The Well #14 - Welcome to WahWah World!

[wahwah]

Spin-off from your explanation for your wah-use.. I don't think I've seen the pedalboard you use normally? I have seen glimpses in your pics, but not the whole pedalboard alone. Do you have a picture of that?

For my concern, I do not play too many songs that require the wah wah, but they do come occasionally. However I am worried I wouldn't be able to manage the thing very well, so I've taken a short cut of acquiring an auto wah/envelope filter.. The Maxon AF-9. I like it a lot (especially after having bought a compressor to put after; it would peak and make shrill sounds too often if not used with a compressor..). But you, as Mr Wah Wah, what do you think of these filter pedals? Please don't veil your opinions on them due to respect or anything.

Here's a recent incarnation of my pedal board, with the welcome inclusion of the newly acquired RMC4 Picture Wah, and Hermida Zendrive.




On the subject of envelope filters, I'm a big fan. Of course I love a good foot controlled version, but I am also partial to the dynamically controlled versions, as evidenced in this photograph...




The Mutron III is the big daddy of them all. It's an almost illegally funky piece of equipment and should be supplied with some form of contraception. This is a mid 70's version, as used by Stevie Wonder on his Clavinet, and Bootsy Collins on his.....Bootsyness. The T-Wah is Boss' valiant effort to provide a Touch Wah that doesn't eat two batteries per night and need it's own roadcase. I prefer the dynamic versions over the Auto Wah type with the set sweep time, because they still give an element of control through pick attack. (I'm not sure if your Maxon unit does or not.) But the most important part of your description was when you said "I like it a lot." Really, that's all that matters.




Cheers................................wahwah

[Tor]

Thanks for the picture(s).. Somehow I expected to see a compressor amongst the pedals, but I didn't. I realize I ask a whole lot now, but is there a particular reason as for not having one when playing funky stuff..? I have only had a compressor for a month now, but I don't know why I haven't used one before.. It yields me so much more control when strumming in a funky fashion.. But perhaps that's just it; I don't play good enough to be in total controll over the intensity of my funky strumming, thus the need for a compressor.


I am happy that Mr Wah Wah himself can approve filters. The Maxon can indeed control the sweep through pick intensity. It works really well. It might be my memory fails me, but I think the Maxon/Ibanez AF-9 is made with the Mutron in mind.

[wahwah]

I know there's a lot of players who make good use of a compressor pedal, but I am personally more into the raw form of decompression that comes from dynamic picking range, especially for funk. Rather than have something smooth out the bumpy stuff, I prefer to make full use of the bumpy stuff. The end result is much more raw and exposed, and I prefer that for live work. In a recording, I will often put compression on tracks in a mix, but I am not a fan of compression between the strings and the speakers.

With that in mind, I am actually in the process of changing a few of my pedals over to less compressed versions. I had a ZVex Box of Rock arrive today, which may be replacing the Crunch Box, and I'm awaiting a Mad Professor Little Green Wonder, which may replace the Blue Boy. I think the MI Audio pedals are fantastic, but I'm on a mini quest to try the more confronting "open" pedals to see how they go.

That said, there are some great effects that can be achieved with compression. I've got an old script logo MXR Dyna Comp somewhere in my bag of tricks. I'd be interested to try Analogman's Orange Squeezer, the clone of the old Dan Armstrong, the "Knopfler" compressor. That might be juicy...



Cheers..............................wahwah

[Tor]

Interesting approach.. I am not sure if that's a road for me to go yet (it would be way too much bumpy stuff ), but I see what you mean.

Well, have fun with the Box of Rock today, and good luck with your new tone quest..!

[sosomething]

Hey, if you have to ask, that would suggest that you......don't.....know.....why.

Look, she was only 20 at the time, but she had already developed a substantial set of skills.

And yes for breakfast, why not for breakfast? That would be my question to you.



Cheers..................................wahwah

Why not for breakfast? Because it clashes with my Pillsbury Toaster Strudel and confuses the palate.

And nothing gets between me and my strudel.

So what do you find works best for you in regard to practice? Do you prefer to work on modes / scales, etc. or do you find just writing and playing songs provides better results? Or do you employ some combination of both?

[wahwah]

So what do you find works best for you in regard to practice? Do you prefer to work on modes / scales, etc. or do you find just writing and playing songs provides better results? Or do you employ some combination of both?

I am a completely self-taught, theory challenged dunderklumpen, so there's no point in me playing modes or scales. Mainly because I don't know them. I know the major scale, does that count? I guess I could play that repeatedly. Would that be fun?

