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Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Mar 17 2012, 06:37 PM

Hey Jesse hehe this is your personal mentoring thread

In here we can discuss everything needed to make you reach your goals and even go beyond them

Out of what I understood so far, you want to be able to express yourself with the aid of your guitar - that is a long journey and it has many obstacles to conquer but in the same time it's beautiful and filled with rewarding moments

Now I suggest we should do the following - since you are ok with your theory (am I right?) we should break down solos and see what other people did and used you can learn them and when you master them you can come up with your own solo over the backing track we are working with we can use the tremendous amount of lessons available here on GMC.

what say you my new friend?

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Mar 17 2012, 07:58 PM

This is where my theory is at : I know the major scale and how to make it . And I know the minor pentatonic scale in all of its form's and am currently working on how to move between the different form's with slides . I also know bends,hammer on's, pul off's , slide's, vibrato , So thats all I know about soloing . Where should we go from there ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Mar 18 2012, 02:23 PM

Hey mate! I would very much like to see and hear you in action so if you would like, let's pick out a lesson you like and which you can tackle while being relaxed. Can you record yourself when playing? That would aid A LOT to your progress

let me know and we can rock n roll right away!

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Mar 18 2012, 08:02 PM

I went to by a piece so I could hook up to my computer and record but it didn't end up working so I am going to have to keep looking until I find the right piece . And what lesson do you think I should start working on ? currently I am about halfway through Ivan's Penatonic workshop.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Mar 19 2012, 11:32 AM

Since you want to learn phrasing mainly, I think we should start with easy blues solos which will help you by adding expression to your playing. The whole idea here, is to pick up as many elements out of the solos in these lessons and add them to your playing

What do you think about these? Which one do you like best?

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/mixolydian-soloing-beginner/

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/blues-soloing-beginner/

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Mar 22 2012, 05:16 PM

HAHA How do you know SOOOO much ?!?!?! I didn't even know that I wanted to learn phrasing until you told me ! I will start working on the top lesson , and I am still trying to look for a piece so I can record . Btw thank you so much for all your help so far ! I am looking forward to learning lots

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Mar 22 2012, 09:22 PM

Woohoo glad to know I can be of assistance Sure thing, let me know if there's stuff you're having trouble with in that one, k?

Posted by: JesseJ Mar 28 2012, 02:20 AM

So I just Finished the Mixolydian solo lesson and it was fun ! It is always nice to have another lick in the bag Unfortunately I still don't have the equipment to record , but I am hoping to find that this weekend . Btw I was wondering what that one thing is that you have to focus on to become a killer guitarist ? And what lesson do you think I should work on next ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Mar 28 2012, 08:30 AM

Hmm, to become a killer guitarist you have to be able to play like yourself in the best posible way that is achieved by learning how to practice diligently regarding technique and not being afraid to sound like yourself.

Like in any new language, the first thing to do is to learn the words so, intervals, chords, arpeggios and scales are our words in this situation, right?

As the next step, I would recommend this one http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/rock-solo-beginner/ it's pretty popular here at GMC what do you think?

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Mar 28 2012, 05:52 PM

I love that lesson I am currently almost halfway through working on that one ! As far as Chords , Scales , Arpeggios , and Intervals go I am pretty comfortable with chords but need to work on my scales and I don't even know what an arpeggio is ? And Intervals have always kinda confused me .

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Mar 29 2012, 08:42 AM

Hey man! We can start discussing about the relationship between chords, scales and arpeggios

As chords have all notes played simultaneously, arpeggios are like chords having each note played separately For instance, the C major chord has the C E G notes played simultaneously, and the C major arpeggio has the same notes, but played separately and possibly covering more octaves - you can shift positions in order to cover more octaves.

The arpeggios are built on the same scale steps as the chords they are based on, just like in the example above

If you want, I can direct you towards more theory regarding arpeggios, so let me know mate!

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Mar 29 2012, 08:34 PM

Okay so I get what an arpeggio is , But when and where do I use them in my playing ?

Posted by: JesseJ Mar 30 2012, 05:31 PM

I have another question for you . When I play I can hear the sound of my pick hitting the strings and it really bugs me because it sounds really bad . I'm not sure if you will know what i'm talking about but if you do do you know if there is any way to stop that sound ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Mar 31 2012, 03:37 PM

Hey mate, to answer both questions:

1) You can use arpeggios everywhere!

You can play them slow and create an arpegiated formula over a chord progression (see the theme played in the beginning)

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Breaking-Benjamin-Style/

You can play them faster and follow a chord progression

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Guthrie-Govan-Style-Arpeggios/

You can sweep them at high speeds

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Insane-Neo-Sweeping/

These are only three applications but the possibilities are endless would you like to go in a certain direction and develop the discussion?

