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  #1  
Old 08-09-2008, 12:27 PM
shawlie shawlie is offline
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Default two country blues

I used to write lots of songs when I was younger. Perhaps none were particularly good, but I always had fun. I play with a couple of other guys each week and write things for them, too. Sort of rock/punk - very loud in any event, and not really my favorite music, unfortunately.

Been looking around for someone to play acoustic blues/folk-blues with, for fun and maybe play in a few little bars one day (after lots more practice). He/she would have to sing, as I can't do it so well. Still looking, but in the meantime been practicing things by John Hurt, Gary Davis, Blind Boy Fuller and the like.

I also thought it'd be nice to try some original songs, so I last night I tried to come up with some music and did the words today. Little bit rough still, but just wondering if it's something I should keep practicing, or think about changes and the like. First time in a while I tried to make up something on acoustic (electric in a band seems somehow easier), but it was quite a bit of fun.

I'll keep practicing the guitar (cause it's so much fun), but any comments are welcome. I'd like to be in a band/duo one day that plays the music I like, and it's fun to try!

I Stole the Key to the Liquor Cabinet
Sadie
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a few fingerstyle country-blues and folk tunes

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Old 08-09-2008, 12:37 PM
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Bern Bern is offline
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Great stuff...
One suggestion, though, it seems, at least to my ear, that you might be better of trying to play in higher key to have your voice project more...your vocals seem awful low.
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Old 08-09-2008, 01:01 PM
vicov vicov is offline
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this is good stuff Shawlie. Bern makes a valid point & putting a capo on the first fret would probably allow you to project your vocals more effectively.
(Just one other suggestion; I think that you should make Sadie at least 5 feet tall).
V
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Old 08-10-2008, 03:39 AM
shawlie shawlie is offline
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Thanks for listening! My voice is pretty low in the songs, I don't have a very low speaking voice, actually. I just don't dare to really "sing" that much yet, perhaps with more practice (so I tend to keep it a bit low and soft). I'll try a few different places with a capo and try to raise my voice in pitch a bit.

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(Just one other suggestion; I think that you should make Sadie at least 5 feet tall).
V
If she were maybe six (or even seven) feet tall, it might even be funner, now I think about it after reading your post!
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Old 08-10-2008, 06:53 AM
3rd_harmonic 3rd_harmonic is offline
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sadie.... you know what you're gonna hear in the song when it starts..... great voice for this style...... song makes me smile.


liquor cabinet ...... I'd like vocals miked a bit higher in some places... but maybe you just moved away from the mic for a second or two.

I read what was said about the key vs your vocals. I take a different position. I just think you need to continue to work on perfecting what you've done here. IMHO, your voice, in the key that you're currently playing is a great part of the appeal of your music. It's rootsy. It's gutsy. It's like country blues tobacco sharecroping dirt. Simply put.... my opinion? It's perfect.
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Last edited by 3rd_harmonic; 08-10-2008 at 07:01 AM.
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Old 08-10-2008, 06:59 AM
3rd_harmonic 3rd_harmonic is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vicov View Post
this is good stuff Shawlie. Bern makes a valid point & putting a capo on the first fret would probably allow you to project your vocals more effectively.
(Just one other suggestion; I think that you should make Sadie at least 5 feet tall).
V
i did blink twice at the image of a 4 ft woman. but my eyes have not seen many young women of the era in which this music was born. i'd be hard pressed to say, keep it at 4 or make it 5, 6, or 7.
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Old 08-10-2008, 09:11 AM
Frank Roberts Frank Roberts is offline
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Shawlie,

Wonderful! I love your style.

If I have any constructive criticism it may have more to do with the EQ of the recordings (or perhaps your guitar). The voice (low range) and bass strings seem to predominate. IMHO it would enhance the songs to have a little more emphasis or balance on your picking on the treble strings.

Please keep doing what your doing, and keep this genre alive. Mississippi John Hurt, and the others you've mentioned, must be smiling.

Frank
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Old 08-10-2008, 12:47 PM
shawlie shawlie is offline
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Thanks for the replies, I really do appreciate all the comments and advice.

