Brunch report for extremely heated regions July 6th

[sirmyghin]

Getting a little hungry here and have time, which I am wasting otherwise, so figured I would check in a little early. Little quiet around here right now, thanks for the replies yesterday.

Considering food at the moment, but it is prohibitively warm, so I do not want to move. Lunch will either be grilled cheeses or bacon and eggs. Probably with water, a Pear, and maybe a mango. Strength training requires a lot of eating, fortunately I am not working labour this summer, when I train and work labour I would need to eat about 4500 cal daily to break even . That gets expensive, and a bit boring due to a restrictive diet.

Anyone like hats? I am one of those young anomalies who thinks beyond ball cap when it comes to hats. I have 2 fedoras currently, both with nice wide brims. The 'winter' one is wool felt in charcoal, the 'summer' one is a genuine panama. Can't go wrong with a nice hat I thinks, and dang a panama hat breathes nicely, I find it actually makes me feel a lot cooler (and look it to boot). I am thinking I need a kind of in between, maybe something with less brim like a tilby. Maybe with a fabric weave in some snazzy colour scheme. I may or may not come across as slightly snooty but who cares.
Here is a pic of my hats.


For todays musical topic, do you 'jam' or play as par 'charts', that is to say do you structure heavily when playing, writing, or recording. Is your part always the same. My approach is I am an improvisational player. I create rough outlines, and jam in fills where I feel they are needed in a band setting (I am typically on the bass.) My parts are not different enough to draw notice play to play, but sometimes you find something excellent that you 'structure' in. This is opposed to the last drummer I played with who everytime you played the song it was completely different (as he didn't put in the effort to remember) so his was very hit or miss. When I write music I tend to structure a rhythm track, then record bass and leads over it based loosely around where I am going and where I start, and nothing in between. The bass is usually a 1 or 2 take just roll with it, leads take me a lot longer due to having to achieve 'the feel'. A lot of trial and error, without a lot on documentation. Ironically this leads me to having many songs that I do not know how to play anymore, as who plays their own songs as a bedroom recorder? I am sure if I sat and listened I could pick it out by ear, but that also takes me a good while, I am not an excellent eared person, despite having 9 years and 3 instruments under my belt (the 3rd is tenor sax, played big band through high school, unfortunately it has been years, I have one on my 'to get' list). The playing Sax did a lot to familiarize myself with scale theory and whatnot, when playing I typically stick to 'full' scales and not limit myself to the pentatonic. I sort of just 'know' scales without thinking about them, never really practiced them much either, not to mention I don't fuss over them heavily, as long as it sounds 'right'. You know what they say, if you make a mistake once, that is what it is. If you make a mistake three times, it's Jazz.


For more of toting my own music, hopefully folks are enjoying it. I often like to play with 'voices' for instruments. Here are 2 tunes which I used a 2 voice and 2 tonal level approach. The first is the newer of the 2, A song called Brittleness, I took a clean voice, with tap mechanics, and a distorted voice with more traditional playing. I then used 4 layers (drums , distortion, clean, bass) for the song, the lead and rhythm responsibility changes throughout the song, and I think it tied together well. Brittleness

The second I dubbed Anger and Cold logic, this is a 2 tonal level, or two timbre song. They are very different from each other and was partly inspired by expanding on a friends metal riff I thought was 'too plain. The bass is the lead voice for the heavy second in a sense, the sound is modified by my EH Bass Microsynth, I think I just mixed dry signal with square wave. All the guitar leads in this one are slightly OD cleans, which on its own sets it apart from a lot of my work (to prove I can play without needing distortion to hide my many mistakes ). Anger and Cold Logic

Yes I know these songs all have a few duffed notes, but that comes with the lack of structure, jamming, and not demanding perfection (no point making this a job).

And now for what everyone is waiting for, more porn of my beauties.
Today I will post the latest of my C66 contour. SS jumbo frets, floyd rose, dot hardware, sunset burst, hog body. I cannot get over this guitar, it is perfect, can even support action <.008" without buzz (not that I like it that low, but seasonal change and no buzz can leave you getting places you don't need sometimes). (once again thumbs so I don't murder anyone with slow dialup or small monitors )







Enjoy your lunch folks,
Kyle

[Madcity Fats]

I've finally reached an age where I feel I can get away with wearing a hat (that is, something fancier than a cap, which I really don't wear anyway). When I was younger I didn't think I could get away wearing one without looking like an Indiana Jones wannabe. But last year I bought myself a Dobbs straw fedora for the warm months. Was worried I'd look like a dork in it, but I've actually gotten compliments on it. Put some good miles on it over the holiday weekend, and you're right about it helping you stay cool ... or at least it works for me since I have dark hair which otherwise absorbs the heat. In the fall I plan to go on the hunt for a nice fur felt version.

