Sample Mp3

Arranged for Steel Band by Mat Britain 

Notes- 

Lead/Tenor part requires a bit of dexterity and understanding of alternating sticking. It is not a rhythmically complex arrangement, however, getting the parts to line up and groove will be the challenge.

The separate Dbl 2nds parts, and Guitar/Cello parts are essential.

Pedagogical Points/Performance Notes-

I stumbled across this little-known song while searching the Soca releases for Carnival 2024. It’s a substantial departure from the typical "cut & paste" Soca tunes that surface every year which is why it caught my attention.

Having your students listen to the source material is essential. My arrangement follows the song's form closely and is in the same key as the original, E minor.

As you listen to the original you will notice that it is just vocals, including a rap-type part by the male vocalist, and a drum groove. No bass line or chordal instruments. I crafted the bass line and harmony parts on my own and borrowed some ideas from the harmony parts in the female vocals. There is definitely some harmonic dissonance that may open your students' ears to the tension and release found in music.

Letter B has the Dbl TN, and both Dbl 2nd parts featured with the melody. Work towards phrasing the melody like the female vocalist does in the original.

Letters E & F showcase the pans with unison licks and tight harmonies. Playing these fairly simple rhythms as cleanly as possible with good balance, blend, and unison execution is crucial.

Rolls- I've been using a single slash to indicate 1-handed rolls (mostly in Dbl TN, Dbl 2nds), and a double slash for 2-handed rolls.

Notice there are no written dynamics. The dynamics of the piece happen primarily through thinning out and thickening the arrangement. Feel free to add dynamics and phrasing that suit your band.

Drum Chart- This part is really just for navigational purposes. The drum part on the original is a very repetitive loop. Use it as a reference but feel free to make this part your own. Try not to play a “typical” Soca pattern. Listen to some recent Soca releases and check out how Soca patterns have changed. Realize that letters E & F are features for the pans and experiment with just soft quarter notes on the Hi Hat or laying out completely if your band has a strong rhythmic sense. Very few (if any!) fills are needed. Try and sound like the contemporary loop that so many Soca songs have but give it your own human feel.

Style- Contemporary Soca

I hope your band enjoys learning this song! If you like this one, check out my arrangement of "Bad Ting" by the same artist, also available on MauMauMusic.

Thanks, -Mat

Difficulty: Easy/Medium (great for junior high, high school and college steel bands)

Instrumentation: tenor/double tenor/double seconds 1/double seconds 2/guitar/cello/bass/ drum set/engine room

ITEM ID : SDMB-016