Although I originally planned to use just clean guitar tones when I changed the EP's genre to funk/soul I still feel like it is necessary to educate my self on how to get a funky guitar tone, I have already discussed technique and chord types through Cory Wong and Rex Orange County however this piece of research will focus more on gear and equipment rather than theory and technique. One effect that is massively used in funk guitar is Wah-Wah. This is ideal for me as for one of my first projects at college was focused around how the Wah pedal is used. A few examples of the Wah pedal being used in funk sounding songs is Maggot Brain played by Eddie Hazel and All along the watchtower by Jimi Hendrix. As in funk music the purpose of the guitar is generally to accompany the percussion the instrument the wah pedal does a excellent job of taking emphasis of the notes or chords being played and rather puts emphasis on the strumming/picking pattern. There are other more commonly used effects I could use for example, Chorus, Delay and Reverb however as they are more regularly used I feel as if doing further research into how they serve in funk/soul music will be unneeded. Another factor that can effect the tone of a guitar is the pick the guitarist being used. This was taught to me through one of my teachers (Ali Smyth). He informed me that the picks I was using prior to this project (Dunlop Jazz 3) are more ideal for tight controlled playing due to there small size and thickness that allows them to be played fast against the strings. He then advised me to try the Yellow Tortex guitar pick. As this pick was larger and thinner it suited my more aggressive and funkier strumming pattern which greatly changes the tone of the guitar over all. The make/body of the guitar also has a massive effect over the tone of the music however as my budget as a student is very tight and i can't afford to buy or rent different guitars i was stuck with my 2017 American Standard Fender Stratocaster. Luckily for me the Strat is well known for being popular among Funk guitarist such as the likes of John Frusciante, Cory Wong and Eddie Hazel. Although with this said I do feel that using a telecaster on the bridge pickup could have an interesting sound to it. In addition to the instrument its self having an effect on the tone of the recording the amplification for said instrument has a massive effect on the tone. Thankfully the amp tone is more down to preference then genre however the quality of the amplifier can have a massive effect on the quality of the recording however again lucky for me the college has a Class A valve amp (Laney LC30) which i personally love the tone of and will be using on all track throughout my EP.
The Glyn Johns Technique (GJT) is a technique used for recording drums created by the British sound engineer Glyn Johns. "who most notably worked with Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Eric Clapton, and even started his career assisting for The Beatles." (The Recording Revolution 2011). From this we can clearly see the the GJT is worth researching as it has been used by some of the most influential musicians of all time. The beauty behind the GJT is the pure minimalism behind it. Instead of having to mic up each tom symbol, ETC. The GJT only uses four microphones. It starts with simply placing one mono-overhead above the snare or middle of the kit approximately 3/4 feet. This will allow you to gain a over all balanced sound of the kit. Equally balancing the entire kit. The next microphone (also an overhead) should be placed "to the right of the floor tom, maybe 6 inches above the rim and facing across the tom towards the snare and hi hat" (Th...
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