rickenbacker bass + abbey road drums 1960 + ebow guitar - run into town - run 2


track: 13


sampled instrument(s) used:

scarbee rickenbacker bass
abbey road drums 1960s


real instrument(s) used:

gibson frank zappa model SG
2nd generation energy bow


bass and drums recorded: 20140228
ebow guitars recorded: 20140315

duration: 7:29

type:

bass, drums and energy bow improvised instrumental rock song

"run into town - run 2" was the next natural evolution for the bass and drum version, "run into town - run 1" - and on the evening of march 15, 2014, I sat down with my frank zappa model gibson sg guitar, and I fired up guitar rig, and began making live takes of improvised ebows - always starting out with an improvised ebow solo, and then going off into the unknown...

I took the bulk of the piece from one performance, and just punched in a few bits of other takes where I felt I could improve a particular section. the opening introduction is one entire performance, that leads directly into the drum and bass track - and I really had a blast with the amazing delay / reverb patch I was using on guitar rig - it took one ebow, and made it sound like a mini ebow orchestra, complete with delayed, high pitched notes following me, and a beautiful delay tail, so when I would "whip up" or "whip down" during the solos, it create the most beautiful tailing off sound.

in fact, I could really get the effect to do different things by applying different playing techniques, which I took full advantage of, I was fortunate, in that I was very, very familiar with the bass and drum part (having only very recently completed, mixed, and mastered it) - that really made it easy to just improvise appropriate melodies, and creating this second version of "run into town" was just purely joyful, and the sound of one ebow diving into that amazing set of harmonised delays - is just the perfect foil for the steady drums and the melodic, twisting and turning bass part.

I think in a lot of ways, this piece represents a perfect marriage of sampled and "real" instruments - using the bass and drum samples to create what may be the best sounding bass and drum track I have ever recorded - and then using real guitar atop the bass and drums, to add realism - and it works ! the ebow doesn't just play, it twists, turns, and weaves it's away through, around, and within the rhythm track, and the entire piece becomes one of the most unusual "power trio" recordings I have ever been involved in - and being able to "play" that bright, beautiful rickenbacker bass - what a fantastic experience.