Hi!!! I am very excited to have you on board!!!!
Before we will start I would like to get a better idea about what are you looking for in mentoring so I have a few questions:
-What are your goals?
-What is your weakness?
-What is your strongest point?
-Your favorite guitar players?
I am looking forward to start working with you!

G'day! I'm excited too. Thank-you for accepting my request :-)

Goals: Understand as much as I can about the theory of lead guitar and learn how to apply it. I am more interested in theory at this point than the actual application of it.

Weakness: Knowledge of theory, concentration at times, accuracy, inability to play lead without a rhythm section

Strength: I enjoy practicing and have probably put in an average of 2 hours a day working on scales and to a lesser degree, chords, in the past 7 or 8 months. While practicing I often come up with ideas for and write new songs. I want to learn more.

Favorite Players: Slash, Wilde, whoever is playing lead for Dwight Yoakam, dozens of others simple and complex. I don't particularly want to emulate any of those players but if I understood what they were doing I might be able to come up with some pretty cool stuff on my own.

I have written a bunch of tunes, some of which you can access at http://www.reverbnation.com/greatwhitepine. To get a better picture of where I'm at I'd listen to the leads in demons and daydream both of which are at the end of the songs. I also have a new rock song not recorded which has the following chords progressions... E E G A, E E A G, E E G A, E E A G, C D, C D, C D, C D. Can't seem to figure out a good lead part over the E E G A because I don't know where to go. This may be a good starting point for us however the chord progression is not standard so perhaps not. I can record it if you want to start there.

Cool! I like your tunes! Good job! It is very important to write your own music you are learning a lot from just doing so!
I have a very cool exercise that will help you to learn a major scale and will help you get better hands synchronization!
It is a G major scale but it has a very unique approach! Practice it slow using a metronome and you will see a big progress very fast!

E |----------------------------|-----------------7--5--3----|
B |----------------------------|--------3--7--5-------------|
G |-----------------------5----|--4--2----------------------|
D |-----------5--4--2----------|----------------------------|
A |--------------------3-------|----------------------------|
E |--2--5--3-------------------|----------------------------|


--8--7--5-------------------|----------------------------|
-----------8--8--7--5-------|----------------------------|
-----------------------7----|--5--4----------------------|
----------------------------|--------7--5--4-------------|
----------------------------|-----------------7--5--3----|
----------------------------|----------------------------|


--------------------7--8----|--10------------------------|
----------------------------|-----7--8--10---------------|
----------------------------|-----------------------5----|
----------------------------|----------------------------|
----------------------------|--------------5--7--9-------|
--7--5--3--5--7--8----------|----------------------------|


----------------------------|-----------10-12-14-12-10---|
----------------------------|--10-12-13------------------|
--7--9-----------7--9--11---|----------------------------|
--------5--7--9-------------|----------------------------|
----------------------------|----------------------------|
----------------------------|----------------------------|


----------------------------|----------------------------|
--13-12-10------------------|-----------------------12---|
----------------------------|--------------9--11-12------|
----------------------------|-----9--10-12---------------|
--------------------9--10---|--12------------------------|
-----------8--10-12---------|----------------------------|


--------12-14-15-14---------|----------------------------|-------||
--13-15-------------17------|--13------------------------|-------||
----------------------------|--------14------------------|-------||
-----------------------12---|-----------17---------------|-------||
----------------------------|-----14---------------------|-------||
----------------------------|--------------17-15-14-15L--|--15---||

 G_major_scale.gp5 ( 2.59K ) Number of downloads: 96


Let me know if you have any question!

Ok... thank-you! I'm on it... the ending is tricky :-) I'll try to have something for you tomorrow or Saturday.

Perfect I am looking forward to hear your take!!!

Ok, here it is...

http://soundcloud.com/greatwhitepine/lesson-1-with-alex-feather

This post has been edited by greatwhitepine: May 14 2012, 06:56 AM

Good job! You are rushing a little bit! I can suggest to keep practicing this exercise and try to hold yourself back! Really focus on your timing! Also slower you play it harder it is, so if you want to work on your timing set metronome at a very slow tempo!

Thanks! The slower it is played the easier to see where my timing is off even just a little bit :-) I will begin every practice session with this exercise from now on.

I set the metronome to 80bpm and 1 note per click. Here is my second take....

http://soundcloud.com/greatwhitepine/lesson-1-with-alex-feather-1

I also started practicing this one... Hands Workout the slow triplets are tricky! I've added it to my daily practice list :-)

You are doing very well! It sounds that you have more control over your hands!
I am glad that you've decided to do a hands workout exercise!!!! I will create a new assignment for you over the weekend!

Thank-you! I noticed that I had even more control yesterday and it's only been a few days. A very worthwhile exercise :-) Looking forward to the next assignment.

Benjamin

Great! I am glad you like it! I would suggest you to practice this exercise for a few more days I will prepare something new in a meantime!

Are you ready for a new assignment? I prepared something really fun for you! Please let me know so I can post it ASAP!

Yup, ready! :-)

Awesome! We is another mechanical exercise! Next week I will create a backing track for you and we will start to get into solos more!
This exercise will help you to master pentatonics practice it at a slow tempo with a metronome!
Here is the tab

E |-----------------------------------------3--5-------|
B |--------------------------------------3--------3----|
G |-----------------------4--------2--4----------------|
D |--------2-----------2-----5--2----------------------|
A |-----------5--2-------------------------------------|
E |--3--5-----------5----------------------------------|


-----3-----------------------5--7-------------------|
--5--------3-----------5--8--------5----------------|
--------4--------4--7-----------------7-------------|
--------------5--------------------------5----------|
--------------------------------------------7-------|
-----------------------------------------------5----|


-----------------7--10----10----------7-----10------|
--------------8--------------------8-----10----8----|
-----------4-----------------7----------------------|
--------7--------------9----------------------------|
-----5--------------------------10------------------|
--7-------------------------------------------------|


-----------------------------10---------------------|
--------------------------------12------------------|
--9--7--------------------12------------------------|
--------9--7-----------9--------------12------------|
--------------10-------------------10----------14---|
-----------------10-12-------------------12-15------|


----------------------------------------------------|
--------------------15-12----15-12----15-12----15---|
--------15-------14-------15-------14-------12------|
-----14-------12------------------------------------|
-----------14---------------------------------------|
--12------------------------------------------------|


--12-15---------------------------------------------||
----------------------------------------------------||
----------------------------------------------------||
----------------------------------------------------||
----------------------------------------------------||
--------0L----------------------0L----0-------------||

 Pentatonic_insanity.gpx ( 16.24K ) Number of downloads: 100


Let me know if you have any questions or need help!

Thanks Alex, I'm on it!

Is the gpx file is Guitar Pro 6? I only have version 5.

Try this one  Pentatonic_insanity.gp5 ( 2.36K ) Number of downloads: 95

Looks like a G Major (or E Minor) Pentatonic except for the A# in the 5th measure. I'm trying to figure out where the A# fits in... what backing chords would you use for this?



Thank-you! That works.

I think I just figured it out... in the fifth measure you are mixing the G major and G minor pentatonics right?

Actually it's a Bb and it is coming from E minor blues pentatonic

On the scale generator it says A# but the correct way is to call it Bb
For this exercise I did a combination of G major and E minor blues pentatonic
You can play blues pentatonic anywhere where you usually would use a regular one!
Let me know if it helps!