Printable Version of Topic

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 5 2009, 08:22 PM

here you can post your takes, and I will comment on them after that

Here's the http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=17527

Posted by: leedbreak Sep 7 2009, 08:34 PM

Take one. I will try to get more than one take on this one. NBT will be posted for the final.

 Classic_leedbreak_take1_BT.mp3 ( 877.04K ) : 216

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 7 2009, 10:29 PM

leedbreak: I'm giving you a bit shorter comments for now, as you are willing to make an effort of actually developing your take as the collaboration goes. In the end I will grant you with more in depth comments:

Rhtyhtm: Good timing, and good precision. I think you nailed all the notes well on the beat, and used nice rhythmical figures. Just before the second part there was a bit faster sequence that I think needs more work. Try to nail it perfectly in time and the whole take will benefit from it/
Phrasing: Good phrasing, but a bit repetitive sounding in the first part. Seems like you were searching for structure here until that bend. I advise you to analyze the bits before the big bend somewhere in the middle of the first part, and try to make a small call & responce structure here to enrich this part of the take. Also the ending was a bit uneffective. In terms of melody everything was nice, but try to peak the ending with some bend an octave higher or something similar. This will sound lot more effective and logical.
Technique: Everything was played very nicely and with little noise. Well done. One thing I want you to focus are vibratos - they need to be well controlled and much slower for this kind of a track. Try 16th vibratos with this tempo, it will sound great.
Sound: Your tone is very good, and you can keep it like this, smooth balanced out and comes out nicely from the mix. If there is something to watch for, those would be additional noises, so muting technique is as always needed.

Posted by: leedbreak Sep 7 2009, 11:07 PM

Thanks man. I will make my to do list. Feel free to edit my list

1. Change a couple bars in the beginning to reduce repetitive feel
2. Work on the run before bend with metro for a short time till I have it down.
3. Work on vibrato with the metronome some before redoing take.
4. Rewrite the ending

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 7 2009, 11:29 PM

Exactly my friend, great list. Lets see it done, and I will comment it after you post it!

Posted by: muntahunta Sep 8 2009, 12:08 AM

sorry for the delay in upload

heres my take, id be happy to redo it if needed

with backing:  balladsolomunta.mp3 ( 1.35MB ) : 250


no backing:  balladsolomunta_noback.mp3 ( 1.35MB ) : 177

Posted by: leedbreak Sep 8 2009, 04:11 AM

Little timing issue at :24 and the little run at 33 will need to be better but this will be take 2 of 3. Lots more vib and simpler ending. I will take your comments this time through a weeks practice for the final take. Thanks

 Classic_leedbreak_take2_BT.mp3 ( 877.04K ) : 161

Posted by: Marek Rojewski Sep 9 2009, 04:11 PM

I was afraid that it will be hard for me to come up with something, but I really enjoined the backing track, and after quite a short time I have a take that I am quite pleased about. Maybe there isn't enough space in this "solo" but as I am quite slow player that struggle with fitting enough good ideas in one track, I yet have to practice "breathing" in my solos.

 slousolou.mp3 ( 876.52K ) : 180
With the backing track
 slousolouwb.mp3 ( 822.23K ) : 132
Without the backing track

EDIT: Muntahunta, great ideas there man! I like especially the second part \m/

Posted by: muntahunta Sep 9 2009, 04:20 PM

haha, thanks, i was listening to battery by metallica at the time, had to fit it in somewhere

Posted by: jafomatic Sep 9 2009, 05:05 PM

Huh, I totally forgot to upload mine.

 IMCB_jafomatic_wbt.mp3 ( 2.14MB ) : 192

 IMCB_jafomatic_nbt.mp3 ( 2.14MB ) : 167

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 10 2009, 12:31 AM

Wow, lots of posts, OK lets go in order

muntahunta:

Rhythm: Great rhythmical figures, that are following the backing in a very laid back manner, and all the notes came out executed properly. Just the right amount of all the note durations used. If there is one thing I could suggest - it would be to posibly insert some fast legato triplets to spice up those 16th triplet sequences you have in the middle and in the end. I really like the whole structure and the balance you made with your solo.
Phrasing: Excellent melodic development throughout the solo, very smooth flow and great melodies, lots of feelings and phrases are just bleeding into one another. This is the finest example on how the solo should sound and be effective. There are however few moments on the solo that could be even better, for example in the second part you were using the root couple of times which is good, but I get the impression that I was hearing it a bit often. Also, in the end, there was that same root again, so possibly inserting root on the octave higher would sound even more effective. These are minor suggestion to this great solo, really well done.
Technique: Great execution throughout. The only thing that lacks in this beautiful solo are wide and slow vibratos. Achieving greater vibrato control will take this solo to much greater heights, so I advise that you start focusing on practicing the vibrato more, as your playing "deserves it"
Sound: Good tone, smooth and very little noise. The sound is a bit bassy, so I believe checking out the preset so you get a good focused low end will mean a lot. There was also a bit of buzzing in the sound, so possibly lowering down a distortion just a tiny tiny bit would help there.

