#MusicTheory #TalkShowBands #ImpromptuSong #KeyChange
Have you ever wondered how talk show bands are able to play an impromptu song in the same key? 🎵 It may seem like a magical ability, but in reality, it all comes down to a few key factors. Let’s break it down and learn the secrets behind this impressive skill!
##Understanding Musical Keys
Before we dive into how talk show bands are able to play in the same key, let’s first understand what a musical key is. In music theory, a key refers to the group of pitches or notes that form the basis of a musical composition. The key of a song is determined by the tonic, which is the starting note or pitch of the piece.
###Examples of Common Keys:
– C Major
– A Minor
– G Major
– E Minor
##The Role of the Tonic
The tonic note is like the anchor of a song – it establishes the key and provides a sense of stability throughout the piece. When talk show bands play an impromptu song, they are able to instantly play in the same key by identifying and anchoring their music around the tonic note.
###How Musicians Identify the Tonic:
1. Listen for the most prominent or final note in a musical phrase.
2. Use their ear training to discern the tonal center of the music.
3. Pay attention to chord progressions and melodic patterns to determine the key.
##Musical Intuition and Communication
One of the key factors that allow talk show bands to play in the same key is their musical intuition and communication skills. Musicians who have experience performing together develop a musical shorthand that allows them to quickly and efficiently communicate key changes and musical ideas.
###Tips for Improving Musical Communication:
– Practice with your bandmates regularly to develop a strong musical connection.
– Use verbal cues or hand signals to indicate key changes or musical directions.
– Stay attentive and responsive to the nuances of the music as you play.
##Transposing and Adapting
In some cases, talk show bands may need to adapt to unexpected key changes or musical challenges while playing an impromptu song. This requires quick thinking, adaptability, and a deep understanding of music theory.
###Ways to Transpose on the Fly:
1. Identify the current key and determine the new key.
2. Adjust chord progressions, melodies, and harmonies accordingly.
3. Stay focused and trust your musical instincts to guide you through the changes.
##Practice Makes Perfect
Ultimately, the ability of talk show bands to instantly play in the same key comes down to practice, experience, and a strong foundation in music theory. By honing their skills, developing musical intuition, and communicating effectively with their bandmates, musicians can master the art of impromptu performance.
So next time you watch a talk show band effortlessly play an impromptu song in the same key, remember that it’s not magic – it’s the result of dedication, skill, and a love for music! 🎶
In conclusion, the key to playing an impromptu song in the same key lies in a combination of musical knowledge, communication skills, and practice. By understanding the fundamentals of musical keys, developing musical intuition, and staying flexible in the face of unexpected challenges, talk show bands are able to deliver seamless and impressive performances. Next time you find yourself marveling at the musical talents of a talk show band, remember the hard work and dedication that goes into making it all look so effortless! 🎤🎸
They are each great musicians, so they know the formula and progressions of a song just by knowing it or hearing it a couple of times. All it takes is the band leader to shout out the key to everyone and they’ll each know their parts well enough to make the song recognizable.
My bands in the past would get requests and make the shapes of letters with our fingers and hands if we weren’t able to shout it out.
They have in-ear monitors that the band leader communicates through. And even their “impromptu” performances are mostly rehearsed. And there’s an agreement that “if we ever need to just hit a random note make it a X”.
It’s either prior agreement, or quick communication.
Ever seen Back to the Future? “Ok, guys, this is a blues riff in B” is all the band needed to feel their way through Johnny B Goode. Musicians with fast hands and fast brains can really do that. 🙂
[Edit: Obviously, they’re not going to be 100% delighted with that first take, and if you give them some rehearsal time their performances will tighten up a lot!]
I used to see this with the Roots a lot during some bits on Fallon. From what I remember, usually just a couple guys start and lay the base and establish the key, then the others can come in and follow from knowing what the key is.
This is a lot how jazz improvisation works too. So long as the key is established either through calling it out or a player playing through it, it’s “easy” from there for others to contribute in musical ways.
They’re not impromptu. But if they were, the bandleader would tell the musicians what key to play in.
