My open mic, 06 Dec 2018

spinland
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Fri Dec 07, 2018 3:43 pm

Few notes....

The GoPro quit on me after two songs. From my digging around I'm still not sure why, except maybe the battery wasn't charged enough. I didn't think to double check it last night but I thought I'd charged it up. Today I managed to get the iOS app connected to it (it was a refurb and they didn't bother to reset the wifi so I had to jump through some hoops to access and set that up) and so next time I'll have better visibility into the workings of the thing. I've run it again twice thus far today, a half hour each time, and no glitches so fingers crossed.

The Zoom recorded the whole set's audio but the levels were all over the place. I'd set the level to auto, then the organizer suggested I just plug the line in directly into her PA system. My feeling is the vocals were too high, guitar too low, and the levels really inconsistent. Next time I'm going to set the level explicitly and do a sound check to keep it from the red zone. Live and learn.

For the video I just spliced a still image in where the footage drops off. As ever I'm not happy with how I did but I know I have a long road to travel and I'm my worst critic. It is what it is. :side:

EDIT: for some reason this thread isn't allowing me to embed YT videos as I'm accustomed. I added the direct link below.


spinland
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Sat Dec 08, 2018 6:33 am



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daryl
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Sat Dec 08, 2018 8:16 am

Bummer about the GoPro quitting on you. But what was captured was much better. Good video angle. Good audio sound. And wow, a 30 minute set. Good for you. It sounded like you did a couple songs with a capo (especially the last John Denver song), but......I didn't hear you check the tuning, and to my ears the guitar was out of tune. :-(

The John Denver song was nice. I had never heard it before but it sounded an awful lot like Peter, Paul & Mary's "The Wedding Song".


TGNesh
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Sat Dec 08, 2018 8:37 am

Really happy for you that you've found a supportive place to play and sing in public!

It seems you're getting more comfortable too and that's really great. I'd lie if i'd say i've listened to the whole set, instead i've listened to random parts/songs here and there.

I think the levels of your guitar/vocals weren't as bad as you think they were. But I do think you need to set up the mic differently. It's to the side of your mouth instead of in front.

I know tuning an electric guitar is harder, but as Daryl said, you really gotta make sure it's at least more in tune than it is now :S . Actually at this very moment, I'm listening to it right now (The Last Resort), and you mention it yourself. Obviously you're not afraid to talk to the audience, make it a habit to tune at the same time.

My biggest and strongest suggestion would be on The Last Resort, (I did hear all of it, one of my favorite Eagles-songs as well), or slow songs in general. You réally gotta work on double time strumming. You can't play the folk/rock strum two measures instead of 1 measure of double time. It ends up way too fast because of it and the accents end up in different spots of the measure, so it loses its original feel/groove and tempo. The Last Resort is too intense to play with an uptempo beat.

All in all, your homework should be:

1 Tuning the guitar while talking
2 Set up the mic in front of your mouth
3 Work on double time strumming
4 Consistency in moving the strumming hand (it should never stop, it should constantly move down and up)

B) :) TGNess


spinland
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Sat Dec 08, 2018 8:58 am

Thanks, guys!

On tuning: that was the first time I've tuned in the middle of a set, and most everyone there uses capos all over the place and, in all the weeks I've been going there, no one has ever tuned up more than once before they go up. Hrm,

I confess I can't hear any tuning problems, but I just must not have as experienced an ear as you guys. B)

I plan to go back to my Air Guitar for my next time up, that might also help some, being (technically) more an acoustic setup that probably holds tune longer. I've done a lot of work on that Gibson electric to mitigate the notorious tuning issues but clearly it still needs to be tweaked more often than I do.

Yeah, you can get 30 minute slots. I started with 15 minutes until I felt I had enough of a repertoire to fill 30 a week without too much repetition. Now I do 30 unless I don't get signed up in time and all that's left are 15s.

I'll look into the double time strumming, Ness, for sure. I'm still at the point where nervousness and lack of experience have me losing my place and that's when my hand falters. My preferred style is not hitting a lot of strings at a time, rather focusing on one or two per hit. It just feels more natural and pleasing to me but also is a work in progress. One day I'd like to add hybrid picking to my tool box but I have to crawl before I can walk or run. :S

The mic placement was an experiment. This past week, for the first time, I practiced at home with a music stand and microphone to simulate the setup at the venue, and decided having the mic right in my face was an unwelcome distraction. On the down side, as you could hear, it interferes with it working as it should. I expect the solution is get over myself and learn to accept it being in front. :side:


spinland
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Sat Dec 08, 2018 9:19 am

Question about tuning and capo use: do you mean retune to the open strings before adding the capo, or adding it first and then tuning to the new notes while it's on? I be confuse. :blink:

Thankee! :side:


jayswett
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Sat Dec 08, 2018 9:46 am

Apply the capo, then re-tune the strings to whatever note is appropriate.

Your confidence onstage is inspiring. I've been playing guitar for ten years and doing open mics from time to time for maybe 7 years, and I"m still a bundle of nerves onstage. I'm getting better in that regard, but it's a slow prcoess.


spinland
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Sat Dec 08, 2018 10:23 am

jayswett wrote:
Apply the capo, then re-tune the strings to whatever note is appropriate.
Image


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daryl
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Sat Dec 08, 2018 10:27 am

You should make it a habit to check your tuning before every song and especially after putting on your capo. It should become 2nd nature to you.


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neverfoundthetime
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Sat Dec 08, 2018 4:47 pm

Well done Mark, congrats on finding a place to play and doing a 30 min set.
Looks like you are having fun there!


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