So someone linked me to this recording of us on top of a parking garage, banging out a couple tunes, and I figured it was time I post some playing up here. Critiques greatly appreciated and much needed!
---------- "I'm a stray dog runnin' through this town..." The Stonecutters
Is this in a parallel universe? I mean the '5' is back to front. Very difficult to give an opinion as the sound quality is somewhat compromised by the camera mic only, but it seems like you guys have been playing together before and know what each other is doing. Do you have another vid you could post up to give a better idea of how you sound?
HAha, it is back to front, it was recorded with someone's Macbook. The vids are all of similar quality, but there's some decent-sounding stuff on our reverbnation page: reverbnation.com/thestonecutters
Thanks so much for your time, guys! ---------- "I'm a stray dog runnin' through this town..." The Stonecutters
however, you play the entire song, even over the vocals. not that you didnt use some control with your volume and your licks. points for that. but when there is a break, the singer stops, YOU STOP PLAYING, TOO? that is that time, imo, to shine!
@eharp: We always have a blast, be it a show or rehearsal. There are a couple reasons I stop in the bridge: one, there's a walking bass riff the band leader really wants to stand out, and two, the chord progression gets really, really jazzy and my chops just aren't up to that challenge yet. Thank you for the input, though, I'll bring it up at next rehearsal and see if I can't voice a little bit there! ---------- "I'm a stray dog runnin' through this town..." The Stonecutters
Leatherlips, I think technically, a parallel universe would have the letters the same direction. It's not a right angle universe either. It's a mirror image universe where time seems to be moving in the same direction.
It sounds good. We've got several songs where I play the entire time. As long as it works with the vocal it's fine- no one tells the guitar player to stop playing when the singer sings! I think maybe part of that is we are used to hearing the harp cut out for the vocal because the same guy is doing vocals and harp. :) Of course it's all a matter of taste. In our band the lead singers voice is pretty deep, so I'm often in a different register. I'm more likely lay out when our second guitar player is doing something lead-ish on his guitalele. Because we are actually playing pretty similar riffs sometimes and it can sound like we are stepping on each other.
edit: I tend to give the walking bass lines some room too, unless I'm doing something really drawn out and sustained, one of those notes where the bass player is showing off how fast he can play and you are showing off how long you can hold a note and then slam! everyone comes back in. :)
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Last Edited by on Jan 18, 2012 12:55 PM
i heard some lead guitar in that bridge also. while it sounds like the song kind of fell apart in that 2 minute area i think it's because the lead part was too weak for us to hear. if we were there to hear it live i think it would have sounded fine.
i think to many folks worry about playing harp when the singer is singing. don't compete but you probably want to comp sometime with chords or play a counter melody. pay attention to what organ players and rhythm guitar players do and how they pull it off. pay attention to tenor sax guys when they are the only players in the horn section and then when there are two horns. you can steal some from both.
i have always believed that the harp has as much right to play throughout a song as any other instrument. there are several examples of players who can do it. i think clyde pretty much sums it up on what a harp should be doing during the vocals.
