Today I worked on learning the intro to Blues with a Feeling. First time. I did promise I would give improvising a break and finally try and learn a song right? Ok...well this is only a small part. I really had to hold myself from doing my own thing...lol.
Hi Tommy, you seem to have the bare bones down...but I'm going to turn this one round on you. Plug in some headphones/earbuds, turn away from the screen and just listen to the clip...tell me what you hear? ---------- www.myspace.com/markburness
I hear a few things that I actually can hear while looking at the clip also. But I'm hesitant to say because they may be different to what anybody else hears and I don't want to tip anyone else off to something they may not have noticed...lol
I know I screwed up the first octaves. But I'm not sure exactly what you're getting at. It could be a number of things. ---------- Tommy
You generally sound tight, a little rigid...the 2 draws at the end of the riffs end very suddenly with a sharp cut off...sounds a bit stop/start, let them hang a bit longer. Spend a little time trying to relax, physically loosen up, try and back off with the breath force, see if you can get the warble notes to blend a little more?
"Your mission, should you choose to accept it..." ;-)Practice this for a bit and put up a version 2... ---------- www.myspace.com/markburness
Thanks . Actually I thought once or twice I may have got a slight bending on the 2 draw (after the warble)where it shouldn't be. I noticed the warble myself in earlier recordings. I was trying to get it right. This take was actually better than when I first began this morning. The warbles that is...as far as blending them. But I know what you mean. I hear it. Well, this was my first attempt at this and this vid was the result of between 40 and 50 repetitions of that intro....with mistakes!
I was a little concerned with the full bend on 3 and immediately sliding up to tongue blocked 8D, 7D, 6B than the rest of it. I thought my tongue blocked notes up there sounded more like an octave of some sort. But I stiffen up heading into that hoping I get it. I missed quite a few!
You're on the road Tommy and you're building your technique. I agree with Ant in that copying some songs is good as it adds some focus, discipline and technique that is not always present when noodling. Keep up the good work man. ---------- Grey Owl YouTube Grey Owl Abstract Photos
Stick with it, i've been learning for 3 years and have posted in another site but not on youtube or here, because i'm probably too chicken to do it .......yet!!
Last Edited by on Sep 29, 2011 2:20 AM
Thanks. I have a real hard time copying songs. I don't like copies...even when I listen to music. I like improv and to see what can be done with a song. If I go to a concert I don't want to hear it like it is on the album. When I play I keep wanting to do my own thing and it is so difficult to stay on track and learn a damn song...lol
@Steamrollin Stan
I'm chicken too, believe me. But as usual I face those fears and figure, worst case I can just disappear and never come back...lol. But I like to get feedback, I feel it's helpful and plus it gives me more practice time among other things. It's scary as well as discouraging sometimes. When I post (most times) and my video goes right off the page with no comments then that tells me it is very bad. That causes me to double my efforts. It's all a way to make me practice more.....I'm a bit lazy...lol. I may take down my youtube channel soon anyway. It isn't serving any worthwhile purpose and I had it there just so I could post and get feedback here. But at this point I haven't posted any videos worth a crap so I'm usually pretty embarrassed at my own channel. lol I've been at this 5 months now and I'm hoping at your level (3 years) I'll be pretty good.
@ Tommy "Thanks. I have a real hard time copying songs. I don't like copies...even when I listen to music. I like improv and to see what can be done with a song. If I go to a concert I don't want to hear it like it is on the album."
I can appreciate the sentiment here...but call me cyncial and jaded...when you go and see/hear something new to you, you would have to also have heard & absorbed ALL the music the artist in question has previously heard & played in order to establish what has been copied from either someone else previously, of from the artist in question's gig, say last Thursday week.
In no way am I trying to dissuade you from exploring your creative side, you've got to play what & how you like...but I'll wager the guys you see improvising fluently have spend many a year learning phrases, patterns & licks before growing wings of their own. Think about a child learning to talk they do it by copying...few people treat a child that insists on making up all its own words & stringing them together in the order it feels appropriate without any thought to accepted grammar & syntax, a genius ;-) You have to build your vocabulary to start with.
You're doing fine for 5 months, keep at it & the vids, don't take it to heart if a video goes unnoticed, sometimes people's lives overtake them and they have to focus on other things for a bit, even if they would otherwise normally comment. The YT clips could be used as a "scrapbook" for you to refer to, to note your development...growth is slow, you don't always see it day to day, week to week. ---------- www.myspace.com/markburness
Last Edited by on Sep 29, 2011 7:27 AM
I totally agree about the improv thing and have said as much in another post concerning my own improv temptations. Paraphrasing what I said, "I believe that the best thing to do first is learn the song note for note before altering it in anyway. " I am sure any band member first went through the whole cover band thing before doing their own thing. In my case however I started with just 12 bar blues and improving over it...much like many beginners. I loved the fact that I was making my own music. Then I found licks from the famous guys and added them to my improv...same with some little techniques I try to throw in. It seems i can't shake that when I play along with a song though. I keep treating it like a 12 bar blues practice...lol. I'm trying to backstep and go through the process believe me. It's difficult though. It may have hurt me a bit but it's still early. I have plenty of time. ---------- Tommy
You just keep on keeping on. You will turn around when a year has gone by and - yes - be embarrassed by your playing. That is a good thing. When you can look back at how bad you were, you know you have gone somewhere.
