Classic rock phrasing
Lesson time: (1min 13sec)
Mike Lovatt works through the rhythm in bar two, showing how keeping that quaver short is what gives the line a rock feel rather than a swing one.
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Play Authentic Rock Trumpet
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Classic Rock Phrasing
So now let's look at some classic rock phrasing.
If you look at the second bar, we've got this rhythm:
-
Quaver, crotchet, quaver, tied to another quaver.
Ta da da. Tickets, please.
You could say we need to make sure that the quaver is short:
- Ta da da.
If we played it the other way round and we played the quaver long, it would automatically sound like swing, like this.
And then we'd swing the rest of the other quavers. It starts to sound like a swing piece and not rock at all.
Let's play it short.
Now, the quaver is short and the crotchet is long.
I'll count you in and you try:
1, 2, 3, 4.
About the instructor
Mike Lovatt studied at Trinity College of Music, where he was awarded the Jon Kelly Jazz Scholarship. He has performed and recorded across a huge range of styles with artists including Quincy Jones, Robbie Williams, Eric Clapton, the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Michael Buble, Oasis, Michel Legrand, Tony Bennett, Shirley Bassey and Danny Elfman, among many others. As Principal Trumpet in London's West End, Mike has performed in Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, The Producers, Billy Elliot, Guys and Dolls, Saturday Night Fever, My Fair Lady and Spamalot, amongst others. He has played on movie soundtracks including the James Bond films, Harry Potter with the London Symphony Orchestra, the award-winning Chicago, Kevin Spacey's Beyond the Sea, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Madagascar and The Corpse Bride. He is featured on trumpet and cornet in George Fenton's Mrs Henderson Presents, and on trumpet in Looking for Eric. Mike is principal trumpet with the Grammy-nominated John Wilson Orchestra and has been featured in their celebrated BBC Promenade concerts and recordings. Mike is sought after as a teacher and clinician, and is a professor of trumpet at the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music. In April 2013 he was proud to be awarded the prestigious Derek Watkins' Chair of Trumpet at the Royal Academy of Music, London. In his MusicGurus courses, Mike shares the secrets behind his versatility, showing you how to nail authentic swing, rock and Latin trumpet styles so you can play any of them with confidence and the right feel. read more