[Dixielandjazz] Chord Averaging and more (or less)

[Bigbuttbnd@aol.com]

I KNEW IT! Chord Averaging! Of course!

Years ago when I used to make the banjo convention circuit I kept hearing 
this new approach to banjo accompaniment but couldn't figure it out. I'd 
wander into a ballroom filled with 30-50 banjo players all tearing through 
Margie or Avalon. I'd sit down on one side of the room and ask my new seat 
friend, "What tune? What key?" and he'd say something like "Margie, in F." 
I'd play Margie in F but it just didn't seem right. Maybe I didn't know 
Margie as well as I thought. So, after 20 or so choruses I'd move to the 
other side of the group and ask my new neighbor "What tune? What key?" and 
he'd say "Avalon in Eb." 

"When did you guys switch to Avalon? I thought it was Margie."

"Nah, we been playing Avalon all night."

"In Eb?"

"Well... some of the guys say it's Eb... I've been playing this D chord 
mostly and it seems to fit everywhere."

Not only had these guys mastered chord averaging but they had moved to a 
higher level of complexity... Tune Averaging!

Rocky Ball
Atlanta