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First off, I play for fun, and am not concerned with being a guitar master. I've never been really interested in learning covers, or practicing scales. So when I play I try to write a song. I find that doing covers, yeah you learn chord shapes and so on, and you do develop a sense of arrangement, but that is as far as my interest goes. I don't want to sound like anyone else - maybe J Page - i find it more constructive to learn my own stuff at my pace.
I usually plug in, and if nothing is happening in five minutes, I put it down for a few hours, or maybe the rest of the day. I don't want to force it when it's not there. When something is happening...
I will play a few riffs ( and I record everything as I go) think about where the song needs to go, do few more riffs, maybe a few more, then I try to piece it together in some sort of arrangement. Typically I will play a left track on a Les Paul, on the right I use a Firebird to play an alternate or complementary part, listen to that and put a Les Paul P90's down the center.
I never double a part, as in left and right, I always try to do something a bit different. I cant see the point of duplicating rhythm's, it is a waste of an opportunity - ie you have two guitars and a bass, that's three different voices that should combine to make one big voice. I take the "Orchestra approach" where you have different lines weaving in and out to form one musical statement.
I've always found that the best stuff just happens, I usually get all my parts done in one day, arrange it, listen a few times, the save it and back it up on computer, I mean, I ALWAYS do backups. I might come back tomorrow and fine tune it, re-record the parts a bit tighter. The leave it for a week and start on the next one. When I come back a week later, it sounds refreshing, sometimes surprisingly good, sometimes crap.
If I have to labour over it and force it, then it usually turns out rubbish. When it just comes easy, thats usually the good stuff. And no, it does not come easy all the time. Thats why if nothing is happening I will just walk away, you can't flog a dead horse, it's not going to run any faster.
I record on a digital four-track, plus drums added later - I just record first-off to simple drum loops. I find that being restricted to four tracks has improved me, as you kinda have to get it right. When you have, say, 24 tracks, you can do it over and over and just pick the best take. Being forced to uses less tracks makes me concentrate and focus more. Ahh, sometimes less IS more. My four tracks being: left gtr, midd gtr, right gtr, and bass. This gets mixed down with a click, and drums added later.
What do you guys do? Any secret tips, I swear I won't tell...? I swear on my oath as a respected anchorman from the 70's - Okay, that bit was rubbish. Thanks.
I usually plug in, and if nothing is happening in five minutes, I put it down for a few hours, or maybe the rest of the day. I don't want to force it when it's not there. When something is happening...
I will play a few riffs ( and I record everything as I go) think about where the song needs to go, do few more riffs, maybe a few more, then I try to piece it together in some sort of arrangement. Typically I will play a left track on a Les Paul, on the right I use a Firebird to play an alternate or complementary part, listen to that and put a Les Paul P90's down the center.
I never double a part, as in left and right, I always try to do something a bit different. I cant see the point of duplicating rhythm's, it is a waste of an opportunity - ie you have two guitars and a bass, that's three different voices that should combine to make one big voice. I take the "Orchestra approach" where you have different lines weaving in and out to form one musical statement.
I've always found that the best stuff just happens, I usually get all my parts done in one day, arrange it, listen a few times, the save it and back it up on computer, I mean, I ALWAYS do backups. I might come back tomorrow and fine tune it, re-record the parts a bit tighter. The leave it for a week and start on the next one. When I come back a week later, it sounds refreshing, sometimes surprisingly good, sometimes crap.
If I have to labour over it and force it, then it usually turns out rubbish. When it just comes easy, thats usually the good stuff. And no, it does not come easy all the time. Thats why if nothing is happening I will just walk away, you can't flog a dead horse, it's not going to run any faster.
I record on a digital four-track, plus drums added later - I just record first-off to simple drum loops. I find that being restricted to four tracks has improved me, as you kinda have to get it right. When you have, say, 24 tracks, you can do it over and over and just pick the best take. Being forced to uses less tracks makes me concentrate and focus more. Ahh, sometimes less IS more. My four tracks being: left gtr, midd gtr, right gtr, and bass. This gets mixed down with a click, and drums added later.
What do you guys do? Any secret tips, I swear I won't tell...? I swear on my oath as a respected anchorman from the 70's - Okay, that bit was rubbish. Thanks.
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