Posted by: muntahunta Sep 10 2009, 12:39 AM

I can redo the solo if you want, with your suggestions... or atleast try those suggestions

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 10 2009, 01:20 AM

leedbreak:

Well this take is already much better and fresh sounding! Well done!
- your vibrato accuracy is very much improved and it sounds well controlled in most places!
- the big bend in the middle of the first part was a bit out of pitch, but that is a minor issue.
- you very much improved accuracy here, so almost all the notes came out clear and pleasant
- phrasing is drastically improved, so now we have a very nice and smooth melodic flow. There are some hickups tho, mostly in the phrase before the big first part bend, and in the end, where it tends to sound a bit up & down the scale.
- the ending turned out very cool with that nice little phrase, and although you came down to the root, instead of going up, it definitely sounded as a very cool ending for the solo - well done.

So my friend, I think you really did a lot better take now, and I believe you can go even further with this. Are you up for it?

Definitely mate, I would very much like that, if you can! Your solo is near perfection but here are some suggestions once again:

- insert some legato fast triplets in those 16th triplet sequnces
- improve vibrato, make it slow and wide
- lower down the drive and bass a bit on your preset (just a tiny bit will do)

Marek Rojewski:


Rhythm: starting a bit shaky with 16 notes, then a long bend, and cool whole note bends. In general very cool take, with a great fast legato sequence in the second part. All in all a good rhythmical structure that really sounds good, but not that balanced in some places. For example I would like to hear a bit better ending and more diverse notes, possibly putting longer notes (bends) as oposed to a high speed legato lick.
Phrasing: Good start, and the first part was good. The bends were a nice touch, but I somehow get the impression you were using a bit too much up & down sequences. Solution to this would be to try to invent some interesting patterns for practice that involve everything but up & down sequences, and I've seen this Muris's latest lesson that is great for that, it's called Hold The Beat.
Technique: If there is one thing to recommend, that is more vibrato use. This will definitely increase the dimension and expressivnes in your playing. Check out my bending lesson that is live recently, it features this same backing. Some good bending and vibrato samples can be found there. Other than that everything was pretty much clean and well played.
Sound: A bit too much distortion makes it compressed and a bit buzzy, so lowering down the gain is my first suggestion. Other is to lower down the volume of the reverb as it kills definition of the guitar. A little reverb always goes a long way, so putting too much muffles the signal in fact. Just keep all the settings at reasonable levels and always do some test recordings to see how the preset sits in the mix, not solo.

jafomatic:

Rhythm: Great rhythmical figures. You seem to rely often on upbeat, which is great, and on quarter triplets here and there. The second part was a bit slower than I hoped for, possibly inserting one or two a bit faster sequences would mean a lot here.
Phrasing: Great first call & response lick, and after that excellent development. In the last part of the clean part you seem to lost track a bit, and possibly this part could use some minor improvements in order to stay connected with a great vibe you created with the intro. The OD part was very good, very nice phrasing, and good development. On thing that hit me was the last note, it sounded cool, but a bit rhythmically displaced, so possibly fixing that root up an octave would be a nice thing to do.
Technique: Good techniques shown here. There are some note bleeds here and there, so I believe better muting techniques could be applied in order to really sound cool. Also, I would like to hear better vibrato. The legato licks and picking was very nice and addded a very cool smooth flow to your playing, so no problems there.
Sound: Good clean preset in the first part, and nice OD one in the second part, although the OD one is significantly louder than the clean part. Also, the take is over compressed. Remember to use the compression on guitar track only, and NOT too much, as the backing is already compressed quite a bit.

Posted by: leedbreak Sep 10 2009, 04:19 AM

Sure, I'll try to get it done over the next weekend. Thanks for your comments

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 10 2009, 11:35 PM

Great man, I love to see how your solo evolves as time goes by, really interesting, and I can definitely feel the progress. Can't wait to hear the new take, take your time tho, don't wanna rush you!

Posted by: kaznie_NL Sep 12 2009, 04:20 PM

My take, if you're fine with me joining in I posted in your sign up thread, but no reaction yet. Very nice BT, I really enjoyed it. within a few minutes I got the main riff for the second part... a 1.5 step bend, I thought sounded nice Also the sound seems ok, if it's not to much reverb?

