Phil Lesh & the Terrapin Family Band, May 28
Welcome to the Phil Zone: A Lesson in the Phil Lesh Manner
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A Lesson in the Phil Lesh Manner…
Several things arrive difficult to draw, characterize, or analyze Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh'southward style of playing. I outcome is the improvisatory nature of the Grateful Expressionless's music. Songs are never played exactly the aforementioned way twice. Even the songs with a fairly strict structure will vary from performance to functioning. Lesh will usually stick to a basic experience similar it's a route map, just how he navigates from point A to betoken B in each performance varies. This presents a hurdle if you desire to learn to play a song the manner Phil played it. Which version are you going to larn? For most bands, the studio anthology version is thought of as the definitive version. For the Dead, the studio version is oft the least definitive. The songs are given life on stage, non in the studio.
Another issue is that the Dead aren't merely known for improvisations—the Dead are known for long improvisations. Performances of "Playing in the Band," "Truckin'," and "Bird Song," amidst others, often terminal fifteen to 20 minutes. "Night Star" normally lasts longer. And for the most office, once the jam section of the song begins, what Lesh plays in ane version won't translate seamlessly to some other.
At that place are, nonetheless, some things he does relatively consistently. Then let'south look at several central aspects of Phil's playing earlier we dive into some transcriptions.
- Durations. Lesh tends to play curt annotation durations. Retrieve "staccato" rather than "legato" (or "detached" rather than "continued"). Even when leaving space in his line, the space will often come up in the form of a curt annotation followed past a residual, rather than a note sustained for a longer elapsing.
- Lack of repetition. Lesh very rarely repeats himself. This lack of repetition is true from performance to functioning of the same vocal, as mentioned above, simply in Lesh's case, it is likewise true within a particular performance of a song. He almost never repeats an idea, which sometimes gives his bass lines a "stream of consciousness" feel. They are always looking forward, never looking back. And particularly once the improvisatory jam begins, he is increasingly less probable to play a repetitive blueprint.
- Avoidance of downbeat. Lesh tends to play "across the bar lines," and does not hit the root of the chord on the downbeat as often as expected. In virtually other rock/pop or groove-based music, bass players will hit the root of the chord on every downbeat, or at the beginning of every 2-mensurate pattern (call up the Beatles' "Come Together," the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There," Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hr," et al). Every bit we'll come across in the examples below, Lesh doesn't completely avoid playing the chord root on the downbeat, only he very frequently withholds information technology as a way of edifice tension.
- Syncopation. Tied closely to the previous idea is Lesh'due south frequent (near abiding) use of syncopation. Playing through the transcriptions below, yous'll notice how often he plays on the "and" of the trounce, rather than right on the beat.
- Annals. Phil uses the entire range of his instrument, whether he's playing a four-, 5-, or vi-string bass. He'due south not afraid to hang out in the upper register for long periods of time.
Phil Lesh – Playing in the Ring
"Playing in the Band" is 1 of the Dead songs that became a vehicle for extended jams. Below are transcriptions of Phil Lesh's bass line from the offset verse of three different performances of this song: 12/nine/73 from Tampa, FL (bachelor on Dick's Picks Vol. 1); 9/ix/74 from Alexandra Palace in London, England (Dick's Picks Vol. 7); and 2/3/78 from Madison, WI (Dick's Picks Vol. 18). The Grateful Dead played this vocal nigh 600 times between 1971 and 1995. A transcription of a few measures of 3 different versions is by no means exhaustive, simply it will give us an idea of how Phil builds a bass line and how he varies it from functioning to performance. We can run across what is consistent and what is not.
The poetry of the song is based on repetitions of a 10-beat blueprint (four+iv+2). I've transcribed four passes through this pattern and labeled them A, B, C, and D in the extract so information technology's easy to proceed track of where we are.
Glancing at these 3 transcriptions (case one), they seem to be wildly different, but in that location are several things Phil does consistently betwixt all three versions. One thing to notice is that Lesh lands on a strong root D on beat 1 of each ten-beat measure (i.east., the start beat of A, B, C, and D). In the 1980s, Phil would gravitate toward 5- and half dozen-string basses, but the D he plays in these transcriptions (5th fret on the A cord) is the lowest available on the 4-cord basses he favored in the 1970s. In other words, he'south playing his lowest, strongest D as a way of keeping the band anchored in this unusual time signature.
Something else Phil Lesh is consistent virtually in these three performances is his note choices. He plays almost exclusively notes from a D major pentatonic scale (D-East-F#-A-B). In fact, the but annotation outside of D pentatonic in the transcriptions is the 1000# most the end of the 3rd measure of the functioning from the Alexandra Palace. Even that Thou# is short and is very much but a passing tone to get to A.
Another similarity is that Lesh emphasizes the "off-beats" in all iii versions, though to different extents. The performance from 1973 is the virtually syncopated.Notice how few notes fall on the beat. His bass line from the 1978 testify in Madison is the most regular. The first half dozen beats of A and B are exactly the same, a rare instance of Lesh repeating himself. He then begins C the same as A and B, but varies it slightly afterwards a few beats.
Every bit we see from these three performances, Lesh does not accept a specific bass line that he plays for this song. He does, notwithstanding, seem to accept basic parameters for his groove that he follows every bit a sort of framework for variation: one) improvise with the D major pentatonic scale, 2) emphasis the first beat of each repetition of the 10-beat phrase with a potent root D, and 3) emphasize the off-beats everywhere else. Given that this song unremarkably includes an extended jam department, Lesh will gradually discard these parameters as the band moves toward costless improvisation.
