New blues jam - Am this time

Originally Posted by: maggiorYou are adventurous making the entire backing track! Yeah, I think you'd definitely want rhythm guitar in there and not just bass and drums.

There are tons to be found out there on the internet for free if this gets to be too much.

I'd to love hear what you come up with. It looks like Axe will be getting setup too.

Thanks. So far, it seems like some slow Classic Rock style thing. 88 BPM, key of G Major. Could change though. I like how the drum-turnaround every 4 bars has turned out so far.

I know there are plenty of backing tracks out there. I just can't listen to them and tell what key they're playing in and what chords are played when. Not yet, anyway. With homemade backing tracks, that'll be easier since I'll know for sure what goes where. Also, it's great practice for when/if I ever need to make a quick demo of a song idea for a band.

A pretty cool think i found myself doing to a 12 blues, is playing arpeggios over each intended chord.with some licks of course but it sounds good.
A7/ first 4 bars i play an A7 arpeggio D7 samething. I think you get the idea.
One way to have fun. Btw i made that Prs c24 my own,i been playing it allot.
And the strat i caint keep down,such an awsome axe. Im getting rid of most of my se models
Just don't need six guitars. I may have one sold i hope. There was an offer made,and then i counter offered just waitin now. Its a great deal $450 ,new case well maintained its my 2011 Prs se Custome 24. It don't get better then that. Its priced to sell.
Anyone interested let me know. Reverb.com.
Rich keep up the good work!

And now, I'm thinking I seriously need to get my sh*t together and go buy a bass guitar... Yes, there's a MIDI-bass in Ableton, which I use for making backing tracks, but it has just about the same amount of sustain as a glove dropped on a floor (yes, it has been tested. Multiple times...). I'm sure there might be some way to actually get the notes to ring out for more than half a millisecond or so, but I'd rather save myself the trouble and improve my chances of finding a band at the same time by purchasing an actual bass and bass amp... Until I find a solution, I'm not getting much backing track done...

That's a bummer. I'm sure MIDI instruments are a pain to deal with.

It might be worth seeking out a backing track that's already made. I have yet to find one that wasn't labeled as to what key it was in. As far as the chords that are used, if it's a blues progression, knowing the key is enough. If it's another type of progression, it's a worthwhile execise to figure out what chords are being used.

Backing tracks are generally simple since their purpose is to give you something to solo over, not to write a great song. Some of them do sound really cool though.

Originally Posted by: maggiorThat's a bummer. I'm sure MIDI instruments are a pain to deal with.

It might be worth seeking out a backing track that's already made. I have yet to find one that wasn't labeled as to what key it was in. As far as the chords that are used, if it's a blues progression, knowing the key is enough. If it's another type of progression, it's a worthwhile execise to figure out what chords are being used.

Backing tracks are generally simple since their purpose is to give you something to solo over, not to write a great song. Some of them do sound really cool though.

Well, as long as I know the key, figuring out the chords (or at least their root notes) should be possible. I might just go find some backing tracks online and try improvising over one. For Blues backing tracks, I've noticed they're usually just 12 bar with 7-chords (A7, D7 and E7, for instance). That shouldnt be too hard to figure out.

Although I'm still going to get a good bass guitar for making my own music and jam tracks... Gonna check out my local gear store one of these days. Hopefully, they'll help me find something good...

Well, good news, Rich. I've managed to solve the problem with no sustain on the MIDI-bass. Turns out I hadn't quite understood how it worked. Apparently, the lower register has no sustain at all, while the higher register has sustain but feeds back like crazy. The solution? I just used the middle register. It's still an octave lower than a regular guitar, and after adjusting a few parameters, the bass has a nice, somewhat warm and organic sound to it. It's not really very loud, though, but it works.

After getting the Bass right, I threw in the 4-bar drum loop I had, gave it a listen, and felt like it was missing something crucial to get that rock ballad-ish feel I was looking for, so I threw some acoustic piano into the mix (well, MIDI Acoustic Piano, at least), and gave it another listen. Sounds much better now. Almost like something I'd use for an intro to a rock ballad, which gave me a couple of ideas. First off, I'll make sure to save this track. Secondly, I'll try looping it a couple of times and improvising to it. Third, I'll listen back to it, note down which parts I find sound good over it and which don't, and then finally make the recording available for your listening pleasure... And hope you'll give it a listen, of course :) I expect the recording to be up some time tomorrow...

