I don't want to step on toes... and I'm not a jazz connoisseur at all.. so take it for what it's worth.
When I listen to this piece, it seems to me that 75% is pure jazz theory, 15% riffs and parts learned by heard and only about 10% (or less) real musicality. I don't see you rockin to your own music,... but I see you thinking a lot of the time.
Plus I can't really hear any real development in the piece. I don't know, maybe that's just this style of jazz... there's the theme at the beginning and then impro all through. To me it just sounds like jazz noodling.
You obviously have a very impressive repertoire of jazz theory and technique but at some point you have to forget all that. Instead of thinking jazz theory, and parts learned by heart, you've got to live in the jazz context, don't think but feel the musical theme, and let your intuition flow.
Hey! MAL. Why didn't you just confine this to MBHBYBO!2?
There would be plenty of opportunities for people to comment on the forthcoming voting thread and it would keep the forum less cluttered. Just a thought. ----------
I don't know what the hell you're doing on that harp but it sure sounds good to me. Wish I could do it. Too bad that idiot drummer you have, keeps banging on that ride cymbal and breaking the mood you've established. Take everything away from him but a high hat, a cymbal about the size of a dinner plate, a small snare, and some brushes. THEN..you got a sweet sounding piece of work. And if he doesn't like that....fire his ass on the spot and don't even pay him gasoline money. Man, I hate drummers who think it's all about them. Again, good work with that harp! Regards, Joe Lee
Tooka, I thought I read on the reminder thread that today (Sun) was the last day. I tried for 2 hours last night to get campfire lighting right but NOOOO!!! Plan B was today. I was gonna post later today when I got near wifi. All my posts are by phone. sorry...
The OP, Blue Bossa, sorry, not trying to hijack with other questions. My take on the post is that its impressive. The notes are there like walking into a serious shop and seeing a bunch of great tools. The music I heard was a wooden box with decent corners and hinges square with a sanded finish. You could paint it but varnish and a light wax would bring out the grain, if there is any. But with old wood like that you ought to make a chair- one that is comfortable to sit in for a while. OK. I plan to post my own lopsided birdhouse later today, heckle at will.
Last Edited by on Nov 21, 2010 5:59 AM
Spend a few hours doing nothing but listening to the track and humming/singing/whistling along with the track.
Focus more on the rhythm of the tune rather than trying to play something to impress us like the tongue switching thing. You're not ready to add that into a tune and it's clear, you're doing it simply to do it. That's ego not music.
---------- "I am a great believer in understanding, not copying."
Last Edited by on Nov 21, 2010 6:19 AM
I think the backing track is good. The drummer is merely playing to the melody, unlike most drummers, and is just trying to be musical. The hi-hat riff he does on every other four or something fits the pieces. Now, I'm not a big fan of the bossa, but I haven't hear many a bossa without a bass drum because, similar to a samba, they have a certain foot pattern (1 2 and 3 4 and 1, with bass on the 1, and of 3, 3, and of 4, and 1) and it just so happens jazz drummers add the hi-hats on 2 and 4.
@ Zack, The backing track is neither good nor bad : it's not a proper bossa. And I guess that's what make the otherwise fine playing uneasy. I hear MAL making some fine bossa phrasing, but the groove behind (I mean the backing track) is not quite there. It's a hard job to play a bossa without beats for clave which is the root of the rhythmic patterns.
@ Zack that's one of the reasons I started working on this tune last week was because I wanted to play boring elevator music and try to put as many ideas as I could into it. I agree that bossas are particularly redundant with no energy = a challenge. I recorded 7 other takes that I thought were more musical and more coherent but decided to post the least coherent and what I thought was the worst take to see if it caught anyones ear as "that sounds like noodling" and sure enough germanharpist and buddha didn't miss it.
@ didjcripey I've been practicing this song on harp for 1-2 weeks but have a music background and have played this song on clarinet. The best version is for sure by dexter gordon.
No harpdude61, tooka will start a voting thread for people to post their vids, vote and criticize.
MAL,... very funny. So I guess you used the BYBOII to test the community? What about 'blowing your brains out' for the enjoyment of the rest of us? So the plan was to make your vid go viral... with noodling?.
No explanation needed. I think you owe it to us to post your best result too. ---------- The MBH thread-thread thread!
Last Edited by on Nov 21, 2010 2:00 PM
Sorry I didn't / couldn't submit. Every time I form a wah seal, it hurts the tendons in the back of my right hand; it's really f%^&*£% p&**&$% me off. If it persists, I will quit. At least I'll still be able to play piano - if I don't f*"£ up my tendons, that is.
Anyway, I'll edit this post and add my twopence worth on the submissions in the week. ---------- YouTube SlimHarpMick
harpdude, cos tooka hadn't specified anything AFAIK. He did it in another thread and we should follow tooka's wish. Plus it makes a lot of sense not to spread the whole criticizing over the whole forum, but to keep it all in one thread.
If you feel that your video hasn't triggered enough feedback, feel free to start a new thread after the voting and criticizing in the official thread is completed.
---------- The MBH thread-thread thread!
Last Edited by on Nov 21, 2010 11:22 AM