Heya People!
Sorry I haven't been around much lately. Between looking at units to buy and work, I just haven't much time to do anything other than log in, do a quick moderation of the forums (ie. delete spam) and log out again. :( I feel bad about that so I'm really going to try and get something done for this month.. Anyway.. Here are the contenders for last month's solo assignment. I'm glad I wasn't the only one that found this one tricky.. even the composer, maestro_shaz, of the backing track had trouble! :eek:
Superhuman
maestro_shaz
Spedzar
wwb (Right-click and Save As...)
WrigglerUK
equator
mpaq
Fingerspasm
Cookie monster
Remember that you can't vote for yourself. Please listen to them all before you vote and try to comment on them if you can to give feedback to the soloist.
For those who didn't participate by submitting a solo: there is no reason you can't participate in the voting and commenting! The more the merrier!
VOTING For GT Solo Assignment - April 2008
# 1
Maestro Shaz - excellent take, plenty of 'maestro' level jamming. I really lked this one, it had a couple of hooks and some very interesting runs and passages. Thumbs up as usual!
Spedzar
I love that shredding from down under - good to see you around here again mate. Nice job on this track, sounds like a ripping jam from start to finish. Some parts worked better than others but over all a nice job. Killer chops and speed runs;-)
WrigglerUK
Plenty of different tonal experiments - liked the wah wor. One string sounded slightly out (perhaps the intonation) to my dodgy ears. Some unusual harmonies that worked well, had a 50's feel to it in places (ala Pulp Fiction). Good job again - liked the way the theme came in throughout the piece too;-)
Equator
Yet another hot babe on your page - good choice this month as usual!! Nice thick overdriven tone, liked the thematic approach and some lovely syncopated pentatonic licks in there. I reckon this one would benefit greatly from a little bit of delay (I overdid it on my track!) and a smidgen of reverb to add some atmosphere. Nice solo and playing though, big improvement in your accuracy since the last time I heard you play.
Mpaq
Wow, cool tones from the start and a nice harmonised dual guitar playing opposing licks - works very well. Followed by some fine axe work and a nice mix of tones and effects. The basic three or four note approach really works on this track. Great job, love that intro/outro hook.
FingerSpasm
You found your groove pretty quickly with a scalar run that works very well - a little heavy on the flanger type effect but what the hell. More nice harmonies, plenty of harmonised runs this month. Liked the section starting around the 1.30 mark followed by that nice screaming solo. Only suggestion is to work on the vibratto a little, huge imprvements in your playing though. Good job!
Cookie Monster
Totally different approach, nice feel playing - very bluesy, lovely jam feel to it. Nicely played throughout, would liked for you to break out of the pentatonics for one or too of the riff changes - still though it sounded damn fine. Loved the second section - sounded like you started to open up and let things rip Blackmore-style;-) Very cool.
wwb
Havent heard you play before - nice job, unnexpected and unusual phrasings in the section riff change, liked that a lot. Great phrasing throughout, very fluid playing. Only thing I would have liked would be a different mode or key change to add a high point in the centre - than again thats just my taste, I was expecting an explsive high point in the middle. All around a very good solo.
VERDICT
My 2 favourites were Maestro Shaz - world class player with all the chops in the right places
Mpaq - nice job, good use of tones and some unusual patterns
Vote goes to Maestro Shaz for technique and pure tone - not the most inspired piece I've heard you play but it had it very 'shiny' moments that stole the show.
Spedzar
I love that shredding from down under - good to see you around here again mate. Nice job on this track, sounds like a ripping jam from start to finish. Some parts worked better than others but over all a nice job. Killer chops and speed runs;-)
WrigglerUK
Plenty of different tonal experiments - liked the wah wor. One string sounded slightly out (perhaps the intonation) to my dodgy ears. Some unusual harmonies that worked well, had a 50's feel to it in places (ala Pulp Fiction). Good job again - liked the way the theme came in throughout the piece too;-)
Equator
Yet another hot babe on your page - good choice this month as usual!! Nice thick overdriven tone, liked the thematic approach and some lovely syncopated pentatonic licks in there. I reckon this one would benefit greatly from a little bit of delay (I overdid it on my track!) and a smidgen of reverb to add some atmosphere. Nice solo and playing though, big improvement in your accuracy since the last time I heard you play.
