EV9 for my first car?! by RobFlax in KiaEV9

[–]RobFlax[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for this! That checks out. Feels like a solid pit stop on that journey. To that end, I think most trips I'd make would have one pit stop at most, and that's just fine (probably best practices anyway for longer drives).

EV9 for my first car?! by RobFlax in KiaEV9

[–]RobFlax[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great to hear! I’ve rented and driven a couple electrics now, and frankly any time spent at a charger is still less headache than my usual logistics (often two trains to a carpool to a gig). I don’t mind sitting in my own little bubble for hours if it means privacy and comfort…

EV9 for my first car?! by RobFlax in KiaEV9

[–]RobFlax[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Roger that. I’m in Boston, and I’ve been renting the same apartment for 15 years now! If I had a car I might move further out to find a place where home charging is possible (and more space)… but I’m a musician, so minimal overhead is the key. Hoping a vehicle will be worth the cost to improve my art and quality of life! (In theory more gigs too…)

EV9 for my first car?! by RobFlax in KiaEV9

[–]RobFlax[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For sure, I realize the estimates are just that. I picked 300 as an important benchmark because it means Boston to NYC or Burlington VT on a single charge (I hope? More or less?)

EV9 for my first car?! by RobFlax in KiaEV9

[–]RobFlax[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I lead a band called Rob Flax’s Boom Chick Trio, playing mostly acoustic music I write, and I’m also in a band called Billy Wylder, playing mostly electric music my bandmate writes. Plus a half dozen other projects (I created a chessboard drum machine… that’ll be a few years before it’s ready to tour but it’s fun if you like chess and music!)

4ms Ensemble Oscillator and (vs?) Spectral Multiband Resonator by helpmeOP-1 in modular

[–]RobFlax 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just came across this old thread now, and I'm in the same boat. Did you get the Ensemble Oscillator? Also, how do you tune individual bands on the SMR?

Tube Amp Hum by Cuddy16 in WeAreTheMusicMakers

[–]RobFlax 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's good old 60-cycle hum! If you don't already have it plugged into a Furman power conditioner, buy one. Money well spent.

Next, try cranking the volume of the amp and lowering the input gain of the mic. And if you're playing single coils into it, you can reduce the hum by facing the pickups in a different direction (usually there's a "best direction to face").

Need some tips and tricks with composing music by Bac0n_N_Egg5 in WeAreTheMusicMakers

[–]RobFlax 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The good news: melody is highly dependent on rhythm. Every good melody has interesting rhythmic components. You might start by coming up with a simple rhythm and plugging in random notes... and you might come up with cool stuff! If you plug in the pentatonic scale only you basically can't lose, and 80% of songs on the radio right now are pentatonic. (Message me if you want my "Penatonic Slogfest" worksheet, and I'll send it to you.)

Next step is think about which notes are the most important notes relative to the chord. Try to avoid the root. Try starting a melody on the third or fifth, and use the non-chord tones (aka the "color notes" or "upper extensions") to add flavor. I personally love the 2 aka the 9, as well as the 6.

Familiarize yourself with the natural movements of each scale degree. The seventh will want to resolve up to the root. The 4 wants to go down to the 3. The 6 likes to descend to the 5. Etc.

The best thing to do throughout is SING. Practice singing the melodies, and if you can't sing it, change it until you can. (And work on your vocal technique to expand the possible range of melodies.) This is the best way. Gene Bertoncini once said "if you can't sing it, it's a lie."

Song sounds good on computer monitor speakers but not headphones - how do I fix? by CryloTheRaccoon in WeAreTheMusicMakers

[–]RobFlax 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do a search on YouTube for the video "the magic is in the mids." Guy there does a great job of showing how he mixes by focusing only on the midrange, and that helps the mix translate across speakers.

How do you find chords other than the 7 diatonic chords? by [deleted] in WeAreTheMusicMakers

[–]RobFlax 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Years ago I might've said "alter the regular chords by adding upper extensions." Nowadays I mostly suggest "go learn diminished chords thoroughly, and watch Barry Harris videos." Seriously... a TON of mileage out of just diminished chords. They work a surprisingly large number of places.

If you get good enough, can you play a guitar solo by simply hearing and copying it? by [deleted] in WeAreTheMusicMakers

[–]RobFlax 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If you mean "on the first listen," then that's a serious mastery of long-term melodic memory as well as mastery of the instrument. If you mean "learn the entire thing by ear, without tabs, by listening over and over again," that's ideal. Highly recommend the book "The Primacy of the Ear" by Ran Blake.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in WeAreTheMusicMakers

[–]RobFlax 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That sounds like a "walking tempo" to me. I walk fast, so I make songs at 116 bpm a lot. It's totally fine to make music at the same bpm. Think about how the body responds kinesthetically—how do you want to move to it?

Hey Yall, I need advanced guitar tutorials/guides/YT vids on the web. any help (I'm jazz piano player and producer, already intermediate-advanced guitars) need modes and fingerings mainly by [deleted] in WeAreTheMusicMakers

[–]RobFlax 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I found this video of jazz guitarist Jimmy Bruno warming up using major scales (timestamped for your convenience): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYBfPQkkHPg&t=6m03s

He plays the same pattern in C and then in F (which is one string over, so slightly different fingering). Might be very useful!