Hey GMC'ers!

I'm happy to bring you a new collab and this one is all about the feelings! Let the rain or sun influence your mood when playing your take, anything goes here. Get angry, sad, happy - let the backing track move you. The track was made by Javier Aviles and is taken from this lesson.

BACKING TRACK: Click to view attachment
Jam Track for practicing: Click to view attachment
Tempo: 85 bpm

Progression:

Bb | Cm | Cm | Eb
Bb | Fm | Ab | Eb x3
Eb | Bb | Cm

Needed: melodic lead lines and solos!




________

When you decide on your final take, please submit two audio files:

1. Your solo without the backing track.
2. Your solo mixed with the backing track for reference.

Please feel free to let me know if this is your first collab and if you need more info on how these work and how to produce the needed files, I'll be glad to help you out!

Deadline: 15th of July

Who is up for it?

Participants: fzalfa, Kristofer Dahl, bleez, Phil66, Chris S, Opetholic, Jim S, Ricky9, Marek Rojewski, Nick6373, Piotr Kaczor.....

i'am in !

edit: melody done, recording on the way, get uour towel, wou"'ll certainly cry a lot

Laurent

IN!

sounds cool, In

In

You've already expressed a lot of feelings right there!! Can't wait to hear your take!

Hopefully you'll show us some as well

Hehehe awesome, I'll prepare the ambience lights and I think I'll also need the bucket to drain the sorrow



Alright, alright!



Awesome Bleez, putting you on the list!



Hehe I can already hear the string breaking

Yeeeeeeeeessssssssss!!!

Okay so maybe techno djent for the NEXT collab right?

But I only do Polka?!

hi

i have do a theme, i must extracts idea and polish this

it's the fist time ever i try to play with harmonics, listen the whole, you'll find them, beware it's a rush.

https://soundcloud.com/dizy-laurent/collab-sad-blues

edit:

a bit more polished

https://soundcloud.com/dizy-laurent/sad-blues-gmc

Laurent

Hey Laurent - great to hear you jamming already. It is very good that you are making recordings of your jams as it will help you to compose a "super take" out of the cool ideas which came out spontaneously.

I have listened to both of your takes and here are my impressions based on one listen each so it should be as objective in terms of what grabs my ear as possible:

Take 2 (polished take): 0:11-0:20 - this is a very nice melody and its catchy, with emotion etc. I liked it phrasing and note choice wise. Thing to pay attention to: note you slide to at approx 0:17! This is the best note in this phrase hands on, its just full of feelings and perfectly lines up with the backing chord. I would use this note and whole section as a base for my take if I were you. You'll notice that you quickly go from the long note at 0:17 (which is IMO "the note"). Try to make that note longer and more sustained and then make a small pause before going for more licks/phrasing. This will evoke more dramatic emotional effect. In this seciton you should polish up on all the expressive elements so be careful with how clean each note sounds and also how fast/slow you slide to and from notes as well as possible hammer-ons and pull-offs usage. It needs to be gentle and smooth for the highest effect on the listener.

Take 1: 1:56-2:16 - this is the best section from this take in my opinion. Harmonics, melody and note choice is pretty strong here. Things to look out for here would be to play notes and keep them sustained for longer so that you can smoothly go from one note to the next one without the previous one "dying" in terms of sustain.

Those sections above are ones I'd "buy" from these jam takes and use them as source for creating a super take which needs to be short, composed and well played. My suggestion would be to start composing a short take using those section above as starting point and main theme/idea. Once you have it composed and it sounds/feels good against the backing track you can work on the actual technical performance and polishing it up.

Tone wise, my suggestion would be to add a bit more warmth to your tone. Try rolling down the treble and gain a bit and maybe increasing bass and mid frequencies. I think that tone like this one for example would really fit the backing well: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Dire-Straits-Inspired/

Looking forward to what you come up with

Hi Bogdan

i try to do a mix with this parts, and do a short take

i'll post today

Laurent

Hi Bogdan:) Is this an video collab, or just an audio one?

