Sample Mp3

This tune came about after listening to a bunch of horn bands like Tower of Power and Cory Wong & the Wongnotes. If your students aren’t familiar with bands like these, turn them on to that music. It’s funky and loads of fun!

Pedagogical Points/Performance Notes-

Intro- As I was finishing up this composition, the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin passed away. The Intro is just a few bars of "Respect" as a tribute to her. The Guitar-Cello part has a 3-voice chord. Split the part between two (or more) players. If you only have one Guitar player, leave out the top note of that chord.

If you aren’t a fan of the "Respect" quote, feel free to start at measure 5.

In the intro and throughout the piece there are dissonant chords in the upper voices designed to replicate horn "stabs". Have your pannists think like brass players for those parts while still maintaining a good quality of sound.

Letter A- is the main melody of the song, presented first with the Lead and Dbl Tenor parts in unison. Then the Dbl Tenor plays a harmony part that’s very important.

Letter B- This section needs to chill out a bit compared to the main theme. It should be light and floaty.

Letter D- will be a great opportunity to work on playing in unison as an ensemble. I would recommend drumming these rhythms on the floor (or other hard surface) so your players can hear any rhythmic inconsistencies.

Measures 63-64. There needs to be complete silence during those 7 counts of rest. No fills, just the band counting like crazy! The simple snare hit on count "4" is the only thing that happens before letter E. This deceptive ending is typical in the Funk style and is very effective when done well. Your audience may even start clapping thinking the song is over. Don’t let that throw you! Keep counting!

Letter E- is designed for a soloist. The only chord during that repeated section is C minor 7. A C minor Blues scale can be taught to the entire group which makes this section a good vehicle for beginning improvisors. This would also be a good spot to feature another instrument like trumpet, sax, vibes, etc. Having a non-steel pan sound is refreshing to an audience attending an all steel band concert. The soloist or director will cue when to move from the repeated section on to measure 69.

From there to the end is all recapitulated material. You are in the home stretch!

Drum Chart- This part is really just for navigational purposes. Have your drummer listen to the aforementioned groups and come up with a fun and funky part. *The last two measures of the song are super important. Make sure your fill is readable by the entire band, so the last three notes are confident and together. Modify your fill until the ending is tight. Be a team player to ensure a successful ending to the song.

I hope your band enjoys learning this song! -Mat

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

Instrumentation: tenor/double tenor(can be played on 2nds)/double seconds/guitar-cello/bass/drum set/percussion (can add congas/Latin percussion)

ITEM ID : SDMB-014