Thursday, September 19, 2024 turned out to be one of the best days of my life. My wife left that morning. For a 5 day trip-to-the-mountains with her sister and our nieces. I looked forward to "working on guitar".
I've had decent electric guitars for almost 50 years. Never had a clue what to do with them. Put 'em away and get out the acoustic.
Recently, I had been teaching myself electric-rock-rhythm. While watching a video (on rhythm) a guy put up all 5 pentatonic patterns.
I've known about the main/first pattern for a long time (figured that out myself as a kid). I could always noodle around with that. It was barely serviceable. Boring, no real feeling, no "music". But I can do the backup leads and fills if ya want to play a few Jim Croce songs (did a duo act in bars). Just memorization. I also knew there were other patterns, but I never paid much attention. Occasionally, I've gone down the "guitar hero solo monster" rabbit hole. Always a huge waste of time.
I still always suck.
Seeing all 5 patterns at once, it occurred to me (duh) that they fit together. (that's how clueless I was) I decided to see if I could actually memorize them, figuring I would fail and then be able to put this away forever. Forever. Besides, I've realized that being a rock rhythm player is really where all the fun is anyway - and I've always got Brent to do all that soloing stuff. So I started playing the first "box" over and over. Then I added the 2nd box and worked at remembering that - and bouncing between those 2 boxes - etc., etc., blah, blah..add...add...add... ....going over and over and over that. All day. At some point, it started sounding like music.
I went to bed at 2 AM, after 10 hours of this. On Friday, I went at it again. This time, just.... playing. After 8 hours of that, I thought I would see if I could actually record something. BIAB. Another hour of playing/recording.
I could not touch anything with the fingers on my left hand for 3 days.
That's the story. This is what popped out. ....what I recorded for my first attempt, that second day. My first-ever instrumental. Although it's really just noodling. No real song structure. I'll call it my first journal entry of "walking a new path". (While continuing down those others)
RealTracks in song: ~684:Bass, Electric, PopHalfNotesSync Ev 120 RealTracks in style: 1262:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm PopShiningHeld Ev 120 RealTracks in style: 2929:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm PopFunkyJoe Ev16 110 RealTracks in song: 2905:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm BrightBluesyPopColin Ev 100 RealTracks in song: 1399:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm Soul70sBrightSync Ev16 100 RealTracks in song: 4249:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm BluesFunky Ev 120 RealDrums in style:PopRock16ths^01-a:Snare, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride Shaker loop from Studio One Two tracks of Addictive Drums I played guitar. Fender Strat ('94) through Amplitube 5 (a preset I created)
Sounds pretty slick to me. I’m very much in the same boat as you were when it comes to electric guitar . . . difference is I don’t have the motivation or perseverance one needs to take that next step. Clearly you do, and it shows in this excellent instrumental. Congrats on an outstanding piece of work!! All the hard work decidedly paid off!
Pretty damn good! Yes, there is pattern and structure. I was gonna say this is dang good for a first instrumental - but, actually, this is very good, regardless if first attempt or not. Loved the sound, although I'm more of Tele guy than Strat. But you made that guitar perform like a seasoned pro. Nice tone, great distortion, and, well, nice everything. You should be very pleased with the results of the effort and time you devoted to this.
Yep, I'm impressed. And I remember those days and weeks of fingertips feeling like battery acid on an open wound. I had grooves in my fingers you could hide a telephone pole in..
Floyd, really nicely done, you should be proud! Super feel and tone. Love where you have the distortion set and how the tone breaks up when two notes are played. Think this develops really well. With a more structured ending I'd call this done. Nice work!
Spend about 20 years using BiaB as a backing track generator for guitar solos before getting into songwriting. Working melodic ideas over a backing track can be a lot of fun.
Very crafty and amusing post, too. THANKS for sharing!!
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
I really enjoyed that. Especially the struggle. The struggle is real.
I've always believed that being a solid rhythm player was way more important than being a flashy lead player. Having played in a trio for a large part of my gigging years, that was the only way to make it work. More than one venue owner/manager told us we sounded really full for being a 3 piece band. That was due to rhythm playing. My favorite rhythm player in the world: Malcom Young. Solid and always in the groove. Full concert>>
When it comes to playing the lead parts, the main thing there, at least to me, is playing tastefully. Flashy is cool and I know a few things that make people think I'm better than what I actually am, again, at least in my eyes. Shredding and tapping never really interested me much. I can do a little bit of it but prefer the tasty, soulful, from the heart kind of playing.
Add to the pentatonic boxes and patterns some scales to hit those notes that make it sound fluid.
Sore fingers.... that doesn't last too long. Gotta push through it and get some callouses going. Playing is the only way to get that and to get better. If you play, you will get noticeably better in a relatively short period of time because it sounds like you have a fairly solid base from which to work.