This is an audio collab Marek, will you be able to submit your take?
It would be awesome to have you in

hi Bogdan

how does it feel with this one ? need polish , but i love it !

i realy experiment new technics, not always successfully , like harmonics, and more legato.

i have play it with my LP studio, it just come back from the guitarist builder, i have brake the neck.... it work like a charms now very happy !

i use my finger to play, i love to do this way, you can make it vibe under them

https://soundcloud.com/dizy-laurent/test-blues-sad-gmc

Laurent

I'm struggling. I wanted to create a piece that started angry and then gradually calmed down into an almost hypnotic state. I am in a hotel tomorrow night so work will be happening in my head.

Just letting you know I am still into this collab

I like this take, Laurent. The melody is nice and reach the sadness/melancolic, the dynamics is good too as you begin very softly. Yes, I like it and I'll follow the evolution of this thread !

Hey Laurent - this was great!
I really like the sound of the LP studio, it fits the backing perfectly.

I'm slightly leaning towards making another suggestion, please don't mind me - this is just for fun and to see what we can get

Just as an experiment and if you have time, you could try the following:

Create another "super take" out of the ideas in this latest one!

Since this latest one sounds like a great take as it is, you could try the following as an experiment:

Shortening the harmonics section in half and connecting it straight to phrasing and licks played at 0:46 till the end. Don't get me wrong, section at 0:25-0:46 is also very nice and has great moments but I think if you'd combine half of the harmonics with licks and phrasing from 0:46 in some way over the backing, you'd get a shorter take which features only WOW leads and carefully chosen notes.

Please let me know what you think about this?

I'm also prepared to "buy" this latest take and/or suggest recording a polished version of it if you want as I think it feels strong as it is and will fit the collab amazingly well. I'm just itchy to see how far we can take it, that's it



Hey Daeron, let me know if you'd like to give this one a go. I'm sure we could work out a cool take together. It can also be in any lenght really as I'm not sure how we'll end up in the final mix of the collab in terms of will I be using all the takes in full or making a sort of "musical medley" out of the "amazing bits" from everyone.

That is a good idea Phil! Composing in your head is a very good approach which often leads to more original idea. Please feel free to send your work in progress takes if you wish. Looking forward to checking out your take.

So this is my first take from it:

https://soundcloud.com/stortzmusic/gmc-feeling-collab-take-one

Will definitely develop it a bit further.

Any advice? What do you like and dislike about it?

Thanks

Hi Bogdan

I don't feel able to create something at the moment but I like to listen at these collab works !

Hello hello,
I would like to join for this collab if there is space
This is the result of my jamming with the backing track
Click to view attachment

nice take my frien Opeth holics

i currently learn faith in the other

Laurent

Thank you Laurent Faith In Others is a beautiful song!! Would like to listen to your rendition if you record it!

Hi Bogdan

i love to do experiments...... deal, i'am your man.

i'll do this tomorow, because tomorow i do play guitar to please my wife

but count on me to do the best as i can

Laurent



yes this song is awesome !! i really love this dramatic feeling

for now i learn the rythmic section, i have a lot to do, but i think it's a good job to learn rythm and chords.

it looks like a jazz chords , not like a 4bar rock one, plesant to learn, pleasant to play

i know it fully for two first minutes edit: now until minutes 6

Laurent

Hey Chris, great to have your take already.
First of all - what I dislike? It is no techno djent!

I have listened to the take and generally you have some really nice ideas in there. I like your tone which fits the backing nicely. What I was missing in the take was a defined and catchy phrasing in terms of rhythm. You had several licks played one after the other using same note values and rhythm (just changing the notes). This even though fits the backing musically as the notes are correct, phrasing wise doesn't feel strong enough if the rhythm is not varied in terms of note values combinations.

Now, my suggestion would be to take the best out of this jam and create a new super take.

If I were you, I'd probably go for these phrases:

0:14-0-16 - great phrase utilizing raking technique!
0:36 -0:45 - this whole section sounds awesome. Pay attention to the bending pitch there but otherwise, tone wise and dynamics wise is very strong sounding.

