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Shades of Grey

Posted Wed, 09/08/2010 - 20:51 by hank stefaniak
hank stefaniak's picture

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Thanks Guys

hank stefaniak's picture
by hank stefaniak - 09/11/2010 - 16:41

Thanks for taking the time to listen and comment guys. Much appreciated.

@Bugworks - I'm a big fan of the slow blues too!! Interesting comment re" "muddy" adding to feel of the song. Something to use intentionally.

@jodanchuck - yeah subtle wah wahs and you hit it with the establish the head better (as per David's comments) so I've got to be sure to build that in.

@David - good emphasis for the "establish the head" especially with the repeat it at the end!! In setting the high-mids and highs up, do I also lower the low tones or leave them at the 'flat' level?? So by working on getting a tight cup on the mic, I'm creating an undesirable muddy tone - ???? Is this just on this kind of situation or ..........??

Thanks again guys, this really helps reinforce what I'm trying to do and gives me stuff to work on.

Shades of Grey

David Barrett's picture
by David Barrett - 09/10/2010 - 08:35

Always a pleasure to hear you Hank. The tone is very muted... pump your high-mids and highs and that will help a lot. Your rig is very clean, so you may want to hold the mic less-tight to get more of an acoustic tone.

CH1 - I like that you're using octaves / IV: bend your 3 to 3' / I hear a portion of the A come back when the I Chord returns... nice. I think I would have done an exact repeat (like jodanchudan stated) to really nail down the melody for this important first chorus... the head.

CH2 - Nice soulful bending / Nice use of soft slaps

CH3 - Nice chordal dynamics / I hear you're keeping that movement theme going

CH4 - 4+ is not usually a note we hold on the I Chord, but you make it work / Great job the high end

CH5 - Nice A B/A C CF and two-note combination

I would of liked to hear your first chorus (your head) come back. Keep up the good work. Now it's time to work on your composition for King of the Chug!!!

Shades of Grey

jodanchudan's picture
by jodanchudan - 09/09/2010 - 14:14

Great stuff - I especially like all those cool bends in the second chorus (I think you wah-wah on some of the notes too) and the high end playing. The shift up the harp from the second to third chorus works really well and I like the way you move towards two-note and chordal playing as the song progresses. The only thing I'd change is this: in the first chorus, I wanted you to repeat the I chord lick again after the IV chord, just to drive the head home (which I think would go A B/A C in terms of the chorus forms instead of A B C - though I could well have got this wrong!) Just personal taste though, I guess. I just like to get a really clear idea of the main melody in my mind before the improvisation starts - somehow gives the improvisation more context.

I have a similar problem with recording; if I play forcefully, the whole thing distorts, particularly on 3/4 or 4/5 combinations. If I play softly or turn the input down to stop the distortion, it sounds muddy and too 'distant'.

Shades of Grey

Ron Wikstrom's picture
by Ron Wikstrom - 09/09/2010 - 08:02

I have always enjoyed a slow blues so it would not take a whole lot for me to enjoy it. Your high end licks have a lot of clarity and are done nicely. Some of the low end has a muddy feel but that adds to the feel of the song.