The challenge is now open and ends at midnight 24th January 2024
Discussion:
Thanks to
@susbemol for this backing track.
It's a bit of a tricky one
You can download the backing track from Soundcloud below:
Track Info:
Record your solo over the top of it and then submit it (ideally in mp3 format) to solos@theFB.co.uk
Also, feel free to comment on how you approached the solo, which will add a bit more interest and maybe we can learn something from each other.
There should be headroom to record your solo. Try to set a level without excessive master limiting, because we want to avoid loudness wars.
Voting will start soon after the submission deadline, with each voter selecting their 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice.
First choice gets 5 points - Second choice gets 3 points - Third choice gets 1 point
The order and scores of the top three entries will be announced soon after the voting ends.
No prizes. It's just for fun.
As people submit their entries, I'll post them below to hopefully promote some discussion on approaches used for the solo:
It's not a competition.
Comments
If you think it could be of use, a REAPER project with the backing track and markers can be downloaded from here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GGyz10zrPwXGTEE1WJllRhJEHFw-nvdT/view?usp=sharing
Feedback thread: https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/3575378
Once I'm getting comfortable with that, I like to try singing some ideas over it (without playing any other instruments). It's surprising how often this ends up taking me places that I might not have gone otherwise.
It is definitely worth thinking about how much space there is for the listener to digest what they have just heard you play. Miles Davis is credited with saying: "It's not the notes you play, it's the notes you don't play." Sounds a bit cheesy but I think there probably is something in that for everyone, specially guitarists!
I hope people will manage to find creative ways to have fun with it, one way or another. I really didn't mean for it to be too difficult and definitely not off-putting.
Feedback thread: https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/3575378
Trading feedback here
Lots of good advice @susbemol , which is what makes these challenges so worthwhile.
Picking up on the above point, I don't sing, but I hear/imagine stuff in my head without playing. But this backing track is a case of me not having the vocabulary and imagination to fully navigate the changes. Knowing your stuff from the early Reaper days, I think you've got the Jazz vocabulary to hear and imagine stuff through complex changes.
I'll aim to get by using a combination of theory plus trial and error, to extend what I'm capable of imagining. This one is probably going to be a 'monkeys and typewriters' approach for me
Was a single take. Chain was:
Main solo:
> Feline Gothic Bridge pickup Bare Knuckle Emerald
> Bias FX2 > (Plexi + Greenback 25s and JCM800 + V30s) dual amps > EQ > Room Reverb
Fed to 2nd channel:
> offset by a few ms
> pan slightly right
> Disable reverb
> Aegean Pitchproof 5th harmony
Solo Bus:
> TDR Nova EQ
> TDR Kotelnikov Compression
Master:
> TDR Nova Dynamic compression
> TAL Reverb 4
> ReaLimiter
I think I might be limbo dancing under the bar on this one, rather than trying to get over it
I seem to recall @Rowby1 was a great Jazzer, maybe this would be a great track for them?
I might end up having a beer one night and submitting something dire but while I've happy writing riffs in 7/8 I can't get my head around that for solos. It's always been clear to me why Money and Them Bones switch to 4/4 for the guitar solos
I will have a listen later, see if I can get inspired this month.
Trading feedback here
There might be a delay in uploading stuff until later in the week.