Call me al solo

[Delamitri79]

Hey folks. 

Ok I want to try and settle something between myself and the drummer. The bass solo in call me al is something that I've struggled with for a long time but lately I feel like I'm nailing it pretty well. 

This is how I'm counting it. 

1+2+3+4+1+2+3+4 with the solo starting just after the 1 beat. The verse comes back in then on the 1 of bar 3 if ya get me. 

I've listened to it hundreds of times and played it correctly over and over again and I feel I have it right. 

The problem is the drummer doesn't come back for the verse on the same beat as me. He comes in on the one after and insists I'm doing something wrong. 

Can someone please count this out for me or write it out musically or whatever way that I can count it properly 

 

Many Thanks 

[blisters on my fingers]

You know the second part of the solo is the first part reversed by studio trickery ?

Not that helps with your question 😃

[Delamitri79]

Just now, blisters on my fingers said:

You know the second part of the solo is the first part reversed by studio trickery ?

Not that helps with your question 😃

Cheers yeah I know about the reverse stuff alright. 

[AndyTravis]

There’s a reversed snare drum too. Makes for a little weird timing.

On the Graceland in Africa Concert version BK plays the backward and forward bits, might be worth a watch.

i have the dvd somewhere

[fleabag]

I was scratching my walnut when i read the thread  title. Who the hell is al solo and why would anyone call ya that ..

 

[blisters on my fingers]

Just listened a few times and you are spot on - two bar break and then everything comes back on the beat.

[Delamitri79]

4 minutes ago, fleabag said:

I was scratching my walnut when i read the thread  title. Who the hell is al solo and why would anyone call ya that ..

 

Hans solo's half brother 😂

[Delamitri79]

3 minutes ago, blisters on my fingers said:

Just listened a few times and you are spot on - two bar break and then everything comes back on the beat.

Nice one mate. So you'd count it the same way as me? 

[blisters on my fingers]

Yeah I would, can't see why your drummer is having a problem with it !

[Delamitri79]

Just now, blisters on my fingers said:

Yeah I would, can't see why your drummer is having a problem with it !

I dunno man but I was doubting myself then, ya know? 

[blisters on my fingers]

Yeah I know that feeling only too well (not with our drummer I hasten to add, it's usually the 6 stringers counting with their five fingers that fecks it up) 😖

[MrCrane]

2 hours ago, Delamitri79 said:

Hans solo's half brother 😂

Napoleon's UNCLE, surely?

[tauzero]

14 hours ago, AndyTravis said:

There’s a reversed snare drum too. Makes for a little weird timing.

On the Graceland in Africa Concert version BK plays the backward and forward bits, might be worth a watch.

i have the dvd somewhere

Saw Paul Simon at the NEC on the Gracelands tour. BK played the solo bit twice, it got so much applause the first time.

[Muzz]

When we first decided to do this, years ago, I was scratching my head a lot, and decided to Google some live versions. Blimey. And not in a good way. 😕

I felt a lot better about myself after that - especially a couple of the Paul Simon live ones (without BK, obv...)  😀

[TheGreek]

13 hours ago, MrCrane said:

Napoleon's UNCLE, surely?

Funny but it shows your age...

[goblin]

If you break your 1+2+3+4+ up again (think half and half again), so it's 1ee +a 2ee +a 3ee +a 4ee +a, your first note comes on the ee of the 1, the fill goes over two bars, and then everything comes back in on the nose of the 1 third bar.

Never failed me or tripped a drummer up yet

[MrCrane]

44 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

Funny but it shows your age...

I gave up worrying about that a long time ago.

[arthurhenry]

2 hours ago, goblin said:

If you break your 1+2+3+4+ up again (think half and half again), so it's 1ee +a 2ee +a 3ee +a 4ee +a, your first note comes on the ee of the 1, the fill goes over two bars, and then everything comes back in on the nose of the 1 third bar.

Never failed me or tripped a drummer up yet

Correct.

[Delamitri79]

3 hours ago, goblin said:

If you break your 1+2+3+4+ up again (think half and half again), so it's 1ee +a 2ee +a 3ee +a 4ee +a, your first note comes on the ee of the 1, the fill goes over two bars, and then everything comes back in on the nose of the 1 third bar.

Never failed me or tripped a drummer up yet

Absolutely mate. On the nose of the 1 third bar. 

[spencer.b]

You're right , why not suggest practicing it together with a metronome running?

[Delamitri79]

1 hour ago, spencer.b said:

You're right , why not suggest practicing it together with a metronome running?

We're gonna run through it on Friday night. I said it to him and he maintains that I'm playing it wrong and my timing of it is off. 

[lowdown]

Not my transcription below, but worth showing the Drummer. It sounds like he is counting the first note of the Bass solo as one, when in fact, it starts on the upbeat of one. I have had the misfortune of depping in a band when the runaway train was doing something similar by the sound of your story.

 

The guy who transcribed the below chart has written up a little brief on how to nail it accurately.

 

Edited June 19, 2019 by lowdown

[Delamitri79]

20 minutes ago, lowdown said:

Not my transcription below, but worth showing the Drummer. It sounds like he is counting the first note of the Bass solo as one, when in fact, it starts on the upbeat of one. I have had the misfortune of depping in a band when the runaway train was doing something similar by the sound of your story.

 

The guy who transcribed the below chart has written up a little brief on how to nail it accurately.

 

Very interesting alright. I've seen this before and I think he's pretty close but not quite there. There is no open notes in the actual riff. They're ghost notes. The timing seems right though

[Heathy]

I think the open notes are there (apart from the open E). I thought they were ghost notes until I slowed the track down to 50% on You Tube.

I really like the cross string approach - so thanks for posting this.

Always reassuring to me that Paul Simon's bass player messes it up live. I think it's important to remain loyal to that!

[Delamitri79]

1 minute ago, Heathy said:

I think the open notes are there (apart from the open E). I thought they were ghost notes until I slowed the track down to 50% on You Tube.

I really like the cross string approach - so thanks for posting this.

Always reassuring to me that Paul Simon's bass player messes it up live. I think it's important to remain loyal to that!

Are ya sure the open notes are there? I'll have to slow her down again😂. I like the open note approach. It does seem a little easier playing them on the 1st half descending line but it's very tricky to keep the strings quiet if you include them in the 2nd half ascending line. 

I feel a compromise comin on