Horn - Nick Drake (Cover)
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- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- Whenever I listen to or play this piece, I sense breathing and the holding of breath. The title ‘Horn’ implies controlled breathing applied to the instrument.
This instrumental requires only two strings, 3rd & 4th, tuned to F# and C# respectively.
Thank you for listening.
I'm very sorry that I did not record this inside to create a similar reverb to what Nick Drake managed to, however, it was the right time and place for me to play and record it. It's a shame because it sounds so flat here but this is how it is among felled trees.
I think it makes a great contrast to the vibrance of the foliage. It's like everything around you is so perfect but the feeling of the song is so isolated, lonely. Kind of beautiful in that way. Lovely cover man 💗
You have captured it beautifully Sam. It's both simplistic and moving.
Thank you Bill.
Awesome as always!
Greatful to have you listening as always Andy, thank you.
Wordlessly beautiful
Relaxing music x
The cut to black on the last note is a nice touch
você conseguiu mostrar o que o nick queria mostrar, parabéns
Great cover, sounds awesome!
Thank you very much.
good job !
Thank you
Loving your Nick Drake videos - keep them coming. I only play Nick Drake stuff myself, or my own variations. Bought a mid 60s Guild M20 10 years ago, use virtually dead 80/20 bronze strings on it and get pretty much the same tone as Pink Moon. Saw your comments on the Levin on the Acoustic guitar forum and was intrigued. Thought about getting a Levin over the years because of Nick having one, can certainly hear it on the early demos and aspect of five leaves left but can't hear it much on Pink Moon. The bass notes on songs like Things Behind the Sun have a to be a small bodied? What do you think?
So many 50 year old memories to sift through; people saying Martin D-28 until he got the 000-28. The grainy photo of him playing live looks like a Martin D-28 (no truss rod cover and no white binding around fingerboard like on the Levin) but I can never hear a d-28 on his recordings, even with dead strings. John Wood recorded me a few years ago and said he only remembers the Guild m20 but when he saw mine, he seemed to think Nick's was bigger.
You are very kind, thank you. Nice to hear you have a 60’s M20, there is an aura around that guitar, and it sounds great. I’ve just listened to your work, and you have captured the tone wonderfully. Things Behind the Sun is in standard tuning which may explain why the bass response sounds reeled in somewhat. However, it is indeed hard to put a finger on Pink Moon and I appreciate all views on the type of guitar and strings used for it keeps a lot of the mystery alive. Amazing that you have met John Wood, that must have been exiting and surreal?
Yes, the grainy photo you speak of is hard to make out details which fall into shadow. However, it is almost certainly an LS-18 to my eye. There is a shortcut to dead sounding strings I use which are called flat tops. They last for ages and hold a lot of tension - so be careful if you try them sometime on your Guild; maybe go a step lighter. I use those for all apart from the 6th string which is a Nickle/bronze round wound. I’m fairly content with the set up for now.
I agree, there is no D-28 sound present.
Perhaps in the future I can post more things from Pink Moon and see how it comes across tonally. Thank you again for your comments.
@@sam-lynch You are very welcome. Yes, I spent a day with John Wood in 2012 recording. Not very fruitful in terms of end product (never feel comfortable in a studio) but a great day in terms of chatting with him. We had lunch and we must have chatted for well over an hour about Nick and John's memories of him, the equipment he used to record him etc, really fascinating - he was very generous with his knowledge. Certainly made me want to buy a Sony c38 microphone but I got a vintage one a few years ago from Japan and it broke a week after so put me off buying another.
Yeah, tried all sorts of strings on my Guild (Nickel, flattops, silk and steel etc) but just prefer the sound of the 80/20 after a few months of use. It's showing its age now so was thinking of getting the new USA m20 (to supplement not replace).
