New(ish) Ibanez guitar recording

[deleted]

Well, all I can say is EEEEVEEENTUUUUAAALEEEEEEEE, I have been trying to record this song for as long as I've been able to record. It has always eluded me. It's one damn hard song (for me) which might be a clue, but hallelujah, I got it down tonight. Okay so I can't help but cringe at the odd buzz and missed string, heck, I even missed out a beat at one point because I was staring so long into space the my contact lenses dried up and started burning my eyes. Although I have to say I think it's pretty good, me being a lazy person and all, and considering that professional classical guitarists will edit out their mistakes and even just record it bar by bar. The irony is I'm too lazy to do that.

So if you have the cap, here's the song. It's Andaluza, or Spanish Dance no. 6 by E. Granados. By the way this is thanks to Conrad who is the motivator of motivators. I was already giving up on recording this song, but a little bit of interest goes a long way. Thanks.

The Ibanez was given it's debut, and as you may hear the tuning is a bit out every now and then. Don't know if it's the weather or the bendiness of the strings. It was very hard to tune initially, somehow the strings repelled the right tension.

http://www.box.net/shared/lsyj87rgxb

Ray

Heck that's grand thanks. And for the trouble to record and share.

Bob-Dubery

Viccy wrote: The Ibanez was given it's debut, and as you may hear the tuning is a bit out every now and then. Don't know if it's the weather or the bendiness of the strings. It was very hard to tune initially, somehow the strings repelled the right tension.

Get the nut checked out. If there's too much friction on the strings at the nut then you tune the guitar and momentarily the string is in tune, but because there's friction and thus stored tension at the nut, the string will slip a little later and you're out of tune again.

I had this problem with my Smoothtalker. It was driving me mad. Then at the GFSA setup workshop I heard Andy McGibbon describing this problem exactly and then the penny dropped. It took Andy about 10 minutes to sort it out (which included, and I'm not kidding, flossing the nut slots).

Bob-Dubery

Nice recording! You really got a very natural, realistic sound on the guitar.

Nice piece too. Well done on facing up to the challenge.

Attila

Nice piece and recording ...Viccy well done

I alway run a HB pencil through the string grooves on the nut the graphite helps the string glide over easier and thus keep in tune.

Loosen the strings first and then pull the pencil through a few times, and then put the string back in the slot and retune

PeteM

That was fantastic Viccy - not an easy piece to get right.
And yeah, I'm one of those who cheats when recording - doing several takes and editing in the best sections. But back to your playing.

I loved your sensitivity with the number as well the tonal changes you achieved playing across the sound hole and then moving to the bridge. For me this can be over done, but in this case it was very subtle and followed the mood of the piece.

Your guitar sounds good, but I would have the intonation on all strings checked out. It sounds like it is in tune in the open position but goes out of tune as you go up the fretboard.

What's the next challenge? ?

[deleted]

Wow, thank you very much for the good advice and the compliments. I'll give it all a try and hopefully my guitar will play along a little more.

Next challenge: well I'm working on that at the moment, and that is Da da da dish... composing. I think that's part of the reason I could focus on this a bit better, because I realize how carefully the composer planned out every note, so I should pay each of them their dues. It actually helped my going back to the classical to get a better idea for structuring a piece. I have a terrible habit of "finishing" a piece and then deciding it's not good enough and scrapping the lot. Only the best and all that. Lets hope it actually gets somewhere.

PeteM

Viccy wrote: I have a terrible habit of "finishing" a piece and then deciding it's not good enough and scrapping the lot. Only the best and all that. Lets hope it actually gets somewhere.

]
I find that I have to give myself a goal. I.e. What are you going to do with the piece when it's finished? Are you going to include it in your live repertoire, are you going to record it and sell it or are you going to enter it into a weekly challenge? An end in sight is my motivation to complete a piece.

BTW I'm never totally satisfied with anything I write - I suppose it is the lot of a composer. There comes a time when I say to myself, "Just finish the bloody thing and move on to the next one."

[deleted]

The goals are all there in neon lights. I want to perform and record them. The motivation is also that I want to have it done for my exhibition I'm working on for the end of the year, so I can do a debut performance there. I plan on composing a part for violin as well, but the pieces will stand on their own as well and hopefully as I get more time I'll move on to a digital accompaniment too. I have the outlines of all the songs that will form a comprehensive whole(10 in total). I think I just need to decide how long the pieces need to be. It's a new process, but one I hope will get easier with practice.

