Musicians, Music and Musings...

[jakobeast]

[quote name="PatrickSharpRules"]



It is all about the music. I get paid for playing just based on how many people we bring to the places we play. And we play a lot of fucking songs no one ever fucking heard of, the percentage of people who have heard Help On The Way/Slipknot is close to zero, but everyone enjoys it cause most people just wait for their crowd Twist and Shout song anyways.



In terms of nothing noble by not selling out I guess thats just me, or maybe why popular music blows **** today. I know plenty of musicians who are in multiple bands, give lessons, play gigs almost every night and are financially secure. Do I think they'd stop playing their ridiculously talented songs to join Katy Perry? Not sure, I know a couple wouldn't.



And those couple are idiots if they don't even consider it. The connections made through that would feed them for a lifetime





And I stopped believing the if your on the radio your talented bull a while ago. The Jonas Brothers don't even have a concept of their instruments, and maybe this bassist for Green Day is good, I would love to sit down with him and see though. There's just way to many shitty people out there on the radio, and I really cannot believe there good musicians unless they prove it.[/quote]





Again, there is no fucking way the Jonas brothers don't know anything about their instruments. If a musician can't keep it together music wise, he ain't worth the multi-million dollar investment.

 

[jakobeast]

Also PSR, by definition, the second you take money for playing music, whether it is your own or covers, makes you a sell out.

 

[Ymono37]

[quote name="ginnie"]I'd just like to say that I don't think "Rock'n Roll" is about how technically proficient you are with your instrument.

I'd like to add to the Lou Reed quote a few posts back - Neil Young once said "Its all three chords, only three chords man"



BTW I disagree with the Robert Johnson comment - I've never heard anybody play guitar like him.[/quote]



That's cuz the Devil taught him. :twisted: you got lost in semantics there, I was more making a point that a lot of classic blues musicians didn't do much more than 3 chords (I-IV-V)... it was the style and presence they brought to the music. In it's very nature (in my humble opinion), the blues is about simplicity... and soloing over the pentatonic scale.



And I'd be remiss if I didn't add Bob Dylan into this mix too. I would not call him a technically proficient musician/songwriter at all... and he's a guy who the critics still beat off to nightly.



Music snobbery is one of my biggest pet peeves... with something so subjective there is no right and wrong, only preference. I hate it when acts refer to themselves as "artists" like it's some big fucking whoop-dee-do. Or those folks who get off on the fact that they only listen to indie bands like it's some kind of badge of honor that makes them better than everyone else. It's just so goddamn pretentious... and that (in my opinion) doesn't belong in music.



With that, I'm done beating this subject to death. I remember being really young and idealistic as well when it came to what was good and what talent is... looking back, I feel silly about it, too. As Jako mentioned, I own and actively listen to all kinds of music - I feel like when you limit yourself, you limit influence and you limit your creativity. But what do I know? I'm just some asshole on a hockey message board.

 

[jakobeast]

[quote name="Ymono37"]I am an asshole on a hockey message board.[/quote]



Fixed.

 

[MassHavoc]

Jako, shouldn't there be two sets of earphones, one for you and one for the Keeper?

 

[ginnie]

[quote name="Ymono37"]



That's cuz the Devil taught him. :twisted: you got lost in semantics there, I was more making a point that a lot of classic blues musicians didn't do much more than 3 chords (I-IV-V)... it was the style and presence they brought to the music. In it's very nature (in my humble opinion), the blues is about simplicity... and soloing over the pentatonic scale.

[/quote]

Yes, the blues are three chords but you can play them in so many ways. Plus Johnson's finger picking is just so masterful.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't add Bob Dylan into this mix too. I would not call him a technically proficient musician/songwriter at all... and he's a guy who the critics still beat off to nightly.

Dylan is a genius. And I know some people who hate him.

Music snobbery is one of my biggest pet peeves... with something so subjective there is no right and wrong, only preference.

I totally agree. No right and wrong.

And basing music on how complicated it is to play is misguided anyhow.

