This is the 33rd solo of the Month (SotM) Challenge and is being run by
@stratman3142 and
@TTony.
The challenge is now open, and remains open for submissions until 11:30pm on 22nd February 2018
Here's this month's backing track (you can download it from soundcloud). Record your solo over the top of it and then submit it to us. Send your tracks (in mp3 format) to solos@theFB.co.uk
Discussion:
This is an attempt to create something in a country rock style. It's short and 'sweet'
After last month's SotM it should be pretty straightforward - or is it? There might be some debate about the key, so feel free to post your thoughts as well as your solo.
The chords are:
D C(add9) G G
Voting will start soon after the submission deadline of 22nd February 2018, with each voter selecting their 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice.
First choice gets 5 points - Second choice gets 3 points - Third choice gets 1 point
Voting will end on 11.30pm 28th February 2018
The order and scores of the three people with the most votes will be announced soon after the voting ends.
No prizes. It's just for fun.
As people submit their entries, I'll post them below to hopefully promote some discussion on approaches used for the solo:
It's not a competition.
Comments
“Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay
“Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay
Am I right in thinking this is 110bpm?
Yes, the tempo is exactly 110 bpm.
Question - is this a section from a complete track? The reason I ask is that I would find it useful to have some context for the solo - a melody line, for example - that I can then either reference, play against etc. Solos don't normally exist in isolation and the best (for me) work well within the overall sound of the track.
ermm? But it might bear some resemblance to something for which the key has been the subject of quite a bit of debate, which is why I thought it would be fun. I just varied the tempo and rhythm to disguise things. Any guesses? The chords are a real give away.
Hmm ... country style rock ... *sweet* country rock ...
No, nothing hits home for me. ;-)
Blimey that was quick. 1st again with your entry.
I haven't even started thinking about it yet.
Being as you asked for comments, This is all a matter of taste. I like the tone, but my thought is that it's a bit up front. I'd be scared to be so exposed and my preference is to bury things in the mix a bit. It might benefit from being lower in the mix. Also, maybe a bit more reverb, although that might not be so important if it's lower in the mix. Just my thoughts, others might disagree, feel free to ignore my comment or submit another mix if you want to.
btw. I think we should only comment at this stage if we're specifically asked to, but feel free to post how you approached the solo so we can get a discussion going.
I always have problems getting the levels right too.
As to how I approached the solo, I based it around B minor pentatonic and just used my ears to hit notes which I thought sounded good. I didn't think about chord tones or anything else when playing, just the basic notes of B minor pentatonic.
Regarding the approach I struggle to adjust to playing in major keys as I've always relied on minor pentatonic patterns for so long, but I think it's much better to view this as D major pentatonic (even though Bm is the same shape). I used to play Teacher's Pet from School of Rock in a covers band and thats a similar chord progression (D Cadd9 G C). It took a long time for me to think about playing in D major instead of Bm when improvising within the solos. Instinctive Bm licks won't sound as strong because the notes are very different relative to the chords. If that makes sense.
Classic Dm pentatonic licks would work fine though.
I'm thinking it's in G major, although I also visualise things around D major pentatonic and G major pentatonic.
It will be interesting to know what others think and then hear how much it actually affects what's played.
Oh well, I'm not averse to a bit of plagiarism