Tuesday, July 6, 2010
IT begins
Alright, I've decided to start a blog dedicated to everything that is the sound of Trey Anastasio. I'm going to link all of my youtube videos to this blog and hopefully it'll be the start of something cool. Basically, I'm tired of answering the same questions again and again on the different videos, so I figured I'd start a site where I can answer questions offer advice, and hopefully learn from others out there who are way better than I am at playing the guitar.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Mike, I think it would be really informative to talk about some of the nuance techniques used to achieve that signature Trey sound. Things like pre bending and the way he slides into notes. You've got a lot of that nailed. A video on phrasing would be great too! Thanks! And keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteI hear ya... I've been really busy lately, but I have 6 days off over the last 14 days of July, and I want to try to get at least a couple new videos up; not covers, but instructional stuff. Check back soon and I should have something.
ReplyDeleteya man the instructional stuff would be great ! you have an excellent feel for trey (and even phish's) sound in general and can be a huge asset to striving guitarists like us...
ReplyDeletewhen ur talking about ending on other notes to create tension: in the key of e, you were saying he lands on D a lot ? is that right ?
thanks again and please keep em' coming !
im really excited about the potential of this website blogg!
Give B and F# a shot.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of the insight, Mike. Very impressed with your playing. There are many Phish "cover" guys who can really nail the orchestrated songs, but I have never seen any of them able to jam unscripted and still sound "phishy". You really seem to channel Trey when you play, and that's a very unique gift. Thanks for sharing your talent and time with us.
ReplyDeleteMike, thanks for creating this blog and the instructional videos. Trey is who has inspired me to pick up the guitar and it's great to have this help decoding his style. I'd like to ask for your help with these two questions:
ReplyDelete1. When you switch between modes, are you thinking about "now I switch to a different pattern" or are you thinking about "just change the notes that are different" from the current mode"?
2. When improving over the A G D E jam in Slave to the Traffic light, would you just stick with A major / A mixolydian, or would you be also be changing to G D and E as the chords change?
Thanks!
Scott,
ReplyDeleteTo answer question number 1, I'd say I probably think more about the scale patterns than the individual notes. I've played the scales so much that I know where I should be when playing (for example) D Dorian vs. D Mixolydian, so I don't really think, 'Now I'm playing Dorian, I better play an F... now I'm playing Mixolydian, better play an F#'... I just think about whether or not what I'm playing sounds right.
For Slave, I've always played A Major over the A, D, and E chords and A Mixo over the G chord. I'd need to sit down and listen to the other modes to see if they'd fit, but my gut feeling tells me they wouldn't work because too many notes wouldn't sound right.
Thanks for the comment and keep 'em coming!
man oh man i have been waiting for this for years, i just got back from jones beach, front and center both nights, in fact trey looked at me after bathtub gin 2nd night and heard my request for tube, after all he did say they are an "all request band" and so they played it, it was somethin special. now all i want to do is learn how to rage that song, i been playin for a while but like you said i have to stop ending my solos on the same note. could you drop a lil knowledge my way regarding what scales to use during tube/maybe some chord references, keep up the good work
ReplyDeletequick question for you...first of all, thanks for taking the time to field questions...
ReplyDeleteI saw a video you put together and you were discussing the solo of harry hood. are you playing major pentatonic scales over the D, A, G? I really like your insight on what trey is doing by creating tension and then releasing it...I am trying to achieve this to make my playing more interesting.
Thanks!
khakattack,
ReplyDeletethe jam part of tube is pretty basic... its just a groove over an Am7, so I generally play the A Dorian scale. after the Am7 groove they go F#m to G#m, but that part is in a different time signature so its a little tricky to play.
matt,
for the D, A, G jam of Hood, i play the D Major scale (D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#). also I use a lot of arpeggios for the individual chords.
i would to see you cover and explain my friend my friend im strugglin and i feel like the tab im getting sounds off idk
ReplyDeletewhen are you going to do another one ?
ReplyDeletei'm dying for another trey lesson video !!! : /
Mike... I mostly just deal with the improv styles of Trey. I could try to learn and explain songs like My Friend My Friend, but I'd be taking the same approach you are: getting a tab and going through it piece by piece.
ReplyDeleteBernabe... I've been busy with work and my vibrant social life (<- slight sarcasm). As winter rolls around and I feel like going outside less, expect to see more lessons pop up.
in case anybody out there in treyland was wondering - i know i wondered for awhile about it -
ReplyDeleteuse a whammy pedal for that psychedelic bendy sound that trey recently started using. you hear it starting with '09 phish but i think he started using it with solo stuff maybe a year or two prior to this. with a whammy IV it's the drop tune function which lets you dip to a whole step below the note you're playing.
trey's used a whammy for a long time. just hasn't used it like this. i think it contributes to a rather epic sort of tone he's using these days.
if you want to capture some of the new trey sound you gotta get one. it's super fun. sounds great with a mixolydian scale but it works anywhere and everywhere. just keep it tasty! (and of course you can also use a whammy with a looper and set it for a 1 or 2 octave pitch shift to get the loopy siren sound he does. another good staple trey thingy)
for a goto sample: runaway jim night 2 of the first show back in 3/09. he kicks it in at around 4:37.
but listen to any recent stuff and you'll hear it all over the place.
let me know what ya think if you try it! i guarantee it'll make ya smile :)
Adam,
ReplyDeleteYea, Trey has definitely started using his whammy in different ways since they started up again in '09. He's always had the Digitech Whammy II as part of his setup, but he used to use it primarily for octave effects. Now he does more of the detuning/harmonizing effects. Sometimes he uses it a little too much I think, but it is definitely a big part of his sound now.
A Whammy II is at the top of my wish list, and I've been scouring Ebay trying to find one for a good price. I've found a couple in Tokyo as well, but they are twice as expensive here than they are in the states. From everything I've read though, the Whammy II is way better than the new IV, so I'm going to do my best to get one ASAP.
Thanks for commenting!
i got myself a whammy II a few months back. (i'm in a sort of phish cover band so i took the plunge for authenticity) it is nice and i'd recommend spending a few extra bucks to get that one instead of the IV. i got mine on craigslist so take a look there too.
ReplyDeletethanks again for making this site. i'm looking forward to seeing some more vids up here!
You've got the Trey sound down really well. From what I gather he seems to land on chord tones on the strong beats, and basically plays arpeggios with a few connecting scale tones. And every so often he'll play some dominant/altered/dimished arpeggio over a dominant chord to bring a stronger resolution to the next chord. Sound about right?
ReplyDelete