Solo of the Month (SotM) #68 - Challenge

fastonebaz

Sent one in.

Sun was beaming in my studio window, I kicked off my slippers, laid back in my chair and noodled a thousand times until i found a pattern to work with then played it over and over until i finally hit record.  

Gibson SG Standard 2018, neck pup
Reaper
Positive Grid Bias FX 
Custom clean patch, EQ, compression, reverb, stereoiser

Even filmed this one  

stratman3142

fastonebaz said:

Sent one in.

It's in the playlist.

Thanks for the video as well. I always have my head out of shot for my videos because I lack your dashing good looks
 

fastonebaz

I found A phrygian was the one to use.

Bellycaster

stratman3142 said:

For what it's worth, here are my thoughts. Feel free to comment, shoot this down and throw stones.

This backing track is a tricky one for me because it doesn't fit with my simple country/blues/rock type vocabulary where I can improvise and come up with ideas more freely.

One could think 'on the chord tones' or, to open things up, think of scales that fit groups of chords. It's a mixture of hearing things in my head plus some theory to help me navigate the tricky changes. When I use the term 'scales' I really mean a palette of notes from which to find melodic phrases. I stole the term 'palette' from @viz, who's much more knowledgeable about these things.

As I'm no jazzer and a bit of a cowboy, I approach things from a simple country/blues/rock perspective and usually think in terms of a major pentatonic or a minor pentatonic framework which I adapt to fit. It sounds more complicated than it is when it's written down because I'm really just bending/adapting major pentatonic or minor pentatonic scales to fit.

Here is how I might approach this one. I'm not saying it's for everyone but it works for me.

For the Am(add9) to Gm(add9): my framework is Am pentatonic. 

Over the Am(add9) I might add a 2 (which is equivalent to the 9th) and a b6. So the scale is effectively A Aeolian.

Over the Gm(add9) I'm still thinking in terms of Am pentatonic. I might flatten the 2 (i.e. change the B to a Bb) to fit the chord. So the scale is effectively A Phrygian.

For the Cm(add 9) to Bb: my framework is Cm pentatonic. Plus I might add the 2 and 6. So the scale is effectively C Dorian.

For the E7 to A: my framework is E major pentatonic, plus I might add the 4 and the b7, so it's effectively E Mixolydian. Or I suppose you could also think of it as simply an A major scale.

For the Dm(add9), Dm to Bm7b5: my framework is D minor pentatonic. Plus I might add the 2 and 6, so it's effectively D Dorian.

For the Eaug, E to Am(add9): my framework is a 'bent' version Am pentatonic with a major 7 (a G#) instead of a b7 (G). Plus I might add the 2 and b6, so the scale is effectively A harmonic minor. I always think of the harmonic minor as like an Aeolian scale but with a major 7.

 Of course this is all as a result of such tricky chords. I blame @Bellycaster ;

Kidding: It's actually is a great chord sequence.

That's a great breakdown of it @stratman3142 but blame The Pretenders, not me

Have to confess that some of the chords and the timing is inspired by "I Go To Sleep"

Trouble is, that's what it'll likely result in to the listener.

  

stratman3142

There's more than one way to skin a cat. Here's another (related) way I might look at it (pic below). Of course this is just theory as a possible starting point. I'm still struggling to come up with a solo with melodic phrases I like.

Other thoughts are welcome.

https://i.imgur.com/9RMovKp.jpg

stratman3142

and another way (pic below) which keeps things to thinking in terms of simple major scales, except for the final harmonic minor section. Although for this chord progression, I prefer the way I've described previously.

https://i.imgur.com/6uck5UI.jpg

stratman3142

Mine's in the playlist. That makes 5 entries.

Habanero

I've sent one! I've definitely adopted the Olympic mantra that it's merely competing that matters.

stratman3142

Habanero said:

I've sent one!

That makes 6.

