Original Rock Licks |
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Original Rock Licks |
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Jul 31 2014, 01:35 PM |
Hey guys I finally got a little time to write something that is mine. It is short but I wanted to apply what I have learned here into my own playing. I have taken some of what I liked about the lessons I learned and tried to apply them in my own way. Let me know what you think.
https://soundcloud.com/jim-seekford-music/instrumental-rock-solo-idea |
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Jul 31 2014, 09:00 PM |
Great to see you experimenting with your own stuff and recording.
This sounds interesting to me as a draft idea for an instrumental song. What I'd suggest is recording a bit more stable (in timing) rhythm guitars backing track. Maybe try adding drums if you have the possibility. The backing track appears to be a loop (copy-paste) if I'm not mistaken. That can throw you off, especially in the section when the track is looping. I'd suggest adding a bit more to the backing track progression as the beginning of the solo is cool but you'll soon run out of licks and the track might become too repetitive. When it comes to solo, I like the licks and also how you seem to climb the fretboard pretty seamlessly (which is often hard to do). What I notice though is a bit of lick based approach in the solo. The licks on their own sound cool but you could try to develop the theme a bit more (to incorporate longer notes/melodic passages) and focus on the dynamics. For example, try incorporating pauses and varying phrasing timing. Here are some cool lessons in that style : https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Improvisation-Breathing/ https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/climax_in_a_solo/ I'd like to congratulate you for learning these licks/concepts and making them your own. That is the true purpose of all the lessons. This is how everyone learns, even our guitar idols. They don't just wake up with the best licks in the world. Stuff is re-used over and over again consciously or unconsciously and the great thing is that those licks get to "make" something new, define a new player or style and in the process they do become unique. Please keep going with this song, I think you are on the right path. Once you have more sections in, you could start working on the arrangement (adding drums, bass etc) and mix a bit. -------------------- For GMC support please email support (at) guitarmasterclass.net
Check out my lessons and my instructor board. Check out my beginner guitar lessons course! ; Take a bass course now! |
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Jul 31 2014, 10:40 PM |
Hi Jim! Congrats on your recording and your wise thinking. I think that you've started an amazing journey that consists on finding your own voice, you own style on guitar and music. I think that this is the best approach to use GMC lesson, learning the licks, analyzing the theory behind the scales used and the connection between each lick and the chord being played in the backing, and then improvising variations that feel comfortable with your own playing. That's exactly how I usually work on gmc lessons and also on songs that I learn when I'm analyzing a guitarist or composer that I like. The more you experiment with variations of the same licks combined with your own phrases the most you make them of your own, and yes! I think that's creation.
Your recording sounds fresh for me, the note choices, the phrases, everything sounds unique so I think that you are definitely going on the right track. It would be good if you can add drums to these recording to make it sound tighter and to make it easier to play at tempo. Keep on experimenting and recording! -------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Aug 1 2014, 11:41 AM |
Great to see you experimenting with your own stuff and recording. This sounds interesting to me as a draft idea for an instrumental song. What I'd suggest is recording a bit more stable (in timing) rhythm guitars backing track. Maybe try adding drums if you have the possibility. The backing track appears to be a loop (copy-paste) if I'm not mistaken. That can throw you off, especially in the section when the track is looping. I'd suggest adding a bit more to the backing track progression as the beginning of the solo is cool but you'll soon run out of licks and the track might become too repetitive. When it comes to solo, I like the licks and also how you seem to climb the fretboard pretty seamlessly (which is often hard to do). What I notice though is a bit of lick based approach in the solo. The licks on their own sound cool but you could try to develop the theme a bit more (to incorporate longer notes/melodic passages) and focus on the dynamics. For example, try incorporating pauses and varying phrasing timing. Here are some cool lessons in that style : https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Improvisation-Breathing/ https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/climax_in_a_solo/ I'd like to congratulate you for learning these licks/concepts and making them your own. That is the true purpose of all the lessons. This is how everyone learns, even our guitar idols. They don't just wake up with the best licks in the world. Stuff is re-used over and over again consciously or unconsciously and the great thing is that those licks get to "make" something new, define a new player or style and in the process they do become unique. Please keep going with this song, I think you are on the right path. Once you have more sections in, you could start working on the arrangement (adding drums, bass etc) and mix a bit. Bogdan thanks for taking time for the nice