Wish I were better at reading a chart, but although I can read music, I just don't do it enough. When I write a bass line it's all improv until I come up with something I like that works. Then I tend to stick to it and refine it a little over time. Any improvisation beyond that is generally unintentional, though as I've grown as a player I'm willing to take a few more risks and shake things up a little. As my high school jazz band instructor used to say, "The soloist is always right." Life's too short to worry about a few blown notes. Most of my favorite tracks from the Motown and Stax catalogs contain some performance flaw of one kind or another if you listen carefully enough. And some of them are pretty special, actually.

[zombywoof]

Yeah, hot here too although the 100 degrees we will hit today ain't near as bad as folks in the east are getting slammed.

I'm not really into hats. I do have my grandfather's Stetson fedora he bought back int he 1930s. Neat wide brim, Bogart gangster looking thing. He took really good care of it - only wore it on special occasions and acrefully put it away afterwards I also have a straw cowboy that I bought in the 1970s when I was working for a landscaper during the summers. Still holding together but not by much. But when I wear a hat, more often as not, it is my Kansas City Monarchs ball cap.

I ain't really a jam or chart guy. I am not much for long bouts of noodlin' and I can't read music - heck, I can't even read tab. I am undisciplined and loose. I have been playing some 50 years and have never had a practice regimen. I could care less if I flub a note or two cuz that ain't what I am going for. I don't play barre chords very often and don't know the names of most of the chords I do play other than it is an A7 something or the other.

For me though, my left hand is what I know but my right hand is who I am. It is the well spring of a pounding rhythm, thumb and index finger played single string runs, rushing the root of a chord 1/8 of a beat before the next downbeat (what Rev. Davis called rolling the bass), and such. Other than that, I am pretty much a chromatic kinda player and use lots of bass runs, grace and accent notes, and fills playing off the melody. I have more fun putting together intros and endings then soloing.

[zapcosongs]

It's a hundred degrees here in central MD right now. No hat for me. I need to ventilate fully today. I tend to wear baseball-style hats, especially in summertime though, as I spend a lot of time around pools with the kids on swim team and really don't want to burn the bald spot that's developed so nicely over the years on the top/rear section of my dome. I actually think I might wear hats more if I didn't suspect folks might think I was trying to cover up nature's handywork. Luckily, God has a sense of humor and is taking that head hair and pasting it on my ears and inside my nose, which helps me survive in the winter.

Though I used to read music well when I was young, I've forgotten most of it and do not play using charts nor do I really jam. I just play songs I like (mostly originals) and for the fun and relaxation of it. Cheap therapy - and it gives me something a little worthwhile to do while I drink. I do mess around with the songs a bit, so they all continue to evolve over time. I tend to dick around with rhythms as much or more than with the actual notes and chords, and I tinker also with song structures (time for a new bridge here?) and lyrics as well. Sometimes I'll come up with a better intro or find a more satisfying ending,maybe one that leads better into the next song in my "set." - ed

btw, another beautiful guitar and some more very interesting music. You have some cool ideas and some talent to go with it.

[sirmyghin]

As far as heat goes, it has been ambient 86-90 F ambient and humidex peaking at 104-110. Dry heat is not too bad, humidity makes everything miserable, sticky, sweaty hell.

Wish I were better at reading a chart, but although I can read music, I just don't do it enough. When I write a bass line it's all improv until I come up with something I like that works. Then I tend to stick to it and refine it a little over time. Any improvisation beyond that is generally unintentional, though as I've grown as a player I'm willing to take a few more risks and shake things up a little. As my high school jazz band instructor used to say, "The soloist is always right." Life's too short to worry about a few blown notes. Most of my favorite tracks from the Motown and Stax catalogs contain some performance flaw of one kind or another if you listen carefully enough. And some of them are pretty special, actually.

