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To be honest, I've given up on making the videos. It wasn't that they are technically difficult to do; just that the perfectionist in me was obsessing about making the video rather than trying to understand what RC was laying down. I have a webcam and a USB mic, but it could just as easily be done with an iPhone. Upload the raw footage to Youtube and post a link. But I do think it is key to "have fun". If, like me, the video part kills the fun for you, you can still get a lot from these books and seeing others post their videos. I am still following along and am about to start on "Project 4".
Originally Posted by lawson-stone
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11-29-2017 01:51 PM
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Hi rlrhett -- I'm glad to know that you are still part of the study group. I too struggle with perfectionism when making the videos. But I'm starting to relax a bit. I also have to remind myself not to let the video production override RC's teaching. Cheers, Joe Originally Posted by rlrhett
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The only shortcoming with this approach is we don't get the encouragement and inspiration from seeing/hearing you play the week's section. But if it kills the fun, the sure, let it go. Originally Posted by rlrhett
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I've just worked the clips into my practice session. I work on the piece a bit, then pop the phone in the stand and play until I forget the phone is there doing the video. It's gotten to where I don't think much about making the clip, and posting, for me, is a nice milestone. I find recording a few minutes a day at the end of a practice session gives me a chance to see how I'm doing. Originally Posted by losaltosjoe
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You know the old saying “don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good enough”. I suggest you post your videos even if they are not perfect. The satisfaction of completing them and the accolades from your peers will undoubtedly spur you on. Originally Posted by rlrhett
I have seen and heard your work and would love to hear and see more of you.
We are performing among friends here.
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Guys I am running behind here because of holiday festivities and so I'm going to likely be Monday putting the whole solo up. I haven't dropped out, and I have learned 25-28, but work, family, and farm-ish tasks have slowed me down!
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Hey Lawson, I can sympathize. With 2 kids and 2 jobs I often fall behind on my posts as well. You and I are in a few groups together and I think you may have noticed that I am rarely on time with posting clips. Originally Posted by lawson-stone
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Here's my week 4, mm. 1-36. I'm doing this very slowly, at 110 bpm. The phrase boundaries on this have never felt natural to me, which has made learning this solo hard. I'm pretty much just counting it in my head mechanically. I have a lot to learn about jazz phrasing.
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Hi Lawson -- As I may have mentioned in an earlier post, I think this solo has a bit of a cool vibe when played at a leisurely tempo. I enjoyed your take. The notes rang clear as a bell. Congrats on finishing another project. Originally Posted by lawson-stone
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I feel a bit better about this take, though I still can't seem to match the solo up with the actual human backing tracks that I have for this tune. Again, it's the phrasing relative to the changes and bar lines that is throwing me every time. On the iReal track, the beats are mechanical and conspicuous and I can make it. But the human backing tracks are played well, humanly, and I find I get off a beat invariably because Conti's pickup note isn't where I would think one should go.
of course, he's the teacher, he's the master player, so this is just where my learning edge is, but it's a hard thing about this solo for me.
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So unless something happens, here's my final post on this solo.
It's the head+Conti's solo, played with a human backing track that has some tricky moments in it. The head is a little erratic--hard to play it at slower tempos! The head needs maybe 140 or better, but I can't do the solo any faster than 130, so 130 it is.
A note on the recording. Normally I mic my speaker, but this was done with the effects loop send from the DVMark Micro50 head. I don't know if I like it, actually!
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Hey, guys. Been away for a while. Good to be back. Started working on this solo and hope to have a video up by the weekend. I like this solo. A few measures still outfox me just when I think I'm doing fine, but that's what makes it worth learning!
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Well done Lawson! I've been trying for 2 weeks to get a clean take of the head + solo and have failed miserably. You've inspired (once again) to give it another try this weekend. In either case, it is off to "Watch What Happens" on Monday, December 11. Originally Posted by lawson-stone
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Welcome back Mark! I'm looking forward to your posts. We've missed you. Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
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Thank you. It's good to be back. Originally Posted by losaltosjoe
I started a thread on my search for a practice amp. I have a Polytone Mini Brute II, which is a fine old amp, but it's a bit bulky for my currently cramped quarters. I would like something smaller, lighter, and with more tonal options for rockabilly (the bug has bit me) as well as blues and jazz. This amp would mainly be for practice and study-group videos.
