Performance ideas

[tilldagmar]

Alright, so i was approached the other day and asked if i wanted to play at the end of the school year party deal (we call it "picnic day"). They set aside time for everyone to come and watch the "musicians" from our school play. After I said yes, I realized "What am I going to play?" So here I am on the Symphony X forum asking all you fellow metalheads a question. Any song ideas for me to play? or maybe excirpts from various songs thrown together (all of the same key of course), or possibly writing a song ( thinking along the lines of G harmonic Major, D Harmonic Major...etc,etc). Oh yeah this will be played on the guitar, I can't vary easily play the piano and guitar at the same time haha. So, please, If you could throw some ideas out there for me to process i would greatly appreciate it, thank you.

-Nick

 

[ABQShredHead]

Whatever you are capable of playing.

 

[frozen_core]

learn your school's fight song...and then metalize it...






...just kidding

 

[Horus]

It doesn't matter what you play, as long as it makes the chicks go "OMG!!!"

 

[tilldagmar]

It doesn't matter what you play, as long as it makes the chicks go "OMG!!!"

lol hahah i was thinking about just going up there and totally wanking for 10 minutes, no one would know the difference

 

[Horus]

That's the spirit! Just remember to bring plenty of lube on stage with you.

 

[tilldagmar]

hhhhhhahaahahahahahaahahahahaaaaaaahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Jaen]

i dunno man, do you have a band or will you be playing solo?
if its only you, then maybe some acoustic stuff might be good.

 

[DoomsdayZach]

Nirvana is always a crowd pleaser. Cater to the lowest common denominator... that's our attitude here, RIGHT GAIZ???

 

[tilldagmar]

i don't think i could muster up enough confidence to be completely humiliated and play nirvana lol.

and yes it's just me playing.

 

[ABQShredHead]

Write yourself a solo in the style of Randy Rhoads' live solo from Tribute, or Eruption, or Quarter to Midnight, etc. Then wank yourself all over the stage.

 

[Horus]

Nirvana is always a crowd pleaser. Cater to the lowest common denominator... that's our attitude here, RIGHT GAIZ???

My god Zach, you are a genius.

 

[anacrucix]

i play piano and guitar to a pretty high level and i've never heard of "harmonic major" does he mean minor? or have i missed out on something? cheeeeeeers.

xx

 

[ABQShredHead]

It's a major scale with a flatted sixth degree. I'm figuring he meant Harmonic Minor, perhaps alluding to Phrygian Dominant that neo-classicals are so familiar with.

 

[Horus]

I'm actually still not sure what Dominant means. I know it means the 5th in scale degrees, but in context of a scale name or something, does that mean raising or lowering the 5th in that scale or something?

 

[Meedleyx10]

Dominant just refers to a chord having a strong urge to resolve, usually to the I chord. In a major key, both the V and the vii chords have dominant functions. They both want to resolve to the I chord because they both contain the leading tone (7th scale degree). The leading tone is the 3rd in the V chord and the root of the vii chord. You can also have secondary dominants, but that's a whole 'nother discussion.


Contrary to the way most of us guitarists think, the reason the harmonic minor scale came into use actually wasn't because it's a cool, kind of exotic sounding scale but rather for harmonic reasons. In a natural minor key, the V chord is minor and doesn't contain the leading tone, so it doesn't resolve very strongly to I. Also, in a minor key, you don't have have a vii chord, instead you have a bvii so that doesn't resolve very strongy either. By changing the minor seventh to a major seventh (turning natural into harmonic minor) you end up with a dominant V chord and a vii chord that both have the leading tone and have that dominant function of resolvin to I.

As far as how that related to the name of the phrygian dominant scale, keep in mind that it's nothing more than a name. That scale has about 3 or 4 different names that you will hear fairly commonly, and probably even more not-so-common ones. The name "phygrian dominant" (which is what I like to refer to the scale as) simply describes that it is a phyrgian scale that contains the leading tone, so the chord that is derived from that scale is dominant. Normally, the phrygian scale has a minor third, but in a phyrgian dominant scale you simply raise the 3rd, and that major third is the leading tone for the parent minor scale that phyrgian dominant comes from.

Now you know, and knowing is half the battle

*thank you GI Joe*

 

[ABQShredHead]

Dominant in scalar senses refers to a major third with a flatted seventh; for example, the Mixolydian scale is spelled 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7 and a Dominant chord is spelled 1 3 5 b7. Phrygian Dominant combines the b2 from the Phrygian sound and the b7 from the Dominant sound.

 

[SilentRealm]

Nirvana is always a crowd pleaser. Cater to the lowest common denominator... that's our attitude here, RIGHT GAIZ???

unfortunately zach is right, the kinds of chicks that like guys in bands cant handle anything too technical

 

[urinalcakemix]

Your in high school. Chicks don't dig metal. If you want to impress girls, something danceable is going to impress more than you playing fast and shredding. I found out the hard way of this, playing Erotomania and some pussy Alt-Rock song in my schools talent show last year w/ 2 diff groups. No one remembered Erotomania (we pulled it OFF too...), and the other tune slayed the dragon and then some.

Mix it up though. Phish, moe., John Butler Trio, and even Dave Matthews are great bands that chicks will get into, and won't really realize they like. Not easy guitar wise either. Bon Jovi, Journey, and the like are fairly popular here, so some of their biggest hits will bring in the bacon... err, poonan, if you do it right.

It's sad, but chicks just dont dig fast playing, and blowing your load musically, but we have to realize most girls just want something to dance to, they don't understand theory, complexity, they just know what grooves, and what doesnt. Skynyrd never hurt anyone either.

One more thing, ALWAYS find a singer, DO NOT go instrumental.

 

[Kenneth R.]

I did Lightning Crashes with a girl signing + me on clean electric. We rocked the house down.

What really matters that is totally lacking in HS performances is stage presence. Even if you're good, or if you totally suck a donkey, most people just kind of stand there and play. Jump around. Get down. Get into it. Get insane. But don't get emo, don't get hardcore, and don't break stuff or fall on your face. This is the zen of playing live.

Other hits from my high school days include Two Princes by the Spin Doctors, Santana - Put Your Lights On, Vertical Horizon - You're A God, and of course being the mega fan that I am, a selection of Third Eye Blind stuff.

If you get too obscure, people don't know the song. This doesn't work for this kind of show cause you want them into it from the start, and not just thinking afterward "hey that was kind of cool." The exception is if you play an original song and totally nail it.