Posts by Per

Thanks Monkey_Man  waraba and deadman42 !

Good job Mats_Nermark , got some Chicago vibes going on. I think it’s pretty hummable but I get the journey you’re on, I also try to find that catchy riff.

Here’s my observations I’m using recently that might be of use to you (or not). I think the key to hummable is always simplicity and then repeating it a lot, and also the use of call and response.

So many main themes are less than ten notes, sometimes only three or four (Beethoven is the greatest for this), people seem to remember the fanfares the best and mainly the call rather than the response, and it feels like it’s easier to remember if it’s tension-release so call is slightly longer than the response or a direct repeat a tone down, it’s that combination of punchy rhythm and simple melody.

Even a complex theme like Smetna’s Die Moldau is only 10 notes on the call and 8 on the response. If we get into jazz then think about Kenny Burrell Caitlin’s Con Carne is only 8 notes (6 on the response), Brubeck’s take 5 is an exception at 11 and 5/10, but you can simplify out the flourishes to have a 6 note motif.

it’s also about the space. You need that overtly dramatic pause before the call and then that timing for the response is critical. pause before the response.

I think because your mind seems to work so much in very clever multipart multi-instrumental call and responses and interweaving melody that can sometimes bury the intent and the decoration can obscure the clean line. Maybe go back to basics, do a track that’s just drums guitar and allow yourself only one other rhythm section instrument, perhaps just a bass guitar, or perhaps just a single piano. So you have to do the call and response on the same instrument, which could simplify the motif.

Thanks waraba , yes they’re quite the little edge lord couple!

Awesome, I love the way you retain the same heavy riffage and huge sound but with these cleaner tones.

Tonights blues and in my head at least Motown soul inspired noodle

Thanks Monkey_Man I’ll try to carry on down the path.

Thanks deadman42 , I was actually thinking earlier on about how my current singer/songwriter level is very much entrenched in beginner territory, and trying to work out ways of getting out of there. To me good songs have more contrast, dynamism and bombast but also an experience narrative. It’s not just assembling good parts or even there being a flow, but how that flow delivers musical story beats like a crescendo, or changing moods.

Quote from hafi19

sounds very cleanly played to me. How many takes did you need to get it like that?

Definitely enough to have me thrown out of a session but also not as many as I expected once I started to really pay attention.

Todays much more messy noodle

Thanks Monkey_Man Hmm, ok, that’s something I never thought I’d hear! I still think I have a very long way to go before I get to the levels of precision I hear in commercial recordings, but I think I get it. It’s just that it’s un-musical in approach, too consistent (every note the same) for music and probably not helped by it being double tracked in parts and that gives it a chorus like sound which can sound plastic and artificial/sheeny.

Actually listening back even the vocal bits that aren’t double tracked like the initial verse have a sound in parts that seems like there’s a subtle harmony/double track in there, weird. Maybe the low mix master reverb pre-delay is creating the effect.

I’ll try to bear in mind - play with feeling, while improving technique and precision.

Change of plans I decided to do more of an exercise on fretting precision. Very simple stuff but it's amazing how bad I find my basic core skills are when I actually pay close attention to the task of simply trying to play basic arpeggios while keeping sustain and avoiding fret buzz, tuning issues, timing issues etc aiming for absolute clarity. and I know that precision is definitely something missing that separates me from the pros. So once again a return to basics is in order and I'll be doing a lot of exercises over the coming days I guess!

Thanks BayouTexan yeah they're raucous bands with great vocalists for sure. I feel that the arrangement and mixes done at 3614, Bee Jay, Sound Pit and Studio One and so on are pretty excellent and should offer a lot to learn from in delivering that big clear sound.

Thanks Monkey_Man I need to do some more of this style in order to understand the way it should be arranged and how they get vocals to sit in a guitar and mid heavy mix.

Thanks hafi19 !

Well on the plus side I found a huge blind spot that I didn't realize I really had. Lots of problems on this track. Not least of which is neighbors and self consciousness making me choke. Also just too much mess in general, bad arrangement running int conflict with the vocal lines. The trouble is I think I fell in love with the scratch track which was just some random one take of improv (the guitar that you hear on here) because I loved the crunchy sound of the Michael Britt profile. I need to go back and listen to some classic hippy/southern rock and base my mixes and tones off of that, not that I mind listening to anything coming out of Muscle Shoals. Time to go and practice classic rock till I get it right.

Thanks Monkey_Man that’d be super helpful.

Thanks waraba just the LP neck pup on this one with the TAF Hiwatt profile. The temperature and humidity are swinging around a lot here so I’m keeping the hollow safe in its case till it settles down.

Thanks Monkey_Man , I’m trying to work on my vocals one aspect at a time with these, I can’t make it sound less amateur because that’s just my weak voice and the structure of my throat/nose but I can work on things like figuring out signal chain and even stuff like rhythm which is completely different to rhythm with a physical instrument, a “fun” fact that is actually really weird and annoying to discover, it means starting out from scratch yet again :O

I got two months on this noodle challenge before I reach the year mark, I would like to be at a much better quality level than I am right now - across the board. I really hope I haven’t reached my mediocre potential because it feels like there’s a gaping chasm between where I should be and where I am. So throw experience and feedback at me even if it’s hard for me to take, so long as it’s actionable then it’s useful (once my ego has its prerequisite tantrum/sullen depression and then gets out of the way). Ideally I’d really like to be good enough to be of use in helping others.

BayouTexan use the groove search then ctrl drag to duplicate the loop until you have a complete track. Record bits, go back to where it should be louder/quieter etc, right click on the groove you picked and go to "Show Folder" then drag in chorus etc parts in the appropriate places. Finally grab a few fills and drop them in, maybe trimming them down as necessary as transitions between sections if the segments don't have a nice fill anyway (don't add needless fills as it'll become busy).

Thanks BayouTexan !