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---||

Click to view attachment

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

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-------------||

Click to view attachment

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 Click to view attachment

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!

That explains it! Thanks!

Here's my take...

http://soundcloud.com/greatwhitepine/lesson-2-with-alex-feather

You did very good job! You are rushing and every note you are ahead of the beat! try to hold yourself back and really concentrate on every note you play being on the beat! It will help you develop a very good sense of timing! Let me know how it goes and if you need help!

Ok, I will practice this every day too! I'll post a second take soon, maybe next week, maybe sooner. Not something I'll get perfect overnight but I'm already better since the first exercise I think. I started practicing modes using the metronome and the circle of fifths, which I am starting to get fairly comfortable with, all around the same neck position so I learn all the different shapes... not really comfortable with that yet but I will be :-) The metronome is a wonderfully frustrating tool at times but necessary I can see now.

I have a question for you... I often get a sore wrist while practicing and have to remind myself to stop when I start to feel too much strain. I always practice sitting down (acoustic and electric) and have tried various different positions... foot stool under my left foot classical style, tool box under my right foot for electric, no support whatsoever and have never found any position which doesn't produce strain on some part of my body and always my wrist. Are there any exercises that you can suggest to strengthen the wrist up or maybe I'm doing something else wrong?? Or maybe I just shouldn't practice for more than a certain number of hours every day. This has been a frustrating problem for me for a very long time. I have even taken a couple of extended breaks from playing guitar, months in one case, years in another, and its always the same thing when I get back into it.

I am glad you are getting comfortable with exercises and scales! Also it's great that you are practicing with a metronome! It is very important!

About you wrist... Do you do warm up exercises? You have to get your hands prepared before every practice! Also there are some wrist warmers that might help you out!
I also would like you to make a video of you practicing this way I can see your hands position and correct it if necessary!

Hi how are you doing? I just wanted to check if you are ready for a new assignment!

Hi! How are you doing? I just wanted to follow up and see how is your wrist and if you are ready for a new assignment? Please let me know!

Hello! I have a new assignment ready!! Let me know and I will post it right away!

Hi! I just wanted to follow up and see how are you doing? I have a new assignment ready for you!
Let me know!