Rudi

Rolling & Tumbling – Muddy Waters

For acoustic, I would have thought whichever guitar you like the sound of better. Then it’s just down to how to mic it up. It will be more crucial if your guitar is played without further accompaniment. Then you may wish to maximise the full range of highs, mids & lows (the opposite of compression). A guitar rich in tonal range would be well suited. Another thing could be volume. I sometimes struggle to ovoid the sound of my own breathing creeping in to recording, but if you just want to strum loud it wont be a problem. Aside from that, Mike’s advice is usually spot on. He is favouring the highs of the Taylor over the lows of the Seagull (I think).

Likewise Rob, I had food for thought from your #46 also. Never stop learning eh?

Hi Rob, Sounds like you had at least the potential to get signed, which is closer than I ever got in any band. A chance in commercial music? I might have taken it on. I would have treated it like a job though. My heart would not be in it. Its hard for me to even imagine. You need to be a brass neck even to get a chance though. I have often wanted to try my hand at a film score. I could be myself then. The music in a film works subliminally. I would love to do that. There are certainly many more folk who think differently to me, than any that share my taste. They vote with their wallets after all. THAT IS QUITE AN ENDORSEMENT. My band is about giving people what they want. We are strictly a covers band. It gets me out of the house and allows me to play. I get a few short solos out of it. I couldnt deal with more than one gig per month. Its the secret of our 14 year longevity. Everybody in the band likes a different kind of music. So in a way we are all sell-outs to a degree. The band is a compromise that allows us to gather on a fragile common ground. Most of the time I enjoy it, but its certainly no big deal. My own music is of course dear to me, and I used to think I was something special and that people were missing out. I still feel special but no longer feel 'misunderstood', 'better' or 'deserving'. There's old age for ya. I make no claim to being right about anything here. There is no right with the arts.

90% of the most creative and able musicians I have heard in the last 20 years are all unknown. 95% of the internationally known and most celebrated musicians I have heard over the last 20 years are crap. They say there’s no accounting for taste, but commercial success comes pretty close by my reckoning. Or is it down to mastering?

Hi Liniror, I listened to 3232. Do your formula relate time to melody (phrasing)? Welcome

I like Zson's idea. After my long hiatus from here, it was something of a shock to find the ‘me-me-me’ clamour had spilled over into absolutely everything. The community spirit of Musician’s Lounge had all gone. On the plus side its more music focused now, but surely a dedicated showcase area for finished work is better and clearer. Rudi

re: Irish castles (the above is Irish). I have a pic of Blarney Castle from last year which I processed to look like a horror flick still. If you're interested I could post that up later.

whats a reasonable make for ukes?

ALK, I find it a bit difficult to read. Maybe that will encourage people to look at it longer trying to figure it out? I'm not sure. The crumpled paper effect doesnt appeal to me very much either. Nor does the choice of fonts. On the plus side for you, I am so old and out of touch, that it probably means that its bloody brilliant! Rudi

I agree with John's recommendation of the Rode NT 2. I use one. It is vital though to use a BALANCED LINE cable/lead for a weak signals on a condenser mic. A regular shielded cable may still allow some 60Hz cycle hum inside. A balanced line works like a humbucking pickup (according to Karl Coryat author of 'Guerrilla Home Recording'). A Balanced Line cable carries 2 copies of the signal, so if any 60Hz hum escapes the ground, it is completely eliminated by the 'mirror-imaging' of the doubled signals which cancels it out. I tried a regular cable in the past, and trying to drive the noise out drove me nuts. Sound baffles: I bought 4 cheap double duvets to cover the walls and ceiling. I already have a carpeted floor. I ended using 2 only on 2 walls, because I found that all that sound absorbance a bit too sterile. So the ceiling and 2 walls are mostly hard surface. The point is, you need to try it and see how it sounds.

Dupree's Diamond Blues - Grateful Dead

The Sound of Silence – Simon & Garfunkle (Sound is another name for strait)

Mike said I think this may be the most pertinent comment of all concerning marketed music. If you place marketing over creativity as a driving force you will get something blander. You are unlikely to get something to love.

Skylark, You think I misunderstood you. I think you misunderstood me. I am trying to advance the conversation. I agree with you about the limitation of lables, but if you are to discuss anything you need terms of reference. Otherwise we may as well just drink wine and silently smile at each other.

To compensate for all those people who didnt find a bass solo, I want to propose Dave Holland - One's All 'One's All' is an album comprised entirely of bass playing. Thats right. One man, one bass and nothing else whatsoever. So its sort of like a whole album of unaccompanied bass solos. Dave is my favourite bassist. He plays string bass mind, not guitar. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsblCiEYW_w

Mama Tried - Johnny Cash

Listened to 1st song. I immediately thought of... Air (Not enough?) Mountain Air ('Air' is best though)

Hope all the form traffic was worth it Mike. Good luck with solve the z-tar sustain issue. Keep the reports coming.

Mercury Blues – Steve Miller Band (Nice to see a Quicksilver Messenger Service song in here Tom)

Joe, That is the best news I have heard on here for a long time. Great going. If you want to feel good real quick: Find a C chord (notes C, E and G), play it with your left hand and just tinker around all the white keys with the left. You can’t make a mistake (if you leave the black keys alone). Then find Am (notes A, C and E) and do the same thing. Stick to the white keys. It will sound different but still sound good. When you’ve had enough of that, alternate the C and A minor chords with left hand, and repeat all the white key tinkering. Anyone can do this, and it can provide quite a musical buzz & remove that initial nervousness about the instrument. Rudi

Was it THAT bad?

Goodbye To Monday Night - Michael Chapman I love this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtLfWTCM5dA

Very nice to see this. It bears out the pre/post baroque assersion I made earlier. This makes people with AP no less impressive to me though. Thanks for posting Mike.

Soultrekker, You have enough resourse now to make a start. With any instrument, you must be prepared to put in plenty of regular practice. I suggest you set aside an hour a day 5 times a week, and post back here again after a month. This practice must be hands on playing (as opposed to watching an instructional dvd etc). Electronic keyboards are the easiest instruments to learn. If you really want to cheat, you can even just learn to play in a couple of keys, and use the transpose function for the rest. It all comes down to your ambition & commitment. Good luck.