write up. I listened to those lesson recommendations and they both are great ones. I especially like the breathing one. I need to learn both of those ideas. The first bar of rhythm guitar is copied from the main one and it did not sync properly. I will definately keep this project going as this was just the beginning of a tune. That section is probably somewhere in the middle. Cool stuff Jim. Is that A Harmonic Minor by any chance ? As Cosmin said, having a non linear way of phrasing is key to making stuff sound like music instead of exercises. In my opinion, you perhaps meander around too much.. pick some strong chord tones and work a melody around it and then you can get 'busy' later on ! Also, experiment by working with strong rhythmical ideas. Vary the tempos of the notes.. don't have all 8th notes or 16th notes.. have some slow triplets in there, or some staggered 'offbeat' notes.. Do you record your rhythm guitars to a click or anything, or do you track one and track the other against it ? Yes Ben A harmonic minor for the first lick. How did you know I was recording with a straw hat and weed in my mouth? Since I was ''him hawing'' around to much. Thats funny, I do have the tendency to meander around a bit. My next round of writing will consist of new rhythm thats set to a drum track and Ill pay attention to the note values. Thanks for the advice man! I surely appreciate it. Hi Jim! Congrats on your recording and your wise thinking. I think that you've started an amazing journey that consists on finding your own voice, you own style on guitar and music. I think that this is the best approach to use GMC lesson, learning the licks, analyzing the theory behind the scales used and the connection between each lick and the chord being played in the backing, and then improvising variations that feel comfortable with your own playing. That's exactly how I usually work on gmc lessons and also on songs that I learn when I'm analyzing a guitarist or composer that I like. The more you experiment with variations of the same licks combined with your own phrases the most you make them of your own, and yes! I think that's creation. Your recording sounds fresh for me, the note choices, the phrases, everything sounds unique so I think that you are definitely going on the right track. It would be good if you can add drums to these recording to make it sound tighter and to make it easier to play at tempo. Keep on experimenting and recording! Hey morning Gabriel! Man you guys are great here, very responsive. The recording process is new to me as I have been working with Todd and discovered a completely new way to record using Logic. I cant believe the way I always used to record. Once I get a good template set in Logic then my future recordings should go much more smoothly and faster. Sometimes I will create a guitar tone in amplitube and then when it sits in the mix of the song it does not fit. So I think having all of your general guitar voices in different tracks ready to go is a great way to speed the process. Im still tinkering with different voices. I am going to record this over again but this time with a song structure. The part that I recorded will probably be in the middle somewhere or maybe completely new. Who knows, anything can change. Have a good day man! |
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Aug 1 2014, 03:42 PM |
Hey morning Gabriel! Man you guys are great here, very responsive. The recording process is new to me as I have been working with Todd and discovered a completely new way to record using Logic. I cant believe the way I always used to record. Once I get a good template set in Logic then my future recordings should go much more smoothly and faster. Sometimes I will create a guitar tone in amplitube and then when it sits in the mix of the song it does not fit. So I think having all of your general guitar voices in different tracks ready to go is a great way to speed the process. Im still tinkering with different voices. I am going to record this over again but this time with a song structure. The part that I recorded will probably be in the middle somewhere or maybe completely new. Who knows, anything can change. Have a good day man! This sounds great Jim. I think that working on your own compositions as a part of the process of practicing technique and developing your own phrases and style is the most effective and creative method ever. I think that's how the masters like Vai, Petrucci, Satriani, Malmsteen, Giilbert and many more have became our heroes. They created they own songs and albums and that's how they developed they style. Then, we learn all those songs and licks thanks to their 80's, 90's videoclinics. Looking forward the song version of this ideas. -------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Aug 2 2014, 06:40 PM |
Thank you cosmin, I am glad you noticed what I did. The timing was a little tricky because I recorded each guitar part twice. One left and one Right using different amp models. I would record one take and have to match it. I think practice and having a better understanding of what I am playing will tighten things up. The non linear phrasing actually came from all the lessons here. I notice that each lesson no matter what it's main focus is, it has guitar lines that are rarely consecutive and always seem to fit. During this writing process I kept hearing certain notes that I always play but this time my ear told me no "stay away." I took them out and realized that I was just playing the notes of the chord. Using pentatonic you can sit too easily on notes that need to be just passing by. Next I realized that when I needed an answer on where to go, just look at the chord I am soloing over. For example, I play Amin then real quickly through Emin