Thanks Todd,

The reason I'm always in key is because I always have the scale generator showing. I can never remember where the notes are except for a couple of pentatonic shapes.

Thanks for your kind comments mate.

Phil

My take for the week. Now I gotta try to get some files done for Gab's ending Collab.

Am I making it in time?

Thanks for making a Vid! Of course your in! This is one of my fave solos so far actually. Very nice touches all through this. Very melodic and combining blues licks with melodic proggy bits. Even the hang points where you land work great. In short, very well constructed and executed. Not to mention I lOVE that freaking axe!! Welcome to X1!!

Should that not be X2 when it's my second solo?

EGAD your right!! I got carried away wanting to badge it up I really liked it. To wit!




Nice!! I like your two fingered/open string licks quite a bit. I use something very similar quite often. I noticed you went "Atonal" for a bit and that worked too which is not easy to make sound good IMHO. I like how you put in the right hand tapping to augment the left hand work as well and the transition was quite fluid. Well played!!!!!





This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: May 21 2016, 07:55 PM

where is the next challenge !!!!??? Todd !!!!!

cheers

Laurent

Thanks Todd. I'm using the weekly ShredFest to test different amp models and Yek's rec settings in my AxeFX. I tend to gravitate to Fusion type tones, or ones a little darker and 'fluidy' but wanna develop tones of other styles and players.

You guys have been KILLING IT!!! I thought I'd throw you something that might be a curve ball. But you guys will probably KRUSH it


*This time I'm going to give you an ENTIRE TRACK. No vocals on it. It's a remake of NEVER ENOUGH by the band EPICA that myself and John Wardlaw of the band ANTI-M.

This is our THIRD CHALLENGE and so you if you complete the first one and this one you will receive the much coveted X3 Mission Badge! Here goes.

This is NOT A COLLAB but something new. It's a "Challenge" I challenge you to play anything over this backing. It doesn't have to be good, it doesn't have to shred, it just has to have you in it playing like you really mean it!!! That's it so here is what I need.

1.)Reply to this post with a youtube video of your performance.

That's it, no files, no transfers, just you playing I will give you feedback on your submission and you will get your updated SHRED FEST MISSION BADGE for having the stones to put yourself out there and for making the time to make music.

DETAILS:

Key: B Minor/Blues (B minor and B blues/Pentatonic will work great!)

Submit: Embed (not paste the link, ask me if you need any help) your youtube vid of you playing over the solo section.

Bask: in the glory of your brilliance!!!

BPM: 105

CHORDS USED: All Power Chords based on B Minor Scale notes.

DUE DATE: Before Next Sat!!!


SCALES TO USE: ( You can use ANY SCALES OR NOTES these are just reference)

B Minor


B Blues


FULL BACKING TRACK
*Pick a section to solo over, any section, or rip it up over the whole thing. Your choice. This is the longest one yet
 NeverEnough_X3.mp3 ( 8.86MB ) Number of downloads: 140

https://soundcloud.com/techniqueswithtodd/cover-version-never-enoughepica-done-by-john-wardlaw-todd-simpson


This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: May 21 2016, 09:35 PM

In..... and already at work

edit:

Todd, can you provide us the chord grid please ?

Laurent

This post has been edited by fzalfa: May 21 2016, 10:12 PM

I want you guys to trust your ears more than your eyes if possible, as that's part of the challenge. Give it a shot without the chord grid if possible. Close your eyes and let your fingers find the notes. Give this one shot and let me know how it goes

Todd

Here is a more focused and shorter chunk of X3. This song changes key a bit and the chord prog is odd. I've shortened it down to a sweet chunk of the good bit for solo fun and turned the guitars down a bit to give you more of the other instrumentation to work with. Give this a whirl

If you need more room, you can loop this track in DAW of choice. Should loop just fine

 x3_Focused.mp3 ( 1.54MB ) Number of downloads: 121


https://soundcloud.com/techniqueswithtodd/x3-challenge-shorterfocusedremixed

This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: May 23 2016, 07:23 PM

I tried to do something a little different from the usual stuff I play, seeing as I ALWAYS play the same licks also the backing is a bit metal and chuggy so Im out of my comfort zone a bit...... which is usually my cue to plug in a whammy pedal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJQyWmv7cvw

Cool take Bleez.

Here is my take. I developed a green screen skin to modify in Photoshop, but of course I recorded with my phone in a different format so I had to flip the skin 180 degrees so it ended up upside down. Imagine that. And then the glare at the end by ducking in my bald head.

A somewhat middle eastern flavored take.



This post has been edited by GeneT95: May 26 2016, 02:25 AM

Wow!! First off, how are you getting Whammy bar dives on a fixed bridge? Please do share your technique! Each one is in key and works well and adds to the impact of the solo. Also, cool intro and very smooth, melodic construction. This works really well over the backing and I know it's not an easy backing to work with which makes it twice as impressive. You use one of my fave double pull off pentatonic licks at the end which not and easy lick to pull off and you do keep good timing and go in and out of the lick very smoothly. Your transition between techiques and various licks is quite good and very flowing. That's one of the keys to a good solo. It's should sound congruous which is one of the toughest bits to learn. You've got a good handle on it. Well played!!!

In short, WELCOME TO X3!!!!!



Well done!! It sounds like the backing is going by about twice as fast as the original track? Did you speed it up in your daw? I remember you mentioning speed in one of your emails. Now I get it. With the backing going that fast, you'd really have to shred it to play 8th or 16th notes. Did you intentionally make it faster or did it just happen? Either way it's an entirely original take on the material. I noticed you edited it as well which is also cool. Once I put it out there, you guys can feel free to mod the backing any way you like that you feel would help you to express yourself. So any mods are fair game

As for the solo itself I really like the middle eastern vibe it has going. Some bits sound like they should be part of the actual song and the backing sounds a bit empty without them actually. The vocal track takes up that space in the standard version but in the instrumental, there is a big gap where the vocals used to be. You fill it in quite well and make it sound like it was intended to be instrumental. In short...

WELCOME TO X3!!!

thank you sir I got the whammy bar dives by using the power of my mind....... and a digitech whammy DT pedal



thanks dude

What a bonehead I am. Not intentional. Once you mentioned it, I realized the error. So focused on figuring something out for it I didn't realize that Live incorrectly set the import clip's BPM to about 76 and then warped it to match the projects set bpm of 105, which essentially increased the clip's actual BPM to probably around 140..........

If I have time, I'll check it out in the correctly exposed timing.

And not sure what you mean by edit?? Aside from the wrong BPM, the backing isn't edited. The solo is a single take. I have trouble syncing the video exactly so maybe that why it seems edited??

This post has been edited by GeneT95: May 26 2016, 12:29 PM

Hi Todd

i wasn"t very inspirated theses day..... but i try and done this:



cheers

Laurent

Ok, I finally got something down, this was so hard to come up with something so it has to be what it is. There is a big fumble at 0:35 when I go into the lead part but I had to submit it as I ran out of time and won't get another chance before Saturday as I'm away this weekend and have to catch up on my stuff for Gab tomorrow.
Unfortunately I didn't explore the fretboard much, stuck with B minor pent, it was enough to come up with something using that never mind trying to tour the fretboard

I don't think I deserve a badge for this one though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKwbPDo2_Vs...eature=youtu.be


This post has been edited by Phil66: May 27 2016, 08:03 PM