On and off over the last couple months I've been working on this tune. I finally got it mixed and ready to share.

It is called "Clear Blue Skies" and you can check it out here: http://www.myspace.com/darenwoodall

This is a fun little light-hearted jam that ended up largely being a platform for me to jam bass to, which I'm all to happy to do. :) In the end it is probably the busiest bass part I've recorded to date. I am really pleased with the grooved behind the guitar solo and some other tid-bits here and there.

Like some of my tunes before, I conceive of stuff that out-reaches my ability to play it, and I have to practice for days just to catch up to my ideas. This one's bass part, 8th notes at 188bpm, was difficult to play tight enough to keep and it was rare that I could play the whole song through without either flubbing notes or having my forearms cramp up. :)

Let me know what ya think,

Daren

sounds really good, even though it's not my style of music. you have obviously been listening to satriani a lot..... and i mean that in a good way. you can definitely play.

keep it up!!

What not to love here?

Love the bass playing,

Obviously you can play, my only criticism is you need to find your own voice, the music is just too Satriani to me, which is great, but in my opinion, someone of your caliber should concentrate on forging your own style with either your playing/technique or song writing & composing skills.

There can't be any complaints about your playing or songs other than the above.

Just my humble opinion.

Thanks for listening and for the complements guys.

The Satriani comparisons are inescapable I guess. There are a handful of iconic figures in the rock guitar instrumental including Eric Johnson, Steve Morse, Steve Vai, Gary Hoey with Satch being the most recognized. They’ve covered most of the ground in this rather narrow genera. Realistically, I’m just a hobbyist player recording riffs into my PC with my bass, guitar and nifty drum sequencing software. I’m not reinventing the wheel, but instead, having fun riding around on it. Furthermore, I am nowhere near that league.

I will admit to having the underlying goal of offering more pop oriented arrangements and simpler melodies in hopes of appealing to those that find instrumentals overly complex. I also try to give emphasis to the rhythm section (in the amateur ranks, this is sorely lacking) . I think back to the many Satriani records and I can’t recall a single tune who’s bass work was remarkable. It was always far overshadowed by the guitar. Steve Morse, on the other hand, has Dave LaRue rippin’ it up with super tasty bass work, but the over all appeal seems limited primarily to other instrumentalists. I’m looking to do something in the middle. Granted, these goals are all hampered by my actually skills. :)

I hope this little monolog didn’t sound defensive. :rolleyes: That isn’t my intent. It’s just chit-chat about instrumentals, bass stuff and such. It could be an interesting discussion point that I’d like to hear other’s views on, especially the perspective of bass players.

Thanks again for checking it out, Daren

Hi Daren. Wonderful material. Happy music indeed. :) First time I've listened to every track all the way through that someone had posted and loved it all! I just wish you had them set to download.

billm

Wow, what a complement. :) I'm thrilled you liked them.

Just for you, you can download them all here ;)
http://darenwoodall.com/tracks.htm

Daren

Wow. Thank you. :)

billm

Hey Daren, nice tune. Did you write the other parts too? I think you're a very skilled player. I felt the song was a bit predictable, a little cheesy, and I would've enjoyed a bass solo since all the other lead instruments took a turn. I guess it's not really my taste, but overall nice solid playing! Keep it up!

Thanks for listening and commenting. It helps to hear all perspectives.

Yeah, I did everything. Bass is my first love, but I play guitar as well and use it to have something to play bass to. The drums are meticulously sequenced from pre-recorded loops. I can play drums, but only at a rudimentary level, however I know what I want from the drums and loops work well for me.

..a little cheesy

Oh yeah, there is definently a cheese factor. When the initial riff came to mind, I immediately thought that as well, but... went with it anyway. :rolleyes:

As the song developed, some elements made for good lessions learn that I can draw upon later, particularly, the harmony transition at 1:17.

... and I would've enjoyed a bass solo since all the other lead instruments took a turn

Actually, there is one, or I intended one. :eyebrow: Maybe it isn't so obvious in the mix. I looked to use a bass feature to preface the guitar solo. It starts at 1:22. You can tell the guitars drop away. Perhaps the intensity of this section isn't distinquished enough from the rest of the part. I try to have a bass breakdown in most of my songs.

Thanks again, Daren