General Music Chat

Guitars - out of tune: NOT. Perfect tuning, may be vocals.

OK I'll take your word for it, you tuned it after all...but I still hear intonation problems. Are you fretting hard enough to pull strings sharp? Action high enough to do the same?

Hopefully it's not the dreaded ...OH NO...dead strings? For the first time in years I actually played a set of strings until one popped tuning down last night. I was starting to hear intonation problems with it and knew they needed to be changed, just kept putting it off. Tried to tune down to open G last night and the high E popped...it now has that new set of strings...

Something is off and I'm not the only one who noticed it, I suppose it could be dissonance interacting with vocals in places but a couple of places where I only hear guitar like 0:50 or so I hear something slightly out of tune. No vocals there to cause issues. That's why I'm wondering if you're fretting too hard, one of my worst habits. I think you can hear a bit of it if you listen to "Silhouette of A Daydream" on my profile, and there's one place I actually have to pull a string a bit because it comes out flat if I don't. I can't remember if I pulled it enough on that track, it might be out too.

I have a friend who has an old Martin with action so high I can't play the thing, he keeps trying to get me to tune it. I picked it up a few days ago, listened to it, didn't touch a thing, it was still in tune from the last time I tuned it, but soon as he tried to play a chord it was way out...action way too high (I've told him that a dozen times and he won't let me set it) and intonation goes out the window soon as you fret a string or three. I've found that to be a common problem with acoustics, even though I really don't see you with action that high...but it is a possibility so I have to mention it.

Overall I think it's a good song, has potential. It stayed in my head for an hour the other day when I listened to it the first time, that means either it's a keeper or it's so horrible it sticks anyway...like some of Madonna's or Cyndi Lauper's songs...and I don't think that's the case.

I'm not trying to "dis" the singer by the way, just an observation. She's doing well for a beginner, and you're probably right, the power and confidence will probably come with practice. From what I hear she has very little pitch control problems, I didn't hear anything noticeable enough to mention on the first or second listens. That's a lot better than the girl I heard onstage a couple of weeks ago, she was just plain bad...couldn't carry a tune if you put handles on it...

Oh, Pete - moi, use dead strings? Heck I change them every 6 months, whether they need it or not!

Actually, my strings generally go dead in about 7 - 9 days - I wear fret-grooves in them. And - like many of us, I'd rather spend time playing, instead of changing strings. I usually change them about once a month . . .
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I Listened to the spot at :50 - I know what that tuning thing was.
Remember the thread about a month back, about a guitar's natural tuning? And how there's problems around the 2nd, 3rd and 4th frets, and how some guitars have a staggered nut and all?
That's what it is, but compounded by one specific "B" string that does that. If you recall the thread, I solved my problem with my "B" string by upping it from.014 to .015.
There was a world of difference . . .
Had a huge problem with the . 014. And had NO problems with .015.
I use extra light or custom light strings: .010 to .047.
That was after I'd recorded the rhythm guitar for the "Spring Song."
Anyway - I changed a few volumes at that spot, and now it isn't as noticable.
I changed several dozen things slightly. Very slightly.
>cut volume of background guitar work.
>deleted some of the background guitar.
>backed off on rhythm guitar treble, whuch had been slightly boosted
>backed off on lead vocal treble, which had also been slightly boosted
>decreased volume of background male vocals, which gave the song too much 'Gregorian Chant' sadness.
>adjusted balances between all female vocals
>boosted rhythm guitar
. . .
and - there's a bunch of other stuff I did in spots (mostly volume-related) that took me another 2 hours . . .
Again, all adjustments were very slight, but I think the effects of all the changes affected the overall feel of the song a bit.