G-Man

[EL34]

Here's a spy tune for ya called G-Man
Written by Los Straightjackets

Arranged a bit differently by me.  

Got some new drum loops and I used them on this tune
I think the drum loops sound pretty good

www.el34world.com/Misc/Music/files/gman.mp3

[Ritchie200]

That is too cool!  Great playing - as usual!

Jim

[EL34]

Thanks Jim

I DL'd some new drum loops and so I tested them out
The thing that holds me back recording more tunes is the drums

I don't have the time or knowledge to program really good sounding drum tracks and so downloading recorded loops make it way easier.

Not bad for $9.95
Got 80+ loops of all kinds

[Ritchie200]

I know what you mean!  Ive got a few partial loops that I "made", but you need the fills to finish it off and I just cant find a good variety to plug in and making it beat for beat is soooo tedious.  That and I don't have a bass.  That's why I use the backing tracks - obviously not original, but it allows me to record some noise!  I've pretty much given up on Mixcraft and use Garage Band exclusive.  I know a lot of people call it Garbage Band, but I find it easy to use and it has a lot of cool features.  Hey, anything that is quick and keeps my ADD in check, and I am all for it!!!    I did just get a Christmas email from Mixcraft wanting me to upgrade to the latest version.  Are you using that?

Jim

[EL34]

I have been using Mixcraft 6 for quite a while
I find Mixcraft pretty easy to use

But I have been using Mixcraft since version 1

[Ritchie200]

Yeah, Mixcraft 6 black friday through monday deal for $99 - thats a fantastic price.  Upgrade price 50% off.

Jim

[Platefire]

I have to say Doug you nailed it all the way around. Drums sound awesome and forgive me for mentioning the Ventures but the style of drumming remined me a lot of Mel Taylor's hard hitting style. Your tone is to die for and execution of the whammy was flawless. I never heard this tune before but I can't imagine it being played any better. Great job! Platefire

[EL34]

Thanks Plate

I have a couple other spy tunes I would like to do including 007 theme

[Ed_Chambley]

Great tune Doug.  It seems as if you really dig this style of music.  The Maxwell Smart era.

[EL34]

I love the guitar instrumental days when the ventures and all the surf bands were on top

Actually surf instrumental music is still alive and well
You just don't hear it on the radio

[jojokeo]

Howdy ho ho ho ho-daddy-o's! Being from & still living in the land of surf I admit to being spoiled and even taking it for granted at times. There's the international surf museum just off main street that puts on free live surf music on Sundays that's really cool to cruise up to on the beach cruisers. Some of the very best of the old groups and players and new comers too set-up and lay it down. Many still live nearby in town, there's just too many to list. Even though I'm not much of a surf tune player and I still really enjoy the music. Doug, I love it when you put the tunes and believe you have a touch many can only dream of. Keep it up! You hit the nail on the head regarding the drums issue - the same for me too. Not sure if anyone has seen this so I'll throw out a link http://surfguitar101.com/

[EL34]

Thank Jo,
I did post a link on surf1010

never seem to get much response over there unless you want to argue about why humbuckers cannot be used to play surf music.  

If you want to jump start my thread, it's here 

http://surfguitar101.com/forums/topic/22743/

[Ritchie200]

Ya know, the space/time continuum will be upset if you continue to use 'buckers on your surf tunes.  Just sayin....

jim

LOL, I don't use buckers on Surf music
Well they are humbucking pickups but I have them both switched to single coil mode

So I am good to go with the Surf music gods

[jojokeo]

LOL, I don't use buckers on Surf music
Well they are humbucking pickups but I have them both switched to single coil mode

So I am good to go with the Surf music gods

Hey there Braddah Jim aka "Lono". Those gods are maybe Hawaiian tiki surf gods like Lono yeah!? Interesting factoid for ya: Lono is identified with rain and plants as the god of fertility. He is also a deity for music and peace, and it is in his honor that the great annual Makahiki festival was held. During the festival period from October through February, excessive work and war was taboo. It is a season for merry-making, games, paying taxes and ironically, planning the next war. I like the merry-making and avoiding excessive work parts best! 

I wire up my humbuggies on my Strats on pushpull pots to be put into parallel when wanted because they retain they silent ways while giving the same or even better tone than split or individual single coils. (Works for me anyways...) I've been meaning to get back to ya. Got a new skimmer for the reef and am getting ready for other improvements but I still have that damn mantis shrimp!

