Conference napalm::guitar

    drone notes eh?
    
    What the heck are they?
    
    					/Bill_feeling_particularly_musically
    					_illiterate_lately
    

    I've been using a lot of drone notes and open strings lately.  It
    really fattens up the lines you play!  I only play standard tuning
    (figured I was confused enough with the notes on the guitar in the
    standard way without making it worse for myself by changing the
    tuning!). 
    
    re: Bill
    
    A drone note as Alan's talking about is a note that rings through along
    with whatever else you're playing.  Like playing an open A string along
    with a G-A-E notes on the D string.
    
    He gave a couple of examples, here's a couple more.  One is the chord
    pattern Randy Rhodes played on Ozzy's "You Can't Kill Rock and Roll". 
    He plays the lower 4 strings of major chords (starting on B, I think)
    and leaves the B and high E strings open.  
    
    Another example is the "solo" line of "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure. 
    Robert Smith plays an Amaj scale on the B string (mostly) while letting
    the high E string sound open on each note.
    
    Greg

    The name may come from the bagpipes, as the three pipes that sound a
    constant tone (one each) are called "drones".  In any case, if you
    think of how bagpipes work and sound it may help with understanding
    drone notes...
    
    Greg

    Thanks Greg,.. I know what you're talking about now.
    
    I guess I even play drone notes,. just didn't know it :-)
    
    								/Bill
    

> drone notes eh?
> What the heck are they?

Well, its a single sustained note that is repeated over and over - sort of 
like if you were playing both the B and high-E string on the guitar, and 
fretting up and down the neck just on the E string while the B string is 
constantly being played open. The B sort of "drones" on in the background.

Edge says he got that style from emulating Irish music, which uses a lot
of drone notes. 

alan

    re .5
    
    notes collision!
    
    Anyway... I read ya now
    
    							/Bill
    

    
    Alex Lifeson of Rush used to use them some.  Like on "Spirit of Radio"
    and in part of "Xanadu".
    
    guy

    re: .7
    
    I thought "Spirit Of The Radio" used a pedal tone, not a drone note? 
    (ie one note alternates with a set of moving notes rather then sounding
    with them)
    
    Greg 

No, he uses drones on Spirit Of The Radio...

That E-B-C/B(?) part...  That what your referring to ??

jc

    RE: Spirit of Radio...
    
    No he means the Emaj - Bmaj - E/G#maj - Amaj chord progression that 
    drones the high e and b strings on the top of each chord...this is 
    played in the verse section.

     sheeeeet yeah!!!
    being the evil Kron I have a reputation to uphold so I got a lot
    of space to fill.....especially since the rules of being evil
    require it. But seriously,Tom Petersen and Doug Pinnick are 2
    of my biggest influences so yes I use them quite a bit. It's 
    definitely a lot easier to use this technique if you play in
    e,a,d,or g.Not really a problem in the rock and roll world!
    -the evil Kron
    

    
    re: .9, .10
    
    Yes, I think you both got what I meant.  In part of Xanadu not 
    only the E and B strings drone, but also the low E string....
    
    guy

    Pete Townshend uses this technique alot. "I Can See For Miles"
    and "Sparks" are two examples. He often moves the "D" form open
    chord up the neck, and lets the open D note ring out. Obviously
    it doesn't sound good in all positions. 
    
    In fact moving open form chords up the neck is kind of a neat 
    technique in and of itself. You can get some neat chords by
    moving an open E up the neck. The A form works in a couple 
    places. Of course I have no idea what the names of these chords
    become...
    
    -Tom

    Or Tom Petty's _Don't come around here no more_.  That tune is the king
    of drone tones!
    

    `drone tones' :== sitar
    
    Scary

    >Ravi does tapping?
    
    No, but FLoyd Rose just installed a whammy on his sitar!

    The fifth (high G) string on a five-string banjo is commonly used as
    a "drone string".
    
    						--Eric--
    
    P.S. Doing drone notes is a *bit* tougher with a pedal steel, but they
    do sound good!

That Ozzy song into that goes:

"Cuz Rock-n-roll is my religion and my soul"

It's real pretty.

:)

    re: Spirit Of The Radio
    
    Ok, I'm brain dead, I was thinking of the signature lick, used in the
    intro...
    
>That Ozzy song into that goes:
>
>"Cuz Rock-n-roll is my religion and my soul"
    
    See .1 where I mentioned that one.
    
    gh

    Re: droning:
    
       There are also chamber-type instruments just called a "drone" or
    "bass drone" which I've seen (from the audience) and heard.  They have
    the same sort of shape as a guitar but the body is a big enclosed box,
    and there's a crank on the end which you turn to generate the drone. 
    Evidently you can also change the drone pitch via the next.  I would
    love to find one.  (The band _Dead Can Dance_ use one regularly.)
    
    					-mjg
    

    Re: .20
    
    You have described a hurdy-gurdy.  It has a fingerboard (which you play
    with one hand) and sympathetic strings *below* the fingerboard.  Both
    sets are vibrated by a wheel (covered with leather I believe) which is
    controlled by a crank.  Awesome instrument!  Still common in parts of
    France.
    
    The Appalachian "mountain" dulcimer is another folk instrument that
    makes use of droning strings.  
    
    							Brian

    Re: .21:
    
       Really?  I always had a much simpler vision of a hurdy-gurdy, not to
    mention that on their albums they list the instrument as a "bass
    drone," but then they write fairly serious music and I guess
    "hurdy-gurdy" wouldn't fit with the tone.
    
       I would definitely like to get my hands on one.  But then again,
    I want to start saving for that Mark IV someday... ;-)
    
    					-mjg
    

	re .2:

>    Another example is the "solo" line of "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure. 
>    Robert Smith plays an Amaj scale on the B string (mostly) while letting
>    the high E string sound open on each note.

	Is that what he's really doing? Oh well, I never worry too
	much about precise accuracy:-). I play full chords for that
	descending down the neck (and ascending, of course, on the
	third rep), using the open A and E strings as a "drone".

	An even better example is another Cure song I'm working on
	now - "Pictures of You". The recording has, oh, at least
	three guitars play single note rhythm lines in a layered
	fashion. The chords are just A and D (until it gets near
	the end, anyway) - what I'm doing is playing just the
	"lead" rhythm line over the appropriate open string, which
	is a really nice effect. Gets a little trickier towards the
	end, where I've actually got to fret that bass note:-), but
	I'm working on it.

	In addition, I've got one partially written song based on
	a Cmaj7/F#7/Bm progression with the high E string left open
	and ringing (hey Buck, what mode is that?:-).

	Mike

    One classic example of drone notes is the use of the high E string
    open during the "fast" part of Maleguana (sp?)
    
    One slightly more modern example is the use of the open G and D
    strings in Blackbird.
    
    Actually,.. I'm just making sure I know for sure what a drone note
    is by citing these examples to see if anyone disagress.
    
    							/Bill

    I'm not familiar with Maleguana, but Blackbird is a great example of
    this!
    
    gh