The original idea for this song was just a rhythm track I recorded on my Ditto Looper pedal and left for a few weeks. When I came back to it, it developed into this song. It features my Gibson Gary Moore signature Les Paul on rhythm, my Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster on lead and my Rickenbacker 4003 on bass.
©2014 Joseph R. Ellis
All Rights Reserved
While experimenting with some slide tunings, I discovered a couple of really twangy chords that had so much chime I knew I had to work them into a song. This song is the result. It features a Les Paul played through a Fender Mustang III amp using a customized Vox amp patch with a little bit of triangle chorus. The drum track was generated with a Zoom B3 Bass Effects pedal, which was also used to record the bass track with my Rickenbacker 4003 bass. The song made me think of driving in a convertible with the top down or a car with the sunroof open, which is where the title came from.
Video: Scenes at Southern California racetrack with hot rods and drivers (public domain).
Music ©2014 Joseph R. Ellis
All Rights Reserved
Nowadays, if you’re not a singer / songwriter or rapper, your music just won’t get many plays. Long gone are the days when you could turn on the radio and hear an instrumental song on the top 40. Oh, there are a few exceptions, I guess. If you are a fret board acrobat, you can still get a following. I’m no acrobat or shredder – just an instrumental songwriter.
Yes, I used to write songs with lyrics and I actually sang them. I can carry a tune and even used to sing in choir at church, but I don’t have a soloist’s voice. These days, I just prefer to express myself through my guitars. Maybe one day I’ll get inspired to write some more lyrics to one of my songs. Until then, I’ll let my guitars do my speaking. The question is: “Is anybody listening?”
-JRE
