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Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Jun 27 2008, 10:05 PM

Guys, it started like a regular thing, a minor
spring breeze and then it turned into a
monster summer storm!
We have another mosnter collaboration on our
hands, this time a RECORD BREAKER!
I think Summary tells it all :

THANK YOU ALL FOR PARTICIPATING


SUMMARY:

Type: Blues Improvising Collaboration
Participants: 23
Full Length: 20min (!)

So as I don't have to much time, let's start
with comments right away, because this is
going to be a long night

First let me just say that comments are my opinion on the matter, and they should not be taken for granted. If you think I told you something bad or incorrect please tell me so we can disscus it. I gave my best to give as much as constructive comments I could.


Little note - The participants are placed in a
different order then on the UPLOAD topic
because of DAW's way of importing audio clips



1. Siggum

Very nice creamy sound, starting of with some
nice bends, and developing theme in the major
pentatonic like a true master of blues, very
mature playing. I really like the phrasing,
and muting to accent the rhythm as well. Very
good. Also notes follow the main progression
nicely. There are room for improvements, sound
has some buzzing, and sometimes melody sounds
like you didn't know where to go next. But
this tells that you tried to play by ear adn
with feel, and that is appreciated. Well done

2. Bondy

Nice nice, very good to see that someone is
usign vibe effects in the style of a true
bluesman. Also Fender emulation if I'm not
mistaken adds to that blues vintage feel. This
is an exaple how less is more in the blues.
Very good choice of notes, specially in the
first part. Where there are room for
improvements is with notes and rhythm both.
Too many notes can sometimes get you out of
the groove, specially in the second part. The
ending could be better too, the trick is to
land on the V chord strong note to really nail
it. Work on lead turnarounds, suggest
listening to intros of Freddy Kind, he could
start and finish a song like a true master.

3. fatB0t

And some great heavy modern blues. Like the
preset, lots of mids and suitable for heavy
blues in the style of Gary Moore. Reverb level
is little high, but it can pass. I like the
first lick and bend, little shaky there, but
nicely advancing to that speedy lick, and
finishing off like a true heavy bluesman. Tone
is good, but with that amount of drive, there
is some noise specially with faster passages.
Notes are very important, better to play every
one very clear, and it will sound excellent.
Nevertheless you really tried to play
everything with the right amount of phrasing
and muting, and the energy is great as well,
so a good solo here.

4. bluesrock

Nice raw sound from the guy who likes the
minimalistic apporach on this one. First part
is nice with a try to bend but probably quit
from that idea. Notes are nicely syncopated,
and couldn't help the feeling that an old
bluesman is playing this heavily syncopated.
Even the drive has some degree of originality
and similarity with old school elecric blues
What could be better is melody building and
adding some vibrato or bends to the melody so
it sounds more interesting. Other than that is
very good.

5. Caelumamittendum

Nice licks, starting fast right away, and on
the minor scale, but wiht some nice phrasings.
Also those bends were spot on, very nice, and
the ending lick very precise and very
effective. You seemed liek seeking seeking and
in the secodn part finally find a soul-mode
where you unleash the energy nicely. What I
didn't liek too much is the preset, too harsh
and full of ear piercing presence. THat could
be better, other than that, great playing and
dynamics.

6. cofeeman

And a nice bend vibrato on the start, another
one, and another bend. and some more! wow I
really like the bend+vibrato effects, I can
see someone has been practicing and playing
those. Great double stop licks too, on the V
some great bends too, and finishing of with a
very effective twangy lick + mini tremolo. I
must say this is a great style for blues, but
couple of things could be even better, like
rhythm syncopation and even more steadier
vibrato on all bends, tho it's one of the most
precise here, I can see that you can go even
further if you practice some more. The solo
really gets a whole another dimension with
those nice bends and vibratos. The preset is
mediocre with some buzzing, little harsh but
no big deal, it can be fixed with some
tweaking.