[Ritchie200]

Capt. Cook's first two visits were during the Lono festival and I'm sure he and his crew thought it was party central.  When he left the second time, they broke the fore mast in a storm and had to return. Lono was over, the Hawaiians stole one of his long boats, and, well, you know the rest....  Moral, dont screw with surfers who are not partying! 

I'm sure you have done this, but have you tried the worm traps?  He's gotta eat!

Turtle: Stay loose, Haoli.
Rick: What's a Haoli?
Turtle: A tourist, a mainlander, like you.
Rick: I'm not a tourist.
Turtle: Whatever, Barney.
Rick: What's a Barney?
Turtle: It's like Barno... Barnyard... a Haoli to the max, a kook in and out of the water. Yeah?

Cool waves and shaka-to-ya-frada-cause-you're-nothing-but-a-bruddah.

Jojo, are you - "you one bad shredder, yeah? Yeah, he shred so hard he broke his stick"

Live like Jay bruddah!

Jim

[Willabe]

Very cool, makes me wanna dance but I need some sand.   

I really like the chorus or is it a bridge?


             Brad     

[EL34]

Thanks Brad,

There's a chorus and a bridge. 

You are probably talking about the chorus
The bridge comes later in the tune when the drummer is getting some Tom Tom action

[tubenit]

Wow!  That sounds very cool.  Just got around to listening to it.

As someone who grew up with shows like "I Spy" & "Secret Agent Man", I love that stuff.

I have a couple other spy tunes I would like to do including 007 theme

I think some of the James Bond theme songs are quite well done & love that music.   Would look forward to hearing you do that.

BTW, the drums sounded like the real deal to me.  Good stuff.

I started using MixCraft 6 about 2-3 months ago.  I like it.

With respect, Jeff

[EL34]

Thanks Jeff

They are real drums
They are a real recorded drum kit with a real drummer playing them
The loops are short bits
You insert a bunch of them onto an audio track in Mixcraft to create a drum track

There's several categories in the package I bought and a bunch of loops in each category
Like verse, chorus, fills, endings, etc

Not bad for $9.95
I got them here
http://stevesspringysurfdrums.com/

[tubenit]

They are real drums

Ah, well ......... that explains that!   

I had added on 2 points to your score for making "artificial drum tracks" sound so real.  Sorry, I'll have to take the points back and lower your score.

 

[EL34]

It's way easier to make drum tracks with loos and plus they sound good

Beatcraft uses real drum samples also
If you load nice drum samples into it, you can make great drum tracks also
But, beatcraft is way harder since I don't play drums and have no idea how to construct complicated real sounding drum beats

[super&plexi]

Diggin these tunes-and very noticeable, your playing in last couple o yrs has really matured (oops), meant to say become more authoritative,...word is escaping me, but mean to say in pos+ way....comfortable,....ah crap,....escapes me , but mean to say you're nailin' it down!.

Always a fan of 'Groovy Mysterioso' Feel.

 

[EL34]

Thanks,
Well hopefully a person gets a little better each time they play.

My problem is that I hit it hard for a while and then go off and get into other projects.
So it's two steps forward, one step back

Been doing that for 40+ years on the guitar
Many times over those years it was one step forward, 4 steps back

The next time I pick up the guitar I have forgotten a bunch of what I thought I had learned

[Ed_Chambley]

The next time I pick up the guitar I have forgotten a bunch of what I thought I had learned
[/quote]
Nice to blame this on practice.
In my case, it is age.  I'll admit it.  What is weird is I can remember all the lyrics to many of the songs, but I cannot remember how to play them unless I hear them.  The weird part is I never did a lot of vocals.

Surf music is certainly alive and well.  The music is feel good music and while it is not my favorite, I love the picture Jojo painted of the scene.  The memories.  Mine are of Tube Tops, huge bell bottoms and very low cut standing in the HOT Georgia sun sweating just enough to make the skin shine.  Long straight hair holding a burning bic lighter screaming Freebird while standing barefoot.  Then there were the girls

I'll bet you can play surf with humbuckers thru a marshall, but will need verb.

[jojokeo]

In my case, it is age.  I'll admit it.  What is weird is I can remember all the lyrics to many of the songs, but I cannot remember how to play them unless I hear them.  The weird part is I never did a lot of vocals.

