Please critique my performance

[gjm]

I would very much appreciate the forum members help to get me to the next stage of performance with Live. I have outlined my request in the Link your Music forum here. Its not electronic music performance or composition. Its straight up guitar playing with vocals and the need to generate some simple backing tracks and the system to support my desired end result.

Thank you for your comments and support in advance.

Greg.

[gjm]

Edit: Link is now fixed.

Thanks

[gjm]

What is your concern precisely?

Well, I have spent the last decade teaching my kids how to piss straight, wipe their asses, dress with non matching socks, add 2+5, manage aging parent as well as inlaws/outlaws, paying a mortgage and fundamentally neglecting anything of a personal music nature. Not one single friend or acquaintance here in NZ knows of my past attempts at being musical. Besides, they would all be too fucking polite about what they really thought. I figured if complete strangers could give me the thumbs then up then I would carry on at trying to make this work.

Secondly though, using Live to play some added canned backing is my next challenge. Live as a performance tool. Where are the examples of non electronic musicians using Live with their solo acts?. Who are they? I want to talk to them about how they build their sets, gear, level of interaction with their backing tracks etc.

Thanks.

[Hermanus]

man from the first feeling I do simply love it.

Nice guitar with a fucking great voice timber

Respect here and wish you the best for the future

Who said ableton live was only meant for electronic music?

frankly keep going

[sdmiddleton]

Can't really, and don't want to critique your performance...

My personal opinion on covers though is to put your own stamp on it and either change the style/tempo totally otherwise whats the point....this is a britney cover of a friend of mine from Holland and i think its a pretty fresh rejig...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG6N1f7W ... 6bf908edbd

But otherwise man, great voice...keep it up...

[gjm]

man from the first feeling I do simply love it.

Nice guitar with a fucking great voice timber

Respect here and wish you the best for the future

Who said ableton live was only meant for electronic music?

frankly keep going

Whoa... Thank you.

[gjm]

Can't really, and don't want to critique your performance...

My personal opinion on covers though is to put your own stamp on it and either change the style/tempo totally otherwise whats the point....this is a britney cover of a friend of mine from Holland and i think its a pretty fresh rejig...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG6N1f7W ... 6bf908edbd

But otherwise man, great voice...keep it up...

Tough choice with covers for this particular type of gig. I will be the token throw away noise in an outdoor market where people expect familiarity rather than originality (at least thats my current opp). Definitely hear you though on rejigging other people's work so its the same but different. If I make a good impression, I could be doing this for the whole up coming summer.

I will throw in some originals and a couple of songs from friends, but these are not what the organizer wants the focus to be.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Cheers

[Tone Deft]

I wouldn't critique it, nicely done!!

if I had to... the guitar needs more bass to it, or add a bassline. the guitars sound thin, like a nylon string. the differences in left and right with the guitar are bit much in parts, kind of distracting.

for the vocals it sounds like you sing from the front of your mouth rather than using your full diaphragm.

it sounds like the song speeds up and slows down in parts.

the mix could use something to make it glimmer a bit more, I don't know what.


but whatever, as it is I could see that as a b-side release, a rough studio cut that a band would put out to its fans.

[gjm]

I wouldn't critique it, nicely done!!

if I had to... the guitar needs more bass to it, or add a bassline. the guitars sound thin, like a nylon string. the differences in left and right with the guitar are bit much in parts, kind of distracting.

for the vocals it sounds like you sing from the front of your mouth rather than using your full diaphragm.

it sounds like the song speeds up and slows down in parts.

the mix could use something to make it glimmer a bit more, I don't know what.


but whatever, as it is I could see that as a b-side release, a rough studio cut that a band would put out to its fans.

In terms of performing, Yes, I have work to do. Your right about throat/diaphragm. Accent, pitch, vibrato and where I am generating the sound from.

Working on the guitar tone is a biggy.

I am very worried about my timing. Its gonna take a while to get back into a groove. I have a bunch of tunes already but am finding that not only am I starting them often at the wrong tempo, keeping the pace solid without another source is challenging. Working on it though.

Thanks for taking the time to offer up. All good points taken heart.

Cheers.

[Android Bishop]

the best critique is yours. its far better to find things that YOU think you need to work on, THEN ask other people how you might fix it. Having other people nitpick the shit out of your art might fill your head with toxic ideas and kill your spark, or even change your direction into territory that isn't right for you.