Mpaq
Wow, cool tones from the start and a nice harmonised dual guitar playing opposing licks - works very well. Followed by some fine axe work and a nice mix of tones and effects. The basic three or four note approach really works on this track. Great job, love that intro/outro hook.
FingerSpasm
You found your groove pretty quickly with a scalar run that works very well - a little heavy on the flanger type effect but what the hell. More nice harmonies, plenty of harmonised runs this month. Liked the section starting around the 1.30 mark followed by that nice screaming solo. Only suggestion is to work on the vibratto a little, huge imprvements in your playing though. Good job!
Cookie Monster
Totally different approach, nice feel playing - very bluesy, lovely jam feel to it. Nicely played throughout, would liked for you to break out of the pentatonics for one or too of the riff changes - still though it sounded damn fine. Loved the second section - sounded like you started to open up and let things rip Blackmore-style;-) Very cool.
wwb
Havent heard you play before - nice job, unnexpected and unusual phrasings in the section riff change, liked that a lot. Great phrasing throughout, very fluid playing. Only thing I would have liked would be a different mode or key change to add a high point in the centre - than again thats just my taste, I was expecting an explsive high point in the middle. All around a very good solo.
VERDICT
My 2 favourites were Maestro Shaz - world class player with all the chops in the right places
Mpaq - nice job, good use of tones and some unusual patterns
Vote goes to Maestro Shaz for technique and pure tone - not the most inspired piece I've heard you play but it had it very 'shiny' moments that stole the show.
# 2
As usual, tough call! I dithered a bit and then went for the one I ENJOYED the most. Mpaq had the right tone, interesting counterpointing and it was just my favourite track.
Technically and otherwise, Superhuman and Maestro were as usual excellent. Super - considering your circumstances that was terrific. And I'm glad to hear you are recovering. :)
Technically and otherwise, Superhuman and Maestro were as usual excellent. Super - considering your circumstances that was terrific. And I'm glad to hear you are recovering. :)
Can you play "Far Far Away?"
Yes - how far would you like?
Yes - how far would you like?
# 3
Originally Posted by: WrigglerUkAs usual, tough call! I dithered a bit and then went for the one I ENJOYED the most. Mpaq had the right tone, interesting counterpointing and it was just my favourite track.
Technically and otherwise, Superhuman and Maestro were as usual excellent. Super - considering your circumstances that was terrific. And I'm glad to hear you are recovering. :)
Thanks man, glad to be recovering too! Was really freaked out for about two months (MRI brain scans etc). At least I know now its 'just' hearing damage and nothing worse (some of the symptoms I had could have meant a brain tumor!). I got a lot of mouths to feed in my house, hearing damage is a pisser but at least I can still play - very relieved and happy to be recording again :)
# 4
Really tough to vote this month....so many of the tracks were close it would be hard to narrow it down to three let alone just one. But one it is, so here goes.
In terms of technical skill and overall proficiency, no question to the talent of both Maestro Shaz and Superhuman. Maestro's take i think was best suited to the track, and i highly doubt it has anything to do with it being his backing track....man you just have it down, no matter what you seem to play.
Superhuman...that you can be away from it for several months and just pick up the guitar and throw something like that together at the last minute really speaks for itself. Amazing how you transition those bends directly into a run.
I would say both you guys have the best overall tone as well.
Cookie Monster - i enjoyed your track a lot when you first posted it. Tried to listen to it again, but couldnt get the vid to play on your site..you should try hosting it somewhere that will just allow the mp3 download..in any case if I recall from a few weeks ago, you started out a little slow but about half way through you were ripping it pretty good. If I recall, the quality of the recording wasnt great, but your sound and style is unique, and a pleasure to listen to. Would like to hear more.
Spedzar - I think you are obviously a very talented musician...there was a lot of stuff going on in this track, all of it interesting, but not all of it well suited for this particular track i thought. What i heard you playing was really really good, but i just felt a lot of it got lost with all the effects.
Fingerspasm - i remember reading one of your posts where you mention you were really working on your shredding excercises. It appears to be paying off for you...i wish i had that kind of speed. Interesting opening and I particularly like the dual guitar sounds
Equator - Really good job. Especially around the 1:30 mark..i loved that transition. When i first joined this board, you were one of the first players i listened to and always enjoy coming back to your stuff.
