Jim Wright gives a brief demonstration of the control knobs and switches on the 12-string Warr Phalanx touch-style bass guitar. Jim Wright is using the Roland GR-33 for his MIDI/Synth converter. For the analog side of things Jim is playing bass through an Eden World Tour 400 through a 4X10 Eden cabinet. For the guitar side Jim is playing through the Lone Wolf Amplification. http://www.lonewolfamps.com/
INDEPENDENCE DAY by Randy Strom
I have had the good fortune to work with a great keyboard player in our town by the name of John Raczka. He can play (on the B3) a bass line with his left foot, comp with his left hand, and blow any kind of bebop to blues solo with his right hand. He can even play with the right hand playing behind the time (creating a laid back swing feel) or with the right hand playing free time over the groove. I strive to emulate this kind of freedom and independence in my Warr guitar playing (although its kind of hard to get the foot involved).
The question is, how do we get to a place with our playing to make this kind of groove+head+soloing become second nature? Here are a few things I do.
First, I set my sequencer (drum mach, metronome) to a strict straight 8ths feel and play quarter-note octaves in the left hand, while playing scales in the right hand (mostly diatonic but also harmonic minor, whole-tone, dimished, blues and bebop) and start with strict 8th-notes over the left hand quarter-notes. A slow tempo with very even time and articulation is a must. Then I change the right hand to 8th-note triplets and finally to 16ths and 16th triplets. In this way, I'm working on my time and memorizing scale fingerings simultaneously.
Now this exercise is a bit boring, as it has no musical content. So, for the second step, I like to choose a left hand groove pattern (swing, latin, funk, etc.) and a few simple chord changes and sub-divide scales, arpeggios etc. with the right hand over the top of that. Staying strictly with the "click" or maybe just a frogs' hair behind. Never get in front.
The third step is of course, choose a tune, a standard, an original, etc., and keep a steady, strong left hand (stay with the click) and an expressive free grooving right hand playing the head, comping, and soloing.
This is my goal, to make every day a touch-style Independence day. I wish the same for you, especially on July 4th (barbeque, beer, fireworks, etc.).
RS
Randy Strom has been an innovator and key player in the touch-guitar world since 1976, and has many impressive credits as a musician, composer, performer, and in the field of music production.
For a complete list of his credits, please visit http://www.myspace.com/randystrom
