Yea, and what kind of guitar was that? It is tiny! I guess it's been a qhile since I watched BttF: I guess I did not know much about guitars back then. I don't remember the guitar striking me as weird...
Clearly it's the director's interpretation of what a Future guitar looks like. They needed something...
Oh, and, if he had his compressor turned up with the rest of those controls, he wouldnt have been blown across the room like that.
More like levitated upon sonic compressions and rarefactions as he watched smoke pour out of the voice coil, until that let go and he gets dumped back onto the ground. I guess the scene they finally did is more dramatic, with the book case falling on him and all.
Oh, and, if he had his compressor turned up with the rest of those controls, he wouldnt have been blown across the room like that.
More like levitated upon sonic compressions and rarefactions as he watched smoke pour out of the voice coil, until that let go and he gets dumped back onto the ground. I guess the scene they finally did is more dramatic, with the book case falling on him and all.
Not a very convincing scene at all, IMO. It did NOT get loud enough when the speaker blew out. I’ve seen silent smoke from amplifiers, but usually they make some sort of racket. What happened would have been accompanied by 135 dB at 60/120 Hz, with the theater subwoofers going to full x-mech for about half a second. It was a letdown when that didn’t happen.
Plug a large loudspeaker into the wall, and see what I mean. THATs what I expected.
Plug a large loudspeaker into the wall, and see what I mean. THATs what I expected.
@Crocobar,
Did you ever get an egg shaker for a buck or two as I suggested quite awhile ago and start learning how to play it? If so, by now you must be noticing the greatly improved timing/rhythmic skill you are developing? Maybe you are ready for the next step?
OTOH if you never started, and given that your b-day is coming up, I would be happy to send you nice little gift for that special day
Did you ever get an egg shaker for a buck or two as I suggested quite awhile ago and start learning how to play it? If so, by now you must be noticing the greatly improved timing/rhythmic skill you are developing? Maybe you are ready for the next step?
OTOH if you never started, and given that your b-day is coming up, I would be happy to send you nice little gift for that special day
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Mark, your advice and kind words are gift enough! I was considering getting an egg shaker or a marakas or something but I haven't yet - specifically, I am not sure if it is right for me at this stage. As I understand, the egg shaker is supposed to teach you to keep your strumming hand moving. I don't think I have a problem with that. I mean, I still get confused with unusual patterns and such but the hand is moving all the time and regardless of the pattern.
So... I am not sure - is there another point to it, or more advanced techniques to learn with an egg shaker?
So... I am not sure - is there another point to it, or more advanced techniques to learn with an egg shaker?
Absolutely there is another point to it. And, yes, there are advanced techniques. There are also more advanced little shakers, but one step at a time. You start with one shaker in your writing hand. You start with the basic technique as taught by Yani. Then you learn to accent different note divisions with different motions. Then you learn to to use the other hand, then start to learn hand independence, then more advanced from there. Nothing will help your fine, precise timing as a guitarist as much as this will. You would not be accepted as guitar student of someone who could start teaching it to you until are well beyond your current skill level as a guitarist.
Also, once you get started and get to where you can do the basic motions as Yani shows in the video then we can have a video call or something, and I can show you other things to practice (and or discuss the general approach to self-teaching of expressive musical timing skills). It relates to musicianship in general. Part of it is what it does is develop skills going on inside your head when you are playing. It changes how you hear time, how you feel time, how you play in time. And that is one of the main factors that makes a musician sound like a true professional. It isn't enough to hit the right notes at roughly the right time. The artistic expression of human emotion is in the exact timing and the accenting. Good musicians can start and stop notes to withing 5ms of the right time. How will you ever teach yourself to know if you are off by 5ms, unless you undertake some fun, yet systematic study/practice.
EDIT: the other fun part is that you can take a shaker with you in your pocket and play it when any opportunity arises. You can play at a party, along with a street musician, along with a band in a club, or none of those things. Hey, Richard Feynman was a physicist who took up bongo drums. Nothing wrong with a physicist who can play percussion
EDIT 2: A more advanced shaker might be like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Tycoon-Percussion-TSL-C-Large-Shaker/dp/B01HGMZBGW
However, you are not ready for that yet. Shakers like this can be played professionally and give a rich variety of sounds. Start with a egg shaker though. That's hard enough for awhile.
