Post 595: ELLINGTON'S 'BIG HOUSE BLUES'

For anybody interested in studying traditional jazz, 'Big House Blues', composed by Duke Ellington in 1930, is a good illustration of what makes the music endlessly fascinating and interesting.

For a start, like plenty of other pieces from our standard repertoire, it has two sections of which one is in a major key (in this case Eb) and the other in the related minor key (C minor).

Next, it reminds us that not all tunes in the 1920s and 1930s were structured in 12-bar or 32-bar formats. In fact, the first theme (Section A - see below) consists of 20 bars. Other examples of 20-bar tunes from our early repertoire are After You've Gone, Oh You Beautiful Doll, The Darktown Strutters Ball, I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan, Keeping Out of Mischief Now, You've Got the Right Key but the Wrong Keyhole, You Got Me Crying Again, and Papa De Da Da.

The tune uses riffs – again typical of our music – and they are unusually pretty and rhythmically interesting. Note what happens in bars 17 and 18 of the A section, for example. 

It is possible to go straight from section A into section B , though bands with a piano often get the pianist to play a four-bar link between the two, just as Ellington did.

Now look at the second theme - section B – in the key of C minor. It has a 32-bar AABA structure, again using a pretty, dramatic riff for the A sections. The middle eight has its own striking, defiant melody ending with a powerful use of the G7 chord.

Improvisations are normally played on this B section and they can be very dramatic. The melody and the minor key lend themselves to growling, muted work, for example. Actually, the chord sequence is much simpler than it sounds: it is possible for a musician of average ability to produce something quite impressive from this material. I think that is why it is popular with trumpet and trombone players.

I have heard some bands also introducing a 12-bar blues chorus in Eb, and using this for improvisations. I think that spoils the overall impact of all the minor chord stuff. Ellington himself didn't do it in 1930, so why should we?

A very good way to end the tune is to play Section A again, with those bars 17 to 18 sustaining the drama and bar 20  bringing the piece to a striking sudden halt.

You can hear the tune being played by Ellington himself BY CLICKING HERE. And you may watch a band playing the piece in 2008 BY CLICKING HERE.

Post 485: 'DROPPIN' SHUCKS' BY LIL HARDIN ARMSTRONG

Good friend and regular correspondent Jim Sterling of Florida told me he had been very pleased to discover the YouTube video of Tuba Skinny playing Droppin' Shucks in Royal Street as long ago as 2012, when the band still had Ryan Baer on banjo and when there was no reed player. I'm talking of this video - click on here to view.

The message from Jim reminded me that I enjoyed the video when I first saw it in 2012. At the time, I remember listening also (for comparison) to the original 1926 version composed by Lil Hardin Armstrong and recorded by Louis Armstrong's Hot Five (also available on YouTube).

But on that occasion, apart from feeling that it was a very good but quite complicated piece of music, I thought no more about it.

Jim enjoyed the performance and particularly praised Shaye's muted cornet work. Throughout the three minutes, Shaye uses her Humes and Berg 102 stonelined cup mute and has it fully wedged inside the bell of her cornet. We know that on other occasions, she prefers to hold it half in and half out of the bell. Barnabus also, using his Humes and Berg stonelined straight mute, plays some lovely stuff complementing Shaye's melodic lines. Jim also specially liked the final Chorus, in which Shaye and Barnabus play so well together, alternating the 'breaks'.

We must all be grateful to the video-maker codenamed jazzbo43 for recording this fine performance.

It's interesting to observe how Ryan (at 2 mins 08 secs) warns Max that the band is about to go to the 12-bar 'breaks interlude' rather than the start of the Chorus; and then (at 2 mins 24 secs) that this time they are returning to the start of the Chorus. (The 'Breaks Interlude' is copied from the original Armstrong recording.)

Perhaps Max hadn't played this number with the band before. (In fact it is a song they seem to have played very rarely over the years.)

After Jim encouraged me to listen more carefully to it again, I realised Droppin' Shucks is not really as complicated as I had thought. Basically it has a simple and pretty 16-bar minor-key Verse played once (Tuba Skinny play it in C minor); and then the Chorus - played several times (in the key of Ab) - is simply one of those 16-bar standards (with 'breaks' on Bars 9 - 12), very similar to How Come You Do Me Like You Do Do Do? or If It Don't Fit, Don't Force It or Don't Care Blues or Don't Go Away, Nobody, or Forget Me Not Blues.