WWB - nice solid track..nothing overly fancy, just good phrasing and a recurring theme that worked really well
Wriggler - Interesting use of the wah. In fact there was a lot of different styles in there, very different but it all came together and you didnt miss a beat. Really unique and interesting track overall.
So tough to call, but my vote goes to Equator...that bit around the 1:30 -1:40 mark really made it for me. Very close second to Wriggler for his unique and creative track as well as WWB for a well executed solo.
In terms of technical skill and overall proficiency, no question to the talent of both Maestro Shaz and Superhuman. Maestro's take i think was best suited to the track, and i highly doubt it has anything to do with it being his backing track....man you just have it down, no matter what you seem to play.
Superhuman...that you can be away from it for several months and just pick up the guitar and throw something like that together at the last minute really speaks for itself. Amazing how you transition those bends directly into a run.
I would say both you guys have the best overall tone as well.
Cookie Monster - i enjoyed your track a lot when you first posted it. Tried to listen to it again, but couldnt get the vid to play on your site..you should try hosting it somewhere that will just allow the mp3 download..in any case if I recall from a few weeks ago, you started out a little slow but about half way through you were ripping it pretty good. If I recall, the quality of the recording wasnt great, but your sound and style is unique, and a pleasure to listen to. Would like to hear more.
Spedzar - I think you are obviously a very talented musician...there was a lot of stuff going on in this track, all of it interesting, but not all of it well suited for this particular track i thought. What i heard you playing was really really good, but i just felt a lot of it got lost with all the effects.
Fingerspasm - i remember reading one of your posts where you mention you were really working on your shredding excercises. It appears to be paying off for you...i wish i had that kind of speed. Interesting opening and I particularly like the dual guitar sounds
Equator - Really good job. Especially around the 1:30 mark..i loved that transition. When i first joined this board, you were one of the first players i listened to and always enjoy coming back to your stuff.
WWB - nice solid track..nothing overly fancy, just good phrasing and a recurring theme that worked really well
Wriggler - Interesting use of the wah. In fact there was a lot of different styles in there, very different but it all came together and you didnt miss a beat. Really unique and interesting track overall.
So tough to call, but my vote goes to Equator...that bit around the 1:30 -1:40 mark really made it for me. Very close second to Wriggler for his unique and creative track as well as WWB for a well executed solo.
# 5
Really tough to choose a favorite solo, they are all good and each has its own unique flavor.
Superhuman. I am glad to hear that you are doing better health wise. I liked the harmonics, ( your gear brings out every little detail of your playing ) your take is a master class on sequencing and your technique and skills never ceases to amaze me.
Maestro Shaz. First of all thanks for providing such a great backing track. I liked your tone choice, I am a sweeping freak so I was really happy to hear those mean sounding sweeps on your take. One of the things I like of your playing among others, is your vibrato; it is very expressive. A nice balance of shredding and melodic lines. Good riffing. Just an amazing take man.
Spedzar. Welcome back bro. Impressive fast playing and interesting synthesized effects.
wwb. Good riffing, excellent tone, unusual melodies and fresh ideas.
WrigglerUk. Plenty of tonal explorations and improved phrasing.
mpaq. I liked the variation of tones. Enjoyable themes around a well established hook. A nice take from the beginning to the end with interesting tone changes.
FingerSpasm. Nice track bro. Your speed and how you build the structure of your solo keep improving each month.
Cookie Monster. I can’t play your song for some reason. But I remember your take captured the spontaneity of your improvisation with a nice bluesy feel to it.
I had a hard time deciding between Maestro shaz and mpaq. But at the end I voted for Shaz mainly for the exuberance of technique abilities.
Superhuman. I am glad to hear that you are doing better health wise. I liked the harmonics, ( your gear brings out every little detail of your playing ) your take is a master class on sequencing and your technique and skills never ceases to amaze me.
Maestro Shaz. First of all thanks for providing such a great backing track. I liked your tone choice, I am a sweeping freak so I was really happy to hear those mean sounding sweeps on your take. One of the things I like of your playing among others, is your vibrato; it is very expressive. A nice balance of shredding and melodic lines. Good riffing. Just an amazing take man.