I've NEVER been a vocal guy, I ALWAYS get the words wrong too. Something in my right or left minded brain that just doesn't do this aspect. But melody - that's another story entirely. That, I'm VERY good at. Another example, I used to bartend while in school. I could remember a face with a drink for hundreds of people but had the worst time with their names.

*Doug, +1 on the hitting it hard (playing/learning), then backing off in the middle of projects... it's just the yin/yang of things in this world I guess!? I try to write down notes/music/notation on my music sheets for stuff I don't want to forget or that's a new song with the group. That way I can re-call it when needed even if we don't play something for a year.

*Ed, I didn't lay down even half of the picture and vibe going on some of those epic Sundays. Girls, cocktails, the low din noises in the background of the other things happening all around, seeking shade to get out of the sun, cool cars & Harley's engines thumbing driving by, people hootin' and hollerin' and whistlin', it's gets to be quite the scene...
Also, our last gig we played Freebird especially for all those people that always call out for it year after year. I don't know what it is all about with that song that gets so many people to do that. But when everything was over while getting back to the truck I asked the wifey what stuck out as a high point of the night for her? Her response, "FREEBIRD!".  And then later many others said the same. That song just does it for people I guess!?

[Ed_Chambley]

In my case, it is age.  I'll admit it.  What is weird is I can remember all the lyrics to many of the songs, but I cannot remember how to play them unless I hear them.  The weird part is I never did a lot of vocals.

I've NEVER been a vocal guy, I ALWAYS get the words wrong too. Something in my right or left minded brain that just doesn't do this aspect. But melody - that's another story entirely. That, I'm VERY good at. Another example, I used to bartend while in school. I could remember a face with a drink for hundreds of people but had the worst time with their names.

*Doug, +1 on the hitting it hard (playing/learning), then backing off in the middle of projects... it's just the yin/yang of things in this world I guess!? I try to write down notes/music/notation on my music sheets for stuff I don't want to forget or that's a new song with the group. That way I can re-call it when needed even if we don't play something for a year.

*Ed, I didn't lay down even half of the picture and vibe going on some of those epic Sundays. Girls, cocktails, the low din noises in the background of the other things happening all around, seeking shade to get out of the sun, cool cars & Harley's engines thumbing driving by, people hootin' and hollerin' and whistlin', it's gets to be quite the scene...
Also, our last gig we played Freebird especially for all those people that always call out for it year after year. I don't know what it is all about with that song that gets so many people to do that. But when everything was over while getting back to the truck I asked the wifey what stuck out as a high point of the night for her? Her response, "FREEBIRD!".  And then later many others said the same. That song just does it for people I guess!?

Yes, I make musical notes as well.  Been doing so a very long time.  This presents a problem as well.  It goes like this.  I know I put it in this binder, no it's not that one.  Maybe it is this one.  Now anything I am currently playing I have handy, but like recently the guys kicked off Rock You Like a Hurricane and I nailed the opening lead, but when the chugging chords started with the vocals the other guitar player had his back to me and I could not remember it and it is the easiest part of the song.  We were just goofing so it did not really matter.

I have an opinion on the Freebird thing.  First off it is really 2 songs put together, one pretty and one serious jam.  Makes the some seem shorter sort of like Zepplin and Journey has done, but theirs has a slight pause.  Secondly, it is simply covers a lot of musical territory and has loads of dynamics with all the different instruments used pretty as you have clean, piano, slide, more than 3 chords and a building of strength until a full blown jam.

But I think the main reason that non musicians love it is because it appeals to the ultimate bad boy fantasy that women have and men want to be.  It is almost sang as a fantasy as well.  It is simply the romantic idea of the traveling soul stopping by and sweeping her off her feet and the sorrow that he will not stay.  Most people like to fantasize over lost loves and like to feel the old pining feeling again.  The yearning to be the spotlight of another persons attention.

We know this exists, but as I write it I do see it is crazy.  I write lots of lyrics and arrangements.  Maybe one day with all the analyzing of songs I do I may come up with a good song.  I only have 2 I actually recorded and only one is worth a crap.  It is easy to write something people will like and dance to, but to be able to reach into someone with lyrics and control their emotions is entirely another thing.

[super&plexi]

Hey Joe(Gies), where you going with that invitation in your hand,...I'm going to invite my buddy S&P to a future jam,.....

Hey Joe, where you gonna play locally ..... I'm gonna play_______, and tell Larry down Santa Ana Way,...

Think I'll leave the songwriting to Jimi....