| Author |
Topic: My band, Prairie Fires |
Justin Jacobson
From:
Rochester, MN
|
Posted 4 Apr 2011 10:26 am |
|
Hey all,
I really love the forum and have been getting some very helpful suggestions from many of you to my new player questions.
I figured I'd take the opportunity to post some practice demos from my band Prairie Fires for you all to listen to.
I have been playing pedal steel for about a year now, but I am nowhere near the level the majority of you are at. I divide my focus between many other instruments and songwriting (I'm one of the main songwriters in the band)So I use the steel to add a bit of flavor to the tracks. The tracks that have steel on them are; Gypsy Moon, Please Please, Old News, and 30 miles. I wrote 30 Miles, St. Augustine, and Feral Eyes.
Our sound is hard to describe, a amalgamation of a plethora of influences.
But please take a listen if you are so inclined, any feedback positive or negative would be appreciated. Give me an idea of what to work on.
Please note that the tracks were recorded directly into a laptop mic during a rehearsal so the mix isn't how we'd like. But we're planning on hitting a studio proper in late summer.
http://soundcloud.com/prairie-fires |
|
|
 |
Twayn Williams
From:
Portland, OR
|
Posted 5 Apr 2011 11:16 am
|
|
I hear a lot of potential but I do think there is a ways to go yet.
My main advice would be for EVERYONE to play the chord. Frequently I hear the vocals or the bass or the steel move off the chord or out of the key and for this style of music you really need to stay inside of the tonality. Everyone needs to know what the chords are, i.e. what the name of the chord is and what notes work with that chord.
During rehearsal, have each person play their part with ONLY the rhythm guitar to ensure that the part is not moving out of the key. When someone hits a sour note, stop and fix it, don't let it slide. Practice without the drummer a few times. Drums tend to blur everyone's ability to hear what's going on.
Don't be discouraged. It takes time to get these things right so be patient.
_________________
Primitive Utility Steel |
|
|
|
Justin Jacobson
From:
Rochester, MN
|
Posted 6 Apr 2011 7:51 am
|
|
Thanks for the advice.
The vocals have a bit of an excuse, our drummer is by far the loudest drummer I have ever played with, and I used to play in death metal bands. Even with the PA we sometimes have problems hearing ourselves. We're working on that problem though.
Both the steel and the violin are basically improvising things, so there are the inevitable flubbed notes. But I'll work on this more on my own, I knew it was a problem. At least on some of the songs (gypsy moon, and old news) there are little licks I play that aren't just noodly improv stuff (which I like but some structure is a good thing too.).
Since we are going to be doing some recording in a few months I'm looking anything to really make these songs shine.any suggestions I can do steel wise to make things better? or what am I doing well? Or any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I know you all have good ears. |
|
|
|
Twayn Williams
From:
Portland, OR
|
Posted 6 Apr 2011 10:36 am
|
|
| Justin Jacobson wrote: |
Thanks for the advice.
The vocals have a bit of an excuse, our drummer is by far the loudest drummer I have ever played with, and I used to play in death metal bands. Even with the PA we sometimes have problems hearing ourselves. We're working on that problem though. |
Ah, the curse of the heavy-handed drummer! Make him use cool rods. And have him use the quietest drums/cymbals he owns. If he only owns one kit, have him change the heads to coated heads and stuff the kick drum with a blanket to help quiet it down as well. Reset the kick pedal so that it only requires a light tap to touch the head. etc, etc, etc. IOW all the things drummers hate 
| Quote: |
| Both the steel and the violin are basically improvising things, so there are the inevitable flubbed notes. But I'll work on this more on my own, I knew it was a problem. At least on some of the songs (gypsy moon, and old news) there are little licks I play that aren't just noodly improv stuff (which I like but some structure is a good thing too.). |
I would recommend that at this stage use improv ONLY to create your parts. Before you record OR perform live, have your parts nailed to the floor, no improv. Once the part is comfortable, then you might want to start opening up the part again to improvisation when playing live.
| Quote: |
| Since we are going to be doing some recording in a few months I'm looking anything to really make these songs shine.any suggestions I can do steel wise to make things better? or what am I doing well? Or any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I know you all have good ears. |
You're on the right track, just nail the parts and fix the pitch/key problems. Also keep in mind that simpler is usually better, so if you have a choice in a part of playing complicated vs playing simple, go with simple every time. One well-placed note is worth a thousand mediocre notes. And trust me, playing just that one note vs the thousand notes is far from easy 
Good luck!
_________________
Primitive Utility Steel |
|
|
|
Justin Jacobson
From:
Rochester, MN
|
Posted 6 Apr 2011 12:43 pm
|
|
[quote="Twayn Williams"]
Ah, the curse of the heavy-handed drummer! Make him use cool rods. And have him use the quietest drums/cymbals he owns. If he only owns one kit, have him change the heads to coated heads and stuff the kick drum with a blanket to help quiet it down as well. Reset the kick pedal so that it only requires a light tap to touch the head. etc, etc, etc. IOW all the things drummers hate /quote]
Ha, yeah we've done most of these. I'll look into the rest. The thing is the power and volume he puts on the songs really makes them come alive. I don't know if anyone listened to the song St. Augustine but twoards the end the song explodes into a huge sound thing that makes me smile every time I hear it (we're putting a full string section and choir on the record, our violin player plays viola and cello.), and we couldn't get that if he was a quieter drummer. We're working on a middle ground. those cool sticks look promising. I'll recommend those.
Not to seem like I'm desperate for some feedback but I know the folks out there in forum world have suggestions or critisisims, even if it is "give it up you beginner, it's clear from these recordings you'll never really understand what the pedal steel is about."  I'd appreciate some sage advice on what to do to make the songs the best they can be, because that's the main thing I am shooting for. Making the songs the best they can be. |
|
|
|
