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TCgypsy

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Posts posted by TCgypsy

    No Brakes

    in Feedback

    Posted

    Interesting rap piece.

     

    Overall, you can hear everything, and the music is fairly well done.

     

    The biggest thing this needs is PUNCH. For instance, the kick jumps out a bit and pokes you in the mix but the bass sits back and drones in the background. I would add another patch with solid mid-bass content to work with the kick to provide that punch. The vocals need to sound bigger but tucked into the mix not over top of it. The best way to achieve that big in your face rap vocal sound is put a limiter on the vocal track. The vocals need a bit more meat but a limiter may be all you need; if it doesn't fatten it up enough you may have to EQ a little. For rap, it's all about the percussion and vocals; the other sounds are there as ear candy .Concentrate on those two and the rest will fall in place. 

     

    Consider putting some interesting effects on the vocals in places such as gated reverbs/delays or hard tremolo type effects.

     

    Cool tune.

     

    Peace,

    TC

    • Like 1

    12 Bar Blues Cross Challenge #1

    in Writing Challenges

    Posted

    I can put together a blues tune to go with lyrics. I see a coupla lyrics posted here but I guess I am unsure how to proceed.

     

    I can play 12-bar blues in my sleep but that doesn't mean I can take any lyric and make it work. John, do we just grab any lyric posted here and give it a go? I might be able to do something with one of these but I don't see very many posted. Please advise.

     

    Thanks!

    TC

    • Like 1

    Very Impressive New Daw.

    in Music Production and Recording

    Posted · Edited by TCgypsy

    Before I say anything, I will admit a bias towards Reaper (I have used ProTools and Cubase, and others as well).

     

    To clarify some points I made earlier and in response to some comments I just read:

     

    1. Reaper is every bit as DEEP as any DAW on the market.

    2. If you want to do something with a keystroke, it's very easy to define one in Reaper and you don't have to be a geek. For instance, I set up pitch change to + and - keys (took me less than 5 minutes to figure this out and implement it). 

    3. It's 60 bucks IF you pay for the full version (please do pay if you decide to use it, and no I have nothing to do with the guys at Cockos).

    4. The plugins that come with Reaper do a good job and some are outstanding.

    5. NO, it doesn't come with any instrument libraries but we end buying the ones we want anyway (especially with the money saved on the DAW).

    6. It is EFFICIENT (notice the capitalization). My latest song has 35 tracks + subgroups + processing + VST instruments +  mastering plugin and it used ~33.5% max. CPU on a Windows 8.1 / 3GHz i5 processor / 8 GB RAM. I dare anyone to duplicate this performance in ProTools!

     

    The idea that REAPER is for geeks is amusing. I have struggled to figure out certain things on EVERY single DAW I have played with. They all have their learning curve.

     

    At the end of the day, use whichever DAW floats your boat. As others have stated, the DAW isn't going to change your sound to any significant degree. Any good DAW will work for you. This thread started out by being about Reaper so I will heap my praises upon it once more to get folks to consider it :)

     

    Peace,

    TC

    • Like 1

    The Golden Rules On How To Rehearse Or Lead A Band

    in Performance

    Posted

    Probably the biggest detractor in rehearsals is excessive partying! I know, I know, "all the big rock stars did it" - at least that is the myth. If a band can't go a couple of hours without recreational chemistry gumming up the works then the prospects of the band are generally not good. While a little bit of ganja may not hurt, drinking and gravity bongs do not bode well for practice.

    Peace,

    TC

    Question for folks who have started/been in a lot of bands.

    in Musician's Lounge

    Posted

    I've been in a few bands, and even toured when I was a young pup. Theory was the last thing anyone worried about. THEORY CAN BE LEARNED, TALENT CAN NOT. It's as simple as that. There are great musicians throughout history that didn't know a lick of theory just as there are those that do.

    Most instrumentalists know about key and chords, etc. but very few know the deep theory. And us guitar players are probably the worst sight readers in the history of any instrument, lol. If you want to learn more about this stuff, go for it, but don't let it stop you from playing in a band if that's what you want to do.

    Regards as always.

    Peace,

    TC

    Very Impressive New Daw.

    in Music Production and Recording

    Posted

    I have used Cubase (although not recently), ProTools (I own PT10 and still use it from time to time), Fruity Loops (I own this one), Reason (I own this one, too), Cakewalk (long time ago), and Reaper (which I have used since May). I originally got Reaper as a demo to check it out, and as an alternative to the upgrade-aholic and CPU hog (at least on a Windows machine) ProTools.

    My other programs rarely get used anymore because Reaper is amazing and THE most computer efficient DAW I have ever used. It uses a fraction of the computer resources that ProTools does (I have done head to head tests with songs), it loads super fast, and it rarely crashes (unlike ProTools). There is nothing I ever did in ProTools that I can't do in Reaper, and Reaper is a lot less finicky about my old plugins than ProTools which is important to me because I can't afford re-purchasing plugins. It runs the latest VST plugins (ones I have bought within the last 6 months) perfectly as well. I used the demo for a month, and went ahead and bought it. I have never looked back, and I love it (yes, I am a 'fanboy' lol). The configurability ROCKS, and the price is incredible for such a powerful DAW. 

