Jody Whitesides

Tag: Acoustic

FourFiveSeconds An Acoustic Cover

If you’re like me, you caught FourFiveSeconds as a live performance on the GRAMMYS a few days ago. Its the new single by Rihanna that’s co-written by Sir Paul McCartney and Kanye West.

I really enjoyed the live performance by Rihanna and Paul along with Nuno Bettancourt (Rihanna’s Guitarist). So much so that I decided to learn the song. Took about all of 15 minutes to commit it to memory. I posed the question on Twitter if tweeps wanted to see me playing the song and Bob’s your uncle. Here ya go.

FourFiveSeconds

I think I’ve had enough, I might get a little drunk
I say what’s on my mind, I might do a little time
Cause all of my kindness, is taken for weakness

Now I’m Four Five Seconds from wildin’
And we got three more days ’til Friday
I’m just tryna make it back home by Monday, mornin’
I swear I wish somebody would tell me
Ooh thats all I want

Woke up an optimist, sun was shining I’m positive
Then I heard you was talkin’ trash
Hold me back I’m bout’ to spaz

Now I’m Four Five Seconds from wildin’
And we got three more days ’til Friday
I’m just tryna make it back home by Monday, mornin’
I swear I wish somebody would tell me
Ooh thats all I want

And I know that you’re up tonight
Thinkin’ how could I be so selfish
But you called bout a thousand times wondering where I been
Now I know that your up tonight
Thinkin’ how could I be so reckless
But I just can’t apologize, I hope you can understand

If I go to jail tonight, promise you’ll pay my bail
See they want to buy my pride, but that just ain’t up for sale
See all of my kindness, is taken for weakness

Now I’m Four Five Seconds from wildin’
And we got three more days ’til Friday
I’m just tryna make it back home by Monday, mornin’
I swear I wish somebody would tell me
Ooh thats all I want

Now I’m Four Five Seconds from wildin’
And we got three more days ’til Friday
I’m just tryna make it back home by Monday, mornin’
I swear I wish somebody would tell me
Ooh thats all I want

Enjoy!

2015-02-14
Till We Meet Again K4 Setup

Come with me inside RA Audio studios as we set up a Taylor Guitar’s K4 EQ. Here’s an outtake from the recording of my upcoming single called “Till We Meet Again” as Robert Navarro and I go through the pre-production of my Taylor 615ce. The amazing thing is that it didn’t take a very long time to plug in the guitar, plug in the K4, wire it to the pre-amp. Of course Robert and I spent a bit of time listening to several settings then proceeded to make a few minor tweaks. Then it was off the race, or rather off to the recording track.

Watch the video and find out what setting we used on my K4 EQ to get one extremely awesome sound for the acoustic guitars on “Till We Meet Again”. Yes, in the final mix down of the song I did use a combination of the K4 direct sound mixed with the KM184 Sennheiser microphones. Definitely a very awesome addition to the sound of great acoustic guitar recording.

Till We Meet Again K4 Setup

Transcript:

The whole concept of, what did I use for this recording? For Taylor Guitars website.

Right now we’re about to set up the sound for the direct sound coming out of the 615 that I’m going to record for “Till We Meet Again” into the infamous Taylor Guitars K4 equalizer.

And Robert and I, who is currently the owner of RA Audio, are about to set all of this up. He’s waving at you. And, get the sound happening. And then we’re recording through a couple of nice Sennheiser KM184’s that… [you’re welcome]

Thank you.

That I got for Robert. Uhm. So yeah, we’re about to do some pre-production on getting the right sound. Then we’re gonna do a track.

So let’s get started.

One second he says.

Wish I had a remote. Tink. Tink.

Ok, should I bring some treble down and the bass up?

That’s sorta nice? Well, I don’t want sorta. I want bad ass nice.

Back off a little on the bass. Ok, this is half of what the bass was when I raised it. So that’s a nice direct tone? Wow! No mid or anything huh?

Interesting.

So for all those out there in Taylor land who want to know the K4 setting that I just used. We’re probably talking 12:30 on the bass, on the low end. We’re looking at about 11 o’clock on the high. And the mids? Nada. Zero. Center all the way. The volume is set at medium, like right at whatever 12 o’clock is.

So the K4 is set, for the 615ce.

2014-05-13
Dean Markley Blue Steel Acoustics

Today I’m finally getting around to changing the strings on my Taylor 615ce with a set of Dean Markley Blue Steel acoustics. After several live performances and a couple of recordings, including a cover of “Not A Bad Thing” by Justin Timberlake, it’s time I sit down and get my first impression of a new line of strings.

Sit with me as I take off some old flat strings that got played to death. Then watch me do things I don’t recommend doing with your strings.

Get tuned up. Stretched out. Ready to play.

Finally top it off with what my initial reaction is to hearing how Dean Markley Blue Steel acoustic strings make me feel. Rather what I think they sound like on my favorite acoustic guitar.

First Impression Dean Markley Blue Steel Acoustics

Transcript:

Sometimes your strings are flat and you need to change ’em.

First things first. Sexy, minimalistic packaging going on. Some kind of sticky thing. Inside we have a package. Sealed strings. Let’s open ’em up. Let’s find out what they’re like.

They come in two winds. They look like they’re kind of color coded. Better read the packaging. High E, is black. The B string is blue. G string is black. D string blue. A string black and low E string, blue. Alternating color scheme. I’m using medium acoustics. Thirteen through fifty-six, my favorite kind. De-tune strings. Get ’em off. Here we go.

Low E string if I remember correctly that is going to be black. The B string. Agh. I can tell you right now that they don’t taste very good. String G. Cryogenically activated strings have a very very odd taste. Don’t eat your strings.

Fly and be free.

Black for the A. The lower strings, they don’t taste any better than the upper strings. Ah, what a symphony of sound that is.

Stretch ’em out just a little bit. Blue steel’s generally don’t require a whole lot of stretching on the electric side. So hopefully they won’t require a whole lot of stretching on the acoustic side.

Handy dandy PolyTune by T.C. Electronics. Awesome app for getting your guitar in tune.

Ok. We’ve got it tuned up. Let’s clip the strings off. Once you’ve clipped the strings it’s a good idea to tune once again. Just incase there’s any slippage.

That’s interesting… No slippage whatsoever, it’s still in tune.

As far as sound goes.

They have a good solid tone to them. Not overly bright but nice and solid at least with the fingertips.

They have a real nice solid tone to them. I really dig it. Don’t sound overly buzzy. They sound nice and big and full. That’s actually a really good thing. I like that.

Dean Markley I think you’ve hit an A+ out of the park home run with these strings.

2014-04-22

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