Dad3353

T'would be good to know what Tuner he uses..! ...

Good evening, TK , and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

If you're sure of the Hosco tuner holes, I'd go for that one, then, and pocket the price difference. They have a good enough reputation, I'd suggest, to reckon that the quality and playability are on a par with the MIM stuff. Our Eldest is a luthier, so we don't buy-in necks, so no more experience than that; sorry.

ood afternoon, Simon, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share. (I'm slightly disappointed, though; I read the title as being an introduction from Clark Kent. )

The Fender neck comes with fitted nut and satin finish. I don't know about any difference in postage costs, but would need checking, too. Other than that, I doubt that there's much in it, really.

No, no, I'm not trying to find excuses for this singer; simply working out where the problem lies, the better to fix it. Most of the ambiguity (to me...) has been elucidated now. If the bloke isn't up to the assignment, maybe it's an 'opportunity' opening for another singer/songwriter to have a go..? Are there any such folks on hand, or in the 'phone book..? Bringing one in for an audition would certainly send a clear message to the present singer, no..?

No, we're quite definitely on different wavelengths, here. To me, composition of lyrics is a 'dark art', and un-earthing singable melodies even more foreign. Our singer, for instance, sings very well indeed, over a range of styles. Ask him to come up with an original song, be it lyrics or, lyrics supplied, a decent line, and there's nothing. Singing is one thing, composing songs is quite another, and lyrics another still. If the fellow was signed up to do all of this, and has done in the past, I see your point, but even then, sometimes the well runs dry. I can't think of many singer/songwriters with prolific quality output (OK, there's Joni Mitchell, and a few more...) but they're a rare breed, I say. What does he say to a basic chord sequence and a hint as to style..? 'Nuffin' comin'' or 'Give me a day or so'..?

@AndyTravis : Then don't give him 'great riffs'. Give him hollow shells for him to fill.

To be fair, and aware that I'm treading on eggshell here, the most recent file you posted was ... (how to say it..?) something less than inspirational. There's nothing technically wrong with the recording side (balance between instruments, decent-enough sounds...), but there's an art, as well as a craft, in composing, and, as with panning for gold, much dross for little in the way of nuggets. To me, there's far too much going on in the bass line to be able to sit back and add much 'worth'. The song seems to be already fully fleshed, with capable, but bland, guitar work (no, no; it's not bad, but it doesn't bite at all. Sit down; I've not finished...). May I suggest a different approach, by sending out simply acoustic guitar versions of the skeletal structure you envisage; enough to get an idea of the style, but no more..? No bass line, maybe no drums, just the 'unplugged' basics..? As for chord progressions: you're doubtless well aware of the classic 'four chord song' syndrome, or the old 'camp-fire' cowboy stuff. Chord progressions can be a derivative of the basics, adding 'internal' melody, or colouring with extensions beyond 7ths. I'd suggest comparing some well-known 'standards' from the Real Book with their 'vanilla' versions, to see how past masters have used chord substitutions, or filled out one-chord passages with altered chords. Try, as a starter, playing four bars of G Major, then compare to one bar each of G Major, GMaj7, GMaj6, GMaj7. Follow that with four G Minor bars, then one bar each of G Minor, Gmin7, GMin6, GMin7. Tame stuff, certainly, but using arpeggios, or string skipping, rather than strumming, there's a whole world of emotions to be generated from chords. There's a site full of Vanilla versions of Standards; they're worth perusal, I'd suggest. (Vanilla Jazz Songs ...) I'll stop now; I don't want to give the impression that you've got it wrong; you've a much better track record than mine. There are other tactics to be tried, however, and it's not up to you to do all the creation hard work (unless you're Burt Bacharach or similar...). Hope this helps.

Been unwrapped at some point..? Arrived tuned..? Someone's been playing it for four months..!

I'd like to see a rational explanation as to why playing in an Aeolian mode, and so the self-same notes and frequencies as a Major scale, changes things so much. ...

My contribution (Disclaimer : I'm a drummer...) ...

Ah, but did it cost 6€40..?

For those with slightly deeper pockets, or simply wanting darned fine virtual instruments, I recommend... Superior Drums 3 (Drums, obviously; around the £300 or so...) Spectrasonics Trilian (Bass, both db and electric; £250 or so...) ... and Kontakt 6 (Multi-instrument sampler, £400 full version...) Most of what I do is done with these products; I use few Fx, EQ, comps and the like, as most of the quality is already in the base product. What treatment I do use is usually done with the Cockos stuff included in Reaper. The Superior Drums, for instance, are good enough for me to play 'live', real time, straight from the laptop as a 'stand-alone'. I had (and still have...) EZ Drummer, and Superior Drums 2, but they don't get a look-in now, despite their intrinsic qualities. Not budget stuff, I know, and there is certainly be better yet out there, but these really are darned good..!

I like the 'Witnesseth'; very medieval..!

Good afternoon, Matti, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Thanks for the nice thought, but it's far too late for me, even if they do what they say. My 'sounds' are not audio, they are internal, so even with my ears completely muffled and isolated from outside stimuli, the whistling, buzzing, twittering 'sounds' are still there, from dawn till dusk, and cannot be reduced. There's no cure, and no relief; that's all there is to it. The more folks realise what permanent effect it has, the more they'll protect their ears (with the added bonus of hearing better and for longer their favourite sounds, be they music, or voices, or Nature...). I have an expression that I use often, and applies, unfortunately, only too well in this case... 'It's the first forty years that are the hardest, after which things sometimes tend to get slightly better.'

My tinnitus, as always. (Note to others : Obtain and wear adequate ear protection if/when exposed to loud music for any length of time...)

Careful with that. Next week she'll be asking 'Why don't we have a collection of vintage Bentleys..?'

Crikey..!

Again, for the purposes of these current restrictions, I think this is missing the point, a little. Let's start from the health premise that no-one, no-one at all should be mingling at present. From a contagion point of view, it's maybe ideal. OK, it can't be done, as some folks are required, by the nature of their work, to have contacts (health workers, care home folks, police etc...). There are also those in essential roles, keeping the power stations running, or driving trains for the health service folks needing public transport. OK, we make exceptions for those, with suitable protection and precautions. Now, there are loads of folks unable to earn their living. As soon as is practicable, folks that need to earn their living are now allowed to do so, in the right conditions. This includes retail shop workers, building site folks and musicians, as long as suitable distancing can be respected etc. If someone is, in this sense, a professional musician (not, then, a week-end warrior or pub band with a day job, but an opera singer, or recording artist, or pit cellist...), they may resume their employment. If there are folks here that play pubs etc as their sole livelihood, then they're included, whatever their tax situation. If not, they're not, so shouldn't be mingling with others. That's how I see it, in light of present circumstances. It doesn't matter if one is proficient, nor taxable; just if it's the only way to keep food on the table, just like a salaried retail shop assistant. That's all.

I think that 'professional', in this context, means folks employed to play their instruments, in the same way as folks working in an office. For such persons, not being able to work is similar to office workers being laid off. The idea of having these folks ply their trade is the same as that of bringing income back to other, salaried, folks. For those playing as a hobby, or as 'week-end warriors', this 'getting back to work' argument doesn't really apply. It's not a health hazard thing, nor a question of having 'professional' standards of behavior or training, just an economics notion to give some folks their job back. That's how I see it, anyway. The risk is still there, but 'professional'players are to be allowed to take that risk, in the same way as 'essential staff' were a few weeks ago. For the rest of us, it's still a no-no.

That might work, but a bit of melody added in may help, don't you think..?