Maybe try to create another take using the sections and phrasing from the above? As always, my suggestion is to always go for short and strong solo and I think you are almost there. Please jam along using the ideas that you played in those sections and feel free to upload new jams/takes, I'd love to hear how you evolve your take.



Sounds good Daeron!

If you feel about a challenge, I'd suggest to just jam along the backing track using these notes:





Of course, it would be just for fun - you don't need to upload anything here.







It is a pleasure to have you in this one!

0:00-0:25 - I think that this part is pretty strong sounding. It would be worth polishing up. Pay attention to the timing, in the beginning you are rushing in front of the beat with the phrases. Also, double check bending parts that you are reaching the correct pitches.

0:36-0:45 - now this shredding phrasing/licks bit is pretty awesome sounding. In the take you are playing it a bit sloppy but if you could get it down technique wise, I think that it would be a blast to include it as part of the solo.

0-48-0:53 - double stops and bending double stops here sound great. The rest of the take here goes into phrasing which is technically and musically correct but features repetitive phrasing in terms of rhythm. This backing makes it easy to fall into the trap of using "long notes" and "same note values combinations and rhythms" over and over again. To counter this, try to intentionally mix in different rhythms and note values. Split a quarter note into two 8ths, add pauses, combine and experiment

Overall, my suggestion with this take would be to combine the above ideas into a new, shorter and more compressed take.
You could also consider utilizing more double stops and double stop bending to add even more emotion.



Sounds like a plan! Looking forward to hearing what you come up with

I always know by the first few bites if I'll join a collaboration and this one's got the "it". Instantly wrote lyrics for it and sang very nicely through it.

Seeing all the people in this place heavy,
We burrow ourselves until break levy
Across this table our eyes our eyes heavy
Told you I loved you we can now bury

This beautiful friendship took flight when nobody's looking

But I am never gonna wake up.... No I'll never wake up


Even in the silence your voice still rings heavy
Cause I'm drifting through life and you'll be the death of me when time is ready.

But I'm never gonna wake up.


I hope to put something unique to this one!

Here is an acoustic lead that I made for this track. What do you think?

WOW man, I didn't expect this!

It's awesome to have your vocals over this one.

Here are my impressions on the recording:

The vocal melodies and singing in this section is perfect, I wouldn't change a thing :

"Seeing all the people in this place heavy,
We burrow ourselves until break levy
Across this table our eyes our eyes heavy
Told you I loved you we can now bury"

...now the rest of the vocal melodies feel like they are not there yet. Don't get me wrong, they are good but somehow they feel like you were running out of ideas for the phrasing and note choice. The first verse sounds really good in terms of the melody and everything. I'd suggest re-working the rest in a similar manner and maybe going for a 2x verse 1x chorus type of structure. I think that the 2nd verse melody and others till the end were not on the level of the first verse phrasing and melody wise. Maybe simplify it and sing using the same melody again and then make a catchy chorus melody? You currently go for a bit of verse>bridge>chorus kind of melody structure with your singing.

Overall this was really fresh and your voice is so expressive - great job man!



00:00-0:23 - phrasing is really nice and interesting, it just that the timing feels to be rushed and you end up playing in front of the beat. Try playing the same thing laid back. This means you should essentially try being a bit late on purpose. I think that it would make solo really blend with the backing track then.

0:26-0:46 - what I imagined in this part when listening to it is the addition of double stops or even triads (mini chord strums) in this section over some of the notes, especially ones you pluck repeatedly several times. Something like this maybe but in the correct style of music Link : http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Around-The-World-Russia/ ; http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Double-Stop-Melody/

00:47-end - I think that this was the most interesting part of the solo. What I'm missing in general would be playing more horizontally and changing positions. Acoustic guitar can sound awesome in lower positions on the neck and utilizing bass strings and then moving horizontally up the neck.

Overall, this was very fresh and the licks will fit the collab really well. First thing that came to my mind was the Scorpions Acoustica live album and solos from it :

Hey Bogdan!

Not sure if I took a few steps forward or a few steps backward with this one:

https://soundcloud.com/stortzmusic/gmc-feelings-collab-take-two

The playing is a bit sloppy - my goal was to get some new ideas down rather than focusing on keeping it clean.

