6/8 time

What percentage of styles on your keyboard are in 6/8 time ? I'd say that 10% are 6/8 time on most Ketron products.

It's seems that many , many hit songs are in 6/8 . Any favorites ?

That's always been a gripe of mine. Most pop American tunes that feature that triplet feel are actually 12/8 and NOT 6/8. The rhythm clock should be counted as 4 triplets instead of 6 eighth notes ..... that way you could make seamless transitions from 4/4 to 12/8 and stay in the same basic quarter note rhythm. Tapping out 6 beats to start a 50's ballad seems odd to me ..... those old r&b tunes are really in 4 ..... don't ya think?
The PA80 has a few of each kind on board.

As far as favorites ....... I can hit that 12/8 pattern .... and start a I vi IV V7 progression and play a medley that never has to end. I'm sure many players do the same.

When I do those medleys I try to change keys often so the boredom factor is minimized! I sometimes try to use the circle of fifths just to keep my brain workin'. It makes logical sense too.... eg:

In the still of the night - D
Tears on my pillow - G
Put your head on my shoulder - C
Silhouettes - F
You belong to me -Bb
Those oldies but goodies - Eb ...... etc...etc....etc....

At the end of each song, you can play a dominant seventh chord and it takes you right to the new key in a profound way.
it just seems to flow ....... each song leads to the next with a natural cadance that almost sounds "expected".

My crowd grew up with those 50's songs ( Of course, I was just a BABY then ! )and they are always big hits on the dance floor. They must be easy to dance to, as well.

Good information UD .

I stopped doing the I-vi-ii(or IV)-V pattern song medleys out of personal boredom with the repetition, but now, something as simple as key changes and variation changes have renewed my interest. Thanks for the tip UD. In addition to the songs already mentioned I throw in Oh Donna, some Platters (Twilight Time, Only You ---and Harbor Lights - although the pattern changes for Harbor Lights - but that's a good thing.
Eddie

I concur with UD's points & suggestions.

As an added note: for variety (and stronger harmonic movement), I'll occasionally substitute the IV chord with a ii chord.

Interesting coincidence to see how similar UD's 12/8 feel 'circle of 4ths' medley is to mine. I guess it's because these key's work well match our vocals. The only difference is that I like to do: "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" for the 'key of F' tune, utilizing the Yamaha Tyros style: '6-8SlowRock2' for these songs. I also think that the style should have been more appropriately named: '12-8SlowRock2'.

Final note: Though I too include "You Belong To Me" (I assume you meant the Duprees version, right?) in my circle of 4ths medley, the I-vi-IV-V progression (used for the other listed songs), doesn't appear to work on that one. I play:

I - iii - IV - (I -Vm-VI7 / ) - (ii - ivm6) - (I - vi) - II7 - (ii - V)
|Bb | Dm | Eb | Bb - Fm6 - G7 / | Cm - Ebm6 | Bb - Gm | C7 | Cm7 - F7 |

A lot of the folks in my crowd also grew up with these tunes, but even the folks in my generation love these tunes & get out on the dance floor for these songs as well.

Scott

Cherry Pie, You Send Me, Lost in the 50's, I Love You For Sentimental Reasons, and on and on . . .
DonM

Breaking up is hard to do, Diana, Come Go With Me, La Bamba...ouch, my head hurts. Somebody change the subject.
Eddie

ahhh, those oldies, but goodies ......
(Scott - you're right, it's the 4ths, not the 5ths ! My backwards views again! )

another note:

"You belong to me" was really just an example of yet another 12/8 tune that I do alot. I would never try to change the chord structure of that one .... it's too pretty.

When I run a dance...I think of tunes as tempos and styles...not titles or changes. I ask myself....what BEAT should I do next? Usually SOMETHING pops into mind !

[This message has been edited by Uncle Dave (edited 07-13-2003).]

Ah, the hits just keep on coming . . . This Magic Moment, Dance With Me, Remember When, Why Do Fools Fall In Love, Up On The Roof, There Goes My Baby, (four-chord tricks, most of 'em).

A little "Drifters heavy"....... perhaps?

.. and nobody mentioned the original?!? .... "Earth Angel" by The Penguins .... When we would do "the oldies" at a gig (sorry UD ) and go into that chord progression, our sax player (who NEVER liked RnR) would say I knew a million of them ....
Which brings me to a question .... in 1958 one of the #1 hits in the country was "Little Star" recorded by The Elegants ... 5 guys I knew from Staten Island, NY ... a couple of nights ago I was riding in the car, changing stations on the radio and I came across an 'oldies' station playing "Little Star", but it was NOT by The Elegants .... I had never heard a cover of the song before, and the DJ never said who it was.... Anybody out there know???
t.

Dan,

I might be missing it but I never could find a good 12/8 pattern on my X1.

