Gamma Ray - What are they playing?

[micha]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsAgU5cwiQs

The little passage at ~3:37... What's happening here?
Is it just two guitars playing triplets in a third?
If it is, why does it sound that awesome?

Seriously, I have problems hearing what's happening there...
To me it sounds like 8x Cm 4x some kind of G7 repeated a step down with Bb and F7.
(sounds eaglish in deed )
But I won't get the phrasing. Is it just picked triplets? A pull of to each second note?

Ideas are welcome!

[levantin]

It sounds like 16th notes pulling off to an open string to me, in the melody of the solo from hotel california

[Argos]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsAgU5cwiQs
The little passage at ~3:37... What's happening here?
Is it just two guitars playing triplets in a third?
If it is, why does it sound that awesome?

Seriously, I have problems hearing what's happening there...
To me it sounds like 8x Cm 4x some kind of G7 repeated a step down with Bb and F7.
(sounds eaglish in deed )
But I won't get the phrasing. Is it just picked triplets? A pull of to each second note?

Ideas are welcome!

Sounds as though they're tricking your ear. To me it sounds like this:

Guitar 1 (background) arpeggiates a C minor triad (1-b3-5).
Guitar 2 (foreground) arpeggiates a C minor triad (1-b3-5) but adds an extra note (1-b3-5-5) instead of descending back down. That note lands on the b3 of the background guitar's arpeggio. So on that note, your brain is expecting the Eb octave but instead gets an 11th (octave + 4th, Eb + G). The sequence continues down through B, Ab, etc.

Pretty clever.

[micha]

So you think guitar 2 ends up playing the same one triplet behind?

With 1: C
3: Eb
5: G

something like

1 3 5 1 3 5 1 3 5 1 3 5 1 3 5
1 3 5 5 1 3 5 1 3 5 1 3 5 1 3

actually I always heard them as descending arps

5 3 1 5 3 1 5 3 1...

that would lead to

5 3 1 5 3 1...
5 5 3 1 5 3...

quite a similar result.

Could a delay sound that way?
With the time set to a triplet?

I absolutely agree they're fooling my ear, I always wasn't sure wether they're double picking each note (they quite often do), but even though the clicks sound that way it simply isn't fast enough.
Using a delay or doubling the same line with another guitar track could possibly be it.


But you're sure the arps are ascending?
I'm totally confused with this lick. Played it that often in different ways, I doubt I'm even able to hear the right notes at all at the moment.

I'm pretty sure the 5th is on the beat so the phrase could go
5 1 3 5 1 3 5 1 3 5 1 3 |


Usually I'm not that picky, but I had quite a few discussions about what could be going on there with the band (beer can make stuff like this really important ), it's buggin me somehow.

[Argos]

Sort of, but like this:

Guitar 1: 1353135313531353
Guitar 2: 1355135513551355

It gives the impression of descending. I'll play around with it later and maybe record and see if I'm right. It definitely doesn't sound like delay to me, though. The articulation makes me think I'm on the right track as well-- the notes certainly sound all picked/swept.

[micha]

That would be great, I'm totally lost now.

[micha]

I still think it's descending, but you're right with the last note beeing doubled.
At least in one guitar.
It seems to be 16th like levantin says.

Could it be

15-11--------15-11--------15-11--------15-11--------
-------13-13--------13-13--------13-13--------13-13-

15-11--------15-11--------15-11--------15-11--------
-------13-13--------13-13--------13-13--------13-13-

13-10-------13-10-------13-10-------13-10-------
------12-12-------12-12-------12-12-------12-12-

/19
---

13-10-------13-10-------13-10-------13-10-------
------11-11-------11-11-------11-11-------11-11-

13-10-------13-10-------13-10-------13-10-------
------11-11-------11-11-------11-11-------11-11-

11-8-------11-8-------11-8-------11-8-------
-----10-10------10-10------10-10------10-10-

/17
----


On e and b string?

I'm really sure it's the lowest note beeing doubled going down chromatically...

[markD]

not sure how to play it, or tab it....but that lick has always sounded like the part from "hotel california" played ultra fast.

[micha]

Well, it is mainly the same chords.
Hotel California starts with Bm instead of Cm IIRC, but other than that it's basically the same.
But I like "ultra fast" better.

[Argos]

Yo yo!

You figure this out yet? I broke my leg yesterday and so haven't been able to get around to it (typing this on my iPad from the hospital bed, post surgery)! Anyone else have any ideas?

[micha]

Hey Argos!
Yeah, read about it, really sorry to hear that.

Picking 16th at that speed is still beyond my skills, but I played it slower and did a guitar pro file with it to get an idea of how it sounds fast and I think I got it right, the way I noted it down above.
Combined with another track unisono going back up to the second note on the last of each group of 16th (as you expected) it sounds very much like it.

It seems to be one of their trademark licks anyway, I stumbled across a few really similar spots in other songs of them as well.
I'll post them when I find'em again, somehow I always forget about it right after...
Maybe listening to other examples could help you to verify what I think they're doing.

Thanks for your help anyway and a good recovery to you!

[Argos]

Yo man..

Post them licks. I'll whip up a GuitarPro tab of my interpretation; now that I've got nothin' but time!

[micha]

It seems to be one of their trademark licks anyway, I stumbled across a few really similar spots in other songs of them as well.
I'll post them when I find'em again, somehow I always forget about it right after...

Just been listening to some Gamma Ray and well, I found it again! Now, that took a while...
Maybe trademark lick was a bit too much, but the passage at around 3:10 sounds very much like the one above:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf-4L46xyqg

I know it's not march any more, but I thought I'd let you know anyway before I forget about the title again.

How has your recovery been going btw?
I hope you're up on your feet again?!

best regards,