keys are on the way.
This groove’s got some pop to it.
Been playing guitar all day. It’s been a blast. Still thinking about the vocals for LDA. Will I have a chorus, or just rock it solo?
The chord progression for Fun de Mental is evolving. Some B section riffs came to me in the past couple weeks too.
Not much more to say, because music isn’t words.
Let’s see here…just ruminating a bit on the groove I’ve been developing for “Love Don’t Ask” (aka Song 1).
I love the hi-hat pattern first off. It’s based on the paradiddle drum rudiment. I wanted it to skip, to lope if you will. I’ve always been about interesting grooves– especially new interesting grooves. New grooves as in maybe nobody has ever played this exact groove before. The hat pattern is not totally unique, but it’s distinct.
With the snare I wanted to keep one foot in rock and dangle the other in…maybe you could call it fusion. Maybe Latin or world…fusion. Basically, there are three snare hits (possibly more, maybe even fewer) per measure. The backbeat is accented, then comes the offbeat whack I’m feeling around for how to explain. Then comes a cadential-type hit that will turn the idea around. The cadential phrase on the fourth beat, I expect, will have the most variation.
The “A” section groove is made up of four patterns: 3 patterns with little variation built around the elements in the above paragraph, and 1 turnaround pattern.
The kick drum came about as a bit of an accident. Literally, I was programming beats and mistakenly placed the second kick piece a beat too late. But then I listened to it and started to like it better than the way I meant to do it. It spreads the measure out and creates a neat snap-back. Also, it’s pretty unique.
I was also messing around with the bassline last night, testing what I could pull off melodically while not deviating from the pocket too much. It’s definitely not going to be a ZLT line. “Love Don’t Ask” has its own thing going.
I’ve probably alluded at times to the point of this blog. It’s primarily a chronicle of my personal music endevours. About two years ago, I was gearing up for a second album. My first one had been recorded five years earlier, right after I finished college. I was stumbling around for a long, long time (well, five years to be precise) for the tonal qualities my next recording would have. Yes, I over-thought this. But, on the plus side, I listened and reflected.
Which brings me to my turning point. Inspired by an electronic musician who only releases EPs (forget who exactly), I decided to do the same. Instead of sculpting that seemingly perfect idea once every five years or so, I might as well release a shorter work every year.
This gives me two big benefits. One, it will boost my production chops. Two, I’m sitting on many years worth of material that I have to get down in order for it to see the light of day. Also, once a song is done, I can move on.
The goal is consistency. My recording rig improved by leaps and bounds between my first and second records. I’ve always felt that my real art was songwriting. I used to say, to the chagrin of my guitarist friends, that my choice of instrument wasn’t important. What’s important is writing melodies and rhythms. And I’m sitting on this kind of huge body of work that’s grown over only about the past 10 years or so. I can go in there and grab fragments and turn them into songs. And that’s exactly what I’m doing.
Zen Luck Tricks was supposed to be 12-14 tracks, but I simply ran out of time. Two songs that didn’t make that cut will highlight this summer’s EP. So you see ZLT would’ve probably taken 5 years to complete. But by breaking it up, I can change so easily. I don’t have to worry about the overall flavor. The flavor will change. Every year.
I’m getting the vocal parts down for Lines. I suspected a while back that I’d have to create backing vocals too. Yeah, I’m doing my own backing vocals– maybe that’s lame, maybe it’s not! It is pretty fun to record them, and it does require breath control and some, you know, technique. I plan to pull some singer friends of mine into the next project. But I gotta say I’m having more fun with the vox than I thought I would.
I also put a time limit of sorts on this project. By next Sunday…it’s finished! In other words, whatever is recorded then is what ZLT will be. I’m about a month and a half behind schedule. But more importantly I’m happy with what I have, and I’ve learned quite a bit, and I can salvage a lot of it and apply it to the next project.
I’m starting to look ahead, put together a set list. The first thing I’ll do is record a guitar track to send a buddy of mine who’s an accomplished singer/songwriter in Nashville. But first I gotta put the finale stamp onto Zen Luck Tricks…
bellisimo! molto bouno!
