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GMC Forum _ Ben Higgins _ Desert Storm Collab
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jun 15 2012, 09:41 AM
Axe abusers and string twiddlers ! Welcome to my latest audio collab 
I've borrowed the backing from my Hand Synch II lesson and I've called it 'Desert Storm' because the long, ringing chords make me think of a desert at night.. and the 'Storm' part just sounds cool. Yeah, I know it was the name of an operation during the Gulf War but that's not what I'm referring to 
Desert__Storm_Collab.mp3 ( 1.18MB )
: 362
The chords are:
B5, G5 & E5
Now, you could use the B Minor scale all the way through this or you could be a bit more experimental. The first chord of B5 has no minor or major 3rd in it so really you could use any mode that has B as its root. Some will sound better than others so have a go and see what feels best.
For the G5 chord it's not so easy. First of all, the note of G is the 6th note of Bm so it asks for a minor tonality. Also, because the G5 has just come directly from the B5 it suggests a minor scale because of the chord change. So I would stick with B minor for that one.
Same for the E5 - B minor.
P.S. Please remember that whenever I mention a minor scale, the corresponding minor pentatonic is automatically included because it uses the same notes but less of them !
Tempo: 100bpm
The approach is up to you... take it fast or take it slow.. or mix it up ! Bear in mind the title of the piece so try to imagine the darkened desert sands and let your guitar be congruent with the mental imagery. So, we can say that this collab is an exercise in making the notes match up with the image we're trying to create - Enjoy !
Deadline for entries is Thursday 28th June
Posted by: Gitarrero Jun 15 2012, 08:04 PM
Are germans allowed in this collab? It doesn't say... 
Just kidding, I'm in!
Christian
Posted by: SCProphet Jun 15 2012, 08:22 PM
No chance to make video's of ourselves chilling and playing guitar with zombie sadam? 
If I get my micro to record I'm so in 
Posted by: Opetholic Jun 15 2012, 08:32 PM
Just kidding, I'm in!
Christian
Teams that beat Holland are not allowed
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jun 15 2012, 08:41 PM
Just kidding, I'm in!
Christian
No Germans this time.. sorry Hef !
As if !!
All collabs need at least one German. It's in the rules !
If I get my micro to record I'm so in
No, there's a limit to how much video footage I can stomach of you GMCers so I have to limit the amount !
So that means nobody's allowed in this collab !
Posted by: Gitarrero Jun 15 2012, 08:49 PM
I was just about to write that
Posted by: Opetholic Jun 15 2012, 09:10 PM
I was just about to write that LOL
Posted by: Yash Jun 15 2012, 09:49 PM
I'll try solo over this too. Are Indians allowed ?????? 
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jun 16 2012, 08:50 AM
Not if they're called Yash and are from New Delhi !
Joking, of course... you're welcome
Posted by: Gitarrero Jun 16 2012, 02:37 PM
It's about time to start this collab!
Actually, I jammed along to it today and felt like recording this already
Christian
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jun 16 2012, 06:15 PM
Actually, I jammed along to it today and felt like recording this already
Christian
Excellent take, Christian ! Great note choice
Nice T shirt by the way
This video would be a dream come true for somebody who has a German knee fetish !
Posted by: Gitarrero Jun 16 2012, 06:49 PM
Nice T shirt by the way
This video would be a dream come true for somebody who has a German knee fetish !
Thank you very much Ben
And yes, I was thinking about all the knee fetishists out there...and there are many, believe me
Posted by: gregc1 Jun 17 2012, 03:24 PM
Hey Ben! Here's my take for the Desert Storm. This is my first collab effort and I had a good time coming up with something on my own. It's pretty straight forward Bm pentatonic with a just couple extra notes thrown in here and there and then a little single string tapping run at the end. Have a good one!
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jun 17 2012, 04:57 PM
Oh Man, surely there should be an award for best Collab solo by a GMCer ever ??