I can't read music, I can't even read tab. I'm a mess sosomething, a veg. But I have spent a lot of time just playing the guitar. In the last couple of weeks, for example, I've been trying out some new pedals, and I have probably played for 3 or 4 hours a day, according to Mr Callous and his little fingertip family. Nothing specific, just playing. But lots of it.

I play for fun and profit, often combining the two, so the thought of formal practice makes me pull the sucked on a lemon face. Instead, I like to noodle about, exploring intervals, exploring clear emotional expression and exploring tone. In my professional work, I have had to develop a fairly keen musical memory. I stopped making notes many years ago when I have to learn a new repertoire. I learn it by ear, and then really get to know it, really get inside its pelt, BE THE SONG!

So no practice for me, unless just sitting with the guitar and playing whatever comes to me is considered practice, in which case I practice a lot.



Cheers................................wahwah

[sosomething]

I am a completely self-taught, theory challenged dunderklumpen, so there's no point in me playing modes or scales. Mainly because I don't know them. I know the major scale, does that count? I guess I could play that repeatedly. Would that be fun?

I can't read music, I can't even read tab. I'm a mess sosomething, a veg. But I have spent a lot of time just playing the guitar. In the last couple of weeks, for example, I've been trying out some new pedals, and I have probably played for 3 or 4 hours a day, according to Mr Callous and his little fingertip family. Nothing specific, just playing. But lots of it.

I play for fun and profit, often combining the two, so the thought of formal practice makes me pull the sucked on a lemon face. Instead, I like to noodle about, exploring intervals, exploring clear emotional expression and exploring tone. In my professional work, I have had to develop a fairly keen musical memory. I stopped making notes many years ago when I have to learn a new repertoire. I learn it by ear, and then really get to know it, really get inside its pelt, BE THE SONG!

So no practice for me, unless just sitting with the guitar and playing whatever comes to me is considered practice, in which case I practice a lot.



Cheers................................wahwah

Wow, thanks.

In that way we're completely alike.

I'm also a self-taught, never-had-a-lesson, can't-read-music, no-theory mess of a veg. I guess we get by. I don't practice formally either. I just play and write, and when I feel like I need to get better I just write something that's to hard for me to play and work on it until I can.

[wahwah]

Wow, thanks.

In that way we're completely alike.

I'm also a self-taught, never-had-a-lesson, can't-read-music, no-theory mess of a veg. I guess we get by. I don't practice formally either. I just play and write, and when I feel like I need to get better I just write something that's to hard for me to play and work on it until I can.

Yeah brother, Veg's Unite! Most of my favourite players were messy veg's like us. Just goes to show, there's more than one way to skin a badger, or something like that.

"There's NO theory like NO theory, there's NO THEORY I KNOW...!"



Cheers..............................dunderklumpen.

[tone4days]

thanks for a truly excellent well

if you werent a musician, how do you imagine that would you make your living?

t4d

[Curly]

let me just say, for a little Boss pedal, Dimension Cs kick a$$!

[wahwah]

thanks for a truly excellent well

if you werent a musician, how do you imagine that would you make your living?

t4d

You're most welcome t4d, it's been fun so far.

When I finished high school, I was accepted into University to study Journalism. I didn't do it, because I knew that wasn't what I really wanted to do. Fortunately, I had supportive parents who didn't freak out at the thought of their son going on the road with a band. But in truth I know that was really only because my older brother was in the band with me! If I had been on my own, they may have had deeper concerns!

I suppose I could have followed that line, writing for newspapers or magazines, but the thought of it gives me cold shivers. It's difficult for me to imagine what else I could have done. I would probably have found some other interest through necessity and surrendered to a more conventional existence, but that thought is giving me cold shivers too. My brother stopped playing years ago, but he was always more passionate about cars than playing bass, despite the fact that he was a really good bass player! He now has his own business restoring cars and manufacturing replacement parts for restorations, after having worked for Mercedes for years as a salesman.

I think these days I would be more likely to get involved in some form of healing modality. I did a Korean form of martial art called Sun Do for nearly four years, when I finally gave up my daily marijuana habit (which had lasted for 22 years!), and they taught us a form of acupressure massage called Ji Ap, similar in many ways to Shiatsu. I seemed to have a natural affinity with that, and I was getting good results.

I think I could do that.....I dunno.....what are the hours?



