December Jazz Tune of the Month: Honeysuckle Rose

[Tom Wright]

Phones and consumer video cameras all use substantial compression. Desktop recording software, however, does not. Various freeware exists, but to be safe, spend $20 or so for apps like Audio Recording Wizard. Also, Audacity, available free with some hardware, has good editing capacity.

After doing an uncompressed recording, my software (I use SoundForge for final editing) and others have an option called "normalize", which will increase playback level to a standard signal strength. You can either choose "peak level" which is only volume change, but also a compression setting as in "Normalize using---" and then you choose a sound level as the benchmark. For example, choosing -18 db makes for a slight compression, and it will sound very normal. Choosing a higher level, like -4 db, will mean a lot of compression.

All broadcast (and streaming) uses fairly substantial compression, so it's smart to use the least amount reasonable for the main edit. It will get further compressed at YouTube. SoundCloud does not compress, to my ears.

Best results will always be achieved using close miking, and adding reverb later. If using a phone or video camera with internal microphone, the sound will be the sound of the room, which then clashes with the sound of the room of the listener (unless they listen on headphones). I prefer to record audio alongside video, and drop the edited soundtrack into the video. That allows close miking and sweetening like reverb and EQ, as well as normalizing the playback level.

[Pete Martin]

https://soundcloud.com/david-martin-...uckle-rose-ddm

Wow, really nice playing in previous posts. My humble offering. Slightly slower, only 3 times through.

Sounds good David. I really like the tone you get as well!

[Dave Martin]

Pete, thanks. That is my Breedlove Vintage F (2012?), with TI Strong strings, BC 60 rounded pick, into a Rode USB mic, double tracked on Audacity with one track straight and the other track with small amounts of compression and reverb. Bob, Ike, Al and Brian on backing tracks.

Thanks again for starting this. It is going to be a treat for my ears (and a trick for my fingers).

Dave

[Teak]

Good tune, Pete. I worked this out with a bass player tonight; he also liked it. Now getting it miked and recorded and uploaded to the cafe, now that's another story.

[Victor Daniel]

Here is one with my Pava mandolin.

[Victor Daniel]

Here is one on my 21 Gibson A4 for comparison

[Mark Gunter]

They're not showing, Victor, might need to check your permissions settings at YouTube. Are they set to "Private"?

[Victor Daniel]

They're not showing, Victor, might need to check your permissions settings at YouTube. Are they set to "Private"?

I double checked and they are public. I can see them on my device. Weird.

[Jairo Ramos]

I can't see the video too, maybe is a problem with youtube, I have had problems with souncloud too...meanwhile the link...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0aB7DBltLc

Excellent playing Victor, nice tone...

[Jairo Ramos]

This is the link of the other Victor's video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiU1cH3BxbQ

[Victor Daniel]

Lets try again!

This is with my Pava



And here with the 21 Gibson A4

[Mark Gunter]

Success! On posting the videos, and on playing the tune. You appear to be fluid at navigating the fretboard, and I really like that you are conversant with the chords and use a descending bass line with the chords. Well done.

[Victor Daniel]

Success! On posting the videos, and on playing the tune. You appear to be fluid at navigating the fretboard, and I really like that you are conversant with the chords and use a descending bass line with the chords. Well done.

Thanks Mark. Like many mandolin players I come from a bluegrass/oldtime background but I have lately found a love for Swing and Jazz. Mandolin fits so well into gypsy or swing string bands. This is a fun group. let’s keep it going!

[colorado_al]

Here's my go at it. I had a couple of technical issues. My backing track cut out for a sec, and my video got mangled somehow. Sort of matches my playing in that section anyhow. Well, here it is:

[Drew Egerton]

Nice job everyone so far, and kudos for having the guts to post for all to see.
I have the basic melody down but still trying to come up with some more creative ideas for the improv. Hopefully I can get something video-worthy together soon to contribute.

[des]

Here's another contrafact which I have found inspirational : Charlie Parker's Scrapple from the Apple. The recording is almost exactly 70 years old.



What's really helpful is that is transcribed for mandolin in TABedit in standard notation and tab on the Mandozine website

http://www.mandozine.com/music/searc...rder=A&submit=

[DavidKOS]

Here's another contrafact which I have found inspirational : Charlie Parker's Scrapple from the Apple. The recording is almost exactly 70 years old.

and in the Real book:



The tune is based on "Honeysuckle Rose" for the A part and uses the common B part from "I Got Rhythm".

[Pete Martin]

Here's another contrafact which I have found inspirational : Charlie Parker's Scrapple from the Apple. The recording is almost exactly 70 years old.

It constantly amazes me that such inspirational music and players can be found from ALL eras!

[DavidKOS]

It constantly amazes me that such inspirational music and players can be found from ALL eras!

I never overlook players from any era in jazz just because they are not speaking the current hip dialect.

Sidney Bechet is just as valid as anyone out there now, for example.

[Dave Martin]

I never overlook players from any era in jazz just because they are not speaking the current hip dialect.

Sidney Bechet is just as valid as anyone out there now, for example.

I highly recommend the book, "Really the Blues," by Mezz Mezzrow. No music, but lots of jazz stories. I believe it includes the sentence, "I was cut out to be a jazzman like the righteous are chosen for the church." Kindle and paperback.

[BrianWilliam]

Behold a headless mandoliner in jazzland...

[Mark Gunter]

Can't see the video Brian ...

[BrianWilliam]

I updated my first post. Initially I used the YouTube button on the advanced page from my phone. This try is with the video button from my laptop.

[Mark Gunter]

Nice arrangement and interesting embellishments to the melody, thanks for fixing the video.

[CarlM]

I was just listening to this slow version by Stefane Grapelli and was struck how much the melody resembles As Time Goes By. Not quite another contrafact but close especially in the first couple lines of melody.