Dear Prudence rendition, wooden music

Community Recordings Audio-Video Of You Playing
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Thanks for checking it out and the kind words Phil.
Glad my lighting came off good this time. I’ve surely had problems with lighting before. I’m thinking the new webcam was a good thing to acquire.

Thanks for the kind comments Stephen.
Wondering, what kind of processing should I be doing to get the blend?
While I did add some DAW reverb, it was turned way down to almost not audible. Perhaps I should have turned it up a bit.
I’m kinda on the fence about effects. I’ve read more than once about folks in general, using to much of any particular effect. Distortion being most noted though. So anyways, along that notion, I usually turn the effects down and try to just let me and my guitar come through, unblemished by effects.
What you hear, is really pretty much me, not me w/sound effects.
Maybe to do it better, I should use a little less ‘me’…:wink:
Thanks for the observation Stephen, I will consider your thoughts in my future musical attempts.

Thanks for the kind words and comments Pamela.
Glad you liked my lighting. It’s just my normal lighting that I use, which are them fancy colored light bulbs that can change color. I usually have them set to blues and greens and it’s kinda dark. The white light is coming from a small desk lamp shining on the pages of the music. It’s the only white light I have on, short of the monitor which I assumes adds some light too.
I credit this lighting that seems to work well enough for folks to see me, to that new webcam I got. This is it’s first use. My other video recorders (a telephone and a old digital camera) seemed substandard and this webcam seems to work much better. Glad it’s working for you.

Yep, I’ve touched a little bit on his teaching about this. I think I’m doing it wrong. Which is part of where my confusion comes in. I think, I’m kinda going back and forth between using my pinky, and sometimes not.
I have much work to do on this method of playing I think.

Thanks for the kind words and listen glp! Much appreciated.

Thanks for the insight Tom. Yep, two tracks, then a copy of ea. for a total of two vocal tracks, two guitar tracks. So, yep, I could turn the guitar up, or vocals down as I was running in the yellow (both guitar and vocal tracks) on the VU meters. I turn anything up, I think it’ll push it into clip.
I agree. I think maybe my vocals are a bit to loud. When I mixed this, I just had the VU meters for guitar and vocal at about the same level. Guess that’s what I was going by for how loud ea. track was. In the past recordings I’ve done, everyone says turn up the vocals. Maybe I over did it?

:slight_smile: Thanks man. That’s very nice of you to say that. I for sure am generally not pleased with how it sing. So nice that you made that comment, nobody’s ever said that about my singing before. So that comment blows me away. Thanks!

Again, thanks for everyone’s participation in the thread. It’s been a fun thread + I’m getting some good feedback. Excellent! Just what I was hoping for.

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Hi Jim,
I dusted this one off as I had not heard you prior. Good job all around. I really like the song, so it was an easy sell on me. It was cool when you changed over from fingers work to the pick. Seems you have done that a lot as it was a smooth transition.

Video seemed find to me. Maybe in the future you fade it out with the end of the song and at the start when your fiddling with the computer settings. That would be a small but nice little improvement…

All the best,
LB

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Cool, glad I inspired you to dust it off. It’s a great song imho. I pretty much never get tired of this song.

:slight_smile: Interesting. No pick involved. That’s the top of my index finger nail doing that strumming. Lately I’ve been playing a lot w/o a pick. Trying to learn this finger picking style. Using my nail as a pick is just something I’ve adapted to. I can’t say I was ever taught that (least I don’t think I was). It’s just something I do naturally.
I like to mess with dynamics and going back and forth between the nail and the pad of my finger for picking seems to add dynamics to me.

I will work on this.
I just can’t say how bummed I am about how hard of a time I’m having with the video part of any recordings I’ve done. I just fight and fight with this darn computer to get anything close to how I think I want it. I’m doing another song right now and I ain’t done anything with it for several days now as I’m stuck as to how to manipulate the computer in the movie program to get what I’m wanting. If I get anything done in that program I’m pleased. I will consider this fade in and out thing. But I gotta get it to how I want it I would think prior to even attempting the fade move. Thank you for the insight.

I really appreciate the kind words about how my imitation of the Beatles turned out. After hearing your work (collab), that’s a very kind comment.
Thanks so much for the feedback.

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Hey Jim ! My Casino friend ! That sounds great (as usual). Love your playing. Very musical to me. Always doing music with everything you play. Create atmospheres. I realized I lost track of your recordings, so I just listen to the list from top. … , Cinnamon girl, Holiday, you never give me your money… Love all. I’m a fan. Thanks for sharing and keep on strumming my friend :pray: :pray: :pray: :slight_smile:

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Jim, that was a really fine listen for me. Can’t comment on the finger stuff, but I enjoyed the sound of your guitar and the way you mixed in a bit of strum hear and there. I thought the delivery on your vocal was good too. Well done.
The recording aspect will become easier the more you do of it.

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:smiley:
Right on Luc. I can’t play my Casino enough. It’s for sure the tones I hear in my mind for a electric guitar. + imho, they just look, too cool. The Casino seems to be my go to guitar for the last year or so. It’s my #1.
Funny to me, my acoustic is a Epiphone too. They must make reasonable guitars. :wink: That acoustic just fell in my lap when I got it. I couldn’t like that guitar more. It’s playable and has great tone w/ sustain of any note that just rings on and on.

