Do you put a button at the end of every live song?

MrPockets

Gold Member
A button is a hit at the end of a song. Think of the shave and a haircut lick. Bada da bada da. Then add a button. It becomes bada da bada da bop.

Do you find adding buttons to be cliche?
 
It depends on the song. If the end is natural - a final hit/note allowed to decay - it's usually less intrusive/disrupting/cliche to just let it ride out by itself.

But it can also depend on the leader. If, after 4 or 5 seconds of decay at the end, the singer or guitar player makes an ending type motion (with their hand or guitar neck,) then some sort of finality is required. It could be anything such as muting ringing cymbals, a quiet brrrump, a snare flam, or a thrupenny bit. It's all about what fits the song, the venue, and the type of act.

Bermuda
 
I have always heard it called a "stinger" rather than a "button". Or maybe they are two different things.
 
I've never heard either term. Sometimes I do hear about capping the ending.
 
I have always heard it called a "stinger" rather than a "button". Or maybe they are two different things.
I think of a button as a stinger that occurs at the end of a song.

When I think of stinger, I think oh James Brown hits or Bermuda's Hernia Rap.
 
I think of a button as a stinger that occurs at the end of a song.

When I think of stinger, I think oh James Brown hits or Bermuda's Hernia Rap.

Also known as 'stabs', used for emphasis typically within a song.
 
I do. I typically use the 'Star Wars' button at the end of EVERY song I play. Like this: bop ba-da-da BOP!

Another good button is to sing out "She works hard for the money so you better treat her right.....all right!"

;)
 
I call it the full stop. As Jon says, it depends. Sometimes band members differ about whether to add them or not. Our keys player sometimes has this desperate compulsion to hear that full stop at the end of more songs than my cliché tolerance can handle.

So it gives me great pleasure at band practice to do the final cymbal wash, stop, let my hands drop and give him a sly smile as the sound tails off - and the game begins. He gives me that "Well go on, do it" and I return an intransigent look ... sometimes I'll baulk, lifting my right stick a little to raise his hopes. At times the tension of letting the final stab go gets too much and he'll play his own final stab, well after the due moment ... all good fun :)

Funny thing that most stadium drummers don't play single stabs at the end - it's usually a double - ba-bum!
 
I agree about what the song is. When we do Immigrant Song, it ends tight. But if its a recording that fades out, live you need to end in some way. If its late in a set, we go for a big ending. beginning of a set just a quicker ending, usually half worked out at practice but we dont seem to screw up endings on the fly if someone give a nod to go long.
 
I do. I typically use the 'Star Wars' button at the end of EVERY song I play. Like this: bop ba-da-da BOP!

Apologies in advance but I couldn't resist ...

star-wars-uk-mag-7-button.jpg



Typically 16 to 32 measures of Bonzo triplets to button it up and imbue the fans with bombastic glory ;)

....that seems to be a common language at clubs in these parts

Lordy lordy Shemp, it sounds like you're living in the 1970s!

Lucky you ... Sydney is very much in the 21st century :(
 
Many times, the last note is played by everyone, it sounds like the band stays tight, stops and starts together.

The guitarist in my one cover band even gave me suggestion as to how he hears the last note played. When he plays the final chord, it's usually not full stop after the hit, he slides down the neck. When we end a tune, you play the hit together but then the drums play ANOTHER hit when the guitar finishes its slide. I hit with bass drum and cymbals, and the second hit it a four-stroke ruff with snare, toms, kick...the "bucket-of-fish" lick, if you will. Or two sixteenths on the floor tom and a eight note on the kick, like ba-da bumm. Or, flam on the snare and kick, two sixteenths, "plack-umm"

Once in a while I let the cymbals ring after the final chord and do nothing after. Some times, though I am playing with horns, and if I don't give them a release note, it sounds unprofessional, anyone stops whenever. Playing the final chord and giving it a "point" keeps the band in line. It just sounds "professional"

There are plenty of examples in all genres of music. Take the ones you like and cop those. You need to hear the ones you don't like, so you know what not to do in your playing. I always liked how Tony WIlliams would end tunes, big toms rolls and a crash with a "ba-bum" from his bass drum. I have adopted in my playing how he used to play holds, the note before the final note. A lot of guys hit the note and start to go crazy, playing every lick they practiced in that 10 second time frame before the final note is finally played. What I found out, again with my cover band, is that the guitarist was doing all the crazy stuff, and with me on top of it sounded like a right mess. So what I do, that I heard Tony do, is play the second to last note, big crashes on cymbals, then nothing...let the cymbals die down, I play nothing for 3-5 seconds max...then I bring in my crashes on a single stroke roll with the bass drum going as fast as a "roll" also (easier with double pedal). I basically treat it like my big drum chord, and because can't play whole notes like a horn player can, I roll the big note. When the guitarist is done with his wank-fest, I come in with a big crash and I go crazy to slowing down in the span of 5-7 seconds...I'm setting up for the band to play the final note. We all hit the note together, and as the guitars slide that chornd, then I play "bucket-of-fish" to finally end the tune, no one playing after. Clean attack.

Whew!! Good thing it's quicker to play than to write!
 
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