The dilemma is that we have a local open jam nite once a week. Bunch of great musicians show up, we sign in and are paired up. Problem is that "vocalists" show and they are all rappers. So you'll end up with a guitarist/bassist/drummer up there wanting to "jam" and are locked down to one thing because there's someone at the mic rapping blindly to the kick and snare. There's always throwing in some double-time or half-time. I haven't tried that yet. I suppose there's always 5/4 or something... Just looking for some ideas. Thanks!
Looking for something that can't be "rapped" to...
- Thread starter coniglius
- Start date
Heritage Softail
New member
How about Rush YYZ or Natural Science.
Bring a vocalist with you.
Bring a vocalist with you.
stephen sawall
Well-known member
5/4 for rap ..... not a good idea at a jam. Very little music is anything but 3/4 or 4/4. I have never heard rap done with anything 4/4.
All music can be sung or rapped over .... but at a jam in general you need to keep in context with everyone and their ability's. It is not like rap music is any different than any other type of music.
All music can be sung or rapped over .... but at a jam in general you need to keep in context with everyone and their ability's. It is not like rap music is any different than any other type of music.
Stephen: Not sure I understand what you mean. The idea here is to discourage rapping. Or at least break into a portion of the alotted 10 minutes segment where the musicians can do some jamming as opposed to having someone just rapping non-stop for the entire 10 minutes while the musicians on stage look at each other and shrug. I agree that pretty much anything can be rapped to, but I was just looking for something that could be changed up naturally, like in say any progression or jam you can break into double time or half time quite naturally and it breaks up the monotony. Maybe I should listen to some more Zappa... The Black Page would probably work 
Heritage: Hah good idea! And bringing a vocalist is also a good idea.
I'm not trying to knock anyone or keep them from doing what they want to come there and do, but there's only limited time slots and it's unfair for one guy to monopolize 3 other guys' slots. As unfair as it'd be with any other "solo hog". Just seems they feel like they're entitled to it 'cause "they have the mic".
Heritage: Hah good idea! And bringing a vocalist is also a good idea.
I'm not trying to knock anyone or keep them from doing what they want to come there and do, but there's only limited time slots and it's unfair for one guy to monopolize 3 other guys' slots. As unfair as it'd be with any other "solo hog". Just seems they feel like they're entitled to it 'cause "they have the mic".
stephen sawall
Well-known member
coniglius":6v4l1klv said:Stephen: Not sure I understand what you mean. The idea here is to discourage rapping. Or at least break into a portion of the alotted 10 minutes segment where the musicians can do some jamming as opposed to having someone just rapping non-stop for the entire 10 minutes while the musicians on stage look at each other and shrug. I agree that pretty much anything can be rapped to, but I was just looking for something that could be changed up naturally, like in say any progression or jam you can break into double time or half time quite naturally and it breaks up the monotony. Maybe I should listen to some more Zappa... The Black Page would probably work
Heritage: Hah good idea! And bringing a vocalist is also a good idea.
I'm not trying to knock anyone or keep them from doing what they want to come there and do, but there's only limited time slots and it's unfair for one guy to monopolize 3 other guys' slots. As unfair as it'd be with any other "solo hog". Just seems they feel like they're entitled to it 'cause "they have the mic".
You did not say in your first post anything about stopping the rap. I was thinking you wanted music appropriate for rap.
1 ~ Here is a crazy idea ...... tell the singer what you want.
2 ~ Make it very clear you do not want to work a rapper only a singer.
3 ~ tell them you well be doing the singing and do not need one.(then sing or rap or nothing at all)
I am not there so .... I really have little idea what the whole feel of this thing is. I have a feeling I would tell them to foc off with the whole rap/singer thing if does not fit the rest of the musicians. No one there sings and they just give these people a microphone ?
That is not a very good idea at all ..... no matter what kind of music it is.
Post title was "looking for something that *can't* be rapped to"... granted it's not the most lucid. But yeah, looking for something to discourage it, but really just make it fair so that everyone up there get's a shot. So 1 and 2 won't really work since for 1) they are only there to rap. 2) you can't choose who you're paired up with, and if you could, you wouldn't know what they were gonna do. Though at this point there is only one vocalist there who actually "sings" and the rest rap, so if it's not her, then we can assume it's a rapper. 3 is a good idea that I thought of trying. But musically it seems like adding a "chorus" type break with a different beat and guitar part or a drum fill or crash accentuation after each 12 bars would be a good way to break it up to say "ok next guy's" turn.
stephen sawall
Well-known member
coniglius":3bflmmjy said:
Sorry ..... I really have no excuses. I was thinking about this last night ..... what about the idea of embracing the rap ? I would think real aggressive stuff might be interesting.
Other than that ..... I can think of nothing better than your Zappa idea.