2) It's all about the angle of the pick more angled = aggressive attack with a bit of string noise included parallel with the string = clean tone please try this and tell me what you think

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 2 2012, 01:40 AM

The example in the first lesson where they are played slow is my favorite. So I would like to learn that first The second one I kinda liked and the last one I wasn't really a fan of . And thanks for the tip about the angles I will try that !

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 2 2012, 08:55 PM

Alright the first one is my favorite as well as the second one (big Guthrie Govan fan here )

We could start by learning how to harmonize a major scale, first using chords then the afferent arpeggios. For that, I highly recommend the following lesson cycle:

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Triads_in_Major_Scale_Series_Part_1/

In these, you will learn triads - almost every arpeggio has something to do with triads once you will learn this one we can move on to the next and so on, until you can fully grasp the concept of harmonization

Out of what I know you are keen on learning how to express yourself with the guitar, so that means building up and following a thorough practice routine tell me please, how much time can you dedicate to the guitar each day?

let me know what you think

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 2 2012, 10:47 PM

Okay first about the lesson : should I start working on the series about triads in the major scale or the lesson with arpeggios ?
And it depends on the day because I am a HighSchool student and have a job but I would say on average I can practice 45min-An hour

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 3 2012, 04:04 PM

hey Jesse first the lesson on major triads, as we shall derive the arpeggios from there

Well, 45 min a day will be a bit tight but I think rhythm, theory, alternate picking and legato should be great to start with

I think 15 minutes out of each, alternating AP with legato from one day to the other could be very good

how does that sound?

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 3 2012, 04:22 PM

Well Like I said It depends on the day like today I have school and then I work for 5 hours so I will just be able to fit in 45 min of practice time , but tomorrow I don't work so I can easily practice an hour . My point was at a minimum everyday I can do 45min but quite often I can practice more Haha working so much gets annoying but thats where I get all the money for my music equipment !!

uhm I am guessing that the theory lesson is the one on major triads ? and what would you like me to do for legato , alternate picking , and rhythm ? ( on a side note I played quite alot of rhythm guitar in church and I drum so my rhythm, timing and meter are pretty solid ). I only know a little about legato and I find alternate picking hard . So would you like me to do lessons for the those or maybe just practice sliding between pentatonic boxes with alternate picking ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 4 2012, 10:20 PM

Hey Jesse! Oh, so you do have experience with rhythm playing! That's very good man We can start like this:

- Theory - the lesson on the major triads
- Alternate picking: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Picking-Hand-Basics/
- Legato: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Bens-Land-Of-Legato/
- Rhythm: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/rhythm-guitar/basic-metal-rhythm/

how do all these look/ sound to ya?

Cosmin

PS: take a look at them and let me know what you think we can also work on separate exercises as well

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 4 2012, 11:45 PM

Those all look very fun ! Which is a good thing because then I will practice more I can see why you had said 45min was to short to go through all those I should be working 20min on every one everyday . This Sunday I am playing in church with my friend and I get to play the lead guitar part for Salvation is here by Hillsong . I will try uploading the link but this is the first time I have done this so I am not sure if it will work



I have been practicing that song for almost 2 hours today !!!!

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 9 2012, 05:58 AM

SoI finished the alternate picking lesson The legato lesson is very hard ! I thought it would be easy but I guess I just miss judged it . I find it hard to keep my volume up . The lesson on major triads is going good other than I find it very hard to reach the low E string when making chords it is quite a stretch and makes my hand sore and take's me a while to form the shape . But I hope practice will fix that The rythm lesson is going good and is quite enjoyable ! I will now have lots of ideas to pull from there next time I am playing a song with power chords !

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 9 2012, 08:17 AM

Great man! Can you shoot some vids so I can witness your progress?

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 9 2012, 06:22 PM

Currently I have no way of recording myself . I see how it would be a good thing so you could point out my mistakes to me so I could fix them. I have learnt 3/5 of the metal rythm lesson so in a few days it should be complete It is going to take me a while to finish the legato lesson though . Improvising with arpeggios intrigues me so I am working on finishing the lesson on major triads so we can get on to the next one

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 10 2012, 11:48 AM

Ok man! You know, in this thread anything goes, so if you have a mobile phone which can record videos, or a small cam, or webcam, it is very good. If not, we'll try it like this and I'll keep pouring info for ya, k?

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 10 2012, 06:56 PM

/Users/sophiapresakarchuk/Music/GarageBand/Lifesong 7.zip

Well you got me thinking and I managed to figure out a way to record hopefully this works .
Just for a trial run kinda thing I recorded the song above cause it has some rythm a little bit of lead ,
and a solo I made up after the second verse . not sure if the uploading onto the GMC site will work but if not I will keep trying .

/Users/sophiapresakarchuk/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Music/Jesse/Casting Crown's cover's


Haha here is another take

/Users/sophiapresakarchuk/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Music/Jesse/Casting Crown's cover's/Lifesong 7.m4a

Try number 3

/Users/sophiapresakarchuk/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Music/Jesse/Casting Crown's cover's.zip


here we go again

http://soundcloud.com/jessej-3/lifesong-7

here we go again .

