Starting With Something New!
Seems I just started with no clear plan as to what I intended to do, maybe these sessions would be better with some structure – but that may take away some of the spontaneity that gives a certain flavor to everything. I start with some simple arpeggio, and create a loop like nothing I have ever tried before – so it is not terribly surprising I have no idea what to put on top of it – and the things I do try, don’t exactly work! Yet still, there is something there, appearing out of the distant mist, that I will no doubt return to at a later date.
Arpeggios, Arpeggios, Arpeggios!
Since I started with arpeggios, I may as well continue – so I lay down a loop with my favorite chords, to put arpeggios on top of – Three majors, and a minor, just to keep it interesting. The track doesn’t really work, I don’t seem to have my heart in it – So I soon quit!
Rocking Page!
My first go at this hard rock track started out great, and if I hadn’t forgotten to clear the last loop out of the pedal, it may have sounded fine – but I did forget to clear the previous track’s loop – and it did not sound anything even close fine! More like the sound of gears awkwardly crunching together before they screechingly break apart.
Undaunted, I clear the old loop and have another go. This time I get it. It might not have been the perfect moment to hit that pedal button, but the loop doesn’t come out too bad, so I decide to go with it. I pretty much nail those ‘Page’ notes at the beginning, and apart from a little wobble I get onto some bluesy bits, then successfully into more oriental sounds. Hardly any bum notes – Baby I am killing this one! A bit more of that blues sound, to bring things back, followed by the ‘Page’ open string hammers and pull offs, to wind it down. I even manage to fade out the loop, and keep the guitar sounding – and it works great. Certainly the best ending yet!. Not a bad middle either!
The wilderness
Somewhat exhausted by the last track, it takes my brain a while to begin to warm up again. I twiddle about, aimlessly, with no destination in mind, or in sight, lost in the wilderness – apart from concentrating on beginning the next track in tune! Luckily, even though I am lost and directionless, I remember to clear the loop before I mess up, and spoil the next one.
Too Complicated To Be Amazing!
Next track starts – It’s gonna be Phrygian baby! It takes me a couple of goes to hit the loop pedal at just the right moment, but I eventually make a half decent go at creating the loop – and manage to get some eastern sounding notes on top of it – Though a couple of notes are a bit off, and spoil things!
The loop is quite long, and probably too complicated to follow without more practice, and I just don’t seem to be able to follow the chords properly with the solo – though sometimes it sounds amazing – sometimes, possibly more often, it doesn’t!
left emotionally exhausted by the Gypsy Phrygian Rock sound, I again fumble for direction. I try a nice slow blues rhythm, but I can’t seem to find the right speed, the result is a shaky, wobbly, horrible thing, so I just stop, and resume fumbling in the darkness – waiting in vain for inspiration!
Hendrix To The Rescue!
Thankfully Hendrix comes to rescue, and order emerges from chaos. The loop is a Hazy Purple one. I overdub the chords, to try to get it as good as I can – and it really doesn’t come out too bad in the end. Some solo notes on top sound OK too – though there are some mistakes in there – I don’t remember soloing over this chord pattern before, though I feel I must have don at some time. I will certainly be trying it again – and more than once!
Immersed in Hendrix the atmosphere, and really feeling in the moment, I go for some unison bends, and the track is rocking. Then, for no apparent reason, something happens to the loop, and there is a nasty gap in the track, which quite throws my concentration for a while – though I do manage to get back into the feeling for a bit, I couldn’t quite recapture the feeling I had earlier.
Rock & Roll
With the Hazy Purple sound finished, I soon go back to chugging, which quickly turns into that very familiar rock and roll sound. This is the one that will hit the copyright flag for sure. Despite a couple of bad notes, I don’t make a bad effort of this. It sounds quite relaxed, and the solo follows the chord pattern well. I am getting better at those unison bends too – and finding out when, and where in the track to play them
Sadly, just as I was enjoying things, I make quite a bad mistake – Get frustrated, and I stop – to recuperate, and to recharge my batteries. I go for some nice easy, steady rhythmic chugging – but I try it in minor, just for a change, and with a passing note, that sounds quite cool. Perhaps with a bit of work this could go somewhere – but, it is going to take some work to get it to sound nice, and without errors! I think that is one for another day.
Pig’s Ears!
I wander lost for a little while, contemplating Phrygian again – but I make a total pigs ear of it when I try to hit the loop pedal. I try again, and make another pigs ear! OK this seems to be a three eared pig – nope four eared! – Not sure how many goes it takes me – but eventually i am satisfied, and the loop is set. The volume sounds a bit low, but the loop is good. And with the volume set like that, quite a mellow solo on top still sounds good over the top, without being lost in the thrashing.
I try to take the solo to places, but it doesn’t seem to want to go! I persevere and try some unison bends, but they seem awkward, and don’t really feel as though they quite fit. the only thing that seems to be working are those low notes, so I concentrate on them, and they lead me up to some nice high ones. The riff is hypnotic, much better than the last one, which was far too complicated. By the end I am beautifully following the chord pattern, in screaming Phrygian, and loving it!
Gremlin Distortion
A nice rock & Roll blues track to finish, and though it starts well, there is a massive problem with distortion, and the track is absolutely useless. What a shame, cos it sounds like one of my best efforts. For no apparent reason, the horrible distortion fades in and out a couple of times, before disappearing altogether. Must be those damn gremlins again, tormenting me with their eternal mischief. Knowing the track is already spoiled, I am not afraid of filling it with bum note or two – so I start experimenting, taking things to places they are really not supposed to go – just to see what happens! some of them sound worse than others!
The munchies are starting to kick in, and so is the beer, which isn’t helping my playing, so I decide to call it a day, and have some dinner – A nice cheese toasty, with a couple of slices of fresh tomato – yum!
Thanks for listening –
Yours –
Tim Buktoo!
