Dirty Old Town

[MacDaddy]

So we've got Dirty Old Town down for St Patrick's Day (yes I know it's not Irish).

I'm keeping the bass simple, roots and fifths, and roots and the down a fourth (generally minims in 4/4).

So if the chord is C, and I'm playing C then down to G, then the next chord is G, staying on the G sounds a bit bare, and passing notes sound a bit bolted on.

My question is, what do you do when the last note (fourth or fifth) is the same as the next root note?

[wateroftyne]

Well, the truth is it might sound a bit bare you you, but to everyone else it'll just sound.. right.

I'd maybe do an E > F# > G walk-up behind the vocal into the G.

Or a C, C > D > G.. that kind of thing.

But whatever I did, it would be fleeting 'cos foot-fifth is king on that tune.

 

[DaveFry]

Play the new note an octave down or up .

[MacDaddy]

Thanks for the replies. I tried the octave thing, but one of the notes in question, is D. I play it fret 5 on the A string. The octave up is too high, and the octave down is too low. Doh!

[Highfox]

14 hours ago, MacDaddy said:

Thanks for the replies. I tried the octave thing, but one of the notes in question, is D. I play it fret 5 on the A string. The octave up is too high, and the octave down is too low. Doh!

Slap it then!

Only joking, nice tune.

[EliasMooseblaster]

22 hours ago, MacDaddy said:

So if the chord is C, and I'm playing C then down to G, then the next chord is G, staying on the G sounds a bit bare, and passing notes sound a bit bolted on.

Try the seventh (B) - it adds unresolved tension to the C chord, but also serves tidily as the third of the following chord, so the resolution feels very natural.

[chris_b]

Have a listen to the Pogues version. They just play root and 5. So chord C to chord G jumps from a low G note (the 5th of C) to the G (root of G) an octave up. Playing the same note between different chords doesn't matter. When the other instruments are playing their lines it all makes sense and doesn't sound clunky at all.

It works because it is that simple.

[MacDaddy]

1 hour ago, chris_b said:

Have a listen to the Pogues version. They just play root and 5. So chord C to chord G jumps from a low G note (the 5th of C) to the G (root of G) an octave up. Playing the same note between different chords doesn't matter. When the other instruments are playing their lines it all makes sense and doesn't sound clunky at all.

It works because it is that simple.

I think it's because we're a 3 piece (+ vox) that it sticks out to me, but as WoT said, to everyone else it sounds right.