First part was recorded with my Ibanez stock neck pickup, and the second part with a Seymour Duncan TB-4 bridge, but the ibanez stock sounds.... well at least not worse should my tb-4 sound way better? It's both recorded with the same settings in POD farm.

Posted by: Berglmir Sep 12 2009, 05:30 PM

Although I have not been officially invited (although I have asked! ) I´ll take part nevertheless (well, I´ll just upload my takes)

Ivan if you have time or the leisure (or both) to comment on my take it would be highly appreciated (as always)!

Cheers in advance!

PS. I changed my takes a bit - no changes in the playing but the OD tone got a bit more "bearable"

Posted by: Staffy Sep 13 2009, 08:11 PM

Here's my take Ivan! I was thinking of playing something fast in the ending, but as usual I realized that I can't play fast, so I had to go with something that SOUNDS a little bit fast........

Recorded wirh my Ibanez semi-acoustic & Marshall and Boss-OD20.

//Staffay

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 13 2009, 08:48 PM

Sorry mate, I overlooked the post. Of course - it would be great if I could hear the take again! Thanks.

Kaznie:

Rhythm: Great long notes, and very nice timing with accenting the first beats. I like how the part evolves in the second part of the solo as well, and how you use more notes as the solo progresses towards the end. As all the notes came nice and clean, I can safely say that your timing is perfect, but as always it would be good to fire up some nice sequence here and there, perhaps using some shorter note durations. This can greatly improve the quality of this take, and I am talking about just a small sequence. If you want I can give you an example of the sequence for the MTP in form of a small run. When I say small run I really mean something like 6-8 notes that are a bit faster. If executed properly, this solo could easily be professional material. It still is tho, but as we always say - it can always be better.
Phrasing: This solo was probably the best I heard so far from you, because the phrases really tell a nice story, and you really nailed a nice vibe here. Lots of feelings, good connection between the phrases and very fluid. I have a small suggestion in the second phrase, where you did couple of C-D notes and then went to root again. I think the D note would make a stronger and effective ending then the A. I phrase 3 you went octave higher which is a good way of further expanding the phrase, but then in phrase 4 you can back octave lower and played a root again. Possibly here it would be cool to do a nice bend or something just to escape a bit from the root. The second part of the solo was great, and ending very solid.
Technique: Well, there is certainly some improvements here, the bends are awesome, very expressive and I can really see your worked on them. Precisely in pitch, perfect timing, great sustain. Vibrato is also very very good, still needs some polishing but now you are doing it slowly and with more control. All the notes came out very clear, so really well done with the execution.
Sound: The sound could use some tweaking, the problem is with the top end buzz that is too great. I believe a bit more smoother preset would be great. It is not that easy to get it with software, but it can be done, specially if you start to use EQing of the guitar, and if you lower down the gain slightly to increase dynamics a bit.


Berglmir:

Rhythm: Very cool expressive rhythmical figures, I like the way it sounds. There are some problems with the timing both in the first part and in second part. The rhythmical sequences you used are note precise enough, and while you played those faster runs not all notes came out clear. Some practice is needed to be able to play these fast sequences and remain in time, so I think with some more polishing of those faster runs, it can sound awesome.
Phrasing: Very nice and logical phrases in the first part, and good development. I like the notes that are used specially in the slower parts. The second part had a very good connection between the phrases. There are couple of things I noticed that need some improvement with this take. First, in the clean part of your solo, as soon as you hit faster sequences, the connection with the phrases is dropping down, but as soon as you return to slower notes you manage to continue. This problem is solvable by actually anticipating the runs you are going to play, both rhythmically and melodically. All the notes must come out clear, and have their function within the solo, so using many of them not and letting some slip does not help. Same goes for the second part, only I believe you had lot more expressivnes there and I like the attitude of your playing, sounds you really got the feeling for it, so it's good.
Technique: Techniques you used need a bit of polishing on the faster sequences. Everything else was played very nicely, and I would like to hear a more slower and wider vibrato here as well.
Sound: Clean is very nice, and so is the distorted part. The clean notes are in little dissonance with the distorted part when running in the background, but distortion is cutting through and it is not buzzy, it's smooth, althouhg it has lots of treble.

