R&B Strings: Soulful Grooves

An album that was long in the making, The Braxton Brothers True Love album, released appropriately on Valentine’s Day, featured the Christian Howes string recording team heavily.

Says Christian: “I am always psyched whenever we can lay down strings on tracks that groove and go into an R&B vibe. The Braxton Brothers gave us plenty of room on this project to be creative. It’s a great addition to our portfolio for any prospective clients who might be considering going in this direction with their projects.”

Here is a compilation of some of the highlights of our performance on the album. Click here to listen:

From the True Love press release:

To download the MP3 of “Ta Boa, Santa?” or to download the entire Southern Exposure album on iTunes, click here.

Southern Exposure features music from Brazil, Cuba, Spain, Argentina, and more, and includes interplay between Christian and master accordianist, Richard Galliano, alongside a world class rhythm section of Lewis Nash, Scott Colley, and Josh Nelson.

Listen and follow along with jazz violinist, Christian Howes’ improvised solo in “Ta Boa, Santa?”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Go behind the scenes and see Christian Howes inside the studio recording this song:

Click here to view the embedded video.

]]> http://christianhowes.com/2013/04/05/free-jazz-violin-transcription/feed/ 4 http://christianhowes.com/2013/04/04/hip-hop-strings-on-didos-girl-who-got-away/ http://christianhowes.com/2013/04/04/hip-hop-strings-on-didos-girl-who-got-away/#comments Thu, 04 Apr 2013 23:09:44 +0000 natelockwood http://christianhowes.com/?p=8135

Recording Strings on Hip Hop/Pop collaboration

The Pete Miser-produced track, “All I See”, off of Dido‘s latest release Girl Who Got Away features a hip hop string arrangement and performance by Christian Howes. The album was released on March 4th, and the track “All I See” is available only in the deluxe edition of the album available here.

Producer Pete Miser on recording strings with Christian Howes:

“The string parts that Christian performed for “All I See” were recorded within about twenty minutes of my meeting him. A mutual friend put us in touch. He came to visit me in the studio and, in the course of our conversation, asked if I had any tracks laying around that I was working on. I pulled up “All I See” which, at the time, was going to be a completely different song for me. He layered about 8 tracks of parts and harmonies and then we moved onto another track. Super simple. Super fast. We spent maybe 30 minutes on it. More than a year later I sent that track as well as a few others to Dido. She wrote “All I See” over it and asked me to write some verses to compliment her title/concept. It was about as easy, fun (and fortuitous) as a session gets!”

Says Christian, “Pete Miser is a rare musician with a combination of skills enabling him to go in between the film/tv production world while at the same time continuously turning out highly personal and artistic music with street cred in the hip hop world. My team is used to creating string arrangements on a lot of great music, but it is always nice when we end up on a track for an artist with recognition like Dido, because people like my mom are impressed”

“Before file sharing, this was how I used to do all my string recording work; overdubbing my violin, viola, and octave-violin. Nowadays, my team of players shares files virtually and we can make the string section arrangements sound bigger, fuller, and more human.”

 

 

 

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Why Record Strings Remotely?

Working with players who collaborate remotely – “overdub teams” – is an affordable alternative to hiring large sections or using virtual instruments. If you know what to watch for, you can save time and money while improving the quality of your project.

Advantages:

1. Many expenses related to studio time, players, copyists, and engineers can be consolidated or eliminated when using remote players. Logistics and administration are decreased and you’ll save costs by utilizing remote recording and overdubbing when it comes to recording larger string, brass, or vocal ensembles.
2. Time is saved since you don’t need to be present during a session, and you don’t need to slave over the mock up.
3. Turn around time can be very fast. Recording remotely allows for players to do their sessions immediately after receiving materials if necessary.
4. Control in post – Recording a large ensemble in one room can get messy in post production. With overdubbed ensembles, you have control over each .WAV file and can avoid problems stemming from bleed.

