guitar players

[Dead Winter]

i play guitar and do vocals at the same time and don't have much trouble with it, just base your vocal rhythm's off of the rhythm of the music and practice practice practice

Well, here's the thing. The album is done and we're about to send it out en masse to the labels. The drummer played every instrument including vocals and now he's gotta play drums live. We can't find a singer so I've decided to pull double duty on guitar and drums.

If the guitar rhythms were easy chug-a-chug riffs like Metallica or something, it wouldn't be a problem. However, most of the guitar rhythms are in a different meter than the vocals AND drums sometimes, so it's even more difficult.

I'm not comparing us to Meshuggah, but think of it like trying to play and sing a song from Meshuggah. Not quite as complicated, but odd time and polyrhythms are in there and it's fucking tough sometimes to play and sing.

 

[ShadowsWithin]

Skylab has a full fledged album coming out? is it like the ones on your myspace or are they different because of the lineup change?

 

[Dead Winter]

Well, Artificial is an unsigned album, basically. The quality is there, just not the promotion. We haven't uploaded all the tracks to myspace, only three of them. There never was any lineup change, we were just looking for a vocalist for live dates; however, since everyone is either too lazy, incompetent, or selfish in this region to lend a hand, we've just said fuck it and now it's a DIY thing. If you want MP3s of the album, let me know and I'll send them to you via messenger. Everything's registered in our name and copyrighted so it's all legal and we can do what the fuck we want.

We were contacted by Aural Music and we're still fucking waiting on them to tell us something. We got this glowing review for the album in an Italian metal magazine, they contacted us for the cd, then listened to it and replied all excited and stuff, telling us that the big boss will be making a final decision soon. This was two months ago, but we can't get ahold of them. I've got a list of about 100 labels that I'm about to just send that shit out to anyway.

There IS a new album in the works, as we're writing it now. Two songs almost done, but it's our second album. Artificial is already a full-fledged album, we just need some label backing and maybe some money for higher level-mastering and that's it. Liverslapper's got the album, he can attest that it's done in a professional manner, just unsigned.

The shit of all this is that we're receiving tons of inquiries like, "Are you guys signed yet?" and "When do you play live, because we want you to come play with us!!!!" from all over fucking Italy. It's been a gigantic waiting game and we're both fucking sick of waiting so I'm practicing like a monkey fucking a football trying to get my vox and guitar down simultaneously.

 

[ShadowsWithin]

I would like the MP3's, im a fan I bring up myspace from time to time and listen to TTRF.

should have my AIM in my profile.

 

[Vincent J.]

I'm not comparing us to Meshuggah, but think of it like trying to play and sing a song from Meshuggah. Not quite as complicated, but odd time and polyrhythms are in there and it's fucking tough sometimes to play and sing.

Well, it's a matter of getting more polyrithmic insight then I guess..
You can just practice a lot and get the things right, but you could also try to develop more sense of the different rhythms by making little exercises, which could make it all go a lot easier, so you could even kind of improvise around the set melodies.
For example if you're playing 5 over 4 you can try to tap the fours on your lap (on every count), while "singing" (doesn't matter what, just make a sound) the 1st and 3rd or 1st and 4th accent of the group of five over it. The group of five being 16th notes, so you get 4 notes of the group of five in every count (on your lap)
Or when you play 3 over 4 you can do a similar thing, like: tap the 4s on your lap again, while singing the first note of the group of three.
Etc.

 

[Dead Winter]

Well, it's a matter of getting more polyrithmic insight then I guess..
You can just practice a lot and get the things right, but you could also try to develop more sense of the different rhythms by making little exercises, which could make it all go a lot easier, so you could even kind of improvise around the set melodies.
For example if you're playing 5 over 4 you can try to tap the fours on your lap (on every count), while "singing" (doesn't matter what, just make a sound) the 1st and 3rd or 1st and 4th accent of the group of five over it. The group of five being 16th notes, so you get 4 notes of the group of five in every count (on your lap)
Or when you play 3 over 4 you can do a similar thing, like: tap the 4s on your lap again, while singing the first note of the group of three.
Etc.

See, now THIS is what I'm talking about! Great advice and I'll definitely try it!!! Thanks so much!

 

[Dead Winter]

I would like the MP3's, im a fan I bring up myspace from time to time and listen to TTRF.

should have my AIM in my profile.

Ok man, I'm on AIM right now...doomblackdeath.

 

[Vincent J.]

See, now THIS is what I'm talking about! Great advice and I'll definitely try it!!! Thanks so much!

no prob =)

I don't know exactly with what kind of stuff you're struggling, but these kind of exercises help a lot and you can practice it pretty much anywhere.
Just start really slow and work your way up a bit. Probably in not too long you'll get the feel of certain meters overlapping each other. Try to really "feel" where both fall together again on the first count. (with 5 over 4 that is after 5 taps, or after 4 times the group of 5) The point of this is that you can get a more natural feel of odd meters and/or overlapping meters.

 

[DarkNoise]

without reading the rest (cause i'm lazy) I'd say just start by playing songs you know incredibly well (can play em without even thinking) and slow em down. try singing over that.

then speed em up.

same with practicing arpeggios - start with something easy and slow, and just work it up. I know you'll have the patience - you'd have to if you made it this far with guitar