Effect in Theme from SHAFT
Mark Blagdon
I was listening to the first track on the Shaft soundtrack last
night, and there was a cool muted guitar track that had some kind of
EQ filter on it. It sounded a bit like a Wah, but I couldn't hear the
EQ range sweeping very much it sounded more like a 'whacka'. I'd like
some info on how get that type of sound.
Cheers,
Mark.
--
(mbla...@ford.com)
Tel - (313) 621-8135
David Jacoby
>night, and there was a cool muted guitar track that had some kind of
>EQ filter on it. It sounded a bit like a Wah, but I couldn't hear the
>EQ range sweeping very much it sounded more like a 'whacka'. I'd like
>some info on how get that type of sound.
What's going on, at least as far as I could tell by watching Isaac Hayes
play it on Letterman, is that it's playing natural harmonics with a wah.
For most of the neck, there's little, but at the 12th fret there's the
big one, so slide it up and down, strumming a lot but not fretting anything.
>Cheers,
>Mark.
--Dave
"That man Shaft is a bad motha-"
Patchy Groundfog
>
> The effect is clearly a wah. A similar effect can be had with an old
> Electro-Harmonix envelope filter. That Shaft is a bad mutha... SHUT YO
> MOUTH.
> JDW...@aol.com (J. Williams)
> "Because a Les Paul is a terrible thing to waste."
Isn't that chop-chop-wah sound basically the soundtrack to the entire
decade of the 70s?
Mike Healy
I remember when I was going to college around 1972, I had finished my shift
as a cab driver and was riding my bike home around 2 am. This band was
playing Shaft in this after hours club. From the time I came into earshot
until I got out of range (seemed like half an hour but was probably more
like 10 minutes), they were playing that wah part. And the crowd was eating
it up. They loved it. For all I know, that band is still playing that wah
part ;-P
"Shut your mouth"
Mike Healy
Ben Decho
Blagdon) wrote:
>Hi,
> I was listening to the first track on the Shaft soundtrack last
>night, and there was a cool muted guitar track that had some kind of
>EQ filter on it. It sounded a bit like a Wah, but I couldn't hear the
>EQ range sweeping very much it sounded more like a 'whacka'. I'd like
>some info on how get that type of sound.
>
>Cheers,
>Mark.
Mark, it's a phase shifter. Time delay wise, one step lower than a
flanger, 2 lower than a chorus. I have an old Electro Harmonix Small
Stone that locks in on that sound.
Sean Ryan
Did Issac Play All The Guitars on the Theme Song and how about
the rest of the album?
-
SEAN RYAN YUE...@prodigy.com
Jon Wilson
: Hi,
: I was listening to the first track on the Shaft soundtrack last
: night, and there was a cool muted guitar track that had some kind of
: EQ filter on it. It sounded a bit like a Wah, but I couldn't hear the
: EQ range sweeping very much it sounded more like a 'whacka'. I'd like
: some info on how get that type of sound.
It's just a wah. The 'whacka' is merely using the wah in conjunction with
a percussive strumming of muted strings. Issac Hayes has impressive wah
control. You really have to hear it on a good clean recording to really
be able to pick up all the nuance. Pick up the latest Issac Hayes, and
listen to 'Son of Shaft'. The intro to that song has the same 'whacka'
super-funk vibe.
BTW, don't abuse the effect. It was *way* overdone on just about every
'70s TV cop show (Beretta, SWAT, Charlie's Angels, etc..) whenever the
seedy characters made their intro. It's probably even more cliched than
Yngwie's harmonic minor stuff. Be careful!
Jon
--
_____________________________________________________________________________
|< j...@pine.cse.nau.edu ++ Jon Wilson, CSEE Major >|
| Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA |
|___________________________________________________________________________|
Gil Boyd
influenced by the presence of MXR's Phase shifters in those old
whacka-whacka guitar parts. Watch 'CHIPS' or 'Cannon' to get a
good dose of that noise.
The Simpsons, a great source of social commentary, used the
phase-shifted guitar chop to accompany Homer Simpson's wild ride
in his car once when he was trying to catch Flanders. It was
just like an old CHIPS car chase scene......
And I'm not just talkin' 'bout Shaff....
Rent and view 'Superfly' for some real nostalgia and killer
soundtracking by Curtis Mayfield....
Later, mothers....
--
**************************************************
I feel more like I do now than I ever have before.
**************************************************
Mark Zedaker
Patchy Groundfog <st...@ix.netcom.com> writes:
> Isn't that chop-chop-wah sound basically the soundtrack to the entire
> decade of the 70s?