Common problems with recording strings and some tips to avoid them:

1. Phasing: Here are some ways we have found to avoid phasing:
   1. Use multiple instruments, varied mic/player placements/positions, different microphones, ask players to make very subtle variations in articulation, vibrato, etc.
   2. The “1 then 3″ rule - With instruments in tenor range or higher (violins, flutes, singers, trumpet, etc.), doubling may result in phasing issues. Make sure to at least TRIPLE each voice to avoid phasing, or simply settle for one voice.
2. Less is more – Since you have total separation and control in post, you can use panning to create a bigger sounding ensemble with less tracks than it would take recording an ensemble in one room. Often overdubbing 27 strings can achieve a comparable fullness as recording a 40-piece section live.

Score Preparation/Instructions for recording strings

1. Review charts to make sure notes/articulations are accurate.
2. Send a reference that shows the sound/vibe you’re looking to achieve.
3. Speak with the player(s) and describe your vision of the track. Just as when working with players in a studio, it’s paramount that everyone’s on the same page and understands your intention.
4. If the goal is to blend existing MIDI strings with live performances, make sure the click track matches the MIDI files. In our experience, many samples tend to fall slightly behind the click.
5. If you don’t have charts, ask if players can transcribe from your audio or MIDI.

Delegate the string arrangement: This can save time, especially if you’re clear about your vision. Hire improvisers who can convey the vibe without a chart when appropriate.

1. Record a scratch voice-over track with specific notes spoken in real time. You can even sing melodies.
2. Send references that convey examples of techniques you would like to have included in the arrangement.
3. Be clear about where and when you’re hearing the entrance/exits of the strings, horns, choir, etc.

Our team at Christian Howes String Recording has helps composers and producers around the world save time, money, and hassles while augmenting their work. We provide orchestral sections as well as small ensembles and solo work in all styles, including tracking, arranging, as well as full production needs.

Feel free to check out some of our work samples here and call or email us for a quote related to your project. You’ll be surprised at how affordable it can be to add strings. Why fuss with virtual instruments?

Call us: 614-332-8689
Email: chris@christianhowes.com

I’ve always been proud of being a Suzuki-trained violinist, having long defended Suzuki against criticisms (“Suzuki students don’t learn to read, develop bad technique, sound too imitative, etc…”), none of which ring true in my experience.

Yet, since veering away from my classical roots into jazz violin, I’ve cried out about the limits of classical music training in general, and made recommendations for augmenting it.

You might even say I’ve been on a high horse trying to “reform classical music education,” pushing my progressive ideas in articles, an online method, an annual camp, and a busy schedule of teaching at conferences and schools.

When I spoke with my friend Gabriel Bolkosky the other day, his impassioned and thoughtful comments inspired me to shut my big fat mouth for a second and think about what is enduring and right about the Suzuki method, and why all the things I’ve been saying are really just a matter of details.

He made me realize that teaching music is not about the way you hold the bow, shape the hand frame, choose repertoire, improvise, phrase, compose, produce sound, groove, order your pedagogical sequences, or any of that geeky stuff. It’s about teaching people, through music, “to be good human beings.”

The tenets of Suzuki’s philosophy and approach focus on nurturing the good in students and parents.

Case in point: my former teacher, Ginny Christopherson, embodies the best of Suzuki method through her unwavering committment to instill the discipline and love of music in her students, all the while demanding from parents that they never give up on encouraging the same from their children. Now that I am a “Suzuki Dad” (Ginny also taught my daughter), I’m all the more aware of how important our teacher’s role has been for my entire family, and even our community.

Suffice it to say, I now concede that, while there are many new-fangled things to discover and implement in music education, some things must not be tampered with. (Let it be noted that for once I have taken a “conservative” position!)

But don’t take it from me…

Violinist, Suzuki teacher, and director of the Phoenix Phest Grande, Gabriel Bolkosky says it much better than I can, and his words in this video were the reason for my writing this introduction in the first place. Check it out:

Click here to view the embedded video.

What do you think?

Feel free to comment, like, poke, throw, eat, share…

The Creative Strings Academy is now offering an entirely FREE trial (no credit card required). Check it out to see what all the fuss is about.

Southern Exposure, the latest album by jazz violinist Christian Howes featuring accordionist Richard Galliano, received praise in the latest issue of Downbeat Magazine, which is on newsstands now. Read the original article here!

