Advanced Task 5 Options

[Ben Higgins]

Task 5 : http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/modal_...xtended_scales/ Record and upload your version of this lesson by next Thursday 1st March

To round off our alternate picking phase we're going to look at extending the scale positions to form high speed runs. It's very useful to be able to move horizontally around the neck. We can use a few sideways moves and connect them to our usual low to high, high to low runs for more variety !

Zsolt tunes down to D standard for this so you'll have to either transpose all the shapes down a whole tone or transpose his backing track up a whole tone... Enjoy

Maybe this one will tempt AK Rich out of his temporary retirement. If I know him at all, it'll be hard to resist......

[maharzan]

So your goal is to rupture everyone's hand and laugh at the so called "advanced" players?

This post has been edited by maharzan: Feb 23 2012, 07:40 PM

[Ben Higgins]

So your goal is to rupture everyone's hand and laugh at the so called "advanced" players?

Well, when you put it like that.........

... maybe some more rest might be the answer. I'm not evil.....

[dark dude]

My fretting hand is still injured from the last task, but I've learned the first 2 shapes already. Will see if I heal up enough to make progress - fingers crossed.

[Ben Higgins]

My fretting hand is still injured from the last task, but I've learned the first 2 shapes already. Will see if I heal up enough to make progress - fingers crossed.

Yeah I think you're wise to be tentative about it. I'd rather you didn't play and looked after your hands than hurt yourself for this but you're the best judge of where you're at with it

Wow, I can't believe how many hand injuries we've been seeing recently.. I hope it's not going to be a trend !!

[maharzan]

Every picking seems new to my hands now. I tried the Guthrie lick from the video that Ben posted and I can't do it. I can't do this one too. I am trying 1st position and hell thats really fast. I am still wanting to complete task 4 and been concentrating to do it at full speed. I will probably drop this one to complete Task 4. I am really learning how to pick with all these videos. My grip has improved and now learning the most efficient way to pick.

[AK Rich]

Has it been a week already? My wrist still doesnt feel quite right and I havent even picked up my standard guitars in just over a week.
I am going to today tho just to see how it feels and at least try to memorize the task, we will see how it goes.

[Ben Higgins]

Has it been a week already? My wrist still doesnt feel quite right and I havent even picked up my standard guitars in just over a week.
I am going to today tho just to see how it feels and at least try to memorize the task, we will see how it goes.

Don't feel like you have to get invovled with this one Rich, I was only kidding about tempting you out of retirement. You know best !

[Ben Higgins]

How is the Task coming along ?

I know Dinaga, AK and possibly Dark Dude are out for this one due to guitar related injury so I think it's just Chandra this time !!

[dark dude]

How is the Task coming along ?

I know Dinaga, AK and possibly Dark Dude are out for this one due to guitar related injury so I think it's just Chandra this time !!

Aye, no submission from me this week, Cap'n.

[maharzan]

Lol, sorry Ben. I am out too for this one. I have been doing Task 4 and nearly there. I will try to shoot it tomorrow. I just want to master one. So this ones a 'pass' for me too.

[dark dude]

Well if everybody's out, let's just do it again this week? It's too good of a lesson to miss out.

[maharzan]

Yup.. Lets target one for each 2 weeks. Its very tough to complete it in a week, unless you just want slowed versions, which I think won't really improve your skills (if you are targetting speed).

[dark dude]

Yup.. Lets target one for each 2 weeks. Its very tough to complete it in a week, unless you just want slowed versions, which I think won't really improve your skills (if you are targetting speed).

I use these tasks to highlight flaws in my playing, be it specific picking patterns, techniques, etc. I never expect to have a REC-ready recording by the end of 7 days - the tasks are difficult for sure.

Judging by past submissions, people seem to get pretty close to the target tempo in 7 days. My worry is that giving people 2 weeks would allow people to be lazy about it (as I often see in collab's). Besides, Ben usually gives us a target tempo to hit if the lesson is especially tough. Sticking to smaller goals in a shorter time period seems more beneficial rather than keeping that same intensity over twice the number of days. There's nothing stopping you from carrying on with that lesson after the deadline.