Staff imo, is pretty useless for stringed instruments, tab I find much more intuitive as it denotes position. The problem is a lot of younger folks don't know how those positions relate to notes, the strings are 1-6 not E-E. I guess it comes with comfort, typically in a band situation on bass, I am well within my 'comfort' level. Never been in a speed metal band or anything and have no intention to, although I can play the style, it is not me. I can see a lot more miffed notes and whatnot coming from Stax than Motown, considering they didn't lay tracks separate or dub in/ out , couple takes and a vote was all they did IIRC.

I ain't really a jam or chart guy. I am not much for long bouts of noodlin' and I can't read music - heck, I can't even read tab. I am undisciplined and loose. I have been playing some 50 years and have never had a practice regimen. I could care less if I flub a note or two cuz that ain't what I am going for. I don't play barre chords very often and don't know the names of most of the chords I do play other than it is an A7 something or the other.

For me though, my left hand is what I know but my right hand is who I am. It is the well spring of a pounding rhythm, thumb and index finger played single string runs, rushing the root of a chord 1/8 of a beat before the next downbeat (what Rev. Davis called rolling the bass), and such. Other than that, I am pretty much a chromatic kinda player and use lots of bass runs, grace and accent notes, and fills playing off the melody. I have more fun putting together intros and endings then soloing.

No Barre chords eh, that sounds like a challenge I use them extensively because I find it easier to know which chord I am playing. The naming conventioned can be pretty messy though, I don't understand much beyond the basic triads and the odd addX chord, suspended (sus) chords start to throw me. I guess finger style makes sense seeing as you appear to be an acoustic player, and playing Chromatically lends well often in bluegrass and country, nothing wrong with it. The only catch is when I say "leads" I do not necessarily mean solos. Most of my leads are melodic playing in place of vocals.

I tend to dick around with rhythms as much or more than with the actual notes and chords, and I tinker also with song structures (time for a new bridge here?) and lyrics as well. Sometimes I'll come up with a better intro or find a more satisfying ending,maybe one that leads better into the next song in my "set." - ed

btw, another beautiful guitar and some more very interesting music. You have some cool ideas and some talent to go with it.

We used to do that latter in my sort of progressive alternative band, but we have been done for a good long time (over a year now, a song on my site thing The End, is my reorientation of out last tune, first thing I recorded). The guitarist and I could really click playing together and we did a lot of reworking as your are speaking of. My tunes are often hit or miss, due to the out there approach I take on leads from time to time, once again glad you are enjoying. Running out of guitars to post quickly, those are my 2 main pieces. I have plenty of other 'toys' I guess.

[Kit]

Hats are not part of my wardrobe. The only time I wear a baseball cap is when I want to keep my head dry; it rains a lot here in Oregon.

I appreciate the music you posted, definitely some interesting soundscapes you created. I like both tunes you posted today, but Brittleness is more my favorite. I also recorded instrumentals and I find that it is hard to make an instrumental than can maintain some consistent interest for more than a few minutes. Unlike a song with lyrics since the different words is what maintains a listener's interest, instrumentals don't have that to fall back on.

Kit

[bassman]

It is extremely hot around here. It was still 101 degrees as I watched the 7:00 news!
I know we have more coming for the rest of the week.

A hat is a very good idea in both summer and winter although I don't have any stylish hats like you own.

I do wear a baseball cap at the beach, but I remember a desert survival scenario being discussed on the Discovery channel, where a hat improved your chances of survival dramatically. Its the best way to keep your blood cool since so much of it is in your head.

Improvisation is good to a point, but if you really want to write a song, you have to at least define the chord structure and a melody. Otherwise you are just jamming.

[sirmyghin]

I appreciate the music you posted, definitely some interesting soundscapes you created. I like both tunes you posted today, but Brittleness is more my favorite. I also recorded instrumentals and I find that it is hard to make an instrumental than can maintain some consistent interest for more than a few minutes. Unlike a song with lyrics since the different words is what maintains a listener's interest, instrumentals don't have that to fall back on.

Kit

I know what you mean about instrumentals not having as much to fall on, I keep my songs shorter for that reason, I don't think I have ever broken 5 minutes, albeit the one on the burner probably will (if I ever program the drums, it is a doozy of too many time signatures) after that I am probably going to start singing again, just got turned off by it after my band split on losing our singer (who was terrible) but didn't like my melodies or style.

Improvisation is good to a point, but if you really want to write a song, you have to at least define the chord structure and a melody. Otherwise you are just jamming.

A very good point, it has to remain 'musical' and recognizable.

Thanks for the replies, todays is coming up shortly.