Any thoughts, mate?

Thanks!

EDIT: Forgot to cut the end of the track

Hi Bogdan

this is the requested take...... i'm not conviced, but i'have done it

https://soundcloud.com/dizy-laurent/feelings-collab-v1-wtb

the guitar only track

tell me.... but personally i prefer the first take, i have the files if necessary !

Click to view attachment

Laurent

Let's go for this take Chris, I like it. With polishing it should work very well in the track!
Please concentrate on 0:24 section, there are some minor bugs in there otherwise pretty strong take theme wise.



Hey Laurent - this is it!
I have compared it with the original take and this one feels much stronger as it is defined, you play it well and rehearsed. You have captured really good feelings in this one, I think it will work well in the collab final mix. Please make the soundcloud take which is in the mix with the backing track downloadable (I need a file with the backing track and guitar only for mixing purposes).

I also would like to join if there is time, Here is my rough draft, criticism highly requested.

https://soundcloud.com/rickynine/feelings-colabmp3

Hi Bogdan,
Thanks for the feedback
I chopped off my jamming and came up with the message I want to give for this track
Click to view attachment

nice take Opethfriend



Daeron, i don't care about what you say, you can do nice stuff, you have give the proof at my collab project !

be honest and do a try

Laurent

In BB King Collab, that was easier for me because I had the mix made with the others jamming. I had to listen the jam and then imagine something that could fit.

Here, it's like a blank page and I don't know where to go !

don't matter, work in the same way, listen the other contrib , the metric is simple, and it loop everytime, so you cannot be wrong !

Laurent

Hey Ricky9, great to have you in this one!
There is a lot of time, we've just started this collab.

Here I go with my comments, I tried to be detailed

0:03-0:15 : octaves are a great and fresh idea! What I'm noticing and this is a tendency in other parts of your improv is that you like to stick to same rhythm patterns in your phrasing. When I say rhythm, I'm referring to a combination of note values. Phrasing is composed both of using different notes (pitches) and note values (duration of notes). To make the phrasing interesting, trick is to avoid playing the exact same rhythm patterns (random example : 2x 8th notes followed by 1 quarter note followed by 2x 8th notes) as then even though we change notes, the section remains too similar and starts to feel repetitive. I'm mention this because in the octaves section you play the same rhythm twice and the groove you chose slightly breaks the flow of the melody (it stops). Here you can see a good example of changing rhythm in the phrasing when playing with octaves: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Rhythm-Soul-Octaves/ ; http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guit...-style-octaves/ ...I'd suggest changing the 2nd repetition of the octaves part with a more developed melody and rhythm, possibly going for higher positions on the guitar for more open sound.

0:15-0:24 - this is interesting question and answer phrasing. What I'm reacting this when listening to it is the straight 8th notes run which starts the lick. It sounds just a bit like a scale exercise. Maybe try to spice it up and change the first repetition of it in terms of breaking down the run to different note durations (you can break 2x 8th notes into 1 quarter note). it is an interesting lick, it just needs more dynamics and tricks to make it feel more expressive.

0:26-0:47 - this part sounds like ok jamming but it doesn't have the x factor previous parts/licks have. We could skip this section.

0:48-end - this part of the solo rocks. I like how smooth you play it, the phrasing here is more interesting and you also play it a bit bouncy and swingy which is great.

My suggestion for a final take would be to rework 0:00-0:24 section per comments above and connect it straight to 0:48-end licks you played. This should work well for the collab track.





Great please send me all the files :

1. Guitar solo with the backing track
2. Guitar solo without the backing

I think that this take sounds very nice and I really like that it is focused. Great job man!
There is a small tendency of rushing a bit here and there but I think I can fix it in the final mix but moving the whole take just a bit behind the beat making it "late on purpose"



What I'd do and which I'd suggest everyone (hint hint) is to steal some licks from this lesson: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/C-Minor-Soul-Blues/

Especially ones which are played when the backing track stops, everyone seems to be making a pause there instead of a solo which functions as a bridge.