There are hand signals—one finger up is one sharp (G), one finger down is one flat (F) and so forth. Don’t know if these still get used.Â
Most if not all improv acts, be it music, comedy, etc, are not truely improv. There is a lot of rehearsal, so it just takes a quick signal and everyone immediately knows what key it is. Or they just improv always on the same key
This is a great example of what I mean . . . Bette Midler and Johnny Carson start singing Rainy Day acapella, and then the pianist comes in after several seconds, so they’ve already established their pitch. But the pianist is dead on.
I would be scared shitless to start playing after someone is already singing . . .
But I also know the Johnny Carson band was the highest echelon of musicians.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAuUGNs0oH0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAuUGNs0oH0)
Saw some commenting that it’s not actually improvised. While certainly there are a lot of tricks used by some bands to make something rehearsed seem spontaneous, I would like to provide the following counter point.
There are many ways to let the band know what key but a big one will be with hand signs. 3 fingers pointing up will mean 3 sharps in the key signature( A Major or F# minor) and 2 fingers pointing down will mean 2 flats in the key signature(Bb major or G minor)
Thrre is also some stuff people do not know about.
There is 2 audio mixer or more. One for the band*, one for the audience. The one for tbe band is always on. They can strike a chord while the audience mixer is still muted. So it basically go: can you make a (here we go.. chord is played) song? (Audience mixer on) (they play).Â
Note: often each musician/singers have their own different mixer because they do not want or need to hear everything, or have different preferences. The drummer will have a click track. Basically a metronome. The singer don’t care about clicks. He might want the instruments but mostly the guitar.
ELI5: These guys are very, very good.
Late night talk show gigs are very good gigs. These people are generally session musicians, and this is guaranteed work five nights a week almost every week for what can be decades. And you still have enough time left over to pick up other session work, good stuff since you’re probably in LA or New York.
Which is to say, people very much want these gigs, and so they don’t hand them out to just anyone. They go out to get the best of the best. Typically these guys have a strong background in jazz improvisation, and being able to pick up on key changes and transpose on the fly is something these guys get real good at.
If you actually don’t communicate the key it’s typically up to the bass player. Drummer picks the tempo, bass picks the key, and guitar picks the melody in a typical 3 piece.
It’s up to the skill of the others to keep up. That’s what makes a good jam band. A lot of people are talking about monitors and stuff but thats only for actual bands who are set up. Most people just feel it out when they jam. You don’t need anything but your instruments
Anybody who says they aren’t impromptu or are always planned, have never played in a band. My favorite way to play music is just to start going. Usually when I’ve played with people the drummer will just start going and one by one we all join in. You just add something complementary. After a while you can almost read their mind because you start to understand how they think about and play their instrument
I did a gig like this. It was a private party for a corporate awards ceremony so they had us play a regular half hour set, then wanted “introduction music,” when each person was called on stage. Winging it, we decided, band leader would just call out a song and which section to start with, drummer would count in and we would go. End with some obvious body movement, all good. Basically he would turn around and say, “Take It Easy from the verse…” Honestly it was super fun although it felt really unnecessary.
I’ll add that nothing on a television show is impromptu. If you see it on TV, it’s 99.9994% likely to have been scripted.
Music is a language. It is a sort of conversation that can be tightly scripted (classical) all the way to free-flowing and seemingly random (hardcore experimental jazz, or fusion music), but it *always* follows ‘grammatical’ rules (rhythm and pitch).
These rules can be bent and also broken, as it goes in spoken language, but have you ever heard a non-native speaker trying to sound like a native? Some are good at it, and some are not, and it’s important to know the difference.
Even starting as an older person, music can be trained, but it’s hard. Any person *who has had limited experience with music* will be slower to process changes and anticipate the direction of the musical conversation, but it’s easier when you’re younger and very much harder when you’re older.
Ear training is a huge part of it, like language, learning to hear and anticipate certain shifts in the conversation.
Long story short: these guys have been playing music for a long time. Add to that, they’ve been playing *together* for a long time. They have high level of ear training.
They know how to start the musical ‘conversation’ and how to depend on and support each other to take it to the conclusion.
Played in some bands myself. Usually there’s someone, typically keys player, with a mic that only goes to everyone’s in-ear monitors so they can talk. So they’ll be like “alright we’re gonna be in C major start on the 1.” And count it off.