7. Dexxter

WOw what a start, you really get in the zone
fast. I like that free approach where you play
whatever you feel and I can feel you my
friend. Also vibrato is very good although you
don't show it too much. Those 4th intervals
are a good material. On the V there are some
cool bends, then some "lost" notes, and a cool
lick to finish off the solo. What could be
better, well, not much, you pretty played
everything nicely and freely, some notes just
before the last lick seemed that you got lost
a bit, and didn't know what to do for a
moment, but maybe you jsut got outa vibe fora
second. Good feel for the blues tho, adn
preset is very nice.

8. Fran

Very nice celan smooth sound man, and master
solo building/climbing to the IV using those
4th's. The some double stops to spice up, and
ear piercing bends, some bassy lost notes, but
then glued-on a nice lick for an ending. I
really liek the way you started a solo, and
the way you guide it ti the IV, but later
after that piercing bend you seemd kinda lost,
so you recorded a nice lick ot finish it off
effectively. Not a bad thing, very nice, some
more work on maintainig that great feel for
the blues and you'll be fine. Preset a little
harsh on tha tpiercing bend but cool other
than that.

9. Gus

Nice minimalistic intro, with some interesting
bends on the IV change. On the V some nice
climbing on the scale and goind again down on
the V root. Very nice, melodic solo, but a
couple of suggestions. Should wor on dynamics
more, and on bends. They must be strong and
precise. Also preset is too spacey, it makes
your solo floating down bellow the backing
instead being up there to hear it. But
nevertheless, some nice licks, and use of
double stops makes this solo very nice.

10. Henry Dietzel

Starting with a ear piercing bending lick
there, and repeating it to accent it. Nice
development after that, some great
bend/release licks. Very good solo structure,
no speeding and really being carefull about
the tone, muting and bending precision. Also a
nice turnaround lick at the end using A A# B.
I really like that style. Also grace notes
used shows that you liek to play the blues and
knwo classic blues licks very well. Where I
see improvements is vibrato. It can be even
more stable, and wider. Other thing is the
preset, little harsh on the highs but not a
big deal. All in all great and very balanced
solo.

11. jdriver

Another clean minimalistic approach. Very good
and smooth sounding. On the IV little weak but
bringing it down on the I again with elegance.
Also a couple of ntos for V IV I and for the
end little stronger dynamics to finish off
little effectively. What can be better, well
maybe just maybe slihglty less delay, and a
better dynamic could really make this solo
sound pro. Also some vibrato could add a great
vibe too. Other than that the philosophy where
less is more really makes wonders in your
solo, and use of notes is almost perfect.


12. Kaznie

Nice bending lick to start off, and goind to
major scale like a master of blues. I like
mixing major and minot pentatonic very much.
Then that repeat of the lick on the V and
calming things down for the last V turnaround.
Also there are some nice bend release there
in the middle. You really dig the blues major
vibe and I appreaciate that, but more dynamics
and a precise vibrato can make this solo
really shine. My suggestion - practice those
more and you'll sound like a pro. Preset is
great, but spacey, and solo is barely in front
of the backing. It backing soaked it uyp a
little too much.

13. kjutte

Nice intervals, and bends in the start, also
excellent bend release vibrato lick on the IV.
THe followed by some great bending licks too,
adding some grace notes and slow runs along
the scale. On the V IV I some nice melody
building using minor scale licks, even some
modern type in the end using a whammy for a
moment which is very good. Accenting,
phrasing, bending, feeling, you got it man.
Also minor scale use is almost second nature
to you. Add a bit of precision, be carefull
about the tone more, and be carefull not to
play too many unnecessary notes, and you'll
sound like a true pro bluesman and a player.
Preset could benefit with less space imo.

14. matt23

Very nice and smooth, clean sound with some
nice bending vibratos there and a mature
minimalistic approach. Later those bends are
also very nice, and finsihing lick is a great
combo of a blues classics. Now, some more
precise bendings in the middle, better
dynamics, and tone control can make you sound
even better man. By tone control I mean
precise muting and carefull picking so that
notes sound roughly very similar in character.
(Of course not if you don't want them too).
Some analyzing of turnaround licks can enable
you to finish off the solo in a much more
effectvie manner. THe preset is nice and
smooth, I like it for this type of playing.