I think it's called "wakka-chicka" ^_^ I've been wondering how to
do it for awhile now, too, tho, just so I can play along to "Mitchell"
(and anyone who watches MST3K will know what I'm talking about ^_^)
Michael Burke
>
> I think it's called "wakka-chicka" ^_^ I've been wondering how to
>do it for awhile now, too, tho, just so I can play along to "Mitchell"
>(and anyone who watches MST3K will know what I'm talking about ^_^)
Ah, the awe inspiring acting range of Joe Don Baker, truly one of the
immortals...
Anyway, to get that "wakka chicka" sound you rock the pedal forward to
the treble position and back again very quickly, (that's the "chicka"
part, love that technical terminology), against abackground of strumming
with the pedal rocked back. Make sure the strings are all muted. I
actually use my wah pedal as a way to practice rhythym stuff. I'll set up
a sixteenth note pattern with the pedal rocked back, (wakka wakka wakka
wakka), with a metronome as support. Then I'll try and drop the "chicka"
into a certain spot on the beat. It's harder than it sounds, but it does
help to develop your ear, and gives you mastery over that seventies
background music.
Off the subject a couple of friends and I were jamming one day and I
started doing a wah wah scratch thing, and they all came in around it,
the sax player decided it sounded like the music to his father's
collection of ummm, "adult" films. We wen't on to compose "A tribute to
the great music of Seventies Pornography". What's the deal with the wah
wah sound and sex films?
Anyway I hope that helped, and if you want jam to MST3K, jam along to
that toe tapping theme to "Manos the Hands of Fate".
Regards,
Michael
Jim Pulling
>On 12 Mar 1996 13:32:58 GMT, mbla...@peacdr1.nottingham.ac.uk (Mark
>Blagdon) wrote:
>>Hi,
>> I was listening to the first track on the Shaft soundtrack last
>>night, and there was a cool muted guitar track that had some kind of
>>EQ filter on it. It sounded a bit like a Wah, but I couldn't hear the
>>EQ range sweeping very much it sounded more like a 'whacka'. I'd like
>>some info on how get that type of sound.
>>
>>Cheers,
>>Mark.
>Mark, it's a phase shifter.
No it's not. It's a wah-wah. And it's fairly easy to do if you've got
a good sense of rhythm. You set the controls on the guitar to give a
high treble. Then you do a straight open/damp rhythm starting with the
wah-wah on the bass end. You fit the movement of your foot on the
wah-wah with the rhythm and as the wah-wah hits the treble end you
hold it past the beat then snatch it back.
I think as mentioned elsewhere wah-wah's were done to death in the
70's. (Especially when every bloody magician in existence who wanted
musical backing wanted Shaft) In any case, its much more interesting
to get an unusual sound effect without using an effects pedal.
Regards
Jim Pulling
Richard W Strom
>Off the subject a couple of friends and I were jamming one day and I
>started doing a wah wah scratch thing, and they all came in around it,
>the sax player decided it sounded like the music to his father's
>collection of ummm, "adult" films. We wen't on to compose "A tribute to
>the great music of Seventies Pornography". What's the deal with the wah
>wah sound and sex films?
I've often quizzed over why my two favorite sounds - wah guitar and slap
bass - are featured so prominently in porno "sound"tracks. Maybe I'm a
pervert. Its too bad, because you can write some great slap/wah songs,
but no matter what, everyone things your doing some baum-chika-waum-waum
porno.
Here is music that desperately needs good lyrical content. And maybe
some echoed female "ooohs" sampled in for good measure.
Oh, and when you play this stuff, be sure to do that Jimyy Page from The
Song Remains the Same hip action "thrust thrust thrust!!!" or hump your
guitar. Whip 'em into a frenzy!
--
___ _ _ __ __ ___ _ Rick W. Strom
| _ (_)__| | __ \ \ / / / __| |_ _ _ ___ _ __ ustr...@mcl.ucsb.edu
| / / _| |/ / \ \/\/ / \__ \ _| '_/ _ \ ' \
|_|_\_\__|_|\_\ \_/\_(_) |___/\__|_| \___/_|_|_| Little Grey Men!
@
Mike Healy
>In article <3146EE...@ix.netcom.com>
>Patchy Groundfog <st...@ix.netcom.com> writes:
>
>> Isn't that chop-chop-wah sound basically the soundtrack to the entire
>> decade of the 70s?
>
>do it for awhile now, too, tho, just so I can play along to "Mitchell"
>(and anyone who watches MST3K will know what I'm talking about ^_^)
First get a pair of Angel's Flight pants and a polyester shirt.