The only little extra ingredient is that 12-bar 'Breaks Interlude' I mentioned - which may be regarded as optional.

But what makes Droppin' Shucks special - perhaps unique among sixteen-bar tunes - is that the whole of Bar 12 is based on a diminished chord. That certainly adds a bit of excitement.

So it's easy to pick up. Let's have more bands playing it!

As for what the title Droppin' Shucks means, I think you may be able to find out. But I shall say nothing on the subject. Regular readers will know that I limit the contents of my pages to the decorous, the refined, and the tasteful.

Post 241: MUTES FOR CORNETS AND TRUMPETS

The word 'mute' is slightly misleading because it suggests silencing. Although most mutes do indeed reduce the decibel level, their true function is to alter the instrument's tone. They capture different moods and create different textures; and they produce 'jazzy' effects.

For anyone interested in adding mutes to their kit, I will offer you my thoughts about my collection. However, please bear in mind that what suits one player may not suit another.

Trombonists and tuba-players: please note that there is a similar range of these mutes available in larger sizes for you.

I will work from the right to the left in the picture above.

(1) Rubber PLUNGER mute. Manufacturer unknown. This is one of my favourites and I use it a great deal for traditional jazz. As it is so flexible, you can squeeze and hold it in various ways and positions to achieve a huge range of effects from the mellow to the raucous and growling.

(2) Humes and Berg 102 stonelined trumpet cup mute. This is another great favourite. It gives a crispness to the tone. And you can slightly vary the effects by holding it only partially inside the bell, rather than simply jamming it in by the corks. A great point in favour of this mute is that, unlike some, it does not distort the tuning of the notes you play: it is good over pretty well the full range. No wonder this mute is so popular with many traditional jazz players.

(3) Humes and Berg 112 stonelined PIXIE aluminium mute. This is also very good. The intonation of the instrument is unaffected by it; and the tone produced is relatively mellow, so it's specially good for simply playing quietly or for 'background effects' on ballads. It also makes interesting sounds when used in combination with a rubber plunger mute, though I haven't experimented much with it.

(4) Humes and Berg 101 stonelined trumpet straight mute. This is a very efficient mute: it does just what you would expect - it allows a bright but 'different' sound out past the corks down the sides. It also keeps all the notes in tune, without distortion. It's not exciting but it is safe and is typical of what most people would expect to hear when imagining a trumpet played with a mute.

(5) Humes and Berg 120 stonelined trumpet DERBY (red and white bowler hat) mute. So far I have been a little disappointed with this, particularly because it was expensive when bought four months ago and I can't get anywhere near the sound Ken Colyer used to achieve with his famous Derby mute. I think this is partly because is has a sort of felt lining rather than metal. But mainly it's because this mute needs a lot of practice to get the feel of the many effects you can achieve, depending on the precise position and angle at which you have it, in relation to your instrument's bell. You can deflect the sound in so many different ways. I have not yet felt confident enough to use it in public. But I can tell you that it too does not distort the tuning of notes and that it certainly can produce a huge range of jazz effects. You may find - as I am doing - that it is not easy to master.

(6) The distinctive HARMON mute (complete with pull-out wah-wah stem); manufacturer unknown (but marked with a 'K'). This can be used in a variety of ways. Remove the stem and you have the silky tone associated with Miles Davis. What happens is that it stifles the familiar trumpet sound that bounces mainly off the inside edges of the bell and allows out only the sound that is left coming out of the middle. But if you put the stem in, this gives the sound a metallic tube through which to escape. You achieve a sweet, 'distant', lovely tone that is ideal for gently playing spirituals. And, of course, if you're so inclined, you can use your fingers over the end of the stem to produce semi-comical wah-wah effects. I use this mute sparingly but it certainly offers something different.

(7) BUCKET mute of a kind (manufacturer unknown). This is heavily lined with what appears to be polystyrene padding. It has a stifling, blanket-like effect on the sound. At best, you could say it produces a 'velvet' tone. I don't find this much use, so it hardly ever gets used.

(8) Humes and Berg 'color-tone' straight mute. I think Humes and Berg may have discontinued the manufacture of this mute, which is just as well, because if you want a straight mute you are far better off buying the one I described under No. (4) above. I think this 'color-tone' was made from cheaper materials. There's nothing wrong with it but it doesn't offer anything special for public performance. It would be fine as a first mute for a beginner. I use mine simply for keeping the sound down when practising within earshot of other people.

Bear in mind too that, even with my eight mutes, I am well short of the full range available.