Seriously, you could listen to the lesson to get inspiration and then even sing a short melody. In the end, I'll probably need only short bits of solos for the final mix to make it effective and diverse.

You can use the notes from the C minor pentatonic scale or C minor scale as a notes choice/pallet.

Thanks for the feedback Bogdan, i will definitely work on this, that's what makes this colabs so awesome. Having direct feedback from you guys just makes u better players, Thanks a lot. See you soon with a new take.

Hey Bogdan the scorpions were one of my first bands I ever listened to. Rock you like a hurricane!!!!!! So cheesy yet good it its own right.
As for the collab, your suggestions are great and I will try and bring it all together in a new take. You were right about the vocal phrasing and the guitar solo. If I can combine them it will sound really great! Have a good day!

Hi Bogdan,

Thanks for the kind words
I am attaching here the solo without backing track, and the one with the backing track you already have.
Click to view attachment

ok guys here we go take 2, pls let mek now what you think.

https://soundcloud.com/rickynine/feelings-colabtake-2mp3

Awesome, thanks for the files Opetholic!
Can't wait to see how your takes will fit in the final mix.



Wow, this was great Ricky! I'm really impressed by this take.
I love your feeling, dynamics and tone in this one. Please send me all the files (solo with the backing track and take without the backing track included). Solo wise, I'm feeling that the section 0:48-end feels weaker than the rest of the solo in terms of not having a clear path, defined melody etc. Sounds more like jamming and extra section which you were not sure what to put in. General impression is that your solo perfectly ends at 0:48 so I think we can just skip the later section in the final mix as the rest of the solo is really well defined and has a great vibe and story. Which gear/guitar did you use to record this one?

No Bogdan, I want to thank you for pushing me do better and for that i thank you again. As far as recording i use my ibanez 8 string iron label with dimarzio ionizer pickups. Those pups are great for all kind of styles of music not just metal like most people belive strings are for, second i use my boos gt-10 which i finally figure out how to setup for recording thanks to some guy on youtube( thanks god for youtube) and lastly my daw is magix music maker 2015. Not much done as far as tone done in the daw other that regular mixing stuff and compression. Ok here are the files, let me know if you need anything else.

Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

Hi Bogdan, here is my "to work upon" take, some spaces aren't filled yet with the licks I want, and there is much cleaning to be done, but decided to share already and ask for feedback

Click to view attachment

Cheers

Thanks for the files Ricky! Very interesting, I didn't expect this one to be recorded on an ibanez guitar.
You managed to get a very smooth and quality sound which fits the backing track really well! Can't wait to see how it turns out in the final mix.



Great to have you in the collab Marek!

I have listened to your take and here are my impressions :

Tone wise : this is what jumps at me before anything else. The is room to improve the guitar tone. First detail is that there is too much reverb and/or delay. Usual rule is that when you can clearly hear the effect applied, then there is too much of it. I'd start here making it much more subtle. Next, I'd check if the character of the tone can be improved by lowering the amount of gain. Currently, the guitar tone is too sharp and sounds too "digital" in the lack of better words. Maybe post what kind of gear you have and others could help with dialing in a more organic sounding tone. Sorry for writing a paragraph about tone, but I think that having a good tone is a big thing as if the tone is not very good it casts a huge shadow on the whole performance for the end listener.

Phrasing/solo impressions :

00:00-14 : this section is interesting phrasing wise. I like how you throw in the pinch harmonic in there.

00:14-00:24 : this ascending section where you repeat the same motive going up the neck is a good idea but there are two details to consider. The repetitive motive needs to be more catchy to motivate repetition and the ending lick needs to be extra strong and well thought of to serve as a sort of climax. In this version you end up on bended note which feels to be slightly off pitch. Try making a stronger ending there, possibly on a higher note and possibly do a huge bend with added vibrato on top of the bend if possible.