How To Use Looping and Loop Pedals

I received a question in an email today from a Creative Strings Academy member about how to use loop pedals to practice and create more music in his daily life.

His question:
“I was wondering if a looper of some kind could help fill in the gaps for me as a bassist. As I understand it, I see you building tunes for the ground up. You lay down a bass track, then some comping and maybe some harmony and then practice jammin’ with the loops. Can you do that with jazz standards as well?

My answer:

1) Your first loop should always express regular subdivisions, without leaving any long silences.

Sometimes the first loop is a walking bass line, or any bass line that is busy enough that you can feel the constant subdivisions. You could instead choose an ostinato, moving countermelody, inner voices pattern, or percussive groove, especially if the bass line has very little activity or motion. Here’s an example in a video where my bass line is less active, so I used a strumming pattern as the first loop. If you listen carefully you’ll notice a constant strumming pattern that clearly denotes regular 16th note subdivisions. The bass line, which is much more spacious, was laid down after the strumming pattern:

The reason for starting with regular subdivisions is that our mind processes time in small chunks. We can’t process or measure notes with a long duration (such as whole notes at 60 BPM). At 60 BPM, most people need to hear the quarter notes, or maybe half notes, in order to stay together and groove solidly. This is the same reason that in a string quartet or orchestra everyone needs to listen to whichever instrument is playing the subdivisions at any given time in order to stay together.

The video below contains  a loop example over Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” that starts with a bass line. You’ll notice that the bass line is very “regular”, in terms of accounting for at least every quarter note. What you might also notice is that I kept the amount of loops to a minimum (three), in order to hurry up and get to the melody, so that listeners wouldn’t lose interest during the loop setup:

Click here to view the embedded video.

2) You can use loops to improvise over simple or complex forms

You can start with simple forms, such as one-bar vamps. This is great practice and can be lots of fun. After you get good at it, you may find it more challenging and rewarding to play longer forms. I like to play full song forms. e.g., a 32 bar jazz standard, a 12 bar blues, or a verse and chorus of a pop tune. But I’ll admit that sometimes, as in the case of the cover tune above, I omit the chorus for the sake of avoiding long setups.

It can be tricky to keep it interesting for the listener when using longer forms because of the time it take for the loop setup. There are different ways around this. The Boomerang looper, for example, has different “modes” to enable you to create all kinds of different loops at once. I mostly use basic looping and then try to be creative in finding ways to change up the songs so that it’s not always the same old thing on each song (especially if I’m doing a long solo concert). I’ve found the Boss RC-30 and the Jamman both to be excellent. Visit the Electric Violin Shop for a selection of loop pedals.

3) For additional gear, I recommend you get a multi-effects pedal like the Boss ME-70 (available at Electric Violin Shop) and utilize the Octave feature to expand your range and cover a wide range of registers to illustrate an “orchestral” palette or texture. Similarly, you can use different effects (tastefully) to have different timbres of sound so the loop doesn’t sound like 7 layers of the same sound in the same register. A bassist can use the 8va octave to cover melodic range and a violinist can use the 8vb to cover lower/bass range… You could also accomplish this with SOFTWARE and run through your laptop. Adam Spiers has a blog explaining how to do it for free. In the future I believe more musicians will be running software for loops and signal processing through their computers, ipads, or phones, because it will be less expensive, harder to break, and easier to carry. In this case, you’ll still need a pedal. I’ve heard about a few out there including one called the “softstep”. The world’s most amazing electric cellist, Dana Leong, uses signal processing set through his laptop in conjunction with his Yamaha electric cello.

 Looping is great for:

1) Practice – improve rhythm, learn all the parts of a song (bass line, inner voices, countermelody, groove), improvise

2) Teaching – drilling melodic lines with students, call and response, creating rhythmic backdrop to facilitate ensemble playing

3) Performance/creativity/expression – saves cost of additional band members, allows you to dictate the direction of the music. I even like to use the loop pedal when performing duo, such as with my daughter Camille in this version of “Dark Eyes“.

If this was helpful to you, feel free to like, or share my videos or this post. Let me know if I can help with any related questions and feel free to join the Creative String Players group on Facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/creativestringsacademy/

Part of my marketing plan every year involves looking at all the “best fit” conferences and industry events in the upcoming year. If you’ve never been to a trade show, you may want to start thinking about which ones are right for you.