Tom

Tony, that song Little Star[I always thought it was "where are you little star"] was #1 for 1 week in 1958[ Aug 25,]..Words and music. Vito Picone and Arthur Venosa..Were they your pals? I don't recall any other group charting that song..Vito was lead singer with the Crescents before the Elegants, Along with Carmen Romano,Ronnie Jones and Patti Croccitto[all from New Dorp H.S. in the Bronx] combined to release Vito's "Darling come home" it sold locally but the average age of the group were 15 , and nationally did not fair well. Pat left and worked as a June Taylor Dancer.Ronnie left in '56.. Vito and Carman hooked up with James Moschello, Frank Targona and Arthur Venosa and along came "Little star".. I believe a group called the Secrets also did Little star..Later the Elegants toured with Bobby Freeman,Jack Scott, and Dion and the Belmonts.. DNJ may also recall some of the guys..Were you close to the group Tony? Did you go to New Dorp H.S.?

[This message has been edited by Fran Carango (edited 07-14-2003).]

Your right , were did that come from ?

I alternated sets with the Elegants last year at a show in New Jersey. Pretty sure the guy I talked to was Vito, the lead singer. He told the story of how an 8 yr old wrote the original melody (Beethoven) and he took it to the R&R charts !
Anyway - I believe the popular oldies remake is by the Tokens (Lion sleeps tonight).

Sorry, UD. Little Star was covered by Dion and the Belmonts.

"Hopelessly Devoted To You" Is this 6/8?

Fran .... How do you know so much about the Elegants? .... did you visit the web site, or did you know them personally? ...
Funny story about how I first met Vito ... I'm in high school and I'm attending one of the usual Friday nite "sock hops" at one of the schools ... there is this really pretty girl putting the '45s' on record player, so I go over and start 'laying down the line' ... we're talking for a while, and I think I'm doing ok when one of my buddies comes over and says 'are you nuts?!?' ... that's Vito Picone's girl friend!!! ... about a second later, over walks Vito to reclaim his girl ... Staten Island being a small place (BTW New Dorp HS, which I did not attend, is in SI, not the Bronx), some months later I find out that the girl I'm dating (who is now my wife) is first cousin to 'Vito's girl' !!! ...
I 'knew' the guys because while they were on the road to fame and fortune (however fleeting) they would appear at HS dances we were playing ... and as I said, SI being a small community at the time, we pretty much knew about everybody, especially in the Italian neighborhoods ...

UD ... Yes, Vito is still 'touring' with a group he calls The Elegants ... he is the only original member, but that group has been together for some time... and I believe the 'original' was written by Mozart? ....

Big Red .. thinking back to the recording I heard, I believe it did sound like Dion ... It was a voice I thought I knew but at the time, couldn't place .....

PS New Dorp HS also lays claim to having one of its alumni later become a first round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders in the early 70s .... Mike is my first cousin ... I TOLD you SI was a small community ...
t.

Dan,

It came from Uncle Dave's comment (the second one on this thread). I thought maybe you would tell me that there was a 12/8 pattern and I was somehow missing it.

I find it a little odd that the X1 has every conceivable obscure ethnic style as standard equipment but no 12/8 pattern when thousands of songs use that style.

Tom

Tony my info [recapped] came from Billboard book of "One hit wonders"..It included the Bronx location of Dorp H.S...

Hmmm, I'm not 100% sure about the Beethoven reference...I'll look it up. I always thought it was his...
OOPS ! here's proof:
http://mmd.foxtail.com/Archives/Digests/199704/1997.04.21.05.html

I stand corrected ! Hail Mozart !

As for the Tokens cover .... now that you mention it, the Tokens did a CD called "Re Doo Wop" and there is a medley that starts with Little Star and touches base on about 10 great hits. The CD also has a "vocal-less" version at the end of the album called "Do YOU Doo Wop" that you can sing along to.
(that dreaded "K" word again)

... after some research (the 'net IS a wealth of knowledge), I've found that on Dion's (it doesn't say "... and The Belmonts") 'Runaround Sue' album, there is a cover of "Little Star" ...

The rumor that circulated around SI was that The Elegants had a 'run-in' with Alan Freed, the then King of RnR DJs in NY, and he told them they would never have another hit as long as he was around... It was too bad because at least one of their subsequent releases "True Love Affair" was a good tune for the times......
t

I don't think the Belmonts are featured in Runaround Sue, Lovers who wander (same thing, really) OR The Wanderer. Dion went solo early on, and we all just kept adding the "Belmonts" tag to the name.
Then he had some success by teaming up with the DelSatins too. I'm a little vague on details and too lazy to look it up, but they had hits together as well.

Dave is on the money[sometimes]..Dion without the Belmonts:Abraham,Martin and John.....Donna the Prima Donna...Drip drop...Little Diane...Lonely teenager...Love come to me...The Majestic..Ruby Baby...Runaround Sue[BTW I had one}...Sandy..This little girl...The Wanderer...WITH BELMONTS on't pity me..I wonder why...In the Still of the night..No one knows..When you wish upon a star[not the Elegants Little Star]...Where or when...