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 Back to the Tempo Dispatch Archives  

 ISSUE #18___\__\__\__\__\__________/__/__/__/__/ JUNE 5, 1998

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               TABLE OF CONTENTS
            What is in this issue?
     Contents:
      1. Feature Article:
                   THE 'UNIVERSAL' SONG COUNT
      2. JOKE OF THE MONTH: 'Dangerous Dog'

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  SPECIAL NOTE TO BEGINNING STUDENTS:

          This months feature is for the more advanced students.
  It won't hurt you to study it though you may not be ready to use
  this material for awhile.  (It is a little bit confusing.)

             SO FIRST, HERE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL
                   FOR BEGINNERS THIS MONTH

          So that you beginners won't feel neglected, please
  visit the following special URL.  It is loaded with articles that
  are written with ALL students in mind.    Just
  read and study the feature articles.

 Back to the Tempo Dispatch Archives  


          Hang in there!  I promise that next months lesson will get
  back to basics.

          NOW . . . on with this months feature article.

  ............................................................

                THE 'UNIVERSAL' SONG COUNT

           For you to fully appreciate this lesson I need
  to make you understand the importance of using the
  UNIVERSAL SONG COUNT system before I explain how it works.
  It isn't JUST a song counting system . . . it can be a lifesaver
  in an otherwise terror stricken moment.

          When we play professionally, it often occurs that
  many times we may snag a gig with a top flight band on
  the fly.  They need a drummer NOW and we just happen to
  be standing there, broke and hungry.  Maybe we are getting
  to try out for the job based on reputation, the recommendation
  of a friend or we just happened to be standing in the right
  place at the right time.  The point is, it happens this way
  all the time in the music business.

          All of a sudden, there we are on stage with a
  bunch of total strangers we just met backstage. There
  was no time to rehearse and not even a chance to scan
  a song list!  We have no idea what songs they may play
  or how ANY of their arrangements may be structured.
          Really!  This is a nightmare that occurs all
  the time.  It's a true taste of 'winging it' carried to
  the most horrific extreme.

  IMAGINE THE FOLLOWING SCENARIO . . .

           The lights dim, (drum roll please) and from the far
  corner of the stage we hear the bass player screaming at the
  top of his lungs, "8th 4/4 . . . (He takes a short breath,
  then screams in-tempo) 2, 3, 4, 1".  Then, on
  the second occurrence of '2' the music comes on like gang
  busters!
           This is a good band and these guys are accustomed to
  working with a drummer who knows his stuff!  They were quietly
  praying that you would have knowledge of this UNIVERSAL SONG
  COUNT method that was just tossed at you without warning.  If
  you caught it, the job may be yours for keeps.

           Thank God for that extra little bit of help from
  the Bass player!  He is a God-send and he has just come
  through like a true friend indeed.  That is, if you were
  aware of the importance of that 'Universal Song Count'.
  His, "8th 4/4" told you what beat to play and that first '2'
  in the count told you the intro type and WHEN to come in
  playing.

           This method of 'counting-off' songs contains the most
  information in the fewest amount of words.  No rehearsal
  necessary!  We know from the 'odd sounding' count, just exactly
  what kind of intro to expect and we are able to come in playing
  with the rest of the band at the end of that count though we may
  have no idea what song we are actually playing.
           The count began on '2'.  This tells us wordlessly that
  we will begin playing on the next '2' and the song intro will
  contain a '3' count lead in.  That is precisely the info needed
  to have the entire band come in on-time playing together, even if
  they have never heard the song in their life!
          This is the absolute BEST counting method I have ever
  encountered.  I didn't invent it.  I don't know who did, but I
  would like to thank a guitar player by the name of Neil Flange
  for showing it to me.  It is unquestionably the BEST way to get
  a band playing 'tight' immediately, without rehearsals.  If you
  and your band know the counting system, you know the most
  important part of most songs without rehearsing, the 'intro'.