My suggestion to you would be to learn your favorite song you can handle - all the way through. Learn the vocals too. Not only will you have a full song in your repertoire, but you will have ingested that player's style and have made a great advance in learning the blues harp language. It is "fluency" in the blues & blues harp language that allows improvisation to flourish. Don't stop playing the improvs you like now though - they will contribute to your style and improving skills as you go along. Just spend some time in the language...
Don't worry about the vids. Sometimes people just can't get to them. If you do ask specifically for feedback, I guarantee you will get it (don't worry, it is still good even if it hurts).
All this good advice you (and myself) obtain from here is free!! and its worth a million bucks, one day maybe it'll be 'hey ya'll tommy da hats' playin in a jam tonite, lets check him out!!!
Thanks "My suggestion to you would be to learn your favorite song you can handle - all the way through. "
hahaha....the first song I started to learn note for note and that I know the most of is "Help Me." That's funny because I have posted about 4 vidoes of this song already, none complete. I haven't ever learned it all. All with the "flavor" of the song but mostly my own improv. So now I'll have to go back and finish that song. I'm sure that makes everyone very happy. Lol...another help me attempt.
I chose that song (help me) because it is fairly easy. the solo in Blues With a Feeling is a little tricky to pick up just listening to the CD. ---------- Tommy
Actually I have Adams intermediate lesson on Blues with a feeling. That is how I learned the second half of that intro. The first part I was able to figure out by ear. (although his lesson helped iron out a couple of tidbits)and the second half was completely learned from the lesson. Everything from the 3D" onward. But unless I'm just totally screwed up, I don't think he includes the whole song. Only the intro, no solo.
As for help me, what I have so far I figured out myself and I have most of the song. I haven't completed the second solo but to my ear it's more of the same. ---------- Tommy
Bronx Mojo
Last Edited by on Sep 29, 2011 11:01 AM
The thing that I'm noticing Tommy is that you drop the harp from your mouth after most riffs. I was thinking about how that might affect flow and noticed that I do it sometimes as well. You don't seem to have trouble finding your spot again on the harp for the next riff but I'm wondering if it's adding some 'setup' time that is adding to the choppy feel. Might be experiment time to try to stay on the harp, draw the phrase out with maybe a bit of vibrato and see/hear if it makes a difference.
great job man! just keep at it ur doing great. i remember bieng where u are. it goes up and down as long as u dont stop u will be right were u want to be ull see!!
Sorry to resurrect this dead thread, but I am really hoping to get some feedback on my playing!
Here is an mp3 of me playing" the intro to Blues With a Feeling, first acoustic and then amped. It's only about 70 seconds so please take a little time and give a young player some help.
Good effort JDBlues, notewise you're getting it together, just try and loosen up some...sounds a little tight . The amped version has some issues with signal level distorting the medium...back off the mic gain of the recorder or move the amp away from the mic.
Ok, since my thread has been resurrected I now feel obligated to post an updated attempt at this same intro. Here is a new clip done today. I have tried to iron out a few things, hopefully it's better. I added my own ending. Since there is no music or vocals, only the "intro" I figured I'd end it myself rather than leave it hanging.
There's tangible improvement over the first vid. Not so clipped betwen phrases. Remember, a D harp doesn't need a lot of breath force to get it going, it's fairly bright just as it is, you can also use the 3B note rather than the 2D if it helps smooth things out.
Gain on the recording mic could come down a bit, it's getting quite a big signal from the mic/rig, not distorting too much though. ---------- www.myspace.com/markburness
Thanks. It's a Bottle O' Blues mic and a Pignose so all I have are volume controls to work with. I tried to keep them both somewhat low but maybe it needs a bit more. I'm filming with a hand held camera. I'm wondering if I have to adjust for the fact that my living room has a lot of acoustics...it kind of echos in there. Everything is loud in my living room and that is why I play there. In my basement everything sounds dull especially when recorded. ---------- Tommy
Last Edited by on Nov 02, 2011 12:35 PM
If the room is very live, try and keep everything "just loud enough", get the pignose off the floor...aim the camera mic at the amp's general direction - we already know what you look like ;-) - and experiment in minimising the echo/splashiness of the room.
Or, with a bit of experimenting, you might keep the amp on the floor, put tha camera up higher & use the floor to generate a little echo (if it's a hard floor)...but really, fun though playing with the gear is, you need to focus more on what happens where your face meets the harp!...We all do! ---------- www.myspace.com/markburness
