stefkeB

I've started thinking lately to get up to grips with performing alone with more than simply a guitar. I have most of the hardware and software I need (I think), but to link it all together takes some planning.

One of the tricky things is the lack of hands you have when playing guitar. And the fact that even though you have two feet, you need at least one to stand up. So only a foot controller seems reasonable.

But I have too many buttons to push:

Last weekend, I played in the Sint-Joriskerk in Antwerpen, during the wedding-celebration of my wife's brother.

The first song was a new composition, titled "Silver Droplets". While practising, the couple was pleased with a fragment I was playing, dubbing it "bubbles". While "Soap Bubble" came to mind, this title was highly unfit to start a lasting marriage. So I proposed the droplets. Here you can listen to the re-recording.

Last weekend, I borrowed a Digitech Jamman from a friend to use during the upcoming wedding celebration. Take a peek at http://www.digitech.com/products/Pedals/JamMan.php. It seems easier then to carry a laptop with Ableton Live and my keyboard on USB and the foot pedal mapped to the looper-plugin button.

Another note, I upgraded my laptop to Snow Leopard and the Line6 drivers and the Soundflowerbed extensions give problems. That's for updating too soon... Well, my iMac will stay a little longer on Leopard in that case, till I know the drivers work fine.

Yesterday, I played some pieces for my brother-in-law, who is getting married this month. He asked me to play some interludes on his wedding.

A recording during an improvisation, together with Jan. I was recording my new Marshall for the first time and it took a while to get the best connection. I think I found a better connection afterwards: the amp has an emulated Cabinet (4x12") output, which I can connect using an XLR cable and a plug to a Jack-connection into my audio interface.

The lyrics were already written and during a break at noon I recorded them. I used my Sure SM58 (for which I have reasonable hints that it's a fake).

A jazzy piece, but with electric drum, some synth texture (with a touch of old Duran Duran, if you ask me) and some strange voice improvisation, which I am not quite sure about yet.