Hi Nimrandir! Welcome to your personal http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showtopic=43110 thread!
We have been discussed the direction of our work via PM and we agreed that we will combine technical lessons with collabs participation and composition. I would like to know your musical tastes here and also to see some videos of you playing solo and rhythm guitar. Also post any idea that you have created... maybe a song's part, a riff, a solo, a lick, something that could be our starting point.
The principles of our Army are:
+ Improve your technique
+ Make music and solos
+ Have fun
+ Destroy the enemy (hahaha not realy just kidding... )
Here we go mate!
Hi mate! Thanks for this cool description about you. You already have a really good technique so the main goal for us will be set weekly jobs to fight with one of the main enemies of musicians.. "The laziness". We will be doing REC takes every week, join 1 or 2 collabs every month.
Do you think that this could help?
I checked that thread with Cosmin and you both are doing a great job with your original music. Do you want some help with any song in process? or maybe with the re-arranging project? I would like to know what you expect from our job together.
Cool mate! Let's start!
Regarding this week's lesson, I think that the one by Dream Theater that you posted could be our monthly goal, so please divide it in 4 and learn one of those parts every week. You should have learnt the whole tune in one month. Besides that we will choose one lesson for this week to be worked and posted at the REC. I was thinking on this lesson that combines power metal with neoclassical style. It's also a really cool etude for the right hand.
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/power-metal-soloing-lesson/
Do you think that you can learnt and record this one in one week?
And about that NES tune.. I love it. I can imagine that same ideas played with power metal drums, some strings arrangements and an electric guitar. It's a good tune to start because it sounds like an 8 bit neoclassical song.
Let's start working... the introduction could sound like Rhapsody of fire. When the main melody starts, you can write the same drum groove that is played in the original tune as well as the bass lines. My suggestion is to start with the intro and one round of the main melody and then we can think on adding some original sections or variations. The first thing that I would do, as this is your first arrangement, is to find songs that could inspire you with the arrangement. What about some Rhapsody songs for the intro and maybe Dragonforce for the main melody?
Hi Gab!
Sorry for being inactive for some time, as I've mentioned this was an exam week in the University, so I've played very little guitar. But now it's over, so I can get back to practicing . I'll post an update on my tasks (power metal solo and arrangement thingy) during the next few days . I also think I'm going to take part in your Slash collab, as well as Sinisa's Fanatic collab. I've jammed to the backings a bit today, and I have some ideas for them (but now my fingertips hurt, because the calluses softened due to lack of playing ).
Thanks for the update! It's great to see you practising again! I'll be waiting for your take on the lesson and some arranging ideas! Please post your ideas for the collabs here and I'll give you some feedback!
Hi Gab!
Still not getting as much time for guitar as I'd like, but here's a rough idea of a take for Sinisa's collab (done it first as the deadline is 15th of March). My playing quality is quite bad, but I have an excuse of being very tired and sleepy . I'll record a take on the lesson in the next couple of days, but not sure if I'll be able to play it good at 100% speed (currently practicing at 90-95%).
As for the take, I'm certainly going to change the second part of .. the second part a bit . I think you can hear the place where I ran out of ideas . And imo the last fast ascending run should be more connected to the rest of the piece.
Hi mate! Your solo and your playing are high quality as always! I also think that you should work on the second half because the solo starts to be a bit repetitive and without surprise. I think that some Blues Saraceno style playing could be cool on this collab... have you checked this lesson?
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/funk_lesson-saraceno_style/
I actually haven't seen this lesson . The problem is I know nothing about theory of fusion playing, so I probably won't be able to replicate this kind of sound . But at least I'd like to try to use that dominant 7 arpeggio, I think it could sound cool . So assuming I'm in key of A harmonic minor, the dominant chord would be E7, right?
Well, I was talking mainly about the phrasing and the rhythm. In the case of this collab, the tonalities are G minor and A minor so you can't use the Mixoldydian or the dominant arpeggios because both are major. In the case of this backing track, minor scale and pentatonic minor with blue note are the best choices. Here he uses those scales:
This new one sound cool! I would change the first lick, the second part of the second lick (after the muted Saraceno style notes), and the melody that appear after the double strings lick. With those parts adjusted this will be an epic solo.
Hi Gab!
Well, since I've already missed the deadline for the collab, I decided not to make Sinisa wait even more and recorded "as it is". I actually again redid most of it and I think the result is worst of all I've posted . But anyway, it was good experience . Now I can get to work on Slash collab! (after my fingertips stop hurting ).
An update on power metal lesson : here are two takes on 95% speed (only the second part with all the shredding ). It's only audio, I'll post video takes soon . It's not perfect, but I think I'm getting there .
Hi man! The takes are really good! I think that this is a 9.9! It you adjust the timing that 0.1 (that is nothing!) you will have a superb take man. I think that we are ready for working on more difficult stuff.
Regarding the collabs, don't worry about not being 100% happy with the take, the idea is to gain experience with recording and composing, it's part of the learning. I'm sure that Sinisa's comments will help.
Hey Gab!
Sorry for being inactive for some time, but at least I've got some good news : I got my Bachelor's degree in mathematics at last!
