So Much To Say (edit)

[BenPezzner]

Here's a work in progress: http://s17.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=6A62 ... 6C4E789B9A

So Much To Say - guitar, cello, and violin
(unfinished - piano, percussion)

Since this is a work in progress, there are still kinks that need to be worked out. This'll be done within the next day or so. What do you think so far?

ben

[Swe dmbfan]

i so love your stuff Ben.. great work as always

[SteelstrungHero]

Try to not accentuate that first note in the slide down after the 555 on the GBE strings... smooths the whole riff out and makes it better sounding.

Overall, sounds sweet. I like the other strings.

[DmbFanJason]

that was awesome man.

[Tranman66]

very cool. do you play all these instruments?

[MWR]

This is some cool stuff as always. Still seems like you're having some intonation problems with the cello/violin but that's to be expected. Nice job.

Btw how hard has it been to learn cello/violin? Are you teaching yourself? I would love to dabble but I'm thinking the piano would be far more accesible for my second instrument.

[jaroben]

i am very impressed, nice job. can't wait for the final

[Willin]

MWR, i'm a bit biased since I played the cello as a kid, but I'd say it's infinitely easier to play than piano. If you can play guitar - which you obviously can - you can play cello with ease.

It's very similar. Your hand position on the neck is almost the same. The minor differences are that it's tuned differently and you have to use a bow, but those two things are not very hard to get used to. Then from there, it gets easier and easier to learn other instruments like bass, viola, violin, etc.

Piano on the other hand has an extraordinarily different feel from guitar. You have to utilize both hands and think of scales and chords in a linear manner as well. Using both hands at the same time is the hardest part. Also, you have to use pedals every so often too.

I've wanted to learn piano, but it was just way harder for me to pick up than cello was.






As for Ben's piece:

-I like it, but try adding more attack to the vocal melody line that you're replicating. It just seems a bit stagnant to my ear. Just personal preference but I would add more staccato and crescendos/decresendos to it.

-Like MWR said, you're intonation was a bit off in some spots, but i'm sure that will get resolved with further edits.

-Overall, good job and i'm waiting to hear the final product.

[getoffmywalrus]

I'm the opposite, took 8 years of piano lessons and I don't have to think about anything when I'm jamming around on the keys, I can go for hours and still think of fresh stuff to invent. Guitar's a little harder since I'm self taught (still very much in the process).

[BenPezzner]

So I've been working little by little on this, and I've pretty much redone everything. Recorded all new cello, violin (the original cello track is just a place holder), added minimal percussion in the style of my Proudest Monkey, and minimal piano. I'll probably release it tomorrow or the next day. I've been recovering from a minor sugery this past week so recording has been taking longer than usual.

In other news, to anyone who is looking for advice on learning new instruments: the piano is the backbone of all instruments. I say this because if you have a clear concept of the theory involving the keyboard, then learning new instruments, no matter what the instrument, takes a fraction of the time.

I learned the cello in school in sixth grade, and played in the school orchestras until 12th grade. I've taught myself the guitar - not by reading tabs and memorizing chord patterns, but by ear and the utilization of keyboard-related theory. True, I have 16 years of piano playing under my belt, but you don't need that much to get started learning new instruments.

My other instruments (violin, banjo, flute, harmonica) were all self-taught using my knowledge of the theory I learned from playing the piano. So in conclusion - learn how to play the piano! It'll do wonders.

[MWR]

THanks for the advice although you guys canceled eachother out.

I think the piano would be a great compositional tool but I'm also very interested in the melodic possiblities that a bowed instrument has. I always assumed that the cello/violin was much harder or at least harder to learn at first. I started to get comfortable on the guitar in about a year. I don't want to spend 3 years on the cello and still suck. Ya know?

Also, what's the minimum I'd have to spend for a halfway decent cello/violin? Somthing that's actually recordable.

[Willin]

Promise you'll learn cello quicker; piano is hard.

[BenPezzner]

The piano may be better to learn in the long run, but it is true that the cello will take less time to get good at. Don't get me wrong, both instruments will require hours of practice though.

As for cellos, I think you should rent one first, at least for the first 2-3 months. You can't lose with this decision. If you decide within the first couple months the cello isn't for you, then you're not stuck with one. However, if you decide that you really like it, then most places will let you use the money you've already spent on renting it towards buying it, or another cello. So once you decide to buy the cello, the trick is to get as many opinions on its sound and quality from people who already play the cello as possible.

When I decided to buy mine, I had been renting it for about 6 months (I was able to use all that money towards its purchase). It has an awesome sound to it, and is a very expensive cello, however there is a huge crack in the neck where it was broken in the past. The neck has since been repaired however, and it has absolutely no effect on the sound of the cello, and can barely be seen unless you are looking for it. However, stuff like that severly brings down the cost of the cello. I got mine for $500, although without that crack it probably would have been closer to $1500 - $2000.

So look for instruments with small cracks or knicks that do not take away from the sound quality, but take away from the cost, and there's your ticket. Good luck!