Staffy:

Rhythm: All the notes were pretty much perfectly in time, but there are two moments where the notes were lagging a bit. The middle part legato is a bit on a slow side, and so is the legato in the end. I think these parts have to really be right on the beat, they are a bit loose. But this is the minor concern, and in general I consider this a really well played solo with a good sense for the rhythm.
Phrasing: Great theme lick during the first part, and you really did developed it well during those 5-6 phrases in the first part. This solo is the best I've heard from you, structure is there, and sounds very nice. The second part of the solo has a bit more loose structure, and the connection is there, but it is a lot stronger in the first part. I would suggest to really analyze the second part and really see how the notes, specially the phrase ending notes correlate to each other. There are a lot of possibilities to create a more interesting connections, so it will definitely be cool and interesting to work on those things a bit.
Technique: This is the most precise solo I've heard so far from you. The amount of noise is small, and it is mostly around the last legato part and some bends at the beginning. I think polishing legato technique, and polishing bending vibrato is primary concern if we look this solo. I like how you pulled out bending vibratos, they sound well controlled and slow, but I believe a bit more security needs to be put in them before they sound completely natural. Bends are all solid, and with cool bending dynamics that is changing through the phrases. I believe those things are a good sign that you mastered different bending techniques, and based on the bending you showed here, I think only faster bending technique is only thing that lacks a bit to add that small degree of tightness to them if you know what I mean. Same goes for muting the bends properly, they will come out tighter after that.
Sound: Good overdriven preset, rolled off highs to remove the buzz, which worked nicely, but the buzz is still present in a very small degree in harmonics. Sounds smooth and comes out nicely in the mix, so I would say it is a good tone for this ballad.

Posted by: Staffy Sep 13 2009, 08:59 PM

Thx for the very constructive criticism Ivan! Since I love playing to this kind of music, I will try to improve the second part. ( I actually had other ideas, but my lousy technique stopped me...) If its OK with You I will post an updated take in a couple of days.

//Staffay

Posted by: Berglmir Sep 13 2009, 10:45 PM

As always thanks for the great & helpful feedback!
I know exactly what you mean - will try and improve!

Cheers!!
Berglmir

Posted by: kaznie_NL Sep 14 2009, 02:21 PM

Thanks Me is prowd

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 14 2009, 09:31 PM

Of course my friend, another take would be great! Thanks


Thanks a lot man!


Practice shows progress! Well done

Posted by: leedbreak Sep 17 2009, 04:01 AM

As usual I am cutting short on time. Here is a third take since I said I would. I will post the NBT for the one you think I should use. thanks man


 Classic_leedbreak_take3_BT.mp3 ( 877.04K ) : 156


 Classic_leedbreak_take3_NBT.mp3 ( 877.04K ) : 110

Posted by: Hammerhead Sep 17 2009, 04:19 AM

Hey to all in the colab! This sounds great! Can I ask, I always seem to miss the start of the collaborations and would like to try some. How do I find them when they start, and is it too late to try to join this one? THanks

Posted by: jafomatic Sep 17 2009, 04:25 AM

You can subscribe to the forum itself and receive email when new threads are started or you can try to keep up manually with the "View New Posts" link in the menu bar above.

Here's a picture the forum subscription link, use it on the sub-forum that you want to be notified about (not just any old sub-forum):

Posted by: Hammerhead Sep 17 2009, 05:23 AM

Jafomatic... Yo Da MAN!!!! Thnxs. I try to keep up with the new posts but somehow I never seem to look at the right time. NOW I can keep up with the collaborations. I really appreciate the Picture tutorial! That makes it clear.

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 18 2009, 08:38 AM

leedbreak:

Rhythm: Starting great in the first part with a perfect timing. Every note is precisely in place, and the 16th notes in the end of the part 1 are now enriched nicely with some 8ths as well, which is very nice to hear. The second part is also very good, although there are some minor timing issues in the end.
Phrasing: This part had very similar structure as the one before, and I believe the phrases were are blended together nicely. There are some inserted effects, like the slide in from bellow in the beginning of the part. All the notes came out clear as well. Second part is the only part that you played one note outside of scale towards the end (in that descending sequence), but besides that I think the take was perfect, and all the notes had their proper place, well done.
Technique: The whole take was played very nicely. The problems that I saw were mostly around that big bend in the first part and legato triplets in the first part as well that were a bit slow. The triplet sequences in the second part also would use some tightening up. However these are small details, since all the notes came out very clear and with solid timing.
Sound: Good tone, as said previously, well balanced, low buzz. Not that smooth, but goes along with the track nicely and cuts well through the mix.


In general, I believe this take is a major improvement, because it is played very clean and precise. The only note that is outside of the key is the one towards the end, and I consider this the only mistake in the whole take. I can see that you tried very hard to do this solo, and this version is the best one, since you have that degree of comfort and security while playing this take. Well done.