Awesome!!! Looking forward to it! Sounds like it came together for you.

Sorry to say it, but I'm having some major problems with timing. For some reason I just can't seem to hit the right notes at the right time. I'm doing my best to get something out, though. I suppose this indicates one thing I'll have to work on :)

If you've identified something you need to work on, you've accomplished something already!!

For keeping in time, I find that tapping my foot helps tremendously. You can also try hitting a single note (drone) over a track. First try with quarter notes, then 8th notes, and so on. The idea is to just focus on keeping time.

Use a slow backing track if you have to.

A slow "simple" lick sounds that is in time sounds far better than any fast "cool" lick that is out of time. Playing in time is tremendously important!

Eventually it comes naturally, but even now I sometimes have to step back and conciously focus on keeping time!

Originally Posted by: maggiorIf you've identified something you need to work on, you've accomplished something already!!

For keeping in time, I find that tapping my foot helps tremendously. You can also try hitting a single note (drone) over a track. First try with quarter notes, then 8th notes, and so on. The idea is to just focus on keeping time.

Use a slow backing track if you have to.

A slow "simple" lick sounds that is in time sounds far better than any fast "cool" lick that is out of time. Playing in time is tremendously important!

Eventually it comes naturally, but even now I sometimes have to step back and conciously focus on keeping time!

Yeah, I tried to tap my foot while playing but the timing still slipped... And I already tried slowing down my backing track from 88BPM to 76BPM. Maybe it's just exhaustion after a hard day at work followed by a trip to the gear store to pick up my SG which they had completely forgotten about repairing for me and then driving home... Or maybe my timing just needs work... I'm hoping it's the exhaustion thing, really. Normally, I have no problems with hitting the notes at the right time... Well, I'll just have to try again tomorrow... After getting some sleep.

Certainly stress and fatigue won't help you focus!! It will all be waiting for you tomorrow once you are rested!

For me, there is always a place in the middle ground where my timing is good. If I go too much slower, it's as awkward as going too fast.

Originally Posted by: bob99For me, there is always a place in the middle ground where my timing is good. If I go too much slower, it's as awkward as going too fast.

True. I've experienced that too.

Originally Posted by: Steve BarrowGreat chops Rich! Surely you and your bandmates must now include a blues like this in the Radio Gap setlist? It would be a brilliant counterpoint to the rock songs. Anyway, it's lovely stuff - thanks from a huge fan of blues guitar! Steve[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Kasperow]I second this. Your Blues playing is good enough to justify throwing a Blues Jam into the setlist :) Just do like GNR in their early years. Their setlists often contained a Blues Jam before the last song, which is a trend they've taken up again with the current lineup... What's even better, is that this sounds exactly like something I'd expect GNR to pull off before their last song!

After hearing this recording a few more times (okay, maybe a dozen or two), I've found that this thing gets stuck in my head and it just won't go away!

Well, you guys will be happy to know that a blues jam of sorts is being added to our setlist. It seems my bandmates share your enthusiasm for my blues playing. :-) We are working on "I Shot the Sheriff" and they want to vary the song form where we come in quietly playing a verse with me improvising a bunch of mellow bluesy stuff. We then go through the song as usual, and then I get to blues jam at the end over a verse, which is pretty long in this song - a good 10 bars to put the tubescreamer (emulated) to work. We started working on this a couple of days ago and it sounds *really* cool!! Hopefully it wasn't a fleeting moment of inspiration. I'll be sure to share a recording once we have a clean full take or a performance of it. It will probably be a couple of weeks.

I find myself humbled and flattered at the same time that they wanted it this way. It will be really interesting to see how this goes over with an audience. *That* will be the true test.