Nice job.... Those "vacations" are great opportunities to focus on musical things.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Sounds pretty slick to me. I’m very much in the same boat as you were when it comes to electric guitar . . . difference is I don’t have the motivation or perseverance one needs to take that next step. Clearly you do, and it shows in this excellent instrumental. Congrats on an outstanding piece of work!! All the hard work decidedly paid off!
Deej
Much appreciated, Deej.
Originally Posted by Al-David
Hey Floyd,
Pretty damn good! Yes, there is pattern and structure. I was gonna say this is dang good for a first instrumental - but, actually, this is very good, regardless if first attempt or not. Loved the sound, although I'm more of Tele guy than Strat. But you made that guitar perform like a seasoned pro. Nice tone, great distortion, and, well, nice everything. You should be very pleased with the results of the effort and time you devoted to this.
Yep, I'm impressed. And I remember those days and weeks of fingertips feeling like battery acid on an open wound. I had grooves in my fingers you could hide a telephone pole in..
This is good.
Alan
Thanks for that, Alan. Nice to get a thumbs up from the strong players here...
"Thursday, September 19, 2024 turned out to be one of the best days of my life. My wife left that morning." Man, Floyd, you sure know how to start a story to grab the readers attention. You do that with your songs, too. Hey, noodling is often the best part of a good soup. Those rabbit holes you mention are probably important, especially as your blisters develop. hehe Left brain stuff is for learning how to do it right, while that wild and crazy right-brain guy in us who imagines playing in front of thousands of screaming fans is the drive that stifles that boredom.
When I hopped over to your sock dance I could hear the passion in the blisters. Dang, if you didn't say anything, I'd say you've been playing for years, and those are hardened callouses we hear. I REALLY like your taste, but that's certainly no surprise becuase of all the other evidence you've given us. As Dave mentioned, those bends are so good they say, "I've been playing guitar since I was 3."
Enjoy whatever happens! marty
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@babumusic51 SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/marty-straub Band in a Box, Reaper, Cakewalk, Ozone 12, EZDrummer
If this is the first time out of the box for instrumentals...I'll bet there's a lot of great stuff still in there...really fine production...great tone!
www.soundclick.com/firesong BiaB 2024, Steinberg Cubase Pro 13, Wavelab 11.2, SpetraLayers Pro 10, Audacity, Steinberg UR44 Interface, Yamaha Genos, Roland FP60 and FP10, Windows 10
You are who you are because you do what you do because of what you believe.
floyd, Now you know that, you can try mixing the blues scale and the major pentatonic scales together for some added fun. Same shapes different positions on the neck. Sounds good.
That intro story was a definite rabbit hole, shock & then realization thing to read. You sound like you were born playing lead with bits of Santana and many others haunting the fingers. There was plenty to hod attention in the flow...much more cohesive than most BIAB soloist instrumentals. My 1st thought was to wonder if I could get you to play lead o a song for me. Everything fine is resource in my greedy head.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Floyd, those were some very impressive chops! Loved that axe's tone, great work on that patch. A very impressive first instrumental post.
PS - You can take one minor pentatonic pattern and play the same pattern up 2 frets and/or up 7 frets and it will work, i.e. sound OK. Be moving the pattern you are adding different extensions to the chord.
Waitress "How did you find your steak sir"?
Me "I just looked next to the potatoes and there it was"!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
Thursday, September 19, 2024 turned out to be one of the best days of my life. My wife left that morning.
Deliberately taken out of context, hehehe. Your wife will hate me
About the song, I fully agree with what Dave said (he is a guitarist after all): It's all about the feel and the notes you don't play. All very tasteful. More!
Really well done Floyd. Excellent playing. Loved the tone. Got a real chuckle with your description of your fretting hand after a marathon. Poor fingers can taking a beating especially if you are using lots of bends. Very cool jam. Easy to get lost in it..
Floyd, really nicely done, you should be proud! Super feel and tone. Love where you have the distortion set and how the tone breaks up when two notes are played. Think this develops really well. With a more structured ending I'd call this done. Nice work!
Spend about 20 years using BiaB as a backing track generator for guitar solos before getting into songwriting. Working melodic ideas over a backing track can be a lot of fun.
Very crafty and amusing post, too. THANKS for sharing!!
Thanks, Ron. Yea, pride sorta strutted around here for a few days. I have no desire to shred so, tone and feel will have to suffice. I got an appreciation for that edge-of-breakup-distortion from spending many hours on Tim Pierce's channel. That's one of his main things....
Originally Posted by rsdean
Floyd,
That is one great jam! It sounds like an experienced and confident player. Love the tone you're getting.
I also love the backstory - it's as awesome as the instrumental!
Bob
Very much appreciate that, Bob...
Originally Posted by BlueAttitude
You have good feel, and that's what I always look for first in a guitarist, if there is no feel what's the point?
And your bends are in tune, nothing worse than out of tune bends
Nice melodic lines too. I really like what you have done here, hope to hear more!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
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SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
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MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
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