    In a nutshell, it is perfect for a guy like me with a project studio who likes the flexibility and price (I can spend those dollars somewhere else now!) of Reaper. Do not confuse Reaper with some scaled-down 'affordable' DAW you settle for instead of ProTools or Cubase. It is every bit as top notch as those DAWs. It is a little intimidating at first but it doesn't take long to get a handle on it and then you just keep learning more (just like with any DAW) as you use it. I have never been more productive churning out music.

    Just my 0.02

    Peace,

    TC

    • Like 1

    Les Paul STD & Less+ 2015

    in Performance

    Posted · Edited by TCgypsy

    I have a 1983 LP Custom which is one of the best guitars I have ever played, hands down. I played every Les Paul in the store before selecting that one (there were 15 or so). They all were pretty nice but this one is something special.

    I'm glad you are liking your new LP, Rudi. Let us know when you record something with it! -Haha! Nevermind, I see that you added a link in one of your posts. I am going to listen now.

    Peace,

    TC

     

    Les Paul STD & Less+ 2015

    in Performance

    Posted

    Getting rid of those damn G Force tuners is the best thing they could have done.

    I am not a big fan of brass nuts having installed one on an old Ibanez I played for years. It was my goto guitar before I was able to afford my Gibson Les Paul Custom (I have a Nashville model made in September 1983). I liked it at first but over time I grew tired of how bright it made open position stuff. I prefer a composite or bone nut now.

    I haven't played a newer LP plus, I will have to check one out. If I was going to buy a 2015 model, I would buy one of the Les Paul's with vintage tuners like the SR model.

    I'm surprised the music store had only one amp they would let you use. Seriously? If my local stores told me: 'this is the only amp you can use', they would lose my patronage. The guys here all know me now but even when I was new in town, they would let me play pretty much anything in the store within a few minutes of getting to know me. In any case, I would think that an Orange model would sound good with a Les Paul for heavier stuff, not so much for cleaner playing.

    Thanks for taking the time to post your review. Hope your jazz gig is going well.

    Peace,

    TC

    Jazz - soloing over altered dominant chords

    in Performance

    Posted

    YET ANOTHER TRICK: Use ALTERED PENTATONIC scales over the dominant. Mike eluded to this in his posts so I will give one specific example. So, in the key of C again let's take G7alt.

    G altered pentatonic: Two notes per string starting on the 6th string as we go up G (fret 3) Bb (fret 6) B (fret 2)  D# (fret 6)  F (fret 3) G (fret 5) and so forth (stick to two notes per string). The notes are Root, minor 3rd ( also known as sharp 9 (#9)), major 3rd, sharp 5th (#5), and the dom 7th (b7). In short hand (2 notes for string) you would play 3 6 / 2 6 / 3 5 / 3 4 / 4 6 / 3 6 for this G scale. You can obviously transpose this pattern up or down for other scales. Note that the pattern on the top and bottom strings is the same which is very helpful, AND you are playing a scale that starts on the same note as the chord you are playing over so you have less mental gymnastics than the first 2 tricks I shared.

    There are other tricks with pentatonics that require even less thinking such as simply shifting standard pentatonics up or down by intervals (such as a half or whole step) as you play through the dominant, then shifting back 'in-key' afterwards. There are some good youtube video lessons about this so check it out if you are interested.

    Peace,

    TC

    Jazz - soloing over altered dominant chords

    in Performance

    Posted

    I am a big Charlie Parker fan, too, and probably model my more traditional stuff in a 'near-Parker' style. For bluesy stuff, it is a cross between Wes Montgomery and George Benson 'ISH". I have never been a fan of Miles Davis either. Interesting that we agree on him. I don't like the stream of notes style either that some jazz players do, although it can be educational as they go through all these substitutions and give me ideas. But that type of playing sounds cold and clinical to me. I try to play melodically, and I make use of all those 'cliches' that I love :-p. In the end, I like a tasty line that you can sink your teeth into that resolves nicely (whether I am playing inside or out until that moment. I do the same thing with rock within that language.

    Peace,

    TC

    Jazz - soloing over altered dominant chords

    in Performance

    Posted

    Good approach to jazz, Mike. But I would like to limit this thread to altered dominant chords and was wondering what people think about when they see one, and the approaches they take within their styles from a note point of view. Obviously timing and phrasing and all that is every bit as important but I was just hoping you folks would post any tricks or give a brief approach if you have one. I did notice your half-whole scale hits some great tones over the dominant. Unfortunately, I struggle with synthetic scales (although I find myself more or less playing these when I stop to analyze). A lot of modern players like the super-locrian scale over a dominant but again, I prefer to think in terms of modes, triads, pentatonics, and altering these off of a non-root tone of the chord when playing over dominant chords. Many times these translate to a fancy sounding synthetic scale if I stop to analyze but it's not the way I am thinking when I play.