So much for my impressions. But if you would like to have a terrific YouTube tutorial on mute usage - yes, this is really good - from a great expert, click on this video:

CLICK HERE.

Post 203: MUTES, MUSICIAN DEAFNESS, HEARING YOUSELF

Here's an interesting correspondence that occurred recently between bandleader Mr. A, trumpet-player Mr. B and trumpet-player Mr. C.

=============================

Hello B and C,

How are you? I hope you are getting lots of gigs.

As you know, we have Mr. D .. in our band playing trumpet and he says he is going deaf (although I don't think he is as deaf as I am). Anyway, he says he can't hear himself when we play outside.

I have noticed that you sometimes play into a metal dish that presumably reflects the sound back to you. Am I right? If so what is it and where can he buy one and how much does it cost, please?

Best wishes,

A.

===============================

Hi A, 

Hope all is well with you.

No one realises what we trumpet players go through. When you play, the sound from the trumpet goes away from you and as you are directly behind it you don’t really hear yourself until it strikes a surface and returns to your ear (trumpet is even worse than cornet because of its length). That is why Dizzy Gillespie bent the bell of his horn up into the air.

Sometimes when the drummer, amplified keyboard, amplified guitar, amplified bass and ringing banjo are blithely roaring away and on one side the trombone and on the other the reedman are blowing in towards you, it’s near impossible to hear yourself without blasting away at ffff.

Playing outside is even more difficult. People then comment on how loud the trumpet is and think he doesn’t need a mike and wonder why can’t he play with more sensitivity and more pppp.

When you play with mikes, a monitor or fold-back system will cure this problem and the whole band can hear each other and play in a more balanced and sensitive way.

When playing without amplification, any device or method that reflects the sound back to you can perform a similar function.

Sometimes you’ll see a trumpet player suddenly hold his hand over the bell, not necessarily for a special sound effect but to simply hear himself.

Metal hats, plastic-covered music scores, wa-wa mutes, brick walls or just the hand are all methods to this end.

As you know, when playing a wind instrument you need to hear yourself clearly enough in order to strike the balance you want in volume and tone etc.

Well, that’s my rant over and I feel better for it - hope I didn’t bore you.

To answer your question re availability of such devices: I have tried for ages to find a metal derby hat but have been unsuccessful. If they are in production anywhere it’s a well-kept secret. I have a felt-lined derby which I bought on Ebay for £20 which isn’t too bad but my own device is simply an Ikea stainless steel salad bowl (£3.00) screwed to a microphone stand.

The best thing is a metal derby (Ken Colyer used one for years and other trumpet players likewise). This, when no microphones are available, pings the sound back to you and the band with a nice, clear ringing tone and saves a lot of wear and tear on the lips. 

Hope this answers your question and tell D.... best of luck. 

B.

=============

Hi Folks,

I'm pleased to join in this correspondence since B's comments so accurately reflect my own experiences.

I was playing cornet recently in a seven-piece band in a church hall. There was amplification of some of the instruments. I could not hear myself at all. I felt I was struggling even to play an audible melody for the clarinet and trombone to 'decorate'. But my wife (who for once had come to a gig) told me in the interval that I was playing FAR TOO LOUD and I really must try to curb my sound. That taught me something. I would never have believed it if she had not pointed it out.

On the other hand, if I'm playing in a not-too-noisy band (e.g. an unamplified quartet) with a good BRICK wall facing me (e.g. outdoors in a shopping centre) I can hear myself perfectly.

I believe the above confirms all that B said. And I hope it will be of some comfort to D.

Regarding the danger of deafness, I have on rare occasions tried using home-made cotton-wool earplugs in exceptionally noisy environments. They reduce the impact on the ear-drums but they have the disadvantage of leaving me unable to assess the tone and balance of the music I am involved in.

As for mutes, I have become addicted to them in recent months and have built up a collection. My favourite is the Humes and Berg 102 stonelined cup mute. But this is for special effects and not to enable me to hear myself better.

I also wanted a 'derby' mute and have just acquired one - the Humes and Berg 120 stonelined derby mute. I got it from Myatt's of Hitchin for £30.

It's good; but not quite what I wanted because it is indeed felt-lined, producing just a little too much 'fuzziness' and I shall have to practise hard with it if I am to play the highest and lowest notes in tune.

Seems I'm in the market for one of those salad bowls!

I hope this all helps.

Happy blowing to everyone,

C.

Post 172: SHAYE COHN