Okay the last one was working when I tried it let me know if it works for you .

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 10 2012, 08:31 PM

My GMC membership runs out tomorrow. How do I renew it ? Do I just wait till it runs out and then try to login in again ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 10 2012, 08:42 PM

hey mate! for the subscription, send a PM to Bogdan Radovic, he will tell you what to do, k?

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 11 2012, 04:03 AM

Okay will do ?

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 11 2012, 04:42 AM

I PM'd that guy and I'm just waiting for a response. If I have to start a new membership I will get ahold of you with my new member name . Haha that is if you dont mind mentoring me . btw did you here my recording ?What lesson would you like me to record next ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 13 2012, 09:44 AM

Hey mate! Sorry for the late reply I listened to the takes - the first three are unavailable unfortunately, so I think you have to check out what's going on on soundcloud. Regarding the last one - the lead parts have some issues on timing and articulation, but the rhythm parts seem ok. Now the recorded guitar was a bit louder than the track so that was probably another thing which didn't help the overall sound too much.

I would suggest that once you have everything set with the account and membership, we should start dabbling into lead playing territory - especially regarding your timing and articulation

what do you think man?

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 13 2012, 03:34 PM

The takes are all the same one I just couldn't figure out how to upload it properly the first 3 times and sorry next time I will turn the guitar down .

Dabbling into lead playing sounds awesome !! I have wanted to play lead guitar since I was just a kid listening to music

I got everything with the membership sorted out , He said it is auto renewing until I want to cancel so I am good to go !

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 16 2012, 03:51 PM

Hey man! Good to hear - just celebrated Easter and I am still having some goodies around so I'm a bit slower than usual

Lead playing in the direction I am figuring out you are headed, is a mix of using chord shapes, arpeggios, alternate picking maybe and articulation such as bends and vibrato

A little bit of everything would be interesting, so I would suggest we mix all these in a thing such as this one here:

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/creed-style-inspired-by-my-sacrifice/

It uses octaves and a lot of modern lead elements we can take it piece by piece and see what you can extract and use in your own playing after mastering this one

what do you think?

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 17 2012, 03:18 PM

Hey The only thing I don't like about that lesson is the weird tuning . It has got some kind of weird: D,A,D,A,D,D tuning . Would I have to tune to down like that ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 17 2012, 05:33 PM

Hey mate! It is a good idea to use it but if you don't like it, we can go for something else. Just let me know, k?

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 18 2012, 03:39 AM

Hey I kind of prefer either standard or drop D tuning , I Don't really like the others alternate tuning's.
So if you don't mind me not working on that one I would like some other lesson Have a nice day !

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 18 2012, 11:04 AM

Hey mate no problem at all! How about this one: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/afi-style-lesson/ the guitar is only tuned down one half step so it won't pose any problems I think. The idea is that the stuff you are oriented towards usually has various tuning styles We shall develop more concepts together based on this lesson, if you like it

what do you think?

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 18 2012, 03:36 PM

Sweet ! thank's so much It sounds like a fun lesson to learn ! I will start working on it and record it for you when I'm done .
Cheer's

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 19 2012, 11:34 AM

Cheerios man! I am trying to choose lessons which have that direction - modern sounding and combining lead with rhythm that's what you need to go through in order to pick up ideas and elements for your leads

all the best and let me know what else I can help ya with

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 20 2012, 03:05 PM

Hey ! I will try and record that lesson this weekend hopefully ! I just want to say thanks again for all your help ! it means alot to me that someone would take the time to mentor me

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 21 2012, 12:03 PM

Hey man! We are a bit in the same direction musically so it's quite a pleasure to work with you I'm here when you're ready!

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 21 2012, 08:27 PM

Hey ! Okay so I have tuned my guitar down and I'm working on that lesson and I find it difficult . But I like a challenge and I'm not going to back down . Here is my problem . I can play it , but not at the speed of the backing track . Now there are slower backing tracks I noticed but I can't figure out how to download them ? Or if you don't mind waiting I will probably be up to speed by monday/wednesday ish .

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 22 2012, 03:07 PM

hey mate! No problem, I will wait you can't download the slower backing tracks unfortunately but, you can push play and record with your cam and mic. I don't need uber high quality for the slower takes. I want to hear what and how you play

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 22 2012, 05:05 PM

Hey ! I'm not to sure on how to use the camera to record while I play over the backing track here , but I am still practicing that lesson I will practice at least 20min a day until I can play without mistakes ( hopefully but not likely ) And I will put up the recording hopefully in a few days . It is a tricky lesson though , I have a little bit of trouble transitioning between the different parts and the very last part I still cant play on time .