Your kind words are very motivating Luc. Thank you so much for that. Very cool to me that you’re liking what I’m doing. Thanks for listening to the songs that I’ve posted up here. I shall keep on strumming and hoping to improve my playing with every new try.
Thanks man!

@oldhead49 Thanks for the kind words and for the listen to my rendition Dave. Thanks for the kind words on the tone of my Epiphone. I find it a really stunning instrument for what it is. A middle road instrument made in Indonisa. I think it may be that solid sitka spruce top that makes it sound so good, though I don’t know. Likely many construction stuff going on with it that I don’t even know about, but I agree, it’s a good sounding guitar, even when plugged in, which I don’t think is always the case with elec./acoustic instruments.
Thanks for the note on the dynamics of the strums too. I like dynamics and think it’s a bigger part of music that isn’t always observed. It gives music feeling imho. Appreciate the kind observation.

I sure hope so! I feel I’m spending too much time trying to manipulate my computer as opposed to actually playing. I wanna play music, not get the blues from trying to get my darn computer to do what I want it to do.
I’m assuming your correct with it getting easier, but for right now, I’m still getting crazy working with it. I’m looking forward to this becoming easier so I can concentrate more on the music.
Thanks for the listen and kind words Dave.

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Ah,
I should have realized, but it was hard for me to see. I did think to myself you did a good job tucking away the pick while doing the fingers work! LOL - Makes a lot more sense now!

Ta,
LB

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:slight_smile:
Glad to clarify.
Worse yet, I seem to hold my thumb and index finger in the same position I use a pick with. Easy to see how it could be interpreted as I’m holding a pick.
fwiw, I really wish I was holding a pick. I want to hybrid pick for sure. But the hiding it away part is messing me up. I can’t seem to find where to hide it, then get it back. I continues to work on this too. I even carry a pick around in my pocket to fiddle with it like Justin suggests. Still no joy for me, yet.
It seems to me, that the guitar players that I like, hybrid pick. It’s back to dynamics to me. I think there’s a big difference in tone between using a pick and not.

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I’ve only dabbled with hybrid picking, so this might be wrong, but…

It’s my understanding that hybrid pickers use the pick continuously - for strumming and playing bass lines on the thicker strings. They use the remaining fingers to finger pick.

They don’t keep hiding and un-hiding the pick as far as I know.

It might be worth creating a new topic on this, so more experienced players can comment.

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Hi Jim - really good performance, I enjoyed it. :slight_smile:
I don’t know a lot about finger picking to offer proper feedback, but you looked very comfortable and your fingers are well automated so you can sing with picking/strumming - I find that very difficult most of the time.

Regarding your recording, I think you did well but I did notice a hum sound throughout video - especially noticable if you increase the volume. The video and sound were nicely synchronised.

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Actually, I think this is a thing. I think of hybrid picking as you described: using the pick and the fingers (middle, ring and possibly pinky) at the same time.

I don’t know if switching back and forth between fingerstyle and strumming with a pick has a name, per se, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it done.

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I don’t know Tom. I’d have to research this.
I do one song where I use a pick and my fingers at the same time. I don’t even know if that’s what I’m supposed to do, but doing that seems to sound best. It’s the song long cool woman, the guitar riff in the middle of the song.
I’m guess that perhaps it’s a combination of using the pick for bass, fingers for top strings and then maybe hiding it away too and using your thumb for the bass notes. I’m thinking varying dynamics for doing it both ways.
I’ll have to watch others do it who know how, see if I can figure it out. And I do want to figure it out. I can hide it away generally, but getting it back seems to be hard for me to do.

Thanks for the comment Boris. I musta played that song a thousand times to get the auto down. And it’s only close in my mind.
As for the singing. That’s just plain hard for me to do on any song whether I’m just strumming or trying to finger pick. Singing just ain’t my bag.

hum, no pun intended.
I hear it, I’m hearing it as more of a hiss. I think it’s my AI. But I’ve no idea how to get rid of it.
Interesting. Your listening to it loud?
Cool.
I’ve tried it a bit loud too, but figured I would be the only one to try that… :wink:

Thanks for the comment on being synchronized. That for sure is a obstical.
I thought DaVinc resolve would like them up for me. But it didn’t so I had to do it manual. Took me a bit to get it close. Cool that it appears close. I was trying so thanks for the observation.

I agree.

I agree with this too.
I think I’m wanting to be able to go back and forth between hybrid and finger style which I agree. They’re two different things. I’m looking for the tonal variation of the pick vs the thumb.
Maybe I should just stick with the top of my nail when I’m wanting a pick type sound. This is what I was doing hear.
imho, you can hear the difference of when I make a strum with the top of my nail vs using my thumb. The thumb being less harsh (?), less click like a pick makes. Different dynamics.

Very good observations from all.
Thanks for the listen and comments from all.

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Moderately loud only! :smiley:

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Yep, but still loud enough to hear. :frowning:
Wish I could make it go away.
I’d blame it on my amp(s) that has mild hiss/hum to it. But this is wooden music.
Granted I was plugged in as the guitar is acoustic/elec. and I was using it as a electric I guess since it was plugged straight into the AI.
The hiss/hum still shouldn’t be there or at least not something ya can hear.
Oh well, I suppose it’s just not the end of the world. Plus, I’m happy if that’s the negative about my playing. :wink:
I’ll take that any day of the week!

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