Posted by: leedbreak Sep 18 2009, 03:19 PM

Ivan, thanks for the very motivating comments. I needed to hear this. So that why I spent so much time on it. Writing a solo is pretty easy while playing it may not always be.

I think taking a few day break from it is what helped the most. I will get NBT3 up tonight.

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 19 2009, 12:27 AM

Ah great man, glad to hear that, and thanks a lot for participating in such a great way on this collab. Well done with the composition and playing as well!

Posted by: Hammerhead Sep 19 2009, 12:32 AM

Aloha,
 Rock_Ballad_consolidated_consolidated_consolidated.mp3 ( 906.49K ) : 167
with backing

I think I read that we no longer need to upload 2 files is that true? Just 1 file with backing works?

 02_Final_Lead_pan_Vai_consolidated_090918_1316.mp3 ( 906.49K ) : 136
without backing

any how here are both! All feedback is welcome, thanks for letting me jump in

Posted by: sted Sep 19 2009, 12:14 PM

Heres my take!

 classic_ballad_collab_WBT.mp3 ( 928.88K ) : 147

Posted by: Keilnoth Sep 21 2009, 02:01 PM

Here is my take. My first collab !
Hope you'll like it.

Posted by: Keilnoth Sep 21 2009, 04:17 PM

Another upload without sound mod...

Posted by: Staffy Sep 22 2009, 11:01 PM

Hi Ivan.
I tried to fix up the things You were commenting, I dunno if I succeeded...
I changed part two, but the lasr note is not 100%.....

Also I recorded with another guitar (Warmoth) as well as used one of Muris presets from GR3 with som modifications.

//Staffay

Posted by: Hammerhead Sep 23 2009, 04:46 PM

Aloha Ivan,

I've tried to address the tone and clean it up just a bit... so I did another take.

Posted by: enforcer Sep 24 2009, 05:55 PM

Hey Ivan, there goes my take... Its pretty much of an improvisation... It was fun! Hope you like it!

Can

Posted by: Power_Arctica Sep 24 2009, 10:12 PM

Im Late?

Heres mine!

Posted by: Dexxter Sep 25 2009, 03:56 PM

Here's my take Ivan Mostly improvised

Posted by: Sensible Jones Sep 25 2009, 10:07 PM

Here's mine Ivan, hope it's not too late!!!
Recorded as a complete Improv as I didn't want to miss another of your collabs!!
[attachment=18100:SJ_class...ollabWBT.mp3]
[attachment=18102:SJ_class...ollabNBT.mp3]

Posted by: TheKeplerConjecture Sep 26 2009, 04:31 AM

Here's my take. Thanks!

 TheKeplerConjecture_Ballad.mp3 ( 1.71MB ) : 248

Posted by: Hammerhead Sep 26 2009, 05:50 AM

You NAILED it! That is great

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 26 2009, 06:40 PM

Hammerhead (goes for both takes)

Rhythm: The rhythmical balance in your playing was made with a big contrast in both take 1 and take 2. In the first part you had some very long notes, some of them were a bit too long if we consider the general picture. In the second part you produced some many more notes and not all of them were perfectly in time, which disrupted the balance. The thing I can recommend with your take is to try to make a bit more gentle contrast. The contrast idea itself is very good, but it cannot function properly when the parts are so much different from one another. Solution would be to implement some more notes in the first part and to pull out some notes from the second part. This will lead to more balanced rhythmical structure, and more accurate timing in the second part as well.
Phrasing: The phrasing in the whole take was a bit unstructured as well, specially in the second part with those faster passages. What I recommend here is to compress some of the phrases in the first part so that they fit the bars nicely and they have a more faster flow. In the second part, the opposite thing must happen - phrases should be more connected and stretched out, and the last bend should stay on the pitch (without letting it go).
Technique: All the techniques used are very good, and bends are very good. The thing that could be implemented are more vibratos, and more accurate legato playing in the second part so that all the notes have equal loudness.
Sound: Your tone in both takes was in essence very good and smooth, but it lacks definition cause you added too much reverb on it. It made it get lost in the mix a bit, and not all the notes came out clear. I think by lowering down a reverb would definitely make it already much better. There was also some hum audible on the guitar track. I actually think that the second take had pretty much the same sound as the first one, and it was less loud as well.


sted:

