Hi Mario!

This is place where I will give you assignments and upload videos. You will do the same starting tonight. Bookmark it, subscribe to it as it will be easier to follow when I post new things in!

I subscribed already man!

This is so great!

Thanks for your time

Lets get started Mario!

In your guitar CV you mentioned phrasing as first thing that needs improvement. This is why I have decided to focus on phrasing with you in this 1st assignment.

Here is your 1st assignment :

- Record a solo over Time Feel Collaboration backing track!
- Use half time, regular and double time feel in your solo.
- Apply as much variety as possible in your phrasing.
- Make sure everything you play is in sync with backing track (note choice as well as placement on beat).
- Upload your video on Youtube and embed it in this thread here.

Download backing track HERE

Here is a link for Time feel collaboration thread. You will find there Final mix with comments, Main thread and my Lesson at GMC for it. Check out all of them and try to learn as much as you can from my lesson and other takes.

The deadline for your 1st assignment is one week from today (13th of September).

Let me know if you have any questions Mario!

Pedja

Can I compose the solo or is it supposed to be impovised?

You can compose it sure. Ideally I would like you to reach level of improvising where you could control these things. You want always have a week to compose solo for every tune you play

Thanks Pedja. I'll do my best

Glad to hear that Mario. Let me know if I can help in any way. I suggest you learn my solo and analyze phrasing in there, its very good example of variety in rhythm!

Hello Pedja,

I was experimenting with the track and this is what I came up with.

I know the timing is not very good in some spots, but what I want to know is if I'm going to the right direction with this assignment.

Thanks,
Mario

Click to view attachment

Hello Mario,

This is excellent first recording. I like the way you are combining rhythms, its sounding good man. You need to play tighter, on beat, be right there with the bass and snare drum, but other than that excellent.
Keep up the good work and post more takes when you get the chance!

Thanks man.

Can you suggest something to improve my timing and play tighter?

Mario

Sure thing Mario.

If you are playing 16th notes:
Try to get every 4th note on the click(down beat).
So in the first exercise you start on click with G B A G B.
You play G on click then 3 more notes B A G and then 4th note B should be exactly on the click!
If you do this with every exercise and pay attention to it you will do great man!

For 8th notes you need to fit 2 notes with even duration in one click. Every 2nd note would have to be on down beat. So you start with G B (G is down beat) B is up beat, then A is down beat again for example.

You should practice following rhythms with metronome :

- Whole note (4 beats long)
- Half note (2 beats long)
- Quarter note (1 beat long)
- Eight note (half beat long or 2 per beat)
- 16th note (quarter beat long or 4 per beat)
- Quarter note triplet (3 notes in 2 beats, syncopated feel)
- Eight note triplet ( 3 notes in 1 beat)
- 16th note triplet ( 6 notes in 1 beat)
- Doted whole note (6 beats long)
- Doted half note (3 beats long)
- Doted quarter note (beat and a half long)
- Doted eight note (3 quarters of a beat long)

All these rhythms have their equivalent rests which you should also combine when practicing them.

Hope this helps!

Mario,

How is phrasing coming along?
Post new take soon if you can!

I'm sorry I haven't posted more takes man. I'm sick and the doctor said I should rest in bed.

I'll make an effort practice my rhythm and post more takes.

Mario

Sorry to hear about your sickness Mario. Take your time, recover and when you feel better get back into it.
I don't want you to get even worse with your health so relax and recover right now.
If you need any help, shout !

Thanks a lot for your support man.

Mario

Any time Mario!

I will post you some links to read theory soon while you recover

Hi Mario,

I hope you are recovering well from your sickness. In the meanwhile I am providing you with some Theory and Harmony posts of mine that you can read through and learn a lot from.

- Major and Minor scales
- Cycle 4 and Cycle 5
- Major scale harmony and chord functions
- Cadences (for major scale modes)

I will be out of my town today and will be back tomorrow night. Let me know if you need any help with these (you will get a test for each post

Pedja

Thanks man!

I'm a lot better now! I'll read this, but there's something I want to ask you. How do I take this knowledge and practice it on the guitar so I can use it when improvising for example?

Thanks

Mario

You welcome man!

Everything that we will cover in theory and harmony, you will get practical assignments for it. So you have nothing to worry about as you will start applying all this knowledge on guitar very soon

Should I memorize the modes, their intervals, and their corresponding chords? Or what do I do?

For starters make sure you read through the theory and harmony posts. Then, try to remember harmony for modes, cadences and formulas.
I will quiz you on that. Once we cover that, we will take that knowledge and apply it to guitar improvising and composing. So you will be able to do assignments related to playing using modal harmony and cadences for example.

Hope that makes sense

One more thing Mario...
I am still expecting your final take for time feel soloing !

I thought I was excused for that

Ok, I'm gonna practice my timing and post a new take once I have it cause I realized how much my timing and rhythm sucks.

I'll be working on both things Pedja.

No excuses as that was initial assignment, theory and harmony came as extra reading assignment when you were sick

Let me know when you have something

Mario how are you doing with timing and rhythm ?
I am expecting some recording from you my friend. See what you can do, its been 5 days now