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 paigan0 & Jayesskerr Collaboration: Chromatic Jack 
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Post paigan0 & Jayesskerr Collaboration: Chromatic Jack
I gave an MP3 of Chromatic Jack (Railboard, Drums, and Piano) to Scott (Jayesskerr) with some minimal instructions ("Go to town, Oh Ye God O' Strings" for the record, when they make our documentary). And a MIDI file of the piano and drums in case he wanted to see some chord info (I doubt he used it with his awesome ear!)

A few hours later (!), he send me back Pro Logic X files (how Scott rolls) with 5 tracks of guitar, dry as a bone so I could (minimally) add some reverb and delay and EQ love to separate out the instruments (thanks, Emmett! High pass gain filters are our friends). I exported them into Pro Tools (how I roll), grouped them, sprinkled some minimal FX pixie dust on the entire AUX Bank, and subtly, minimally tweaked a couple of things to justify my producer credit. Guitar Pans and all guitar tracks and 96% of the guitar FX are all his--some good stuff there, if I may compliment his studio skills, guitar sound(s), and of course, awesome shredding and writing. Still a work in progress--a couple spots for some keyboard solos! Since Scott's guitar god skills far outshine my meager Stick melody chops, I'm deferring to his guitar vision for this song, instead of adding melody Stick. Apologies in advance for this but y'all know my vision: integrate Stick into my rocking out, and encourage original music as much as I can. Next song after this is solo Stick, I promise!

Railboard (bass) -- Steve
Piano (Alicia's Keys) -- Steve
Drums (Abbey Road Drums, NI Maschine)-- Steve
Guitars, Solo & Rhythm -- Scott
Written by Stephen Sink and Scott Kerr
Produced by Stephen Sink, Paigan Productions

I'm calling this a "Rock Instru-metal"! (I just made that up--googles to see if it's been used--sweet! It's mine!!!!)

Yoroshiku! Cheers! Appreciate your comments, feedback, hate or love!

[Edits: slightly updated with suggestions and comments and things I and others noticed so far!! Thanks!]

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Last edited by paigan0 on Mon Apr 25, 2016 10:28 am, edited 1 time in total.

Fri Apr 22, 2016 10:33 am
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Post Re: paigan0 & Jayesskerr Collaboration: Chromatic Jack
Based on feedback from yet another Stickist Steve--Steve Osborn, of Oz's Music in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the MiStick monthly Stick Night, and the only other place that Stick has licensed to sell Sticks (if you're in the area, you can actually see Sticks, play them, and buy them immediately, assuming he has stock)--I adjusted the guitar levels down. He's given me some good suggestions for some vocal ideas and also some some ideas of what to do with this little jam. He also suggested the guitar was a bit too much up front; which is a wise comment, because most of the guitar is still fairly dry for now. The freeform intro definitely needs more reverb and delay, but I didn't want to step on Jayessker's tracks too much yet.

Steve Oz's favorite part of the guitar:
Quote:
I love those harmonized arpeggios!

Me, too! Best part of Scott's playing here, I think.

I uploaded the newer mix into the same SoundCloud file. Cheers!

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Sat Apr 23, 2016 5:19 am
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Post Re: paigan0 & Jayesskerr Collaboration: Chromatic Jack
Thanks for sharing, I listened all the way through and enjoyed. This song sounds like the bridge of a song, maybe it's that my ears are used to hearing this progression in that section. Great rhythm work and a stellar outing for Scott on guitar, who also has a great voice!

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Sat Apr 23, 2016 6:17 am
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Post Re: paigan0 & Jayesskerr Collaboration: Chromatic Jack
I can hear the same tension Gene mentions. Like there's another theme waiting to be resolved into. But maybe that's what makes the tune interesting.

I'm not sure why. But something makes me wonder what it might sound like without percussion.

Impressive work!


Sat Apr 23, 2016 6:58 am
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Post Re: paigan0 & Jayesskerr Collaboration: Chromatic Jack
earthgene wrote:
Thanks for sharing, I listened all the way through and enjoyed. This song sounds like the bridge of a song, maybe it's that my ears are used to hearing this progression in that section. Great rhythm work and a stellar outing for Scott on guitar, who also has a great voice!
Thank you, Gene, both for listening and for the comments. Your thoughts about the progression sounding bridgey are spot on--this chord progression started out as an exercise in stacking melodic and harmonic triads onto a chromatically-descending bassline--A, G#, G, F#, F, and E, and then F and E again just because it gives the progression a chance to really dig back down on the F and the E (and completes the 8 measures, rather than just 6). I was fascinated in finding chords that had each of those bass notes in the triad: for the A, it was A minor, the G# was the third of E major, the G is the bass note of G major, the F# is the third of D major, the F is the root of F major, and then the E is the root of E minor. The pattern of alternating bass lines as the root and then as the third of an chord in an inversion, was the pattern that worked for me for this. The "choruses" have a pattern of A, C, F, G and the ending is ADFG ACFG ACGF. That was the root basis for all the piano and it's how I built the Railboard bass line.

