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Topic: Practising along with CDs...? |
Tony Harris
From:
England
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Posted 21 Jul 2003 12:48 am |
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I often practise by playing along with my favourite CDs. Not all of these are exactly in concert pitch. What do you do – retune the steel to each album, or is learning to play along ‘in the cracks’ a useful skill to develop? Mmm, I may have answered my own question here – if I were playing regular guitar, I’d HAVE to tune to the track…
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CrowBear Schmitt
From:
Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France
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Posted 21 Jul 2003 12:53 am
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when a tune is outta tune, i record it on a hard drive recorder and then adjust the speed as to be in concert pitch (A440)
since there is'nt usually much of a diff, the tune's speed is'nt too affected
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Steel what?
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Cartwright Thompson
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Posted 21 Jul 2003 1:21 am
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I have a Tascam CD-GT1 CD player. It has variable pitch, both for fine tuning and slowing down a track for learning. They're about $150.
Before I got it I used a more primitive method. I have an extra fretboard that I could lay on top of the fretboard on my guitar and move it a little left (I removed about half an inch of the first fret) or right depending on how the track was different. As long as you stay away from open strings, it works. |
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Graham Griffith
From:
Tempe, N.S.W., Australia
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Posted 21 Jul 2003 2:12 am
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Get "SlowGold" http://www.worldwidewoodshed.com
As much adjustment as you want, easy to use and the best practice tool you could buy ... cheap ... believe me.
Graham |
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Scott Hiestand
From:
MA, U.S.A
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Posted 21 Jul 2003 3:53 am
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I either use SlowBlast (which came as an add-on to Band-in-a-Box) or I create a .wav file using a product called CDex (sorry, no link - I downloaded it a long time ago but I know it was freeware) and then use WinAmp (another freeware product) and it's associated plug-ins to slow it down and/or change pitch.
Yes, it's a pain but well worth it. The above techniques I usually use just to slow licks down...if a song is just very slightly out of tune to me I just adjust my bar (pure laziness)!
NOTE: Since purchasing a new PC that runs Windows XP, SlowBlast has been blowing up - I can only seem to use it on my old PC. |
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Bill Ford
From:
Graniteville SC Aiken
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Posted 21 Jul 2003 6:26 am
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Scott,
There should be a website in that program to get you back to it and do an upgrade to XP.
BF
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Bill Ford |
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Earnest Bovine
From:
Los Angeles CA USA
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Posted 21 Jul 2003 11:39 am
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| I tried to play along with country radio but all the tunes were in the cracks. Why? |
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Guest
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Posted 21 Jul 2003 11:50 am
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| I agree 100% about the Tascam CD-GT1 CD player. It's a terrific help especially the way you can slow down the cd but still keep it at the same pitch. |
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Robert Parent
From:
Gillette, WY
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Posted 22 Jul 2003 3:25 am
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| I just purchased a Superscope performing arts CD player as I had the same problem. It allows one to change not only the pitch but also the key if desired. There are a couple models the lower priced one does not allow key changes. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 23 Jul 2003 2:52 pm
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| Playing with out-of-tune stuff takes a little getting used to, but can be done with a little practice. A quick "workaround" when playing with music that's a little out is to lean slightly to the left or right, so the bar "lines up" with a fret. It's not something I'd want to do all night, but for a few songs...it'll do! |
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Mike Meese
From:
Dover, Ohio, U S A GO BUCKEYES! (deceased)
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Posted 23 Jul 2003 9:33 pm
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| Quote: |
| I tried to play along with country radio but all the tunes were in the cracks |
Earnest, was this recently and were any of your strings bent? |
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Ricky Davis
From:
Bertram, Texas USA
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Posted 23 Jul 2003 10:06 pm
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Hey I kinda go with Donny on this.
I think it's wonderful practice on the bar adjustments to pitch that is WELL needed to play intune...wheather it be dead on the fret or not.
That way you will be concentrating on hearing your positions moreso than visualizing the position....
Kinda like changing your knee levers around for a week.....so that totally makes you concentrate on what they are and what they do and where they are located.....as opposed to automatic motions.
These little imperfect inconveniences are great if you use them in the right way and with the right optimism for what they are and can be.
Ricky
[This message was edited by Ricky Davis on 23 July 2003 at 11:09 PM.] |
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Leon Grizzard
From:
Austin, Texas, USA
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Posted 24 Jul 2003 6:40 am
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| Graham Griffith: Thanks for the tip about SlowGold. I got it and have already (almost) gotten a couple of tunes that have eluded me for months, and used the pitch adjustment to play along with some other tunes. Great practice tool. |
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Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 24 Jul 2003 6:43 am
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The tunes were in the cracks because radio always speeds records up slightly to get more tunes on the air in a given amount of time - hence more payola profits. I wish I was kidding. They also edit them to make them shorter and talk over the intros but everybody knows that.
-MJ- |
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Carl West
From:
La Habra, CA, USA (deceased)
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Posted 24 Jul 2003 7:49 am
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I've found that tuning your guitar with a Chromatic tuner works in most case. There may be instances that it's not right on, however most of the CD's are right in pitch. Sometimes the problem is in the CD player itself like someone mentioned. To retune to every Cd will drive you nuts.
Use a good Chromatic tuner and try it.
Carl West
Emmons LaGrande
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Doug Seymour
From:
Jamestown NY USA (deceased)
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Posted 24 Jul 2003 7:58 am
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| I like Mike's question. Of course I too have a warped sense of humor! |
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Earnest Bovine
From:
Los Angeles CA USA
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Posted 24 Jul 2003 8:40 am
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| Quote: |
| The tunes were in the cracks because radio always speeds records up slightly to get more tunes on the air |
That explained vinyl records, but not CDs. |
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