Grateful Dead Music Forum

My band's New Years show ... warts and all!

http://www.archive.org/details/pd2009-12-31.johnnydsnye

In the interest of equal time shouldn't you have quoted Franklin's a half dozen times in Foolish Heart? The enemy is listening! I don't know if you goosed the mix after the fact but this is as good I've heard you guys sound. The UJB in particular is large and in charge. Well done, you bastard.

Slainte

Well, Foolish Heart wasn't on the setlist, but I was kinda warning everyone it was coming ... I hate using a setlist. In fact, it got us in trouble, because the rhythm guitarist thought the setlist said Bertha -> Promised Land and it was Feel Like a Stranger, which made for a dissonant ending to Bertha, confusion and some laughter.

It's just off my 16-channel StudioLive Firewire desk, and I remixed it in Logic Pro on the Mac last night. Thanks for the kind words. I'm liking the little extra grit I added to the AxeFX, especially on the Help on the Way and the quiet moments in Half Step before the Rio Grand-io vocals. But I think I need to add a little more reverb back in to the preset.

OK...I've jumped around and listened to bits and pieces and...as always...was amazed by the sound. Your tone is stellar. But now I'm listening to the whole show and I'm absolutely flabbergasted. You guys are amazing. I'm listening to Easy Wind...and I'm thinking they sound fantanstic but why aren't they doing the tempo change..I think that is such a cool part of the tune...and then you pull it off near the end. I can't say enough...you guys put on a great show and the AxeFx sounds wonderful....lover the Stranger.
Thanks Vic.

I asked for it and I got it. Im a fan! Grate stuff

One of the sicker Slipknot!s I've heard by anybody. Nice playing.

Slipknot! I had the same thought and was going to comment but headed for another beer first, and then I come back to see I was beaten to the punch...great playing all around and that AxeFx is really shining. Cool stuff.

Hey Vic,
Quick quiestion on the slipknot solo. What mode or scale are you playing in? It sounds like it is mostly in A dorian but is there also some dimimished stuff happening? Are you using the whole tone or half tone diminised scale? What about chromatics?

All I listened to was the Slipknot as there seemed to be some rave reviews and rightfully so.

Vic, love the drive tone. Makes those bends really sing, seems like you are getting some really nice sustain, do you have some compression dialed up in the AXE FX? Very reminiscent of the '80 Jerry tone. The energy of the jam reminded me of the JGB After Midnight Kean College disc. Aggressive solo, awesome energy. Loved the keys player when on the Rhodes or Nord or whatever he was using for the Rhodes tone.

Looking forward to checking out some of the other tunes. Now just get your band down to Florida.

Thanks for the kind words, guys.

The overdrive sound is just the AxeFX's drive block on the "Plus" setting, which is the MXR Distortion + emulation. I also use a little delay with the tap tempo on there, but no compression. I use the same basic preset all night long, just switching in and out the effects blocks as needed.

Keyboard player is using a Nord rack for the Rhodes sound, with a phaser and reverb added, I think. Great tone.

Embarrassingly, I have zero knowledge of theory, modes, scales, etc., I play by feel. But the thing about soloing over Slipknot is, the jam is in A minor, and stays there, but for what I'm doing, I'm alternating every two bars between a scale that fits in with A minor and D major, if that makes sense. I think that's how Garcia approached it, as well.

During the A minor bars, the notes in whatever scale it is I actually play would be A A# B C D D# E F# G ( a bend from B to C sounds good) ... the A# and D# are only a chromatic grace note, if that makes sense, just passing it by between on runs between the A and B or D and C notes or vice versa.

... and in the D bars D E F F# G G# A B C C# (bends from F to F#). The F and the G# would basically be chromatic grace notes, and the most emphasized note would be the F# -- a lot of the chromatic runs I do down seem to start off that F#.

Hope that helps ... but I doubt it! If anyone knows what scale or mode that is, clue me in!

Im confused but it still sounds good!

From your description, for the A minor bars, subtracting out the A# and D# as passing tones, you are left with A B C D E F# G, or the notes of G Major scale. Beginning on the 2nd degree of that scale, the A, you would be playing A Dorian.

For the D bars, I'm not sure from the description if the C or the C# belong to the scale. Subtracting out the F and the G# as passing tones, you have either D E F# G A B C (5th degree of G Major, or D Mixolydian) or D E F# G A B C# (the D Major scale, or D Ionian.) It sounds like the D Mixolydian.

bpg21 wrote:Hey Vic,
Quick quiestion on the slipknot solo. What mode or scale are you playing in? It sounds like it is mostly in A dorian but is there also some dimimished stuff happening? Are you using the whole tone or half tone diminised scale? What about chromatics?

I am a Bobby player but know some Jerry bits...

Think of slipknot in parts:
Intro: Hangs on the respective minor (Fm, then Gm) then diminished in the moves
Main: Hangs on the Am chord and Jerry comes in with the Dorian then dances around that and Am
Walk up/down: Phil and Bobby walk up and down the Am scale so Jerry hangs in the Am
D: comes after 5 rounds of the walk and Jerry is in D major
Outro: Same concepts as intro

I'm sure there are Jerry folks here who can add more or better details but this should help.

BTW, it was Pete here who really helped me dive into this tune and listen to it in a totally more accurate way! Thanks, dude!

So good. Thank you. Hope to check you in spring/summer, we gotta tentative trip to the Cape.

Are you considering taking this on the road?

seamones wrote:Are you considering taking this on the road?

Not unless DSO invites me to sit in ... LOL

If people are interested, I can provide a more detailed glimpse at how I have things set up as far as the routing and theory on the AxeFX.