Transitions

General Discussion
1

Is it just me or are others funding it difficult to know when to press and release from one part of a song to another ?

Brent

2

It can be if other musicians miss a beat. Just a matter of judgment. The bass player is the best person to operate BB IMHO

3

Depends on the song, and your “cue fill” settings. I use “next measure” so whenever I use a fill or transition, the pedal will then wait to the beginning of the next measure to return to the main loop. I find this helps with timing when I use non-OP songs.

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4

Can the bb be set just transition when you hit it instead of on release ?

5

You can do that via midi, but not with the pedal by itself. In effect, you are wanting to use the “fill” command to trigger a transition.

6

When I first got my BB pedal, I had real issues with what you describe. Of course most of us are pretty polished on our instruments and expect quicker returns on our BB investment (me!). So I dedicated that first weekend after I got the BB and practiced the timing thing with my foot. Practicing fills and transitions. Making sure I pressed the pedal at the right time (the measure before on beat 2 or 3 normally) and held it long enough (but not too long to run into the next measure!) for the transition change. 8 hours or so later, I made significant progress and felt comfy enough to show off my new toy and “skills” to friends. Advice from simple me… try not to look at the pedal too much while playing. Have your foot in a spot where you can hit that pedal without looking at it for the most part. I found this to be key not only for the timing aspect but also not to screw up on the guitar. Then work on looking at the pedal at times to see the beat in the measure at times for tougher transitions. Like our instruments, it takes practice. Yes, it can be boring and frustrating at first. But it will be worth the time and patience. Good luck!

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7

I will try this cue fill setting first. Do you think the midi trigger to transition would be quite a bit easier ? To me trying to release a pedal on cue is nearly impossible I’ve really tried unless that setting makes a big difference ?

Thanks

Brent

8

Still sounds hard but I guess I’ll keep working at it. Is the pedal down on the floor not too far to see ?

Brent

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9

My BB is on the floor. Believe or not, mydrummer, I need glasses to read a book. But I do not need them to see the BB screen while playing. I only look at the BB screen to see where the metronome is in a measure for more complex (on the guitar part) transition changes. I do not need to see it for Part 1 or Part 2 in playing because I have that programmed in my brain from all the practice. Occasionally I look down to make sure my foot is in the right spot for an upcoming fill or transition change when I have backed away during a song that has longer times for playing one transition (or no need for a fill) part or the other. I play in a studio (not outside) so it makes seeing the screen easy for me.