          Everyone has heard the old saying . . .

          "Get the intros and endings correct and most people
  will never notice all the screw-ups in the middle".

          It is true!  And the UNIVERSAL SONG COUNT is the
  surest way to get all those intros correct with the least
  amount of words and effort.
          Everyone in the band must understand it though.
  That's the hard part!

  HERE IS HOW THE UNIVERSAL SONG COUNT WORKS:

          Almost all songs can be deduced to a 4 count,
  (everything but Waltzes, in 3/4 time.)
          Remember 12/8 can be thought of as triplet
  4/4 and Cut-Time 2/4 may be 'counted' in fours too.

          Only a few of those 4 count songs will begin
  on 'ONE' of the first measure.  Those are the only songs
  that will be counted with a simple 1,2,3,4 count.  They
  are the easy songs.  You hear 'ONE' as the first number
  in the count and come in playing on the next occurrence
  of 'ONE'.

  .......................................................
  NOTE:  The second occurrence isn't spoken, it is the
  first note of the song.
  .......................................................

          If the song can be deduced to being a 4 count
  song then there are only three other possible counting
  procedures besides 1,2,3,4.
          Those three remaining possible counts are:

                  a.  2,3,4,1
                  b.  3,4,1,2
                  c.  4,1,2,3

          The thing to remember is that you will come in
  playing on the second occurrence of the first number in the
  count.  THINK ABOUT THAT! If you hear '3' as the first number,
  you know to begin playing at the instant you would say '3'
  again.  Immediately, you will realize that this particular
  song will have a two count 'lead in' (on the second occurrences
  of 3 and 4.)  This brings you to the beginning of the first
  actual measure and the count of 1.
          Still, other songs requiring a count of 4,1,2,3 will
  indicate that we hit ONE 'lead in' note as we say 4 the
  second time.  This gets us to the beginning of the first
  measure.
          Of course the example I used in my little story
  above began on the count of 2.  We say 2,3,4,1 . . . then
  play three lead in counts on the unspoken numbers of
  2,3,4 . . . bringing us into count 1 of the first full
  measure of the song.
          This sounds more confusing than it is!  It is
  really easy once you use it a few times.  Like I said
  earlier . . . it can save a mouth-full of words at times
  when the pressures of the business will not allow ANY time
  for discussion.  That is the VALUE of this method over all
  others!
          Take it for what it is worth . . . It may come in
  real handy someday when you least expect it.
          As a final note I should mention that a 'count'
  might consist of one 4th note, two 8th notes, four 16ths
  or whatever.  But you knew that already, didn't you.

          KEEP THINKING!  IT WILL BE WORTH IT!

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                  *** JOKE: DANGEROUS DOG ***
       Upon entering the little country store, the stranger
  noticed a sign saying DANGER! BEWARE OF DOG! posted on
  the glass door. Inside he noticed a harmless old hound
  dog asleep on the floor beside the cash register.

       He asked the store manager, "Is THAT the dog folks
  are supposed to beware of?"

       "Yep, that's him," he replied.

       The stranger couldn't help but be amused. "That
  certainly doesn't look like a dangerous dog to me. Why in
  the world would you post that sign?"

       "Because", the owner replied, "before I posted that
  sign, people kept tripping over him."
               ................................

        This joke was lifted from:

                  'The Family Humor Archive'
                             AT:
                http://www.slonet.org/~tellswor/
        It was accompanied by the following note . . .

        Emailed from another humor list (The Funny-Bone)
        To SUBSCRIBE send a message to majordomo@lists.spunge.org
        with the following in the *body*
                                      subscribe funny-bone

          ___________________________________________________
             Your drumming questions are always welcome at
                      drums01@att.net

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Your measure of yourself is VERY IMPORTANT! How do you measure up? This may offer a clue!

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END OF TEMPO DISPATCH #18 JUNE, 1998

Copyright Bill Powelson 1994 all rights reserved.