Excellent note choice.. and that tapping part at the end really has shades of George Lynch in it. With the major 3rd being used over the B5 chord before switching to strictly minor - this is awesome !
Posted by: gregc1 Jun 17 2012, 05:57 PM
Wow Ben. Thank you so much.
It's an honor coming from you.
Posted by: Opetholic Jun 17 2012, 06:52 PM
Here is my stormy desert image
desert_storm_opetholic.mp3 ( 1.63MB )
: 328
desert_storm_bare.mp3 ( 1.5MB )
: 226
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jun 17 2012, 07:01 PM
desert_storm_opetholic.mp3 ( 1.63MB )
: 328
desert_storm_bare.mp3 ( 1.5MB )
: 226Man, this another killer !! Love the exotic phrasing and the shred madness in the middle
This collab is already been taking to a very high level by you 3 guys
Posted by: Opetholic Jun 17 2012, 07:10 PM
This collab is already been taking to a very high level by you 3 guys
Thanks Ben, glad you liked it
Posted by: DeGroot Jun 17 2012, 09:26 PM
WOW! You guys have put down some great solos here.
Greg: Believe it or not... I started my solo with a b string whole bend on 10th fret and had a tapping open b string bit.
Not trying to take anything away from your solo as mine didn't sound half as good. Just thought it was a funny coincidence.
Love this backing, gives me a Judas Priest feeling. Going to tweak mine around some more. Should have a solo pretty soon!
Posted by: DeGroot Jun 18 2012, 05:57 AM
http://soundcloud.com/degroot-2/desert-storm
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jun 18 2012, 08:43 AM
Oh Man, this just keeps on heating up in this desert !
Superb solo DG !This is the best collab I've ever had so far ! Not because everybody should always do perfect solos with great technique or anything but because you all seem so inspired and fired up !
Posted by: DeGroot Jun 19 2012, 05:31 PM
Superb solo DG !This is the best collab I've ever had so far ! Not because everybody should always do perfect solos with great technique or anything but because you all seem so inspired and fired up !
Thanks Ben!
If you can exchange this non-backing instead of the first one, please.
http://soundcloud.com/degroot-2/desert-storm-nb-2
Posted by: llibach Jun 19 2012, 10:52 PM
Hey guys, feel a bit of a novice after hearing some of these takes. Awsome playing. But you can only improve by facing challanges so here's my effort.
http://soundcloud.com/llibach/desert
http://soundcloud.com/llibach/desert-no-back
Posted by: SirJamsalot Jun 20 2012, 12:02 AM
http://soundcloud.com/llibach/desert
http://soundcloud.com/llibach/desert-no-back
Great timing and note choice! I'd go for a more biting tone, but other than that $
nice job!
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jun 20 2012, 09:33 AM
http://soundcloud.com/llibach/desert
http://soundcloud.com/llibach/desert-no-back
Oh yesss.. another sexy take ! Lovely tone, I think it works very well with this atmospheric vibe that we're going for ! Great bending at 0:21
Posted by: Opetholic Jun 20 2012, 09:39 AM
This tone goes very well with DeGroot's tone also... Wow Ben, this collaboration is turning out to be one hell of a collaboration. Everyone is doing so well.
How much time do you spend deciding on the order of play Ben? That must be a difficult thing to do. I wouldn't be able to choose which one I start with and which one to end with
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jun 20 2012, 09:56 AM
I don't really have a specific approach.. I guess I check out the opening phrases and see what would be good to open the collab with. Then from there I try to keep a balance between takes that are faster or slower etc.. then I usually stick some crap by myself on at the end !
Posted by: NoSkill Jun 22 2012, 02:45 AM
I thought I'd throw down on this one. It's been a while. Thanks for the track, Ben!
Ben_Desert_Storm_WithBT.mp3 ( 1.63MB )
: 155
Ben_Desert_Storm_WithoutBT.mp3 ( 1.55MB )
: 108
Posted by: maharzan Jun 22 2012, 04:22 AM
Hey NoSkill, where were you man? Good to see you back.
Awesome take.