Anyone here use / have a Fender Mustang or Fender Champion (20 watt)? I'm not looking to buy here---just want feedback from someone who has played them. They seem like they'd suit my needs and budget. Thoughts?
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Quote MarkRhodes:
"Anyone here use / have a Fender Mustang or Fender Champion (20 watt)?"
Hey welcome back! Anyway, yes I have a Mustang. I'd say it is a pretty good practice amp, not really a performance amp. There are many settings because you start with about a dozen overall sounds (Twin Reverb, 60s rock, etc.) and each has a Green, Red, and Orange version.
Roughly, Green = Metheny; Orange = Martino; Red = Grant Green.
Then you have 2 knobs you can set many different ways to control reverb/echo. Then also gain, etc. It's a fun amp to play around with, but the sound is not entirely pro-level because you get little buzzes and whatnot at times. If you can get over to a Guitar Center and play around with one, you can see if it has the sounds you need.
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Welcome back Mark! Glad to have you back aboard. I saw you re-entered the Herb Ellis group too. Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
On small amps, I have a Polytone BabyBrute I like a lot. Also, I something else at my office I'll need to double-check, but I recall I only paid about $50 for it, and it's not bad.
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I've been working on this solo with two different tracks. One is the Conti track, played through a Jensen cube CD player (tiny AND tinny), the other is the iRealPro track via my smartphone. I seem to play better with the latter than the former. I seem to HEAR the latter better than the former. I'm not sure why that is. (It's not a question of volume: the CD player is louder than my smartphone, though since I'm not plugging my guitar in, I don't play either loud at all.)
Is this unusual or par for the course?
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I find the iRealPro tracks easier to play with mainly because they are so definitive about where the beat is. My "human" tracks play like real people, sometimes ahead of the beat, sometimes behind, so I find I use iReal when I'm just learning the lines, then I use the human tracks to lock them into place. Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
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I think you're right about the iRealPro being definite about where the beat is. Originally Posted by lawson-stone
I learned to play the solo w/out any backing. (I like to play everything w/out backing so that I focus on how the lines flow.) Then I play w/ a metronome (a Sabine zipbeat, so "one" sounds different than beats 2 and 3 and 4.) Then onto the play-along track. By that time, I have a sense of how I want to play the lines. (This is one of the things I like about Conti's material: he's not dogmatic about students playing things exactly as he does but rather, he wants students to use their own ears and to go with what sounds best to them.)
I'll have a new practice amp in a few days and will record the solo with both backing tracks. You guys can tell me if you detect any important difference.
By the way, here's my metronome. Have had it for 10-15 years and it has survived many a fall from my music stand. The dial may fly off but it fits right back on, and like the weather it's "partly cloudy" but it has proved reliable and durable. I would recommend one to a friend.
Attachment 48336
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I did something a little different this time.
I recorded the Robert Conti solo with iRealBook playing the drums and bass, the chords are me (being played through a looper) and I am recording the solo. I found that Conti's Solo is busy is it sounded best with a straight 4 beats to the bar type of rhythm behind it.
Here it is
Robert Conti Solo
Tell me what you think
Then, in typical Double A fashion (it's not done until it's overdone), I recorded a version of "All the things you are" taken from a book called Jazz Guitar Standards. This particular solo is credited to Chris Buzzelli.
Once again I used iRealBook for the drums and bass, the chords are me (being played through a looper) and I am recording the solo.This time I used a different rhythm.
The Book Jazz Guitar Standards offers a chordal accompaniment. I used that accompaniment with a few alterations.
Jazz Guitar Standards
I appreciate that Conti stuffs so much information into his solo and I have complained before how I wished that his solos contained more interesting phrases. This one does. I like the triplets in bars 9, 10 and 11. I like that bars 14 and 17 do not start on the 1 beat. The triplets in bars 21 and 23. My favourite part is the phrasing in bars 25 to 27 leading into the double stops on bar 28.
I feel like the Chris Buzzelli version has a lot more space and in some ways sounds more modern. The phrasing and the quirky melody seem extremely laid back.
Tell me what you think
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I enjoyed both solos Doublea A! It's great to see examples of how others work through this material. Cheers. Originally Posted by Doublea A
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So is the second solo your own or is that from the JGS book? Originally Posted by Doublea A
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It is from the JGS book Originally Posted by lawson-stone
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If I have time, I may record my own. I know this song really well. I have performed and taught it many times. Originally Posted by lawson-stone
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