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 22 2012, 05:22 PM

Don't rush it mate take your time to slowly study each part, after that, link them together I don't want you to hurry, k? Better to assimilate everything at a slow but sure pace rather than hurry and not get things done properly

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 23 2012, 04:43 PM

For sure It is a fun song to play to so I don't mind the fact that I have to practice lots !

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 25 2012, 09:26 AM

Practicing in a healthy manner will only bring up the good things let me know if there's anything I can help you with along the way

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 25 2012, 02:27 PM

Hey ! Right now everything is going good I am practicing 20min everyday on that lesson . I try to practice an hour a day and make goals to accomplish in that hour . Because in the forum Alex said 5 minutes of concentrated organized practice a day is better than a hour of fooling around doing nothing . So my practice schedule looks like this :

Warmup 10min ( I do A warmup Gaberial showed me )
The lesson you got me to practice 20min
A lesson I am working on for gabe 20min
Then I run through all the Major/Minor scale boxes , and Major/Minor Pentatonic boxes 10min
Any thoughts on that ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 26 2012, 08:04 AM

Looks fine to me man! But try to attach tangible results something like: 'I want to be able to increment 1-5 BPM per week on exercise X or on lesson y' in that way, after each week you will see what your progress is and you will know where you have to work more if necessary

The goals don't have to be tempo oriented, you can create goals such as 'being able to create and record my own coherent and musical phrase based on exercise X'

What do you think?

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 26 2012, 02:55 PM

Awesome thanks for the advice I will do that

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 26 2012, 03:59 PM

Great man! Let me know if there's anything else ya need

Posted by: JesseJ Apr 26 2012, 05:03 PM

Okay here is a take ! haha it needs some work still but I am leaving to mexico for vacation tomorrow so today was my last chance to record . I will have to something about getting a actual recording system because my mac does a really poor job recording crunch . The timing is a off in the little alternate picking part on the high E string and there is a few little bloopers . Anyway here is the take

http://soundcloud.com/jessej-3/afi-style-lesson

Where I am staying in mexico there might be a computer so I will try to keep in touch . My friend is bringing a small Acoustic guitar so I will keep Practicing while I am away Tell me what you think about the take and what I can work on.
Cheers

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 27 2012, 08:07 PM

Hey Jesse! Congrats on your first effort man! The rhythm part seems to be in time, although you could try and record a little cleaner, working on the tightness of the piece a bit more at a slow pace would be just good. About the part from 0.49 onward - this is where your timing is faulty mate. Have you tried to practice this one slowly and bring it gradually up to speed?

What do you say if we first isolate the alternate picking part and you record this one slowly and then we add BPMs as you get better with it?

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ May 14 2012, 04:08 PM

Okay I will isolate the alternate picking part and slowly bring it up to speed

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 15 2012, 07:47 AM

Hey Jesse! Welcome back mate practice, record and send it over what else have you been up to mate?

Posted by: JesseJ May 15 2012, 02:58 PM

Hello Yah I was gone in mexico for 2 weeks with my family so I was a little out of touch sorry . Although it is good to be back I will practice that and record it . I will try to put it up on thursday or friday . Just Curious seeing as people on this site are from all over the world what country do you live in ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 15 2012, 07:04 PM

Hehe, I live in Romania man in Europe. Great! Good to have you back and rocking

Posted by: JesseJ May 16 2012, 05:57 PM

Wow romania thats sweet ! Yah I'm glad to be playing guitar again I missed my guitar when I was gone .

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 16 2012, 05:58 PM

Well, off to practice with you !

Posted by: JesseJ May 18 2012, 06:30 PM

Okay here is the take . It is still not perfect but I am going camping this weekend so I thought I would put a take up so you know where I'm at . If you like it sweet haha if not I will make another one when I get back

http://soundcloud.com/jessej-3/afi-2

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 19 2012, 11:42 AM

Hey Jesse,

I think the recorded guitar track is a bit too low in comparison with the backing track, the timing is a bit faulty and it seems like the guitar is a bit out of tune man.

Here's what I suggest: when you get back, let's isolate all the parts and you can send me a track for each lesson part at let's say 75% of the normal speed. I want to focus on that little theme in the mid-end part

Do we have a deal? I think you can nail this perfectly if you will take some time to chisel out the details

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ May 21 2012, 10:06 PM

Hi Cosmin

Okay do you want me to just record the guitar alone at 75% ? Because I dont know how to get a slower backing track .

