Using Again - Benjamin Tod (Cover)

Hey there folks!

Since I first heard this song, I just had to learn it, especially now that I’m trying to mess around with fingerpicking.

I’ve been practicing about 2 weeks and it’s the first recording (still my crappy phone)

Some blunders but nothing I’m too unhappy with. Well, maybe the volume of the guitar itself since I play with the skin and not nails… And trying to sing in a lower volume didn’t really seem natural.

Well, hope you like it and if not, tell me why :rofl:

9 Likes

:clap::clap::clap:

That was cool!!! I liked the song. Never heard it before, so i will check out the original.
I liked your vocal, really liked it. And your fingerpicking was great…

(That fingerpicking sounded so good in my opinion, so it would not hurt if it was a bit more volum on your recording, maybe if you placed the mic on your phone a few centimeter closer would helped that)

Well done!!!

1 Like

Great stuff, I liked how you played that, particularly the hammer ons. Some great lyrics in that song. You commented on singing in a lower volume. I’m assuming you meant in a lower key? There were several places you seemed to struggle for volume on the lower notes. When I do that in my singing, it’s a message to me to use my capo so i sing in a higher key.

1 Like

Crazy good and dripping with soul. Take all that happy pop strum-a-dum-dumming I hear and flush it – give me more of this raw, heartfelt emotion. This song comes from a place of pain and regret, and you held up your end of the bargain. This really moved me. Well done, sir!

EDIT: I’m vowing to no longer listen to or comment on unlisted or private tracks. If an ugly ape like me can publicly publish his music, anyone can. Make this track public and I will subscribe to your channel. You’ve got good chops, no reason to be apprehensive.

1 Like

Hey Kevin. You are powering on mightily developing great technique and have the ability to play and sing, tell a story through song. Thoroughly enjoyed that.

I’m hear before @adi_mrok and will highlight what I am sure he will when he gets to watching this. Have a look at your hand position and notice the action of your thumb and index finger. It may be exaggerated by camera angle but looks like the two could come together on the down stroke of the thumb and the up stroke of the index finger. If so this could have an impact on your playing. First and foremost, is comfort and being relaxed. So if no impacts then maybe all is good. But in future perhaps it could. So I suggest have a look at hand position to get the arc of thumb and index finger such that they can’t collide.

As you develop as a player and performer, I think it’ll be worth your while to explore how you record these songs to achieve a better balance between voice and guitar. As you said, the singing did over-power the guitar. Nothing wrong with playing with finger-tips without nail. It’s a more mellow sound which I personally can enjoy. I’d suggest it is now worth taking that extra trouble in recording, rather than just turning on the phone (though there is also a place for a quick low-fi recording).

So I shall put that out there and hope you come back and re-record this in due course.

Bravo!

3 Likes

@tRONd thanks Trond, I would really recommend the original artist, has some great lyrics in his songs. I’d particularly recommend the stuff he has on the YouTube channel GemsOnVHS, some great independent artists are there and they get to capture great performances with an amazing sound quality.

@tony thank you Tony, I actually meant the volume, what I was trying to say is I feel the voice is too loud compared to the guitar. About the capo, the original is actually in G (open strings) and I’m doing it with the capo on the 2nd fret, but you’re probably right, I should’ve tried going a bit higher.

@CT thank you so much for listening Clint, I’m glad you enjoyed it. About the private thing, my idea is to try to record the songs I really love with a mic and a bit of a better quality of video, that’s why I set these quick mobile recorded things on private, but it’s been on my to-do list for too long to get some recording gear and start sharing it with the whole of YouTube.

@DavidP thank you Dave, it’s always great to read your insights. I will look into it, I was basically trying to play it consistently and relaxed but it’s a good idea to polish it as much as I can, especially if it’s something that can impact my playing for the future.
About the recording, I think I’m getting to the point where I got as much as I could out of the phone, not so much for the camera but for the sound. I’ll get into it, and my idea is also work out something for the background so it’s not so boring.

Thank you for listening guys, really appreciate it especially with these unknown songs.

Cheers!

1 Like

Thanks Kevin!! checked him out on spotify. His music is mezmerazing!
Thanks a lot :+1:

1 Like

As I recall you have the gear, Kevin, an AI and mic which you used to make the multi-track with your friends. Just feed that audio into OBS rather than a DAW, OBS Ninja to continue to record the video with your phone and you’ll be into exploring that next level. I described it here Producing a video with phone cam and an audio interface

As for the background, I’d not worry about that. As viewers we generally focus on the player, mostly the hands. And when not, there’s nothing wrong with the Pulp Fiction poster :grin:

1 Like

There’s a fluidity in your playing that says it all Kevin. Really good job here.

1 Like

@DavidP Well that belongs to one of my friends,I could borrow it but wanted something for myself for the long term. Guess it’s time to stop talking about it and getting it! (and learn how to use it :sweat_smile: )

And thank you for that, I had no idea you could record it that way at the same time, worth checking out.

@batwoman thanks Maggie, that’s the goal, working on something until you interiorize ir and can just “let it out” naturally. I’m very pleased about how it ended.

2 Likes

Hi Kevin,
Beautiful song :sunglasses:
Greetings ,Rogier

1 Like

I think it sounds pretty great, considering only 2 weeks of practice it is quite amazing. As for the quality, I’m guessing you used phone microphone, they tend to be very quiet. The remedy would be a proper microphone and some editing, even with the microphone raw sound can be too quiet. But I’m sure you already know this :slight_smile:.

1 Like

@roger_holland thanks Roger, and that’s a beautiful guitar on your profile pic!

@RadekSiechowicz thanks radek, yep it was 2 weeks but I dedicated a considerable amount of time to it over that time :sweat_smile:

1 Like

Brilliant Kevin. I can’t believe you’ve only been at that for two weeks. I really enjoyed it.

For me, your phone gave it an oldie worldie feel which went really well with the song.

1 Like

Super stuff Kevin. Dripping with feeling and emotion. Well done.

1 Like

Well, that was cheerful! :rofl:
No, seriously- well done. I’ve know the song and you did it justice.
Bravo!

2 Likes

@SgtColon Much appreciated Stefan, the thing I think helped the most with this one is listening to it a lot, and I mean a lot.
Glad you enjoyed the phone mic, but my proper microphone is on the way, look out world, I’m coming.

@sairfingers thanks Gordon, I tried my best to express that.

@brianlarsen Thank you Brian, the life of the party I know :sweat_smile:

1 Like

I don’t know if any of you guys will read this, but I wanted to share it here.
I went to an open mic today, to see how it works and what it’s about…and I ended up coming up to the stage and playing this song. And with the guitar provided by the bar.
It was probably not great, and not as relaxed and good voice as this video, but it felt really good. It felt like a safe and comfortable place to try it and I’m really pumped to go back with my guitar and maybe play an original.

4 Likes

That is soooo cool :sunglasses:
Deserving of old school vibes of the highest order!
Enjoy the step into the unknown.
Enjoy the sharing.
Enjoy.

1 Like

That’s awesome, Kevin. Delighted that you have found a local Open Mic that is safe and comfortable. Playing live is such a great feeling and helps one to grow as a musician. Hope you get to record some video of you performing in future.

1 Like