What music have you been playing lately?

[B D]

Been playing a lot of KEYBOARDS: our circa 1940 Hammond (with original tone cabinet) , a Solina combo organ and a Challen upright piano. I've used "sprinklings" of piano and organ here and there on my tunes over the decades but I was lucky if I could play 4 or 5 (deliberate) chords in succession without trying it a million times. Now that I've been playing a lot on a regular basis the improvement is exponential and I'm EXCITED because I have always loved that big noisy organ sound and rockin' piano and could imagine being the person playing it, etc. Thus my next solo album will have a lot of organ and piano on it, some songs where they are the main instruments. Maybe some where they are the only instruments!

BD
www.bdrak.com

[Jefferson James]

Being on the road is actually really bad for your chops. I was out for 7 weeks recently, playing mostly keyboards, so now I'm fighting just to get my bass guitar fingers back.

I've never regretted my decision to work a straight job instead of music but I always wanted -- still do -- to go on a long tour just to see what my chops would be like playing 5-6 nights a week. Matt, your bass skills may have gotten a tad rusty but I bet your keyboard chops are untouchable right now!

Me? Just playing Heliopolis music on bass, over and over. And over again just to be sure.

[Mikhael]

I've never regretted my decision to work a straight job instead of music but I always wanted -- still do -- to go on a long tour just to see what my chops would be like playing 5-6 nights a week. Matt, your bass skills may have gotten a tad rusty but I bet your keyboard chops are untouchable right now!

Me? Just playing Heliopolis music on bass, over and over. And over again just to be sure.

I've noticed that, here recently, my chops have started to improve. In thinking about it, I concluded that since I'm currently playing in two bands, and they're both playing out fairly often, that this is what is improving my playing. I'm the primary improviser in both bands, and I try to use those occasions wisely; by that I mean playing something flowing and melodic, while still pushing my limits in certain places. It seems to be moving my playing up a notch.

[MudShark22]

I've never regretted my decision to work a straight job instead of music but I always wanted -- still do -- to go on a long tour just to see what my chops would be like playing 5-6 nights a week.

Me too. Whilst we were only playing one / two gigs per month; we would rehearse / jam twice a week so our chops were stoopid good.

I listen to some keys runs I did back then and how it seemed like I never used the same sound in the same song twice live! (I think thats just because I was high and its dark on stage...). Now 12 years later, my chops are just stoopid!

[arabicadabra]

I could tell you, but then the other members of Pinnacle would shoot me...

[Yodelgoat]

I just had to record bass for the first time in a couple of years, and its been amazingly difficult to get the parts right. Ive been working on my drum chops and vocals most intensley for a long time, and now, it seems I play bass like I did in jr high! Just noodling around on bass is not the same as constructing real bass lines that are at least somewhat interesting, and actually playing them correctly enough to keep the computer from bursting out laughing. Only computers get to hear my gaffes , but its amazing how different you feel playing to someone, or something thats actually listening. Its a totally different experience with an audience - even one you can shut off.

[fictionmusic]

I thought I'd post some of the original jazzy stuff I have being doing lately. I borrowed a Zoom recorder and took it out to a gig and also had some buddies over to record. Then I did a chord solo gtr piece I had been working on (Coltrane's Naima) and posted them all to soundcloud. Here it is.


https://soundcloud.com/fictionmusictv/sets/jazz

[sonic]

I thought I'd post some of the original jazzy stuff I have being doing lately. I borrowed a Zoom recorder and took it out to a gig and also had some buddies over to record. Then I did a chord solo gtr piece I had been working on (Coltrane's Naima) and posted them all to soundcloud. Here it is.


https://soundcloud.com/fictionmusictv/sets/jazz

That was awesome! Thanks.

[fictionmusic]

That was awesome! Thanks.

thank you! I've never posted the straight ahead jazz stuff I do so positive feedback is welcome!

[No Pride]

Sounds really nice, David! Are you using a big box archtop?

[fictionmusic]

Sounds really nice, David! Are you using a big box archtop?

Thanks Ernie! Coming from you that's quite a compliment.
I have a Howard Roberts Fusion, which is a solid centre piece and a hollow side pieces (kinda like a 335) into a Fender amp. Typically I use a Mesa even for jazzy stuff, but those two live ones are a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and the two studio ones are direct into a tube pre-amp.

[everythingtoexcess]

This.

The audience noise seems really loud because we're forced to play SO quietly. You can tell in the measure before the guitar solo when I turn my head away from the mic and the volume of my voice is almost unchanged. I didn't realize we were THAT quiet.

[Polypet]

there are some excellent tunes in that style from Billy Joel - River of Dreams being an especially modern but reverential take with a great groove... "in the middle of the... i go walking in the..."

[bill g]

I pretty much strictly play new compositions these days. Have a bunch of new music for a future Cirrus Bay cd hopefully. Some is written on acoustic guitar, some on electric guitar, some on piano and some on synthesizer. The new stuff is quite enjoyable to play anyway. And I haven't always been able to say that!

[everythingtoexcess]

The vocal ensemble at my school is doing Toto's Africa for the spring concert, so I'm teaching my guitar ensemble a pretty slick arrangement of it. It'll be two acoustics and percussion and should be pretty cool...if they freakin' practice. All I ask is that they work on it 1/2 hr a day and it just ain't happening.

[Norman Phay]

I've been messing around with some old sheet music scores - "Painting the Clouds with Sunshine" from 1929, "Paradise" from '31 (this one is really good) and "By a Waterfall" from '33. Arranging them for different combinations of synthesizer sounds, trying to pushmyself out of a rut.

[Yodelgoat]

last night I finished recording drum parts for a song I've been working on for over 8 years. And I found a click in every snare hit. Its caused by either a gate opening, or clipping.... So, even though this is only for my enjoyment, I erased the drum part and started from scratch. Its always worth it to make your fans wait for it all to be done right. Especially if your fan is yourself.

Thats what I've been up to today. Incidentally, I have a much better snare sound, and I'm actually a better drummer today than I was when I started doing drums on this song. Thats the real satisfaction. Anything worth doing is worth doing right. I sent myself an email telling me how dissapointing it was that I hadnt finished the song. I responded that I should go bite myself. Wich I promtly did. Ouch. Fans can be real bastards at times.