Community Jam - Track #1 - Profiles

Show and Tell
#1

Inspired by this thread:

Thought we should get started right away.

Here’s track #1, not sure how to organise this, @Tommo can take over if there is more to be done, or done in a more organized way.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13PlNfopijM2B32eF5MBokfm1AoZwr3a2/view?usp=sharing

Here’s my old take on this, this was post 7 or 9 months into the CTC material.

Tone chain:
YJM strat → BEOD → Dr.Z Carmen Ghia → Dr.Z 1x12 (Tone tubby alnico) → phone camera & mic.
Notes:
I had just started to be able to string random things together, I still don’t have a clue musically what I’m doing when I’m playing improvised like this. I’ll do a new take when I get a chance… in the mean time lets see if this gets some traction here. Come one folks, let hear 'em :slight_smile:

Rules:

  1. One post per person, create your first post with your first upload. On subsequent attempts edit your post in this thread to add the new take, don’t delete your old takes, let them line up so that we see a series of takes in one place.

  2. All comments and discussions to be had here ==> Community Jam Track Discussions

  3. No restrictions on what you post with that track, live or not, edified or not, just let us know the process, gear used etc. Doesn’t’ have to be a video.

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Community Jam Tracks - Discussions
#2

Hey Twangsta, I think it’s a great idea!

I’ll think if there’s a way to include this type of activity more systematically in our Forum, will talk with Troy too.

For a while I had on the back of my mind that I’d like to encourage the community to share more songwriting / improvisational ideas and challeneges. It would also be cool if we could all support each other in improving compositions, solos and whatnot via constructive critique.

Of course we have the Show and Tell category, but that seems to be used more to share “finished” products by the more seasoned forumites.

Would be cool to find a way to put these things together :slight_smile:

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#3

@Twangsta Thank you for taking the lead on this!

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#4

This is a great idea and thank you @Twangsta for the awesome backing track (I really liked you playing and tone too- can’t wait to see further posts).

The only thing I’m thinking is if this thread is really popular with loads of vid posts, it might be hard going to view them all if they are 4 mins long and compare each person’ successive posts (even though I do love an extended solo! :grin:). Might not be a bad idea to have a shorter version of the backing track as well if possible (that still contains all the sections). Also for the creatively challenged (like myself) having a shorter window of time allows a more concentrated collection of ideas to be worked on and incorporated.

Rock on peeps!

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#5

That’s a good idea, I think the folks at CTC may need to figure something out, if I had the time I’d throw something together in react and host it or donate it to CTC. But I get beardly enough time as it is. Touched my guitar after a week today :frowning:

As for the length, I suppose people can just post a section for this first track. Yes it’s a bit long, def agree there, I ran out of material in two bars :laughing:

Thanks so much, it was one of my first clips. It will be interesting to do another take on this track, it’s been years and I think my pick grip has changed over time.

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#6

Here’s my first draft. I’ve trimmed out a few sections and just faded out during the clean bridge. Still working on ideas. I’m treating it more as a songwriting exercise and focusing on melodic content since I don’t have crazy chops. I tried to shoe horn some ‘fast’ stuff in though.

Disclaimer, this is the first track I’ve recorded in about 10 years. This is proving to be a great exercise because I can see immediately that I tend to rush almost everything and my timing isn’t great. Also, I think in places I have some slight intonation issues. Oh yeah edited? f*$k yes it’s edited :slight_smile: I’m confident once I get all my ideas worked out and everything under my fingers, I could pull it off in a live scenario though. Maybe that will be a subsequent post.

Tone chain:

PRS McCarty → Piece of hardware I’m embarrassed to admit I’m still using in 2021 (I should have even been embarrassed back in 2011 when I last used it lol…but I think it actually sounds ok :slight_smile: ) → Focusrite Solo → Cubase

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NYEvkiBmXOSO3ZddgFmWcxq1UnChuGeq/view?usp=sharing

EDIT: after hearing it a few more times I did some more editing/punching in etc to address some of the timing and pitch issues. I like the levels better now too. I’ll call this my first draft version 1.1 :slight_smile: Please disregard the above if anyone is listening for the first time.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ea6dyNISGCHXOHMig8s7HlxdVrGW2kGi/view?usp=sharing

3 Likes
#7

This is fun, I love doing these sorts of things thanks for sharing! I am feeling awfully rusty here, I have been slaving away at trying to do double escape, (not sure why - I just can’t do it lol) but I took a swing at trying to do a few shreddy things but this sort of thing really isn’t my bag. Still, emphasis on fun, right? haha I tried to do my best Mike Varney shrapnel audition but I jut staggered in the door from work. lol The ideas really aren’t there, hahaha I am just sort of fumbling through C#minor/Emajor I think you guys will rip this apart as the “suck” is strong!! I will practice up a bit and take another swing at it next week!

