Capitol City Pipes & Drums

[elwoodblues1969]

Capitol City Pipes & Drums are a duo in Ohio that my uncle is involved in.They had been looking for someone to add backround music to thier arrangements,which are a comprised of bagpipes(my uncle) & the other fellow on drums.

They could not find anyone locally to fit the bill,so I was asked to contribute.My uncle sent me a cd and I worked with that.
I did everything live,playing along with the cd that I recorded onto my multi-tracker,so it's pretty sketchy at best-especially so,since I found this genre particularly challenging.
This is the first track of seven, & it's untitled at this point.
In any event,working with such authentic Scottish music was a privilage & a pleasure,even though I think I may have mucked it up a bit.

Thought I would share this with you all,to see what you think of it.Hope you enjoy...perhaps?

Thom

[Oren]

Thom,

With a little work, your backing tracks could be just what these guys need. The sound you used at the 2:45 mark is a dead ringer for this style, and the bass sound you applied after that is also perfect.
In some areas you got the chords just right, and in other spots you employed a single-note accompaniment that was right on the money. If you could collaborate with your uncle in selecting more appropriate chords and notes in the areas where it's a little off, the track would shape up nicely.

Good start, particularly for a fellow who doesn't read music. 

[elwoodblues1969]

Oren,

Incidentally,it's absolutely imperitive that I consult with my uncle,as I've already sent him the first track to listen to and I'm just waiting to hear from him,so I'm way ahead of you there.
As always,I value you're expert opinions and I appreciate your feedback greatly.

At this point,I still don't know exactly what he will want specifically & he may not find my work useful at all,but that's fine,because at the very least,this is a good experience for me.

Thanks for the encouragement!

Thom

[MarioD]

Thom, this is an excellent start. 

I agree with Oren that it sounds very good from the 2:45 mark on. I was a little put off by the pads prior to that though.  I didn’t think they fit sound wise. i.e. I thought they were too contemporary for this style and I thought they were a little too loud as they dominated those areas. I did think the bass was ok for most of the song.

IHMO I would stick to the sounds after the 2:45 and use them through out the song. 

PS – I know how hard it is to match your style and sounds to other people’s music.  I’m helping a trio do a CD here and they want me to add my guitar, drums and synth parts to their playing.  It’s their CD so everything is their call.  Sometimes I’m right on and sometimes I’m out in left field according to them.  Most of the time what I like they don’t and what I don’t they like – go figure.  But I’m getting into their heads and I’m starting to learn exactly what they want. I’m positive you’ll be doing the same thing with your uncle.  Good luck and as I said this is an excellent start.

[Oren]

... I know how hard it is to match your style and sounds to other people’s music...  Sometimes I’m right on and sometimes I’m out in left field according to them.  Most of the time what I like they don’t and what I don’t they like – go figure.  But I’m getting into their heads and I’m starting to learn exactly what they want....

That's quite a balancing act you've taken on there, Mario. In my experience your musical instincts are very accurate... .

In this sort of endeavour it's important to maintain a sense of humour, and remember the old farmer's saying: "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink".
 This group is going to sound a lot better with you in the mix.

[MarioD]

... I know how hard it is to match your style and sounds to other people’s music...  Sometimes I’m right on and sometimes I’m out in left field according to them.  Most of the time what I like they don’t and what I don’t they like – go figure.  But I’m getting into their heads and I’m starting to learn exactly what they want....

That's quite a balancing act you've taken on there, Mario. In my experience your musical instincts are very accurate... .

In this sort of endeavour it's important to maintain a sense of humour, and remember the old farmer's saying: "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink".
 This group is going to sound a lot better with you in the mix.

Thanx Oren! 

Fortunately for me they are good guys to work with (hey, they buy the Bud  ) and we all get along very well. 

But it is a big learning curve for me.  I’ve never help anyone like this before. It’s fun, but work

[elwoodblues1969]

Mario,

The problem I'm having with this genre specifically,is that there's always a very redundant quality to bagpipe performances,which makes it difficult for me to add variations-since this style of music does not leave me with very many options ringing in my head.
I just tried to keep it interesting,by coming up with as many variances as I could think of...while it is not appropriate to the genre,I just thought I would try to spice it up a bit,being that I do not possess the traditional "blueprints" of this culture.

Also,I had to try and adapt to a time signature that I am not accustomed to.

Thanks for your feedback & support!

Thom

[offthewall]

Thom,
You are taking on a difficult task here. Knowing something about Scottish traditional music, and the pipes, I can say that you need to make a few adjustments to your sounds. As has been stated some of the sounds you are using are too contemporary. For instance, you could substitute for the organ-like sound at 1'24 an *accordion* sound and you will be there. The biggest problem with bagpipes is their limited range and trying to fit an accompaniment to that is a bit of a nightmare. I think you should also try some variation with the bass part. Not necessarily the notes you play, but the *groove* of the part. Try to make it roll a little.
Let us hear some of the other tracks, please. I find this very interesting.
Good luck,
 
James

[elwoodblues1969]

James,

You're offering some very sound advice & I appreciate it very much,because I am overwhelmed by this project.

Thanks for your interest.

Thom

[kara]

Living in a celtic country, I can tell you that trying to do what you do is a BIG challenge !
I've done it a couple of times (or tried to do it), and I can assure you that this is very difficult.
One of the major troubles in playing really tuned instruments (A=440 Hz) together with traditional instruments, is that those guys are almost never tuned exactly, they are just miss-tuned all in the same way  And there comes the trouble with your perfectly tuned synth 

As for the song, I would try not to overdo it. Perhaps cut out the whole first part (until 1:20 if i remember ok) and leave the middle part in which actually sounds pretty well.

An interesting challenge you have there Thom.

k

[elwoodblues1969]

Kara,

You're absolutely right about the tuning,but that was the least of my problems-in fact,it was'nt a problem at all,as it was just a matter of tinkering with the de-tune function on my synth....playing by ear has it's advantages.

But as for everything else,well...I'll just have to see what my uncle has to say about things.
I just might get some outside help on this one though,if everything pans out.

Thanks for the support.

Thom

[folderol]

I'm a bit slow responding, but I think everyone else has just about covered anything I would have said anyway

Full marks for trying this, and I do know just how hard it can be matching up to a live recording. Good luck with the project.

[elwoodblues1969]

Thanks Will,I appreciate it.

Thom

[Laguna Rising]

Hi Thom
very nice ! This is the folk music I like the most
Great efforts building a complete arrangement in tune with the exhisting parts, but you ended up doing well

Cheers

[elwoodblues1969]

L.R.,

Thanks for the kind compliments!

Thom