And so forth…
All guitar is now done for Zen Luck Tricks. I’m moving on to record the final vocal takes, but before I do that, I’m going to spend time this week going over some of the original production ideas I had for the project last winter– before the songs took shape, and took over, frankly. These ideas mostly center on instrument sounds, ways of shaping the overall sonic experience (…huh…yeah, OK!) I call these “flourishes.” Yes, the EP could live without them. But why should it??
I’ve also been researching mastering options, and, being the DYI guy that I am, I’ve decided to do mastering myself. This could easily tack on another couple of weeks to the release of ZLT, but I’m thinking learning the skill is really what I’m after here. And if I were that worried about the release schedule…let’s just say I’d be very worried at the moment. But what’s more important than getting done is getting done with something that makes you happy. And, furthermore, to set yourself back on track for doing more and more of these projects in the future.
And on that point, I am a believer, once again.
I woke up last Saturday and it became suddenly clear that the lead part of Can’t Wait should be played with a slide. I finding I have to really tease the recording, though, as the harmonics overdrive the levels. At least, I think that’s what’s happening. I like the texture the slide creates though. And it adds another roots element to this project for me. I went through a blues phase, as a lot of guitarists do I assume, and I got really into slide. Even though you don’t have all the note choices, those limitations sometimes can lead to very creative applications. And one of the primary features of the slide is sustain, which is actually a slightly unusal quality for guitar. Slide was originally used to emulate vocals. It’s definitely a sound I’m going to use in the future.
Final lead parts to Can’t Wait are currently being recording. Vocals this weekend. Then ZLT is on to mastering!
Back with more to talk about soon, but right now work and this project are dominating my time…
I’ll be out and away from music– at least away from my ax and computer– for a couple of weeks. When I return, the final push! Peace.
I re-recorded Lines last night in the key of Dm. New submix and rhythm guitar parts took two hours, so I wasn’t able to add new vocals. And, damn, I wanted to sing! I want to sing! And dance!
No, not really dance…
I fascinated how a half-step modulation can open up creative possibilities. I upped the key to create more bottom room for the final note of the first verse phrases. The seemingly small key change led to a new chorus melody idea, one that I’m in love with and certainly using. Even the verse phrasing changed slightly. I should say was able to change. I don’t know why. It’s one of those mysteries about music.
I’ve decided to follow an “accidental” arrangement of Can’t Wait. It’s a re-org of the pieces that should make for a nice contrast with the other songs, as far as layouts from beginning to end go. Sometimes when you’re so close to a project, it’s difficult to see things from a new angle unless it’s by accident. So, we’ll see. I think it’s going to work out just fine though.
There are some technicalities to mixing– many, probably– such as rolling of the kick and bass below 50Hz, but I think a lot of it is a matter of taste. A friend tells me he aims for a smooth mix, as if he’s planing a piece of wood to make furniture. Picking up on competing frequencies is the first thing I try to do. Optimally, each instrument should be distinct, adding its unique qualities to the overall song. Much of this is accomplished by moving the levels. How the frequency range is divvied up is somewhat mysterious, although I’ve learned the value of parametric and regular band EQ-ing. Some of the instruments in Strange Trains are actually samples tweaked out by the para EQ.
Mixing also forces you to look at details that might go overlooked, such as panning. I have the kick and the bass dead on center; the snare is 7 to the left, and the hats are 10 to the left. I’m imagining how a drum kit would be played, even though, I suppose, the drum could flatten out in the master. It’s still a starting point– and it seems to work well.
So I should be able to mix the three tunes down this weekend. The fourth one, Fits and Starts, is waiting for some attention. The song actually gets its name from waiting! F&S may end up being kicked onto next year’s release, because I’m already a little behind the schedule I invented.
As much as I want to record songs, and have them listened to and dug, I’ve always thought that making a process is the equal goal. In my busy life, I’d like to be able to get musical ideas into the computer as fast and easily as possible. I’m not even worrying about the new songs at this point (I do have a great melody for one though!) I think it was the jazz bassist Steve Swallow who said, “I’m dedicated to my fragments.” That’s how I feel. Get a whole bunch of motifs and then see how they fit together, like refrigerator magnet poetry.
