clouds (2)

[audio:clouds2.mp3]

This music in 6/8 + 7/8 odd meter is additionally intended as an hommage to Carlos Santana, one of my all-time-favorite guitar players. Whoever heard what Senor Carlos did in the early Seventies (the jazzrockydevadip-phase) will feel reminded. Ethereal.

guitar & gear: Epiphone Les Paul Custom, Vox AC 15 Heritage, Tube Reverb, Big Muff

woman tone

[audio:womantone.mp3]

Generally, electric guitar playing is considered to be a macho thing. The behavior of “guitar heroes” mistreating their instruments, or even smashing or burning them leaves us with no doubt about who’s playground the stage is.

The more I get bored with those heroes, the more I appreciate one of the greatest guitar players cultivating a thing called “woman tone” – a common name for Eric Clapton’s guitar sound in certain songs during the late Sixties when he played Gibson guitars. It is done by simply turning the tone control for the guitar pickup down, while turning the volume control to maximum. With the guitar plugged into a softly overdriven tube amplifier, the result is a characteristic sound that combines rock’s roughness with a wind instrument’s vocal-like voice. Voilá!

guitar & gear: Epiphone Les Paul Custom, Vox AC 15 Heritage, Tube Reverb

radiate red

[audio:radiatered.mp3]

guitar & gear: Gibson Les Paul Special, coming in two tracks; Vox ToneLab, Tube Reverb

embracing mistakes

[audio:Cm3.mp3]

Here for the first time I’m trying to keep my music from the over-earnestness to which I strongly tend. Those among you who are really ambitious (like I am) know how hard it is to see or hear our own mistakes over and over again, and to know they are out there for other people to stumble over or even laugh about them.

It’s so hard to let go of your self-criticism in favor of spontaneity. For this blog I had to learn that, hoping an impression of freshness would prevail also in the listener’s minds.

Mistakes and little flaws inevitably creep in when you improvise over a period of, say, four minutes or so. The trick is to not let them distract you. And afterwards, when listening to your “product”, not to take the music and the whole project too serious.

A few seconds into this little piece of music there’s an awful chord, but I turned it around as if it had been on purpose and it became the starting point for a very vocal-like expression… So why bother?

guitar & gear: Epiphone Les Paul Custom, Vox ToneLab, tube reverb

These are two friends of mine showing a typical reaction to my music… Kidding. What you see is alcohol-free late night amusement (it’s possible!) at a party in my house, and there were still some other guests…

yellow

[audio:yellow.mp3]

Would any color be as striking if presented on its own, without the help of a contrasting color? (This could be seen as applying to other issues as well…).

When listening, there is an awfully mistuned chord (about 12 seconds into the tune) we have to accept as the price of improvisation – grumble… Coming soon: a reflection on “embracing mistakes”.

guitar & gear: Epiphone Les Paul Custom, Vox AC 15 Heritage, Tube Reverb