Funk Backing Track Jam

[jeremy_green]

 

Can I play? I haven't gotten to play anything like this in a while and I'm still adjusting to the 12's on my Artcore but it was fun...here it is warts and all: http://markweinguitarlessons.com/soundfiles/fj.mp3

 

 

Very nice Mark! The more the merrier i would pretty much always say. I love your phrases some real nice passing tones and bending going on in there. Really too many great parts to comment on! Brother can certainly play!

[Mark Wein]

Very nice Mark! The more the merrier i would pretty much always say. I love your phrases some real nice passing tones and bending going on in there. Really too many great parts to comment on! Brother can certainly play!

 

 

Thanks Jeremy! I was a little self conscious about posting this one because I'm not too in the pocket on much of it but I didn't have too much time to do this today and I figured you guys wouldn't give me too much grief

 

I actually saw this thread when I clicked "Whats New" on the site and heard your second take above, which is what motivated me to take a whack at the BT. Good stuff, man!

 

I'm going to try and listen to some more clips this afternoon while I'm workoing..

[Mark Wein]

That rocks Jeremy! ..I really like the motifs you used and the way you played with the groove..very cool note choices too....excellent all round! I played random stuff over the first couple of minutes....dig the b9 at the end ..that should encourage anyone to have a go.. http://www.box.net/shared/yj2llvzqpr

 

Dude! kIller! I think that's the most "pocketed" playing I've heard you do...I really like the intervallic Verheyen stuff, too...it's cool because your whole take goes places, with sections...

[Eddie]

@bigboy78

I liked the space ad clarity of your mix. Maybe it's just me but it sounds a little timid at times. Some of the best advice I go -and I still struggle with it sometimes- is to go for it. In the 90s I was told something like: "If you mess up, mess up big time, with conviction. If you play with that type attitude and don't mess up, it will sound great." Another person in that same venue but on a different occasion when I played with a different band told me: "You have too much respect for the guitar. Don't be afraid to abuse it a little. Lose some of the respect you have for her."

 

@GaJ

Very nice stuff. Don't underestimate your abilities. If I can do it, anyone can. Seriously. One thing that has allowed me to develop is playing with musicians that are more skilled than I am, which is not hard In this case, although not playing together, listening to Mo, Jeremy, and others serves as an inspiration to keep on improving. The good thing about recording is that it helps you track your progress. I wish I had more recordings from when I started playing until today.

 

@Ed,

Beautiful name! Wonderful outside playing. Sounded flowing and effortless, even when you went outside.

 

@Jeremy,

 

@TommyGun,

In addition to what has been mentioned, you hinted at some fast phrases that were sounding great but I wish you had developed them a bit more. One example comes at 1:58 - 1:59. I wish that some of those phrases were longer. They provide a nice contrast.

 

@Mark,

Lovely stuff, with a variety of tones, speed, and dynamics. Great stuff.

 

 

PS: I did not forget to type. You left me speechless this time Jeremy

[Mark Wein]

Ok, I just did a quick take on this as well: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=945046&songID=10472954 This was my 3rd take, and the one with the least mistakes (but still plenty of 'em), but I thought, what the heck, that's the point of jamming, isn't it Actually after listenign back to my own take, what bothers me more than the 'wrong notes' are the notes in the 'wrong space' i.e. bad timing.

 

 

Nice! It feels like this cool fusion of John Scofield and David Gilmour, who are two of my favorite players.

[Mark Wein]

You guys really do inspire me to stay in it and keep practicing. Right around the time I saw this link I was thinking an exercise like this would be good for me. Like you say, "put yerself out there" right? Loved what I've heard so far. Here's mine. One take, but I did spend some time warming up. The tone is a real amp, not an amp model, no pedals. Just balls to the wall. Enjoy (i hope)! Jon Layin in the Cut Jon Finn Solo

 

Holy {censored}.

 

I'm very glad I didn't listen to this until after I posted mine.

 

Im gonna go practice now.

[Mark Wein]

@Mark, Lovely stuff, with a variety of tones, speed, and dynamics. Great stuff.

 

Thanks

[mosiddiqi]

Dude! kIller! I think that's the most "pocketed" playing I've heard you do...I really like the intervallic Verheyen stuff, too...it's cool because your whole take goes places, with sections...

 

Thanks!

[Mark Wein]

That's great Mark!..again, like Ed, you made the outside lines sound natural..great mix of staccato and legato phrasing, super dynamic..very cool! Thanks!

 

Thanks mo! I've been on a Charlie Christian kick thanks to Deep Eddy and a Jump Blues kick thanks to Harkenrider so this was a nice departure from what I've actually been playing lately...

[oordeel]

hi guys,

Zeyer and I are friends and he said to check out this thread. So after hearing some really great takes, i decided to throw my version on it as well (please be aware, it's all improvised).

