[Dixielandjazz] Re: Doubling Instruments

[Elazar Brandt]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Livingston [mailto:snargi01 at yahoo.com]
> Sent: Friday, June 04, 2004 8:06 PM
> To: DJML
> Subject: RE: [Dixielandjazz] Re: Doubling Instruments
>
> Has anyone mentioned Jim Maihak yet? He made an entire Album with
> playing every instrument himself.

Anyone else tried to do this?

I have toyed with it as well, just using a mike and a mixing program on my home
computer. It's a lot harder than you might think, though it might have helped me
to have someone else running the recording equipment while I was playing. I
tried a 4-part brass arrangement to "When I'm 64" with trumpet, flugel horn,
baritone (instead of bone, so I'd be playing in the same key as on the other
horns) and tuba.

First of all, where do you start? Melody first, then harmony and rhythm, or
rhythm and then melody or harmony parts? What about gaps in the recording when
one or more instruments are not playing? What about if you want to change the
tempo?

I've also tried doing Dixieland (OK, OK, whatever you want to call it) with
trumpet, bone, tuba, banjo, washboard and highhat cymbal, oh yes, and vocal.
This is even more complicated. I learned to improvise playing off other players.
I have a hard time playing off of a recording of myself. Something has to go
down first, and I find it difficult to play a good jazz line with nothing else
going on around it. And some of the instruments are in different keys, further
complicating the task.

But anyway, since I am a crusader for natural acoustic music, I don't get too
involved with anything that either has to be plugged in, or that you can't do
live.

As for playing multiple instruments live, I think two trumpets would work, and I
will eventually try it, but so far I have enough trouble with one. I did try
trumpet and marching trombone, but the different sized mouthpieces are hard to
play together. But I have not ruled it out completely.

A couple years ago I bought a high-hat cymbal that could be played while playing
banjo and singing, or it can be played along with just about any other
instrument. The rhythm provides some continuity when you switch from one
instrument to another, for instance, playing the first chorus of a song on
trumpet or bone with the cymbal (wearing the banjo so it's ready to go), and
then switching to banjo and vocal. I give myself 4 beats on the cymbal to put
the horn down and get my pick. But you can just start singing in tempo and get
the banjo going as quick as you can. Another option is to get a reliable looking
10-12 year old kid, or a cute gal, from the audience, to come and strum the
banjo for you, freeing the right hand to play the trumpet while the left does
the chords on the banjo. (Alright, I hear those dirty minds churning; never mind
what else the right hand might do... just keep it on the trumpet!)

So I've been trying to push the limits of how much one player can do in a live
show without electronic equipment. Believe me, I'd rather just have a good combo
to work with, but finding musicians is like pulling teeth. Anyone care to come
over and help out?

Elazar
Misrad HaJazz
Doctor Jazz Band
Jerusalem, Israel
<www.israel.net/ministry-of-jazz>
Tel: +972-2-679-2537