Hey Rich - this sounds great and I can't wait to hear it! I'm not surprised your bandmates recognise your talents as a blues rock guitarist, and I'm sure your audience will too. To develop this cool and innovative approach to numbers like 'I Shot the Sheriff' is also a very encouraging sign of a growing self-confidence in the band as a whole. Most excellent news! Yours, Steve

Maggior
"Hopefully it wasn't a fleeting moment of inspiration. ""

We both know better than that. Inspirations come from inside right? Just let it out again. Take the risk.

Have you ever checked out Jose Feliciano?

Watch the first one all the way through, my dad called me in the house when I was young and Jose was playing on some TV verity show. I can still remember how astonished I was that a blind person could totally own the whole guitar neck the way he does. The links are not what I think of as his best stuff, rather a glimpse of his range.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKgM6OMRqZ0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnT-QGIMrZE

Jose has been around for, I don't 40+ years. Hope you enjoy.

Originally Posted by: haghj500Maggior
"Hopefully it wasn't a fleeting moment of inspiration. ""

We both know better than that. Inspirations come from inside right? Just let it out again. Take the risk.

I know, I know, I know... :-)

I'm comfortable enough now that I take these risks during rehearsal, and amazing things are starting to happen. It's in front of an audience that will be the next big step. We are playing an open mic tonight and my solo for "Wanted Dead or Alive" is improvised. I ran through it enough times last night that I came up with something I can basically repeat...but I haven't memorized it, so it won't come out wrote. I have my framework and target notes I want to hit in key places.

Fingers crossed...

My wife even commented saying "you played well before, but you are definitely sounding better".

Might be time for a new recording to track my progress.

Thanks Haghj500 for your encouragement. I'll definitely check the videos out later on.

Sounds like awesome news! I've got a feeling you're gonna throw some really nice Blues-improv at the audience when you start incorporating that part into your setlists :)

Good luck with it. I'd love to see/hear some recording from your next show. Your playing is always inspirational to some of us (me, for one).

Also, do I hear a little bit of Mark Knopfler-influence in the jam you posted in this thread? I'm not sure why, but after listening to it a few more times again, it reminds me a bit of "Telegraph Road". Not that that's a bad thing, of course :)

We have an open mic tonight. I'll be recording audio and somebody should be taking video. The past couple of nights I put in about 4 hours of practicing these 3 songs, so I hope to nail it. If not, with that much rehearsal I should be able to gracefully recover from any mistakes. Mistakes always happen, but I find if I practice a lot before hand, my mistakes often just turn into just a bit of a detour...which isn't a bad thing necessarily!

2 of the songs we've done already, but one of them is new.

Our plan is to do at least one open mic a month. IStS should be ready for next month.

I'm a fan of Mark and of Dire Straits and Telegraph Road is one of my favorite songs of theirs...but it's probably been 10 or 15 years since I've listened to it! I'll have to dig that song out... It's definitely possible that song is an influence.

I'm glad I can continue to inspire some folks here! I'll definitely share the recordings once they are available.

Originally Posted by: maggiorWe have an open mic tonight. I'll be recording audio and somebody should be taking video. The past couple of nights I put in about 4 hours of practicing these 3 songs, so I hope to nail it. If not, with that much rehearsal I should be able to gracefully recover from any mistakes. Mistakes always happen, but I find if I practice a lot before hand, my mistakes often just turn into just a bit of a detour...which isn't a bad thing necessarily!

2 of the songs we've done already, but one of them is new.

Our plan is to do at least one open mic a month. IStS should be ready for next month.

I'm a fan of Mark and of Dire Straits and Telegraph Road is one of my favorite songs of theirs...but it's probably been 10 or 15 years since I've listened to it! I'll have to dig that song out... It's definitely possible that song is an influence.

I'm glad I can continue to inspire some folks here! I'll definitely share the recordings once they are available.

I knew it! There's definitely some Knopfler in your playing. To be honest, Telegraph Road is actually one of my favorites by Dire Straits too! That, and Industrial Disease...

I'm gonna have to try and get some kind of recording done soon so you can hear that... I hope I've improved since last time I shared my own playing. If nothing else, my style has become much more diverse and less centered around only four guitarists :)