mcgraham

As per the discussion in the Giant Steps thread started by urb, I have done another 'one take wonder' (flubs and all!) this time on 'Blue Bossa'. Please check it out and let me know what you think: [url="http://soundcloud.com/mcgrahamhk/blue-bossa-improv"]http://soundcloud.co...ue-bossa-improv[/url] I edited down the backing track to just be 4 'rounds' of the sections - let me know if you want it if you want to have a go at this. Like my Giant Steps Improv (check it out [url="http://soundcloud.com/mcgrahamhk/giant-steps-mcgraham"]here[/url]), this was the first and only take done in one complete swoop. For those that care, the bass is set so that both pickups are in single coil mode (hence a slight hum to the eagle-eared), bright boost engaged, slight bass boost and slight mid scoop as I wanted a sizzly 70s jazz bass sound on this one. Hope you enjoy! Please leave a comment!

*shrug* I think you're overthinking it. If they enjoy it, on whatever level, then it's a valid musical pursuit. I only work hard at making music because I enjoy making music and I enjoy it more as I get more proficient as a musician. GS is just fun in a different outworking of that desire to make music, and certainly a challenge for the heck of it!

Bilbo, something I quite like the tonality of is using the whole tone scale to navigate the 'B' section of GS (the Eb-251 G-251 B-251 Eb-251 part). It doesn't always work, but you can create a nice connected diatonic melodic shape all the through each 251 section, which is nice given how disconnected the rest of it can sound. As a suggestion for a first piece, how do you guys feel about 'Blue Bossa'?

Sure Mike, I totally understand. I'm actually thinking of starting doing videos myself and I'm becoming acutely aware that the quality of one's online presence is so important from day-one and every day thereafter. Perhaps audio only is most practical for those reasons, and also as it requires less time set aside to put together a take.

Would you guys be up for exchanging takes every so often? For example, once a week/fortnight/month, whatever is convenient we name a piece and we each post up our own take at that piece?

While it may get round any legal ramifications, it still won't stop people throwing aggressive words around when things don't go their way, and I'm saying that it's not fair that BC mods (or even members) should have to even field such complaints irrespective if whether they have any merit or not.

In principle, it's a great idea and something I've done this with people before. In practice, I'm not sure it's a great idea to have a sub-forum for it. To have a sub-forum could be seen as BC giving an implicit endorsement or guarantee that it's all safe and above board, which of course it doesn't and couldn't possibly do. I don't think BC should open itself up to that sort of liability on a forum-wide and ultimately world-wide level. Sure, any complaints raised as a result may not have any substance, but I don't think it's fair any complaints or issues should have to be fielded at all.

Thanks bud, I appreciate the feedback and encouragement! I take onboard what you're saying about the somewhat fragmented melodic ideas, particularly with regards to the confidence in putting the melodies out there. I like to think melody is an area of strength for me in general, but I will be honest and say I struggle with finding an overarching theme to Giant Steps within which I can throw the ideas I have. I have no sonic grievances with the dischord and shifting key centres technically per se, but the overall 'sound' of Giant Steps (to my ears) is like a playground full of children going 'nyah nyah nyah nyah nyaaaaah'. Though I'm a tough person to please I will say I enjoy listening back to the melodic fragments of that take. So in that regard I'm pleased, but your comments and preferences are also equally valid (if not moreso as an experienced listener and player!) so in that respect I'll have a think about working on integrating the fast and slow in my practice time. Thanks also for the comments on the bass and faster playing. Incidentally I 'climaxed' (oo-er matron) at the 2 minute mark, at that point I was just thinking *oh FFS this backing track is so Fing boring and repetitive... and there's STILL 2 minutes left... do I have to keep going... oh, have I stopped?... oh bugger... c'mon, find SOMETHING to play Mark* I did do something in those bars but it wasn't jumping out in the mix there.

Right - done a take. One take, no overdubs, bass set flat, no eq on anything. Some bits I really like, some bits not so keen on, couple of flubs, but overall I like the take It's what I would've done if shoved into a jam situation with no notice. let me know what you think, positive and negative are welcome as we're all friends here! [url="http://soundcloud.com/mcgrahamhk/giant-steps-mcgraham"]http://soundcloud.com/mcgrahamhk/giant-steps-mcgraham[/url]

[quote name='urb' timestamp='1318076257' post='1397849']I've increasinly tried to use a more 'cell' based approach to getting around scales/arppegios and that involves playing a lot of 6ths, 3rds and 4ths, then I tend to focus on common tones between the keys to link ideas - I'm also trying to play more stuff in one position, or move up and down the neck on just one string again trying to link each idea chromatically. Then other times I just try and play with phrasing kind of floating other changes, or just take one lick/idea and keep it moving through all the chords/scales... all the usual stuff really - I've seen a couple of other really great performances of this tune which combines lots of other ideas - it's just endless really - I need to go and shed some more now![/quote] Thanks for sharing. I find the cell-based approach quite difficult to do live myself... good practice tool as I find it quite restrictive, but I find my playing a bit stilted and unnatural if I try to do it live. That's my own difficulty though. I also do the common tone approach, but with GS it just seems to fly by in such a way it's really easy to lose your place. I find the more favourable results seem to come with a blend of keeping a general track of the changes, hearing where things are going, and playing with the shape of a melody over the top, e.g. trusting that you'll respond to particular notes with some resolution or tension can create something melodic but rhythmically interesting. [quote]Thanks for watching and checking it out - and I'd love to hear some of your stuff sometime - please post something too[/quote] Thanks for posting it up. It's a real testament to your character as a musician that you're cool with sticking stuff up on the web and opening yourself up to critiquing. This is something I would like to do more of and am looking into a way to video myself. I'll see if I can take a pass at GS later today - it'll just be audio though as my laptop camera is not good at all.

