The Friendly 12bar Blues Guitar Forum

Got frustrated working on a project, couldn't get it to sound right.
So I poured another glass of wine, clicked on a slow blues in C bt, closed my eyes, and got ALL self indulgent. Now maybe I can go back to my project and focus... Nah, I'm going to bed.
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=9163469

Oh yeah, playing the Frankenstrat through a Line6 Bassman model.

Nice track Bb !!

.Self Indulgent Blues eh!! .works for me ...I just wish i could knock something like that out on a whim !!

Love the Screaming Bends ( there's another Blues title !!) ........... you get on the FrankenStrat .................Now time to have a good Kip mate !!

More project tomorrow ...plenty of time !

I find it intresting how our international 'club' operates .................here I am sitting down with a breakfast cup of tea ....just thinking about starting the day ...and as I log on ..............at 0800/ 0830 ish ........................a post drops in from the US ......which means Bb you do you best stuff late at night / early early morning up there in them thar woods of yours !!

Do your work ......................and then pass the baton on to the rest of the 12 bar Communitity around the globe.

what a forum !!

Yep - can hear that steam hissing big time - a good fluent piece of blues in the Bb tradition. Always glad to see you posting a track - and enjoyed this hugely - great sounds from your Frankenstrat - you two are a great team.

Damn projects - my computer's littered with half finished half assed failures. And my past is littered with great intentions of going back to finish them and get them right.

Self indulgent blues... I like that.
Thanks guys, glad you liked it. I am starting to get the virtual amp to respond a bit more like a real one. I like when you can get a variety of tones and levels of gain just by switching pickups and varying your picking attack.

You guys amaze me... it just blows my mind how you can just pick up a guitar, pop in a BT and play something like this. Maybe some day....
Super job BB...

I liked that a lot, too. BB, you wrote

Blindboy wrote:you can get a variety of tones and levels of gain just by switching pickups and varying your picking attack

That's one thing that intrigued me. You start a line with round, melodic tones and finish a few bars later with some really crunchy distortion. I wondered if you were fiddling with the amp settings, the guitar settings, a pedal, just playing harder or whatever to accomplish that.

MojoJim wrote:I liked that a lot, too.
That's one thing that intrigued me. You start a line with round, melodic tones and finish a few bars later with some really crunchy distortion. I wondered if you were fiddling with the amp settings, the guitar settings, a pedal, just playing harder or whatever to accomplish that.

Thanks MojoJim.
That's all pickup selector and picking dynamics. I set the amp (or amp model, in this case) for just a little over the top, then play soft or hard, depending on how I want to sound. The neck pickup (or neck/middle on a Strat) has a rounder more melodic sound, and the bridge pickup is brighter and sometimes louder. On my Strat, the bridge is quite a bit hotter too, you can hear the difference in about the second verse of this song. I am shaking a note, and switch from the neck pu to the bridge pu.That drives the amp (model) harder for a bit more gain. Playing through an actual amp, and with other people/a band, I use the volume knob on the guitar a lot, but on this, it was just wide open.
Thanks, Golfxzq, I'm glad you liked it.

A bit late, but:
Sometimes angriness (about whatever...) results in greatest playing, we know this from EC, too. + =
Really nice variation on tone!

Blindboy wrote:That's all pickup selector and picking dynamics. I set the amp (or amp model, in this case) for just a little over the top, then play soft or hard, depending on how I want to sound. The neck pickup (or neck/middle on a Strat) has a rounder more melodic sound, and the bridge pickup is brighter and sometimes louder. On my Strat, the bridge is quite a bit hotter too, you can hear the difference in about the second verse of this song. I am shaking a note, and switch from the neck pu to the bridge pu.That drives the amp (model) harder for a bit more gain. Playing through an actual amp, and with other people/a band, I use the volume knob on the guitar a lot, but on this, it was just wide open.

Playing dynamics is a peak most of us are trying to climb up to - it requires great control and your control of dynamics in this piece is one of the skills that makes it such a good track BB.

I didn't realise just how much the playing dynamics could be picked up by a good amp (not having had one till a few weeks ago). I can hear the benefits and it makes the sound so much better BUT I am having to relearn how to strike the strings with more consistency and precision - otherwise it's a mess with the wrong notes emphasised - not to mention it's messing with my timing when I'm concious of the notes not hit right.