Spedzar. Welcome back bro. Impressive fast playing and interesting synthesized effects.
wwb. Good riffing, excellent tone, unusual melodies and fresh ideas.
WrigglerUk. Plenty of tonal explorations and improved phrasing.
mpaq. I liked the variation of tones. Enjoyable themes around a well established hook. A nice take from the beginning to the end with interesting tone changes.
FingerSpasm. Nice track bro. Your speed and how you build the structure of your solo keep improving each month.
Cookie Monster. I can’t play your song for some reason. But I remember your take captured the spontaneity of your improvisation with a nice bluesy feel to it.
I had a hard time deciding between Maestro shaz and mpaq. But at the end I voted for Shaz mainly for the exuberance of technique abilities.
# 6
Just finished listening to all the entries on my brand new M-Audio BX5a Studio Monitors. Sorry I know I am bragging but man they sound GOOD! Here is what I thought for what its worth.
Superhuman - Glad to hear you are getting better. I still remember you helping me get on track with a good Drum program over a year ago.... I though you entry was very good as is the norm for you. I really like the quality of your mixes and your guitar sound. Your speed is always right out front and its something I envy (in a good way). But what really impresses me is your ability to get nice harmonics and vibrato in you fast playing. Nice entry.
Maestro - Nice entry. I like the staccato style intro and then there was some real nice sweeps in there. You and Superhuman are pretty much in a different league when it comes to these entries. I think its great that you guys participate.
Spedzar - Man you make me miss the 3 years I spent in Bermuda. Always mentioning the ocean and the nice weather. Yes I am jealous! :) Nice entry you did not give yourself enough credit on this one. There was a section in there where it almost sounded like you were playing keyboard Synth's instead of guitar but you had some really nice runs in there. You are right there with Superhuman and Maestro I just think you have more of a nonchalant attitude and are in a to much of a hurry to get back on the water to really polish it up. Your Description on your soundclick page says it all. Blah Blah Blah so I play guitar. That cracks me up.
WWB - Nice clean playing on your entry sounded like you stayed in your comfort zone. I did not notice any missed notes etc. I think like myself you could have used a little bit of Vibrato in your intro. It was a really nice entry looking forward to hearing some more from you.
Wriggler UK - You had some nice melodic stuff in your entry. Nice use of effects. I really liked the Wah. Some real nice phrasing in there also.
Equator - Nice slow Melodic intro. You stayed nice and patient and then had some nice burst of speed further into it. Real tasteful. There was a little more bass in the intro than I would have liked but thats personal taste.
Mpaq - Really noticed your use of varying distortion levels throughout. You have a really nice guitar sound working for you. Some real nice melodic runs and your use of the effects was very nicely balanced.
Cookie Monster - Nice to hear a new entrant. Some real nice bluesy stuff. I commented on yours earlier in this thread so I will not repeat myself. Good stuff.
Fingerspasm - Ya I know thats me... I used this entry to try and test my speed. It was kinda sloppy but I like to use this as a platform to push myself. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to comment on my entry that means a bunch.
Superhuman - Glad to hear you are getting better. I still remember you helping me get on track with a good Drum program over a year ago.... I though you entry was very good as is the norm for you. I really like the quality of your mixes and your guitar sound. Your speed is always right out front and its something I envy (in a good way). But what really impresses me is your ability to get nice harmonics and vibrato in you fast playing. Nice entry.
Maestro - Nice entry. I like the staccato style intro and then there was some real nice sweeps in there. You and Superhuman are pretty much in a different league when it comes to these entries. I think its great that you guys participate.
Spedzar - Man you make me miss the 3 years I spent in Bermuda. Always mentioning the ocean and the nice weather. Yes I am jealous! :) Nice entry you did not give yourself enough credit on this one. There was a section in there where it almost sounded like you were playing keyboard Synth's instead of guitar but you had some really nice runs in there. You are right there with Superhuman and Maestro I just think you have more of a nonchalant attitude and are in a to much of a hurry to get back on the water to really polish it up. Your Description on your soundclick page says it all. Blah Blah Blah so I play guitar. That cracks me up.
WWB - Nice clean playing on your entry sounded like you stayed in your comfort zone. I did not notice any missed notes etc. I think like myself you could have used a little bit of Vibrato in your intro. It was a really nice entry looking forward to hearing some more from you.