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 22 2012, 10:45 PM

Hey Jesse, yes that would prove to be a good idea go for it

Posted by: JesseJ May 29 2012, 05:19 AM

Hi Cosmin. Sorry I have been so long in putting anything up. I am playing at this outdoor music fest with my friend and I am/was very busy getting the songs together and practicing . Anyway I will try to put a take up soon . Did you want me to record just the guitar part all at once , Or do an individual take for each part ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 29 2012, 04:29 PM

Hey man! Best of luck with the gig Send me recordings aiight? You could record each part separately just to be able to focus on each one with ease

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ May 31 2012, 01:24 AM

Hi Cosmin ! Okay here is the first half of the song

http://soundcloud.com/jessej-3/afi-take-1

Posted by: JesseJ May 31 2012, 06:19 PM

Here is the third part

http://soundcloud.com/jessej-3/afi-take-3

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 31 2012, 09:52 PM

Hey man I'm coming back with an answer tomorrow after I'll listen thoroughly

Posted by: JesseJ Jun 1 2012, 12:03 AM

Okay perfect . No rush

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 2 2012, 02:23 PM

Alrightie man! Let's see what's going on here:

Part 1 - the recording is quite unclear, so it's pretty hard to distinguish details - I would ask you to re-record and use a cleaner tone and paying more attention at timing, ok?

Part 2 - it seems pretty tight aside from that break at sec 10 and the bend in the end

Part 3 - this is by far the clearest, nothing much to comment here

Final part - at around second 7, there's another break.

It seems to me that there is a certain level of difficulty for you in changing some shapes, am I right? Also, I would ask you to lower the gain in the tone a bit as it contributes to the unclear tone at this point.

Shall we have another go, with the things above in mind ?

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Jun 2 2012, 03:06 PM

Hi Cosmin !

I am sorry about the fuzzy recording. I am currently recording with my Macbook so it is not that good . And like you said the Gain was to much. But I just bought my first amp last week and I have been having sooooo much fun but anyway I will turn the Gain down and it will record cleaner .

the first part I will record again with less gain

In part 2 I can take the bend out.

seeing as part three was fine to you want me to record it again still ?

the last part was the hardest for me but I will just practice some more.

I Just want to say thanks so much for taking the time to do this ! It means alot for me I was wondering if after I complete this lesson and we talk about the techniques he used and such , could we work on modes together ?

Posted by: JesseJ Jun 2 2012, 11:47 PM

Hi Cosmin

Okay here are the new parts 1,2,and 4

http://soundcloud.com/jessej-3/afi1&g=bb"> http://soundcloud.com/jessej-3/afi2
http://soundcloud.com/jessej-3/afi3

http://soundcloud.com/jessej-3/afi2

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 3 2012, 07:29 AM

Good morning man! No problem I'm glad I can help out After I make myself sure you are done with this one and it'll sound as good as possible, we can move on to technique and modes

Let's see now:

Part 1 - it';s better now, although there are some problems when you are shifting chords and in the beginning, (starting at sec 0.5) those chords sound a bit weird. I suggest you slow this one down until you can play it perfectly.

Part 2 is by far the cleanest and with the best timing yet

The last part should be slowed down as well, as out of what I'm figuring out, your main issue is chord shifting in time

Slowing this lesson down and paying close attention to sticking with the timing will work wonders on your playing, trust me!

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Jun 4 2012, 06:45 PM

hi Cosmin Okay here are parts 1, and 4 . I added a little more gain this time to part 1 . I can still make it out clearly but if it is to much just let me know. I just thought the last take was to clean and had no sustain to it . http://soundcloud.com/jessej-3/afi-part1

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 6 2012, 04:10 PM

Hey mate! The tone is good! It's clean and it also has punch now, regarding Part 1 - the octaves in the beginning don't sound too good. Are you sure you are playing the right positions? I compared your take with the original and there seems to be a problem. The rest is ok, but this part needs more attention from you. Make sure every note is in the right place, ok?

As for Part 4, it needs a bit more flow - slow does the trick, so try to play this one in a loop until you get yourself accustomed with it and then see if you can play it over the original recording and be in sync with it

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Jun 18 2012, 05:39 PM

Hi Cosmin. Sorry I took so long in responding but I have been really busy lately . Anyway her Is the takes you asked for. I have Part 1 recorded 2 times. Once clean, and once with distortion. then there is part 4. I also put up a take of me playing the whole song over the backing track. Let me know what you think !

http://soundcloud.com/jessej-3/afi-rythm-part

Here is part 4

http://soundcloud.com/jessej-3/afi-ending

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 19 2012, 05:39 PM

Hey Jesse!

Your rhythm has improved in the takes and the tightness as well - still the problems I am spotting are caused by the octaves in the beginning of part 1 - there's something sounding odd there when comparing it with the original track-are you sure you have understood the shapes?

In part 4 - I know you are going to hate me, but, I'd like you to record it at half tempo with a metronome it needs that so that you can afterwards built speed and play it properly

Otherwise, of course, in time you will play it better, but the only serious problems are those that i have stressed out

C'mon buddy! Let's get to work!

