[Harp-L] RE: what key?

[Robert Hale]

All Along the Watchtower is a repeating 3 chord pattern: Cm / Bb Ab
(Hendrix), but let's use Am / G F (Dave Matthews)

Is it Key of Am, or relative Major C?
Numbers: 6m/5 4

Robert Hale
dukeofwail.com
Gilbert AZ (Phoenix)
*

*

[phil...@aol.com]

Saw an ad for a desktop retro-looking 6-inch USB Samson Meteor mic in a
guitar magazine that I get. The photo looks great and a couple of
youtubeos said it would be available at Best Buy in April.

Anybody have any experience with this? Some of the comments said it was
superior to other USB mics because mic element is larger than most.

Or this there a better mic out there that works better for this job of
casual recording?

Best Buy:
<http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samson+-+Meteor+Mic+Studio+USB+Microphone/19
50242.p?id=1218303699398&skuId=1950242&st=samson%20meteor%20mic&cp=1&lp=1
>

At the Samson site you can even download (and print) the 24-page
manual "USB Studio Microphone for Computer Recording"
Samson:
http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=2065

Phil

[Richard Hunter]

phil...@aol.com wrote:
<Saw an ad for a desktop retro-looking 6-inch USB Samson Meteor mic in a
< guitar magazine that I get. The photo looks great and a couple of
<youtubeos said it would be available at Best Buy in April.
<
<Anybody have any experience with this? Some of the comments said it was
<superior to other USB mics because mic element is larger than most.
<
<Or this there a better mic out there that works better for this job of
<casual recording?

I haven't tried this mic. In its price range, there's a fair amount of competition, including the Audio Technica AT2020 USB, AT's USB version of a well-regarded large diaphragm condenser mic, plus models from Blue and other manufacturers.

Where condenser mics are concerned, for $100 you get good, not amazing, but the good is really pretty good, and most harp players will find that acoustic harp recordings in particular are much better with a mic like this than with an SM57 or SM58. (Though I find that a Fireball produces a very nice acoustic harp sound, and you can cup the Fireball in your hands, unlike a large diaphragm condenser.)

I think the best way to buy a mic for recording is to go to the nearest musical instrument store, set up 4-5 mics in your price range side by side, and record the same passage through all of them into a multi-track recording device. Then you can compare the tracks to see which you like best. That's really the only way you're going to figure out which of the $100 condensers out there is best for you.

If you've already got a Fireball, you might be just as well off at a lower price point by buying a USB mic interface such as the Blue Icicle:
http://backstage.musiciansfriend.com/Pro-Audio/Computers-Peripherals/Computer-Audio-Interfaces-Convertors/Icicle-XLR-to-USB-Mic-Converter-Mic-Preamp.site1sku330275000000000.sku

That device will let you run the Fireball straight into the computer, and it gives you a headphone jack so you can monitor what's going on. And it's about half the price of a mic.

Even less expensive: a cable from Nady with an XLR connector for a mic at one end and a USB connector for your computer at the other:
http://backstage.musiciansfriend.com/Pro-Audio/Computers-Peripherals/Computer-Audio-Interfaces-Convertors/UIC-10-USB-Interface-Cable--10.site1sku582724000000000.sku

Regards, Richard Hunter

author, "Jazz Harp"
latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://hunterharp.com
Myspace http://myspace.com/richardhunterharp
Vids at http://www.youtube.com/user/lightninrick
more mp3s at http://taxi.com/rhunter
Twitter: lightninrick

[Ken Deifik]

Phil wrote:
>6-inch USB Samson Meteor mic
>

>Anybody have any experience with this?

http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/21/samson-meteor-mic-review/

[The Iceman]

I see it as "A-" for the chord progressions. In discovering the wonderful world of "how to improvise", I sometimes envisioned the C scale (easy for pianists to do) and tried pulling ideas off of it as a simple C scale explored. The ideas played sounded happy, although a bit "left of center" over the chords, but interesting nonetheless. It was an easy progression on to "just starting on the 'A' and exploring ideas that sounded sadder (minor feel)". These ideas sounded more "right on" over the chords, but were unhappy sounding due to the minor key. Now I had happy ideas and sad ideas and eventually learned to move from one to the other easily over the chord progression. The next step was to start on the "F" and learn how cool that faux raised fourth sounded, or just left it out to discover ideas on an "F" sounding reference.

It was a good beginning in understanding how to improvise.

[Buck Worley]

6m/5 4 Key of C in aeolian mode?
BW

> Date: Sun, 8 May 2011 12:13:33 -0700
> From: rob...@dukeofwail.com
> To: har...@harp-l.org

> Subject: [Harp-L] RE: what key?
>