General Music Chat

I never really thought about any famous act putting out some off key material. I don't listen that closely to a song to be able to pick out mistakes. Nor do I care. But what I do care about is if the song sucks or not. That's more important...

I never thought about it either.... on purpose. Instead the off key parts stab me in the ear and without trying I am forced to think about it.

It's very doubtfull that any musician hasn't hit a bum note at some point in their career!!

Agreed. But leaving it on a studio recording is another matter.

I'll tell you who really stabbed me in the ear, and that's Yoko Ono. I'm thinking about putting together a comedy picture dictionary and my definition for the word "shrill" would be a picture of Yoko Ono...

Definitely hear the Lou Rawls, but it sounds more like a spoken word, not as if it's flat to me.

That's a big "wow" from me. It's sick flat and clearly singing to me.

The harp in Elton's song is so buried in the mix, I can't pull out what you heard at all.

But this is pure shock. The sour note is completely by itself on TOP of the mix. It's at the end of the snare "roll" I put exact times up so everybody could go right to it. It's 3:46. Just start listening a few seconds before my posted times.

Bruce sounds to me like it's right on. I think it's more that the chop of his rhythm is almost polyrhythmic, so the chord struck at that particular point is just a hair ahead of the rest of the music. At least, as the song begins, it seems that way, but once all the instruments come in, it "seems" to fit, though he hasn't changed the chop at all. That first chord is just a hair (maybe a sixteenth or eighth note behind the kick, which is hitting right on, but doesn't come in until a couple of measures later. I highly doubt he pulled that off without a click track.

Listen to it, and try to count off the measures from when he starts playing. The count doesn't line up with the drums, because it's behind them. He's really varying just a bit where in the measure he's hitting those chords. That can make certain chords show up in what at first seem to be odd places because your brain is counting from the wrong spot, then readjusts once the drums come in. I bet if you could play the song to a synced click it wouldn't sound off at all.

EDIT: Nope, I don't think they did use a click. I just synced it up with one in Pro Tools, and they are all just a bit all over the place in timing. I still think it's an off beat timing issue though. Or, I could just be getting tone deaf.

I'm on board with the sloppy rhythm but his guitar is slightly sharp. It is subtle but it's sharp. The other two scream. I have a kind of perfect pitch. Before you say kind of isn't perfect let me say this. I can rattle off thousands of notes from history. One for instance is Led Zepplin's "bring it on home" I can sing the opening riff. You can then play the song and it's dead on. I can do that with literally thousands of sax parts, bass parts, vocals, guitars etc etc etc. BUT I can still sing with a guitar tuned to itself but not tuned to 440. The biggest but though is I can't tell you very many note's names from hearing them. Oh I KNOW the notes.... personally. I just don't know their names. I never studied, took lessons, or ever practiced a scale. That's why I say "sort of" perfect pitch.

I'll tell you who really stabbed me in the ear, and that's Yoko Ono. I'm thinking about putting together a comedy picture dictionary and my definition for the word "shrill" would be a picture of Yoko Ono...

That's hilarious!! DO IT!!

One name... Elvis Costello.... He even talks flat!!!

He da flattest man on the planet....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6tV11acSRk

Throughout "Here comes the sun" it sounds like somebody is dragging their finger on the tape machine of one "organ-like" instrument. It's most obvious at 2:30. Anybody know what that is?

Not positive but I believe I read somewhere that that was one of the first uses of a Moog synthesizer on a rock record.

sounds like a tin whistle or slide whistle to me. THey are basically a toy but can be used musically

Hopefully, you don't mean the tin(penny) whistle...

One name... Elvis Costello.... He even talks flat!!!

He da flattest man on the planet....

Oh my. It hurts to admit that truth. I love him so. But you called it. But wait... that's live. Any studio examples?

Maybe it's just me but it's always sounded to me like Metallica (Both Kirk and James) tune their high E string just slightly flat on purpose.

What's up with that?

I never caught that.