I hate it when acts refer to themselves as "artists" like it's some big fucking whoop-dee-do. Or those folks who get off on the fact that they only listen to indie bands like it's some kind of badge of honor that makes them better than everyone else. It's just so goddamn pretentious... and that (in my opinion) doesn't belong in music.

I kind of think that anyone in a band has to sort of think like that. That's part of what drives them. But as we know, if the hits and the money comes usually they end up like everyone else - rich, famous and full of shit.

With that, I'm done beating this subject to death. I remember being really young and idealistic as well when it came to what was good and what talent is... looking back, I feel silly about it, too. As Jako mentioned, I own and actively listen to all kinds of music - I feel like when you limit yourself, you limit influence and you limit your creativity. But what do I know? I'm just some asshole on a hockey message board.

I listen to what I like, and don't listen to what I don't like. I'm limited to good rock'n roll, funk, classical and jazz..

 

[ginnie]

...been fooling around with recording some of my songs lately. Using a combination of a 4 track Cassette Recorder and/or Audacity on the computer.

For some reason I got obsessed with A Day In The Life by the Beatles and decided to attempt to record it. The results were mixed - I thought I covered most of the song pretty good, but my vocals certainly need improvement, and the ending crescendo part was a bugger to try to duplicate!

Anyway, for any brave souls out there:



http://soundcloud.com/ginnie-1/a-day-in-the-life



Instruments used: 12 string guitar, bass, keyboards, egg maracas and voice.

 

[bookjones]

[quote name="ginnie"]...been fooling around with recording some of my songs lately. Using a combination of a 4 track Cassette Recorder and/or Audacity on the computer.

For some reason I got obsessed with A Day In The Life by the Beatles and decided to attempt to record it. The results were mixed - I thought I covered most of the song pretty good, but my vocals certainly need improvement, and the ending crescendo part was a bugger to try to duplicate!

Anyway, for any brave souls out there:



http://soundcloud.com/ginnie-1/a-day-in-the-life



Instruments used: 12 string guitar, bass, keyboards, egg maracas and voice.[/quote]



That was FUN! :clap: Awesome of you to post your own recording ginnie. Please do so again if you get inspired to upload something new.

 

[jakobeast]

I didn't get to hear it to well, as the speakers on my laptop are super quiet for some reason. And if anyone says turn them up I will poop on Ymono37's chest. This time for fun.



What I did hear wasn't bad. Sounds like you know your key to sing in as well.



Maybe you should record Ymono37 and me as well.

 

[BlackHawkPaul]

I'll throw in my 0.02 in "selling out."

I know plenty of people in bands.



I make films, and I'll say one thing:

I will make a "Twilight" if that means I can live the rest of my life making the films I want to make.

 

[Ymono37]

[quote name="BlackhawkPaul"]I'll throw in my 0.02 in "selling out."

I know plenty of people in bands.



I make films, and I'll say one thing:

I will make a "Twilight" if that means I can live the rest of my life making the films I want to make.[/quote]

True dat. Some people calling it "Selling Out," others, "Buying In" still others, "Paying Your Dues."

 

[PatrickSharpRules]

[quote name="ginnie"]...been fooling around with recording some of my songs lately. Using a combination of a 4 track Cassette Recorder and/or Audacity on the computer.

For some reason I got obsessed with A Day In The Life by the Beatles and decided to attempt to record it. The results were mixed - I thought I covered most of the song pretty good, but my vocals certainly need improvement, and the ending crescendo part was a bugger to try to duplicate!

Anyway, for any brave souls out there:



http://soundcloud.com/ginnie-1/a-day-in-the-life



Instruments used: 12 string guitar, bass, keyboards, egg maracas and voice.[/quote]

Cool, that was sweet. If you ever need key's or bass for a beatles song I'll be down to play it. Our bands been recording a bunch of songs the last 3 weeks and it fucking blows. We should have about 8 done within a week or two, but its been torture. Nothing worse than making a 5 person band trying to record a 6-7 minute song and making a mistake 5 minutes in.

