Original lesson: Blues Soloing - Beginner/Intermediate by Ivan Milenkovic

Hi mate,

This lesson is not far at all but there is still important work to do here. I can notice that you are doing a big effort to get the right feel and dynamics but the main problem that I can hear is related to pitches and tuning. You need to do a very small but essential adjustment to your vibrato and bending because most of the take sound a bit out of tune. I suspect that this is related to your performance (fingers pressure, bending, vibrato), but it could also be related to your guitar tuning so please try to find out the reason and work on it.

Please don't think that this means that your take is completely bad. You are doing a great job with this one, it just needs to be polished. I would also like to see you playing this one, more relaxed, and more comfortable with the different licks in order to give it a less nervous feel.

It's a 6 for me, keep on the hard work!!

Lot's of good work and ability on display here to be sure!! There are some challenging licks and chords in this one and you pull it off quite well. You have a very good command of The Blues which is great to see as it's becoming something of a lost art. I'd like to commend you on the obvious efford and practice that went in to this as well as on the high production values! We can see both your hands, it's well lit, we can hear your guitar quite well. These production issues are important as they can make it very hard to grade a rec of they are not done right.

As I listened, I could not help thinking that perhaps the guitar was not properly intonated? E.G. If you take a guitar tuner. Play an Open E, then an E at the 12thfret on the same string, the tuner should register both notes as E without being sharp or flat. If you notice that the fretted E is just a pinch sharp or flat compared to the open E, then the guitar needs to have a "full setup and intonation" by a luthier. This can fix many issues just by itself.
Also, make sure you tune your guitar before every single take. Guitars "drift" just from string bending sometimes. So when recording, it's crucial to tune the guitar after every single take, every single time.
Once both of these are sorted, the only remaining issue is one related to bending and string pressure. If a bend to pitch is just a bit shy it will sound flat, if it's just a bit far it will sound sharp. Also if you use to much fret pressure, fretted notes can sound sharp.

I'd look at all three of these issues to see where the problem lies because as gabe mentions, I too can hear some tuning issue going on and it's tough to isolate it.
Still! The piece is well played and you get a 6 from me!

Todd

Cool work mate!

Typically I would add this to the other insturctor comments: the low quality mix lowers the listening impression. And although this is partly true here as well - it feels much more acceptable in a vintage blues kind setting which is what this lesson is all about.

Since I could def picture this take coming from one of my old blues collection Cds I will give you a 7 - keep up the cool work.

Pass: 6.3