The Challenge March 2012 - Please Vote

Renesongs

Here are all the entries for the Blues with melody challenge. Again I have left out the categories but everyone is allowed 2 votes. Voting ends on Sat 31 March.

[quote author=WEM link=action=profile;u=5182 date=1331224134] I'm not too sure how to enter the competitions but I thought I'd send you a link to a song I'd like to enter http://www.box.com/s/6dm3p8o6dlm9177sq3u3 It's part of a project I'm working on [/quote]

[quote author=deefstes link=action=profile;u=2979 date=1332319873] Here is my entry (intermediate) for the blues challenge. It turned out being quite a challenge and I abandoned no fewer than three attempts that just sounded utterly lifeless before I came up with this one which I think have some soul. Each time I canned the whole idea and waited a couple of days before starting from scratch with a new chord progression, new melody and new guitar feel. I didn't focus on technique so much as I did on "feel" and I'm hoping it will be reflected in the recording. This was also my first attempt at recording the amp mic'ed up to get the tone that I really wanted. http://www.box.com/s/bc76c338d5f78dc6a84f [/quote]

[quote author=PeteM link=action=profile;u=1544 date=1332509688] Here's my entry http://www.box.com/s/aa6fd69b54a4ac0ad723 [/quote]

[quote author=Andrew J Bryson link=action=profile;u=34 date=1332753969] Blues Thang http://www.box.com/s/7a75a6e9a5d383798e5f [/quote]

[quote author=Highway Chile link=action=profile;u=3960 date=1332836931] Here's my last minute entry. http://www.box.com/s/b9ed7fcaa0238fc68407 [/quote]

[quote author=Renesongs link=action=profile;u=36 date=1332884435] Here is an instrumental version of a song I wrote called Your Sweet Lovin' It is based on a 12 bar Basie Blues chord progression (named after the famous Count Basie). You might not recognize it as a blues because it's quite uptempo. http://soundcloud.com/rene-avenant/your-sweet-loving [/quote]

(old forum) Poll Results: Blues with melody

WEM: 2
deefstes: 11
PeteM: 2
Andrew J Bryson: 6
Highway Chile: 5
Renesongs: 9

Bob-Dubery

For me Deefstes met the challenge best. Nice consistent, identifiable melody. Some of the other entries were in a no-mans land between a melody and melodic soloing. Also some were bluesy but I'm not sure they were actually blues. Definitions will be important when evaluating, I think, and definitions will vary. I struggled to define WEM's entry as blues - and I failed in that struggle. Sorry, but when the challenge asks for blues...

deefstes

Awesome! One of the most exciting days in the month is when the challenge entries are published. I've listened through all of them about four times now and I'm still busy. loving it. They're all good.

Andrew J Bryson: I love the tone you got there. Would you care to tell how you achieved the tone? Also, very nice technique.

Highway Chile: I was debating with myself whether I should do an electric entry or acoustic but this is exactly the sort of feel I had in mind if I were going to do acoustic. I'm glad though I didn't as this would have blown me out of the water... again.

PeteM - Definitely one of my favourite entries. Those two chords at the beginning of each phrase, I love it! What are they if I may ask? I hope this means we're going to hear more of you in the challenges again. I always enjoyed your entries but you've been very quiet lately.

Rene - Absolutely brilliant! I can understand why you're saying "you might not recognise it as blues because it is uptempo" but there's no denying that this is blues and I love it. I think this is a perfect study in "jump blues" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_blues)

WEM - I think you've got a great recording there, although I would probably not classify that as "blues". Would be curious to hear the rest of the project you're working on as it sound great.

Bob-Dubery

deefstes wrote: PeteM - Definitely one of my favourite entries. Those two chords at the beginning of each phrase, I love it! What are they if I may ask?

Yes. I liked the chords in that. The intro too - takes you by surprise at first. This sort of thing keeps the ear interested.

Renesongs

Rene - Absolutely brilliant! I can understand why you're saying "you might not recognise it as blues because it is uptempo" but there's no denying that this is blues and I love it. I think this is a perfect study in "jump blues" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_blues)

After over 3 years on the blues circuit in Cape Town I get the impression that the vast majority of people including musicians in blues bands think that the Blues is something that happened in the 30s & 60s and consist of a strict 12 bar structure with no chord substitutions and a strict train track shuffle beat played at 90 bpm or less ☹

Highway-Chile

Renesongs wrote:
After over 3 years on the blues circuit in Cape Town I get the impression that the vast majority of people including musicians in blues bands think that the Blues is something that happened in the 30s & 60s and consist of a strict 12 bar structure with no chord substitutions................

