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 The elegance of Rob Martino 
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Post The elegance of Rob Martino
Hi!

I was on your web page Rob checking out your midi auto-harmonizer and I really listened to your music and watch a couple of your videos. I have to say that after really dissecting your music and watching you play I am very blown away. Your technique makes the stick look like putty in your hands, which I think is the mark of a master musician. I could also see and hear when you switch from left to right hand, and could see what Greg was talking about when he made a dancers analogy to playing stick. I also really dug your tunes. You add so much color to the music you play. Your tunes sound like an impressionist painting come to life! I also love the tones you are getting. What ever you are using it takes just the right amount of edge from both sides and really makes it sing! Could you elaborate on all of these topics and talk some more on what effects you use as well as your composition method! Also could you tell me more about your advance degrees and what you've done with them, I am very interested in a career in music technology. I really learn a lot when I listen to you!

Thanks!

Oh is it also possible to use sythfollower with out the midi pedal? I have the behringer midi pedal but I can't find a midi cable. :cry:
Thanks!

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Sun Oct 26, 2008 8:08 am
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Post Re: The elegance of Rob Martino
Oh Rob!

Could you also elaborate on the mirrored 4ths tuning on the bass side and how it applies to other styles of music say like jazz for instance? How are the chords shaped? How much easier would it be to form basslines? How would it apply for someone like me who is also a bassist?

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Sun Oct 26, 2008 10:46 am
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Post Re: The elegance of Rob Martino
Wow Steve, those are some really nice words even if I don't particularly think I'm worthy of them! I'm still very much "exploring the studio space" when it comes to Stick playing, just learning tunes I really like and trying to bring together the bits and pieces of music experience I've picked up over the years- assimilating and distilling the things I like about my favorite music into some semblance of a style, whether it be certain kinds of chord progressions, guitar licks, basslines, moods, emotions, etc.

When it comes to composition, I guess I find it relatively easy to come up with small ideas- a short pattern, chord progression, bass idea, melodic bit, etc. but very difficult to structure these ideas into a piece. So I try things like varying chords a little bit as I go rather than repeating static progressions, or playing the same melody over different chord progressions, or mixing and matching different left hand/right hand shapes. Composition feels very much like semi-random experimentation at this point, but I try to pull some general ideas about form and cohesiveness from my music education wherever possible. In general I seem to prefer music that "unfolds" like a journey (as opposed to music that might repeat a lot in a static way) and which has subtle details that aren't always obvious at first, which gives music more "staying" power with repeat listens.

I don't know that I can really say a whole lot about the 4ths as it applies to different styles like jazz, since I'm not really going in that direction. In terms of chord shapes, all the main 7th chord shapes and various extensions are there, if perhaps a few are not quite as comfortable as they are in 5ths. My chordal approach I think is more in the acoustic guitar/folky/rock sort of vein. A large part of my left hand style is based on Ian Anderson's (Jethro Tull) acoustic guitar techniques, where he is always adding little melodic fills in between chords for a nice subtle complexity. I do like how the mirrored 4ths provides so much overlap with the "language" of standard bass guitar, and I certainly have worked things into my playing from bassists I admire like Geddy Lee (Rush) and Pete Trewavas (Marillion).

Sound-wise I guess I've preferred a more midrange kind of emphasis and taking off the highest edge (I use the PASV-4 at either the most filtered or second most filtered settings), and doing little subtle things like having parallel chains of effects to add a certain richness to recorded tones. Live however, most of this year I've just used some reverb, and concentrated on getting the most out of just technique and finger effects, and making the music as interesting as possible with just that. I think trying to hold steady rhythm is my biggest weakness and so I'm working on that, less effects is helpful in that regard.

My main background is computer science/engineering so I increasingly wanted to steer that in a musical direction, which is why I finally went to Northwestern's music technology program. It kind of combined traditional music education with things like DSP and music software development. At the college level, I think doing something like a dual engineering /music degree where possible is a great way to both develop as a musician and open up career opportunities (if you happen to like things like math and computer programming or electronics, etc)

I think you'll have trouble running synthfollower without some type of pedal (a MIDI pedal board or simple sustain pedal plugged into a MIDI controller), in fact I don't know if anyone other than me has got it working (the GUI is kind of clunky at this point)! I also created a version that uses a MIDI foot keyboard like the Roland PK-5, which gives you more flexibility in terms of what chord you want to play.

I don't know if any of this is useful info or just me rambling about myself, but there you go. Thanks again for the nice comments.

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Sun Oct 26, 2008 9:48 pm
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Post Re: The elegance of Rob Martino
Thanks Rob, your a real inspiration to myself and a lot of other stick players!