Posted by: JesseJ Jun 19 2012, 06:43 PM

Haha no I don't hate you It would be worse if you sent me the message that we will settle for okay. Nothing but the best ! my playing must be perfect ! I am wondering what do you mean by octave's though ? I have heard of people talking about using octaves in music but I am a bit confused as to what octaves are ? Like I know if I play a C note on the 8th fret of the low E string and then slide it up to the 20th fret of the low E string I just played an octave higher. but how am I playing octaves in this song ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 20 2012, 09:17 AM

Hey Jesse!

we are dealing with this sort of shape:

e-----x---
B-----x---
G-----x---
D-----10--
A------x---
E------8---

see, you are playing the C note on the E string and while muting the others (see the x marks on the rest of the strings) you are playing the C note on the D string (10th fret) just like playing a chord, but having only the root and octave.

I'm absolutely sure you have encountered these before and in the lesson, they appear in the first part:

|---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|
|--12----16s-14---9----9--9-9-0-0-|
|---x-----x-------x----x--x-x-0-0-|
|--10----14s-12---7----7--7-7-0-0-|
|---0--0--0---0-0-0----0--0-0-----|

see the first octave here has G and its octave played simultaneously followed by B, A and E all these being octaves.

hope this helps mate!

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Jun 20 2012, 04:44 PM

Yes that helps I think the problem may have been that I press down on all 3 of the strings instead of muting the A string. So I will need some more practice. I will try to put up a take today.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 20 2012, 10:44 PM

Alright man! Looking forward to it

Posted by: JesseJ Jun 22 2012, 12:05 AM

Okay I went and looked at the video again to make sure I had the right shapes, and I do. I think the problem was i should of been muting the A string and I wasn't. Here is the first parted slowed down and with the correct fingering.

http://soundcloud.com/jessej-3/afi-5-tempo

Okay Cosmin I have to be honest and tell you the truth. The reason I was getting nowhere on this lesson is because I disliked having to tune down all the time. So I would only ever practice the lesson on days I made you a take. But today after I made those 2 takes I thought to myself how stupid and lazy I am being. I am sorry for not giving you 100% of my effort. I proceeded to practice this song for an hour and I will practice it for 30min each day from now on. ( except of saturday sunday monday tuesday cause I am on a backpacking trip ). Anyway after an hour of practice I recorded the whole song again and I feel pretty good about it. It's not perfect but I think it's my best yet. Here you go!

http://soundcloud.com/jessej-3/afi

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 22 2012, 01:58 PM

Hey Jesse hehe, I thought that something fishy was going on

I have listened to all the recordings and I can tell you that the first part still needs work on, as the octaves sound a bit out of tune - are you sure you are muting the strings which you are not playing on?

As for part 4 - there's too much string noise man try to mute the strings and reduce that

The final take has good timing and it's cleaner and cleaner from one take to another but, still, you need to fix the issues in parts 1 and 4

As a general advice - don't treat anything superficially, or your results will only mirror the way in which you have prepared yourself

let's rock!

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Jun 22 2012, 03:25 PM

Did you mean there was to much noise in part 4 in the take of the whole song or in the take of just part 4 ? And I don't know what is going on with the octaves !?! I made sure to carefully tune my guitar, I checked to make sure I had the right fingering, and I did not hit any other strings ? Do you know what it is that sounds off to you ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 22 2012, 10:14 PM

Hey again Jesse I was referring to the separate part 4 not in the context, as in there the noise is easier to hide

I will try and make a little vid with the octave phrase, as I don't really understand what you are doing wrong, although it definitely sounds off. At the end of this weekend, you'll have it

Cheers!

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Jun 23 2012, 06:10 AM

I wish I would have it at the end of this weekend but I am going backpacking for 4 days so I wont be able to practice. But when I get back I will get right to practice.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 23 2012, 08:02 AM

Seems fair enough You have fun and take care man! See you when you get back

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Jun 28 2012, 04:03 AM

So I am still practicing the lesson. But I have no idea what you think is wrong with the octaves. Like I said I went and checked the tabs and i do have the correct fingering and I always make sure to tune up properly to Eb.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 28 2012, 10:03 AM

Just let me go upstairs and record a bit of a vid for ya

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 28 2012, 11:43 AM

HeyJesse

check this out: http://www.postaonline.ro/n9scu7l7vj70/2012-06-28_13-40-08.388.wmv.html

let me know if it's still unclear - I am standard tuned, but the idea is about the fingering and shape, rather than the position on the neck

cheers man!

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Jun 28 2012, 11:21 PM

In the video it looked like you were strumming all the strings when you played. Is that the case ? Because if so I was only strumming the A,D,and G strings when I played the octaves .