    ANOTHER TRICK: If you are playing a major ii V I (or anything major with a V I), a simple trick is to switch to minor type modes during the dominant, and switch back to major when it resolves. This can yield anything from a bluesy (great for this) to very jazzy depending on which notes and how you phrase. For example, Dm G7 C you stay in C major and relative modes for the Dm and C but then switch to a minor mode/scale for the G7. Let's look at C phrygian: C Db Eb F G Ab Bb C - this scale hits the Root, 7th and a host of 'hip' color notes such as flat 5th (Db), flat 13th (Eb), flat 9th (Ab) and sharp 9th (Bb). You can use the blues scale and mix in some chromatic tones (especially the B natural before heading back to the I chord (C) ). Some experimentation with this will get you sounding jazzy very quickly and is easy for rock oriented players.

    Peace

    TC

    Who Is Your Favorite Bass Player?

    in Performance

    Posted

    Stanley Clark and Alphonso Johnson come to mind for jazz for players not mentioned yet.

    For rock, I second Entwhistle, Lee, Sting, Sheehan, and Squire. There are also John Paul Jones (Led Zep), Les Claypool (Primus), Christopher Wolstenholme (Muse), and James Jamerson of Motown fame.

    Peace,

    TC

    Jazz - soloing over altered dominant chords

    in Performance

    Posted · Edited by TCgypsy

    Since there has been some jazz talk on this forum lately, I thought I would post a new thread.

    When playing jazz, one of the more challenging aspect is playing over the dominant chords which are altered in most circumstances. What tricks do you guys use? I thought I would post a couple to get the thread started.

    For those not familiar with this subject, a brief explanation. In order to get the 'color' of jazz you need to know the 'hip' notes to play over a dominant chord. For instance, in the key of C the dominant would be G7. The obvious notes in the chord are G B D F which you will want to utilize, particularly the 3rd and 7th which are B and F. The chord extensions are where the action is, such as the 9th (A)/11th (C)/13th (E). In general, sliding these extensions up/down a half step gives you the nice altered tones. The cool notes are the Ab (flat ninth or b9), Bb (sharp ninth or #9 which is also the minor third), the Db (b5 / #11), and the Eb (#5 or b13). Of course, seeing/hearing these notes in real time and playing them presents a problem for most guitarists. So, there are, quite naturally, some tricks.

    TRICK #1: When you see a dominant chord, play the melodic or harmonic MINOR scale ONE HALF STEP UP from the chord root. For instance, on our G7 example, you would play Ab (G#) minor with a major 7th. The melodic minor scale gives these notes Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F G Ab which contain the 3rd (B or Cb in our example) and the 7th (F) of our G7 along with some tasty colored tones: Ab (b9), Bb (#9), Db (b5/#11), and Eb (b13). It's as easy as this! Arpeggiate a simple minor triad one half step up from the dominant to get started, and expand on it.

    TRICK #2: Play around on the dom 7th chord a TRITONE UP from the dominant chord. This is know as tritone substitution and it is not that complicated - it was actually a trick that some early players used that became part of the language of jazz. So, for our example, you would play a Db7 arpeggio over the G7 chord. The notes are Db F Ab Cb(B). Again, you see the 3rd (B) and the 7th (F) along with 2 other notes Db, which is the b5 or #11, and Ab which is the b9 for some very nice color. Toss in the 6th of this chord (Bb) for one of my favorites, the #9. A nice easy trick that will get you sounding 'hip' very quickly.

    There are some other cool tricks, so share them if you guys use 'em!

    Peace,

    TC

    • Like 2

    Fusion Guitar

    in Performance

    Posted

    Looks like fun; good idea, too, especially for learning to play. As concerned as I am about privacy, there are bigger fish to fry than this guitar system. If more people got upset about privacy issues and dragnet surveillance, perhaps something could be done about the shredding of our Bill of Rights protections. Too many of us seem willing to put up with it and not see the danger it represents.

     

    These guys fused multiple technologies in a new and inventive way. I take my hat off to anyone willing to develop a product that enhances artistic expression and promotes music education. Now let's see how their quality and customer service stacks up before we make a final determination. This product will either be awesome or just another junk music toy collecting dust in people's closets a few years from now.

     

    Peace,

    TC

    • Like 1

    Joining A Jazz Band

    in Performance

    Posted

    I can get a great jazz tone on my Gibson Les Paul. I think it is just a matter of preference. Fenders sound good too in the hands of a good player. I have heard dudes play what I would consider less than stellar guitars and sound pretty darn good.

     

    Whatever makes you happy! I like Gibson because of the neck (never been as comfy with Tele/Strat neck) but that is just a personal preference. I will play anything with strings that makes noise...

     

    Have fun.

     

    Peace,

    TC

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