Thanks for the backing track, though it’s a lot of fun to play over!

OK, so I just plugged direct to DAW for this one; YJM Strat>Strymon Iridium>Mainstage

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#8

Ha! Not at all I thought you sounded great. I really enjoyed your playing. Plus, you were totally live. I hid behind a million takes and no video :slight_smile: Bravo!

1 Like
#9

Cool patterns happening in there.

That’s a great start Joe, nice harmonies going on there! I hope you’re enjoying the process.

Glad to see your posts, keep iterating, there a lot of juice in just the intro, I took a break from work and looped the first section before the drums kick in. I tried following the picking chord pattern, seems to be a thing for me atm, better late then never eh? :slight_smile:

Also realized my left hand wasn’t working as well, but it came together after about 10 - 20 mins, lost track of time really. I like to start with less gain and build it up these days, trying to keeping a pattern to lock into and call home, while keeping the flow going. Was fun! I didn’t record anything, but I’m going to start playing everyday again, there was a time I didn’t miss a day in over a year!

2 Likes
#10

What are the chords to the backing? And is it an actual Yngwie song?

#11

Dm mostly. 1/2 step down.
Not a YJM backing track.

#12

This thread is awesome :slight_smile: I love seeing different interpretations of the same song from all of you! Very cool ideas in all the ones I heard so far.

I had a little idea to bump this discussion up even more, if people are up for it: what about selecting - say - the best 30 seconds of your solo and making a little video lesson about it? Nothing fancy required, would just be cool to hear your thinking behind the notes :slight_smile: Also, no fancy shred required, the “best” part of the solo may just be the part you like the most regardless of technique or tempo used.

I’d like to contribute too, but I’m not sure when I’ll have the required time in the upcoming weeks :slight_smile:

2 Likes
#13

I think what he was getting at is do you have a basic chart for each section? I have a suspicion he wants to write something based around the chords of each part.

#14

I don’t have that info, if somebody can put it up it would be great. This track is from Cesario Fhilos’s lessons I bought from him. Absolutely fine to use for educational purposes.

The next track I’ll make myself, in fact if you guys want I’ll setup that dunesprire track of mine as a back track for the next one. Let me know. But even there I will not have time to block the chords out. I’ll try to make a video of the basic structure so that somebody with better knowledge can put the chords down, I really don’t know what I’m playing often at the most basic level, pure instinct.

#15

Great idea tommo, eventually we can start a few collabs.

#16

This seems fun!
But don’t have much time nowadays… :worried:
May I record just some random noodling imporvising on spot?

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#17

I feel like a chord chart is overkill for a track with chords this simple. The whole thing is in Dm and there are also Bb (major) and C (major) chords, that’s it. If you really want, you can use Lydian over the Bb and Mixolydian over the C. Or you can go simple and use a D minor scale the whole time and it works fine. Same with Dm pentatonic. That’s really the approach I took. I tried to think more in terms of ‘melodies’ than scales or modes since this whole thing was spawned by a thread talking about “musicality” :slight_smile:

TL DR;
If you tune down a half step just play it in d minor. If you are tuned in standard, c# minor.

1 Like
#18

If I have some time this week I can break it down by section. It has that first part, and then the second. Hopefully I’ll have time to take a stab at it, although I may just do a few bars, and approach it like a short solo it’s kinda long as is and lends it self more to an instrumental format.

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#19

Yeah for sure. My demo of it has probably 3 minutes trimmed out and even that is pretty long lol

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#20

I’d say if we’re aiming at musicality and learning that, then knowing the backing chords is very important. Thats how you know what you’re doing and where you are in the track. It’s one of the main things to practice and learn about if you want to be musical. Even if it’s a basic three chord progression, your musicality will be vastly improved by knowing what you’re playing over

1 Like