Musical Vibrations

So, you’ve written your song, recorded the verses, chorus, bridge, refrain, etc., now you want to drop in that solo you’ve been working on. Solos are awesome when they happen automatically. Cruise off into right brain mode and explore, let the fingers do the talking, do a couple of takes and there you have it. For some, it doesn’t always happen that easy. In this edition, we’re going to explore a few methods to help you get that solo down. Bit of effort but hey - music is a journey…! You first need good backing tracks. If you’ve never heard of Midi before, Google it and explore. Midi stands for: Musical Instrument Digital Interface, which means squat to the average Dick or Joe so check out this link for more info: http://www.indiana.edu/~emusic/361/midi.htm Roland GK 2A Midi Pickup I have a simple Roland GK 2A Midi pickup, which my guitar techie mounted onto an oldish no-name Strat for me. This goes through a Roland GR 33, which converts guitar sounds into Midi. The GR 33

“Good Friends We’ve Had & Good Friend’s We’ve Lost, Along The Way” (Bob Marley) Bob Marley released ‘No Woman No Cry’ back in 1975, a beautifully written song that is timeless. Sadly, we’ve lost many iconic musicians who have crossed the ‘Rainbow Bridge’ but they did leave us a legacy of incredible music. If you enjoyed Marley’s ‘No Woman No Cry’, then check out local SA maestro, Jonathan Butler’s version on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgeGx5Sn7cs – he does an acoustic cover that is worthy and once again goes to show that a well-written song is eternal.  What is it about music that holds us in such awe…? Is it the riff, the rhythm, the hook, the melody, or maybe the lyrics that recall fond or sometimes even poignant memorie s…? Let it Bleed Brothers & Sisters… Aaah, it’s probably a bit of each. Kind of like a good ‘cake’ baked with all the appropriate ingredients. Likewise, a song requires all the right ingredients. One wonders how th