Posted by: NoSkill Jun 22 2012, 05:39 AM
Hey Chandra,
I've poked my head in from time to time. I've seen some of your takes. Great stuff. I liked Mojo Oro!
Cheers!
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jun 22 2012, 06:58 AM
Heeeey, always great to have more on board ! I'm glad you threw down because it's a kick ass solo.. love the double stop bends !
Posted by: HungryForHeaven Jun 23 2012, 11:41 AM
Llibach, all you did was lining up among the awesome takes posted so far, making the rest of us feel bad.
I tend to fall into the same old patterns, so I tried to add some different elements this time.
Desert_Storm_Collab___H4H___mix.mp3 ( 602.45K )
: 157
[attachment=27929:Desert_S...H___solo.wav]
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jun 23 2012, 12:23 PM
I tend to fall into the same old patterns, so I tried to add some different elements this time.
Desert_Storm_Collab___H4H___mix.mp3 ( 602.45K )
: 157[attachment=27929:Desert_S...H___solo.wav]
Love it H ! Very primal and out of control !!
Posted by: gregc1 Jun 23 2012, 06:05 PM
Wow. I can not wait to hear the final mix!
I haven't been around all that long but this has to be up there in the list of great collabs.
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jun 23 2012, 06:06 PM
I haven't been around all that long but this has to be up there in the list of great collabs.
It's definitely my fave so far !!
Posted by: JPBluestring Jun 25 2012, 11:40 PM
Degroot's Take:
Very nice harmonization !
I like the way you use the Delay effect to create a second dimension at mid course of your take.
Finally, love the progressive rhythm. You saved the best for last.
I am learning man!
Thank you for your take. Inspiring period.
JPBluestring
Posted by: DeGroot Jun 26 2012, 08:31 AM
Thanks Bluestring! You should try and put something down for this before the deadline!
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jun 26 2012, 08:35 AM
You should try and put something down for this before the deadline!Yeah, go for it. We won't bite.. promise !
Posted by: casinostrat Jun 27 2012, 10:51 PM
I'm glad you guys don't bite!
This take was worked up real quick today since its so close to the deadline, so it isn't perfect, but I tried to really push myself as far as the playing goes. Backing track was awesome!
Storm__With_Backing.mp3 ( 1.69MB )
: 143
Storm__No__Backing.mp3 ( 1.69MB )
: 99
Looking forward to the final mix and insightful comments from the Lord of the Rings! (Doughnut Rings of Course!)
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jun 28 2012, 11:20 AM
This take was worked up real quick today since its so close to the deadline, so it isn't perfect, but I tried to really push myself as far as the playing goes. Backing track was awesome!
Storm__With_Backing.mp3 ( 1.69MB )
: 143
Storm__No__Backing.mp3 ( 1.69MB )
: 99Looking forward to the final mix and insightful comments from the Lord of the Rings! (Doughnut Rings of Course!)
Another epic submission ! Loving that thick, almost 80's, tone !
This collab is turning into something like a compilation of the most epic solos from 80's rock anthems !!
Posted by: AK Rich Jun 30 2012, 07:37 PM
Well I know it's beyond the deadline but I figured I would record something just the same whether you can use it or not , had fun experimenting with some tapping and thought I would post this to at least get some feedback Thanks for the cool backing Ben!
[attachment=28033:desert.mp3]
[attachment=28034:desertnb.mp3]
Posted by: gregc1 Jun 30 2012, 08:14 PM
Damn, nice AK. Has a real "lost in the desert" feel to it.
Posted by: AK Rich Jun 30 2012, 08:38 PM
Hey thanks alot Greg!
you have some nice and tasty chops in your take as well, congrats! In fact I was just going thru your take and others in this collab and there are tons of great takes!! Congrats to Ben and everyone on a very successfull colab! I wish I would have checked it out sooner.