Has anybody else considered mirriored 4ths as a tuning for playing jazz, or a style with more intricate basslines?

Steve? Brett? Anybody?

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Post Re: The elegance of Rob Martino
Rob, you're so money and you don't even know it... :geek:

Seriously, man...It's been a real pleasure watching you progress over the past couple of years. Keep up the excellent work, my friend!

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Mon Oct 27, 2008 8:00 am
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Post Re: The elegance of Rob Martino
>>Has anybody else considered mirriored 4ths as a tuning for playing jazz, or a style with more intricate basslines?<<


Never, and here's why. If you start tuning the Stick so you're familiar with the strings as with a previous life, you will play previously learned lines and ideas and will say nothing new. The inverted fifths offers fresh voicings that will make bass players, guitarists and pianists envious. With standard Stick tuning, a new sonic canvass has been offered. The treasures to be found are in your creative spirit.

Stan Dardtewn


Mon Oct 27, 2008 8:48 am
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Post Re: The elegance of Rob Martino
Lee Vatip wrote:
>>Has anybody else considered mirriored 4ths as a tuning for playing jazz, or a style with more intricate basslines?<<

Never, and here's why. If you start tuning the Stick so you're familiar with the strings as with a previous life, you will play previously learned lines and ideas and will say nothing new. The inverted fifths offers fresh voicings that will make bass players, guitarists and pianists envious. With standard Stick tuning, a new sonic canvass has been offered. The treasures to be found are in your creative spirit.

I certainly appreciate the possibilities that bass in 5ths offers, although I wouldn't say mirrored 4ths has forced me play like a bassist and/or "say nothing new". I can borrow from the 4ths language when I'd like to, but I think the overall left hand approach is still quite fundamentally different from playing bass or guitar and very much unique to the Stick. The mirrored aspect of the 4ths has a lot do do with that (as opposed to making it more like a regular bass or guitar), as this is what really opens up the chordal and other accompaniment possibilities.

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Mon Oct 27, 2008 9:21 am
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Post Re: The elegance of Rob Martino
Rob was a great help when I was trying to come up with a custom mirrored 4th tuning and I share his passion for the possibilities of this particular tuning. So far mirrored 4ths worked really well for me. I think it comes down to personal preferences. 5ths, 6ths, 4ths, whatever works well. I think Billy McLaughlin's 'Helms Place' is a great example of how seemingly crazy tunings bring out the best of an instrument:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWZ19TU6qso

His tuning here is D2-A2-D3-E3-B3-A3

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Mon Oct 27, 2008 10:02 am
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Post Re: The elegance of Rob Martino
Didn't mean to sound like the 5ths was the only way to go. It was my direct response to a question mentioning my name. Any tuning the individual player prefers is just fine. I was speaking pertaining to my own journey and discoveries. As seminar students will attest, I usually give my opinion on a tuning or fingering and why I prefer these choices but always defer to the players' solution for their own style and ergonomics.
Rob, you remain elegant.

Ella Quint


Mon Oct 27, 2008 10:09 am
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Post Re: The elegance of Rob Martino
Heres my 2 cents.
Firstly, I agree that Rob's playing is wonderful.
secondly, yes I have concidered mirrored fourths as well as uncrossed with 4th in the left hand moving in a conventional 4ths tuning. My reasons for curiosity however are not for improvements in basslines. I have found 5ths bass to be very easy to use, and I have so far found no limitations in creating basslines including some intricate jaco type lines. the key is to shift like you do on upright. the notes are there you just need to spend the time to really learn the tuning. I feel the greatest difficulty in playing basslines on a tapping instrument is not the tuning, but the technique. Repeated notes are a challenge in any tuning, and they are the key to fluidity and expression. Even with 4ths tuning you only get partial transfer of technique from the bass.
Think of Jaco's "come on come over" funk line he is constantly repeating notes, so, you cannot instantly play it even with strings set up in bass configuration. A new technique has to be learned. Walking basslines may seem easier at first but when you consider shifting, you realize that is no more difficult than walking on an upright bass. This is true for bass soloing as well.
So why have I been thinking about different tuning? 2 reasons.
1 juicier chords 5ths bass are a little limiting in close voiced chords but wonderful to spread voicing. a trade off both work it depends what you want.
2. Music reading. Fourths I think will make it easier to read. The more correlation between the hands the easier it will be for counterpoint and unison.

So right now I would order an uncrossed stick with 4ths bass if i had the money. I dont think i would use it for jazz though, at least not right away. I like the range of 5th tuning I can really vary my playing basslines and spread chords. I think this is the main reason for the tuning. Great basslines and ringing chords. you just dont have the same range from 4ths.
Each have there advantages.

Brett


Mon Oct 27, 2008 1:03 pm
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