What most people would consider informal the time, depending on what role I’m playing in octave, then I’ll fill that. That way when we’re
training, but what I would consider formal a song, I don’t need to play such big voicings. not in each other’s way we’ll actually sound
training came from playing with this band in It’s very rare that I’ll ever be playing more than much bigger than just bass, keyboard, and
Minneapolis, Dr. Mambo’s Combo that’s Prince’s four strings at once. There’s not necessarily a guitar, we might actually end up sounding more
New Power Generation rhythm section. I played need with what I do to play so many notes at like four instruments.
with these guys for a couple years growing up, once, versus keyboard players who obviously cutting my teeth. The drummer, Michael Bland, love to play thick voicings.
[WM] As if the name wasn’t a big enough hint,
has perfect pitch and oddly enough perfect
as I was listening to Vulfpeck’s “Dean Town” it
time as well. He could just tell any BPM. He What I do is such a rhythmic thing that if I play dawned on me that it’s like a funky version of
hears everything you do, so he would always too many notes it just jumbles up the message Weather Report’s “Teen Town”. Which got me
point out to me, like, “Hey dude, the third verse of the rhythm and it jumbles up and messes with thinking about the fact that some of the people
of that song the keyboard player is playing this the harmony. What I try to do within my voicings reading this might have heard Jaco Pastorius
with his left hand, and that with his right hand, is pick the most important notes, the ones that or Weather Report. With that in mind, can you
you don’t need to be playing such a big voicing matter the most and serve the harmonic range give us ‘Cory’s guide to don’t want to miss’
in your chord because it just gets in the way of that’s most needed. So if a keyboard player has musicians, songs, and albums?
the keyboard part.” The way that I think about a void in their range around middle C in that things is how it relates orchestration wise with [Cory] Well number one is Steely Dan –
the keyboard player, or with the horn section. you gotta know Steely Dan! Steely Dan is
I consider what the bass player is doing, that an acquired taste for some people, so just
covers the low end of the sound. The keyboard hang in there. I mean Steely Dan is it for me.
player, if they’re sitting with their left hand a little Clever parts, writing, production, and lyrics. It’s
bit below middle C that covers the mid-range intelligent and that’s what draws people to it.
stuff. And me, if I want to thicken up the mid or That’s also what draws a lot of people away from
the low mid I’ll play lower voicings. But most of
Vulfpeck // “Dean Town”
it. It’s so intelligent, but it’s also Pop. Everything
photo by Tim McG
February 2019
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