“Local” conferences cost less and represent a smaller network. If you’re looking to network for local business they can be good. For larger networking, going to bigger national conferences can yield more, but they’re more expensive. Attending conferences can help you find job opportunities and develop contacts for short term and long term. They can also be overwhelming and disorienting so it’s important to go into them with the right mindset. I’ve been to conferences where I didn’t know anyone and I had to find the gumption to go up and just meet people.

I just returned from the ASTA conference (American String Teachers Association) this weekend in Providence, RI. It was full of networking opportunities. For string players and teachers working in traditional or “creative” settings who want to network nationally, this is a good conference to go to.

I’ve been to tons of conferences over the years, and learned the hard way that going to conferences can also be a waste of time.

Make sure you research the conference and find out who the other attendees are. How many attendees came last year, and who were they?

Some time a conference has too many “sellers” and not enough “buyers”. Sometimes you might assume the conference will be great, only to go and find that you weren’t able to connect with the type of opportunities you were expecting. For example, everyone hypes up SXSW in Austin for bands, but  from what I’ve heard, it’s extremely difficult to get any meaningful opportunity for your act at SXSW unless you’re already well-connected. Similarly at the national APAP conference I’ve been there before when I felt like I was getting swallowed up in an ocean of anonymity.

If you’re unsure about a conference, minimize your risk by spending as little money as possible the first time you go- Maybe wait until the conference is hosted nearby, or just buy a “day pass” to walk around the conference the first time. Don’t buy ads or pay for a booth until you’re sure it’s your market.

Also, you’ll get more out of a conference if you present a session. You can submit session ideas (or “clinics”) to most conferences, but the deadline is usually a year in advance. When you present a session, people will come to your session and become more interested in what you have to offer.

For teaching gigs or clinician gigs:

Music education conferences and meetings – These include citywide (a local network of teachers – Columbus has the “Columbus Music Teachers Association”), Statewide NEMC and ASTA (Ohio Music Educators Conference). Sometimes the more local conferences are more like “meetings” or “get togethers”. That’s fine. You just want to be in one room with a lot of people you can network with who are working in a similar field.

For players (to get performing gigs)

-Local wedding shows (to get gigs playing at weddings and meet local corporate agencies).

-APAP (Association of Performing Arts Presenters) – The national conference is NYC every year is chaos. Don’t go to this until you’ve tried a regional or statewide conference first. APAP has regional conferences such as Arts Midwest and Western Arts, also PAE. It changes all the time, so check it out by googling “Performing Arts Presenters Regional Conferences”.  You might also ask more established teachers or artists and agents what conferences they recommend to be a good fit for where you are in your career and what your goals are.

The Folk Alliance is great for performers in folk styles.

Chamber Music America sounds like it would be good for classical players, but I don’t think you’re likely to get any gigs there. You’ll probably do better going to a local jam session or “Classical Revolution” show somewhere nearby, depending on what kind of music you’re into..

For that matter, you can network online if you’re in the right groups – for creative string players, you might want to join my facebook group “Creative String Players” at https://www.facebook.com/groups/creativestringsacademy/

There are even statewide performing arts presenter conferences like OAPN (Ohio Arts Presenters Network). You should start at some of these smaller conferences and then develop your plan to meet agents, self-represent, showcase, etc..

JEN (Jazz Education Network) is also growing for jazz educators.

The point is, conferences are a very important part of marketing, networking, and developing opportunities as a musician and teacher. You need to get hip and find out what’s going on, but you need to be very careful in the process, and find the right ones for you. Start small and inexpensive, but get in the game! You can’t hit the ball if you’re not on the field.

We are so happy that the song and album are doing well and glad that we had the chance to work with Clouds of Analog. Here’s to working together more in the future!

Click here to download the album on iTunes.

The review gave Southern Exposure a 3.5/4 rating.

Here’s what others are saying about Southern Exposure:

Southern Exposure is currently on sale. You can purchase the album on iTunes or you can purchase a copy at the Creative Strings Shop.