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Mark We are not ready for advanced. Honestly Im quite annoyed by your proposal, cause now I think I need to get one as well. It might even help me quit smoking? I actually have excellent timing and artistic expression, but already when I get to using the other hand🫢 -Im sure I will develop ticks and anxiety and that will be on you Mark. Independent motion would be so awesome. Im a great singer, but if I play the guitar the little I can, my hands loose rhythm as soon as I even think about singing 😄. I bought a drum-set for my wife and visitors. It would be great to learn that too far into the future. Well Im only 52 so plenty of time😊
Cheers!
Cheers!
Guerilla, I am turning 47, so I have every chance to freaking MASTER the egg shaker by your age!
https://sweetamericanasweethearts.blogspot.com/2020/07/cowboy-sayings-you-can-lead-horse-to.html
Okay. No more about shakers then.
Okay. No more about shakers then.
Mee too, certain songs. I'm currently chewing on Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes". Cheat is capo II to play the easy chords; screw capo II - it's easier to sing a couple steps flat anyway. So I'll be chunkin along C-Am.... C-F..... and as soon as I say the word "Love" - first line of the song - there's goes the guitar rhythm, right out the window. Thrown the guitar on the bed I dont know how many times....
But I cant help but notice that if I keep drilling on it, floating those lyrics over the top of that rhythm, it begins to enter the realm of actual possibility. Really? It's a song I've imagined being able to play for probably 30 years now and just got around to looking it up, seeing what it takes. Surprisingly, I'd put money on I'll be able to do it sooner than later. And, I'll be so happy with myself going from dream to playing it in front of other people, even if that accomplishment took a life-time to take from dream to reality.
I only play the easy stuff. Got a book full of maybe 85 songs of that. I cant do key "modulations"; would like to play/sing "Mack the Knife", but that's got 3. Brains sez "I wonder if I can yank a capo up the neck in real time?" Or get one of those auto tuning guitars.
Fair enough! But, as far as I am concerned, I am getting an egg shaker to give it a try, as you recommended, Mark. I have no doubt that it is good advice. My main concern is whether I am going to be able to stick with it - it does not sound interesting, and I might lapse quickly. But I will try.
My apologies if poking fun at the egg shaker is offensive. I did not mean it. I think we can recognize the egg shaker approach as valuable, and make good fun of it at the same time! I mean, it is objectively funny, don't you agree?
Thank you for the advice! When people who obviously know what they are talking about give advice, I really try to listen.
Same here. And, unlike @Guerilla , I am not a great singer at all. For me, it is Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd. Everybody says that it is an easy beginnner/intermediate song but putting together strumming and singing is very hard for me - I cannot do it yet. Since my current interest is in tinkering with different parts and trying to record, I am trying to get the strumming + "intro" good and precise throughout the song, and plan to try to sing separately. I can do the rhythm part kinda ok, including intro. I can also play the right notes roughly with the right tempo for the first solo but not quite right yet. And the second solo is just silly... It's like... It feels like you almost play it on the same fret just by bending - can't do anything close to right yet.
But I intend to keep on working on that one.
I've read where Gilmore sometimes uses "stacked" compressors - which I assume means more than one - assume in series - on some of those majestic solos he's done. So maybe he just touches a string to a fret and it's like lighting a fire that he then sails upon; versus without that effect chain, the note just dies like striking a wet match.
Some compressors are better at providing long sustain, but let too much attack through. Another pedal/dynamics processor may control the attack part of the amplitude envelope better. Maybe a noise gate pedal/processor involved too. Some good info on compressor tech at That Corp: https://thatcorp.com/design-notes/
I encourage you to work out these solos. They sound simple at a first glance - but are not. For me a quite interesting sample of bending technique. Worth some effort.
Since we're talking about playing guitar and learning a song, IMHO what makes Clapton and SRV sound the way when they play is mostly in fingers and not in the equipment. The question is, what are exactly are they doing with their fingers and relative to what else, so as to get their signature sounds?
Its called Rubato. Both of those guitarists require accompaniment where everyone in the band is playing tightly together. One soloist can then have the freedom to play expressively against that rhythmicly tight background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempo_rubato
A possible corollary: A problem with a lot of amateur bands is that everyone thinks they can play expressively at once.
Its called Rubato. Both of those guitarists require accompaniment where everyone in the band is playing tightly together. One soloist can then have the freedom to play expressively against that rhythmicly tight background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempo_rubato
A possible corollary: A problem with a lot of amateur bands is that everyone thinks they can play expressively at once.
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