Aris's Thread, for Gab's Army |
HEY MAN, I really need your help...
...the thing is, I need you to start progressing faster then ever, but to achieve that I need your help:
* Don't know where to start? Just pm me and we will sort it out directly, I am online every day.
* Join My Army. Sounds aggressive? It is! We can study anything from the most fearsome picking techniques to bombastic songwriting. A medal of honor awaits the brave. Seriously, this is an opportunity for you to get a personalised learning experience...what are you waiting for?!
* Join my next video chat! GMC startpage holds a video chat schedule. We always cover a lot of ground and have fun. Remember that you don't need any previous knowledge, and you can be passive in the chat.
* Jam with me - you will find active collabs here.
* Post a topic on this board, guitar related or not - doesn't matter! You will find that chatting with instructors boosts your motivation to practice.
* You haven't missed my latest video lessons, have you?
* Finally I want to tell you a secret. Nah I changed my mind - pm me instead ;)
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Nov 19 2014, 03:39 PM
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Hi Aris, great to know that the comments are helping. I really like to see you motivated and making music. About the "spoiler", don't worry about it, feel free to share it if you'd like me to check it at this point.
-------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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It has took me so long that my friends at the threat will be tired of waiting.|
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Nov 21 2014, 05:07 PM
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Hi Aris, could you please save the file for guitar pro 5? I cannot open it because it's for guitar pro 6... isn't it?
-------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Nov 21 2014, 06:08 PM
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The guitar pro file sound VERY promising. It has very nice melodies that work great over the different chords. It is true that is sometimes doesn't sound totally applicable to guitar, some rhythms are a bit "robotic", as well as some note duration, but I think that you should change this a bit when you transpose it to your guitar. Try to keep the soul of the licks but adapt them to what you feel more natural while you play it regarding rhythms and duration. Don't worry about the variations that will appear while you play this stuff. I'm really interested on listening how you can play it in order to compare and give my thoughts about the differences...
-------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Nov 23 2014, 01:41 PM
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Hi Gabriel,
Very nice lesson on the improvisation thread. I also felt good to have contributed. It is very impressive how easy you could come up with a simple yet nice melody straight from your head about every approach discussed in the VChat. You have also given many helpful tips (e.g. how to play a melody with close variations). I also kept lots of notes Too bad I missed the VChat but thank God for the video.I have sent the actual recording following Kristopher's approach both here and in the thread. Here is also the modified guitar pro file ( I have converted it down from GP6 to GP5). I haven't made many adjustments to make it feel more natural since I wanted to send something without more delay. I will try to better it though. This post has been edited by Aris: Nov 23 2014, 01:45 PM
Attached File(s)
Lead_QuestionResponse.gp5 ( 11.79K )
Number of downloads: 98
repeated_similar_questions1.mp3 ( 937.17K )
Number of downloads: 106 |
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Nov 23 2014, 05:43 PM
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Hi Aris. As we suspected previously the main problem of the recording is that it is lacking breathing. The phrases don't have silences and that's fundamental let the listener to follow the dialogue and keep his attention. This is achieved with silences, shorter notes, and some more rhythm variations. You could even re-work this adding those three things into your playing. So, practice this idea a bit adding:
- Silences - Shorter notes - Rhythm Variation Practice with all these in mind and record yourself once you start to feel comfortable. OK? -------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Nov 25 2014, 04:59 AM
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By "shorter" notes you I don't mean to play fast, I mean that you can add silences between some notes in the phrases, you don't have to make each note last until the following is played, does it make sense?
About the scale, yeah, I use to work with a key center when songs don't modulate and I basically keep on the same scale but tend to follow the chords with triads and arpeggios. That's more effective when you are playing on songs that are simple and don't modulate. When playing jazz things are different since there are usually many chords borrowed and modulations. -------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Nov 25 2014, 10:39 AM
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Thanks Gabriel,
Both points are very clear now
This post has been edited by Aris: Nov 25 2014, 10:40 AM |
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Nov 25 2014, 06:07 PM
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QUOTE (Aris @ Nov 25 2014, 06:39 AM)  Thanks Gabriel, Both points are very clear now Perfect! I'll wait for the new take. -------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Dec 2 2014, 02:28 PM
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Hi Aris, thanks for this post.