[mikemc]

This is a kind of 'open mic' performance. At an open mic, you would not get booed or get a huge meh, i think. Nor would you get oohs and ahhs, but genuine enough appropriate applause and the crowd would not have to be thoroughly drunk for that.

Your voice is not unpleasant, has more personality and emotion than impressive sonorous quality or pitch perfect capabilities. The guitar sound is good for the song, the playing is ok. Song choice maybe not optimal, I think the song is more suited for a more 'reedy' voice, where your voice is more gutsy/bluesy, which gives you a certain rockish credibility although the diction is a *bit* melodramatic at times.

You could easily be singer/rhythm guitarist in a band, but you'd have to drive the lead guitarist or bassist whose car never started or has suspended license. But you wouldn't be the one who has to have the practice space or he's a non-starter. If the band made the media, people would subsequently not be too surprised to read that you had died from an overdose, but they would not be widely saddened either.

[edit] I think you should try a more bluesy and less 'strummy' tune.

[gjm]

the best critique is yours. its far better to find things that YOU think you need to work on, THEN ask other people how you might fix it. Having other people nitpick the shit out of your art might fill your head with toxic ideas and kill your spark, or even change your direction into territory that isn't right for you.

Noted. Thank you.

[gjm]

This is a kind of 'open mic' performance. At an open mic, you would not get booed or get a huge meh, i think. Nor would you get oohs and ahhs, but genuine enough appropriate applause and the crowd would not have to be thoroughly drunk for that.

Your voice is not unpleasant, has more personality and emotion than impressive sonorous quality or pitch perfect capabilities. The guitar sound is good for the song, the playing is ok. Song choice maybe not optimal, I think the song is more suited for a more 'reedy' voice, where your voice is more gutsy/bluesy, which gives you a certain rockish credibility although the diction is a *bit* melodramatic at times.

You could easily be singer/rhythm guitarist in a band, but you'd have to drive the lead guitarist or bassist whose car never started or has suspended license. But you wouldn't be the one who has to have the practice space or he's a non-starter. If the band made the media, people would subsequently not be too surprised to read that you had died from an overdose, but they would not be widely saddened either.

[edit] I think you should try a more bluesy and less 'strummy' tune.

lol... to be absolutely clear, I have a day job that I am not giving up. No illusions here I know exactly where I stand in the world of performing artists

I actually have to find about 60 songs as a base, then prolly 25-30 more to rotate. So more bluesy stuff will definitely feature. Though its hard to find songs to fit the 35-60 yr age group that have not been beaten to death by soft rock radio stations so much that nobody else but the actual artist can get away with singing them... "... oh, that guy is crap, there is no way he sounds like Lindsey Buckingham or ..... "

So I am thinking I may take advantage of the Summer of Sampler deal and get V8. Do you have tips on how to incorporate Looper into a solo guitar based very average covers act?

I am thinking a scene for each song with tempo in the title, delivering maybe a click track, or actual percussion type backing that acts as the click, a bit of simple bass (use MIDI keyboard to make and to keep it simple and adjustable), some backing vox courtesy of wifey.

I would use my white macbook, nanokontrol, iO/14 interface, my Beyerdynamic TG mic all into my Roland KB60 amp (cause thats al I have). Oh, and have an ipod for taking a break and incase kaka hits the fan.

Thanks for taking the time to comment. Cheers.

[yearlongyeti]

Hi mate, sounding good. One small critique. It is like you are trying too hard to sound like Kelly Jones' vocals, forcing your voice to break and consequently singing from your throat rather than the diaphram. Used to be an obvious problem in the Eddie Vedder days with everyone singing through their teeth. Relax make the vocals your own voice (you have good one), people will appreciate it, and your voice will last longer as well.

All the best

[gjm]

Hi mate, sounding good. One small critique. It is like you are trying too hard to sound like Kelly Jones' vocals, forcing your voice to break and consequently singing from your throat rather than the diaphram. Used to be an obvious problem in the Eddie Vedder days with everyone singing through their teeth. Relax make the vocals your own voice (you have good one), people will appreciate it, and your voice will last longer as well.

All the best

Thank you, and yes, some work to do yet.

Cheers.