Diminished weirdness

Tsuken · Post by **Tsuken** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 9:29 pm

Well, I probably shouldn't be listening to all this stuff by Ascend, as it's making me very unsure about posting anything of mine

... but never mind.

This is just a starting mess-about, that began life as a grunty rhythm bit (which you can hardly hear in this mp3) called "nu-metal thing". I then came up with a weird sounding partly-diminished melody, which the wahine thought sounded like Dream Theater ... resulting in a change of title, to "Dream Thing". Thankfully I don't think I've ever had a dream this bad though

http://www.owen.net.nz/raf/Dream%20Thing%201.mp3

My wife reckons the drums are 'orrible and need changing. I also need to change the rhythm part, as I mentioned; tis too trebly/tinny and too quiet. I also think I may have dived into the weirdness too soon - maybe I need to start with just the rhythm, then add the melody later on.

Comments would be most welcome.

Tsuken · Post by **Tsuken** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 6:36 am

too weird?

offender · Post by **offender** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 7:03 am

Did you do the banjo-y stuff at the start?

It sounds techincally very impressive, but its quite harsh to the ears until about 45 seconds in, then it gets quite cool for a while.

Its pretty creative thats for sure!

Incredibly impressive technically!

Gelato · Post by **Gelato** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 8:21 am

I really like the melody at around 0:40

Very impressive that you managed to harmonise all those fast runs

Like you said, the backing track seems too quiet. It's a very weird (in a good way) piece mate

Tehhaxorr · Post by **Tehhaxorr** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 11:41 am

Very cool, i must listen ot this up very loud next time i am drunk.

Tsuken · Post by **Tsuken** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 3:43 pm

offender wrote:Did you do the banjo-y stuff at the start?

It sounds techincally very impressive, but its quite harsh to the ears until about 45 seconds in, then it gets quite cool for a while.

Its pretty creative thats for sure!

Incredibly impressive technically!

Yeah, I did the banjo ... by clicking "loop browser" in GarageBand

It does sound pretty weird/harsh; the melody is somewhat diminished to start with, then harmonised in parallel minor thirds - which just makes it jump out in a very weird way.

Maybe I should ease into the weirdness

ascend · Post by **ascend** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 5:14 pm

This is probably my favourite "thing" by you, Tsuken. I really enjoyed that. I think if the rhythm guitars came up a bit, it would seem less weird and there was some definite coolness going on there. Original and it turned my ear around a bit. I like!

B45-12 · Post by **B45-12** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 11:56 am

Right! loved it - took me right back to the 60's - the music was pretty good too.

OK critic switch on - 'if it were me

1) Around 0.58 the squeal/chord I'd hit harder with perhaps a split silence to emphasise it.

2) Was not greatly excited by the sequence from 1.07 to 1.22 and would like to see a bit more variation- seems to be a repeated melodic rhythm sequence - suggest up an octave or relative minor for one of the repeats just to give the surprise. Or alternatiovely split second silence and then a good honking/squawking wah climbing scale sequence (say like Clpaton does on 'Presence of the Lord' on his Rainbow album)

3) banjo intro - I would have frailed it rather then picked but each to his own.

Critic switch 'off' and stress they are what 'I' would do - but I reckon such alterations could really make the toes curl jus that extra bit!

Cheers.

PS Have jsut got new computer so can finally hear tone clips - you are the first!

Tsuken · Post by **Tsuken** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 3:43 pm

Cheers, "B"

I have to admit not being too keen on the sequence you mention either.

I think you're right with the gap or something preceding the G sus chord/harmonised bit.

As for the banjo, I don't think Garageband has a loop of a frailed banjo, so I'm outa luck there

ratfink · Post by **ratfink** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 5:34 pm

What exactly is 'frailed' banjo as opposed to 'plucked'? I could look it up but i'm too lazy, and it pays to share the information I reckon

ratfink · Post by **ratfink** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 5:35 pm

..and nice work Tsuken

B45-12 · Post by **B45-12** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 11:04 pm

ratfink wrote:What exactly is 'frailed' banjo as opposed to 'plucked'? I could look it up but i'm too lazy, and it pays to share the information I reckon

Frailing is a bit difficult to describe but it uses your hand as a plecturm - a simple version works this way, first you pick down with your index finger nail on beat 1 unsually on string 1 or 2, on beat 2 your hand bounces up, beat 3 your hand goes down and the nails brush the strings, beat 4 your thimb catches the 5th string on the banjo and sounds it. Sort of 'bum um titty' sound. The glory of it is you can play a melody and chordal accompanment much like Maybele Carter of the Carter family did.

Of course that's the simple version , you can get very involved/cunning with things like brushless frailing or i,p, i, t variants to play things like fiddle tunes (Soldiers Joy, Arkanasas traveller, sally git around, Ground hog etc) but it gives the music a different and somewhat wilder feel than picking because you can vary the time signature a bit within the bar by the techniques you use.

Tell you what is similar in feel (but not in harmony/melody) and that is funk bass playing with popping and slapping - where the thumb pops string 4, 1st finger snaps up string 1 , thumb then hits string 2 and fingers slap string 1 again.

Hope that helps give you some idea - if you want a good example go listen to Doc Watson playing East Virginia sometime.

ratfink · Post by **ratfink** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 9:03 am

ok cool - thanks for that