I can say that your attitude is great and that results will appear soon or later. You are practicing something that can be difficult to monitor: creativity and improvisation. Maybe you can't see notable progress every day but I can say that you are the same Aris who you were when we first started this thread. You have a technique routine that keeps on training your playing every day, and you are working on theory and concepts related to become a better improviser. So the main suggestion for you today is to be patient, enjoy the journey and to tell you that I can see that you are going forward. "I 'm still not happy with one small part of the melody that is missing." This is a good signal. Sometimes music appears and resolves naturally, some other times it takes a lot of time to finish an idea and feel happy about it. The best for this is to record the best you have today and let it rest. You can get back to ideas as many times as you want, but you don't have to stuck on an idea and stop creating. Creation needs practice, so as soon as you feel blocked, go for a walk, and if the block continues, let it for later and work on something more. If it's possible record anything that appears, even if you are not completely happy with it. Listen to it the following day or week and see if you can continue it. - I 'm struggling to change the rhythm while at the same time I need the new phrase to sound as a natural continuation of the previous phrase. The few phrases I have learned so far from the lessons etc do not seem to fit in so I am now trying to make up something. There is not one correct way to this. Experiment with rhythm changes, with similar rhythm, record everything, listen to it later. You are developing your own style so let your mind fly. - I have also realized that I try to squeeze my phrases to fit in the same bar before the chord changes, otherwise I will have to come up with a very different phrase since I should be playing around a different arpeggio. This probably causes my phrases to end up robotic. Trust more on your ears that in theories. If you feel that everything sounds robotic, and your song is not called "The Robot"  , try creating phrases in other way.- Also I find it hard to repeat the same question when the backing chord has changed since if the chord is changed I should then play the phrase in a different arpeggio so that it corresponds to the different chord. Thus, the new question will end up being a transposed version of the original question. If the chord is so different than the one that was sounding with the first question, you will have to change the repetition a bit to make it fit. This usually happens when the chord progression is complex. You can keep a similar rhythm, but change some notes based on the arpeggio of the new chord sounding. This post has been edited by Gabriel Leopardi: Dec 2 2014, 02:28 PM -------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Dec 3 2014, 12:38 PM
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Hi Gabriel,
I must say you have a gift in making all my frustration go away everytime Perhaps you would make a great shrink too Thanks for the suggested solution so that I won't have to throw away all my work so far. I will just call my song "the robot". hahahaha really funny! I think my first proper morning wake up did the job well. As promised, I have prepared most of the solo based on Kristofer's steps and Cosmin's advice in the improvisation thread. I also tried to keep in mind your suggestions below: QUOTE (Gabriel Leopardi) - Silences - Shorter notes - Rhythm Variation I even found a nice melody for the missing part,unexpectedly. I have also made up my mind on the last phrase of the solo but didn't have the time to record the new ideas from 00:40 with the correct timing so that it makes sense[Especially the last phrase is really off time and messes up the whole thing....but I had to leave to work anyway] Here is the URL for the track: https://soundcloud.com/aris-33/improv-on-kristofers-steps My approach on this was the following(I have also quoted Cosmin's and Kristofer's comments so you can find it all here): 1. The first phrase starts at 00:08 with the question 2. At 00:11 ->00:18, I play a response to the first phrase 3. At 00:20->00:25, I repeat the question with a slight twist adding some notes (as it is quoted by Kristofer in step 4 below) - Here I notice that there is some tension at the end of this question which remains unresolved 4: So At 00:28-> 00:35, I play the response to the previous question which is a slight variation of it but ending on the note of the next chord (which seems to resolve the question) 5. At 00:37 I guess this works as a small bridge towards the part that follows on the low strings at 00:40(this is quoted by Kristofer as step 6) - I just figured it out today, so it is not played properly and it is also not timed properly so the melody is not so clear. 6. At 00:48 is the response to the above question in point 5 - I just figured it out today, so it is also not played properly timing wise but the idea is there 7. At 00:55 -> 1:00 is the last repeated question and the response could be the following notes although there is no pause. I played it as one phrase since it also popped up in mind one phrase. All questions and the response in this point are very similar to the original question in points 1 and 3. Again, I need to time this properly due to last minute changes. QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu) - there are indeed too many licks included and they sound crowded together - try to space them up a bit, even if that means using less licks - you can use 2-3 of them but in a shortened version, with enough notes to make a statement - the timing and articulation are very important so please make sure that whatever final form these phrases will have, you will spend some time in making them sound as good as possible in respect to timing, bending and vibrato QUOTE (Kristofer Dahl) Could you record a new take and try the following? 