MP3 My version of Caravan.

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 25 Apr 2009 7:24 pm

I enjoyed so much the version of Caravan that was posted the other day that I decided to try it. Lot's of room for some diminished things and some middle eastern sounds. Very challenging tune to play!

Just a drum loop and a bass part. 12 string guitar extended Leavitt tuning. I was able to find a key that allowed most of the melody to played on open strings so I could play some moving chords along with it. Had some fun in the improv sections.

Let me know what you think.

The server I use has been in some kind of holding pattern so I put on two links just in case.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?nzznonmztwy

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?wkx5otwamiz

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 25 Apr 2009 7:31 pm

Bill, that is sick good! Thanks for posting it.

Don McGregor · Post by **Don McGregor** » 26 Apr 2009 4:06 am

WOW!!!
Are you using two bars at once?

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 26 Apr 2009 5:15 am

I enjoyed that!

Russ Tkac · Post by **Russ Tkac** » 26 Apr 2009 10:25 am

Bill,

You are one fine player on steel and pretty great on bass as well!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xW2g3oX ... annel_page

Talent is his middle name.

Russ

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 26 Apr 2009 11:06 am

I like it! Thanks for posting that, Bill.

Stephan Miller · Post by **Stephan Miller** » 26 Apr 2009 6:02 pm

Hatcher, you're a monster.... and I mean that in the best possible way.

You have surpassed yourself again.

Gary C. Dygert · Post by **Gary C. Dygert** » 27 Apr 2009 11:32 am

Great stuff! A bit of trivia: Juan Tizol, the Duke Ellington trumpet player who came up with this tune, got a flat $25 in 1937 for it.

An especially volcanic version is done by Roy Nichols on the 1970 album Getting to Know the Strangers, although I've never heard it.

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 28 Apr 2009 3:09 am

Impressive. Thanks.

Mark Mansueto · Post by **Mark Mansueto** » 28 Apr 2009 9:51 am

Impressive is right. Man, I really enjoted that, Bill. Well done!

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 28 Apr 2009 12:02 pm

Bill, your playin is awesome!

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 1 May 2009 9:38 am

I am VERY grateful to all those who have responded to the Caravan MP3. Keeps my enthusiam up for doing more tunes and lets me know that players here on the forum are interested. Feel free to share the MP3s with your friends. That is what they are for. To share and promote the non pedal steel.

Todd Clinesmith · Post by **Todd Clinesmith** » 2 May 2009 6:52 pm

Hi Great job Bill.
Can you spell out your 12 string tuning ?
I am sure this has been discussed but while I have you on the line what is a good Leavitt for 8 and 10's as well ?
Todd

Kevin Greenberg · Post by **Kevin Greenberg** » 2 May 2009 8:13 pm

That was great. I always enjoy your songs.

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 4 May 2009 12:20 pm

Todd Clinesmith wrote:Hi Great job Bill.
Can you spell out your 12 string tuning ?
I am sure this has been discussed but while I have you on the line what is a good Leavitt for 8 and 10's as well ?
Todd

Todd. The tuning I used on this MP3 was low to high-

E Bb C# E G A B C D E F F#. I have the Leavitt tuning in there, but it is tuned down. With the extended range I have, I prefer to hear it pitched down a bit. Also the lowest two strings will change depending on the key I am in and what I need in the bass.

You can use the standard 6 strings of the Leavitt tuning and add whatever you want to the top or the bottom. It is up to you. There is really no locked in extended Leavitt tuning. Whatever the player likes is fine. Thanks for your interest.

Todd Clinesmith · Post by **Todd Clinesmith** » 5 May 2009 7:37 am

Thanks Bill,
That simple explanation gives me greater understanding of how to make that tuning work. I may try it out one day, I sure enjoy what you are doing with it.
Todd

Michael Stover · Post by **Michael Stover** » 5 May 2009 8:12 am

Note that Bill has a minor 2nd interval following the standard Leavitt intervals (he's lowered them by a minor third, so it's Bb C# E G A B, followed by a minor 2nd C). Personally, I can't imagine using Leavitt without this interval. This way you have a major third (G-B, in this case) and a minor third (A-C) right next to each other--this makes moving around diatonically in thirds a snap!

Try this: on an 8-string, lower the standard Leavitt intervals by a fourth, then add a low E on the end and the aforementioned minor 2nd on top, so you get low to high E G# B D F G A Bb. Note that the first four notes are the same as an E7 nonpedal tuning. It's a rather low tuning, but it allows me to explore the Leavitt possibilities and still get my rock/blues on with the E7 stuff that I'm familiar with.

Kudos (again) to Bill Hatcher for turning us on to the possibilities of this tuning.

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 5 May 2009 8:44 am

Michael. I appreciate your musical thoughts on the tuning so much. That is really a great idea pitching down even further. I might have to try that. Do you think that the low E an G# sound clear when you play them together? Might be a bit muddy that low, but I have not tried it. I tend to change the two lowest strings so much that I really don't even consider them locked in at all. Have you ever tuned the G# to A?? Looks like that might be interesting. I was looking back through some of my tuning notes and see that I wrote down a tuning of Low E and A for a song I was doing.

When I first started tinkering with the Leavitt tuning I saw that it was a tuning that would benefit from either having a bass player playing along with you or really hearing the bass notes in your head. When inquiring about extending the tuning past the 6 string original it was conceived on to 8 strings, several players recommended adding at least one lower rather than two uppers. I added 2 more strings then 4 more and then 6 more. The more I added above the origianl pitch of the Leavitt, I found that the strings were pitched a little too high and pulling them up to pitch caused them to be too tight for pulling behind the bar, so I lowered them a half step at a time. I still might lower them some more after having read your post.

In regards to adding the minor 2nd C. I tuned up a guitar with the added string and I never even considered any other note after I heard the 6th chord that was possible!

This Leavitt tuning for me has been a constant enjoyable musical experiment and I am always being surprised by what I can find on it.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

Matt Elsen · Post by **Matt Elsen** » 6 May 2009 8:55 am

Fantastic, Bill. Wow. Great stuff.

Many thanks for putting this up for us,

Matt

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 6 May 2009 9:00 am

The forum archives are filled with dense, imponderable theory post. It's one thing to be able to conceptualize this stuff and quite another to translate that to swinging, cool playing. You do both with such skill. I doff my metaphorical cap to you, Bill! Great track.

Ray Shakeshaft · Post by **Ray Shakeshaft** » 6 May 2009 11:09 am

Should I ever get to be a tenth as good as that I will die a happy man! Thanks Bill.