Robert Ritchiesse: Non Brewed Condiment, theme and solo

Well, I hope you like my 11-stringed guitar version of Allan Holdsworth’s tune Non Brewed Condiment, the Atavachron-album version.
This video is only a video-camera recording with a stereo microphone carefully positioned in the room, with carefully tested signal checks form the surrounding sound sources the loud-speakers and the guitar-amp – no more recording preparations what so ever. In the sound ”picture”, Allan’s Synthaxe seems to be panned from full left to full right. My guitar is positioned in the ”middle left” appr. ’between 10 and 11 on a clock board’.
I do not wanted to let my guitar dominate in the room ”mix”; that would sound weird and ”uncomfy” to me, especially when playing along the tune. Instead, I wanted to enjoy some kind of feeling of ”playing with the great guys” – almost the feeling of playing solo-duet with the great Allan. *haha* Therefore, I let my guitar blend in into the music real nice, in balance with all the other instruments. Well, If I can hear my guitar loud and clear with my trippel tinnitus and impaired hearing, then you guys can hear my guitar as well, even if your impaired hearing are as bad as mine … or better. Period!

I have studied, practiced and exectued Allan’s music, his solos and way of dealing with chords, for almost 30 years. I’v also practiced and executed other kinds of music and other kind of instruments. As an example, check out my solo-album Fragmentism Project, available here on You-tube.
In my opinion, the solo in the tune Non Brewed Condiment ”beats” all of Allan’s other solo stuff. Right or wrong of me, I simply can’t see any comparison with other solo stuff by A. Holdsworth – I just … can’t.

In this video I’m using a Digitech 2101 GSP Studio Tube Processor; Allan Holsdworth Overdrive Boost-pedal and a Fender Twin Amp.

The guitar-sound in the intro and outro is simply a metal-music set tube-screamer dist. program, which is totally dry from reverb and echo, and with ”pushed up” noise-gate.

The guitar sound in the theme is also a tube-screamer program with a one-octave-up pitch – pretty similar to the Synthax-sound in that theme.

The guitar-sound in the solo is an overdrive program with a some level of echo, a little bit of chorus and a little bit of boost from Allan Holdsworth-Overdrive-Boost-pedal. That pedal is the best overdrive pedal that I’ve ever used; very ”stealthy” and with very high quality overdrive caracter.

And that 11-stringed ”ax” of mine … Well, in short: That 11-stringed guitar is my "main ax" since almost 20 years. The guitar was made by luthiers on my commission and from my performance requirement. The tuning system, from "top to bottom" followed by string dimensions: g 0,007, d 0,010, bb 0,013, f 0,018w, C 0,026, G 0,036, D 0,046, G 0,060, Eb 0,074, D 0,074, C 0,074.


Non Brewed Condiment (A. Holdsworth), theme and solo by Robert "Rob Guz" Ritchiesse