Help my tone, technique, style

[quiksilverdew]

Hey, this is my first real Youtube video where I'm not simply noodling, can you guys critic it for me so I can get a better idea of what everyone out there is looking for in terms of tone, style, technique...because to me it all seems decent, I just want to open my mind to what everyone else is looking for!

Here it is...my version of Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark at the Moon", solo originally played by Jake E. Lee!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9ehur7canvA

[RSVampire]

well it sounds pretty buzzy but that's probably the fact that you're using a crappy webcam vs a real mic so it's hard to judge tone by this clip alone.

your chops seem fine though, and good chops help everything when it comes to tone.

[quiksilverdew]

Yea I think that buzziness is coming from the camera...I don't know much about mics and mic placement, at least not enough to make it sound any better than this cheap camera XD. And thank you!

[Fretrunnr]

Well I think we cannot judge your tone through a webcam and cannot judge your technique since you are playing someone's else music.
Do your own music and record it in mp3.
Luck

[quiksilverdew]

Anyone know how to place a mic in relation to speakers?

[waylay00]

Sounds pretty good! Only thing I'd try to work on is the vibrato. Try to make it more "natural" and flowing.

[Brosa]

Originally Posted by waylay00

Sounds pretty good! Only thing I'd try to work on is the vibrato.

+1

Lose the trill vibrato. Best heard at 0:41 till 0:43. Imo guitarists that never worked on vibrato have that awfull thrill vibrato. Try a wide vibrato instead. Listen for good Vibrato to Van Halen, Malmsteen, Satch & Vai.

Nice playing and keep up the good stuff!

Cheers, Sam

[quiksilverdew]

Thanks a bunch Waylay and Brosa, I never really noticed that, I'll get to work on it!

[varador]

Originally Posted by Brosa

+1

Lose the trill vibrato. Best heard at 0:41 till 0:43. Imo guitarists that never worked on vibrato have that awfull thrill vibrato. Try a wide vibrato instead. Listen for good Vibrato to Van Halen, Malmsteen, Satch & Vai.

Nice playing and keep up the good stuff!

Cheers, Sam

NONONONO Malmsteen has an awful vibrato... Try putting a violin or any other classical string instrument player in front of Malmsteen's vibrato and watch them CRINGE. His vibrato is AWFUL. The idea of a vibrato is to make a flat note have some pulsating 'life' - this is not achieved when the pitch is bent beyond one semitone, which is exactly what players like Malmsteen and Zakk Wylde do. Why does having a vibrato like Malmsteen's sound bad? Bending the pitch of the note beyond one semitone makes it sound like a mutated, floppy trill and eughgh just watch this video let Frank Gambale give you some advice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwnPpU1VDrg

[Eggy]

*Fixed*

Originally Posted by varador

NONONONO Malmsteen has a vibrato...That *I* don't personaly like. Try putting a violin or any other classical string instrument player in front of Malmsteen's vibrato and watch them CRINGE ( I've discounted this video though - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vTEYD1...ature=related). His vibrato is AWFUL (imho). blah blah blah....

I love it when people jump in damning other peoples playing giving these poor reasons as to why (in their opinion) it's wrong, wrong, wrong.
The best ones are the people who after sounding like they are some sort of "World authority" on a certain technique then post a link to a video of somebody else's playing rather than one of their own LOL!!!

@quiksilverdew - Your technique seems fairly sharp mate. Don't worry too much about tone as unless you record the sound direct you always loose loads of quality with those little mics in the cams (many people understand an forgive this though).
The only thing I would suggest is to play something of your own because in reality it's the piece that you copied from Jake E Lee that seems fairly sharp. It doesn't actualy tell us anything about your playing because it's not "your" playing. Keep it up though it sounds fine to me.

[Toadfish]

I actually thought it was very good mate! You look nice and relaxed, you hit the notes, you didn't rush any part of it to get it out of the way and you looked like you were in control of what you were doing. Better than I could do!

Everyone's vibrato is different. Doing it one way or the other doesn't make you better or worse than anyone else, just different. Find what works for you and then work on refining it.

I actually also thought that, even though you recorded it on a webcam, your tone was nice. Obviously it would sound better recorded using a nice mic etc, but you can get the general jist from your recording.

Stick to it brother, you obviously enjoy what you are doing and that, ultimately, is what its all about.

Eggy - what you said.

Sukh

(btw- tell an opera singer that vibrato sounds wrong if pitch extends beyond one semitone and they'll kick your ass!)

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www.myspace.com/sukhryatt

[varador]

Originally Posted by Eggy

*Fixed*

I love it when people jump in damning other peoples playing giving these poor reasons as to why (in their opinion) it's wrong, wrong, wrong.
The best ones are the people who after sounding like they are some sort of "World authority" on a certain technique then post a link to a video of somebody else's playing rather than one of their own LOL!!!

I gave reasons as to why I dislike Malmsteen's vibrato. And that Fugue video you posted? Thanks, except he doesn't really have the chance to use his vibrato in that song. If you think my reasons for disliking Malmsteen's vibrato are invalid... never mind... it doesn't really need to be explained... just listen to it! It's just downright awful! It's a stupid blotch on a masterpiece of smooth tone and clean playing. And it's a sin to classical music, but since you don't seem to have a problem with Malmsteen's vibrato then you probably don't play the violin or know too much about classical music, do you?

[Davey]

Yeah but he's not playing a violin is he?

What's more, you don't need to play the violin to know good vibrato. If you don't like Malmsteen's vibrato that is your opinion.

[Toadfish]

I think that people with longer hair (no fringe) tend to have better vibrato. From my experience, brown hair tends to sound the most soulful.

;-)

Look at what you started quiksilverdrew!

Trying to drag it back on topic, I liked your video. There is absolutely no way I could tell you what you need to work on from one short video, other than saying to you that you sounded really good and looked like you put a lot of work into it. The more you play and work at it, the better you'll play and feel about it.

Keep playing fella!

Sukh "I used to have long, brown, hair years ago and my playing has sucked ever since I cut it off" Ryatt.

----------------------------
www.myspace.com/sukhryatt

[varador]

Ibanez249: Sure, Malmsteen isn't playing the violin himself, but he's surrounded by violin players playing classical music... :P That's the problem. See, if he wants to play classical music with no less than a full orchestra on an electric guitar, that's fine, but he might as well use techniques that will emulate the sound that other instruments are making in the process i.e. he should try using a classical vibrato instead of a wide, blues vibrato. As it stands, his vibrato stands out in a not so good way, and quite frankly it sounds like a chicken being choked

Toadfish, I do believe there is a difference between a good and a bad vibrato in that some vibratos are more appropriate to certain music genres than others. Wide, wild vibratos like Malmsteen's do not belong in classical music because they are not traditionally used by instruments that originally play classical music to begin with. That being said, I don't have anything against wide vibratos, but they should be put in their place - they belong in rock or metal.

As for opera singers that have a wide vibrato (i.e. fluctuating pitch one semitone above and below the target note) - can you name any quality opera singers that have them? Sure, Bruce Dickinson's singing has an awesomely wide vibrato... just check Aces High... but he's the singer for Iron Maiden, and for using such a vibrato in heavy metal singing I have no qualms.