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jul 1 2012, 10:07 AM
Thanks for the cool backing Ben! [attachment=28033:desert.mp3]
[attachment=28034:desertnb.mp3]
Damn.. Rich that is a sweet take ! Love it
I'm already hearing some quarter note delay being put on that when I mix it
Posted by: AK Rich Jul 1 2012, 05:05 PM
I'm already hearing some quarter note delay being put on that when I mix it
Thanks Ben!
Glad you like it Sinsei, cant wait to hear what you come up with to pimp my track . again congrats on an awesome collab!
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jul 2 2012, 08:55 PM
Hey Guys, just letting you know I'm compiling and mixing the collab so it should hopefully be up tomorrow
Posted by: Opetholic Jul 2 2012, 09:14 PM
Can't wait 
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jul 3 2012, 11:27 AM
Hello Chaps.. here it is, the offending article !!
Desert__Storm_Collab.mp3 ( 8.94MB )
: 164
I'll be updating with some feedback for you all Enjoy !
Posted by: HungryForHeaven Jul 3 2012, 11:35 AM
Oh, yess!
Posted by: Opetholic Jul 3 2012, 11:36 AM
Damn!!! Are you joking ? Wow, it's just so good
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jul 3 2012, 11:59 AM
Opetholic - Great solo.. I don't have any real criticisms here. Maybe watch out for your fast licks.. they sounded awesome but they seemed to fall out of synch with the backing just a little, possibly a bit in front of the beat ? The intensity was great, though - keep it up. And you know I love those little Arabian touches you put into it
No Skill - lovely tone here.. also, beginning a solo on a nice, double stop bend is always a winner ! The hand synchronisation was a little wayward during your fast run but apart from that, a very tasteful and well executed solo - nice to have you on board for the first time
Gitarrero - I honestly thought you were going to try and sneak the opening riff to Crazy Train into a collab... again ! I can hear how you're paying more attention to choosing strong chord tones now and it's paying off because your solos don't sound as meandering as they once did, they sound more focused ! I was worried about the bend but you kind of got away with it because you could have been going for the flat 5th sound
Hungry for Heaven - A great solo for you. Really love your bending and vibrato touches.. they sound really precise and sharp. My favourite bit is when you sneak in that really high bend !! Whammy madness works as well and so do those Schenker style speedy hammer ons
Casinostrat - A high impact solo here... I like the approach of going straight for the jugular with some fast runs like that. The hand co ordination could be improved so I would work on some basic 3 note per string picking exercises to help you synch them up a bit. Also, your note targeting could do with sharpening up a bit (although I appreciate most of these takes are ad-libbed so we don't always spend the time to compose..) as you want to avoid a meandering sound. Go for strong tones like root, 3rd, 5th etc when you're doing sparse phrasing, but when it's busy licks you only need to worry about note targeting when you're ending a run. Hope that makes sense. I also quite like your tone here.. when you hit those higher notes and put the vibrato on in reminds me of Glen Tipton of Judas Priest.
AK Rich - Homey, I love this take. A real different approach and it works ! Only thing I'd suggest is when you get to the end of the second ascending part, maybe vary the tail end of the licks so you get some variation. That's all, though Very desert vibe !!
DeGroot - nothing to complain about here.. a very toneful solo from you, man. If anything, you can maybe hear that it's been compiled together so if you were laying down a solo in a situation of higher stake, you might want to tie it together a bit more by playing it all in one go maybe.. but that's all I noticed. Playing wise, it's hot stuff !
Llibach - Like your open string phrasing here.. a good way of setting up a solo ! I'd give you some of the same advice as I gave Casinostrat, try to give some love to developing you hand co ordination if you can and try to focus on nailing strong chordal tones ! Nice, clean distorted tone too..
Gregc1 - Nobody liked your solo, Greg.
Ben - Yours sucked too.
Ok, sorry.. it had to be done !
Gregc1 - This was a very popular solo and for good reason. You displayed some seriously excellent command of phrasing... seriously, it could have come from George Lynch himself. The amazing thing is, it was mostly all pulled from the Pentatonic scale as well. Just shows what we can do when we focus on them strong target notes and pick the right time to land on them ! Well done.