Some recordings of the Levin off Pink Moon would be great, have you also tried Cello Song on it, which is another sound very associated with small bodied acoustic? We will probably never know what he recorded each song with unless photos emerge of him in the studio (unlikely). In term's of the live photo, performers back in the day on the folk circuit would have swapped and borrow instruments all the time. Nick played a few gigs with John Martin, who owned a Martin D-28 - could be that Nick borrowed it to perform. Quite a few have mentioned the Martin from his performing time of 68-70 (Beverley Martin/Thomson, Michael Chapman, Paul Wheeler), all musicians so seems odd they would all confuse the Levin for Martin, then there is the Robert Kirby quotes. Richard Thompson said he only remembers a small bodied Guild but in another interview said he never saw Nick in the studio as he recorded his parts separate, so assume he is basing that off when Nick supported Fairport Convention live. Peter Rice says it was Guild M20 at university but surely he would have had the Levin then. John Martyn would have been good person to ask, don't think anyone ever did, alas. Those I have spoke to who saw him live remember only the Guild (or a small brown guitar) but are their memories coloured by the Bryter Layter cover? Met a guy who saw him play a May Ball and he used a classical for every song. All just a spiders web of memories, recordings and a few photos - all adds the mystery of him.
@@AdamFoster-Music Although I’ve never been in a studio myself, I can imagine it being a pressure cooker of sorts. How many microphones did Wood use to record you? I didn’t realise Guild had upped their efforts from the disappointing GAK range, the USA range looks impressive.
With Cello Song, all but the third string are tuned to standard which is noticeable on the Levin. This is due to the note decay from the Maple wood making it sound small bodied when finger picked. Same applies to River Man and Things Behind the Sun. It’s awfully strange because when I hear the two versions of Hanging on a Star, I hear a dread, however, it was recorded on a 000-28. The way guitars change under string choice, tuning and environment can bring out many different qualities of the guitar’s composition making it hard to distinguish the exact instrument it is we are hearing.
All sightings of Nick's Guitar are one big headache that confuses me. I tried to rationalise this as the D-28/LS-18 cosmetic similarity, but for the rest I just don’t know.
@@sam-lynch He used a couple mics in stereo on my guitar (one ribbon and a small diaphragm Neumann km84) as that was what the studio had. I have spoken to him a few times since and he has his own pair of Sony C38 mics now, which he favours and used on the guitar on Pink Moon. Pink Moon was the first time he had mic'd a guitar in stereo, along with some room mics (even though he thinks he may not have used them in the mix) as on the first 2 albums he used a single Neumann Km56 on the guitar. You are right, the whole chain adds to the sound with Nick being the main component, then the guitar, choice and age of strings, room, mic and the Sound Techniques board. Impossible to replicate but nice to get in the same spectrum.
I did have the GAD 120, it was in the right territory but didn't have the projection. I've had 2 vintage Guild m20s and a Martin 0-15 since then and they were all much better but also 3 times the price. Other than the Guild being a photo prop, the main issue I have with it is the string spacing on the 60s models was very tight (they've addressed it on the new ones). I have medium to long fingers and I find it tight, Nick had very long fingers. I can't imagine him finding the Guild comfortable to play and therefore doubt he would choose it to record with.
Yes, the D-28 and LS-18 are the most rational choices for the 3 albums but the last songs recorded in 74, I can definitely hear a bigger bodied, richer sound as if he was using something very small bodied for the albums and then moved up sizes for the final songs onto the 000-28. Based on your experience and if I put the Guild to one side then I would guess it was the Levin on the albums (and it was that and the Yamaha he put on bonfire) and then the Martin 000-28 for the last songs. I still think that is Martin D-28 on the live photo though (no dot inlay on 3rd fret).
I am looking at the Martin D-28, D-18, 00-18 or the USA Guild M20 for my next guitar but will also keep my eye out for a Levin LS-18, even though that may be in addition. Last time I based my choice purely on the Nick Drake sound but this time I will base more on actually playing those instruments and choosing best one for me. The new M20 is half the price of the others, which may swing it though.
@@AdamFoster-Music Thank you for all the recording info here, it is very interesting to know. Sorry, I meant to type GAD previously. I know exactly how you feel about the string spacing, especially as my 70’s EKO Colorado has the same issue. The EKO is what you can see I’m playing in my profile pic taken at The Annual Nick Drake Gathering. Very similar tone to the 60’s era of M-20. Peter Rice oversaw all sound engineering for the weekend. Prior to that I had an FG-180 red label which I must admit I miss terribly. However, the Levin is a pure joy to play once adjusted to - you need large hands to play it so it will probably suit you very well indeed.
I wish you all the best with finding another guitar.
Wierd timing but its good
Thank you. Indeed, I was rather shocked when I listened to it back for the first time. I have a problem with tempo and timing, it's probably anxiety related.