to Fmaj. So I had the first section done and I had to find a way to end on F maj, hopefully hitting some emin notes before. That is where I tried to emulate a lick from Diego's Jumping Harmonies. He has a hybrid picking lick and ends with some tasty bends. Although I did not hit it exactly what I wanted it felt good to have 2 ideas in one lick. When I look at a lesson and want to incorporate that lick that you learn, that can be difficult because that is NOT you playing, it is someone else. It comes naturally to those who write it but what you can do is learn it as perfect as possible and break it down. I would say ok he is basically playing a sixeenth note pattern ending with a..... ect.... Now take your bread and butter licks and start morphing them using the ideas behind the lesson. Then it is your creation, right? Very well said mate This was - unconsciously tho - for most of us, the way in which we honed our playing: picking up our favorite phrases and licks from our favorite bands and artists and making them our own, more or less consciously. You are DEFINITELY on the right path with this and the more you do it, the better it will serve you and the more refined this art - because it is an art - will become. And imitating something in its entirety... that will never be an option simply because, as you stated it above, it was written by someone else You cannot feel like that person because you are you and they are they I got a little challenge for ya How about throwing a little phrase over this backing right here in the lesson: https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Slap-P...ustic-Workshop/ I am interested in what you would play over the last part where I played that little solo - please use bends, vibrato and only wuarter and eight notes on the E and B strings Challenge accepted? |
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Aug 3 2014, 03:06 PM |
Very well said mate This was - unconsciously tho - for most of us, the way in which we honed our playing: picking up our favorite phrases and licks from our favorite bands and artists and making them our own, more or less consciously. You are DEFINITELY on the right path with this and the more you do it, the better it will serve you and the more refined this art - because it is an art - will become. And imitating something in its entirety... that will never be an option simply because, as you stated it above, it was written by someone else You cannot feel like that person because you are you and they are they I got a little challenge for ya How about throwing a little phrase over this backing right here in the lesson: https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Slap-P...ustic-Workshop/ I am interested in what you would play over the last part where I played that little solo - please use bends, vibrato and only wuarter and eight notes on the E and B strings Challenge accepted? Challenge accepted! |
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Aug 3 2014, 07:04 PM |
Alright mate!
Bring it on! |
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Aug 7 2014, 09:06 PM |
Great tips by Cosmin and Ben about adding chromatic notes to Pentatonic minor scale. It's a good trick to make pentatonic sound more interesting. Here you have a scale chart of the penta + chromatic notes that I mostly use:
If you want to see/hear this in action check out the following lesson where I talk about this concept and share some shred licks using Pentatonic in this way: https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Pentatonic-Shred-Licks/ If you can use Pentatonic minor scale, it means that most of the songs that you are going to play are in minor tonalities. If you already have the list of songs you could check the different tonalities and see if the progressions used allow different minor modes as aeolian, dorian, phrygian, and maybe if it's a blues progression, Mixolidian mode. -------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Aug 8 2014, 02:44 AM |
Great tips by Cosmin and Ben about adding chromatic notes to Pentatonic minor scale. It's a good trick to make pentatonic sound more interesting. Here you have a scale chart of the penta + chromatic notes that I mostly use: If you want to see/hear this in action check out the following lesson where I talk about this concept and share some shred licks using Pentatonic in this way: https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Pentatonic-Shred-Licks/ If you can use Pentatonic minor scale, it means that most of the songs that you are going to play are in minor tonalities. If you already have the list of songs you could check the different tonalities and see if the progressions used allow different minor modes as aeolian, dorian, phrygian, and maybe if it's a blues progression, Mixolidian mode. Thats a great lesson there Gabriel, I really like the super fast legato runs and punchies. I will surely work it out |
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Aug 8 2014, 07:18 AM |