Now the rest of the take to me feels a bit too drafty at this stage. I mean it is ok but feels like jamming and like you are looking for "the licks" to use. So, instead of commenting about what could have been done there, I'd like to outline some of the individual licks which I found cool sounding :

0:33 - cool and effective pinch harmonics lick
0:42 - again another cool pinch harmonics lick (take care of bending here)
0:55 - cool note choice for ending a phrase
1:04-end - interesting licks here

My general impression based on this take is that you tried to go for more of "licks" approach in composing this solo. It is a bit noticeable that you are having a bit of trouble with the "rhythm phrasing". When coming up with cool solo phrases, we need to worry about tons of factors such as note choice, timing, dynamics, expressive techniques etc. I have a feeling that in this take you have focused more on the note choice aspect rather than timing. This results in a lot of notes being played with the same rhythm (note durations) pattern which gives a solo a repetitive and predictive feeling.

I know that there is a lot to take in from this feedback, but I think it would be really worth it in the end.

As I'm practical person myself, I usually like to keep things organized and clean so if I were you I'd probably do the following :

1. Play with the guitar tone until I find a smooth, warm sounding tone which suits a ballad kind of backing track and blends in.
2. Take what was being play until 0:14 and build upon it. To achieve unbiased melody, I'd probably try to sing the rest of the solo over the backing track and once I find something I like, I'd try to find out how to play it on the guitar.
3. When composing the solo, I would force myself to be aware of my rhythm choices and which note durations I play. I would try to stay away from repeating same patterns or playing too many notes in a row using a same note duration. This should lead to more fresh sounding phrasing.
4. I'd concentrate on coming up with a short and focused take which has a sort of "intro-verse-chorus (culmination)" structure. It doesn't have to be as long as the provided backing track

I'm really looking forward to hear what you think about all this Marek?

Here's my efforts -
https://soundcloud.com/bleez666/in-the-the-feels-collab

Great, I'll be back with detailed feedback as soon as I check out the take on my monitoring speakers.

00:00-0:07 - first phrase ends on a note which sounds a bit weak. The safest option for notes which end the phrase and which are played as "long, sustained" notes is to use the notes from which the backing chords are made of. These are essentially notes found within arpeggios of the backing chords. This way you are guaranteed that you are using one of the strong notes and usual "rule" is to use these strong notes in two occasions: when chord changes happen and to end phrases and land on strong notes when they are accented in some way (in this case played as a long sustained note).

0:23-0:26 - great job play a cool lick in "solo" section where backing stops. It really worked well and feels catchy.

0:26-0:36 - this section is decent phrasing and note choice wise but slightly feels repetitive in relation to what you played in the previous sections. This is also the first section of the track where it comes to light that the solo is lacking in dynamics. Dynamics refer to many different things, so my suggestion would be to concentrate on varying the picking strength. Try accenting some notes by picking them louder and then playing some phrases really really soft. With this kind of solo, I was honestly waiting for it to climax and explode by changing a pickup position and really digging in and going for screaming notes higher up the neck and increasing playing intensity.

0:37-0:49 - this part sounds ok for a jam, but for a composed solo it feels more like an exercise and the phrasing didn't turn out as strong as in other parts of the take. I'd suggest skipping this section completely.

0:48-end - now this is the section which kinda hints for what I was imagining in your take when it comes to "climax" section but it would really need to be a bit stronger to achive the WOW effect (and we should all aim for WOWness in our playing ).

My final suggestion would be to start a climax section at 0:37. This way you end up with a shorter, but more defined solo which is always good. Also, tweak the 0:26-0:36 to feature more dynamics and act as a bridge to the climax section. It needs to be more intense than intro licks but leave room for ending section to explode. I'm suggesting all these details as I think you could pull it off. You've been practicing some cool blues lessons lately so I know you have some cool licks under your fingers. Let's take this solo to a pro level!

OK, for me this is the hardest collab I have done, I'm just not getting anything from the backing. I really wanted to start angry and get happier but I just can't get anything.

I've put my bit of noodling down, maybe you can nudge me in the right direction. I think it all comes down to not having much of a lick library in my fingers. I have so much in my head but can't get it to my fingers.

Oh well, here is probably my worst piece ever submitted

https://soundcloud.com/gmcphil-1/feelings-very-much-in-progress

Cheers Bogdan