JGBE Virtual Jam (Round 84) - Bag's Groove

[AlsoRan]

I couldn't resist digging out the Roland synthesizer and playing some vibes on this one. I'm on bass and rhythm guitar, Mr Hydrogen is behind the traps, and I'm with Lester in my Milt Jackson costume. I figured a video was necessary to show that it was actually a guitar - the vibes patch in the Roland synth is one of their best sounds and very, very convincing in real life. I remounted the pickup to get it closer to the strings and lower the action, so the sensitivity is a bit too high now and I need to reduce it. When I pick up the pace, even a very faint signal from rubbing my fingertip over a fret triggers a note. So I had to keep it slow and simple - no flying mallets on this one

That was so much fun! I don't recall ever seeing someone do this, although I know those synths can turn guitar notes into all kinds of sounds.

You learn something new every day.

[ragman1]

Very nice, never, very interesting. Music wasn't bad either :-)

I did a short video too. Nothing like yours, of course, I'm just a basic person. Hope it's not too loud

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

That was so much fun! I don't recall ever seeing someone do this, although I know those synths can turn guitar notes into all kinds of sounds.

You learn something new every day.

I don’t use the synth much any more, but I gigged with it regularly for several years. Mine’s the original GR20 - I bought it when they first came out and used it for B3 / Leslie and horn section riffs in blues bands and keys, plus vibes, flute & sax for jazz. It has a sustain pedal so you can play guitar as usual while holding notes or chords from the synth - so it’s very useful once you learn how to use it.

Some of the instruments are pretty realistic, eg flute, alto, vibes, EP, B3, Harmon muted trumpet, and trombone. Others are fair and a few are terrible. The open trumpet sounds like a ten cent kazoo. But the key to realism is knowing how to play the real instrument - everything from the mechanics to phrasing matters, eg horn players have to breathe, keyboards and vibes can’t bend notes.

Before I got my first synth (a rack mount XV2020), I played trumpet and sax well enough to support blues bands, although I never developed the chops to solo as well as I would have liked because it takes a lot of daily practice. And I’ve played keys and vibes for decades. Even so, I lapsed into guitar habits within seconds of starting to record the vibes part on Bags’ Groove. You can see string bending in a few spots. Because the vibes patch won’t warp notes it jumps a half step as the pitch crosses the midpoint.

Synths are fun, and the current generation sounds even better than mine. But it’s also $1k, and my days of playing for major acts that want a bargain horn section or an organ along with a guitar player are over. So my GR20 is fine & dandy for the few times I take it out.

[wzpgsr]

I don’t use the synth much any more, but I gigged with it regularly for several years. Mine’s the original GR20 - I bought it when they first came out and used it for B3 / Leslie and horn section riffs in blues bands and keys, plus vibes, flute & sax for jazz. It has a sustain pedal so you can play guitar as usual while holding notes or chords from the synth - so it’s very useful once you learn how to use it.

Some of the instruments are pretty realistic, eg flute, alto, vibes, EP, B3, Harmon muted trumpet, and trombone. Others are fair and a few are terrible. The open trumpet sounds like a ten cent kazoo. But the key to realism is knowing how to play the real instrument - everything from the mechanics to phrasing matters, eg horn players have to breathe, keyboards and vibes can’t bend notes.

Before I got my first synth (a rack mount XV2020), I played trumpet and sax well enough to support blues bands, although I never developed the chops to solo as well as I would have liked because it takes a lot of daily practice. And I’ve played keys and vibes for decades. Even so, I lapsed into guitar habits within seconds of starting to record the vibes part on Bags’ Groove. You can see string bending in a few spots. Because the vibes patch won’t warp notes it jumps a half step as the pitch crosses the midpoint.

Synths are fun, and the current generation sounds even better than mine. But it’s also $1k, and my days of playing for major acts that want a bargain horn section or an organ along with a guitar player are over. So my GR20 is fine & dandy for the few times I take it out.

Bobby Broom put out a video recently where he demonstrates how he uses MIDI in a DAW to build his own backing tracks:

[ragman1]

Had to do a last blast on this one.