Cheers..................................wahwah

[thucydides]

I was in NSW only three months before I had to return to the States to deal w/some unfinished biz (hope to be back soon!), but in that three months I had my eyes opened a bit to the Aussie music scene. Now, I arrived there w/the usual knowledge: AC/DC, Nick Cave, Paul Kelly, Rose Tattoo, and a few others (I try not to think about Helen Reddy). However, I found that there's more. I mentioned Rockwiz earlier, which was a nice intro to Aussie musicians past and present. For instance, Jimmy Barnes, and Casey Chambers (her correct name?). Any quick tips for those of us on the outside looking in re the Aussie music scene?

I did stumble across the Choirboys doing an unplugged gig in Terrigal. I had heard of them, but that was it. They were great!

[wahwah]

I was in NSW only three months before I had to return to the States to deal w/some unfinished biz (hope to be back soon!), but in that three months I had my eyes opened a bit to the Aussie music scene. Now, I arrived there w/the usual knowledge: AC/DC, Nick Cave, Paul Kelly, Rose Tatoo, and a few others (I try not to think about Helen Reddy). However, I found that there's more. I mentioned Rockwiz earlier, which was a nice intro to Aussie musicians past and present. For instance, Jimmy Barnes, and Casey Chambers (her correct name?). Any quick tips for those of us on the outside looking in re the Aussie music scene?

I did stumble across the Choirboys doing an unplugged gig in Terrigal. I had heard of them, but that was it. They were great!

The Australian music scene has always produced a fairly wide array of acts with substantial talent, like anywhere. I guess the remarkable thing is that this happens in a country with such a small population. Part of the reason throughout the early part of my career was a burgeoning pub rock scene, the same one which produced bands like AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, Midnight Oil, The Hoodoo Gurus, Men At Work, INXS, Paul Kelly, The Angels, etc. It all fell apart in the mid 90's, as the rave scene took over to a large extent, and many venues switched from being live music venues into poker machine venues, and a generation of kids thought that going to see someone "play" meant E-ing off yer nut whilst watching a guy spin records. We still have the occasional band that somehow makes its way through the diminished pub scene to find some international success, like Jet for example. But it's hard going now, especially with the advent of the Idol phenomenon.

Having said that, we are seeing more and more 18-25 year olds turning up to gigs, and having spoken to quite a few of them, the common story is that they are disillusioned with a lot of modern music, and they are looking into our rich musical history for more substance. We also have the festival phenomenon, where 40,000 teens and early 20's will turn up to see a dozen local bands and a few international acts. I guess that is some form of testament to the lasting power of live music, even in the face of adversity.

Terrigal is beautiful, I bet you'll be hoping to get back there soon. At least once a year I do a two night stint at Lizotte's, so maybe you'll be back in time for that.




Cheers.................................wahwah

[CGord]

It's my belief that there are skills involved in playing simply that are misunderstood by many guitar players. You will hear guys saying things like, "I get bored with all that Gilmour stuff, it's just too easy for me." Of course, in reality, they can no more play like Gilmour than fly. They hear what I have heard described as a "serious lack of notes" and they mistakenly equate it with an absence of skills. They will demonstrate their misunderstanding by suggesting that it's "only vibrato" or "only bends," thus missing the points regarding note choice, taste, the understanding and musical use of space and silence, building a solo, emotive expression through dynamics and intensity, and the mysterious ability to be able to convey an emotion to an audience, one that is in keeping with the lyric and general mood of the song.

I listened real carefully to the solo in "Another Brick in the Wall pt 2" today. It's amazing how many holes he left in it, I had never noticed it before.

I'm not much of a hole-leaver.

[Hot _Grits]

Had anything to do with an ocker band called dubdoubt? -we're supporting them soon. I'm told they're a bit of a cookie-cutter groove band, but they may be cool.

And had any run-ins with the Bamboos? -now there's one Melbourne band that gets down...

[LesStrat]

Wait...we have not heard any stories about run-ins with the BIM-BOS.

[wahwah]

Had anything to do with an ocker band called dubdoubt? -we're supporting them soon. I'm told they're a bit of a cookie-cutter groove band, but they may be cool.

And had any run-ins with the Bamboos? -now there's one Melbourne band that gets down...

I haven't crossed paths with dubdoubt, they're a Brisbane band right?

I haven't seen The Bamboos, but I've done a fair bit of work with Kylie Auldist over the years.


Cheers................................wahwah

[wahwah]

Wait...we have not heard any stories about run-ins with the BIM-BOS.

We might have to go back a few years for some of those stories.....



Cheers...................................wahwah

[sosomething]

Bippity Boppity Bend Over.

[LesStrat]

I think you got it out of order there.