Quote... I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite. Gilbert K. Chesterton
Hi Ted, for your consideration...
If possible, make the opening of an instrumental - the first 12 bars...so powerfully irresistible that the listener is compelled to ride along for the rest of the musical journey :)
Last Edited by on Dec 29, 2012 5:49 AM
An excellent suggestion, Frank. What I wanted to do with this was to lay back and provide more space between the phrases, against my usual habit of coming on too strong, too often on this jam tracks. But I get your point. Wonderful quote from Chesteron, BTW.
Ted…I certainly understand your vision for that swing tune and respect your decision on how to open the tune. Plus- as you know (powerfully irresistible) can be accomplished in many ways > phrasing, syncopation, tone, intensity, [space] which you used, dynamics, etc… and these choices can affect each listener differently for better or worse!
Thankfully, we have teaching templates from the many masterful instrumentals which have survived the ravages of time, with most of their “heads” having a built in quality about them which beckons the listener to not only listen but “hear” the rest of the story…
It is an art unto itself I suppose, being able to have the right bait to not only hook the listener but keep them on the line long enough to reel them in to shore :)
Thanks for sharing your music and continued success in your musicianship!
Last Edited by on Dec 29, 2012 7:36 AM
@Ted Very nice playing all round. The good stuff I'm sure you're aware of - amongst others a very good tone, and an impressive range of riffs and musical ideas that you seem to be able to draw from at will.
However I think that this sort of track is that you could try simplifying your riffs and place/phrase them for maximum impact - really look at swinging this tune. Your riffs can be a little too on the beat for my taste, which makes it sound "safe" even though the riffs themselves are dazzling. I'd also suggest easing back on the delay for quicker songs like this, as it can detract from the phrasing.
As you can see the constructive criticisms are more about my own stylistic preferences rather than anything technical. Thanks again for sharing
Thanks, GH; I did this track a few years ago when I was trying to learn a better swing style. I still have this track on my hard drive and I want to record a new version, with the focus on simplicity, more swing, less delay. Listening to Rod Piazza for inspiration. Thanks for the choice comments and taking the time to listen. ---------- Ted Burke http://youtube.com/watch?v=-VPUDjK-ibQ&feature=relmfu