1) Let the backing play few seconds beats before you start playing. This will establish the scenery and the listener will hear everything you play after this in relation to the backing track. Also, by introducing the routine to first listen to the backing track before you start your playing, you will start developing a sense for musical interaction. If you just start playing imediately you will not communicate with the other instruments [virtual, in this case]. 2) Then play two/three notes, and then pause (you can let the last note ring if you want to). Vibrato and bending is your friend here. By restraining yourself to just a few notes you will force yourself, to choose the notes that you think sound best (great ear training). This will also turn your lines more narrative and melodic. 3) Pause again for at least a few seconds/beats. By repeating the play/pause procedure you will work on your timing (ie ending and beginning your phrases on time), and in the long run it will turn your phrases into better defined musical statements - as opposed to just long combinations of patterns. 4) Repeat #2, but add just a slight extra twist at the end. This could be 2-4 faster notes, or just a different idea/short lick. Keep it short. 5) pause again. 6) Now play something completely different, maybe using a different rhythm, or play on the low strings (if you started on the high string in #2 and #4). Try to still keep it fairly short, don't play too many notes! --- I would suggest you don't record anything more than this. If you get this first 6 points right - you will have an awesome start to something melodic, so just focus on getting this right. Less is more! Let me know on your thoughts. Ideally I should wait until I correct the timing issue with the last phrase before I post it in the improvisation thread. What do you think? This post has been edited by Aris: Dec 3 2014, 01:17 PM |
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Dec 3 2014, 03:10 PM
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Hi Aris! Great job with this improvisation!
I can notice that your soloing start to become more musical. The phrases breath now and that's a very good starting point. This is not maybe the most memorial group of phrases but it's a great new step in your improvisation skills. Once you can manage silences and structure more naturally, you will be able to put all your focus on notes choices and interpretation. And talking about interpretation, I think that working on it could take this solo to a new level. The use of wider vibrato, slides, harmonics, bending, dynamics as well as a better use of groove and timing can improve this solo a lot. This video can be very inspiring for this: -------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Dec 4 2014, 02:09 PM
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Hi Aris, you're right the video was just to show you how much a phrase can grow with the addition of expressive techniques. Steve Vai is the master of this, he is very obsessive on phrasing and expression and that makes his soloing sound so unique.
About phrases and structure, there is not an only way to use them, imagine that music wouldn't be as cool if everything would be always the same. You have to experiment, try different possibilities and notice when things work and when they don't but never choose the "safe" the road, always experiment, try new things, new possibilities and combinations. What about working over a new backing? -------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Dec 5 2014, 03:01 PM
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Hi Gabriel,
I found some time that I could play loud and recorded some of my practice routine. Please let me know on your thoughts. Some quick comments on the takes: - phrasing(Guitar loves piano): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHpZxKdGXws...eature=youtu.be I have set some landmarks in the backing track as indicators to know how if I m on the right track and sometimes how long I should hold the silences or some notes with longer durations.Otherwise I can't trust my mind completely for this yet. Am I supposed to be able to play this with the right timing even without using the backing track? - rhythm (SD style lesson) - I have uploaded too pretty similar takes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDFw3WFISNk...eature=youtu.be - should be best in overall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC-hNWeyClI...eature=youtu.be - I think this is a better take for the solo in the end I 'll keep on playing this to improve timing and speed eventually. Since this may take a while though until I build up my overall speed ability so to be able to play over the 160bpm backing track, do you think now would be a good time to pick a different rhythm or you would suggest to stay in this lesson as long as it is needed for better and quicker results? Also I wanted to ask you about the way I record my videos (so that you have a better sound quality and visual on my hands movements). I use a laptop to record the video (pc_1) and a second pc to play the backing track from its speakers (pc_2). Then I play the guitar using my amp's speaker. After tunning the volume of my guitar and the speakers playing the backing track, I hit record button on pc_1 which has the camera. Another alternative would be to import the backing track in cubase and make both my guitar and the backing track sound via cubase, thus from the same speaker. Then record it using pc_1 with the camera. I 'm not sure if this will have better video and sound results. What kind of setup and software are you using for this? This post has been edited by Aris: Dec 5 2014, 03:02 PM |
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Dec 5 2014, 03:04 PM
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Well, we have lots of cool backings here.
This one is in Am and it's very simple: https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guit...sciante-lesson/ and this one is VERY interesting: https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guit...nner-solo-in-d/ Choose the one that inspires you more to create some cool phrases. You can also search for other ones in our archive.  -------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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