No Particular Plan!
A new day, a new session – no plan, no particular objective – just gonna try to record an hour or so of something, and hope there is a track, maybe two, with so few mistakes, I can cut it out, and post it with my other best efforts.
I begin, as usual with some aimless chugging – chugging that tries to go into a gypsy sound – but soon fails! I only just started, so I must need a few minutes to get into things, and settle down comfy!
I begin again almost immediately, with the same sound. It’s better this time, not great, but better – until of course I wobble badly, and have to start yet again. If I could do this perfectly every time, I wouldn’t need to practice!
I give up with the gypsy sound, as it doesn’t seem to working very well tonight. I try some Rock & Roll instead – and quickly have a decent loop set up – I put some notes on top, and some of them don’t class horribly, but most do – and the unison bends sound so horrid, I quickly give this sound up too!
getting Settled In
With nothing particular in mind, new chugging starts to be something I haven’t done before – not sure what it is yet, but it soon becomes a loop. I just have to figure out what to play over top. I try a nice scale, Phrygian again I think, and it sounds nice, but too similar to the other track I do with this scale. I like this new chord progression, but I need to figure out something nice to play over the top for next time!
I seem to have settled in a bit, to today’s session, but it’s time to try something else. Chugging merrily away, I search for somewhere to go, and eventually decide on the hazy purple chords, with some nice treble on them. A loop is formed! It’s really not a bad loop, but some of the first few notes on top are less good – quite a lot less good! I persevere despite the mistakes, and things start to get better – and when I hit that first unison bend, I know I am into something or other!
The loop is rocking – all I need are some equally nice sounds on top – which don’t seem to be coming easily, but I am discovering some great double-stops to put in there, some nice notes right at the top too. This track may not be great to listen to – but it is certainly a great learning experience! If it is true, that we learn by our mistakes, then I have learned a lot in the eight minutes or so that this track lasts. By the end of the track, I seem to be really in control of things, and making some nice sounds that are really rocking!
After successfully fading out the last track, to finish it off, it is time to try something different – and I go for screeching Phrygian. Sadly all I manage to do is create a horrible mess, and I quickly stop!
More Rocking & More Rolling
It’s time for Rock & Roll again – and this time I am warmed up, and rocking. The loop goes well enough, and the notes that go on top of it are becoming more familiar, and easier to play. I am getting used to following the chord pattern too, though this still need some work! Quite a bit pf work lol! Still the direction is good – things are progressing.
I start to put a full major scale on it – not sure what it is, Minor or Dorian probably, but it sounds cool , then back to pentatonic to finish off. A good effort, though I say so myself. Hopefully I will be able to make a better job of it next time!
A Nice New Sound!
A new track. I pick two chords and start chugging, it sounds great, so I quickly hit the loop pedal, and I seem to have another new sound, but no. Disaster. I have again forgotten to clean out the last loop, and through the wall of sound that I have created with these two chords, I can hear some rock and roll in the background that really shouldn’t be there!
Not to worry, worse things happen at sea, as they say, So I soon have the loop cleared, and because I liked what I was doing, the sound I was making, I immediately begin again! It’s only two chords, so even I, am not capable of messing this loop up too badly! I soon find some nice notes to put on top – The sound is nice, I just hope I can remember, or work out, what these chords are, and what scale this is, for next time I want to try playing this.
The track is rocking, but laid back and relaxed at the same time. I try experimenting with some other scales, but when I play Phrygian, it always seems to sound the same – I guess I need more practice! Some of the other stuff sounds really nice though. I must spend more time playing different modes. there are some really nice sounds in there – it just takes practice to get them out!
Breaking Bad
The next track is even faster, even more intense, and I am just getting into it, when my thick E string breaks – Damn it! I have to stop. but since I am so in the mood, I soon pick up, and plug in another guitar. My acoustic this time. I take off the distortion, give it a nice mellow sound on my effects pedal, and start strumming.
Sitting Under The Cabbage Tree
I haven’t tried recording ‘Cabbage Tree’ for a while, so I guess the time is right to have a new go now.
Picking the notes from the chords of the song, soon manage to make a nice loop – though the volume is way too low. I turn it up a tad, and start putting some notes on top. The song is going to need some words for one of it’s sections. But it is definitely going to need some of this scale on it too. The sound is beautiful, though I make a couple of mistakes, and get cross. It’s a shame I played a coulpe of bum notes, as this track is nearly good enough to cut out and past somewhere on it’s own. Ah well – maybe next time!
A good session, I was really quite pleased overall – I hope anyone out there listening enjoyed it too
Thanks for your time –
Tim Buktoo
