TigerBill's DrumBeat Community Forums for Free Expert Advice on Drums and Percussion.

Hi, Joe,

Regarding big band, a couple of quick thoughts come to mind:

• As much as reading of the piano charts, try reading off of the guitar charts on at least some of the tunes. If you double any of the written material (melody lines, etc.), remember that the guitar is a transposing instrument, written one octave higher than it sounds. It may make more sense to double other instruments in the band - double the melody, double the background figures that the arranger has written for the horns behind a soloist, etc. Approach this challenge like an arranger, not just "the vibes player."

You may need to spend some time with the full scores - and this will be a good chance to brush up on your transpositions, if you're going to double the lead alto or the lead trumpet.

• It may take some polite elbowing to act as a comping instrument - it's rare that a big band has a vibes player, so guitarists and pianists might have to be gently reminded that you can comp, too. Of course, be nice about it! Sit down and talk with them outside of rehearsal - sometimes the three of you may map things out ("OK, behind the sax solo, vibes and guitar will comp...behind the trumpet solo, piano and guitar will comp..." etc.) Usually, it'll involve either the piano or the guitarist laying out while you comp. It's not horribly difficult for two instruments to comp simultaneously - one may take a more active rhythmic approach, while the other may play more sparsely - but three at a time is a difficult task to accomplish.

If you are comping while either the guitar or piano is comping as well, look to compliment what they're doing. If they're doing some very rhythmically active things, play more long tones - lots of whole notes. Or, let them comp full chord voicings, while you comp with simpler note choices - the 3rd and 7th of the chords (the "guide tones"), or even single notes doubled at the octave. Think in terms of textures, as much as rhythm and note choice.

Speaking in really broad-brush terms, there are two basic schools of thought when it comes to vibes: approaching the instrument like a horn player (trumpet, saxophone, etc.), or approaching it like a comping/chordal instrument (piano, guitar, etc.) - although it should be noted that the same vibes player may make use of BOTH approaches, depending on the musical situation. Take each chart on its own, and try and figure out where the vibes would best serve the existing arrangement - and remember that you don't have to play all the time, which is something all of us can forget from time to time! ;)

(For more of my thoughts on playing vibes in a big band situation - especially, creating a vibe part where none exists - I invite you to check out one of the lessons on my web site.)

Playing in a combo, the same sorts of issues arise, even if you're not playing fully-notated arrangements like you would with the big band.

Also, FWIW I've noticed that piano players tend to hate having ANYONE ELSE comp during their solos - either vibes OR guitar. They love the freedom to change the harmony, add or subtract chords, etc., which is afforded to them if they're only accompanied by the bassist and drummer; they don't have vibes/guitar locking them into the basic changes of the tune. Let them have their turf. If you do feel the need to comp, take a melodic approach - play things that you would ask a horn section to play, background figures and the like. You don't need to lay down the chord changes for the piano player, so don't even try.

For some good examples of successful vibe/piano combinations in combos, check out Gary Burton's bands in the '80s with Makoto Ozone on piano ("Real Life Hits" is a great disc to start with), or Mike Mainieri's efforts with Steps Ahead (with Eliane Elias, Warren Bernhardt, or Don Grolnick on piano - "Step By Step," "Paradox," "Steps Ahead," or my favorite of the bunch, "Smokin' In The Pit.") Mainieri also recorded "Live at 7th Avenue South" with a pre-Steps band that also featured Warren Bernhardt. Both offer great examples of how piano and vibes can coexist in the same band.

If your school offers jazz arranging classes, and if your schedule allows it, definitely take arranging classes while you're in school. The things I learned there were extremely valuable in improving the content of my vibes playing. Writing out four-part harmony for horn sections, you deal with the same issues you deal with when playing chords on vibes - it's just that instead of manipulating four mallets, you're working with a pencil and an eraser.

After two semesters of harmonizing in my big band arrangements, it was SO much easier to play four-mallet chords on the vibes.

The other obvious thing is to check out as many recordings as you can find where there's a vibes player with a big band.

Gary Burton with the GRP big band
Lionel Hampton with his bands, and with Benny Goodman
Red Norvo with Benny Goodman
Terry Gibbs with his own bands

It's late, so I'm sure I'm forgetting some others. Don't be surprised if I come back and edit that list.

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moderator, mallet forum

Edited by James Walker (Tue Sep 16 2008 03:13 AM)