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Don't listen for the changes, feel for the changes - Muddy Waters

Author Topic: A Few New Tunes  (Read 1926 times)

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Offline Bluesymel

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  • Love the Blues!
A Few New Tunes
« on: July 07, 2005, 08:43:08 PM »
My son got some new recording equipment and after almost two months agreed to record me doing a few songs. The last time I posted a few tunes I played through a sound hole pickup directly into the sound card of my laptop. One of the comments were that it sounded like an electric guitar even though it is my Martin D35. This time I am rcording into a Shure SM something??? mic and a Behringer Mixer. I would appreciate your comments. There are many mistakes and bad timing, but I respect your opinions and would appreciate if you could have a listen. Posted to sound click as the files are large and I do not yet know how to compress them. Also the link does not seem to be hot, so please cut and paste it into your browser and on the site click on either lo or hifi and you will not need to log in.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/5/melaxelrod_music.htm

Thanks
The new tunes I added are:
Ragged and Dirty
Sister Kate
St. Louis Blues

Offline Rivers

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Re: A Few New Tunes
« Reply #1 on: July 07, 2005, 10:43:45 PM »
Really enjoyable Mel. You really are on the path, I went pretty much down the same road and hope I get to hear you play in person someday. Love that Mississippi John Hurt groove and the soulful trills and melodies. You could maybe hit the bass a bit harder, maybe sweep the thumb across a few more strings like MJH, but maybe not. Timing is great and I love the D35, I've become a Martin dread fan myself playing an HD-28V.

I'd like to hear you work your vibrato a bit more! Somebody once said everybody's vibrato is slightly different so it helps to stamp your individuality on a song and I totally agree. Takes a while of consciously making yourself do it but it soon works its way into your playing. Shake that thing!
« Last Edit: July 07, 2005, 10:45:24 PM by Rivers »

Offline a2tom

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Re: A Few New Tunes
« Reply #2 on: July 08, 2005, 09:08:30 AM »
Hey Mel - you've developed great facility in your picking, really enjoyable.  A nice easy feel - and you aren't stumbling over your fingers in some tricky passages.  Sure the time slips a tiny bit here and there, but nothing terminal or near enough to kill the musicality.  Keep it up.  I agree with the comment on the bass in general - I found it to perhaps be a bit timid, and the whole thing ends up sounding very "clean".  That is one sound, and not a bad one (contributes to the "easy feel"), but I think the bluesness can come out with a bit more assertiveness there - the music is so driven by that pulse from the thumb.  And it will quickly bring you to the whole issue of damping - which will allow you to have some different ranges of expression within the same phrases - from clean and open and singing like you have it now, to sometimes harder, more percussive, etc.  Just some meandering thoughts, things to try out, explore etc, not criticisms - it sounds good.

BTW, you can download any of a number of cheap freeware/shareware utlities for doing MP3 conversion to lower bit rates, if you wanted.  Although the SoundClick route is quite satisfactory. 

tom

Offline Norfolk Slim

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Re: A Few New Tunes
« Reply #3 on: July 08, 2005, 12:04:43 PM »
I'm with Atom.  There's some really good picking there and you've nailed a lot of tunes already.  The next trick is something I'm trying to do all the time (and find damned hard to do without messing up the flow); namely making that alt bass swing.  Like Rivers said, you can brush the alt bass a bit, catch 2 or 3 strings rather than one, and then left hand damp them a bit and it will start to take off.

Offline Rivers

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Re: A Few New Tunes
« Reply #4 on: July 08, 2005, 04:03:57 PM »
Swing, yes I like that comment Slim. I'm always looking for that swing feel esp w/ragtime/piedmont style, it's subtle, alternately rushing the beat and lagging. Thumbstyle and me were discussing it last time we met, we both like to put a little 'skip' or 'bounce' in there. Very much a feel thing, people can hear it and they like it. Mel's timing is pleasingly solid throughout so he's gonna have no trouble messing around with the groove a bit.

dabluz

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Re: A Few New Tunes
« Reply #5 on: July 08, 2005, 06:29:01 PM »
very nice stuff mel, very nice. thanks for posting

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