 

[ginnie]

[quote name="PatrickSharpRules"]

Cool, that was sweet. If you ever need key's or bass for a beatles song I'll be down to play it. Our bands been recording a bunch of songs the last 3 weeks and it fucking blows. We should have about 8 done within a week or two, but its been torture. Nothing worse than making a 5 person band trying to record a 6-7 minute song and making a mistake 5 minutes in.[/quote]

I was lazy on the bass, too much in a hurry to get it down to actually study the lines!



I can sympathize with you on the "not making mistakes" part. I had enough trouble just by myself. At least I knew who to blame. I must have done thirty takes or more - of course that covers all the instruments, so maybe it wasn't that bad.

Even recording a song that wasn't my own was unusual for me, but it kept nagging me.

When you record the band, do you record all of you together, or does each person have their own track?

 

[PatrickSharpRules]

[quote name="ginnie"]

I was lazy on the bass, too much in a hurry to get it down to actually study the lines!



I can sympathize with you on the "not making mistakes" part. I had enough trouble just by myself. At least I knew who to blame. I must have done thirty takes or more - of course that covers all the instruments, so maybe it wasn't that bad.

Even recording a song that wasn't my own was unusual for me, but it kept nagging me.

When you record the band, do you record all of you together, or does each person have their own track?[/quote]

Each person has there own track. We got a pretty primitive board were recording on, but it works out well for just a demo tape. We have over-dubbed over a few mistakes made, but in terms of the band sounding tight and people listening off one another in an un-written section recording it raw is better for something like were doing.



Its funny how many mistakes are made when there's a red record button shining compared to playing live. When we get enough money were going to get all of our shows recorded. Thats where the great things happen.



Also, your probably aware of it, but for Beatles tunes the best book in the world, (my bible), is this big white book called The Complete Scores. Its got every instrument on every song ever released in notation and tablature. Everything except the end of Cry Baby Cry, where Paul has the "can you take me back" acoustic part. That book taught me way to many things.

 

[ginnie]

[quote name="PatrickSharpRules"]

Each person has there own track. We got a pretty primitive board were recording on, but it works out well for just a demo tape. We have over-dubbed over a few mistakes made, but in terms of the band sounding tight and people listening off one another in an un-written section recording it raw is better for something like were doing.



Its funny how many mistakes are made when there's a red record button shining compared to playing live. When we get enough money were going to get all of our shows recorded. Thats where the great things happen.



Also, your probably aware of it, but for Beatles tunes the best book in the world, (my bible), is this big white book called The Complete Scores. Its got every instrument on every song ever released in notation and tablature. Everything except the end of Cry Baby Cry, where Paul has the "can you take me back" acoustic part. That book taught me way to many things.[/quote]

Yeah, the red button. When I'm doing a vocal of one of my songs that I know every word of, all of a sudden I forget them.

I only have the two volume "Compleat Beatles" - it just has rudimentary guitar chords and a piano melody part. To play the piano chords I just look at the guitar chords and play them on piano. I've tried to get into tab but find it incredibly slow to learn, although sometimes I'll revert to them when I can't figure out some chords - e.g. Radioheads's "Paranoid Android". Otherwise I use my trusty ears which really come in handy too.

I've never been in a proper band, just jammed with different people through the years. I guess I just don't have the passion and dedication for it. Hats off to you , sir for your determination to do something with your musical talents. :clap:

BTW if you're interested, here is the link to my other songs on Soundcloud -

http://soundcloud.com/ginnie-1



(They're all original except for A Day In the Life.)

 

[PatrickSharpRules]

[quote name="ginnie"]

Yeah, the red button. When I'm doing a vocal of one of my songs that I know every word of, all of a sudden I forget them.

I only have the two volume "Compleat Beatles" - it just has rudimentary guitar chords and a piano melody part. To play the piano chords I just look at the guitar chords and play them on piano. I've tried to get into tab but find it incredibly slow to learn, although sometimes I'll revert to them when I can't figure out some chords - e.g. Radioheads's "Paranoid Android". Otherwise I use my trusty ears which really come in handy too.