Ben/Me - I decided I couldn't really follow Greg's solo, there was no point trying to cover similar ground so I went for a different approach, using some sustained notes, ringing into each other to try to conjure up a vast landscape. Not sure if it works, you have to be the judge.. but I always think that note bleeding / ringing sound conjures up an atmosphere of open space.
Gentlemen, it was an absolute pleasure doing this with you. It's been my favourite collab ever and it was only because of what you all brought to it.. congratulate yourselves- well done !!
Posted by: gregc1 Jul 3 2012, 02:59 PM
Man, I thought that came out great! I had a blast taking part in it and also loved hearing everybody's different takes. Really looking forward to the next one.
Ben, thanks for the comments again. Although I'm extremely confident in your abilities to follow my playing.
For your solo, I think you nailed the vast landscape feel. It had a very "large" quality to it. Just like AK's gave me kind of a confused, wondering feel (not the playing, the vibe). I kept picturing a lost nomad struggling through a sand storm for shelter as the excessive amounts of peyote takes it's toll.
Have a good one guys!
Posted by: Gitarrero Jul 3 2012, 04:51 PM
Best collab ever, the result is amazing!
Imagine if this had been a video collab, Kris could use it on youtube to advertise for GMC...
But you know the downside to this collab Ben...this month, you'll only get wonky takes with wrong note choices
for the record, I have never tried and will never try to sneak the opening riff of crazy train into any collab 
Christian
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jul 3 2012, 04:59 PM
Imagine if this had been a video collab, Kris could use it on youtube to advertise for GMC...
Well, that means we will have to do an even more awesome one the next time I do a video collab !
Posted by: Gitarrero Jul 3 2012, 05:04 PM
Just make sure I can sneak crazy train in it somehow...wait...nevermind, I have never done that and will never try.
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jul 3 2012, 05:06 PM
Why don't we start a running joke where you try to insert a classic rock riff somewhere into each collab ??
Posted by: Opetholic Jul 3 2012, 05:09 PM
I was just about to write this
Would be awesome.. We all know what Christian would insert 
Posted by: Gitarrero Jul 3 2012, 05:23 PM
I have honestly never thought about this...
This could boost my video views if you guys are all looking for a classic riff And to make it extra-interesting, I'll only use that one special riff you all pretend to hear when I play something in 50% of my takes.
Posted by: Opetholic Jul 3 2012, 05:25 PM
This could boost my video views if you guys are all looking for a classic riff
And to make it extra-interesting, I'll only use that one special riff you all pretend to hear when I play something in 50% of my takes.Pretend ?
Hehe
Posted by: AK Rich Jul 3 2012, 06:22 PM
Ben, thanks for the comments again. Although I'm extremely confident in your abilities to follow my playing.
For your solo, I think you nailed the vast landscape feel. It had a very "large" quality to it. Just like AK's gave me kind of a confused, wondering feel (not the playing, the vibe). I kept picturing a lost nomad struggling through a sand storm for shelter as the excessive amounts of peyote takes it's toll.
Have a good one guys!
"as the excessive amounts of peyote takes it's toll." Hahaaha thats awesome man thank you so much!
This collab was the bomb! congrats to everyone once again for a bang up job and special thanks to Ben for allowing me in beyond the deadline, thanks bro I love what you did with the track as well, awesome ninja skillz! .Some of you guys may need a new set of strings after that kind of mayhem!. W00T!!!Posted by: casinostrat Jul 3 2012, 06:51 PM
Great final mix, you guys all Rock! Thanks to Ben, for organizing and providing a great backing track!
.......Glen Tipton.....hmmmmm........guess I'll have to start recording these takes after midnight and hope I'm not breaking the law!
Posted by: DeGroot Jul 4 2012, 12:01 AM
Damn, that was awesome. Every solo kicked ass.
Posted by: Ben Higgins Jul 4 2012, 09:12 AM
I've needed a new set of strings for months, I think !!
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