Scott added quite a bit rhythmically, and especially harmonically and melodically to this. He takes some guitar chords progressing down, against my rhythm progressing up, particularly at the end, that I found extremely...adjectives fail me. "Pleasing unto me harmonically": a build and release of tension, as you guys noticed with the tension. Thanks again, Gene, for the feedback and the nice words!

DaveJ wrote:
I can hear the same tension Gene mentions. Like there's another theme waiting to be resolved into. But maybe that's what makes the tune interesting.

I'm not sure why. But something makes me wonder what it might sound like without percussion.

Impressive work!
Man, you guys rock with the comments, here! Dave, you and Gene have really identified what I personally was going for harmonically.

As for without percussion, if I can ever figure out an easy way, I can post the piano-only MIDI file of this tune, as well as with or without the drums (all recorded in MIDI) and let you hear. For that matter, I can just mute the percussion tracks and bounce down a mix that way, or a mix with just the piano, or any combinations therein.

They say that you should never let people see how the sausage is made, but I love my sausage, and love to share it (ducks as the double entendre pun settles in)...Seriously, though, my vision is simply to Integrate Stick into my musical life, and encourage original music. I've been poking and prodding Scott to do more original stuff--because he's awesome--and I thought giving him this would take him to the next level. I think it worked! Besides, he was already jamming over the early tracks I posted anyway, and that told me this was Something We Should Do.

Thanks, guys!

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Sun Apr 24, 2016 5:14 am
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Post Re: paigan0 & Jayesskerr Collaboration: Chromatic Jack
Listened to the whole thing, and enjoyed it.

I'll echo: the harmonized arpeggios are pretty dang awesome. In fact, all of the guitar work is cool. I periodically wonder on how an artist brings in a "guest musician" from the other side of the planet; for instance, Neal Morse (formerly of Spock's Beard and prolific solo artist) frequently does this, and I sometimes ask myself something like, "How much guidance did Neal, in Nashville, give Steve Hackett, in Europe, for that 2 minute solo, and how much of the feel is 100% Steve?" Pretty neat to hear what you've posted here, coming from that angle.

My only critical comment on the composition would be that the guitar needs to drop out for a few measures at around the :30 mark, to establish the groove. I like what you did there quite a bit, and I think it deserves some of its own time in the spotlight to establish itself ahead of the solo guitar.

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Sun Apr 24, 2016 8:10 am
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Post Re: paigan0 & Jayesskerr Collaboration: Chromatic Jack
Sounds great, Steve!

I have a very strong personality as a musician. People either love what I do or totally hate it! lol I gave these tracks to Steve to arrange and produce as he deemed necessary, and I have a strong suspicion that this just happened to be a really fun surprise for him, so he made a release with my guitar work smeared all over the tune. (I'm honoured; Folks in these parts don't really dig what I do!)

I would not be one bit surprised if this tune showed up a year later completely re-envisioned and re-produced. Stephen treats his music stuff like a sort of ongoing "sketchbook" and this was one of those times where he let one of the lunatics from the asylum go nuts over a sketch with some crayons...

It is what it is, and for my part, I had a blast messing around with it! Thanks to Stephen for letting me rock out! Thanks to anyone who listened!

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Sun Apr 24, 2016 10:58 am
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Post Re: paigan0 & Jayesskerr Collaboration: Chromatic Jack
Gusset wrote:
Listened to the whole thing, and enjoyed it.

I'll echo: the harmonized arpeggios are pretty dang awesome. In fact, all of the guitar work is cool. I periodically wonder on how an artist brings in a "guest musician" from the other side of the planet; for instance, Neal Morse (formerly of Spock's Beard and prolific solo artist) frequently does this, and I sometimes ask myself something like, "How much guidance did Neal, in Nashville, give Steve Hackett, in Europe, for that 2 minute solo, and how much of the feel is 100% Steve?" Pretty neat to hear what you've posted here, coming from that angle.

My only critical comment on the composition would be that the guitar needs to drop out for a few measures at around the :30 mark, to establish the groove. I like what you did there quite a bit, and I think it deserves some of its own time in the spotlight to establish itself ahead of the solo guitar.
Victor, you win 1st through 3rd prizes for constructive criticism! With the slight caveat/excuse that I haven't started pruning back anything and also that Scott certainly tried to fill as much empty space as he could with guitar, with the expectation (and probably, hope) that I would weed out the weaker parts, you are absolutely right! :ugeek: As soon as I read these words, I immediately fired up Pro Tools and just muted that section of lead guitar there, while leaving the rhythm parts. When the guitar does come back in, it's also particularly melodic, and hits really hard--all the better for having taken the previous round off to establish the groove. I told Scott immediately after first listening to his rough mix of guitars over my MP3 that about "80% of the guitar is f'ing genius." After seeing the tracks up close a little more, I've revised that up to about 87% of f'ing genius. But that section of guitar that got muted was part of the 13% that was a little weaker. I might still use it somewhere else.