Scarlet Begonias
"Blood-red Begonias" was another staple of the ring'southward concert repertoire subjected to extensive jamming, oft leading into "Fire on the Mount." Example 2 is a transcription of the first 16 measures of the jam section in the performance from Alexandra Palace on 9/nine/74, starting at approximately 4:35 in the recording. This is where Jerry Garcia and keyboardist Keith Godchaux play the riff that ends the vocal proper, and is the starting indicate for the jam that follows. Everything takes off from here. I've included a transcription of the riff Jerry and Keith are playing, because information technology'south important to run across how Phil Lesh plays against it. Virtually bass players probably would have played this riff with the guitar and keyboard. Phil opts for an contained line that acts equally a sort of counterpoint against the chief riff.
The riff and accompanying parts are based effectually a B mixolydian scale (think B major but with a lowered 7th—so A natural rather than A sharp), but Lesh is mostly playing notes of a B major pentatonic scale with the occasional addition of E. In the excerpt transcribed, he completely avoids any kind of A, although as the jam continues over the next several minutes, he does begin incorporating A naturals.
In this section of the song, the band is playing a 4-measure blueprint. Phil plays the root B on the commencement beat of each pattern (i.due east., downbeat of mm. 1, 5, 9, and 13 of the instance). The beginning 2 times through the pattern, he plays a C# on the downbeat of the 2nd measure (mm. 2 and half dozen). Otherwise, bass notes on downbeats are scarce.
Every bit the band begins to jam later on this transcribed example, information technology is clear they're still thinking and playing in 4-measure groupings. Lesh continues in much the aforementioned style, playing syncopated lines and, at least for a while, hitting a strong B on the downbeat every 4 measures, usually accompanied by a crash in the drums. This helps go on the band together, but also keeps the jam relatively grounded.
Equally they keep playing, though, Phil Lesh begins to avoid hitting that B at the beginning of each 4-measure pattern. Case three is from near a infinitesimal later in the jam (approximately v:44 in the recording). The arrows above the 5th and 9th measures bespeak where we await him to country on B, just he consciously avoids it. This is a common fashion Lesh builds tension. Striking the root at the first of each pattern is like a release valve. The longer he avoids information technology, the more the tension builds. When he finally lands back on B on the downbeat of the 13th measure, he releases the tension and can brainstorm building it upwardly over again.
That kind of tension and release is important in all music, but in improvised music, y'all as the bass role player have a lot of control over how that tension builds and when it is released. You tin can recollect of it like sitting in a chair. When all four legs of the chair are on the ground, you feel entirely stable. If you begin leaning back in the chair and the front legs come up off the ground, there's a certain amount of tension created. The further yous lean back, the more than the tension builds. You can release that tension past putting all iv legs dorsum on the ground. Playing the root of the chord (or central, mode, etc.) on beat out 1 is the equivalent of having all four legs of the chair on the footing. The groove is stable, and sometimes y'all want that. In fact, sometimes yous need that. Once you brainstorm moving away from the root, avoiding the downbeat, and/or introducing or increasing syncopation, y'all are creating tension in the music (leaning back in the chair). The longer you exercise that, the more than tension you create–at least to a certain point. Do it as well long and you run the risk of losing the sense of cohesion the music originally had.
Phil Lesh – Dark Star
"Dark Star" was a vehicle for some of the Grateful Dead's most experimental improvisation. The operation shown in example 4, from Veneta, OR 8/27/72 (released every bit Sunshine Daydream), begins with the song's intro riff, which leads to an "opening jam." In this detail performance, the opening jam lasts over 11 minutes before Garcia sings the verse. I've merely provided the first 16 measures of this jam, but it's a good starting indicate.
Phil Lesh's line here isn't as syncopated every bit the ones discussed above, though information technology remains anything but regular. Observe the curvation shapes in Phil's line each time he moves away from A. He repeatedly ascends, and then gradually descends dorsum to A. He gets into the higher register of his instrument early and often. This makes the song feel lighter and less grounded and creates a bigger impact when he finally lands back on the root so heavily. It'due south another case of Lesh moving away from the root as a manner to build tension, then landing dorsum on a potent A to release it.
Lesh is primarily improvising with an A mixolydian scale. Again, as the jam goes on, he gradually adds dissonance, only he periodically reasserts A mixolydian to keep things from going completely off the rails. In the extended jam department after the verses, the same is true… for a while. At a certain indicate, the band abandons A mixolydian altogether in favor of some atonal improvisation.
Phil Lesh has an unusual approach to the bass. Information technology is 1 that suits the Dead'south fashion of music very well. Just it also requires a lot of trust and agreement from other members of the band who may be expecting more traditional bass lines. In almost situations, we can't go away with Phil'south approach to playing. Fifty-fifty in Grateful Dead cover bands, many times bass players either don't try to play like Phil, or perhaps were told not to past other ring members. Lesh's playing, though, is a key component of the sound of the Grateful Dead, probably 2d in importance only to Garcia'south atomic number 82 guitar. So, if you're going for that accurate Grateful Dead audio, give your bandmates fair warning, and so dive headfirst into the Phil Zone.
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Source: https://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2020/12/welcome-to-the-phil-zone-a-lesson-in-the-phil-lesh-style/
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