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W. Van Horn

 

From:
Houston, texas
Post  Posted 12 Aug 2013 11:28 am    
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Hey yall,

Thought I'd share these free/for donation drone tracks I found. Just got done playing to these:
http://music.raymondcmjohnson.com/album/drone-tones
And they were great!
Here's another nice sounding set:
http://mattotto.org/category/lessons/lesson-15-pedals-and-drones/

These are just one note (playing by more than one "voice"), which I like. I have made my own before using a sine wave generator but I found that listening to a pure sine wave was too taxing on my ears. Enjoy!
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Chris Willingham


From:
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Post  Posted 12 Aug 2013 4:33 pm    
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Great find! The monster fiddle player Darol Anger has a collection of drones in all keys on iTunes. All drones are several minutes of root and fifth. I try to use those often for practicing fiddle lines, but was just playing with it for the first time with steel the other day. Very useful stuff!

On a side note, really enjoy your steel and banjo on Robert Ellis' album Will. Keep em comin!
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Jim Cohen


From:
Philadelphia, PA
Post  Posted 12 Aug 2013 4:54 pm    
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I know folks use drone tracks to improve their intonation but I don't know the best way to practice to them. What do you recommend?
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chris ivey


From:
california (deceased)
Post  Posted 12 Aug 2013 5:45 pm    
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however it inspires you.. Cool Very Happy Crying or Very sad
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W. Van Horn

 

From:
Houston, texas
Post  Posted 13 Aug 2013 12:08 am    
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Chris - Thank you very much! We just recorded Robert's second record and had a blast, should be out soon. We'll be hittin the road a lot, hopefully we make out to north Texas (aka OK - haha! jk) Send me a PM if you're ever in Houston!

Jim - You can find a lot of good resources online, including the ebook that comes with the first link I listed. Ricky Davis and Bob Hoffnar(Bob has a CD of drones including beatless chords available) have posted about the subject here and on the old forum. Some things that I do are:

Play unison/octave with the drone. Slowly pull your note flat, noticing how it sounds, then back in tune - noticing how it sounds -, then sharp (notice again), then back in tune. What is key, to me, is focusing on that singular note and how it feels/sounds as it drifts from "in tune" to "out of tune". I like to do this with my eyes closed. I often catch myself hearing a note that is sharp as being in tune, so that's something I personally keep in mind. Keep it -real- slow and dive into the sound of drifting "flat" and "sharp".

Move on to other intervals - the third, fifth, sixth, second, major seventh.

Play very slowly through the major scale(I like to do this without pedals when I'm focusing on ear training) paying close attention to how each note sounds against the tonic drone. Then play other scales - as many as you have time and the inclination for, using the drone as the tonic.

Move on to thinking of the drone as notes other than the tonic. For example, you could think of the drone as the fifth - so you would play D major against an A drone, or C harmonic minor against a G drone, etc. I first heard of this technique from Ricky. If you want to get crazy, use the drone note as the third of the key you're playing in, or play in a key a half step off - whoa!

Do all your scalar exercises against the drone. Then start playing double stops, then triads. At that point your head will probably be exploding and you'll feel a need to reevaluate your whole life. I personally don't strive for beatless chords because I think they can sound flat against things like a piano, but my ear is always changing. Lord knows I don't play in tune but at least I can work at it, right?
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Jim Cohen


From:
Philadelphia, PA
Post  Posted 13 Aug 2013 3:47 am    
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Thanks, Will. I think maybe I'll just go for a root canal instead... Wink
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