Can you tell me about this Beck Cover song I recorded?

[Nola]

It's called bogusflow. i'm kinda obsessed with it.

I'm not a good engineer or musician or anything, but i have a lot of fun recording so i keep doing it. anyway in the recording technique thread i asked about a beck song with reverb and tonight i tried to recreate the sound so i'm wondering how it is. it was just one take with a mic on my foot hitting a suitcase, my guitar tuned down 7 steps to A, and the vocal.

https://soundcloud.com/nolanso1/bogusflow

 

[Robus]

Strange song. Never heard it before. I can't compare you to Beck as I'm not too familiar. The recording sounds pretty good for what it is. Guitar is sounding good, whatever you did to it. Whatever reverb you are putting on the vocal isn't helping. You've got a lot of the room in the track from using one mic. The reverb brings it right out, sounding boxy.

 

[Nola]

Strange song. Never heard it before. I can't compare you to Beck as I'm not too familiar. The recording sounds pretty good for what it is. Guitar is sounding good, whatever you did to it. Whatever reverb you are putting on the vocal isn't helping. You've got a lot of the room in the track from using one mic. The reverb brings it right out, sounding boxy.

hi robus. this is the beck song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J3qrqEp250

i think it's in 3/4 time or maybe 6/8 now that i hear it, and i think i might have played it in 4/4 without even realizing...crap.

i made a mistake i used two mics. an omni mic to record the guitar and foot, and then a 2nd mic (cardiod i think) on the vocal and only put reverb on the vocal so it shouldn't pick up too much but i added delay, too, so maybe it's doing something crazy. if you look in the recording technique thread there's another beck song in there that uses a lot of reverb and that's the one i was trying to rip off the sound of.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Hi Nola,
As a mix without reference I've no doubt you'll get slated, but with reference to the Beck recording it sounds like you're on the right track.
You're right. The original is 6/8 and has a much less urgent feel. The way you've done it is fine if you like it, as long as you know it's not the same.

I was going to 'critique' the vocals but I just listened to Beck's and they suck so.....say no more?

I commented on one of the other Beck tunes you posted. This original sounds very much like a straight up live demo.
No processing or effects - Just two mics for stereo spread, set back a little bit.

 

[andrushkiwt]

my guitar tuned down 7 steps to A

https://soundcloud.com/nolanso1/bogusflow

just because i'm a stickler, it'd be 3.5 steps. a step is two frets. i'll check out and comment on the track during lunch

 

[Greg_L]

It's 4 steps, aint it? E down to A? C to B is a one fret step.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Seven semitones - Three and a half tones.

 

[andrushkiwt]

It's 4 steps, aint it? E down to A? C to B is a one fret step.

if i'm thinking correctly, E-D = 1, D-C = 2, C-Bflat = 3, BFlat-A = 3.5

could be wrong, of course.

 

[andrushkiwt]

Seven semitones - Three and a half tones.

cool.

and sorry Nola lol. review coming shortly still. waiting for work to unlock soundcloud/streaming sites.

 

[Greg_L]

Seven semitones - Three and a half tones.

Is a step, a note, and a tone the same thing? I don't know how yall calculate this theory stuff. I look at it like this, which s probably wrong.

E-D - one note step
D-C - one note step
C-B - one note step.
B-A - one note step

That's 4 steps/notes to me.

 

[Chili]

Seven semitones - Three and a half tones.

There are notes and there are steps. Going from one note to another could be a whole step or a half step. Each fret on the guitar is a half step. Depending on the scale, you move up the neck either a whole step (two frets) or a half step (1 fret).

A major scale is:

1, 1, 1/2, 1, 1, 1, 1/2

so the C major scale is.....

C D E F G A B C
1 1 1/2 1 1 1 1/2
(ah, the site removed my formatting)

Tuning down that guitar is... idk, I hate doing math.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Is a step, a note, and a tone the same thing? I don't know how yall calculate this theory stuff. I look at it like this, which s probably wrong.

E-D - one note step
D-C - one note step
C-B - one note step.
B-A - one note step

That's 4 steps/notes to me.

Ah, no. A tone, by definition, is two semitones so C-B is where you're gaining.
I guess steps and notes are like jacks and plugs? Do they have strict definitions? I don't know.

Either way, it's 7 semi tones or 3 1/2 tones.

 

[Greg_L]

Ah, no. A tone, by definition, is two semitones so C-B is where you're gaining.
I guess steps and notes are like jacks and plugs? Do they have strict definitions? I don't know.

Either way, it's 7 semi tones or 3 1/2 tones.

Ok, but look at an E scale. The A is the fourth note down. If you're going from E down to A, that's 4 steps, notes, whatever. Right?

 

[andrushkiwt]

DE---RAILED

 

[Steenamaroo]

It's four steps of the E major scale. That makes sense.

Talking tones/semitones with steps of a scale isn't compatible because major scales are comprised of T-T-S-T-T-T-S (tone and semitone intervals, in ascending order).

---------- Update ----------

DE---RAILED

Drop-D-Railed.

 

[DM60]

Ah, no. A tone, by definition, is two semitones so C-B is where you're gaining.
I guess steps and notes are like jacks and plugs? Do they have strict definitions? I don't know.

Either way, it's 7 semi tones or 3 1/2 tones.

My understanding has always been Steen's mindset. I haven't formally studied music, therefore just an opinion. But regardless of instrument or the tuning, it would still be the same. Half step or semitone are equal. Maybe theoretically this is wrong, but for practical purposes, this is how I have always looked at it. Might be different for non-western music.

 

[Greg_L]

It's four steps of the E major scale. That makes sense.

Talking tones/semitones with steps of a scale isn't compatible because major scales are comprised of T-T-S-T-T-T-S (tone and semitone, in ascending order).

Right, that's how I was thinking about it. E major or E minor, a natural A is the 4th step down. So steps, notes, and tones, are not exactly the same thing.

 

[Steenamaroo]

My understanding has always been Steen's mindset. I haven't formally studied music, therefore just an opinion. But regardless of instrument or the tuning, it would still be the same. Half step or semitone are equal. Maybe theoretically this is wrong, but for practical purposes, this is how I have always looked at it. Might be different for non-western music.

If a band are playing in E and someone suggest dropping it 4 steps, I guess they'd all assume going to A so it makes sense.
However, if you're working on a lead part in E major and you say take that A up two steps and take that B up two steps, those won't be the same musical interval.
One's a major third and one's a minor third.

I've always worked in intervals. Augmented 4th, perfect 5th..whatever, but that's just ground in from choral and orchestral experience.
Working on a song with a rock band, steps relative to the key makes perfect sense.

 

[andrushkiwt]

so, if the difference were between C and Bflat, would you call it a "whole step" difference Greg? I'd still call it a half-step. always have. i see your point, however.

Also, poor, poor Nola.

 

[Steenamaroo]

so, if the difference were between C and Bflat, would you call it a "whole step" difference Greg? I'd still call it a half-step. always have. i see your point, however.

Also, poor, poor Nola.

I think you did a typo? C to Bb is a full tone / two semitones. It wound't be considered half anything by either system.
Following Greg's way it's a step in F major, for example, whereas C to B natural would be a step in C major.