Wriggler UK - You had some nice melodic stuff in your entry. Nice use of effects. I really liked the Wah. Some real nice phrasing in there also.
Equator - Nice slow Melodic intro. You stayed nice and patient and then had some nice burst of speed further into it. Real tasteful. There was a little more bass in the intro than I would have liked but thats personal taste.
Mpaq - Really noticed your use of varying distortion levels throughout. You have a really nice guitar sound working for you. Some real nice melodic runs and your use of the effects was very nicely balanced.
Cookie Monster - Nice to hear a new entrant. Some real nice bluesy stuff. I commented on yours earlier in this thread so I will not repeat myself. Good stuff.
Fingerspasm - Ya I know thats me... I used this entry to try and test my speed. It was kinda sloppy but I like to use this as a platform to push myself. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to comment on my entry that means a bunch.
# 7
I appreciate everyone's comments and am always amazed at how many different but great solos can be laid over the same backing track.
# 8
Superhuman
Nice tone, laid back playing in the opening section, cool use of Phrygian mode for this track. Competent riffing as always. I thought you lost it a bit around 1:30 in terms of inspiration or something but then regained towards the end – the ending was particularly sweet. Great effort especially considering your time away from the instrument with ear dramas.
Maestro Shaz
Having really enjoyed your playing for the monthly solos I kind of expect everything you do to be of an excellent quality. It seems a lot of people struggled with your April backing track for some reason (perhaps yourself included?). Your playing, tone, riffs and composition skills all shine in this track but there was just something missing from it for me – some element of feel… I couldn’t get the emotion happening but hey, I think this is the best track submitted by a long shot in any case (get's my vote) :)
wwb
I don’t recall having heard your playing before so I’m not sure how long you’ve been going or where your head is at with music, but this was a good effort in the most part without being overly memorable in any particular aspect. Tone for me was a little one dimensional and levels were a bit high with some distortion evident where it shouldn’t have been on the mp3 version. But playing was pretty tight and sounded good to me.
Wriggler UK
Some quirky playing here. I think the duck-like wah section is really cool for some reason. The repeated themes are quite good and the harmonisation on the second pass is a tool I like to use too. Your transition through the stabs into the next section was flowing. The mix of tones you have in your piece seemed to clash a bit to me though, making it all sound a bit odd in the overall scheme of things. Pretty good though.
Equator
I think someone else mentioned this could benefit from a little reverb (or a little more if some was used) throughout. Your playing is improving to my ears and you are quite calculating about what you are doing – unlike me. The thing I liked most about this months effort from you were some of the nice bends you have thrown in there. With a better tone and some more effects you would improve by at least 10% sound-wise. The only suggestion I have for your playing (and this may not be good advice) is to now loosen up a bit and start improvising to develop the “unknown” potential. Just dream of the girls you have in the little pics and let your fingers do the walking…
mpaq
I felt the same way about your track as Wriggler’s in the tonal sense. I think sometimes we are all a bit guilty of trying to cram as much variation into 2:30 as we can muster. I admit I did this month. Perhaps some things are better left alone and the fact that I preferred Shaz’s effort could mean that all the tonal weirdness of some tracks was off putting for me personally. But that being said I think you are a very good player and capable of composing cool guitar parts (like the main theme played in that bizarre wah tone with the 2nd interval) that stuck in my mind.
Fingerspasm
Crazy intro note! Haha. Some interesting runs and rhythmic ideas in your effort, a splash of improv here and there, some machine gun single-note picking and a bit of harmonisation make this a good piece. The tones and the mix however are a bit on the down-side for me (some parts I could hardly hear) and compositionally speaking for me it lacked any really strong hooks. Overall pretty good though, especially in the sense it was interesting.
Cookie monster
Some nice pentatonic riffing in your track. You obviously have a bag of tricks in that department, although your employment of a few well played “stock” riffs detracted from my interest on occasion. But your playing in some sections has good feel to it and I like the way you warmed into it and didn’t just go hell for leather from the outset. Nice tone as well. Good job.
Nice tone, laid back playing in the opening section, cool use of Phrygian mode for this track. Competent riffing as always. I thought you lost it a bit around 1:30 in terms of inspiration or something but then regained towards the end – the ending was particularly sweet. Great effort especially considering your time away from the instrument with ear dramas.
