Do any of you use Ghost Notes much?

[moxham123]

Do any of you use Ghost Notes much?

In music, a ghost note, dead note, or false note, is a musical note with a rhythmic value, but no discernible pitch when played. On stringed instruments, this is played by sounding a muted string. "Muted to the point where it is more percussive sounding than obvious and clear in pitch. There is a pitch, to be sure, but its musical value is more rhythmic than melodic or harmonic.

Ghost notes, however, are not simply the unaccented notes in a pattern. The unaccented notes in such a pattern as a clave are considered to represent the mean level of emphasis—they are neither absolutely emphasized nor unemphasized. If one further deemphasizes one of these unaccented notes to the same or a similar extent to which the accented notes in the pattern are emphasized, then one has 'ghosted' that note. In a case in which a ghost note is deemphasized to the point of silence, that note then represents a rhythmic placeholder in much the same way as does a rest. This can be a very fine distinction, and the ability of an instrumentalist to differentiate between what is a ghost note and what is a rest is governed largely by the acoustic nature of the instrument.

Wind instruments, including the human voice, and guitars are examples of instruments generally capable of ghosting notes without making them synonymous with rests, while a pianist or percussionist would have more difficulty in creating this distinction because of the percussive nature of the instruments, which hampers the resolution of the volume gradient as one approaches silence. However, in such a case as that the ghost notes were clearly audible, while being far less prominent than the unaccented notes which represent the mean degree of emphasis within the example, then a percussionist could be said to create what we might define as ghost notes.

[Don Hughes]

As a pianist/keyboardist, I've only used them when on the keyboard. I feel it's one of those things that used sparingly and at the right times can really add to a song, but overduing it can hurt a song.

To me, it's a lot like screaming in metal. Used at the right times can add to the feel and emotional impact of a song, but used too much can hurt it. I love metal, but a great vocal melody trumps a scream or a growl anytime.

[Hawk]

Drummers often use them. Usually on the snare drum, while creating a groove or rhythm pattern. The accented beat (usually the back beat) can be supplemented and / or supported with ghost notes (dynamically weaker than the rhythm notes). Bobby Watters is one of the best at using ghost notes by not over using them but to comp (compliment or support) the bass guitar, filling things up.

If every note (used on the snare drum during a groove pattern) were equal dynamically, it would sound terrible.

[ToonaRockGuy]

Great post, Hawk. You beat me to it. I was going to point out that quite contrary to Moxham's statement, drummers utilize ghost notes probably more than any other instrument. Especially in blues and jazz, ghost notes on the snare (and occasionally the toms) fill up space in a great way. Many of the great shuffle patterns on the drumset are built on triplet patterns and around ghost notes; i.e the West Texas Shuffle, the Purdie Shuffle, The Rosanna Shuffle (named for the Toto song), the Flat Tire Shuffle, and more.

I learned my shuffles locally from Bobby Watters and John McKnight. I've always used ghost notes to an extent, I began paying way more attention to them once I started playing the blues. I even use them in quite a few metal patterns that I play with Naildriver.

[Don Hughes]

Maybe I am mistaken (not a drummer), but aren't drums tuned to a certain "note?"

[slackin@dabass]

Drums are tuned to a pitch but a note is a subdivision of time.

[ToonaRockGuy]

Maybe I am mistaken (not a drummer), but aren't drums tuned to a certain "note?"

It really depends on the drummer, Don. Most cats tune to "where it sounds good", some tune to where the drum is supposed to be. Here's the quick version:

-Every drumshell has a fundamental tone, or "note" that it, for lack of a better term, "likes to be tuned to". To find it, a drummer can remove the heads, hoops, lugs, and all hardware from the drum. Hold it using as little pressure as possible and strike the drum with the heel of your hand or a softer rubber mallet. You'll hear a note. Some companies, notably Drum Workshop (DW), test each shell that they build and stamp the fundamental note on the inside of the shell, so the drummer knows where to tune it to once the hardware, hoops, and heads are installed.

Some drummers, most notably Chad Wackerman (Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Barbara Streisand) and Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa, Missing Persons, KoRn) make extreme use of fundamental pitches. Terry writes classical pieces for solo drums, and also drumset with orchestra. He uses a massive DW drumkit with both diatonically and chromatically tuned toms at specific note pitches to create melodies on the drumset, rather than mere rhythms. He also incorporates a wide variety of Sabian Chinese cymbals to add more melodic options for his kit.

Here's a vid of Terry playing his kit, in an original composition called "1260 N. Weatherly Drive". Turn the volume up and give it a chance, you'll hear a melody there. Also, look closely, and you'll see that he has the notes each drum is tuned to written in marker on each drumhead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BsGvreo ... w&index=55

And no...that's not his full drumkit, LOL.

[moxham123]

I started out as a drummer and percussionist as a kid before moving to guitar and then bass. I also count everything in the songs and cue the band. I have always had a very percussive and rhythmic approach to my playing and do many different things for sounds, attack, dynamics, etc. Playing ghost notes have always been part of my arsenal just as effective use of rests, anticipated notes and such.

[Naga]

Coming from a non-drummer, and musician-turned-straight-fan (I'll pick up again some day, I'm sure), one of the things that always catches my eye (so to speak) is when a drummer goes into tom-based rhythms, and focuses the attack to the right side of the kit leaving the snare filling the different ends and means of the rhythm (or accents at the ends of bars?), while denying, at least temporarily, the cymbals their "need to lead". It's during those "tribal rhythms" that you can find a drummer using ghost notes, and often, if they're tuned diatonically, the drums do create their own melody, often in addition to some more prominent bass

I'm assuming this is rather on topic and in the right terms, but then I know what I'm talking about, though less about what I'm saying. I'm no drummer, after all. Heh

[RobTheDrummer]

As a drummer, we use them to sort of "fill in" the empty areas between the main parts. We also use them to feel out a groove, and embellish. If you don't use ghost notes, certain grooves will sound hollow and plain.