part of the music fits which bit of the dance should be enough to tell you where you are in the sequence of As and Bs (and sometimes Cs and Ds).

Of course, if you are in a session with no dancers, the expressions on the faces of your fellow musicians should give you a clue that you've gone wrong. Then it's a case of rapidly adjusting your playing to match everyone else!  ;)
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Chris Brimley

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #12 on: September 27, 2017, 05:04:50 PM »

Even if you're playing for dancing, often the dancers and caller will expect a lead from the music, it's still up to us to be solid 'structurally'.  We all know the feeling when the caller turns to the band leader with a worried look, because he/she realises the dancers have gone wrong, and the caller doesn't know why, or what to do about it, but they're calling for help.  Easy to say here that past experience counts for a lot, but there's still times when the unexpected happens, for a caller.  I feel the most important thing is that there are reliable channels of communications between caller and bandleader, and then bandleader and other band members.  A good caller knows not to panic, but to give new instructions in time for the band to respond smoothly.

Personally I don't seem to have too much problem with counting the A's and the B's, but I do play with others who do.  If there's trust between band members, it's quite possible for the lead to indicate to the others what's next in the tune's structure, but I also think that this may be a nervous 'conscious vs subconscious' issue again - we musicians must teach our conscious to trust our subconscious when performing.  The musician leader should perhaps be quietly setting the structure out, to support other members in the band - this happens a lot in bands, I notice.
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Graham Spencer

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #13 on: September 27, 2017, 05:23:31 PM »

[quote author=Steve_freereeder link=topic=21172.msg254520#msg254520 date=1506524078

Of course, if you are in a session with no dancers, the expressions on the faces of your fellow musicians should give you a clue that you've gone wrong.
[/quote]

Maybe in your sessions!   ::)   If I may paraphrase, Cyprus is another country - they do things differently there........

Graham
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Among others, Saltarelle Pastourelle II D/G; Hohner 4-stop 1-rows in C & G; assorted Hohners; 3-voice German (?) G/C of uncertain parentage; lovely little Hlavacek 1-row Heligonka; B♭/E♭ Koch. Newly acquired G/C Hohner Viktoria. Also Fender Jazz bass, Telecaster, Stratocaster, Epiphone Sheraton, Charvel-Jackson 00-style acoustic guitar, Danelectro 12-string and other stuff..........

Squeezing in the Cyprus sunshine

malcolmbebb

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #14 on: September 27, 2017, 08:36:53 PM »

When you're playing second box and following the lead musician, and they suddenly drop the tune, and you suddenly realise that you were on autopilot and can't remember if you just played the first or second B...
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Tone Dumb Greg

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #15 on: September 28, 2017, 01:42:34 AM »

If you are playing for dancing, then you should be watching the dancers. Knowing the dance and knowing which part of the music fits which bit of the dance should be enough to tell you where you are in the sequence of As and Bs (and sometimes Cs and Ds).


That's part of it, but there's more to it than that:

Plan A: If playing for  dancing, use the alternative approach of training the band to follow you and not worry about what the dancers think (if it's morris, they can barely hear the music above the clatter of bells anyway. If you randomise the order in practice, once in a while,  they'll soon get used to it (:).

Plan B: When playing for dance, most of our dances (and why should any other side be different?) are made up of figures and sticking. When the sticks go up at the end of a figure, play the sticking music. Otherwise play the other.

Plan C: There are a few exceptions in which there are idiosyncratic A/B sequences (Twiglet and Ring O' Bells come to mind, from our repertoire). In these cases revert  to plan A.

Plan D: If playing in a session where you are leading the tune, carry on with confidence, smile serenely and claim, afterwards that you tried it that way on purpose, to make the tune more interesting. Whatever you do, never, ever, stop and apologise with an embarrassed smile. You're in charge. If it's your set, you decide tempo, order of parts and tune sequence.Watch out for harmonies and counter melodies, though.  If the people you are playing with aren't willing to give you the space to do this then don't play with them. They're prats. Note: You'll be fine in any sessions  down our way. They are full of nice people.

Plan E: If playing in a session where you are not leading the tune. Just stop playing the wrong part and start playing the right one. Odds are no one noticed and you can be certain no one cares. Unless you discover that the A and the the B mix together rather well (again, Twiglet comes to mind), in which case carry on and say you did it on purpose, for the effect. The downside of this is that you'll have to be prepared to do this every time. It may well become a feature.

Seriously, don't fret about it. As your brain gets more involved with the sound you are making and less consciously aware of the mechanics of doing it, it becomes much less of an issue. However, even some very experienced musicians get it wrong, now and then (especially after having drink partaken). When this happens, the above Plans A to E genuinely work. [edited to say I wasn't meaning to include myself in this category.]
« Last Edit: September 28, 2017, 09:41:14 AM by Tone Dumb Greg »
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Greg Smith
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Helena Handcart

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #16 on: September 28, 2017, 07:49:09 AM »

Wot Greg said  :D

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Nigel

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #17 on: September 28, 2017, 09:02:39 AM »

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TomB

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #18 on: September 28, 2017, 11:11:46 AM »

Does no one play five or six part tunes? That can get really interesting in a session.
A competent musician should be able to glide seamlessly from one disaster to the next without missing a beat  >:E
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Tone Dumb Greg

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Re: How do you keep track of how many A's and B's you've played
« Reply #19 on: September 28, 2017, 04:16:40 PM »


...A competent musician should be able to glide seamlessly from one disaster to the next without missing a beat  >:E

Absolutely. Smiling serenely as you go. If you can't manage that a smug smirk will do :D
If someone tries to put you right, all you have to do is play more firmly and a bit louder, while avoiding eye contact.
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Greg Smith
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ACCORDION, n. An instrument in harmony with the sentiments of an assassin. Ambrose Bierce
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