[Cue Zephyr]

Originally Posted by Ryan Alexander

Good job, CZ! Keep it up. The tapping part is tough, but it gets easier. I found I had to be very mindful of my finger and tapping pressure to play that section cleanly. The setup of your guitar is also so important for pieces like this.

This reminds me how much I'll miss playing this and other baritone tunes now that I've sold mine

PS - I noticed that you've got your SDC on the soundhole and your LDC on the neck - have you tried it the other way around? Just curious. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks! The tapping part is indeed really tough. I've memorized the exact melody, but it's the coordination that leaves me sometimes. I don't really know where my left thumb is supposed to go, sticking up to maintain position or on the back of the neck for extra leverage. I do find that the section felt better the second way around. The set-up of my guitar was not great (intonation/saddle wise), but beside that all was well. Mediums, 13-56, tuned down to DGCFAD (D standard/whole step down). That same day I actually tried some Furch guitars and found out the neck profile of my Taylor is causing me some trouble, it appears to be a smooth V which just doesn't work well for this style. The Furch (Stonebridge) guitars I tried were very comfortable in all aspects. The body shape felt really nice, and the neck profile was excellent, like a slightly flattened D-shape. It even reminded me of a classical guitar. Also the tapping sounded much, much cleaner on them. That's probably also due to the 45mm neck as opposed to the 43mm on my Taylor dread.

I have never actually played a baritone, and I hope this time will come soon.

The mic set-up was switched around indeed, but I didn't have time to switch it around to the 'correct' set-up. I always have the SDC on the 12th fret and the LDC on the bridge when recording at home.

Originally Posted by kwakatak

Good job so far! It starts out clean, but like with so many of us entropy takes over, doesn't it? Don't worry, you're getting there.

I've actually been trying to get this one down myself and have been at it for a few months now. The tapping is tough but if you break it down into individual phrases and remember to be firm with the RH tapping it does get easier. What's helped me is the realization that the "percussion" of this song switches from the thumb slap to the actual tapping action itself.

Here's the good part: you phrasing is actually pretty good and very true to McKee's. I can hear a lot of the same flourishes and the notes all ring out nice and clear. I also have to compliment you on your recorded tone. Both the guitar and your recording rig really make this attempt shine.

That being said, tempo seems to be your biggest obstacle. It's very fast and it seems to get away from you at times. Practice with a metronome or the original recording and remember to breathe. The object is to get a feel for the groove. Once you feel it then your timing should even out and you'll feel calmer when playing this piece.

Good luck!

Not exactly sure what you mean with entropy... but, I have some clean bits, and other bits are dreadful.

It's quite cool how the rhythm changes, it goes from a 2 and 4 slap to a 1 and 3 tap (roughly). I indeed tend to slowly lose a bit of power in the RH tap, as well as sometimes missing the string alltogether. Perhaps I should tap a bit more with my index finger perpendicular to the strings, but tapping with the side of the finger instead of the tip.

It's probablye due to the many listens I have had to the album version of Ebon Coast. As well as that I have watched Andy's CandyRat video and the Greenfield guitar video of him playing Ebon Coast as well. Mostly to figure out the most efficient and quick fingering, but also the technique he uses (think of the thumb-wrap right after the 10th fret RH tap). If I'm playing covers I'm really keen on getting it as how the original artist intended it to sound. This was also the first time I took my recording rig with me. Next time I will take my new-to-me AT825 X-Y stereo mic to lose some baggage (1 stand instead of two, no pre-amp, less cables, etc).

Timing is indeed one of my obstacles. I do feel the rhythm and the beat, but I have slight trouble with getting the movements in time. I got both the original and metronome to practice along, perhaps I should have done this a bit more, there are one or two parts in this piece that for some reason excite me, and then cause me to speed up.

Originally Posted by usb_chord

Great job on a pretty complicated tune! If you've only been practicing it for a few weeks, it will really click in a couple more. Give it time.

Thanks! Yes, I was even worried I couldn't get it right enough to play for such a crowd, but I was confident enough to try and get it flowing, and eventually play it for a crowd. Pieces like this really have to click indeed, because they are so not-standard or complex.