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Old 08-22-2019, 01:23 PM   #41
toleolu
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An idea I've been kicking around for an intro solo on that Am blues.


https://www.dropbox.com/s/zkpir9f4w4...Intro.wav?dl=0
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Old 08-22-2019, 01:29 PM   #42
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Originally Posted by toleolu View Post
An idea I've been kicking around for an intro solo on that Am blues.


https://www.dropbox.com/s/zkpir9f4w4...Intro.wav?dl=0
Yep, I like that
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Old 08-22-2019, 01:36 PM   #43
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Thanks so much Synk, mix and tone needs some work, but one step at a time, right?
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Old 08-22-2019, 05:37 PM   #44
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Almost any of the solos I recorded with me by myself that I feel good about as they exist in history, were the result of far too many takes and retakes, putting fairy dust on it, doing the start again, taking fairy dust off, doing the end again, deciding I then needed to do the middle to match, putting fairy dust on again, but less, then using the second half of the first version from last year in that other key. Not because I had some great vision, but because what I did have a handle on was was sucked about it and I needed to make it not suck more than I needed to make it a masterpiece solo. Making something suck less has always been easy for me. It's like the joke about how did you carve that statue of a bear? I got a big block of wood and cut away everything that didn't look like a bear.

OTOH, the solos I've done where I was not the engineer or producer, where the section with the vocal that was suddenly dropped in favor of a solo before I arrived, and the person in command yelled, "There! Play something!!" and I hadn't even gotten the second end of the strap attached much less tuned up, or any sound I was considering ready up on the keyboard, and I just jumped in and did something...Some of those are the best solos on my shelf. First takes mostly, not perfect but not endlessly labored over, and even if I thought they weren't good enough, the producer (who has literally done that numerous times over the years with me, sometimes when I'm noodling around with some random righty instrument (I play lefty), waiting for food to arrive) said, no, it's great. Feels real. Moving on.

These years I've tried to bring less of the first scenario and more of the second to what's in my head when it's time for a solo. Well planned out ones are great, but there's something about being off balance and hearing in the track how the solo finds its balance that can be really special.
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Old 08-22-2019, 06:05 PM   #45
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Nice guitarwork dude! No need to be so hard on yourself. My only suggestion would be to try spanking the strings a little harder once in a while. The tone is a little "too smooth" imo.
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Old 08-22-2019, 08:17 PM   #46
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These years I've tried to bring less of the first scenario and more of the second to what's in my head when it's time for a solo. Well planned out ones are great, but there's something about being off balance and hearing in the track how the solo finds its balance that can be really special.
I think there's a lot to be said for both of your points. I do the pixie dust thing myself, only I use my pedals, pickups, and knobs on the guitars and amp. I'll record something, then go back and say, maybe if I crank the gain up a bit here, or switch to the neck pickup here, that type of stuff. On the upside though, I get to where I can play it in my sleep because I've played it over and over and over again.

On the second point, isn't it amazing how the old saying about first impressions usually being correct applies to so many things. Don't think it to death, just let'r rip!!!

One of my favorite solos is Clarence Clemmons sax solo on Springsteens Jungleland. Piece of music that still gives me chills whenever I listen to it. I read something years ago where he said he spent 3 days working on that. Then on the other hand, you've got Kerry Livgren who talks about miracles out of nowhere, how these ideas just come to him and he has no idea where they come from. Two brilliant musicians, two different perspectives, end result being some really great music. Gotta love it!!!

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Nice guitarwork dude! No need to be so hard on yourself. My only suggestion would be to try spanking the strings a little harder once in a while. The tone is a little "too smooth" imo.
Thanks Fox, much appreciated.

When you say spanking the strings, are you referring to a more aggressive attack, or some pinch harmonics, that kind of stuff??

I tried to get a little more aggressive with that blues lick I play over the start of the Em chord, but I wanted the intro to be a little low key because I want to include some type of bridge or key change somewhere along the way and then get really "in your face" with the solo over that. Kind of a build the mood thing, but definitely open to improving that intro.

If anyone has any suggestions on breaking out of that 1-4-5 for a bit, love to hear it.

Thanks again to all.
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Old 08-22-2019, 11:44 PM   #47
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are you referring to a more aggressive attack
yes, more variation in how hard you hit is what i mean.
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Old 08-23-2019, 12:35 AM   #48
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Thanks so much Synk
Absolutely no problem

It was good to hear something from you and that you are putting something down to share. A good step to take in my opinion.

A short story.

