Welcome Guest
[ Log In :: Register ]

 

[ Track this topic :: Email this topic :: Print this topic ]

Topic: Amarok guitar at the beginning, How did he achieve that sound ?< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
Xavi Martinez Offline




Group: Members
Posts: 23
Joined: Nov. 2012
Posted: Feb. 22 2013, 03:59

I'm talking about the very first , fast guitar phrase you hear, which sounds kind of trashy.

My assumption is that it is a regular classical guitar with either the bridge bone or nut (or both) removed. half of the notes don't even sound and have a very short decay. certainly it is not palm muting.

It is exactly the same phrase that sounds afterwards, just that it has this percussive quality to it.

What do you think ?
Back to top
Profile PM 
GusFogle Offline




Group: Members
Posts: 198
Joined: July 2011
Posted: Feb. 22 2013, 13:01

There are actually at least 2 guitars playing at the very beginning. One is a classical playing the main riff of Amarok, mixed extremely low. The other is playing the short extreme percussive notes- this guitar isn't really playing the main theme, but more of a variation on the main theme- certain notes are left out in places. I do think that some sort of muting was involved to achieve that sound, I also think Mike tuned his guitar down to get the strings to rattle more against the frets. It wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't an entirely acoustic sound either- I would imagine that some form of studio trickery involved, and a lot of EQ work to get that particular sound.
Back to top
Profile PM WEB 
Korgscrew Offline




Group: Super Admins
Posts: 3511
Joined: Dec. 1999
Posted: Feb. 24 2013, 05:16

I'd say the first part of the secret to that sound is in the instruments listing - the mysterious 'highly strung guitar'. Take the low strings off a 12 string so you're just left with the octave strings of the pairs (plus the conventionally tuned B and E at the top) and you have a highly strung guitar. Tune the bottom E down to a D and you have a highly strung guitar that you can play the Amarok fast riff on and have it sound an octave above normal.

You can hear that played in its full, ringing, highly strung glory once the riff really kicks off, but...

Take that and stuff something under the strings, then go in close with the mic...and that'll get you the rest of the way to that opening sound. Stuff what under the strings, though? That's more open to guesswork. I'm not going to admit to having tried putting a sock under the strings of a guitar to try and answer this question, but...well...let's just say that if you position one right, you might find that it works (I'd recommend using a clean one). Maybe if you write nicely enough to Mike on Facebook, he'll send you one of his for that extra bit of Amarok mojo. You could try a nicely cut piece of foam instead, I suppose ;)

It needs to be fairly near the bridge so that the notes still sound to pitch. If you're using foam, I'd suggest experimenting with the width of the strip you use. You might also want to try using fingerpicks, if you don't have the Oldfield fingernails (I'm told Mike doesn't normally answer requests from people wanting to be sent those), to get that clicky, slightly scraped attack. Metal ones would no doubt help with the metallic quality of the sound.

There are two of them there, panned left and right, playing the exact same thing, but with slight differences in muting leading to them sounding slightly different. They're joined by a distant highly strung part before the full fat fast riff kicks in. Once it does, you've got a low part with a dropped D on the left and the same thing an octave up on the other side. No nylon string guitars were harmed during the first 51 seconds or so of the album - up until there, it's all steel.
Back to top
Profile PM 
Ugo Offline




Group: Members
Posts: 5495
Joined: April 2000
Posted: Feb. 24 2013, 07:59

@ Richard/K.: sure it's a highly strung guitar? I've always heard it as two twelve-stringed acoustic guitars with all of their twelve strings on. :) I don't think there's anything under the strings - the unusual sound depends partly on 'palm muting', and partly on Mike's usual way of playing an acoustic steel-string guitar, i.e. very hard. :D And I also don't think he's using his nails, right there - it sounds to me very like a plectrum, and not a very thin one.

You don't necessarily have to remove anything from a 12-string to have a highly-strung guitar. You just take the first four high strings from a standard string set for a 12-string, you fit them on a common 6-string guitar and you get a highly-strung guitar :) Paul Simon plays one on the Graceland album.


--------------
Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian
Back to top
Profile PM 
ThisName Offline




Group: Members
Posts: 307
Joined: July 2005
Posted: Feb. 24 2013, 08:04

When I transcribed Amarok, I knew that this opening section would be near to impossible to get exactly right because of the very nature of how it was played. However, according to my score I have 2 guitar parts notated. The first one has the palm muted sound and plays the main riff - but not complete just the outline. A second guitar also with palm muting actually has a little counter melody based around the interval of a 5th. The two parts do double each other in places. Finaly a 3rd guitar with a jangly sound plays a repeated high D in semiquavers and rather low in the mix befofe it explodes into the main riff proper.

--------------
www.ryanyardmusic.com
Back to top
Profile PM 
Ugo Offline




Group: Members
Posts: 5495
Joined: April 2000
Posted: Feb. 24 2013, 08:10

Off-topic, @ ThisName: is the time sig of the fast riff 5/4 (as 2+2+1) ? I always followed it through like that, and it works. ;)

--------------
Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian
Back to top
Profile PM 
ThisName Offline




Group: Members
Posts: 307
Joined: July 2005
Posted: Feb. 24 2013, 08:29

It can be notated in several ways and is best 'felt' than counted as there are accents at certan points. My score notates it with 4 bars of 19/16 followed by 2 bars of 15/16. Sounds complicated but makes sense to use semiquavers as the denominator.

--------------
www.ryanyardmusic.com
Back to top
Profile PM 
GusFogle Offline




Group: Members
Posts: 198
Joined: July 2011
Posted: Feb. 24 2013, 18:24

If you try counting the main riff in 5/4, or subdivide it into 10/8, you're going to find the riff repeats a 16th earlier than expected. It is indeed in 19/16 and alternates with 15/16. Taking a riff that consists entirely of 16th notes and trying to count it in 4 makes no sense anyway, it isn't a very accurate way of keeping the time. And trying to even count it while playing is basically pointless. I literally just memorized all the notes and went by feel.
Back to top
Profile PM WEB 
7 replies since Feb. 22 2013, 03:59 < Next Oldest | Next Newest >

[ Track this topic :: Email this topic :: Print this topic ]

 






Forums | Links | Instruments | Discography | Tours | Articles | FAQ | Artwork | Wallpapers
Biography | Gallery | Videos | MIDI / Ringtones | Tabs | Lyrics | Books | Sitemap | Contact

Mike Oldfield Tubular.net
Mike Oldfield Tubular.net