3rd_harmonic, it is fun trying to sing like that, but people often say it's a bit too monotone. I'm never going to be able to actually sing "pretty", I suspect, maybe I'll try just a bit more varition (and try some other keys in future tunes) and try to do the same kind of thing but with a little more melody. For me, singing is a lot easier when someone else is doing it.

Frank, thanks very much for the advice. Someone said before that my bass playing is too loud compared to the treble strings and I've been trying to work on making it more even. It seems hard right now, when I try to play the high notes louder, my thumb starts playing even louder still. I never realized it until people mentioned it, and I'm happy to have something to work on to get better at playing.

Again, thanks for listening and giving advice. It's really fun to try and make music, and I really appreciate the comments on the things I should work on.
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Old 08-10-2008, 01:04 PM
dberch dberch is offline
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good stuff there, shawlie! Really like your style. I agree with the other, try capo on 1 or 2, you might be surprised.

Also, and take this with a grain of salt... The altnating thumb is perfect for these tunes, but you might try muting the 6-5-4 strings with your right hand palm a bit, or a bit more. The bass notes are slightly overpowering the nice treble work you are doing.

David
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Old 08-11-2008, 12:05 PM
shawlie shawlie is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dberch View Post
good stuff there, shawlie! Really like your style. I agree with the other, try capo on 1 or 2, you might be surprised.

Also, and take this with a grain of salt... The altnating thumb is perfect for these tunes, but you might try muting the 6-5-4 strings with your right hand palm a bit, or a bit more. The bass notes are slightly overpowering the nice treble work you are doing.

David

Thanks for the advice, David. I've been muting the bass strings most of the time (well, trying to at any rate), but it seems like I sometimes have to lift my hand at times to stay in rhythm. They're not even very hard songs, really, but they give me plenty of trouble in places!

But alternating bass is so much fun to play, I'll really try to even out the sound.

I used to play a lot of clawhammer banjo a couple of years ago. I took one lesson, just to make sure I had correct technique (if there is such a thing, of course, but I wanted a little help and advice from someone with more experience). He thought my thumb was a little weak on the fifth string, so I really tried to bring it out more. Now I seem to have just the opposite problem..!

I really do appreciate these comments, as I said. I'd really like to improve my playing and sound, and not just keep practicing the same mistakes. I'd really like to play the kind of music I like somewhere, just for fun, and I've never had as much pleasure in making music as I have been recently. Feels like being a kid again, and that's fun.
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a few fingerstyle country-blues and folk tunes

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  #11  
Old 08-11-2008, 06:54 PM
Bluelew Bluelew is offline
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I think the song is great! So are your vocals & guitar, just do a little something to bring your vocals mto the front of the mix. Turn the guitar down or the vocals up. I really like your style man.
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  #12  
Old 08-13-2008, 11:58 AM
shawlie shawlie is offline
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Thanks for listening to them, Bluelew.

I've been trying to use all the advice everyone gave me, trying to somewhat lessen my bass strings and do a little more with my voice (but realizing my own singing limitations).

I've had a bit of free time from work (I love free time from work!), and tried to make up some new songs using the advice. I had quite a few ideas and things, but worked mostly on two new things. I'll have to play them about a thousand times before they're smoother, so they still have some rough spots in them. They might also need an extra part/guitar break for variation.

The lyrics might be a bit repetative and somewhat of a '"cliché", but I was trying to make something that sounded folk/blues. The one's kind of a religious song (well, kind of, possibly a bit vague - and a truck drives by in the beginning, right before my finger snags on the high e string... the Zoom2 really has nice 3D sound!) the other "borrows" half of the chorus from "Hush Little Baby". Not a lullaby, but I like it when people like Gary Davis use the low G as the root for his C chord, and wanted to try something like that.

But maybe my voice is a little less monotoon, and maybe a little more pleasant (though I'd settle for "slightly less unpleasant"!).

Again, thanks for all the help and suggestions. I just do these things because music makes me happy and for some fun, and I do appreciate all the respones.

Lay Your Burden
Hush You By
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a few fingerstyle country-blues and folk tunes

"Yeah!" - Blind Boy Fuller
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