Dude, right on! I totally agree with you. Here in Los Angeles also. You see them all the time at the blues jams and open mics. They show up with an Ibanez JEM or a flipping pointy headstock Jackson or something......distortion pedal......their best bad ass threads on.....LOL...... and basically play rock over a blues, no clue about dynamics, when not to play, leaving holes in a solo, playing in the spaces the singer leaves, overblowing, playing over someone, rushing for the first solo.....it's pitiful. I copped a really bad attitude about if for a while and pissed a lot of people off here in blues circles..... basically saying that most LA guitar players wouldn't know a blues if it jumped out the toilet and bit them in the ass.

I liked your entry man and I voted for you, gave you your 2nd vote.

I liked them all. Nice work you guys!!! A little different vibe from everyone. It was interesting and nice to hear how each person brought a different vibe.

WEM, different challenge maybe. I liked your music, it's just not blues. But you have heard that already from enough people..... look forward to hearing more.

DonovanB

Some awesome entries here guys, well done. So much for beginner categories. Deefstes, the feel did come through. It's often the hardest part to capture.

as for my vote... I am personally so bored of the blues I think I'm gonna vote for WEM for just being different... 8)

deefstes wrote: Andrew J Bryson: I love the tone you got there. Would you care to tell how you achieved the tone? Also, very nice technique.

Legend has it Andrew went fishing one day. On this long, hard trip he caught a fish. It was nay an ordinary fish. This strange creature looked like half a fish.
On his way home he met the duiwel at the corner of Main and West. Struck by the luck, he had to take his opportunity.

"I want to get the best tone ever," said Bryson to the Dark one.

"It will cost you," came the reply, "your sole..."

I'll get my coat.

andrewjbryson

@ Don lol ... I think the "Dark one" - in my case has to either be Mojo Jo Jo or Mr Viviers

@ deesfes First of all very cool entry and yes you certainly achieved the right feel / soul.
Would dig to hear your other three attempt as well.

To answer your question:

I used my Fender American Deluxe Strat and Fender Pro Tube Super 95 Amp

I used a mix of "line out" and "mic up signal"

Mic Signal: Used a SM58 - sort of in the middle of the 4x 10 speakers , The signal then goes into a FocusRite Green PreAmp
and then into my soundcard. As always I pan the rhythm guitars hard left/right.

Line Signal: Straight outa the line out of the Super 95.

I found that the mix was too bright and glassy on the overdrive tones.
The end solo tone bit came out a lot better. - rolling down the volume pot also helped here.

If I could redo it again , I would have less Line Signal and more Mic Signal to darken it up a bit.

I enjoyed all the entries. I listened to all of em.
My favourites were Highway and Pete.

Peace out

PeteM

Hey Deefstes, I don't mind sharing at all. Here are the chords.

Blue Mynah – Pete Misselbrook

Intro
4/4 I } } } D#m7 I Dm7 / / F#9 I F9 / / C#9 I C9 / / G#7 I G7 / / / II

Stanza
C9 / / F#9 I F9 / / C#9 I C9 / / C#9 I C9 / / / I
F9 / / F#9 I F9 / / C#9 I C9 / / C#9 I C9 / / / I
F9 / / C#9 I C9 / / C#9 I C9 / / F#9 I F9 / / C#9 I
C9 / / C#9 I C9 / / D#m7 I Dm7 / / G#9 I G9 / / / I
C9 / / F#9 I F9 / / C#9 I C9 / / C#9 I C9 II

The first chord of each bar is sustained and not strummed. The diagonal lines are there to show the beats in the bar.

Highway-Chile

Thank the good Lord above that I am not in the running for this one. ? 8) ?

deefstes wrote:Highway Chile: I was debating with myself whether I should do an electric entry or acoustic but this is exactly the sort of feel I had in mind if I were going to do acoustic. I'm glad though I didn't as this would have blown me out of the water... again.

You noticed huh? ? Ja......I think that ...for a Blues......a combo/quartet with electric instruments and the usual 12 bar format, to the most part......... is more palatable to the average/general listener. They can connect with it easier as it is familiar. I considered this before I started on my acoustic venture.....but I had a couple reasons I wanted to go that route. Works for me. ?

DonovanB

I hope I'm not the only one thinking this, but Highway Chile, dude, if thats what you do on little time I'd hate to be up against your focussed entries.

This competition has really improved a lot of us, with techniques and creation. Whoever came up with the idea needs a pat on the bum

deefstes

Highway Chile wrote:
deefstes wrote:Highway Chile: I was debating with myself whether I should do an electric entry or acoustic but this is exactly the sort of feel I had in mind if I were going to do acoustic. I'm glad though I didn't as this would have blown me out of the water... again.
You noticed huh? ? Ja......I think that ...for a Blues......a combo/quartet with electric instruments and the usual 12 bar format, to the most part......... is more palatable to the average/general listener. They can connect with it easier as it is familiar. I considered this before I started on my acoustic venture.....but I had a couple reasons I wanted to go that route. Works for me. ?