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 29 2012, 07:25 AM

I am strumming all the strings to manage to get the percussive sound, but aside from the A and G strings which are actually having notes that are allowed to be heard, all the rest are muted and I am only using them for the 'chuck chuck chuck' sound like percussion

Posted by: JesseJ Jul 3 2012, 02:28 PM

The fingering you had in the video is the same as I was doing . But like I said I wasn't playing and muting the 2 highest strings so I will do that and record again for you

Posted by: JesseJ Jul 4 2012, 04:27 AM

Okay I'm not sure what is going on with my computer because the recording has a ton of fuzz in it. I turned the gain way down and it was still present. Anyway here is a take of the octaves with the 2 high strings muted. I think it sounds closer to the guy on the video but let me know what you think ?

http://soundcloud.com/jessej-3/octaves

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 6 2012, 12:36 PM

Howdy Jesse! I can still here unwanted sounds, but it's really peculiar to me as I don't understand where they are coming from. If you could film yourself playing those octaves, that would help A LOT

In the mean time, tell me mate, can you play something using octaves - different than what we had here and record it for me? I am curious to hear something

thanks !

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Jul 6 2012, 04:48 PM

Hi cosmin

Me filming myself while playing the octaves is a good idea ! I will do that.

About playing some other octaves, I am not very used to octaves ( this is the first time I have played them ) . So I don't know anything with octaves. I could just play like 3 octaves kinda like in the lesson but maybe different notes ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 7 2012, 11:02 AM

Sure Jesse! Take a shot at it and we'll take it from there

Posted by: JesseJ Jul 8 2012, 05:44 AM

Yes I will do that. Sorry I would of had it up already but I have hit some technical problems. But I am trying to get it posted ASAP

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 8 2012, 03:28 PM

No biggie mate, I am here and ready when you are!

Posted by: JesseJ Jul 10 2012, 04:00 AM

Okay here it is !!!



http://youtu.be/HagAiZ_D0zw

Sorry I tried to add the youtube link in soundcloud out of habit. The link below is the one to the video .

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 10 2012, 11:33 AM

Hey Jesse I am really stunned by the fact that the positions and fingerings are correct but the sounds are not what they should be. I think you may be touching some other string and hitting it with the pick when playing the octaves?

BTW I love that PRS

Posted by: JesseJ Jul 10 2012, 11:34 PM

Hi Cosmin.

Yah thanks I love my guitar to ! Anyways down to business.

The only other thing I can think of thats wrong would be the tuneing. But I just double checked and I am tuned properly and I tune before each time I play. Are you tuned to Eb ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 11 2012, 05:06 PM

I am tuned to drop C, but that's not the problem, as we are not dealing with tuning here but with the sounds created by various intervals stacked over one another where at some point there is a not which creates unwanted dissonance in that group

Here's what I suggest - would you like to try another octave based lesson and see if the same phenomenon occurs?

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Jul 11 2012, 05:57 PM

Sounds good ! Which one did you have in mind ? BTW once I have Octaves perfected I have something super cool I think we should work on together !

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 12 2012, 07:22 AM

Ahoy Jesse! What did you have in mind man?

Here's a good octave based lesson I was thinking you could tackle: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/rhythm-guitar/metal-octaves-lesson/

What say you, my friend?

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Jul 13 2012, 01:27 AM

That lesson hits the spot ! I have wanted to start learning some more hard rock/Metal stuff. Do you want me to keep practicing the AFI style lesson or should I drop it and just practice this one ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 13 2012, 09:27 AM

Let's focus on this one for now and we shall get back to the AFI one once you get a good grasp on this one

Posted by: JesseJ Jul 18 2012, 01:34 AM

Well something funny was going on in garageband and the backing track was so loud compared to my guitar that you couldn't even hear my guitar so I recorded without the backing track. Here it is
http://soundcloud.com/jessej-3/metal-octaves

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 18 2012, 07:42 AM

Good morning man I notice that it's the same thing with the octaves here - there's a wrong note in each octave, which makes things sound nasty. I got an idea - try and record against the lesson and you will hear the differences!

Posted by: JesseJ Jul 18 2012, 02:13 PM

[quote name='Cosmin Lupu' date='Jul 18 2012, 06:42 AM' post='595949']
Good morning man I notice that it's the same thing with the octaves here - there's a wrong note in each octave, which makes things sound nasty. I got an idea - try and record against the lesson and you will hear the differences!

I tried recording against the lesson but the backing track was so loud I couldn't hear my guitar. I tried very hard not to hit the low E string and mute the D string so was it the high E string or the b string that were accidently played ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 19 2012, 10:40 AM

Hey Jesse! You should become able to hit only certain strings when playing - especially in the case of octaves.

The idea here is to manage to hit the top and bottom strings making up the octave and mute the string between them, using the inner part of your index finger, right below the part which you use to press the root note of the octave interval. Hope this makes sense, but nonetheless, it will be of great use in the future.

These should sound clean, very clean Let's overcome this hurdle, shall we?

