Track advice

[Bob the bassist]

Ok, here's a temporary link to a rough mix of something we're working on. The bass is still the scratch track. I'm thinking of making the bass solo section (after 2nd chorus) more sparse. I'm thinking more swoopy and less picky, and I've got to get more mwah coming through.

Whaddaya think?

http://providence-progband.ca/ts24jul08.mp3

Anybody?

[Bob the bassist]

bump

[Robybass]

There is an off beat at the 43rd second but the rest is pretty good.

[Bob the bassist]

Originally Posted by Robybass

There is an off beat at the 43rd second but the rest is pretty good.

?? Sounds like a drum fill to me, or do you mean in the bass? Could just be a bobble in the scratch track.

Anybody else? The link will evaporate in the next day or two, and I'd really like thoughts on the solo section (3:01-4:01) specifically on the fretless tone (after the solo, it switches to 5 string) and the staccato vs. legato approach.

[rhix]

In the beginning I'd try and build the bass line a little more subtle, hold off on the higher pitches of the chord until right before the actual song starts. Overall I felt although the song is built up pretty nicely, the lack of any real chord changes or anything leaving it lacking much power. the overall theme along with the monotony of the singer gets a little redundant.

Your bass lines are good, but the note selection on some of the fills along with the timing left a little to be desired. I dig the fretless tone however. On solos I like to hear tension and resolve, yours kinda kept on being resolved at the same point with out much tension. This is totally just my taste though and doesn't mean that others won't like it.

[Bob the bassist]

Originally Posted by rhix

Your bass lines are good, but the note selection on some of the fills along with the timing left a little to be desired. I dig the fretless tone however. On solos I like to hear tension and resolve, yours kinda kept on being resolved at the same point with out much tension. This is totally just my taste though and doesn't mean that others won't like it.

Thanks. Yeah, most of it I just noodled out with the intention of keeping the best ideas and expanding from there, but I'm not sure if I want to keep this approach to it, or go with something more Gilmour-ish. That, and the tone just doesn't sound very fretlessy to me. Any suggestions on building more tension?

[rhix]

The way that i usually write solos is to play the rhythm and chord progression that is going to support the solo into a loop pedal. I'll then find which notes sound good in which spot, experimenting with different tensions and resolves and practicing different phrasing and intervals.

I sorta think as notes as colors. Each "color" evokes a different feeling or response, the only way to figure out each one is to practice every possible note over the chord progression. The same goes for different intervals, it is very important in a solo to have intervals that vary and are interesting to the ear.

If you don't have a loop, just have your guitar and drummer comp for you over and over so you can figure out what sounds best.

Also, it seems from your playing that you know the fingerboard well, I find it useful on solos to jump up and down in different positions since the timbre varies up and down the neck.