Joscho's Caravan

Jack

Hi all,

Has anyone heard the version of Caravan on Joscho Stephan's Swing News? I'm wondering if it falls into some convenient category...I want to say Rhumba when I hear it, but I'm not sure. Then, too, it changes slightly at the bridge.

At any rate, I've been trying to follow it with mixed degrees of success, but if anyone's got some basic picking direction for the rhythm part-accents, etc., I'd love to see it. One other interesting note: from the video I've seen, his rhythm player (uncle or dad, I think) seems to play without a pick...

Best,
Jack.

Barengero

Jack wrote:

One other interesting note: from the video I've seen, his rhythm player (uncle or dad, I think) seems to play without a pick...

Hi Jack,

yes it´s true: Joscho´s father always plays without a pick. He is used to play rhythm only with his thumb.

By the way: Since a few years Moritz Weiss is soloing only with his right thumb. It looks a little bit like a kind of high-speed-Wes-Montgomery…

Best,
Barengero

Jack

Well,

I'm embarrassed to say the rhythm on this tune is still stumping me...I'm screwing up the accents somewhere...can anyone help a brother out?

Thanks,
Jack.

Jack

I forgot to mention you can hear a clip of it here:
http://acoustic-music.de/portrait/stephan.htm

nwilkins

it's a variation of what is desrcibed in the Nolan books as a Samba - you could try working with RNT vol. 3

Carter O`Brien

it's really just applying the first half of the Afro-cuban "son" clave pattern (aka the Bo Diddley beat) to rhythm guitar through accentuation, you hear it often played on a cowbell or claves if you know the standard salsa conga rhythm:

heel-toe slap
toe-heel-toe tone tone

the clave accents are played on the one, the two-and, and the four.

Jack

Thanks, guys! I'd actually been working with a samba rhythm, but I haven't been able to sync it up with the recording-it's tough! I'll keep plugging away...

Best,
Jack.

dennis

it's alternate strumming throughout in 8th notes ... so 8 strokes in a bar

1, 4, 7 are accented (non muted)... the rest is muted

Jack

Thanks Dennis, that's exactly what I've been playing the last couple of days; now it's just taking the time to get it up to tempo-and keeping it there! It's so smooth on the album but mine just sounds spastic...back to work!

Thanks all,
Jack.