"here, there and everywhere" challenge

[billkilpatrick]

sync was a bit out but very nice, martin - tenor guitar ... want one!

[Martin Jonas]

Thanks, Bill. Regarding the sync, do you mean that the three melody instruments are out ouf sync with each other, or that the melody is out of sync with the rhythm track? I can't hear any significant out-of-sync between the three melody instruments -- there are a few notes where you can hear the plonk from one being a fraction out from the others, which is in the nature of recording plucked instruments played in unison. Mandolins and guitars are much more unforgiving in this respect that (say) flutes or violins because there is such a sharp attack and little sustain. Listening back to my recording, I am surprised to note that the tremolo of the two mandolins is actually in perfect sync -- same rate and coinciding on the beat. I didn't pay particular attention to this when playing, but it seems my tremolo is measured rather than unmeasured. Maybe I should take up duo style...

However, if you mean the melody is out of sync with the rhythm track, that is deliberate and is what I referred to when I said the timing is a bit tricky: at least in the transcription in the "Beatles Complete" songbook (which is the official sheet music published by Northern Songs), most of the key melody notes do not coincide with the beat but are played either an eighth note before the beat or an eighth after the beat. Several of the sustained notes (which I tremolo on the mandolins) are four-and-a-half beats long: they start one eighth (half-a-beat) before the bar line and are then sustained through the entire subsequent measure.

The other slightly tricky thing about this tune is that there are 13(!) different chords, with a chord change every two beats, i.e. 63 chord changes in total in the 90 seconds or so of my recording. Keeps your mind on the job, anyway.

Martin

[billkilpatrick]

problems galore ... my eldest son, the sound technician, has kindly offered to record some of my ditties but insists that i play on one track and sing on another - something i find very difficult to do. i think there's always a stiffness in engineered recordings - whereas, a single take - with warts and all - is always fresh.

[Martin Jonas]

There certainly is some spontaneity that gets lost in multi-tracked recordings, and indeed in ensemble playing with fully-arranged parts because of the need to stay together. On the other hand, having a backing track (or a live guitar player, for that matter), helps a lot in keeping the timing straight. Some of that stiffness also depends on the track -- Here, There And Everywhere is rather a tightly written little tune. I have just recorded another Beatles cover in the same way, but because the notes all fall on the beat here, playing in sync is less of an issue and as a result (I hope) it's a more relaxed take. Here is "I Will" (very different indeed from how you recorded it for the Beatles Social Group):



Regarding the tenor guitar, I recommend you get one -- the Ozark I have was very cheap (189 Pounds including a decent hard case), has a solid top and plays like a dream. Scale length is 20.5", so I can play tunes with mandolin fingering.

Martin

[billkilpatrick]

all we need is hair ...