If Ben was to set a 2 week period, I'd suggest making us post on update at the halfway mark for quality control

More thoughts are welcome

[Cem]

I've been practicing this task for a week. I can get damn close to full tempo on some parts, but overall it gets sloppy, given that I had a lot of bad habits with this type of passages. I will post a record for this one but I'm afraid its not going to be today. Being able to play this properly is more important for being on schedule. I've always overextended myself in the past, playing at tempos I could get nowhere near, I feel if I conclude this task now, I would just repeat the mistake I have done for a million times.

I have failed you, sensei .

This post has been edited by Cem: Feb 29 2012, 09:02 PM

[dark dude]

Hah, nice work on practicing it this week, Cem Don't worry about the speed, just post something you're comfortable with.

[maharzan]

If you are always playing at comfort zone, you will never progress. I have a 16 years experience on that. I am pushing myself harder but every solo I learn, it gets me back to beginning. It sucks when you can do neoclassic at 140bpm (16 triplets) but then 16th at 140bpm seems harder.

[Ben Higgins]

I've had a good, long think about this and Dark Dude has already beaten me to it with some of my thoughts

Don't worry about attaining the same speed as the original lessons, I know that a week is not a long time to learn and improve a piece of music. You all have lives outside of GMC, with jobs, families, other commitments so it's reasonable that we can expect to submit takes at a lower speed but at least they can be takes which show that you can play the lessons and perform what it intended of it. A lot of this is designed to tidy up certain areas of playing or to encourage you to put some focus back on certain areas of your playing you may have forgotten about like hand synch or using the pinky or something else.

I think that when we organise our own practice we focus on the things that interest us most but when we add something else to the mix that is a suggestion of somebody else it usually makes us look at something we wouldn't normally have chosen which I find very useful. For example, with my own practice rotuine, I focus mainly on picking but learning a GMC lesson has required me to spread my wings a little bit ! Although I don't do it as much as the rest of my practice, I still go to it every now and then and it adds a something extra to my playing and it will be slowly getting better in the background, if you know what I mean ?

So, don't worry about the speed.. it's not a reflection of your ability, it's only a reflection of how much time you're physically able to give to it that week and if it's not that much, don't worry, just do what you can. I want this to be about the fun of tackling new pieces together with another group of players.. how far you get doesn't matter. A different challenge each week keeps it fresh !

If you want to keep practising certain pieces to get them even better then go for it and you could always submit them here at a later date or just in the REC

What we'll do is have both of these last 2 Tasks running over to Thursday 8th March and then we will do something completely new.

That's another week.. you can either choose one of the Tasks that you feel better at and uplaod that or you can go for both if you like.. it's up to you but Thursday 8th March will be the cut off point either way !! Enjoy !

P.S. Don't shy away from trying an Intermediate Task sometimes, if I've given a particularly difficult Task. !

This post has been edited by Ben Higgins: Mar 1 2012, 10:52 AM

[maharzan]

Cool Ben. Yea, I will try Task 5 then. I can't seem to get a perfect take with Task 4.

The only thing bugging me is I have been practicing and posting REC all the time (3 years now?) and I mostly get the feedback that says, practice a little more and you will nail it. But the problem is I never get that perfect take no matter how much I practice. I practiced neoclassical like a year or so taking breaks in between and I really pushed hard sometimes, I never got it. Even simpler lesson like level 5-6, I never get it perfect. I want to be at one point where I can record a flawless take (no missing notes) but it never gets there. So, if I just continue practicing different new lessons, I just think, I will never reach that point, you know what I mean. I don't know what I am doing wrong here.

[Ben Higgins]

Cool Ben. Yea, I will try Task 5 then. I can't seem to get a perfect take with Task 4.

The only thing bugging me is I have been practicing and posting REC all the time (3 years now?) and I mostly get the feedback that says, practice a little more and you will nail it. But the problem is I never get that perfect take no matter how much I practice. I practiced neoclassical like a year or so taking breaks in between and I really pushed hard sometimes, I never got it. Even simpler lesson like level 5-6, I never get it perfect. I want to be at one point where I can record a flawless take (no missing notes) but it never gets there. So, if I just continue practicing different new lessons, I just think, I will never reach that point, you know what I mean. I don't know what I am doing wrong here.

I know what you mean... sometimes it's just because we're trying to get a perfect take for the camera or for a recording. I know that if I really want a good version of something because I'm recording it then I'm much more likely to mess it up.

How about when you're just playing for yourself ?