15. mattacuk

Nice vibrato mate, starting off very nicely
and with feeling. I like how you used that
main theme from the intro in the whole solo. I
can feel that you got in the zone with the
blues. Later some great vibratos again, all in
all very effective and the outro lick is
excellent too. Improvements can be achieved in
the field of vibrato. It is very good, but a
more stable, wider, and slower one would sound
even more fluid. Also preset could be smoother
by a fraction of an inch imo, because clipping
is little too harsh. Other than that it is
great, decently structured and with feel.

16. Nemanja

Very nice man. The woman/man theme/story is a
great idea, shows that you have a creativity
and humor. Also the singing is very good mate,
but little behind the main humoristic idea.
Very nice all in all, and quality of the
recording is also excellent.

17. Pizzoaro

Some pannign exeperimentint here, very nice
sounding, and nice effect "where is that
player" achieved. Also the choice of notes is
very nice, and staccato playing adds to the
style. Tone is very nice, not too harsh, but
the spacing is a little bit too much in
relatioonshop to the backing. It seemed like
the band is playing and you are running up and
down on the 100m stage in the style of Angus
Young. Other than that melody and strucutre of
the solo are great.

18. skennington

Nice intro lick, but... I think you played in
G minor pentatonic instead of E minor. I must
say it does sound good and minimalistic but
seems like you went out of the key on this
one. Other than that it sounds very good, and
I really liek that raw preset too. In the
future I recommend practicing on the minor
pentatonic in the key that the backing is. If
you're not sure how, check out my lessons
about blues, I gave some nice explanations.

19. Slammer

Very nice start with that blues lick involving
bend, following by an awesome bend+vibrato,
and muted bend. Then going to to frenzy mode
unelashing some raw note sequences, followed
by those souldful bends, that really tells me
that you got the feeling for the blue. The
last lick is good, but not great, it can be
better and more effeective, try practicing
some turnarounds. WIth those bends and feeling
I think you can easily manage it. Preset is
also nice and not too harsh, very bluesy.

20. sticky fingers

Starting off with nice licks bend+release, and
adding some grace notes, and following the
progression very nicely. The last lick is very
good and effective. 2 things can be even
better and those are vibrato and rhythhm.
Interesting preset, modern hi gain blues,
little harsh at moments because of the
clipping but all in all very very good. I like
that modern style and wiht some wider vibrato
it can really shine.

21. TJchep

Very smooth start, with some nice twangy
licks, followed by >whole step bends that I
really like, and very good vibrato. On hte V
there is a change, my guess you played with
pikc there and with more gain. I liked teh
first part better but the second is very good
too with some great licks. What can be better
is soloing structure, lots of good licks, but
you must connect them together in a good way
so that they sound like a whole. Presets are
great specially hte first one.

22. USAMAN

Nice twangy licks right away followed by a
good efective tremolo. THen some electric
blues licks in E major pentatonic that sound
very nice, On the V a good minimalistic
apporach and the outro lick is great, I can
see that you have played turnarounds before.
What can be better is possibly muting the
strings, and developing tone even further TO
really play the notes cleanly and not to pick
the notes that are not played. Presets (both
of them) are cool and acoustic/electri mix
sounds very nice. Add a more stable vibrato
and it will sound top notch.

23. ZiZi Top

Very nice, guitar and a good voice. Yo have
the color in your voice and it sounds nice,
but more practicing can really shine. Also
those effects at the end is very good. About
the guitar, it very nice, I really lie that
heavy rhtyhm blues style. SPecially slide
effects. SLighlty less gain, little more
middle and more tone control will make your
playing sound even better. Great job.

24. My Take

my modest contribution

 FINAL_MIX.mp3 ( 18.43MB ) : 721

Posted by: Gus Jun 27 2008, 10:08 PM

First to download!

