Hi Folks,

At the Fall L1™ Conference held in October of 2006, we invited Joe Cocker and The Linemen music director Cliff Goodwin to join us for a discussion.

The premise was:

• Now that we can hear better...
  
  
• How can we play better.
  

We've received many positive comments from the session and many have asked for the video to be made available.

We've now completed the work.

There is an introduction and 14 chapters, each a few minutes long.

The videos are located on the wiki.

We are very interested in hearing your comments on these videos and ask that you do so by replying to this discussion thread. Please use the chapter number if appropriate in your responses.

With best regards,

Ken

[ken added ellipsis after first bullet]

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ken-at-Bose,

Ken,

Thank you for making this available for us.

To all:

I was present when this was recorded. Cliff's ideas have been a part of my every show and rehearsal since then.

Let me recommend these to you, and suggest that you invite your band and ensemble mates to view these too. Watch them and you will understand why.

Ken,
These are priceless. I remember the interview from Ashland, but hearing it all again really brings music from a performance standpoint into focus. It's all about making better live performances.

ST, I will be sharing these with my bandmates.

yes, wonderful stuff...thanks so much Ken!

I'm sending the link to several of my friends in bands... such a great presentaion of simple truths here.

Thanks for posting this stuff !


FocusPlayer
aka- Michael Nunley

Good morning to everyone.

Well, I've finally found time to start to view the videos and so far I've just seen the first two. Wow! - Cliff Goodwin nails it! He says in a few short minutes what most of us have experienced as we have got to know and love this sound system.

The one part that really hit home to me was when he started talking about the sound of guitar picks on strings. Honestly. since getting to know the Bose system, my picks have literally become an instrument in themselves.

As I've mentioned several times before, I love to play one-man reggae using a Boss looper. A big part of achieving a convincing reggae sound is the percussion. Not always the drums cos I don't have them but the detailed scratchy, shimmery percussion which hopefully just adds magic to the fininshed piece. You guessed it, this is where the guitar pick comes in. I generally use a very soft, thin pick and when used sideways on the bottom strings create excellent percussion sounds. Course I have re-programmed into my Digitech pedal guitar voices which as guitar sounds are awful sounding but are used specifically just to create these percussion details.

Just like Cliff said, it is only worth doing this now because the Bose L1 is just like a mirror and it sends out in great clarity exactly what you put in. I have tried the same thing through my Carvin PA and it just lacks something, in fact without the detail it starts to sound like a mistake and therfore it's better not to bother.

Anyways, I'd better be getting some breakfast and I look forward to viewing the remaining videos. All the best, Gordon. Thanks Chris.

Gordon, that's great: your music through one system sounds like a mistake and through the L1 becomes a mirror. Please check your private topics, I sent you one.

Wayne

Hi Wayne,

Forgive me for being a computer illiterate but how do I view a private topic?

It was just the scratchy pick sound that sounded like a mistake and hopefully not the whole music. Ha, ha.....

Then again, I guess that depends on if you like reggae style or not.

I look forward to reading your mail as soon as I can find it, thanks. Gordon.

quote:

Forgive me for being a computer illiterate but how do I view a private topic?

Hi Gordon

click on your name DAKTARI

click view public profile

when you get there click Private Messaging

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,

Thanks ST,

I managed to stumble onto the private message thing eventually but thanks for the pointer. Sorry to have got this into this thread, - they can be deleted if that would keep it tidier.

Thanks, Gordon.

#9 Arranging in Space

Cliff and Ken talk about how having individual performers playing through their own L1™s is different.

This was one of the profound differences for me. I started with my own L1™ (the only one) in my band. Then I shared it with the other Guitar playing vocalist because he was the 'talent', and I was the support. The shocking contrast (my presence and clarity versus the general confusion of his vocals lost in the PA) was inappropriate. So I could have given him my L1™ or we could share. I wasn't going to give it up, so we had to share.

Background:
We had always bounced vocals and Guitar parts back and forth. We would trade lines and roles in the songs. This was part of the fun and we liked to share that fun with our audiences. We thought that they understood and were completely following along.

Two L1™ s.
When we got the second L1™, I basically got mine back, and he ran through the other one.

We started getting really interesting comments from our audiences. The regulars who had been with us for years commented on how different (and better) it was to completely understand the different things that we brought to the stage. They talked about being able to really sense the musical conversation that we were having and sharing with them.

The difference was stunningly, compellingly different.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,

#3 Playing on an L1™ system "is like making a record" because everything you play, now, like on a record, can be heard.

A couple of nights ago I was out front on a very loud stage. Just me, a microphone, an acoustic Guitar, and my L1™ and the loud band behind me.

I was maybe four feet in front of the L1™ and all the controls on the Remote were straight up (except I had rolled back the Lows on the Guitar a little because the open strings were getting away from me).

When it came time to solo, there was no place to go volume-wise. At least not up. So I laid back and went simple until the guys behind me figured it out. And then it got interesting.

If you don't play Guitar, you can stop reading now.

I started playing as I would for a quiet audience in an 'unplugged' situation. Lots of right hand dynamics with finger tip and thumb mute harmonics. These are things you just don't expect to be able to pull off on a loud stage. And yet there they were. I could tell by the look on the players' faces in the audience that they were hearing it too. Now THAT was fun.

I happened to have the Guitar plugged into an small tube overdrive unit (it was on the stage for my Electric and I just happened to have plugged into it). So in a later song, I hit the button and got the sweetest gentle growl that drifted into eternal sustain. After the attack passed, it almost sounded 'bowed' and I played another solo made up on the vocal lines done in slides, hammers, pulls and some harmonics to add a bell like quality.

I've been using the L1™ for awhile and it's not unusual to do this, but it was interesting to reflect. There is a lot going on now in my playing that I would not have done before. I probably would not have found it, and even if I had, it just wouldn't have been heard.

But having said that, I am also completely comfortable to *not* play through significant portions of a song. Because there is no need to be doing all that "dumb stuff" Cliff talks about.

Edited for grammar and clarity.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,

#8 - Mutually Assured Destruction

While all of clips were great - thanks for sharing them, Ken - what Cliff said in this clip was almost profound. "You can't appreciate LOUD if you don't juxtapose it with soft...

To me, music is all about dynamics and emotion. Technical ability on your instrument certainly helps, but I've been moved to tears by average players who deliver feeling with their music. Being an average player myself, I won't be drawing crowds with my virtuosity, so I'd better be delivering something they can connect with.

I plan to make this whole series required viewing at our next rehearsal.

Hi David,

Good points.

The principles Goodsie talks about are to me deep and ancient. Thus, they are independent of the L1 system.

We have found that the L1 system is a medium where these principles can be applied with little compromise and where their application is particularly rewarding. "Like making a record."

I hope that everyone here gets a chance to at least sample the videos.

Ken

1 to 14 are rules to live by for every musician (L1 user or not). Thanks Ken

<adouglas stands and applauds>

THANK YOU KEN!

<adouglas sits back down>

I was hoping that somehow, somewhere the video shot at the conference would be made available to us. The presentations were all SO good, and well worth preserving for posterity.

Watched them all. Sage advice.

It should somehow be required viewing for anyone considering joining or forming a band.

Hey I can only see the first video on my macbook, when I click the others it just plays the first one again, please help!

Aaron

Hi Aaron,

Try this link:

http://toonz.ca/How_to_Play_Better