Awesome. Shep, FYI, that wasn't a low B I was playing as my bass is string EADGC. We were jamming in A the whole time. At the point where you came in all I'd done was dial up the bass freq and dial down the treble freq on my bass and then thumbed the 5th fret on the E string. It was a stupendously fat low end dub sound in any case. And is another reason I don't play with a low B, because a well done bassline doesn't often need it

I'd probably say it could be pared back a bit too. There were a number of moments of 'oh I really liked that bit', but their impact could've been enhanced with more space either side of them and more space throughout in general. I totally appreciate how the complexity can force us to adopt certain strategies to get over them though. Out of interest, what do you tend to do/think of when approaching the changes?

Another band member: "Oh is this one of the new ones?" Me: ".... No... this is the one that we spent 3 hours trying to get right last rehearsal.... after the 3 hours we spent trying to nail the rehearsal before that... to which you still said 'is this one of the new ones'"

"What were the chords for Mustang Sally?"

Surely you should be in charge of PA if you had all that stuff?

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1317983829' post='1396886'] Mate, how did you get your Wookie roar to go off the page like that!? [/quote] Chuck Norris taught me to do it.

I can't watch it right now, but I wanted to assure you it'll get a watch as soon as I can. I'm sure it's going to be stellar, as are your usual video offerings. I like GS too, and similarly it's taken a while to feel comfortable with them. Some days there's a great flow and it feels effortless, some days things feel a more than a little bit more stilted and unnatural. Though I have personally found it a lot of fun just running bass lines over the changes, and that in turn helped me get my head 'into' the changes a bit more.

Anything that a band leader with communication skills at the level of small children for whom English is a brand new third language stops a rehearsal to say: "Alright lets stop there - there are a few really important things to remember that are coming out here, such as, I think, to make sure that, when we kick in, that we cover the parts, and give it a flow, and not rush it, but not do it too slowly, and generate some momentum with the piece rather than no momentum, and the vocals need to be so tight, rather than loose, so that we're all singing the same thing, but just then I don't think we were, or perhaps we were, but I get the feeling perhaps we weren't....hmmm I'm not sure..." ??!?!?!?!?!?? HOW CAN SOMEONE TALK SO MUCH BUT SAY SO LITTLE!?!?!? IF YOU'RE NOT SURE DON'T OPEN YOUR MOUTH IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!! [size=6]AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH![/size] [size=6][size=4]Ahem.[/size][/size] [size=6][size=4]That is all. You may resume your original discussion.[/size][/size]

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1317931154' post='1396478'] There is nothing like playing with a great dub tone with a great drummer is there, it's a very special thrill [/quote] Amen to that. What I am trying to accomplish with my eq setting in combination with my bass's action/setup at the moment is radically different sounds depending on how I attack the strings. I'm almost there but I'm still trying to get it 'just so'. What I'm trying for is treble 'gospel' sizzle when I dig in or slap, but otherwise a big fat jazz tone when playing normally, and when I thumb the string near the neck it turns into that deep treble-less dub tone. I'm trying to see it in the same way a guitarist would set up their guitar amp to their preferred level of breakup to move between lower and higher gain levels just by pick attack.

Quite a few bassists do this (myself included). Matt Garrison, Janek Gwizdala, Tony Grey, Steve Swallow, probably a few others too. It's a perfectly valid tuning and very much viable. Great for chordal work and transcribing other instruments, if you like that sort of thing.

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1317902268' post='1395942'] Yeah, do love to crank the hell out of it and have a HUGE wall of bass with a really tip top drummer giving it the beans, dont care what the rest is comprised of (assuming they can play) [b]but I do really need a fab drummer to really get off on it properly[/b]. [/quote] Absolutely. Great drummer plus a huge wall of bass to fill the space in between. Oh and to give an idea of how bassy it was last night at practice, it has sufficient that the note I was playing would slowly experience feedback from the amp even while standing a metre away. RAWK! Sorry to hear that EH. Even if you just get together with a half decent drummer at a practice room you can have a blast.

I also love how you can make just as much impact to the music by NOT playing as you can by playing, as the feeling of space that the bass leaves (or takes up!) is MASSIVE. Plus, you can make a huge difference to the music by playing so very little. That can be a bit hard to take when you start, but once you learn to enjoy it.... woah. The POWER of the bass!

Amen. Preach it!

At practice last night I got to crank my bass rig to the absolute max. Anyone who has heard an IP rig cranked knows it is capable of immense bass at immense volumes. I used a variety of different sounds, but the best (by far) was a dub sound with no treble, no upper mids, all bottom end, series neck pickup. It was an almost unbelievable sensation! It was genuinely an experience in itself that nothing else on earth can replicate... it's times like that which help to remind me why I LOVE playing bass. Do YOU love playing bass? Tell us all why!

Sorry Gareth. I hope this gets rectified soon.