Vix 9 - Bela Fleck and the Flecktones - Live Art - percussion cover

This arrangement of mine was recorded in the Spring of 2004, and was the closer for my Senior percussion recital at the University of North Texas.

This arrangement was very challenging to transcribe, but well worth the effort. It's either in 9/8 or 9/4, depending on how you want to feel it. I used the version on the Flecktone's album Live Art. I added a keyboard part to it just because I love the Fender-Rhodes sound and thought it complimented my vibes well, boosting the melody. This vibraphone was special though. It has pickups glued to every bar, and is patched into an amplifier, with a VERY slight chorus effect added from a pedal. It's hard to tell, because it blends in so well, but using these vibes actually boosted my volume quite a bit and gave it a nice shimmer.

I love this song, and thinking about how a vibraphone would sound very similar to Bela's electric banjo inspired this instrumentation. I wondered what I was going to do about the bass part though, considering Wooten's 2-hand tapping. Luckily, a bass player at UNT named Brian Mulholland actually learned this song (and lots of other stuff) directly from Victor Wooten when he was younger! He's tapping the bassline with his left hand, and playing chords and melody tapping with his right hand over that, it's wild. All 3 guys helping me out were very high up (some in the 1 O'clock I believe) in the Lab bands at UNT, and it was a blast to play with them.

I took a short improvised solo over the "easy" part, and then Matt Lawless took a longer improvised solo over the "hard" changes. Then I played Bela Fleck's banjo solo from the Live Art version that I transcribed, which was insanely difficult to get all the correct notes (both transcribing and playing-wise) but was really rewarding to be able to study how Bela improvises.

Sean Redman - amplified vibraphone
Jon Deitemyer - drumset
Brian Mulholland - bass
Matt Lawless - keyboard

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Vix
• Bela
• Fleck
• Flecktones
• Victor
• Wooten
• Live
• Art
• Percussion
• Cover
• UNT
• University
• of
• North
• Texas
• Arrangement
• Marimba
• Vibraphone
• Vibes
• Ensemble
• Banjo
• Jeff
• Coffin
• Sean
• Redman

[dponder1]

North Texas....of course, it all makes sense now. This is ridiculous.

[SeanUNT]

@dponder1 Yep. :) I really miss that place, it's such an amazing musical environment.

[8saturn9]

My favorite Flecktones tune. Whenever I play this LiveArt Vix 9 version on my stereo and I hear the tremendous applause at the end I think to myself, "Yeah, that's right, you've just been entertained, really, REALLY entertained." Same here--absolutely terrific job at performing a very difficult, fantastic song. Hats way off!

[SeanUNT]

Wow, thanks for the awesome comment 8saturn9. If you would subscribe, I have several other Bela/Flecktones arrangements on here, and some more on the way. I agree on the tune, it is very, very awesome, and very hard too. After I heard it for the the first time, I dreamed about playing it for years before I finally did this arrangement, and it was so rewarding, and a blast to finally play. One of my favorite performances ever for sure.

[RemiBrawler]

Oh, man, would you be willing to get sheets out for this? I've been arranging it for a small Percussion Ensemble from the Three Flew version, but having the Live Art intro in there was just be the icing on the cake!

[Basilisken52]

Real good job! Do you have it written down? I would be most greatful if you could send it to me, i love that banjo line even though im a bass player;) thanks!

Mail: fredrik.agevik@live.co.uk

[822vijay]

great job!



[JBeezie428]

this sick! well done!

[generositus]

some damn fine playing all around

[stadiv]

Fantastic

[noirtriptyline]

Good job, gentlemen! That is a ridiculously hard tune to play, and you pulled it off with personality. A very hard thing to do...

[neftalilopez75]

SeanUNT,this is an awesome performance and a good taste,I'm happy to hear and enjoy this song,congratulations,light and blessings from Mexico.