Maestro Shaz
Having really enjoyed your playing for the monthly solos I kind of expect everything you do to be of an excellent quality. It seems a lot of people struggled with your April backing track for some reason (perhaps yourself included?). Your playing, tone, riffs and composition skills all shine in this track but there was just something missing from it for me – some element of feel… I couldn’t get the emotion happening but hey, I think this is the best track submitted by a long shot in any case (get's my vote) :)
wwb
I don’t recall having heard your playing before so I’m not sure how long you’ve been going or where your head is at with music, but this was a good effort in the most part without being overly memorable in any particular aspect. Tone for me was a little one dimensional and levels were a bit high with some distortion evident where it shouldn’t have been on the mp3 version. But playing was pretty tight and sounded good to me.
Wriggler UK
Some quirky playing here. I think the duck-like wah section is really cool for some reason. The repeated themes are quite good and the harmonisation on the second pass is a tool I like to use too. Your transition through the stabs into the next section was flowing. The mix of tones you have in your piece seemed to clash a bit to me though, making it all sound a bit odd in the overall scheme of things. Pretty good though.
Equator
I think someone else mentioned this could benefit from a little reverb (or a little more if some was used) throughout. Your playing is improving to my ears and you are quite calculating about what you are doing – unlike me. The thing I liked most about this months effort from you were some of the nice bends you have thrown in there. With a better tone and some more effects you would improve by at least 10% sound-wise. The only suggestion I have for your playing (and this may not be good advice) is to now loosen up a bit and start improvising to develop the “unknown” potential. Just dream of the girls you have in the little pics and let your fingers do the walking…
mpaq
I felt the same way about your track as Wriggler’s in the tonal sense. I think sometimes we are all a bit guilty of trying to cram as much variation into 2:30 as we can muster. I admit I did this month. Perhaps some things are better left alone and the fact that I preferred Shaz’s effort could mean that all the tonal weirdness of some tracks was off putting for me personally. But that being said I think you are a very good player and capable of composing cool guitar parts (like the main theme played in that bizarre wah tone with the 2nd interval) that stuck in my mind.
Fingerspasm
Crazy intro note! Haha. Some interesting runs and rhythmic ideas in your effort, a splash of improv here and there, some machine gun single-note picking and a bit of harmonisation make this a good piece. The tones and the mix however are a bit on the down-side for me (some parts I could hardly hear) and compositionally speaking for me it lacked any really strong hooks. Overall pretty good though, especially in the sense it was interesting.
Cookie monster
Some nice pentatonic riffing in your track. You obviously have a bag of tricks in that department, although your employment of a few well played “stock” riffs detracted from my interest on occasion. But your playing in some sections has good feel to it and I like the way you warmed into it and didn’t just go hell for leather from the outset. Nice tone as well. Good job.
Spedzar - "the sound of one hand tapping"...
# 9
wow superhuman is killin it..
remids me alot of joe satriani...
how did you approach the solloing...chord by chord? what are those indian sounding scales.....if you dont mind me asking haha
remids me alot of joe satriani...
how did you approach the solloing...chord by chord? what are those indian sounding scales.....if you dont mind me asking haha
damn straight
# 10
I know its late so it doesnt count but I just updated my take - redid all of the parts played off the bridge pickups. One drop in is pretty noticeable though :o
Cookie Monster: not really sure what scales I used, just know that I moved in and out of a few modes to get a different feel in places. As far as my approach goes, I just listened to the backing track and imagined what I wanted to hear over it then I worked it out. I always do it that way, there were a couple of jammed runs in places but overall I work out music my head before playing it - don't know enough about theory to explain any of the note selections! The Eastern lick at the beginning and end is played off a single string, sliding quickly from note to note - easy enough to work out but quite tough to get the slides right!
Cookie Monster: not really sure what scales I used, just know that I moved in and out of a few modes to get a different feel in places. As far as my approach goes, I just listened to the backing track and imagined what I wanted to hear over it then I worked it out. I always do it that way, there were a couple of jammed runs in places but overall I work out music my head before playing it - don't know enough about theory to explain any of the note selections! The Eastern lick at the beginning and end is played off a single string, sliding quickly from note to note - easy enough to work out but quite tough to get the slides right!
# 11