Rhythm: There is a slight rhythmical disproportion in your take, mainly because of the use of faster passages in the first part, which in return didn't created enough of a spring board for the solo to jump to when the second part kicks in. Towards the end of the first part you had some very cool slower passages, and if you similar rhythm phrases throughout the first part, the proportion will be created, so the solo could peak in the second part. The timing was mostly off on many phrases as well, due to the fact many notes were played without accenting the backing track groove properly with them, so - less notes and accenting the strong notes on the click will make it a lot lot better.
Phrasing: Lots of good phrases were used in here, but they were note connected very good. The solo must tell a story, and have a reasonable melodic structure. I suggest making a main there melody for the solo that is simple and catchy and trying to develop it throughout the solo. This will definitely make it a lot structured. Also it may be wise to finish the solo on the root note, or any strong note from the last chord. This will sound really strong and it will have a sense of completion.
Technique: Good playing throughout the whole solo, and the bends were nice and fast. The thing that I noticed is that some notes suffer from pitch bending, which is usually a result of not that good vibrato. If you land on a note, you must keep it precise, no movement unless you can do a nicely controlled vibrato and you know how long you will do that before you move on.
Sound: The sound was good, cut through the mix well, and everything was nice and audible. I would put slightly less space here, and use lowpass filter to cut those higher frequencise out that are causing minor buzz issues. The amount of distortion could be slightly less as well for this recording.

Keilnoth:

Rhythm: Simplistic approach in your case payed out, and the rhythmical structure follows the backing track very well. Everything was nicely fitted and balanced out, although I would like to hear some nice faster sequence involving 8th notes in the last part. The 3 eight notes followed by doted half phrases in the first part were very effective.
Phrasing: Great sense for melody and structuring phrases. The lines were really telling a nice story, and it all made sense. The first couple of phrases were the intro, later came development and in the second part a nice wrap up. As I said, one faster sequence would reach a bigger climax and the solo could have a bigger dynamics, so I think you can work on that and insert it somewhere towards the end of the second part to make it professional
Technique: There were some weak notes in the solo, and vibrato was not that great and well controlled, but I think you played within your abilites and pulled out very good solo. One thing that would definitely raise the quality of this solo is effective vibrato control, so this is IMO the first thing you should focus on.
Sound: The sound was not that good. Lots of clipping and too much reverb really made it harsh sounding. What I suggest is smoothing out the preset, lowering down the volume of your input so that there is no clipping, and lowering down the reverb for better results.
Sound (take 2): Well you implemented all the things that were a problem in the first take, and it turned out great now. The only thing that is left to fix is the amount of reverb. Try lowering it down to bring it to the same amount of space backing has, so it doesn't sound to "far away" from the backing (band).

Staffy:

great improvement in this take, and the sound is very good now, although I think it still has some of the unpleasant top end sizzle audible on some notes, so smoothing out the high end is something that I can recommend.
regarding your playing - great, best solo I've heard from you so far. Very nicely played and well controlled notes. The 2 16th note sequences in the second part were good, solid play and well executed, although I can notice some degree of uncomfort when playing them. They did turn out great, and I'm very happy to hear them, they bring a lot into this solo which sounds professional. Regarding bends, they are good, but I have a feeling they are not controlled that well, and some of them a bit slow and not precisely on pitch. So from this take, there are couple of things that could be better:

- more comfort on the faster runs (exercise 15-20bpm faster then the backing tempo)
- more strength on bends (practice bending on faster tempos)
- remove the top end sizzle on the preset to make it smoother (some notes are a bit harsh because of this, but not all)


enforcer:


Rhythm: The rhythmical balance is there, because you used the slower passages in the first part and faster passages in the second, but your timing was off in many notes in this take. The reasons for this are different as we progress throughout the solo. In the first part, the best way to accent the strong notes and to really make a good connection with the backing is to watch out for the kick and snare of the drum. These provide a good reference point around which you can build your rhythmical phrases. Failing to do so will set some notes in between with unclear rhythmical meaning which can be very misleading. In the second part, there were some very cool fast passages, but I think not all notes were nicely in place again, mainly because there were too many of them and they were note all balanced out rhythmically. Improvisation goal is also to make all the notes placed in their correct place in the backing, so by practicing those runs on slower tempo and knowing exactly what note goes where in a bar will make a world difference.
Phrasing: Great development in the first part, I really liked how the phrases flowed into one another. The second part however lacked a good structure, as there were too much notes in some places. I believe you could played here with more structure and less notes and still manage to express the same thing you wanted with the way you played your take.
Technique: There are two issues that can be addressed to in this solo. Those are vibrato and muting. String noise that occurs in some places accents the need for a proper muting techniques while practicing, and I definitely feel that more tighter, slower, and more controlled vibrato could raise the quality of your take.
Sound: In essence a great tone, smooth and cool, but I think too much delay is added, and the guitar notes loose definition this way, specially when the second part kicks in. Lot less space is the solution here.

