As I prepare to play out, lots of different kinds of grooves are falling into my lap. I am using years of experience and scholarly study to amass a catalog of beats with which to play along. Once I played solo background/cocktail piano pretty regularly, but the only difference playing a "gig" is if you play danceable kinds of things. That means you have to play with a strong rhythmic feel, in time, and cover the bass line. The drums are in your head, but that doesn't easily translate to a dance floor. I play bass with my left hand fairly often on many different rigs, so here I am practicing along with some of my programmed "beats." Normally it would just be casual swings, Bossa Nova, a few ballads, and some Latin tunes. Having playing commercial gigs for a long time, there is no reason why a pianist can't cover vocal American popular songs of any style. So I just find a good drum pattern, augment it, tweak the tempo, balance the kit, and add it to the set lest. Dance swing always was a part of the ship production shows, and it was high energy. Lindy Hop or Jitterbug. There are many tunes that fit these chord changes. Hit the Road Jack. Stray Cat STrut. Etc. Sing, Sing,Sing, by Louis Prima may be the most known.
30 окт 2024
