Starting on Beat 1 Lesson

[patb]

While Griff's emphasis is on NOT starting on beat 1, moving the lick changes more than the start. The duration of notes as 2 -1/8 notes become triplets or vice versa, the way it counts and falls under the fingers. . Interesting. I think there is more to be learned than Just "Dont start on beat 1".
Pat

 

[Paleo]

Chances are the person you’re “borrowing” the lick from didn’t start on beat 1 either.

So why would you expect it to “work” if you did?


Disclaimers (I always gotta be careful):
you = generic “you”
work = sound the same or even sound good

 

[PapaRaptor]

While Griff's emphasis is on NOT starting on beat 1, moving the lick changes more than the start. The duration of notes as 2 -1/8 notes become triplets or vice versa, the way it counts and falls under the fingers. . Interesting. I think there is more to be learned than Just "Dont start on beat 1".
Pat

You only have to change duration if you want the lick to end in the same place as it did before you changed the starting point. Take a lick and change the starting point and don't change any other timing. After you get a lick under your fingers at one starting point, try playing the lick from different starting points and keep the same note durations. It's going to end in a different place. Depending on the lick, it may sound fine at several or all starting points. It may not and you might have to futz around with the note durations to make it sound OK to your ear. It may sound good, but your mental clock doesn't want to go along with it. That's why counting out loud is so important.

After all that, once you have the lick firmly in your grasp and the lick is yours, there is nothing wrong with squeezing or stretching it to fit it where you want it to go. Just like moving punctuation around in a sentence can change the meaning, changing a bit of a lick can completely change the effect it has within a solo.

 

[Silicon Valley Tom]

Never start on beat 1? Never say never!

Tom

 

[MikeS]

While Griff's emphasis is on NOT starting on beat 1, moving the lick changes more than the start. The duration of notes as 2 -1/8 notes become triplets or vice versa, the way it counts and falls under the fingers. . Interesting. I think there is more to be learned than Just "Dont start on beat 1".
Pat

true, but you have to get the "Don't Start On Beat one in your head first.
Then the other stuff comes in.
Something also not mentioned, is you really need to listen for the 3rd of the chord. If he is bending to the 3rd, you need to be sure you know if it's a major or minor 3rd, because if it's a major 3rd but you decide to move it to the second bar in a quick change, you need to change it to a minor 3rd. This is something I've known for YEARS, but that I still have a tough time remembering in the heat of battle.