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Jul 20 2012, 02:59 PM

I thought you said that I should mute the high B and e strings and play them muted to get what you called the "chuck chuck sound ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 22 2012, 08:37 PM

I did say so indeed, but it seems you need to isolate the exact 2 notes which need to me heard simultaneously and then get to the interpretation details

Posted by: JesseJ Jul 23 2012, 07:03 AM

Whats wrong with when I'm playing the notes that need to be played ? Am I muting them by accident ? 

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 23 2012, 11:06 AM

I don't think you are muting anything, but you are hitting some wrong notes - it really puzzles me, to be honest, because I can't figure out what you are doing there. Try to hit the two notes making up the octave in a single stroke while muting all the other strings which should not ring out. Pay close attention to what your fingers are pressing - you need to make those two notes ring and none others

Posted by: JesseJ Jul 27 2012, 07:45 PM

Thats what I do. I don't play the low E , I ply the A string mute the D play the G string and mute the high B, and E strings . I am sure that is how I play it. I slowed the lesson right down and practied it and brought my speed up slowly with proper form. So I am confused as you are !?!

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 28 2012, 07:57 AM

That's the problem mate Your description fits the correct position in all the ways, but the recording sounds otherwise - that's why I am so puzzled. Any thoughts? Is the guitar in tune? This is really weird bro Let's sort it out!

Posted by: JesseJ Aug 1 2012, 06:41 PM

Well the only thing I can think of is poor audio quality. I am working on getting a interface and mic. I just have to make my mind up between the focusrite scarlett 2i2 or M-Audio mobile Pre II. Then I will have better recording quality.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Aug 2 2012, 02:49 PM

Alright! Let me know when it's done mate, in the mean time - shall we proceed on something new?

Posted by: JesseJ Aug 3 2012, 03:56 PM

Good Idea Did you have anything specific in mind ? I would really like to learn pinch harmonics.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Aug 4 2012, 04:56 PM

Hey Jesse!

Sure thing - now, if you can already use them, I will direct you towards this lesson:

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/pinch-harmonics/

Take a look over it and let's start the work Is it too difficult or if you don't like the way it sounds, we can look for something else

If you can't use them yet, let me know so that I can explain the whole process.

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Aug 5 2012, 04:31 PM

Hi cosmin

I love that lesson it sounds very nice! Not sure how hard it will be I am not that good at judging but I will try my best

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Aug 6 2012, 10:15 AM

Hey Jesse Try it out a bit and tell me how it feels, because if it's too difficult, we can go for another one, k?

Posted by: JesseJ Aug 14 2012, 06:34 PM

Hi Cosmin

I tried the lesson and the lesson in itself isn't that hard it is pinch harmonics that I am having trouble with. I just can't seem to do them. I watched a bunch of youtube videos on pinch harmonics and practiced and nothing like I can do them 1 out of 50 tries!

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Aug 15 2012, 08:03 AM

Hey Jesse Let's try to spot the problem out:

- do you have enough gain in your tone?
- is the bridge pickup on?
- is your thumb also touching the string?
- are you picking the harmonic in the right spot on the string?

Let's take it from here then, shall we?

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Aug 15 2012, 03:51 PM

Hi Cosmin

Okay this looks like a good place to start !

Okay my gain was all the way turned up ( And I get ALOT of gain out of my amp )
I was trying it on both pickups, but like you said I did find the results better on the bridge pickup
My thumb was touching the string but I find it just mutes it most of the time.
I am not sure about the right spot on the string ? Don't know where that would be ?

Thanks for all the help

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Aug 16 2012, 11:49 AM

Hehe! Well, Jesse, watch out for the following things:

- the thumb must touch the string with a very little portion, otherwise, it will choke the string, much like you are describing the situation right now

- there are several spots on each string (start exploring the G and D strings, as you will get the easiest results with these) between the neck and the bridge, where you can find various artificial harmonic spots it's all about exploring man.

Here's a good exercise!

1) Play the A note on the G string in the second fret.
2) Play an A major arpeggio using the B and E strings as well - in this order: A C# E C# A having that A on the G string in the second fret.
3) You have heard the notes making up the arpeggio - keep their sound well in your mind
4) Find those notes ON THE G STRING ONLY, by playing artificial harmonics in various places and thus play the arpeggio, by using harmonics, on the G STRING ONLY - you will discover that it is possible!

If you have any troubles, let me know

Cosmin

Posted by: JesseJ Sep 28 2012, 11:44 PM

Hi Cosmin

Sorry I have so long in responding. I could list a million excuses but since none of them are any good I won't bother.
I cant seem to get this pinch harmonics thing so I was thinking maybe we could work on a different lesson? I would really love to learn to solo so what would be the first practical step to that long journey ?

Jesse

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Sep 29 2012, 07:47 AM

Hey Jesse! I was curious to see some lead playing from you Do you have any recorded solo or lead oriented thing? If yes, send it my way so I would know where to pick it up with you in that direction

Cosmin