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 26 2009, 07:28 PM

Power_Arctica

Rhythm: Good balance and build up, although I believe the intersection between the first and the second part and the part of your solo towards the end are a bit too fast and are struggling to keep the balance right. Everything else was nicely fitted in place, and I especially like the energetic ending.
Phrasing: great development in the first part of the solo, and the build up in the second part was also very good. The only thing I can notice is that the last fast lick is an area that lacks connection to the rest of the phrases around it towards the end of the solo. The contrast between the finishing phrase and the fast lick before it is too great for an effective finish, so this is the thing that needs a bit polishing. Getting those phrases into connection would really wrap up your soloing in a professional manner.
Technique: Everything was played nicely with a good aggressive style that you prefer. I think some places need improvement, and those would primarily be bended vibratos and vibratos. You executed them and use them extensively, but the problem is with making them balanced and even. Vibrato must sound even, all the bends should be the same, and precisely in pitch.
Sound: The sound is good, but there are couple of things I can recommend. Lower down the distortion a bit, remover the top end slightly, and decrease space effect you used slightly This would help to get it connected with a backing a bit more.


The Collab is now closed, and I'm working on a final mix.
Rest of the comments tomorrow. Thanks for your patience!

Posted by: enforcer Sep 26 2009, 07:37 PM

I will do better next time, now that when I listen to it, I see my mistakes clearly. Thanks for pointing them out Ivan...

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 27 2009, 12:18 AM

You're welcome man. Thanks for joining in.

Posted by: Keilnoth Sep 27 2009, 08:26 AM

Thanks for your feedback. Yep, vibrato is something I really need to practice.

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 27 2009, 06:02 PM

Dexxter:

Rhythm: Very good sense for rhythm displayed in this take, accentuation mostly done on the first beat, and properly locked with the kick drum. This kind of rhythmic pattern repeats throughout the first and second part of the solo. The only thing that this take lacks is a proper climax build up. You seem to manage to reach the climax with the phrasing and use of higher notes in the second part, but if this build up was backed up by proper rhythm in the second part the solo would turn out much better. Solution for this is definitely inserting some faster sequences in the second part. Doesn't have to be super fast, but 8th notes during the course of 1-2 bars would make a world difference.
Phrasing: Excellent phrase groups that interact with one another in a very nice and fluid way, mainly due to those excellent bends. The phrases are nicely connected and almost all the strong notes are nicely accentuated over their respective chords. There was some unclear ideas in the very beginning where one phrase ended up on a bit unusual note, compared to the phrases around them, but me as a listener really have feeling that you carefully played this with very good attention to details and where each note should go. Very good improvised solo.
Technique: Your solo definitely has a vocal quality to it because of the way you played bends and vibratos, which is excellent IMO. One thing that lacks is the use of those faster sequences to spice things up, but other than that, very good playing.
Sound: Very good tone, smooth mids, tight lows, and just a little top end sizzle then I would like to hear, but far from being harsh. The important part of your tone is the way you play, and you do fret the notes carefully enough to produce consistent tone throughout the solo. Excellent control IMO.

Posted by: Hammerhead Sep 27 2009, 06:13 PM

Ivan,
Thank you, I had the same thoughts, I would like for it to flow more and your advice is right on. I will work on those areas!! Thanks for letting me jump in

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 27 2009, 06:17 PM

Sensible Jones:

Rhythm: Excellent rhythm, and sense for keeping the dynamics of the rhythmical phrases flowing and moving. The way you played last bits of both part 1 and part 2 are really done great, I really had an impression of things moving and flowing. This is because you managed to increase the tempo feel of the backing track in order to build up a proper ending in the both parts with those 8th note slides. Although you kept solid time with accentuation on the 1 beat, there were some very slight timing issues in the first few phrases of the solo, notes escaped the kick drum by a fraction of second.
Phrasing: All the phrases in the take were very nicely fitted in and structured in a way that makes perfect sense. If you ask me, the solo had a little "too perfect" sense to me, and this is mainly because of the repetitive root use as and ending of the phrases, even on the last phrase in the solo. This creates a predictive feel with the listener. The solution to this problem is a very easy one - rehearse improvising so that you play licks that are familiar to you, but play a different landing note each time and focus on strong notes. This will create a really nice degree of variety within your playing, so you create a sense of tension and question with the listener of where you will go next.
Technique: All the techniques used were well rehearsed and solid. The thing that I can recommend upgrading is bending and vibrato. Two things that need better control and pitch accuracy, and it will raise the quality to greater heights.
Sound: Slightly boxy sound, tight bass response, sharp mids, and slightly buzzing highs that need some low pass filtering. The thing that is audible is some degree of clipping so I think you should adjust the level of the signal a bit. Everything else was very good.