I think this was my 4th time playing over it:

 

 

I haven't been playing for that long, but I appreciate all feedback and criticism.

 

PS: this was recorded from my phone, so the quality isn't great.

[BydoEmpire]

 

hi guys, Zeyer and I are friends and he said to check out this thread. So after hearing some really great takes, i decided to throw my version on it as well (please be aware, it's all improvised). I think this was my 4th time playing over it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3TjaMGEV3A&feature=channel_video_title I haven't been playing for that long, but I appreciate all feedback and criticism. PS: this was recorded from my phone, so the quality isn't great.

Hey Oordeel - I use a different user name on HC. Glad you jumped on board, and welcome to the Lesson Loft!

 

I thought some of your fast alternate picked runs were very cleanly done. My face almost melted! Despite the phone recording, I like you tone, too. The youtube title "noodling" was appropriate, though. It would have been cool if you had made some kind of melodic statement that was built upon throughout the jam. Nice job!

[jeremy_green]

Hey new blood! Good to have you brother.

 

I thought much of your take was very well done. Nice job. There are lots of great things going on in there so please know i think that before i say anything. Now I will let your family tell you how awesome you are and attempt give you some tough love by way of constructive feedback : )

 

i felt some of your fast stuff had a 'cut and paste' feel to it... it's like you just went mindlessly into shred/impress mode. I love fast playing... but not for the sake of being impressive. Use your speed to create texture and tension or intensity. Plus maybe try a little less running up and down the scales. Try some intervallic stuff or play in sequences to give it more melody.

 

In general a lot of it seemed like very sporadic noodling... or there seemed to be little reason or logic to the phrases. A great Scott Henderson quoter I learned a ton from was "play each lick BECAUSE of the one you played before it" so maybe try to setup your lines a little better. You DO have some good ones ... but they were a bit buried.

 

I'd love to see you do it again but with a more thematic approach. Try coming up with a riff and use it as a recurring thing...

 

I hope you know this is all in the spirit of helping you! You're in the tree of trust here : )

[oordeel]

Hey new blood! Good to have you brother. I thought much of your take was very well done. Nice job. There are lots of great things going on in there so please know i think that before i say anything. Now I will let your family tell you how awesome you are and attempt give you some tough love by way of constructive feedback : ) i felt some of your fast stuff had a 'cut and paste' feel to it... it's like you just went mindlessly into shred/impress mode. I love fast playing... but not for the sake of being impressive. Use your speed to create texture and tension or intensity. Plus maybe try a little less running up and down the scales. Try some intervallic stuff or play in sequences to give it more melody. In general a lot of it seemed like very sporadic noodling... or there seemed to be little reason or logic to the phrases. A great Scott Henderson quoter I learned a ton from was "play each lick BECAUSE of the one you played before it" so maybe try to setup your lines a little better. You DO have some good ones ... but they were a bit buried. I'd love to see you do it again but with a more thematic approach. Try coming up with a riff and use it as a recurring thing... I hope you know this is all in the spirit of helping you! You're in the tree of trust here : )

 

 

Thanks for the feedback guys. Actually, Jeremy, what you're saying is something that Bydo and myself have been talking about recently. I feel that that's currently my biggest weakness, and also a lot harder to address.

I'm listening to a lot of great blues players to understand what they're doing and how they're doing it. And when I hear it, it makes sense. However, applying it, or even playing what i hear in my head, that's a different story.

I guess i know what I'll be working on for the next couple of months!!

 

Again, thanks for the feedback, both of you. It's much appreciated. And no need to sugarcoat anything for me. I rather have honest feedback which will make me a better musician, then living in a fantasy world!

[jeremy_green]

Do some limitation exercises man... FORCE yourself. Play that entire track using only 3 or 4 notes... mix them up but only allow yourself that.. Or do it ONLY using one string... again using only 2 strings. Force yourself to repeat EVERY phrase. FORCE yourself to not play through every 4th bar... leave it blank.

 

The key is treat it as a raw exercise. If you play the wrong thing IT IS WRONG - start over.

 

Also STOP running scales - of any kind for a while - only sequences or riffs.

BEST - using ONLY your ears lift nothing but solos for the next little while.

 

Your technique is good, you can let it slide for a bit... making music is the bigger goal. You need to learn to HEAR this.

[oordeel]

I have a feeling that's going to be a lot harder then it sounds! You're right, i do need to 'hear' it. This sounds like a good solid base to start working up from!

[mosiddiqi]

Welcome oordeel!..I enjoyed that . I'd pretty much echo Jeremy's comments though.."hearing it" really is the key (in my experience) to getting away from running scales and sounding more coherent. You've got good technique, so chances are, you're not going to have a problem playing what you hear..that's the good news .

 

An exercise I like to do that I've mentioned a few times here in the LL.

 

Start up your backing track.