Mickeyji

I just sent one off too! I put the backing track on a loop and just jammed over it a fair while until I had some sort of an idea of where I wanted the thing to go. Being a bit of a hack, I then had to record it over and over again until the result was more or less alright. Guitar used was a reliced vintage Tele by Realguitars (small German builder) into a Focusrite Scarlett and MacMini using the Plini plugin from Neural DSP. Some added tape delay from Reason which is my DAW. I came up with the title as a kind of a homage to Norwegian guitarist Terje Rypdal whom I've admired for a long time and I was - maybe a bit clumsily -going for something like his trademark sound with big delays and reverbs.

stratman3142

Mickeyji said:

I just sent one off too! ...

It's in the playlist. 7 entries so far.

Bellycaster

Sent one in.

stratman3142

Bellycaster said:

Sent one in.

...and that makes 8 entries. Another good month for participants.

ChrisRG

Just sent mine in.

Bit of a change for me on this one.  Last year, a friend of mine gave me an acoustic guitar.  I've never owned one up to that point and even after the gift, I still didn't pick it up to play it properly.

I'd already got most of the melody for this one done on an electric but I suddenly thought, sod it, let's see how it sounds on an acoustic.  Bloody hell, they're hard to solo on!!!

So, after a clean up a re-string and a next day delivery of an SM57 (I didn't own a mic and it's not an electro acoustic!) I managed to get the solo recorded with not too many strange background noises!!!!

stratman3142

ChrisRG said:

Just sent mine in.

Bit of a change for me on this one.  Last year, a friend of mine gave me an acoustic guitar.  I've never owned one up to that point and even after the gift, I still didn't pick it up to play it properly.

I'd already got most of the melody for this one done on an electric but I suddenly thought, sod it, let's see how it sounds on an acoustic.  Bloody hell, they're hard to solo on!!!

So, after a clean up a re-string and a next day delivery of an SM57 (I didn't own a mic and it's not an electro acoustic!) I managed to get the solo recorded with not too many strange background noises!!!!

It's in the playlist.

I decided to go for an acoustic as well. Although it's a fairly decent nylon strung electro-acoustic, I used a SM57 as well, which sounded better than the plugged-in direct sound.

joeW

I have send my offering.

stratman3142

joeW said:

I have send my offering.

That makes 10 in the playlist.

stratman3142

Does anyone want to provide a backing track for next month. Otherwise I'm going to use my previous RotM entry (link below) without the pinched harmonic part - now there's a threat.

https://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/201929/rotm-62-the-winner-is#latest

joeW

I could use some advise recording my solos as things seem to get too muddy.  I ran a Benedetto with a bit of compression and shimmer into a clean 633 grooveking (max headroom and -ve feedback, so Fender like).  E906 halfway between centre and edge of a 12".  This into Focusrite 2i2 and using GarageBand as its less fuss than Logic.  

The amped sound in the room has a lot more note definition even with flat wounds, so something is going amiss on the capture.  No surprise as I have little experience.

in terms of approach.
A section, stayed diatonic, but tried to highlight Maj7 arps to contrast against the minor sound.

B section, Stayed on C minor / C Mel Minor with occasional resolution to G minor for the Bb repeats.  Then tried to lead to a Dim arp resolving to the maj triad

C section - A min pent octaves to try and slow things down and return to the minor key centre.   Am trying to work on my octaves and general use of rh thumb as I am a massive Wes fan, so this will probably crop up a fair bit while I'm working on it.  

Some very nice acoustic sounds have been submitted far,  maybe ought try round wound strings ...

digitalkettle

joeW said:

I could use some advise recording my solos as things seem to get too muddy.  I ran a Benedetto with a bit of compression and shimmer into a clean 633 grooveking (max headroom and -ve feedback, so Fender like).  E906 halfway between centre and edge of a 12".  This into Focusrite 2i2 and using GarageBand as its less fuss than Logic.  

The amped sound in the room has a lot more note definition even with flat wounds, so something is going amiss on the capture.  No surprise as I have little experience.

Turn your monitors off, bung some headphones on and experiment with the mic position: head towards the centre where there's more brightness. I've never used a e906...if you're just dangling it, that may reduce options for playing with how 'on-axis' the mic is. Any other mics you could try?

I haven't mic'd up for ages, but, from memory, I was always slightly angled and pointing close to the edge of the dust cap (using a 57 or a 421).

n.b. I'm assuming that there's nothing else in the signal path that's getting in the way!