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Tim Miller Transcriptions Transcription of 'Shift' from "Trio".
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Frequently Asked Questions Hi everyone. Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions Page. I get a lot of questions through e-mail, at concerts and from my students at Berklee about different aspects of my playing style and recordings.
Question #1 How did you achieve your tone on "Trio"? It sounds like an acoustic and an electric guitar at the same time.
Tim's Response: The sound on "Trio" is a sound that I have been imagining in my mind for a long time, and it has finally been realized on this recording. It was achieved by combining my chambered Klein electric guitar through a mic'd amp while simultaneously micing the guitar with a large diaphragm condenser microphone placed close to the guitar's body. I was able to mix the two together to achieve a true blend of electric and acoustic sounds. With this technique, I am able to capture the nuances of my touch while still retaining my electric tone. I like the sound of natural acoustic treble frequencies that cannot be achieved with regular electric guitar equipment. The combination of the true acoustic high-end with the mid-range of the electric gives me more of a frequency range that blends with other instruments very well. I am also able to achieve more of a dynamic range out of the guitar, which helps me to express "micro-variations" in touch. Also, more percussive, pianistic effects are more easily achieved with this sound concept.
Question #2 How did you write the music on "Trio"?
Tim's Response: All of the music on "Trio" was composed on the guitar. The music was written specifically for Josh, TaKe, and myself to play together. I had their unique sounds in mind while writing. The entire recording consists of intertwining themes that occur throughout the different songs. From the beginning until the end, the songs are "glued" together thematically. Some of the thematic material is harmonic, some melodic. Some of the themes are more obvious, while others are hidden. Repeated listening will reveal the different layers. The two exceptions are T.R, written way back in 1991 , and "Two View." These two songs just felt right to include with the others to complete the record. I wanted to document the way this trio sounds when we play live. The music was written to allow a sense a freedom that is so unique to the trio setting.
Question #3 What kind of guitar amplifier did you use on "Trio"?
Tim's Response: On "Trio", I used two guitar amplifiers: a Fender Pro Junior and a Peavey Classic 50 with 4x10 speakers. These amps were used in conjunction with a microphone placed close to the guitar as described in Question #1.
Question #4 What kind of guitar picks and strings do you use?
Tim's Response: I use large teardrop Gibson medium gauge picks. On Trio I also used a Herco thumb pick on Untied, Shift and Density 1 & 2. For strings, I use a GHS roundwound hybrid set with 11s on the top and 10s on the bottom. |