DO NOT PLAY - until you hear something in your head. Then, play it. Stop, rewind. Listen to what you played..what does it make you want to play next?..listen!. If you don't hear anything, DON'T PLAY. As you get used to listening in your head for something to play, this'll get easier. Rinse and repeat. After a while, you can skip the "stop, rewind" part as you'll get used to listening to what you're playing as you play it..and what you just played usually gives you a big clue about what to play next..that's when it starts coming together....it starts to sound like you're having a conversation..call and response.

 

This is tough, and I only get it "right" to my ears about 5% of the time..but it's worth working on as you find that your head is suddenly full of melodies..away from the guitar.

[oordeel]

Welcome oordeel!..I enjoyed that . I'd pretty much echo Jeremy's comments though.."hearing it" really is the key (in my experience) to getting away from running scales and sounding more coherent. You've got good technique, so chances are, you're not going to have a problem playing what you hear..that's the good news . An exercise I like to do that I've mentioned a few times here in the LL. Start up your backing track. DO NOT PLAY - until you hear something in your head. Then, play it. Stop, rewind. Listen to what you played..what does it make you want to play next?..listen!. If you don't hear anything, DON'T PLAY. As you get used to listening in your head for something to play, this'll get easier. Rinse and repeat. After a while, you can skip the "stop, rewind" part as you'll get used to listening to what you're playing as you play it. .and what you just played usually gives you a big clue about what to play next..that's when it starts coming together.. ..it starts to sound like you're having a conversation..call and response. This is tough, and I only get it "right" to my ears about 5% of the time..but it's worth working on as you find that your head is suddenly full of melodies.. away from the guitar .

Thank you for the feedback.
Oh boy, you're right, this is hard.... I just tried it for a bit and I either seem to draw a blank in my head or what i play is completely off from what i heard. To make things worse, it seems that when i start playing, my fingers move in automatic 'scale' mode...

Looks like i got quite a bit of work to do here, the advice is greatly appreciated!

[GreenAsJade]

Doncha love this place? Listen to Mo's take with an ear to how he (appears to) pause to make room for the next phrase to grow... it has the added advantage of making his take "breathe".

 

GaJ

[jonfinn]

Welcome oordeel!..I enjoyed that . I'd pretty much echo Jeremy's comments though.."hearing it" really is the key (in my experience) to getting away from running scales and sounding more coherent. You've got good technique, so chances are, you're not going to have a problem playing what you hear..that's the good news . An exercise I like to do that I've mentioned a few times here in the LL. Start up your backing track. DO NOT PLAY - until you hear something in your head. Then, play it. Stop, rewind. Listen to what you played..what does it make you want to play next?..listen!. If you don't hear anything, DON'T PLAY. As you get used to listening in your head for something to play, this'll get easier. Rinse and repeat. After a while, you can skip the "stop, rewind" part as you'll get used to listening to what you're playing as you play it. .and what you just played usually gives you a big clue about what to play next..that's when it starts coming together.. ..it starts to sound like you're having a conversation..call and response. This is tough, and I only get it "right" to my ears about 5% of the time..but it's worth working on as you find that your head is suddenly full of melodies.. away from the guitar .

 

I LOVE this!!!! Really well said!!!!!!

[mosiddiqi]

Thank you for the feedback. Oh boy, you're right, this is hard.... I just tried it for a bit and I either seem to draw a blank in my head or what i play is completely off from what i heard. To make things worse, it seems that when i start playing, my fingers move in automatic 'scale' mode... Looks like i got quite a bit of work to do here, the advice is greatly appreciated!

 

This is absolutely fine...sometimes getting it "wrong" leads you to new places that you wouldn't have "heard" otherwise!. The key is to keep trying. This kind of ties in with something gennation mentioned in another thread about "letting your fingers do the walking"...again, in my experience, just letting your fingers go wherever the hell they want is really important.

 

Any improvised solo I play over 20 seconds is almost certainly going to involve my fingers/brain going into "auto" mode at some point. What I'm working on currently/ongoing/forever, is giving my self as many options for this "auto" mode as possible..not just scales. So, in practical terms, my muscle memory (which is auto mode I guess) covers scales, arpeggios, triads, double stops, licks that I've er..."borrowed" , noises, effects,.fragments of scales, shapes that I like the look and sound of,..I was messing with this last night..my fingers just did this, it felt nice and I like the shape. Sounded cool to me too.

 

 

Many ways of looking at that..I was jamming over a C Major type vamp, so in that context,that F# gives it a Lydian quality and the fifth intervals make it sound nothing like a scale run. I'm pretty sure, that at some point in the future, I'll do a take on a BT jam, or a lead in one of my own songs, and that phrase will appear...My point is, you need to explore every single option to ensure that when you go into "auto-mode"..you have a variety of options...and it all takes so much damn time!!! :cry:..but I love it. .

 

One day, I hope, what happens is, all this music becomes part of what "I hear in my head"..and there is no more "auto-mode". One day.