Songbird

[Hilary]

OK guys, new 'AndyR' technique with the Rode in the dining room - a few random noises (think the creaking must be me not the car!) but it's vocal tone I'm looking at and I think this is a fair reflection of how I sound. Obviously the guitar is a bit low in the mix but in a perfect world I'd have a BR1600 and be able to record them simultaneously to separate lines (I believe) - hell in a perfect world I'd be in a sound studio in the Bahamas with a professional guitarist and sound engineer

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[SE]

Sounds like your doing a good job on your own, as for better recording stuff we all love it here, but some times, I like to hear a tune just as it is, and if Bm is a pain, leave the f***er out till you can.

[Hilary]

. . .if Bm is a pain, leave the f***er out till you can.

thanks SE, that sounds like a great plan

[Riche]

Sounds good Haylie.

R

[dobrodaddy]

Ahhhhh yes, the perfect world......   In the meantime, this is really good Haylie!  I'm getting a better sense of your beautiful vox w each post.  Gtr is mixed a  bit back, sounds like you're in D. 

Here are a couple of Bm voicings you could try.  Is the issue having to barre the chord or having to get the cluster of fingers below the barre?  To me this is a typical first position Bm w a barre at 2nd fret.  Strings are presented bass to treble, X means mute or don't play.

2 2 4 4 3 2 

 Looks like:   

See how the numbers in my example match up w the frets on the diagram?  Sorta chord tablature.... sorta...

Anyway, here are 2 other voicings you can try that don't require a barre or as many fingers.  First voicing is in first position and very similar to the traditional Bm.

X 2 0 4 3 X 
Index finger on 2nd fret of 5th str, no barre.  Open 4th string (D) is m3rd of B so it works or can be muted.  I use my ring finger for 3rd str and middle for 2nd str.  Use what fingers work for you.  See how it fits w your picking pattern.

Often the trick to fretting a chord that's giving you trouble is how you fret the preceding chord.  In this song, I think the Bm follows a G first and then follows an A for the big hook.  I usually fret a first position G w my ring, middle, and pinky fingers.  Makes it real easy to use the index for hammer-on on the 2nd str or shift to G7 on the 1st str.  Also makes it easy to get the B note on the 5th str when you switch to Bm.

Lots of folks fret G w middle, index, and ring fingers.  I find it is often harder to shift to the next chord with this fingering.  Again - what's important is what feels comfortable and works for you.  I do note than the G follows an Em.  If you fret the Em w your index finger on the 2nd fret of 5th str [a B note], you can keep that finger in place for the G [fretted w middle, index, and ring fingers] and the Bm.  Less fingers flying around is usually a good thing.  Economy of motion.

The A can be played as a barre at the 2nd fret [muting the 1st str] or with 3 fingers crunched together on the 2nd fret of 4th, 3rd, and 2nd strings.  I  find it easier to move from the barre to the Bm. 

If you want the high F# [2nd fret, 1st str] in the chord [it sounds good] here is a voicing up the neck.

7 X 0 7 7 X
I use index, ring, and pinky to finger this chord.  I find this voicing of A is a good lead-in to it

X 0 7 4 5 X 
Basically it's the essential bass and mid notes for the classic barred A at the 5th fret.   If you also play the open 1st str, you get a nice drone effect.

Hope this is clearer than mud and not to tedious.  If this doesn't help, go w SE's plan.  Good luck!  DD 

[Hilary]

Thanks Richie and DD - DD that's definately given me food for thought about chord placements, not just for this song but for others too. Gonna print it off and have a fiddle! Thanks very much for taking the time to help

[Hook]

Very beautiful! I would like a bit more guitar and you have a few options depending on how your recording your guitar. Of course whether micing or straight in when finger picking don't be afraid of your input volume set it as high as you can using the part of the song with the most attack as reference. If you have a great performance but a low level pop the track into audacity and amplify it then either mix there or put it back onto the br shouldn't be to hard.



Try this easy alternative for Bm, only until you can do the real one though!
Rock on!

[dobrodaddy]

Glad to help, Haylie.  Have fun w it!  Great that you're cross-pollinating the ideas to other songs!

If I can help you w other gtr 'pointers' let me know.  I've spent 45 yrs dissecting gtr chords...  squirmy things that they can be LOL!  Always glad to share what I've learned.

Hook, you make excellent points about high mic vol for fingerstyle and using Audacity to amplify.  I rely heavily on Aud for that on everything I record. 

I tried the Bm voicing you mentioned - it's another real handy one.  In this song I found I really missed the B bass note.   Singer's choice!  Always good to have options...   DD

[Hilary]

Thanks Hook and DD

Hook I recorded the guitar and vox simultaneously with just 1 mic, so deliberately lost a bit of guitar to catch more colours in the vox - it was a reverse trade off to the car experiment.

DD - thanks very much, bit of a revelation I'm embarrassed to say as I can keep the index finger on the same string for both chords - maybe I'll dust off my cello instead! (oh no, my parents used to say that it set their teeth on edge when I played)

I'm ready to record something properly now, direct line into BR for the guitar and Rode (AndyR) positioning for the vox - all I need now is to get rid of the kids and the husband for a few hours and decide on the song!

[Hilary]

Try this easy alternative for Bm, only until you can do the real one though!
Rock on!

Hook I've just written a song with really fast chord changes including a Bm - if I'm gonna play it live and I get nervous it could be a car crash - I may just use the fudge version for this one - thanks