The Chunk

Canoe Lady

Canoe Lady

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Nope, it's not the title to my autobiography....

Tonight on my way home from work (a long, dark, and quiet road), I was listening to some really great uke music that I had downloaded earlier in the day. I noticed that in many of the songs, every other beat had a chunk, and this would persist throughout the entire song.
It started to be the focus of the song for me and became as annoying as a metronome. In this instance, it really took away from the skillful and beautiful playing.

So I was wondering.....
Do you use the chunk? Do you use it often? Seldom?
When you use it in a song, do you repeat it constantly throughout the entire song, or just to accent a certain phrase?
Are there certain songs that shouldn't be without it?
Lemme know :)
 
ha ha...LOL...my autobiography would be called 'The Chump' :p

:stop: but serious matters are afoot Diane. I agree, it can get overbearing. I use it very selectively and never through a whole song, though certain songs and genres ask for it more than others. It's often useful to incorporate in the breakdown of a tune. Generally it's just a nice way to change up the rhythm and give the song some colour and dynamic, but sparingly, like chicken salt or onions or worcestershire sauce...hmm...must be dinner time :eek:
 
It's personal preference.

Some people like the added beat to break up the repetition and some musicians hate it. It all depends on what music you like to play and hear.

I use the chunk in most of the things I play but, I switch it around so, as not to sound too repetitive. The chunk makes certain songs come to life while without it, the songs will lack something. Also, each song has a different chunk pattern so, chunking is not played the same way in every song.
 
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It all depends on what song you're playing. Some require it more (the nature of it), and others just for color as Eugene puts it.
I agree, it can sound redundent.
Just go with your emotions as to what you are playing, feel the music.
 
I agree you can get carried away using it..ha ha really.... is certainly adds a little color to your playing..
 
I find its great for reggae based songs. For example I use it as part of my strum pattern for IZ's SOTR.
Each to their own though!
Cheers
Gary
 
I can't do it, so no. But every musician I play with rolls their eyes at the mention of it and says it's no great loss that I can't do it. It's kinda overused, like turning the acoustic sound into just a percussive one. Even in what we pretend is reggae. If you go that route in a song, then fine, but if you do it in all the songs, why not just switch to drums instead.
 
James Hill said it was unnecessary so I never bothered to learn it.

I do think it turns up in my reggae strum. Accidentally. It just appears out of nowhere.
 
I learned it because I feel it is important to learn as many techniques as I can, but, I don't know if I can really use it in songs. Sometimes it is too much, but, sometimes it does seem like it is really needed. So, now that I've put my utterly noncommittal and non helpful input in, there ya go! :D
 
I do use it in certain songs. I think it works well for putting a beat in, say, a driving blues riff.
 
To me, I think chunking when used sparingly is pretty handy. You get that comfy cozy down to earth feeling and it totally drives the rhythm effectively.

But doesn't it start to sound a little silly when it's done so much that you can hardly hear a chord in between the chunking? There are some big fish guilty of that and I can get why people roll their eyes at it. I've started rolling my eyes at it. Just switch to percussion already, no need to get an expensive big ole custom uke and then just use it for percussion.

Someone needs to do a comedy song based on chunking, so these bigtime chunkers can hear what they sound like to normal people. :D
 
Then there are songs where it's totally essential. Try strumming The Passenger by Iggy and the Stooges without muting!
 
eugene ukulele said:
ha ha...LOL...my autobiography would be called 'The Chump' :p

:stop: but serious matters are afoot Diane. I agree, it can get overbearing. I use it very selectively and never through a whole song, though certain songs and genres ask for it more than others. It's often useful to incorporate in the breakdown of a tune. Generally it's just a nice way to change up the rhythm and give the song some colour and dynamic, but sparingly, like chicken salt or onions or worcestershire sauce...hmm...must be dinner time :eek:
Click to expand...

What Eugene said, only more so. I use it very selectively indeed. In fact, never. I find it all a bit silly - like listening to loud paint drying.

I suppose that used sparingly, in the hands of a really good player, it can be very effective. I have to say that Aldrine does it it brilliantly.
 
Plainsong said:
To me, I think chunking when used sparingly is pretty handy. You get that comfy cozy down to earth feeling and it totally drives the rhythm effectively.

But doesn't it start to sound a little silly when it's done so much that you can hardly hear a chord in between the chunking? There are some big fish guilty of that and I can get why people roll their eyes at it. I've started rolling my eyes at it. Just switch to percussion already, no need to get an expensive big ole custom uke and then just use it for percussion.
Click to expand...

Exactly. There was consistent every other beat chunking on almost every song which made it difficult to listen to the melody. I could see it the songs would have had more of an island beat, but that wasn't the case. These were otherwise beautiful songs.

I do think there is a time for chunking...Folsom Prison Blues would not be the same without it.
 
SuzukHammer said:
James Hill said it was unnecessary so I never bothered to learn it.
Click to expand...

Seriously? Now I don't feel so inadequate for being unable to master it :)

I agree with what others have said, that used sparingly, and in certain songs, it sounds good - which is why I'd like to learn it. But I think the key is "used sparingly."
 
Yep our gang chunk in Folsom too. Stand By Me another good example.

I Can't see why it's something to be sniffed at. People employ it on the guitar - its just another technique. In fact there was little Bob Marley played on his guitar that didn't employ it.
 
I tend to do it accidently-like when I'm playing something - it's never a planned chunking.

I agree with Ken that Aldrine does it well, I just watched him do "Rhythm of Love" and without the chuck there would be some awkward silences.....
 
I think it's a colour. Rasgeados add a few colours, depending on how many fingers you use, and how much you bite into the strings. A rasgeado can end in what is basically a chunk. I'd hate to dismiss one of the basic aspects of Flamenco playing because of a related technique's fadishness. If you get into golpes (see Aldrine, as well as the under-mentioned Craig Chee), then there's a whole host of percussive colours there.

I think one of the joys of ukulele playing is the range of percussive techniques possible:

1. Just the strings can be quite percussive, muted or unmuted
2. Techniques can combine both the strings and hitting the body
3. Hitting the body without the strings

In the world of guitar, Tommy Emmanuel, Newton Faulkner and Andy McKee are doing amazing things with percussion right now.

To me, not chunking is like a painter saying, "Yeah, I don't use orange."
 
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