No no no, that's not what I was saying. I said that I was happy I didn't go the acoustic route as yours would have blown me out of the water. Absolutely nothing wrong with an acoustic blues entry. In fact, it could even be argued that it is more true to the roots of blues. The relative low vote count you've received so far belies how awesome your entry is, but we've seen it in these challenges before, that could still change.

One of the great things of blues is that there are so many different subgenres of it. I'm not sure I can classify all of them and I'm not sure I can accurately put yours in any one subgenre but it certainly rings along the lines of the early incarnations of blues like Delta Blues, Hokum Blues or Louisiana Blues.

Highway-Chile

LOL....it's all good Deefstes, I was just having fun. ? Also, I'm not stressing on the vote count at all.

For me the fun is more in entering and less than in winning. Not saying I don't like a win though, I am still as driven as the next guy here. But I know in myself that my track has merit and is pretty good considering the little time I had. I also never mentioned that when I finally initially sat down to start, my recording drives....both of them, had disappeared from my desktop. That and Pro Tools crashed once and I lost a patch that was saved in a very obscure spot.

These things took about 20 hair pulling minutes off my time. Frustrating! That is why I went with a single drum loop from Superior Drummer which I never do. I just did not have the time. I lost some of the organic sound there and the flipping crash was too loud I could not reduce it as all the overheads were on one channel and I had zero time to go into the edit window to write fader rides on just those hits.

But.......that is just my conundrums and I know you all had them. Mine was self inflicted by not making the time earlier and not leaving everything to the last minute. Deefstes you actually rewrote your whole deal 3 times. That's tough to have to change a whole concept midstream.`Like I said, I feel my entry is good, however the rest of your entries are just plain better.......and I am happy to see that. I figured when I set the challenge that there would be several people at least, who would rise to the occasion and shine on it.

Anyway, I am very happy and thanks to those of you who have given me the nod so far.

Nice work all of you, especially those of you racing to the finish line. As always, thanks to EVERYONE for taking my topic seriously and putting thought and concerted effort into it.

deefstes

Highway Chile wrote:Deefstes you actually rewrote your whole deal 3 times. That's tough to have to change a whole concept midstream.

In a way that's actually easier. You lose a lot of time and the hardest part is ridding your memory of the earlier attempt so that it doesn't influence your next attempt. But I just realised that I can hack and butcher and patch and fix the song until I'm blue in the face, it still doesn't have soul. So yes, abandoning it and doing something completely new was the easier way of getting something that I liked.

One thing that I find very enjoyable about these challenges is to hear the different interpretations of the theme. By the time I finish up my entry, I am so sold out on that interpretation that I would find it extremely difficult to come up with another one that's different. In a way it is then the only interpretation that fits the theme for me - until I hear all the other entries and I realise how many more good interpretations there could be on the theme.

Highway-Chile

deefstes wrote: One thing that I find very enjoyable about these challenges is to hear the different interpretations of the theme. ............ I hear all the other entries and I realise how many more good interpretations there could be on the theme.

Ain't that the truth! Awesome to hear how differently people approach it.

I wish PeteM was getting a higher vote. His track is very interesting both in the arrangement/harmonically and the melody. He should definitely be ahead of WEM. I'll say it again.....WEM entered a brilliant piece of music, but it is not authentic blues, which is what the theme called for. Not wanting to diss WEM at all, but because of this I think he should be out of the running....no disrespect intended, first time entering and all. But those votes should be freed up for people who did try to stay on theme and I really do not mean me. I am glad to be where I am. It would put a different slant on where Andrew and Pete would be.

But again.......it is all for fun, so getting bent out of shape about small potatoes is not the point. You guys all did so well.

PeteM

@ Highway Chile... I'm not fussed at all about the voting, winning etc. I see these challenges as a challenge to myself... having to meet a brief and to meet a specific deadline... all good discipline.

evolucian

Ah crap... got sidetracked in my shit and forgot to finish my track. Was a killer idea too. Ah well... maybe I can enter the next one. Will listen to the tracks later... just got back from Patlansky's album launch... a rather brilliant show it was.

... sigh... maybe I'll post my track up here anyway so you guys can hear it. But it'll have to wait for tomorrow... and of course without a possibility of a vote... because I'm late to this party.... sigh

shaundtsl

evolucian wrote: maybe I'll post my track up here anyway so you guys can hear it.

Yes please!

@Deefstes, that was excellent dude!
@everyone, excellent entries guys, well done!

deefstes

evolucian wrote: ... sigh... maybe I'll post my track up here anyway so you guys can hear it.

Yes, please do!

Hammeron

Look, I'm far from an expert but most of them sounded Country and Western,? would that fall under Blues?