Bluegrass Rhythm: “Nine Pound Hammer” |
Bluegrass Rhythm: “Nine Pound Hammer”
If you went through Scott’s lesson on playing a solo to “Nine Pound Hammer” you saw him take the melody of “Nine Pound Hammer” apart into four melodic fragments. You can use that melodic analysis to help you figure out how to backup a song like “Nine Pound Hammer”: when and when not to play bass runs, what bass notes to use, etc. If you’re singing a song yourself, it’s pretty clear when to play bass runs: you’ll rarely play a bass run at the same time that you’re singing a melodic line. If you’re not singing the song, it’s good to play rhythm as if you were. So Scott shows you where to put bass lines and fills in “Nine Pound Hammer” to stay out of the vocalist’s way but still create an interesting and powerful accompaniment to the song.