Instrumental Solo Contest III: Kyoga-style Takeover

[SticktheFigure]

Just found out about this. Totally down for it. I've never taken a six minute improv solo, but hell if I'm not going to try. I might even dig out a soprano and derp with that.

I assume that multi-hand piano playing will earn a higher mark than single handed solos?
I can play dual handed but my improving is weak in that manner.

EDIT (To avoid double posting): Damn it. Instead of firing out something that worked with the key I ended up writing another song entirely. Doesn't figure that you end up writing when you aren't trying for it?

[MixolydianPony]

What's with the contradiction between improvisation and composing?

In the rules I wrote that you copied, there is a distinct preference for well composed solos, and yet, you seem to have added in a line about improvisation being worth extra, without removing the lines indicating composition as the preferred method.

Since the one about improvisation being better is in bold, I'm going to assume that's the one you intended...

[MixolydianPony]

What's with the contradiction between improvisation and composing?

In the rules I wrote that you copied, there is a distinct preference for well composed solos, and yet, you seem to have added in a line about improvisation being worth extra, without removing the lines indicating composition as the preferred method.

Since the one about improvisation being better is in bold, I'm going to assume that's the one you intended...

I figure I should have cleared the line a tad.
If you can improvise a great solo. Do it.

But if you can't the preferred method is that you write one. Don't desperately try to improvise a solo for the sake of judge curving.
If it causes too much confusion, I'll go ahead and remove it. I just presumed that the foundation was rather laid out.
fixingnow.

Okay, thanks. That's a relief. *pulls out blank sheet music.* Let's do this.

[LoreRD]

I'll be doing a piano improv solo over Far From Home, by the way

[MixolydianPony]

When you have decided which piece to solo over, please tell me in the comments

I'll be soloing over "Under the Night Sky."

Edit: Heh. Over under. Paradox. .-.

[SticktheFigure]

Hrgh, I really want to do this, but school work and state testing is getting in the way.

[Maelstrom]

Seeing this now... I may still do it. Saxophone for the win :3
Here's to hoping I find time this next week :p

[MixolydianPony]

lol.
paradoxes rule.

Also, if there are issues with anything in the instrumental please tell me.
I wanna make sure I didn't dick it up... XD

No issues with Under the Night Sky audio-wise. It's twice as long as it needs to be for a solo, though. xP

[MixolydianPony]

The length is one of those things that make it difficult.

Either you gotta write a really long solo or you have to be "good enough" to improvise the whole thing.

it's all a matter of practice.

Yes, the length makes it difficult for some, but is that really a fair pressure to put on everyone? What about the case of a pop/rock guitarist, who excels in writing short solos where every note is carefully selected to get to point quickly, and provide a break from vocals? That's a different skillset than the jazz soloist, who improvises over an ever changing soundscape of complex harmonies that never does the same thing twice. The jazz soloist, if put in the pop/rock position, would likely do a mediocre job, and the pop/rock musician would do the same in the jazz musician's position. Are there overlaps in the skills? Certainly, but I feel that there's an unfair preference for the lengthy solo over the short one.

I went through all of my favorite guitar solos in my music library, and not one of them was longer than 40 seconds. I don't think that length has any relation to skill, I think it has relation to taste. I fail to see how the mere trait of length would make one solo better than another.

[MixolydianPony]

- snip -

to be honest, from my experience, as i became a better guitarist, my solos got longer and longer and longer because the solos got less and less about "pop" appeal and got more and more about artistic appeal. It became more and more emotional and less and less "poppy"
It's one of those things that happens when you play music long enough.


And to be honest, in spite of the fact that I only play long solos these days, I have no problem writing short little 40 second solo jingles now.
On the other hand, I rarely see people who play only little short jingles who have the capacity to play a long solo. While I agree that it's not always the case that the soloists who can improvise longer solos have more experience, I do believe that in general the idea is pretty solid.


After all, any guitarist can ring up a little 40 second solo, but what makes these special is that they take most guitarists out of their comfort zone. They have to plan more on region than they do on melody and because of this there is either more difficult part writing or there is more difficult improvisation involved.

Since this contest is already in progress and I've already finished my six minute solo, I'll drop the argument for now. I don't think we disagree all that much, anyway.

Also, I'm sick, and my brain is s;ofjawe]awef3 at the moment.

[MixolydianPony]

Deadline is in 4 days, people... I'm going to be really disappointed if I win by default. xD

[LoreRD]

Not going to happen
I'll be submitting my track over the weekend

[Rainbow_Rage]

Ohhhh this is back and there's still time left. Lets see if I can do better than my feeble performance last time. Longish solo and these tracks aren't my style, that on top o the fact that I can't compose very well at all are going to make this tough. eh I'll give it a shot, it will be fun either way

[Nine Volt]

Dawn of the Third Day
24 hours remain

[Gnarrkhaz]

This is getting reeeeeeaaaaaaally close apparently.

[MixolydianPony]

I everyone waiting until the last minute to submit their entries, so they can see what they're up against? That's what I'm doing. I finished it two weeks ago. xD

HERE IS MY ENTRY

http://soundcloud.com/rocktavia-minor/mlr-solo

Excuse the fact that my local music store apparently can't comprehend how to intonate a guitar with a floyd rose.

[LoreRD]

Well, here's mine:

https://soundcloud.com/lorerd/far-from-home-piano-solo-cover

Because pianos>guitars (and I can't play guitar for shit).

[SticktheFigure]

Unfortunately, I never had the chance to record anything. Maybe next time.

Well, here's mine:

https://soundcloud.com/lorerd/far-from-home-piano-solo-cover

Because pianos>guitars (and I can't play guitar for shit).

Is your piano tuned? Your playing is fine, I'm just curious.

[LoreRD]

Supposedly. May be just that the room itself isn't a great recording room.

[Maelstrom]

Okay, so I recorded one, but I accidentally recorded the solo on the same track as the backing track but I really like the solo, and you can still hear it, it just should be a lot louder. So I'm going to try and record another solo in the morning. If I don't, oh well, I'll just upload the cruddy one anyway :/ gah I'm frustrated

[Maelstrom]

Alrighty! Here's my solo!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/77682699/improv1.mp3
I did improvise the solo :D
Sorry for mistakes and bad mixing though :(

Horray for saxophone entries!

Oh, it's to Going it Alone! I guess that's important too :P

[Gnarrkhaz]

Congratulations, Mixolydian. The fame and fortune you've been promised is finally within your reach.

[SticktheFigure]

Good job to all. Hopefully next time (if there is a next time) I will not have as much going on. I was looking forward to doing this.

[MixolydianPony]

Thanks, everyone. :3 It was interesting to try and solo over something so long like this, I definitely learned a lot. I hope everyone else did as well, because that's what we're all on this site for. x3

The sounds around 5:36 are whammy flutters. I turn the whammy bar around so it's facing away from the neck, then I pick a note, and give the whammy bar a hard tap. Pretty much impossible to do on any guitar that isn't equipped with a floyd rose, since the bridge itself needs to vibrate.

(And since I took the back plate off of my guitar, sometimes when I do flutters really hard, a tremolo spring will shoot out the back and the tension on the bridge goes to shit. That's always fun. xD)

[Gnarrkhaz]

The sounds around 5:36 are whammy flutters. I turn the whammy bar around so it's facing away from the neck, then I pick a note, and give the whammy bar a hard tap. Pretty much impossible to do on any guitar that isn't equipped with a floyd rose, since the bridge itself needs to vibrate.

I see. Never heard of that before. I only have a vintage tremolo (seriously, why do they still make these?) so i can't do that i suppose.