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I wrote this tune many years ago and recorded it in the early '00s with a drummer and bass player.... At the time I thought it to be bluesy in a Robben Ford kinda way. It's on my instrumental album but it's one of the few instrumentals I've written that I haven't submitted.

I guess I'm not sure what to do with it ... thoughts? ...

It's called "Could It Be" on my Taxi page:

http://www.taxi.com/bobmelanson

Wow that is real nice, I'm hearing some Eric Johnson in there too along with Robben Ford, I like it a lot. As to what to do with it - I'm still working that out too, but from the opposite side, I more than likely would have submitted it to too many listings

Bob, I'm no guitar expert, but I can certainly hear this piece in a country tune, though I'm not sure how many guitar instrumentals there are in country music. I don't mean the chickin' pickin' songs, but more of the studio session guitarists type songs.

Hey Bob,
I don't think it's too bluesy, or too rockish, just rides between the two. Some creamy guitar tones in there Bob! I'm not hearing
Eric Johnson so much, though I bet you can play like him if you wanted to. I won't even try to critique this, it would be tainted
coz I'm a big fan of yours! One small nit, the reverb on the drums is a little wet, they sound great...just wet, FWIW
You go Boi
Steve

Hey Bob! Now, THAT is some fine, fine guitar playing! Love your tone, which is half the battle for guitarists. What guitar and amp did you use? I'm guessing a Mesa Boogie on the thicker lead sound. Maybe a Soldano, which is my amp of choice.

I also hear Eric Johnson, and on the cleaner rhythm work Hendrix. Very very tasty stuff. No nits to pick on this one.

Bluesy or rocky? I'd call it rock/fusion. More jazzy/rock than blues/rock to my ears. Your chops shine through, and blues guys don't really have that style of technique.

OT: Speaking of "rocky," I've contemplated moving to Nova Scotia some day. Are there any temperate areas there, like possibly Halifax? I don't know why I've thought of that --- maybe to get an earlier sunrise!

Great stuff!

Ern

Thanks for listening and the niceties!

@ern ... I can't remember for sure what amp it was during the rhythms but the solo was my Boogie +22 caliber, no pedals, cranked. I think I used a 70's vibroverb ( or vibrolux, can't remember the name, sold it a few years back) that I modded to black face spec. I had a Soldano, Hiwatt and 2 modded Marshalls at the time but I don't think it was any of them.

Nova Scotia is an awesome place to live but we do get snow in the winter ... I live an hour outside Halifax in an area known as the Annapolis Valley. Summers are hot and humid, lots of farms and apple trees, surrounded by mountains....

2lane wrote: I won't even try to critique this, it would be tainted
coz I'm a big fan of yours! One small nit, the reverb on the drums is a little wet, they sound great...just wet, FWIW
You go Boi
Steve

I think you're my biggest fan! ... I got carried away a bit with verb back then ... but too late to fix it now. I still have the wave files but would have to start from scratch with the mix.

bobmelanson wrote: Nova Scotia is an awesome place to live but we do get snow in the winter ... I live an hour outside Halifax in an area known as the Annapolis Valley. Summers are hot and humid, lots of farms and apple trees, surrounded by mountains....

Hey Bob, except for the mountains that sounds like where I grew up, SW Michigan on Lake Michigan. Summers, hot and humid, and I lived in fruit farm country surrounded by apple trees. We lived off of apples through the winter, which had LOTS of snow due to the lake effect.

Maybe I'll move up there and we can jam (if I can convince my wife...)

Once again, nice playing! Oh, I got the Boogie right. What kind of guitar?

Best,

Ern

Sure let's jam! ...

Guitar was an '83 Japanese Squire Strat with 2 humbuckers (splitable) and a single coil. Bought it when I was 14. It was my first guitar and is 1 of two electrics that I still own. I'm not much of a collector I sold most of my extra instruments and amps to build the studio.

Damn fine piece, Bob. And some beautiful guitar playing, if I may say so.

I agree it treads a comfortable line between blues and rock, which works well, imo. Hard to know where to place it – maybe a travelogue of some sort.

I thought it might need a little something (tambourine, perhaps?) at 1:00. And the first half of the bridge fell just a little flat, I thought (1:50 - 2:15). Maybe needs some keys or extra percussion in there.

Really enjoyed this, and jealous as anything at your playing.

Nick