Grateful Dead Music Forum

Hey, I was wondering if anyone had any good tips for improvising over Turn On Your Lovelight? My band covers it, and I've been using the Ionian and Mixolydian modes, along with the horn section lead from an older version by an artist who's name I can't remember. Does anyone have any tips? Also, my band is a three piece at the moment, and I was wondering how we could get the biggest sound out of the three of us? Sorry for the double question, and sorry if someone has already asked this. I'm new to the forums. Thanks in advance for any help!

Be nasty, filthy and wallowing in oozing funk.

Oh and also WAIT A MINUTE.

Haha, thanks, and alright. Did you mean wait a minute as in wait for more information, or during the song? Sorry ha.

wait a minute! as in Pigpen calling the band to a halt and then rapping about dudes being wallflowers and drive your car into my driveway turn your lamp down low etc while the band vamps

perhaps you could find a couple of pigpen inspired Lovelights and listen to what they are doing to strecth out the song

Oh, okay haha. Good idea, will do. Our main problem is sounding too thin. Both the bassist and I play the main riff, but I'm really considering playing chords over it in an attempt to fix our problem.

Mickgrohl03 wrote:Oh, okay haha. Good idea, will do. Our main problem is sounding too thin. Both the bassist and I play the main riff, but I'm really considering playing chords over it in an attempt to fix our problem.

I'd suggest your bassist play the main riff in an upper register and you play the chords.


Also, watch the crowd for how vulgar you can get with the rap after "WAIT A MINUTE!".


Yesterday on XM Pig rapped about how men need "PUSSY, that's right. PUSSY!"

Ha, alright. We're just teenagers, so I doubt we'll get away with that. I'll definitely have him play it up an octave or two, though.

I would recommend that the bass player avoid playing the main riff during jams as much as possible - it's a cool riff but over those long, open jams it can get a little monotonous. When he/she finally goes to the riff it's much more effective. As far as scales go, I usually bounce around between a pretty bluesy scale and the E-mixolydian. I like doing a lot of the open jam sections as bluesy jam over the E chord and hold off on the A chord as much as possible. Our bassist used to play with Bobby "Blue" Bland so he sometimes gets into a more straight feel. Either way I would keep in mind that this is essentially a horn tune and think about how a sax player would approach the tune.

tcsned wrote: As far as scales go, I usually bounce around between a pretty bluesy scale and the E-mixolydian. I like doing a lot of the open jam sections as bluesy jam over the E chord and hold off on the A chord as much as possible.

I bet you do something without thinking about... The A is and A7 and that 7th note would also make the E a minor so I bet you are careful with that in the bounce

OP - watch out for that!

yep, shoulda mentioned that - though sometimes the dissonance between the G (the 7th of the A7) and G# (3rd of the E) adds some good tension. I like to keep that tension going as long as possible then at some point open up to the straighter riff and the E mixolydian jam - I sometimes add some Dickey Betts flavor to it 'cause I'm a big Allman Bros fan

I did not know that Steve played with Bobby Bland, one of my favorite all-time singers. I promoted one of his shows back in the mid nineties, when I was in that business (lost over $21,000 on that one -- 368 paying customers at the Roanoke Civic Center auditorium). Did he play with BBB when Wayne Bennett played guitar? Still must have been awesome!

tcsned wrote:I would recommend that the bass player avoid playing the main riff during jams as much as possible - it's a cool riff but over those long, open jams it can get a little monotonous. When he/she finally goes to the riff it's much more effective. As far as scales go, I usually bounce around between a pretty bluesy scale and the E-mixolydian. I like doing a lot of the open jam sections as bluesy jam over the E chord and hold off on the A chord as much as possible.

+1

ugly rumor wrote:I did not know that Steve played with Bobby Bland, one of my favorite all-time singers. I promoted one of his shows back in the mid nineties, when I was in that business (lost over $21,000 on that one -- 368 paying customers at the Roanoke Civic Center auditorium). Did he play with BBB when Wayne Bennett played guitar? Still must have been awesome!

I'm not sure when he played with him or who was playing guitar but he was playing with a bunch of those guys back then (I'm guessing it was the mid 80s) - Otis Rush, Billy Boy Arnold and a few others. Dang, I didn't he played the 'Noke . . .