As Scott says. I like to keep working on things, and songs have a natural (or unnatural) evolution. Each new instrument added puts another layer of awesome-sauce over the pasta piano chord changes that started this.

So, I took your advice Victor and here's the 1st minute intro, with that section muted and then the guitar coming back in with that melodic kickass opening (after the intro opening). Damn! That subtle change really makes a huge impact! You rock, Vic!


Jayesskerr wrote:
Sounds great, Steve!

I have a very strong personality as a musician. People either love what I do or totally hate it! lol I gave these tracks to Steve to arrange and produce as he deemed necessary, and I have a strong suspicion that this just happened to be a really fun surprise for him, so he made a release with my guitar work smeared all over the tune. (I'm honoured; Folks in these parts don't really dig what I do!)

I would not be one bit surprised if this tune showed up a year later completely re-envisioned and re-produced. Stephen treats his music stuff like a sort of ongoing "sketchbook" and this was one of those times where he let one of the lunatics from the asylum go nuts over a sketch with some crayons...

It is what it is, and for my part, I had a blast messing around with it! Thanks to Stephen for letting me rock out! Thanks to anyone who listened!
Scott, this has been my honor, and pleasure, from start to finish (as you said, the finish ain't here yet!)

This collaboration was surprisingly easy to do, to get back to Victor's points and questions about the mechanics of it. But that ease was really entirely on Scott: all he needed was an MP3 and the beats per minute; no elaborate chord charts or directions. I frankly wouldn't have even known to say "Do some amazing, virtuosic harmonized arpeggios here and here"! because I forget that real human beings can do things like this. (Sorry Scott, I'm pretty sure you're real, although we haven't met in real life yet. Everyone in the Internet could be a dog, but your Stick performance videos are pretty hard for a dog to fake!)

I thank you awesome people here in Stickland for your help and support, and for humoring me on my mission to integrate Stick into my rocking out, and encourage original music. See the new intro, with Victor's suggestion.

--Rocking it out, Stickist Steve #6
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvKs2VLmVnY[/youtube]

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Post Re: paigan0 & Jayesskerr Collaboration: Chromatic Jack
This is a real nice collaborative effort you two, keep it up. The more you polish the apple the tastier it gets! I can't add much in the way of constructive criticism, my brain doesn't work that way with music. I can't innovate, so I'm a listener and an imitator. What's so cool here is you guys can do this living in 2 different regions. No need to play together, just go back and forth, record, produce, tweak and retweak! Love it!!

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Post Re: paigan0 & Jayesskerr Collaboration: Chromatic Jack
RandO wrote:
This is a real nice collaborative effort you two, keep it up. The more you polish the apple the tastier it gets! I can't add much in the way of constructive criticism, my brain doesn't work that way with music. I can't innovate, so I'm a listener and an imitator. What's so cool here is you guys can do this living in 2 different regions. No need to play together, just go back and forth, record, produce, tweak and retweak! Love it!!

Rand! Thanks for listening and encouraging! That is SOOOO important to us thirsty creative types--as you know so well! (I'm calling you creative, not thirsty. :) ) I loved you sharing your drumming with us--and at a cheap virtual twenty, a bargain! Your encouragement is the literal bread in our jar (metaphorically speaking...) ;)

Speaking of polishing the apple, and Scott referencing that I treat these as a working sketchbook until completed, I went and updated the main file with Victor's (Gusset's) suggestion to let the rhythm do its thing to establish the groove after the initial 3-way freeform jam--before the guitar kicks back in--and also raised the lead guitar level coming back in a few measures later. It kept bugging me that, according to my ears, the level was lower, but looking at the wavefile, it should have been fine, so I just raised the track level a smidge for 2 measures and let my ears tell my eyes they were liars. :ugeek:

Maybe that's a marketing gimmick: "If you thought this was shite before, the file is now new and improved!" But it does encourage repeat listening. Although people might be confused by some of the suggestions that I incorporated (you can no longer hear the version that had the beginning guitar that Gusset said could go--'cause it went.)

Anyone listening in now just be assured that the version a couple of days ago was much worse, and the next version will be much better! With your help! (I'm waiting for the suggestion for glockenspiel, in which case, sir or madam, please deliver me your rocking tracks of Glockenspiel, and we'll rock out, with our Glock out!)

Newish version (reposted from the link at the top which is now with the new version):



I'm leaving the version which is just Railboard, piano, and drums, which you can find in an earlier Showcase posting, but let me not confuse things further. Thanks for the help and comments so far! --Steve

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Sapphire Railboard, #6763, MR
Wenge-on-Wenge NS/Stick, #170130, Bass 4ths
http://soundcloud.com/stephen-sink-1
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-RDlN ... Ez0hN49_Qg


Mon Apr 25, 2016 10:27 am
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