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MUSIC FROM THE FOLLOWING RELEASES:

groundUP
tell your friends
bring us the bright
the world is getting smaller
the only constant
Notes  from  Michael  
 
“Ready  Wednesday”  
written  by  Bill  Laurance,  arranged  by  Bill  Laurance  and  Michael  League  
transcribed  by  Chris  McQueen  
recorded  on  Tell  Your  Friends,  Ropeadope  Records  2010  
 
Bill,  our  London-­‐bred  keyboard  prodigy  (and  also  possibly  the  nicest  human  being  
on  earth),  always  seems  to  bring  tunes  to  the  table  that  require  a  more  orchestral,  
dynamic,  and  dare  I  say  “sensitive”  musical  approach  from  the  band.  
 
I  heard  this  tune  for  the  first  time  back  in  2005,  when  Billy  first  visited  the  USA.  It  
was  the  same  week  that  Snarky  Puppy  recorded  our  very  first  album,  “The  Only  
Constant.”  We  had  just  finished  tracking  the  record  when  Bill  proposed  the  idea  of  
going  back  into  the  same  studio  as  a  trio  (with  then-­‐drummer  Ross  Pederson)  and  
recording  some  songs  he  had  written  over  the  last  year.  Both  “Ready  Wednesday”  
and  “The  Good  Man  Deliver  and  the  Best  is  Blessed”  were  among  them,  and  we  laid  
them  down  on  piano,  acoustic  bass,  and  drums.  I  still  really  enjoy  this  little  mini-­‐
album  we  made  (which  never  saw  the  light  of  day),  and  I  thought  it  was  a  crime  to  
keep  Billy’s  ingenious  little  ditties  under  the  radar.    
 
In  addition  to  completely  changing  the  feel  of  the  tune  (adding  a  half-­‐time  backbeat,  
for  one),  I  wrote  a  long,  lyrical  melody  (letter  C)  to  provide  contrast  with  the  
staccato  horn/piano  parts  preceding  it.  At  about  5am  on  the  morning  of  the  Tell  
Your  Friends  recording,  I  blew  out  Bill’s  piano  part  on  the  orchestral  sections  for  
string  trio.  The  biggest  challenge  with  this  one  is  making  the  ultra-­‐staccato,  ultra-­‐
syncopated  horn/piano  stabs  in  the  “verses”  as  tight  as  humanly  possible.  Try  it  
really  slowly  with  a  metronome,  then  gradually  speed  it  up.  I  remember  doing  this  
for  about  20  consecutive  minutes  the  day  before  tracking  it.  
 
Although  it  isn’t  on  the  Tell  Your  Friends  version,  there  is  a  really  interesting  outro  
that  Bill  attached  to  the  initial  version  on  the  tune.  We  recently  resurrected  it,  as  can  
be  seen  on  the  YouTube  video  cited  below.  
 
Off-­‐the-­‐page  stuff  to  try:  
1) Treat  the  tune  just  like  a  lead  sheet.  Try  different  grooves/styles  underneath  
the  melody  and  harmony,  and  see  what  feels  good.  We’ve  been  doing  it  with  
an  afro-­‐beat  groove,  snare  and  bass  on  beats  1  and  2.  Search  “Ready  
Wednesday  Jefferson  Center”  on  YouTube  to  check  it  out  (with  the  great  
Little  John  Roberts  on  drums).  
2) Mess  around  with  the  form  of  the  song.  Play  certain  sections  twice,  flip  the  B  
and  C  sections  around,  etc.  It’s  a  very  flexible  piece  of  music,  as  long  as  you  
use  the  orchestral  sections  as  anchor  points.  
3) Remove  the  intro  and  start  the  tune  directly  with  the  rhythmic  piano  figure.