Warren

PeteM wrote:
BTW I'm never totally satisfied with anything I write - I suppose it is the lot of a composer. There comes a time when I say to myself, "Just finish the bloody thing and move on to the next one."

++;

I think it's important to develop the "skill" of suspending your sense of self-criticism at certain points, to allow yourself to release something into the public domain.

Newton would never have published his Principia without some determined prodding from his buddy Edmond Halley.

I would guess that there are a lot of people on this very forum who don't enter the weekly comp, or post their clips for review, because they're constantly scrapping stuff that they don't consider "good enough" by their own lofty standards.

I personally consider myself a very novice guitar player, but that won't stop me assaulting the aural sensibilities of my friends, family and forum-ites. ? Even if the stuff really isn't all that great, it's good for me to get into the habit of releasing material, because it helps me realise that it's ok to express myself at the level which I'm at right now, warts and all. It also creates a standard against which I can continue to measure myself.

Recommended to players of any calibre, really.

[deleted]

That's great and all, but my brain hurts when I think, so I try to finish things too fast.

PeteM

Warren wrote: I personally consider myself a very novice guitar player, but that won't stop me assaulting the aural sensibilities of my friends, family and forum-ites. ? Even if the stuff really isn't all that great, it's good for me to get into the habit of releasing material, because it helps me realise that it's ok to express myself at the level which I'm at right now, warts and all. It also creates a standard against which I can continue to measure myself.

Recommended to players of any calibre, really.

I like your attitude. 8)

arjunmenon

Wow! Nicely done Viccy.

Two things that immediately grabbed me:
1. The clarity of the recording. Brilliant!
2. Lovely changes and handled beautifully (especially the one at 1:22 - 1:23...goes from happy to sad in an instant yet fluidly).

evolucian

You chose a very difficult piece... played slower than the original by chance?

But very nicely done Viccy... ?

Btw... what do you want to compose in? Classical or uvver stuff?

[deleted]

played slower than the original by chance?

That's the thing about classical, it depends because you're allowed to use your own interpretation. I don't know if the composer put down the tempo that was intended, it's been a while since I looked at the sheet music, but I'll go have a look again. Often they'll say something like Allegro, but that is also a little flexible. I've heard some wildly different interpretations, some people take that freedom way too far IMO, but I settled on what felt best for me.

My own stuff is definitely very ovver. That's why I've found it hard to start, because it's not a genre that I know of, it's just me. There is a strong classical flavor and use of classical technique, since that's what I play. I know I want to do one in a more traditional Latin American style, because I do love that very much. I will just have to give you an example, and hopefully that will be soon.

Warren

Managed to listen to the clip last night. Really nice Viccy, you have such a great touch on the instrument!

I remember there being a number on the file name, like 120 or 130-something? Was that how many times you took a stab at this, or just a random number? ? If so, hell, that's some serious perseverance!

Conrad

Viccy wrote:
played slower than the original by chance?
I've heard some wildly different interpretations, some people take that freedom way too far IMO, but I settled on what felt best for me.

That is the only way to play classical. A John Williams clone or a David Russel clone or whatever is very uninteresting. So you keep doing that.

[deleted]

I remember there being a number on the file name, like 120 or 130-something? Was that how many times you took a stab at this, or just a random number? If so, hell, that's some serious perseverance!

Oh Warren you are only scratching the surface. This is not the only file in which I tried to record this song. Often what happens is if I don't like the sound of the first few notes I start again from scratch. Now imagine you get through a large majority of the song and suddenly you've made a bad mistake... oh dear.

[deleted]

played slower than the original by chance?
I've heard some wildly different interpretations, some people take that freedom way too far IMO, but I settled on what felt best for me.

I thought I'd elaborate on this. Firstly the original was written for piano, so no chance of me playing it like the original (on guitar at least). Secondly when I said "I settled on what felt best for me", I should actually have given my motivation for why I play it like that, which surprisingly is not just because "it's easier if it's slower". The title, "Andaluza" is a province in Spain, which endured a lot of strife during the industrial revolution, as well as being hit by a severe drought causing starvation and many people having to immigrate . This song was written at that time. When I play the song I can't help but try to imagine what those people were going through. The unrelenting sun beating down, no hope, no help. I know it's depressing, but once I learned the history that's all I heard and felt. I know the area is famous for flamenco as well, and it's meant to be a dance, so I didn't go for the wildly syncopated versions I've heard and kept it to a steady beat. That's why I play it like that.