October 22, 200718 yr Here's a nifty little number I did several months back....It starts off like a standard blues piece, but then moves on to a more swing feel for the bridge. The ending's really strange, the effect I'm trying to create can only be achieved by a live drummer. Sorry, the comping's pretty lame. I left the solo section open again-- anyone want to jam to blues in C? Questions, Comments, and Suggestions are very welcome...:) ~Kal _The background horn parts sound really cool live, but we're not due to record for a couple of weeks...:( Blueskies.MID Blueskies.MUS
October 22, 200718 yr I like it, its simple but its fun. I really like the parts where it breaks away from the blues progression. So here are my suggestions: - I don't know how you do it live but like you said, the comping needs work. I would lose the piano altogether and focus the comping in the organ and guitar. I was definitely hearing some long held out organ chords (like a gospel blues). - I think there could be more melody in the vibes. - Lastly, take out every second triplet in the high hat to make the beat feel more like a shuffle (if that's what you were going for). Also, not so much "four on the floor", especially when the bass is walking. I'm sure your drummer doesn't do this live but bass drum hits on every beat is only good for techno, disco, some funk and maybe some dixie stuff. Anyway, looks like it would be fun to play and would sound much better live. Being a vibraphonist myself, I think you should give yourself more to do. Spice up the piece. Give the leading melody to yourself (its your piece) and have the horns back you up. You should show off a little.
October 23, 200718 yr Author GLad you liked it. Yeah, live it's a bit different- no vibes/organ/guitar at all. And the "four on the floor" during the blues parts adds an unexpected drive that normally isn't there. THe horn parts are exactly the same, though. Actually, it's only a six-piece band- Bass Drums Alto/Sax Soprano Sax Trumpet/Clarinet/French Horn/Vocals Alto Sax/Piano Vibes/Piano/Percussion I play piano on this tune, so in the live version there is no vibes or guitar or organ or tambourine, and I'm on keys. (Our vocalist plays that little tritone thing on vibes at the beginning with extreme vibrato as a cool SFX:w00t:) The comping obviously isn't how it would be played live, lol, I was just too lazy to write anything cooler in. And trust me, I have other pieces to show off in.;) Thanks for the review, glad you liked it! ~Kal
October 26, 200718 yr Your funky style as usual, Kal. Love this piece. You gotta teach me how to write funky swing music some time :)
October 31, 200718 yr i was not inclined to listen to it until you broke away from the simple blues progression and i thought it was really nice. it's a piece to be played and listened to live but the thought comes through even in MIDI format. my finale is not compatible, unfortunately. dan
November 3, 200718 yr Author Thank you kindly... Yeah, the midi sorta sucks, but I guess it gets the idea across. Thanks for listening! ~Kal
November 13, 200718 yr There are some parts that kinda don't seem to go anywhere, I like the song but it's not something I would listen to over and over.
November 21, 200718 yr Author Not something I listen to over and over again, either, but I'd have to disagree with you about it going nowhere... ...But thanks for the review! ~Kal
