Every once in a while I like to field a few questions just to keep the juices flowing. I’m pretty lazy about getting back to people but I’m happy whenever anyone takes the time to write. Thanks to Dean, Kevin and Adrian for writing me over at myspace.
Dean asks: “What was your cymbal and drum set up for Distance and Comfort?”
My core cymbal setup for the past 2 years has been a set of Paiste 2002s. I like the full sound they have and found them to sit loud in a mix while not becoming strident or harsh. I use 14″ Crunch Hats, 17″ Paper thin Crash, 20″ Crash, 20″ Crush Ride, 18″ Rock China, 20″ Novo China and a 10″ Splash. Most of the time I play with just 2 crashes, hi-hats and a ride but I’ll occasionally swap my righthand crash for a china or add a splash on the far left over my hats. My favorite setup is just hats, one crash and a ride. I have a few snares that I switch between. My favorites are a Pearl Steve Ferrone signature model and 13×7″ Brady Jarrah block snare. But the Brady is new and I didn’t get to use it on D&C. My small snare on that record is a Pork Pie 13×5″ maple something. All my other drums are Gretsch USA Maples. Over the years I’ve become really comfortable playing smaller drums. My favorite setup is a 10×7″ tom, 14×14″ floor tom, and a 18×16″ kick. I tune them low an play kinda light with small sticks (7As). This is pretty much my setup for D&C with the exception of “Not Today”and “Eulogy”. I played with a 12×9″ tom, 16×16″ floor tom and a 22×20″ kick on those songs. I’ve been toying around with 22×14″ kick and getting some cool sounds lately. We’ll see what happens with that.
Thanks Dean!
Kevin asks: “What chords are you playing on the second and third measures of the chorus in Eulogy? The first measure is G5, the second measure is some E chord, and the third is ??
In the chorus of Eulogy the chords are really simple. They’re actually only 2 notes at a time which I think technically disqualifies them from being chords. This was a long discussion in the van between Ashley and I about how many notes are in a chord. Eventually we found some vague conclusion but I digress…Here’s the meat and potatoes-
First half like this:
1. G+D
2. E+D
3. B+D
4. F#+D
Second half like this:
1. G+D
2. A+D
3. B+D
4. F#+DSo the second is an E with a dominant 7th and the third is a B with a minor 3rd. I think double tracking the guitars added enough shizz and whizz to keep it sounding full on the record. Your results might vary. Consult your physician first and season to taste. May cause blurry vision and diarrhea.
Thanks Kevin!
Adrian asks: “So, do you play all the instruments in the recording? Does it take longer time to record on you own or faster? like, if Incubus records 12 songs and you do 12 songs. which requires the most time?”
With Incubus we all play our own parts in a studio with an engineer. When I make solo records I play and record all the instruments by myself. Often this takes more time and every once in a while it’s faster. In either case it all depends on how much of the song is written before recording begins and/or how difficult it is to play the parts. It’s wonderful to be able to make an album alone but it’s also great to have a killer band so you can focus on one thing and watch everyone else nail their parts. Don’t ask me which is better. I think they’re two uniquely different experiences. One is only valuable when the other can be experienced. I tried explaining a similar view on something non-musical to an ex-girlfriend once and she refused to accept it. The moral of that story is you will take good care of others when you take good care of yourself… or something.
Thanks Adrian!