Have a nice rest, Ivan. And good job, as always!

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Jun 27 2008, 10:40 PM

Thanks man, expect for comment first thing tomorrow (when I wake up and have some breakfast ).

Posted by: skennington Jun 27 2008, 11:04 PM

WOW!!! 20 min... Awsome Job Ivan, you deserve your rest bro. I'll wait for comments tomorow and then tell you what I was trying to say with my take. (Goes back to the original title )

Posted by: kaznie_NL Jun 28 2008, 04:13 PM

Wow.. Thanks for the comment!!! Indeed I mixed the major scale in the start, and the major pentatonic. I didn't use the minor I believe not sur though. You talk about all cool things I did, and I didnt' realy know I did that The turnaround and all the stuff, I didn't think of it in theory use, but just played it

Thanks Ivan!!

EDIT: back to earth now , with the sound sound coming forward in the mix, do you mean I probably am to low on mids?

Posted by: Siggum Jun 28 2008, 04:17 PM

Monster Collab, thanks for the comments Ivan and great job

Posted by: kjutte Jun 28 2008, 04:25 PM

Thanks for kind comments Ivan. Reason I didn't retake (although I did miss alot in start of lick) is that it was the most successful pentatonic jam pattern I've done. I really have no idea how to play blues

Posted by: Slammer Jun 28 2008, 04:29 PM

Great Job everyone!

Ivan I was thinking that I need to learn some good turnarounds, do you know of any good lessons here that will teach me some?

Posted by: Fran Jun 28 2008, 04:59 PM

Thanks Ivan! I really appreciate your input!
Listening to Final Mix now, good job everyone

Looking forward to your next Collab!

Posted by: coffeeman Jun 28 2008, 05:23 PM

What a nice collab , I enjoyed a lot listening to it, we have awesome takes here. Thanks for your comments Ivan. And your take was beautiful , did you used the toneport? If yes , which preset did you used? Your tone is amazing.

Posted by: Henry Dietzel Jun 28 2008, 05:37 PM

Great job everyone and thanks for the collab Ivan.

Thank you for your comments those will be things I will be attentive to.
I agree highs could've come down a lot

Posted by: Caelumamittendum Jun 28 2008, 05:40 PM

Hey Ivan, man! Thanks for the comment! And very nice work, you put a good amount of effort into this! Looking forward to the next one!

About my tone - I was aware it was a little off. Can't really seem to get it tweaked properly on my boss GT6 though - for some styles it's alright, but I can see the harshness being a bit too harsh on this nice slow blues track. Will give that some thought next time around! Once again, thanks for the comment!

Posted by: skennington Jun 28 2008, 06:08 PM

Nice job to everyone and especially a Big Thank's to Ivan for doing this one. Ivan you are spot on with your comment. When you put up the backing, I jumped on it befor I knew what key it was in. Thought it was G minor by ear and had already recorded the and posted the take befor you posted "Key of E".

Remeber the original name for the collab? What I was trying to immitate was a person who had to many cocktails and trying to leave the establishment. At the end of my take, they finaly make it out the door.

Thanks again for your comments and look forward to the next one!

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Jun 28 2008, 07:29 PM

Thanks a lot guys for kind words, it was very interesting to hear all the takes and I tried to give my best with commenting. Don't kill me, please Every take was great in it's own way and improvements that I suggested can only make it even better. That's why we're here, to learn something and become even better than we are at the moment. I must say I learned a lot listening to your takes as well.


@ Kaznie
I meant there is too much space like you are "far behind" the band. THe space settings of the backing and yours are in a too far apart.

@Slammer
Almost every blues lesson of mine has a turnaround at the end of the progression. ALso there's a couple of rhythm turnaround licks that you can check out on my new blues groove library lesson.

