Always Patsy Cline (need help about playing the show)

[Ron Pruter]

Jon, I would also make sure you've got your diminished and augmented chords down and have no problems playing in Ab,Bb,and Eb.
After about 20 shows, I had the songs memorized and just used a song list with the keys. Here it is.

[Jim Park]

Roger, I modified this. https://youtu.be/DUDcJ1BbDns and it really worked well!

[Fred Treece]

Haven’t seen that set list in about 10 years...

Something that’s erm, always, been a mystery to me is why the song “Always” was not worked into the play. Our singer never included it in her tribute show either. It is such a haunting and beautiful song; maybe not one of the biggie hits, but it had some popularity. Anybody have the inside trivia on why it didn't make the cut? I know the title of the play is a reference to the way Patsy signed off her letters to Louise, but the song doesn’t even get an honorable mention. Just seemed odd to me.

[Bill Cunningham]

I’ve always played Walkin’ on the C6 neck. In one run I did in a pretty big theater, the steel had the intro on I Fall To Pieces too. I had forgotten to hit the neck selector button back to E9. I was pretty proud myself. Normally I would have fallen apart but for some reason I quickly realized what had happened and only missed the pickup notes like it was planned that way.

[Gary Lee Gimble]

I don't know if they had someone who fell through last minute, but I am game.

For those who have/do it-is there a standard book to it? Are there written parts I would play?

Hey Jon,
Yes, they did have someone, me! I opted out....They should provide you with a book, post some notes...

[Roger Rettig]

Jim:

That's nice and seems appropriate. I was envisioning trying to play what's written for the fiddle - 16th notes in a descending chromatic scale. Scary!

In my opinion, that fiddle intro - even when executed well by a good player - sounds a bit threadbare. It's meant to replicate a whole string-section playing it together. One fiddle? Hardly.

[Fred Treece]

I gave that Sweet Dreams string section intro to our keyboard player. Sounds about a thousand times better on a synth patch than anything I could have done. Can’t imagine doing it on steel. Just gliss the whole thing?

Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band did something similar to that Terry Bethel version.

[Roger Rettig]

Keys would be the obvious first choice - even a straight piano-sound playing that line sounds reasonable. For some reason, Jim Park was given the task when he played the show with no fiddler, hence the discussion.

I'd have just said: 'No, thanks'.

[Jeff Mead]

Whenever I've ever played Sweet Dreams, the singer has just started the song accapella with the band coming in on the word "you". The intro from the record might work with a piano or synth but I wouldn't attempt it on steel, that's for sure!

[Jon Voth]

Gary Gimble-thanks for the gig! It will be a tough act to follow.

Turns out the music director (whom I assume will be piano) married to Army Band CPT who knows another Army Band CPT that knows me.

Yes I have a book, and most importantly a very good rehearsal recording of all the songs which is the most helpful. They are doing a cut down version with only 19 or so songs.

I appreciate everyone's posts and it will be great for my playing, and it should be a piece of cake!

[Ben Lawson]

On the last set of shows I played, the fiddle player was Gary Oleyar. He nailed the Sweet Dreams intro like the pro that he is. In 2012 I did the squeaky door thing too. Louise (Sally Struthers) completely lost it. We probably lost five minutes waiting for everyone to regain their composure! I also had to start "Walkin" on a nod from the MD. The problem was the screen between us with a movie of the real Patsy walking on to the stage. MD was a second or so late and I couldn't see the screen from my position. Our "Patsy" (Carter Calvert) came out and had to pick up singing while they raised the screen. She handled it well and we waited until the intermission for the producer to ask what happened?