Mike Healy
Sean Costello
>I've often quizzed over why my two favorite sounds - wah guitar and slap
>bass - are featured so prominently in porno "sound"tracks. Maybe I'm a
>pervert. Its too bad, because you can write some great slap/wah songs,
>but no matter what, everyone things your doing some baum-chika-waum-waum
>porno.
Uh, not to go into too much detail, but try making the beast with two backs
while listening to "Anthology" by Sly and the Family Stone, and you'll
understand what the whole wah-funk thing is about.
Sean
Joseph Grossman
>Yo Shaft Muthafuckas,
>
>Did Issac Play All The Guitars on the Theme Song and how about
>the rest of the album?
I don't know who played what on the album, but live Issac plays *keyboards*
(he actually plays a real mean jazz piano) and sings. (On that tune he
just sings).
He has two guitarists, one of which plays solely the wah/scratching which
is, of course, the trademark of the song.
-jg
Steve Bishop
The Shaft soundtrack lists "Michael Toles, Charlie Pitts - lead and rhythm guitars". If they meant that respectively...Charlie Pitt=
s would be our "Whacka-chicka" man.
-- Steve
Thomas F Brown
>
>Uh, not to go into too much detail, but try making the beast with two backs
>while listening to "Anthology" by Sly and the Family Stone, and you'll
>understand what the whole wah-funk thing is about.
It's about making shadow puppets?
herr...@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu
> In article <4i78dr$1s...@useneta1.news.prodigy.com> YUE...@prodigy.com (Sean Ryan) writes:
>>Yo Shaft Muthafuckas,
>>
>>Did Issac Play All The Guitars on the Theme Song and how about
>>the rest of the album?
>
> I don't know who played what on the album, but live Issac plays *keyboards*
> (he actually plays a real mean jazz piano) and sings. (On that tune he
> just sings).
>
> He has two guitarists, one of which plays solely the wah/scratching which
> is, of course, the trademark of the song.
While we're on this subject, has anyone heard the soundtrack from Superfly
by Curtis Mayfield? There is some great playing on the album, and the instruments
come together nicely, although it is still a period piece.
Anyone know the musicians who played on this? Mayfield himself plays some
guitar, but I know he had another player.
Alex
Paul H.
Hehehe... HAH HAH HAH...
Actually, I tried what Sean suggested, but had a few problems: 1) I
couldn't get out of my tight leisure suit, 2) I almost strangled
myself on my gold disco chain, and 3) dressed as I was (and
considering my choice of music), I could only come up with one back.
BTW, I get the "wah" part, but are you sure "funk" was spelled
correctly?
:)
Thomas F Brown
>tomb...@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (Thomas F Brown) wrote:
>
>>In article <costello.7...@costello.seanet.com> cost...@costello.seanet.com (Sean Costello) writes:
>>>
>>>Uh, not to go into too much detail, but try making the beast with two backs
>>>while listening to "Anthology" by Sly and the Family Stone, and you'll
>>>understand what the whole wah-funk thing is about.
>
>>It's about making shadow puppets?
>
>Hehehe... HAH HAH HAH...
>
>Actually, I tried what Sean suggested, but had a few problems: 1) I
>couldn't get out of my tight leisure suit, 2) I almost strangled
>myself on my gold disco chain, and 3) dressed as I was (and
>considering my choice of music), I could only come up with one back.
Hey, one back and one puppet is all you need.
Daniel P. Martin
: jgro...@njmsa.UMDNJ.EDU (Joseph Grossman) wrote:
: >In article <4i78dr$1s...@useneta1.news.prodigy.com> YUE...@prodigy.com (Sean Ryan) writes:
: >>Yo Shaft Muthafuckas,
: >>
: >>Did Issac Play All The Guitars on the Theme Song and how about
: >>the rest of the album?
: >
: >I don't know who played what on the album, but live Issac plays *keyboards*
: >(he actually plays a real mean jazz piano) and sings. (On that tune he
: >just sings).
: >
: >He has two guitarists, one of which plays solely the wah/scratching which
: >is, of course, the trademark of the song.
: > -jg
:
: The Shaft soundtrack lists "Michael Toles, Charlie Pitts - lead and rhythm guitars". If they meant that respectively...Charlie Pitt=
: s would be our "Whacka-chicka" man.
:
: -- Steve
:
Who's the private dick who's a sex machine with all the chicks?
SHAFT!
You damn right!
Keith Cowgill
: Who's the private dick who's a sex machine with all the chicks?
: SHAFT!
: You damn right!
They say that cat Shaft is a bad mutha...
Shut yo mouth!
But I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft!
We can dig it.