My next door neighbour plays guitar. He is better than me, by far. Last time I spoke to him about this he was saying that he doesn't know why he bothers because he only plays for himself. He doesn't even play it when friends and family visit.

Now, I am not saying that just playing for yourself is a bad thing, but I do feel that, if you cannot play in a band and go out gigging, the next best thing is to share your stuff on the wonderful interwebs.

Quote:
mix and tone needs some work
Yes, I suppose it does. However, I wouldn't like to comment directly on that aspect as my own skills are not that great in that department. I sometimes get comments about "great tone" on my guitar stuff, but that is more by accident than design.

Quote:
but one step at a time, right?
Indeed!


Finally, as long as I am an active member here I will endeavour to keep an eye on your progress


cheers

andy
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Old 08-23-2019, 05:41 AM   #49
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This is a very useful link which you might find helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNB...rnvwcVRD5fS8aA
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Old 08-23-2019, 10:06 AM   #50
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Finally, as long as I am an active member here I will endeavour to keep an eye on your progress
Thanks so much for the encouragement. I do admit to being a bit reluctant in the past to post things, but given the responses I've received, I'll definitely start posting more.

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This is a very useful link which you might find helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNB...rnvwcVRD5fS8aA
Thanks Sambo, I have watched a number of his videos before, he's very good. I was having trouble wrapping my head around this "Circle of 5th's" thing and watching one of his videos on the subject helped a lot.

Update:

Cracks me up, just saw your post of the video I was talking about. How's that for weird coincidence.

Last edited by toleolu; 08-23-2019 at 10:13 AM.
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Old 08-27-2019, 03:30 PM   #51
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Taking your suggestions to heart, came up with this over the last couple of days.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v66ebg2v87...zin02.wav?dl=0
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Old 08-27-2019, 07:39 PM   #52
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Sounds great I couldn't figure out why it rang a bell and it eventually occurred to me that maybe 20 years ago I was doing a very similar exercise for the same reason and one of the recordings I have has a roughly similar sound. A cool coincidence.
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Old 08-27-2019, 10:10 PM   #53
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Thanks.

We probably both got it from "Ventura Highway".
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Old 08-27-2019, 10:39 PM   #54
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To me, a solo means a spot in the music where I'm in focus as a performer, in front of the rest of the ensemble, instead of part of the ensemble. It can also be me performing a solo part in the music.

A solo means to step up and play on top of the music, using the music itself as accompaniment for me, in contrast to being the accompaniment itself. Defining the word 'solo' is no bigger point, there's always some dictionary that defines it slightly differently. But a solo may be a composed solo too, like the opening bassoon part in Rite of Spring for example.

How I come up with solo parts? That's easy: I just stop thinking and start feeling.
To me that's what musicianship is about: shortening the distance between impression and expression, as much as possible. So you can express it accurately and correctly the same moment that you hear it inside of you, on whatever instrument you like or how many you like. Getting to that point however, may be the hard part. Might take a long time.

Also, each time you play the same solo spot is different. I used to play in a top 40 band that had sequenced background percussion and string parts. A computer played those parts and the band had to play to a click, even though it was live. (lots of bands playing easy-to-digest music do this). So the tempo of a song was exactly the same each night, because the computer set the tempo. And yet, during the coffee breaks, everyone in the band was talking like "Jesus 'that' song felt slow tonight", and everybody in the band agreed. Everybody. Nobody ever countered by saying "Nah, I felt it was normal, or even a bit fast". Everyone agreed that this or that song was too fast or too slow for tonight. Generally the whole evening was either too slow or too fast or just right. Because of the mood, atmosphere, the people there, everything put together just became something that called for a certain performance to harmonize with the mood. It's the same thing for a listener; you're never in the same mood as the first time, when you listen to the same recorded song the second time days later.

That's what solos are like too. What you'd do in a recording situation will come out differently than on stage, because you're responding to two very different circumstances. Real nitpicky musicians will tell you even each single take is a different world entirely, and thus a different kind of solo is required each take. Myself I wouldn't go that far, but I'd agree on the general point, that the moment and the surrounding things dictates alot, and you just need to respond to partly that, and your own feelings, and off you go.

It's funny that oftentimes you have absolutely no idea what is going to happen or what you're going to do, until like 0,5 seconds before the solo starts. And then, you just kindof ... know, and off you go. Difficult to explain. Solos are great.

I recall Miles Davis saying something along the lines of 'During my solo, I first thought I did a mistake. But now I do know, I did play the right thing there. It was just that my intellect hadn't caught on to that fact yet, and thought of it as a mistake at first.'
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Last edited by Colox; 08-27-2019 at 10:51 PM.
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