Stella by Starlight 2025 w/Video

[AllanAllen]

Nice work OP. If you struggled with the track or had bad intonation, it didn't sound like it to me.

Melodic, tasteful and clean guitar playing. Something I strive for.

[Question]

AlanAlen,

thanks.

I think I erroneously implied in my (now edited) first post that that I was having a hard time in this take.
That is not the case; I spent time practicing my weakness and got to the point where I am fairly satisfied with this version.

I can easily play through the changes but playing in a lyrical way while respecting the harmony is a different skill.

Trying to make what you play relate in some way to what came before it and what comes after it and not just being a slave to the harmony. At least that is always my goal.

[John A.]

After reading 7 pages of discussions about the original chords to Stella, I decided to record a version with the harmony as it is (mostly) currently played.

I find navigating this tune well somewhat difficult.

Although I don't believe that Ed Bickert ever recorded Stella, he was my inspiration on this one.

Ed Bickert had a great and unique way when playing trio of accompanying himself with not only chord stabs, but also using counterpoint and chords within his melodic content.

Sort of harmonizing just sections of a line and not block-chording the whole thing.


Anyway, here it is with help from Mr. Sunny Bass. (and Peter Erskine)

To your specific point about adding harmonic content to your soloing, I guess I'd say that if you find it challenging on Stella I have to believe you, but it's not obvious from your playing here. To me, it seems a bit sparser in terms of chord stabs and harmonized phrases than one typically hears in Ed Bickert, but it sounds good and well integrated with your style.

In general, harmonization during a solo doesn't come automatically to me, and I have to be pretty conscious/deliberate about it. Not that I'm any great shakes at this particular skill, but for some reason I find Stella to be one of the easier tunes to apply it to. I guess it comes from Stella being the standard I've probably played most often.

[Question]

Hi John A,

thanks.

Yes adding chords is easy for me, I am referring more to harmonizing just part of an improvised melodic idea.

I think I erroneously implied in my (now edited) first post that that I was having a hard time in this take.
That is not the case; I spent time practicing my weakness and got to the point where I am fairly satisfied with this version.

This is more "inspired by" and not "trying to sound like" Ed Bickert.

Ed Bickert was for me more about understatement, flawless taste, swing, and checking the ego at the door and playing something (hopefully) meaningful. (not to mention his enormous harmonic pallet and sound).

[Ingo Lee]

Very well done on all fronts Question, certainly nothing there that I would question. Do I need to read the many pages on what version of Stella is being played now, is it the one on iReal? Also, I'm a little confused at your backup, how do you get the YT track into your DAW? Is the Stylus RMX playing loops or samples? Thanks for any help you can give.

[Mick-7]

Mick,

I normally refrain from responding to your countless posts, which I suspect you believe are well intended, but as Peter and others have pointed out in other threads, your messages often have a tone of "superiority complex" or "sour grapes" and are frankly often condescending.

If you don't feel that I have reached my goal in this video of playing a lyrical and coherent solo in time, that is fine.
I am not posting to get compliments or advice, I play/write music for a living and get constant feedback.

I have already stated that my motivation for posting on this forum is primarily to inspire and help less experienced players get better, maybe think about what motivates you.

If you sincerely wish to be constructive, then please post an unedited video of yourself playing Stella in time demonstrating how you would navigate the harmony with a concept like Keith Jarret's (your words), because thus far I haven't heard anything that you have posted that would justify placing any weight on your advice.

I am not posting this with any malice, but it does make me reconsider my active participation in this forum.

o.k., now that I know that you do not want to hear any constructive criticism about your playing, I will refrain from commenting on any more of your videos. We all have our musical weaknesses, I don't think timing is one of yours, but clearly you do want to hear what I think (or apparently what anyone else does either).

I am mystified by your comment on Keith Jarrett. I have said I found it useful to study his approach to melodic development and shared a set of exercises on it, but I made no reference to my own playing when I did that.

[Question]

@ Ingo Lee

I can explain it if you like.

I work with Logic Pro, which will import videos and extract the audio, or you can use something like "amazing slow downer" or Quick-Time to extract the audio. Download the YT video, extract the audio then just import the audio file into your DAW.

Styles RMX is playing REX files which will lock to tempo and sound ok within a tempo range. Mostly loops with a few one shot samples of cymbals that I made.

I only do it this way because i have this software. The "Straight Ahead Bass" and "Straight Ahead Drums", are much better but you will have to program the bass yourself. I think the Drums library contains loops as well as one shot samples.

Mr. Sunny Bass plays to a metronome so you just need to figure out his tempo. His Stella track is 164 bpm.

He is playing the standard (modern) changes, which most people use, in Bb.

It was too slow for me but it would of been just too much work to get everything to sync. so I just left it.

Hope my explanation is understandable.

[Ingo Lee]

@ Ingo Lee
I work with Logic Pro, which will import videos and extract the audio, or you can use something like "amazing slow downer" or Quick-Time to extract the audio. Download the YT video, extract the audio then just import the audio file into your DAW.

I've just started using Logic after many years on Reaper. It's confusing but it seems to work well. I didn't know it could import YT stuff, I'll have to try that. I'm trying to do some videos for the first time which is a challenge.

I'll look at Real Jazz Bass and Drums. I've been using BIAB, exporting the midi and editing to suit with different instrument libraries. It seems the result depends on some careful editing and mixing. Like most things I guess.

Thanks for the info!

[GuyBoden]

After reading 7 pages of discussions about the original chords to Stella, I decided to record a version with the harmony as it is (mostly) currently played.

Although I don't believe that Ed Bickert ever recorded Stella, he was my inspiration on this one.

Ed Bickert had a great and unique way when playing trio of accompanying himself with not only chord stabs, but also using counterpoint and chords within his melodic content.

Sort of harmonizing just sections of a line and not block-chording the whole thing.


Anyway, here it is with help from Mr. Sunny Bass. (and Peter Erskine)

IMHO, it's very good playing and a very enjoyable listen. Please post more future videos of your playing.

[Question]

Hi Guy,

thanks.

I have posted 10 or so videos in the past year, just look at my profile page/find latest posts and you can find them all there.
(they are all marked with the little video icon)

I lurked here on the forum for about ten years then felt a bit guilty that I was learning stuff but not contributing anything, so I started occasionally posting videos of my practice sessions about a year ago.