So I had to cancel playing with my dad. We had practice last night and while we only have 1 more before the show, it was terrible. There was no way it was going to work. I don't want to look like an ass playing guitar on the beach with everybody else out of whack too. It was sounding horrible and I want vacation, not to be forced to play a show.y dad is pretty pissed but I'm glad because it would have been bad. The good thing about it all is I learned a bit about myself and where my musical knowledge is on the spot. I think I need to look into how a Dorian and a min pent work together and laterally. Could someone explain why or why not think about G Maj when talking about A Dorian? I had a few lessons with Greg Howe and he gave me an approach on modes that made me more confused than ever. Hey there Jim Wow! Tell us a bit about how you started working with Greg It sounds like an amazing opportunity to me When you think about a mode, you should think about a specific sound belonging to THAT mode only. So that is one big reason for which you don't want to mix G major with A dorian - I like to see them as two separate entities, even though you can deduce the second from the first one. There are two approaches here: The derivative one, in which you deduce a mode from each step of a natural major scale - for instance in the case of G major: G major/Ionian A Dorian B Phrygian C Lydian D Mixolydian E Aeolian F# Locrian This is one of the main reasons for which people think of modes as a major scale with the notes re-arranged The parallel one - in this situation you think of a root and form the modes so that each will be having that particular root: G major/Ionian G Dorian G Phrygian G Lydian G Mixolydian G Aeolian G Locrian All you need to do is take the root and apply each mode formula from that root - in our case, G. In your situation, think about the A dorian mode as being obtained by applying the Dorian formula and having A as the root: Dorian formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 -> A Dorian: A B C D E F# G A If you would think of A Ionian - the formula would be 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 - > A B C# D E F# G# A Apply the Dorian formula over the Ionian one and you will notice the differences: you have a b3 and a b7 thus C# becomes C and G# becomes G and you have the Dorian formula applied Now, you should focus on retaining the Dorian sounds - the Dorian characteristic scale degree - that is the 6th. Play the 6th against minor, m7, m9 chords and that will help you remember the specific Dorian sound About lesson recommendations - I was thinking about this one to begin with: https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/dorian...asing_beginner/ https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Dorian...g-Intermediate/ Please let me know what your thoughts are, mate |
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Aug 8 2014, 01:08 PM |
Hey there Jim Wow! Tell us a bit about how you started working with Greg It sounds like an amazing opportunity to me When you think about a mode, you should think about a specific sound belonging to THAT mode only. So that is one big reason for which you don't want to mix G major with A dorian - I like to see them as two separate entities, even though you can deduce the second from the first one. There are two approaches here: The derivative one, in which you deduce a mode from each step of a natural major scale - for instance in the case of G major: G major/Ionian A Dorian B Phrygian C Lydian D Mixolydian E Aeolian F# Locrian This is one of the main reasons for which people think of modes as a major scale with the notes re-arranged The parallel one - in this situation you think of a root and form the modes so that each will be having that particular root: G major/Ionian G Dorian G Phrygian G Lydian G Mixolydian G Aeolian G Locrian All you need to do is take the root and apply each mode formula from that root - in our case, G. In your situation, think about the A dorian mode as being obtained by applying the Dorian formula and having A as the root: Dorian formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7 -> A Dorian: A B C D E F# G A If you would think of A Ionian - the formula would be 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 - > A B C# D E F# G# A Apply the Dorian formula over the Ionian one and you will notice the differences: you have a b3 and a b7 thus C# becomes C and G# becomes G and you have the Dorian formula applied Now, you should focus on retaining the Dorian sounds - the Dorian characteristic scale degree - that is the 6th. Play the 6th against minor, m7, m9 chords and that will help you remember the specific Dorian sound About lesson recommendations - I was thinking about this one to begin with: https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/dorian...asing_beginner/ https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Dorian...g-Intermediate/ Please let me know what your thoughts are, mate Goodmorning Cosmin! Well I'll have to talk about Greg's lesson at a later date as there is so much to say. So I know that the Dorian scale has a maj 6th? That's how I remember it at least. Anyway I realized a few big problems in my playing this morning. 1. If I was trying to play Dorian over a backing I'd forget that the other chords in the track may not take to that scale as say the root. I took Murius backing from the link above and layer out every chord in my daw. I found this progression Amin, D7, then for a turnaround Gmaj, emin, a min. Playing A Dorian over d, g and e just didn't seem right. But the moment I started looking at my computer to see the next chord I immediately started playing so much more unique. As if a light went off, I started hearing all the advice about knowing the chord your playing over. I began playing a few A Dorian tones then into a G major phrase then when D7 came around I started nailing its 7 then the greatest thing I realized today was after taking bens advice of moving forward and not up, I found a cool pattern and chord for A Dorian. See Dorian has a cool patern of min3, maj3, min3, min3! It's kind of maj and diminished depending which notes you lean on. This morning was a great practice! For me I really learned that I can't just think a boy one scale but yet knowing that change is needed and your ear will tell you more than any book or lesson. You need the lesson just as you need your ear! This post has been edited by Jim S.: Aug 8 2014, 01:28 PM |
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