I'm going to try and get the lesson up to speed as soon as possible, and then start with the arrangement thing at last . Somehow those last 5% of tempo are proving really tough.
Hi mate! Congrats for your new degree!! Well done!
Thanks for your update! Don't worry about how many time the lesson takes, just keep on working on it.
What about adding this lesson to work on the same concept and avoid playing the same things too many time a day?
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/neoclassical-shrapnel-style/
Gab.-
Hi Gab!
I think I've learned the first part of Shrapnel lesson (up to the long notes), but still need more practice with it . Also I have annoying pain in my pinky, so I'll continue with it tomorrow . Here's what I've got so far. I've already started practicing the last lick, and it gives me much trouble, as it's an unusual pattern for me, and my hand tends to switch to 1-4-1-2-4-2-1 pattern instead .
Hi mate! That sample sounds VERY good! Well done! It's a good decision to stop playing and rest your fingers for one day. The last lick is the most difficult so don't worry if it takes some more time. Keep on the great job!
Let's continue working here!
This sounds great! Ok, let's set routine of work. As you said that the tapping challenge gave you motivation to practice, my idea is that you submit here 1 lesson per week. You can start on the ones that you are already working or that I assigned you. No matter if you can't play it perfect, now it's a must to post here once per week a video of you playing the lesson that you are working.
Also, you will create a routine based on technique exercises to practice 30 minutes every day: Alternate picking, Legato, Sweep Picking, Tapping. You can divide the time for 3 techniques per day, and you can focus each week on different exercises/techniques, but always keep AP and legato. You can use my Intensive Technique Course or GMC archive to choose the exercises.
Regarding composition... please tell me what you now about scales, tonalities, chords and harmony in general. We have to learn some theory but also analyse some music before we start composing!
Sounds good! I will post my first lesson in a couple of days. Probably something easy'ish to start with . I will have to assess my current technical level and then pick exercises for the routine based on it. This I'm also going to do in the next day or two.
Well I knew a lot of theory a couple of years ago, but not using it made me forget some of it . I know the construction and usage of diatonic and pentatonic scales, harmonizing them, I understand modes and can use them, I know how to construct chords (all those 7, add9, 13 etc.) and what scales to use over chord progressions. I've known some stuff like secondary dominants and chord substitutions, but those I forgot for the most part, although it will be very easy to refresh my memory.
Uh, it will be hard to choose just 5 . Do you want me to post 5 songs of rougly the same style or I can choose diverse tracks?
Ok, let's try this
Andy James is my favorite guitarist right now and I really like his last EP
I'm totally in love with this song (don't hit me for it! )
My favorite metal bands are still Nightwish and Dream Theater
I really like game/movie soundtracks, and this Castlevania's soundtrack is one of my favorites
It's hard to choose only 5 tracks as I seem to like almost all music. I found that lately I'm starting to get into electronic music and the sound of it, but the process is very slow .
Oh, and I really love good remixes of old game music! Like this:
Awesome and tricky list! Ok, we will use this template to analyse songs:
Name of the song:
Name of the band:
Structure // What is happening? // Chords & Scales
Structure: You will divide the tune in Intro - Riff - Verse - Pre chorus- - Chorus - Solo - Part C and so... You can add the letters A, B, C to the sections when you find different ones in the same tune (Ex: Verse A, Verse B, Chorus, Solo A, Solo)
what is happening?: Here you will describe each part. You can explain how is the part, if it has vocals, screams, melodies, harmonizations, how much is last, how many measures, etc. Every information that could be useful to understand the part.
Chords & Scales: Here you will post the tonality, the chord progression and the scales used for the melodies and solos.
Let me know if you have any question.
Ok good! What song should I start with? I'm thinking of starting with Sahara, it seems quite simple. The only problem is that it's in non-standart tuning I think.
Hi Gab!
I was thinking about my routine and decided that it would probably be good to exercise creativity and write some kind of AP etude to practice the technique. I've come up with this chord progression, but can't seem to find the right chord for the last bar. What do you think would be the most logical choice here?
Nice progression!I tried many variations and the only one that worked for me is D#/B. It doesn't sound bad if you get back to Am instead of modulating to Em. Have you tried it?
Hi Gab!
Well, I've finished my thesis for the most part, so now I have time for guitar again! I'm going to continue right where I left.
Despite my efforts to keep hands in shape, I haven't played for a week now, and yesterday after a short (1-2 hr) practice my left hand wrist and fingers felt sore, and pinky started twitching . Hope it is nothing serious and is just a result of using the muscles which I haven't used for some time.
Welcome back!! Remember always to do the stretches and warming up. Here you have some ideas:
Hi Gab!
Do you by any chance know how to solve the problem of sweaty hands? It's becoming hot in here, and in this condition after a few minutes of playing my fingers become sticky; it's becoming hard to slide and move my hand across the fretboard.
Hi mate, this usually happens to me when the weather is too hot, and mostly during live gigs. I've never thought on a solution for this but I did a search after reading your question and I found this:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080729023144AAzaL6n
Powered by Invision Power Board (http://www.invisionboard.com)
© Invision Power Services (http://www.invisionpower.com)