[Jim]

No, this is definitely NOT an easy one to jam over... I'm not sure I would even use the work "jam" with something this difficult - at least not until I would be comfortable with Jazz type solos - which I definitely am not. I'm also only used (and then only for less than 9 months or so) to soloing over 12 bar blues as well - I did this just to see if I could stretch what I knew into the unknown.

I also don't know the exact chords being used...and there is so much going on. I mainly played by ear - by using my experience with knowing where I have to go from where I am to get a particular interval I want for the melody that's forming in my mind, and that's a tough job to do on the fly. I really have SO much respect for those who can solo Jazz and fusion easily - it's got to be a real steep learning curve. That's the only reason I did this today - to learn. To see what I could do by ear without knowing what the chords were...because that situation could happen.

I think having the echo effect on earlier hid from me some of the delicacies of what was going on beneath and what I had to do on top. I think for the first minute of this I had an idea in my mind where the backing was going and what I wanted to sound like over it, but the last 40 seconds or so were harder, and I felt more lost as things seemed to be moving in directions I couldn't easily put into a mental pattern. I did the best I could, but I think I know that this kind of music is obviously still too advanced for me - but this was a good learning lesson for me and can only help me further with my learning since I have a better idea what lies ahead as I progress.

Jim H. - my hats off to you for being able to produce such music - it really blows my mind at this point, and I know I didn't do justice to it, so forgive me for learning with your music in public... I hope you don't mind.

Anyway, I did one more take with a cleaner tone, and this one I can adjust the volume of easier, so if the backing or lead are too loud/low I can easily adjust it.

Wow...what a day!

Jim S.


HANG ON - listening to this thru different speakers, I think Marty will again not be able to hear the backing well - so I'll remix will a lower lead and have that up in a couple of minutes,