@coffeman
Thank a lot man, you can DL the preset here. I also did some EQing in the DAW
6000Hz high shelf -24dB,
1100Hz Q2.5 +10.7dB and
159Hz Low shelf +24dB
with some reverb toom long tail but low volume

@skennington
thanks man, don't worry about key missmatch, it is a common mistake, and not something to worried about. You play great.

 blues_collab_preset.rar ( 729bytes ) : 248

Posted by: Matt23 Jun 28 2008, 08:05 PM

Thanks for collab and comments Ivan. I've never really done blues before so it was quite interesting trying to do this.

Posted by: Nemanja Filipovic Jun 28 2008, 08:08 PM

Great collab man,every body did great.

Posted by: Bluesrock Jun 28 2008, 08:59 PM

QUOTE (Ivan Milenkovic @ Jun 27 2008, 11:05 PM)

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Jun 28 2008, 09:11 PM

Hey man, sorry for not giving you better explanation, english is not my native language and I was pretty tired. The fifth note of your solo seemed to me like you wanted to bend it a little but quit that idea and carried on. I hope it makes sense

Posted by: skennington Jun 28 2008, 10:05 PM

QUOTE (Ivan Milenkovic @ Jun 28 2008, 02:29 PM)

Posted by: Zizi Top Jun 28 2008, 10:18 PM

Wow that was a great collab Ivan, thanks for the comment .. I'm still looking for a library of tone that will fit my style of playing, but my library is really short, so I hope to widen it
Anyway thnks for the comments dude, and great job

Jad

Posted by: Bogdan Radovic Jun 28 2008, 10:21 PM

Great takes everybody , and awesome job on mixing Ivan!

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Jun 28 2008, 10:22 PM

Thanks man

Posted by: chmilew Jun 28 2008, 10:38 PM

You did an awesome job guys !
(Special + to Nemanja : this take was great Man ! )

Anyway, everybody rock !

Bravo !

Posted by: Hisham Al-Sanea Jun 28 2008, 11:31 PM

great job Guys .congrats

Posted by: Dexxter Jun 29 2008, 12:21 AM

Thanks for the comment Ivan, I'm so happy right now And great job on mixing and commenting all these takes, and great job doing them guys

Posted by: Bluesrock Jun 29 2008, 08:01 AM

If we're talking about the same note then i was just putting a lot of vibrato on it , maybe it didnt come out right.

QUOTE (Ivan Milenkovic @ Jun 27 2008, 11:05 PM)

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Jun 29 2008, 10:48 AM

I really understand your level of playing man, and I can only say that you play great, giving in respect the age you are in. I wish I played that well when I was 18 or had someone to show me the right way. SO keep rocking man, you really did great.

Posted by: Bluesrock Jun 29 2008, 12:19 PM

Thanks ivan thats a great encouragement

Posted by: stickyfingers Jun 29 2008, 09:00 PM

Thx for your comment and your work, Ill check out some lessons on phrasing

I really enjoyed this collab

Posted by: jdriver Jun 30 2008, 07:35 AM

Thanks Ivan for the nice comments and great mix job. My lack of dynamics was due to me being very tentative in my playing. This was literally the first thing i have played publicly since starting guitar in April.

I was not thinking about the I-IV-V or the turnaround... I was born in Memphis Tennessee, the heart of the Delta, and lived there 50 years, and for a while lived within walking distance of Beale Street. The Blues is hard wired into my brain! It feels good to know there is so much interest and appreciation around the world for Blues music.

Great takes everyone.

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Jun 30 2008, 09:56 AM

You did great man, and lucky you! Memphis is a great place to be born

Posted by: fatb0t Jun 30 2008, 04:26 PM

Ivan - I really appreciate the amount of time and effort you put into this collab...all the descriptions of the individual participants playing is very detailed and helpful.

thanks so much

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Jul 1 2008, 12:59 PM

Thanks for kind words mate, appreciate it. It was great to do the collab and will try to make the comments even better (even more objective and constructive oriented)

Posted by: Joe Kataldo Jul 1 2008, 01:54 PM

Great Collab Guys