FinnArild

If you enjoy your current range you should seriously consider doing scales every other week. It's like with the rest of our body; when we hit 30 we need to make some effort staying in shape - (until we hit 60 and nothing helps).

I tend to use a lot of both voice and e-bowed guitar in the background. E-bowed guitar is cool, since it sounds a bit like a synth, but it really isn't - giving it an organic feel. I also like swell effects - whether it's done by pedal or automatic. There's usually much less synths than people thinks on my tracks - a lot of it is just harmonized voice or guitar. I always do stuff like that directly in recording - running one track, then another that fits until I have 4-5 tracks that sound cool.

On a good day, my range is from a C#1 to F#4. I know this, because that's the scales I rehearse a couple of times in the week (everything above D4 is more or less controlled howling, though). I plan to extend it to a G4 soon - I don't believe I have more to go on in the bottom part, which is more or less unusable until E1. I have 5 effective registers, a bass register, a middle register, a high register - and two more or less overlapping top registers. The trick in switching between registers, I found was to extend each register so you have a little overlap to go on. A good technique for register change is: C2,C3,B2,C3,A2,C3,G2,C3,F2,C3,E2,C3,D2,C3,C2 ... in that pattern over the register changes you need to rehearse. This is good to get training on the intervals too, but it is usually too long to be used on the whole scale, when I already have one 8 note pattern and one 13 not pattern I do that with. Here's my warmup pattern - I start on: C3,G2,A2,F2,G2,E2,F2,D2,C2 - work my way all down to the bottom of my range, up to the top of my range and down to end at the pattern in C3 again. Here's my other training pattern. (- indicates a pause) starting on: E3,B2 - D3,A2 - C3,G2 - B2,F2 - A2,D2 - F2,E2,C2 - very good for intervals. Again, I start at the middle, work my way down, up and back again.

Oh - promotion is painful for me ... but I'm trying. This next time around, I'm gonna have a plan of who to contact at what time and when. This time I focus strictly on progressive rock, so it is easier to target. Here's some things I've been thinking: - I need to send out a pre-release to the reviewers as early as possible, since they need some time to get the review done - I need to print out a lot of promo cds for online radio stations and get them out to them by the time the record is available. - I need to contact all these radio stations and try to get interview time over telephone at the right time - did a couple before, but at the wrong time - I have to ease-up on the direct-mail stuff - I sent mail to a tad too many and got some angry returns the last time. It didn't sell any CDs anyway. - I need to send the alert to the networks (groups like songstuff, mail, myspace, all that) - not before the CD is available and ready to buy. - I need a separate website for this - I need a more prepared digital presskit right away (I didn't have one when I started off the last time). ... probably lots of more stuff, but this is all I can think of now - after all, I am in the recording phase now and other issues are looming.

Mad Man Moon - Genesis (Trick of the Tail)

I am happy with my M-Audio 410, an excellent unit. I record at 44.1 - since there is no (real) point in using a higher samplingrate. I record in 24 bit for the nice, extra headroom, though.

Eleventh Earl Of Mar - Genesis (Wind & Wuthering)

I Grieve - Peter Gabriel (Up)

Steam - Peter Gabriel (Us)

It's a sweet piece of work this one - I have used it for several ambient sound recording, and the quality is superb. I even tried a surround recording, mixed it down and tried it out in my livingroom (haven't got surround in my home studio ... yet ...) with the sound of a creek in the woods, and it was plain eery. It is always beside me when I sleep too, so I can croak ideas into that instead of pen & paper as I did before. The only thing is that it takes just a bit long to start up - but that's a small flaw.

Back in N.Y.C. - Genesis (the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway) (it's also a state)

Point of no Return - Kansas (Point of no Return)

Take Two and Call Me in the Morning - Finn Arild (Serendipity)

Home Sweet Home - Peter Gabriel (2)

I just always did ... ...

White Shadow - Peter Gabriel (2)

Digging in the Dirt - Peter Gabriel (Us) ... which is what you probably need to do if you want to make a tunnel ...

Slowburn - Peter Gabriel (1)

... And Through the Wire - Peter Gabriel (3)

This is the picture (Excellent Birds) - Peter Gabriel (So)

Love to be Loved - Peter Gabriel (Us)

Family Snapshot - Peter Gabriel (3) Gun -> Shot. Besides, the song is about an assassin.

... I managed to bluescreen my Macbook Pro ... - but then I am what is considered a heavy user ...

Darkness - Peter Gabriel (UP) ... was getting hard on Yes ...

My Ibanez has a built-in tuner which is very practical. Often you can't tune by ear - especially on jams with other drummers and guitar players, who (as everyone knows) can't help to make noise at all times (especially when we are discussing what to play next).