Can't You Hear Me Calling- Monroe

[9lbShellhamer]

I took some time yesterday and it was easy enough to create a break with melody and double stops tossed in, but I'm not too happy with it yet. I really would like some other input. Since so much of the melody is on the 5th I can't really find anything interesting to do with it.

Does anyone have this tabbed out?

thanks~!

Troy

[almeriastrings]

This one is in the 'Bill Monroe 16 Gems' book.

http://www.amazon.com/BILL-MONROE-16.../dp/0793595738

[Ivan Kelsall]

From Troy - "I can't really find anything interesting to do with it.". Ask me if i know the feeling !!. This is where sitting down for a few hours & working it out comes into play. That's the way the pros.do it as well. One of Adam Steffey's famous mando.intros. is to the Alison Krauss song "Every Time You Say Goodbye". In his mandolin tuition DVD,he's asked about how he came up with the intro., & to cut a long(ish) story short - it wasn't easy. One of my favourite Bill Monroe songs is ''Walls of Time'' & i decide to come up with a break for it different than any i have on records. It took me the best part of 2 months or more,plugging away at this or that idea before i came up with something that i thought was good enough. A far more experienced player maybe, would have taken less time,
Ivan

[Willie Poole]

Talk about working on a break for a long time...I do "Can`t you Hear Me Calling" in the key of E and I had to work my butt of getting right, the only words and chords I have found show it in G but I have never seen any taps, can`t read them anyway so I don`t bother looking for them...I do much everything by ear...

Willie

[9lbShellhamer]

Sounds good! At least I'm in good company, and I have a basic version down. I actually have the 16 gems book and completely forgot about it. Can't wait to check it out tonight!

[Ivan Kelsall]

Years ago,when Bill Clifton was living over here in the UK prior to going back to the US,i used to get to play banjo with him when he came up North. I asked him once if all these great banjo players etc. worked on their breaks,or just picked 'em out of thin air ?.
Bill told me that all the top players worked on their breaks,especially for recording. It made me feel a bit better since that was what i was trying to do,although for 'famous breaks',i simply copied the recordings if i could, because folk like to hear them that way. Earl Scruggs' sweet little break in ''I'll Never Shed Another Tear'' is one that comes to mind,along with Rudy Lyle's break in 'Rawhide'',one that few banjo players seem to get right. One other thing that migh be useful to do,is to record your improvisations. I have the book ''Masters of The 5-String Banjo'' by Tony Trishka & Peter Wernick. In it,Bela Fleck says that's something that he does & several years ago i understood why. I'd been practicing my banjo playing,picking along to a few records & i played something of my own that sounded really good.Totally different,but something that fitted the song. I stopped the record & played it again,but found that i couldn't remember exactly 'what' i'd played before . I'd been improvising & doing it without much thinking about it - big mistake !. So,if you're seriously trying to put a break together to play with your band etc. - record it,
Ivan

[Willie Poole]

In an interview a few years ago Mike Auldrige , dobro player , said that he very seldom played his breaks the same way twice, just played off of the top of his head when the time came...I do that sometimes myself at jams and get togethers but most of the songs I play on our shows are the same every time I pick them...

Some banjo player slowed down Earl`s banjo tunes and learned them that way...Another way is to remember the tune and whistle it while you learn to pick it, that has helped me some...

Willie

[ralph johansson]

In an interview a few years ago Mike Auldrige , dobro player , said that he very seldom played his breaks the same way twice, just played off of the top of his head when the time came...I do that sometimes myself at jams and get togethers but most of the songs I play on our shows are the same every time I pick them...

Some banjo player slowed down Earl`s banjo tunes and learned them that way...Another way is to remember the tune and whistle it while you learn to pick it, that has helped me some...

Willie

I'd love to hear someone whistle a banjo solo note for note.

[9lbShellhamer]

Hahahaha. Very good point, Ralph.