I've never been in a proper band, just jammed with different people through the years. I guess I just don't have the passion and dedication for it. Hats off to you , sir for your determination to do something with your musical talents. :clap:

BTW if you're interested, here is the link to my other songs on Soundcloud -

http://soundcloud.com/ginnie-1



(They're all original except for A Day In the Life.)[/quote]

Those songs sound great. Me the Stranger is one merry tune. Our band played an acoustic show last wednesday at this music joint and that song would be perfect. I'll ask my guys if they'd like the play it. And you can never go wrong with funkery. Two nights ago me and my brother came up with a deep funk groove, we have our keyboardist on the clavinet which times the funk by 1,000. When we finally have it recorded.



Also, about recording, we should have the demo mastered(by us) next week. So that'll all be up for listening.

 

[Ymono37]

[quote name="ginnie"]Yeah, the red button. When I'm doing a vocal of one of my songs that I know every word of, all of a sudden I forget them.[/quote]

That happens to me live. And not just with my own songs, but songs I've know for years.



I'd call it nervousness, but I don't think that's what it is... I think I just have a shitty memory.

 

[ginnie]

[quote name="PatrickSharpRules"]

Those songs sound great. Me the Stranger is one merry tune. Our band played an acoustic show last wednesday at this music joint and that song would be perfect. I'll ask my guys if they'd like the play it. And you can never go wrong with funkery. Two nights ago me and my brother came up with a deep funk groove, we have our keyboardist on the clavinet which times the funk by 1,000. When we finally have it recorded.



Also, about recording, we should have the demo mastered(by us) next week. So that'll all be up for listening.[/quote]

Thanks for your comments!

I might have mentioned before how much I suck at lead guitar - you might have noticed how much I buried it in "Fake Funkery". If you need the lyrics to "Me the Stranger" I'll post them.

 

[Ruhtra]

[quote name="PatrickSharpRules"]Cool, that was sweet. If you ever need key's or bass for a beatles song I'll be down to play it. Our bands been recording a bunch of songs the last 3 weeks and it fucking blows. We should have about 8 done within a week or two, but its been torture. Nothing worse than making a 5 person band trying to record a 6-7 minute song and making a mistake 5 minutes in.[/quote]

I know your pain in recording! I just took probably an hour to record a single 3 minute drum track. A lot of frustration and yelling because I kept missing beats and miscounting. I finally got it though, I just need to cut an extra measure on the intro and it'll be a-okay. But strangely I love recording and mixing. I chalk that up to working in the recording studio at College of DuPage for a semester last year, it was a great experience, lots of fun with good equipment.



Also Ginnie, great stuff brother, I'm giving your other stuff a listen right now. Love your guitar work, very solid.

 

[ginnie]

[quote name="Ruhtra"]

I know your pain in recording! I just took probably an hour to record a single 3 minute drum track. A lot of frustration and yelling because I kept missing beats and miscounting. I finally got it though, I just need to cut an extra measure on the intro and it'll be a-okay. But strangely I love recording and mixing. I chalk that up to working in the recording studio at College of DuPage for a semester last year, it was a great experience, lots of fun with good equipment.



Also Ginnie, great stuff brother, I'm giving your other stuff a listen right now. Love your guitar work, very solid.[/quote]

Thank you, sir. I still shy away from leads - man I've been playing for years but can't play lead worth shit.



I don't like the recording part too much - I like to play, not engineer.

Tonight I recorded "Everybody Knows this is Nowhere", a great Neil Young tune.

For some reason, I thought the beginning guitar part would be difficult, until I actually tried it and it wasn't too hard at all. Of course, getting Neil's tone and feel IS difficult but...

Anyway, the results were pretty good IMHO. I kept the percussion simpler this time which held everything together better.

http://soundcloud.com/ginnie-1/everybod ... is-nowhere



I was going to buy a new guitar because I wanted to get a different sound ( I presently use a Harmony H-74 Hollowbody from 1964), but today I passed a Pawn shop and picked up a small 15w Behringer V tone GM 108 amp for thirty bucks. That thing is sweet! It has some "modelling" controls on it to emulate different amps and sounds. Now I don't have to get a new guitar - I was going to buy a cheap Epiphone Les Paul, but now I can get the sounds I want with this amp. And I can output the amp through the headphone output to my computer. Really nice and compact.