Billets Doux

scot

When you have a C fakebook, what that means is that a note written as a C actually is a C - as it is on a guitar or piano. But on a Bb sax, when you play the note written as a C, you get the tone Bb. The instruments like this - most brass and most single reeds - are called transposing instruments. So a Bb (or Eb) book is written to accommodate the transposing instruments in the given key, and a C book is written for instruments that don't transpose. This is kind of complicated to explain. Basically, guitar players only need C books. If you tried to read out of a Bb book it would not come out right, though I could not explain exactly what would happen - I think you'd be a whole step high. I learned this a long time ago...

It's hard to say why most music is/was written in whatever key it's written in. There must have been a time when it was assumed that even amateur musicians did not have issues with technique. If you look in most hymnals, you will see many tunes written out in 5b or 5#. Piano players don't generally seem to worry much about a stack of accidentals, and people who are skilled readers on a guitar don't either. It's all a matter of training.

Klezmorim

scot wrote:

Piano players don't generally seem to worry much about a stack of accidentals, and people who are skilled readers on a guitar don't either. It's all a matter of training.

I think Rob was there in Django-In-June when I mentioned a moldy-oldy quote I read from Chet Atkins who dissed bluegrass players when he said (IIRC) "If you call out a tune in Bb, you can hear the capos slide for a mile!"

"Training" is right... and practice.

A fiddler I used to gig with loved tunes in Eb. I think the main reason was that he could scat the sevenths.

Bones

Does anyone have a chord chart for this one?

Thanks

Jack

http://djangopedia.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

Bones

Thanks Jack!

What does it mean when it says:

"Grille des A, partie swing"

Jack

It's just an alternate A section you can use if you're playing it as a hot swing number.

best,
Jack.

Bones

Thanks Jack.

BTW, what's up with the "vote for McCain" (McBush) advert on the Djangopedia website.

We don't need 4 more years of republican mismanagement and I certainly don't want to see that crap on this website!

robertsaunders

Is it common to play Billets Doux with the 16-bar intro/verse, or do most people play it starting right from the Refrain?

~Rob

bbwood_98

Robert,
I think the refrain seemed to be a bit rare- more people don't play it at all . . great tune. So- Anyone got a vocal version?
B.

robertsaunders

Ben, you mean the intro/verse? The Refrain is the main part, where it goes "Billets doux, billets doux, tendres choses"—the part that Django and others always play, not bothering with the rest of the tune as far as I can tell. Also every version I find on iTunes store has the piece in G. G is looking better all the time.

~Rob