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 27 2009, 08:00 PM

TheKeplerConjecture:

Rhythm: Timing in the take was very good, almost all the notes had a strong attachment to the beats in the solo, and longer notes ringed just the way they supposed too. One thing that I think lacks here is a proper rhythmical dynamics, and me as a listener feel that rhythm of a solo is a bit flat with no real sense were the beginning, middle and end are, because of continuos use of sixteen triplets sequences throughout the solo. I think a nicer balance can be achieved if you try to group the rhythmical phrases so that they lead to a climax, and then run down to a finish with more connection between them, and more connection to the backing as well. The way you played, I have impression that backing is constantly slowing down-speeding up in wave like motion, which in the end produces a more flat dynamic response than I would like to hear. Nevertheless, the timing was very good, and it leaves impression of well played and sharly executed take with a variety of interesting rhythm phrases to listen.
Phrasing: Your phrasing was very interesting to listen as it had lots of cool moments and melodies. Lack of structure is evident here as well, but as a general impression. Phrases do connect with each other in a nice way, but they all don't form a complete story as a whole. I think the main reason is playing familiar licks and runs previously rehearsed, and I can clearly hear the segments that you practiced and that you are trying to implement here. The integration of the things you practice however must be done seamlessly, so that the listener cannot tell what you practiced. This will all come in time and with more interesting patterns for practicing, but there is one thing to keep in mind when improvising. I think there were moments in the solo where you focused on the melody nicely, but these moments are rare. You should try to focus to listen what you play, and try to make simple but effective melodies/phrases that correlate to one each other, instead of playing familiar sequences in order to make your phrasing even better.
Technique: Excellent techniques displayed, all the phrasing effects were very nicely used, in proper places, and I specially like the release bend you do, and control over the tone. Everything is balanced, well played, and every note has it's proper pitch, tone and dynamics with very little accidental oscillations of sound.
Sound: Not to focused low end, but sharp mids and highs that really cut nicely. The buzzing is audible to some extent, so I believe you should try to possible lower down the gain a bit to achieve a more tighter and defined sound without any sounding unnatural. The space is used to a big extent here, so I also recommend lowering down the delay just a bit. However, I usually disslike the space when it is added too much, but your space effects add a nice quality to the guitar signal. Just keep it safe, and don't push effects over that edge where you loose tone definition and it will be fine.

No problem man, anytime. Cheers

Posted by: Dexxter Sep 27 2009, 09:57 PM

Thanks a lot Ivan. Yes, I agree, some fast passages leading into the second part and during it would make it a lot better.

Thanks for this collab, looking forward to your next

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 28 2009, 09:48 PM

Thanks for participating in both collabs man, very nice of you. Hope to see you on the next one!

Posted by: Sensible Jones Sep 29 2009, 11:31 AM

WOW! Thanks Ivan!!!
I know I have to try and sort the sound out, I'm still fairly new to PC Recording but I'm getting there slowly I think!
I will keep playing over this BT and try and not keep hitting the Root!!!
Thanks again for such great, constructive advice!!

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 29 2009, 11:53 AM

THanks a lot man, I appreciate it!

Posted by: Marc_Maiden Sep 29 2009, 09:05 PM

here go, a little late, but better late than never

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 29 2009, 09:25 PM

Marc_maiden:

Rhythm: Good rhythmical structure in the first part, I really had the impression of you solo moving nicely along side the backing track. The transition into 2nd section was a bit harsh tho, and the faster sequences in the second part didn't quite correlate nicely with the first part of the solo. They seem like two completely separate solos for me as a listener, so I think better connection between these two would create a much more nicer balance to this take. Timing also needs some refinement in the second section.
Phrasing: Excellent phrasing in the first part, really nice melodic passages that blend into one another in a fluid way. Very good. In the transition part and throughout the second section, I think structure got a bit weaker, and the phrases were still there, but not as nicely connected as in the first part. Faster passages really didn't play their function or raising to the climax, because the loudness was a bit acquard, and they are placed without any strong connection with other phrases around them.
Technique: Well controlled vibrato and bends, makes the solo sing. The faster passage in the second section is lacking definition, and the notes could be better played. Towards the end, things got better, but I think you could play the second part with more attention to the notes.
Sound: A bit raw sound that lacks some degree of distortion and space. It was a bit dry, and two dimensional, so just a tab bit overdrive and delay would already make it a lot better.