I already knew how much playing dynamics could help a performance - my eyes were really opened to this by the live full version of Tommy on the live at Leeds double CD - sound of jaw hitting ground on realisation that this huge range of sounds were just one guitar and amp and a players control over fingers and guitar controls. I hadn't really appreciated that with the right gear the playing dynamics would impact on me too.

One step forward and two back. One question answered gives rise to another two questions.

Thanks 12Bar
Yeah, VB, a good tube amp responds to the way you play unlike any solid state or hybrid amp I have ever played. (HBL touts the CyberTwin, so it may well be the exception that proves the rule ) The models on the Line6 are pretty good, but nothing like an amp at volume.
Dynamics (picking, or overall) are what breathe life into a song. I think that dynamics are one of those Zen things that one continually aspires to but never completley masters. When I approach a tune, particularly onstage, I pay more attention to how the dynamic of the piece is going to evolve, than the notes I am going to play. (Sometimes this approach actually works and something good emerges )

Blindboy wrote:Yeah, VB, a good tube amp responds to the way you play unlike any solid state or hybrid amp I have ever played. (HBL touts the CyberTwin, so it may well be the exception that proves the rule ) The models on the Line6 are pretty good, but nothing like an amp at volume.

I agree about the modelling - I used a UX1 for a while, but needed to change to the Tonelab ST with it's hybrid part tube set up to get anywhere near a sound I liked on recording. If only it was easier to set up recording from a tube amp on a mic - 10 minutes of untangling leads, moving stuff around and plugging in, and I still don't know the best mic position for my sound. Maybe when I've retired I might have a room for my music when everytjhing is set up and ready just to be switched on. It's a sort of dream I have.

Blindboy wrote:Dynamics (picking, or overall) are what breathe life into a song. I think that dynamics are one of those Zen things that one continually aspires to but never completley masters. When I approach a tune, particularly onstage, I pay more attention to how the dynamic of the piece is going to evolve, than the notes I am going to play. (Sometimes this approach actually works and something good emerges )

Well put. The dynamics do help inject soul into a piece and they're so tough to get right. Something I've noticed in HBLs playing is the skilled use of dynamics and I'm sure it heightens the moods of the pieces really effectively.

I'm now finding I can hearthe difference in the dynamics and tone of my index and my middle fingers of my picking hand - the difference is lessening as I adapt my playing style a bit to cope with it thankfully, and with any volume of BT I'm playing over it's probably not much of an issue - but when you hear these things they do niggle. I really don't want to go back to a pick again.

Just awesome !

HalfBlindLefty wrote:

Just awesome !

Woah! Thanks HBL

Wow, I didn't expect this...
This tune is sitting on number 27 in the Blues genre, and number 11 in Blues-general on Soundclick. I really didn't expect that. This was just a first take, hammer on the guitar to knock loose some frustration kind of deal. I didn't expect anyone to take it even remotely seriously.

I've been listening to this again tonight. The best parts send shivers up my back. The expected notes are played so extremely well. The surprise notes make me say "What the heck?" and play it over.

I want to learn to play like that. Can I bring my guitar and sleep on the floor at your house and watch you play?

MojoJim wrote: I want to learn to play like that. Can I bring my guitar and sleep on the floor at your house and watch you play?

Heck, we'll even let you sleep on the sofa.

You got a handle on your blues licks and phrasings, it tells me you listen and learn from those you admire. Too often many players are playing way too fast making stuff up that don't even come close to blues but more rock and don't follow the groove, but you got that blues soul in your heart and fingertips. Good hammering out on the guitar!

bluesinbflat wrote:You got a handle on your blues licks and phrasings, it tells me you listen and learn from those you admire. Too often many players are playing way too fast making stuff up that don't even come close to blues but more rock and don't follow the groove, but you got that blues soul in your heart and fingertips. Good hammering out on the guitar!

You're absolutely right - BB has an authentic sound to his playing whichever guitar is used and whichever blues style the piece is in. There's a certain something that comes from within a person in their playing that is not from learned licks, etc., but from feel and as you say "soul". And you're right - Blindboy has that blues soul in his heart and fingertips.

Keep posting your recordings BB - they not only keep us entertained but help to inspire us to keep learning.

Wow, Bluesinbflat and VikingBlues, thank you. Those are some of the best compliments to my playing that I could ask for. I will never have enormous technical ability, so I have aspired to Soul or Feel in my playing. I hope that I might move others as I have been moved by some guitarists (my playing has moved people right out the door before )