While attending the Muse concert in Paris Bercy on 2006-12-14, I took particular notice of something rather specific in the sound of the band: their ability to bring out a mix of major and minor chords with full distortion on the bass or guitar, sometimes even superimposed with crystal clear keyboards.

Now, if you've ever tried to play a minor chord with half the distortion Muse actually uses, you've certainly noticed how awful this can sound. I sure did, and hearing this sound great at the distortion and amplification levels of Muse was intriguing. What was going on ?

Highly anticipated concert on Sunday: this is our "big" concert for the year, in a private festival of multiple musical styles.

Beautiful uncommon setup for an outdoors concert, with a stage set on a tiny island, with some stage art :

Tired of three lines tabs that only give the main riff ? Here's my own transcription of the version of U2's New Year's Day as featured on the "War" album.

Most guitars and basses, especially in the lower and middle price ranges have "dead spots", places on the neck that don't sound as well as other places. Sometimes there's a cheaper fix than going out to buy a more expensive axe.

Rasgueado is the well-known technique of flamenco guitar players. Because it sounds strong and can be impressive, one cannot but be tempted to try it on the bass.

However, the sound will typically lack the precision required for a non-solo bass part, especially if included in a slapping or tapping part accompaniment. But there is a trick...

Sometimes musicians do create themselves from art. Here is my account of one of these brief privileged moments with a oboe-toting lady.

Not as good as vintage stringed instruments, but still...

OK, then here is a pair of them : Moma Poka at the 7even festival, 2005.

After some months of procrastination, I've finally done a small site for the band I'm currently playing with, called Moma Poka.

Not that much content yet ; proper photos and recordings have to be done, but the team that shot the Bondoufle concert is now busy with Rolland-Garros, and I suppose it's probably more useful to them than remixing / remounting our show.

You can still have a look at Moma Poka's site, though.

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