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Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 7 2013, 12:44 PM

Hey there my friend!

This here is your own thread in which we will focus on developing your guitar playing skills - beginning with timing!

Stay tuned today for a little presentation movie about rhythmic subdivisions and a lesson suggestion to follow, ok?

Cosmin

Posted by: Zaek Jun 7 2013, 06:53 PM

Hello!

Timing sounds like a good place to start, yes indeed!

*stays tuned*

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 7 2013, 10:08 PM

Hey buddy here ya go



http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Picking-Hand-Basics/

Posted by: Zaek Jun 8 2013, 09:33 PM

Hm, so, if one were to play 8th notes at 60bpm, that could also be 4th notes at 120bpm? - Depending on what you're actually playing?
And well, if you're playing.. 16th notes at 240bpm, how can one possible count that?
Other than that it was surprisingly easy to understand! Thank you very much

Hm, I can play most of the parts of the lesson you linked, except when it comes to shifting between 8th and 16th notes. It just turns into a big mess. - But it's probably very related to that I've not really played with this in mind before, I'll try to make a video when I get it down if you want!
Oh, and thanks, again!





Edit: Question
-- Zaek

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 9 2013, 02:24 PM

Hey man! Glad to know I was explicit enough

Well, a video would most likely help me help you, so please do share it here, ok? Regarding your questions:

Now, 8th notes at 60bpm = 4th notes at 120bpm, in the sense that the note duration is the same - but at 60BpM you will have 8 8th notes in a bar and at 120 BpM you will have 4 quarter notes in a bar, so the note duration stays the same, but the number of notes decreases - please let me know if it's clear... and about 16th notes at 240 Bpm... well, that is an athletic endeavor which I find totally useless to be honest with you

The maths is simple and your intuition has proved itself useful! Let's get this lesson in shape and we can try out some more concerning the subject of rhythmic subdivisions Deal?

Cosmin

Posted by: Zaek Jun 9 2013, 06:02 PM

Hello!
Yeah, I'll see if I can make a video doing the lesson. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhaYfY4zNow&feature=youtu.be

The question about 16th notes at 240 bpm was more of a hypothetical one. - Be it useless or not.
Yeah, I'm up for some more!

Oh, and thanks, again! :-)


-- Zaek

Edit: Added link! (Sorry about angle of the video, I'll have to get a proper camera one day, that isnt a phone, randomly placed, hoping it'll record what I want recorded!)

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 10 2013, 09:27 AM

Hey buddy! Thanks for the vid I noticed some things and I will get back to you with a video today ok?

Posted by: Zaek Jun 10 2013, 04:00 PM

Oh, neat! - Yeah, no rush, I've got all the time in the world :-)

Additional offtopic question!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zj2NZ6in6I - Things like this.. how would I go on jamming / improvising to it? - I mean, I can see it's in G minor. But that does not really tell me much. (Should really read more theory.)

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 11 2013, 10:51 AM

Hey mate, here ya go:

Posted by: Zaek Jun 11 2013, 08:35 PM

Hi! Good video. You seem to have a way to make things simple , Thanks! :-)
I'll try to change the way I alternate pick, and the whole learning the body the rhythm is a very interesting thing, I can practice that anywhere! - Thanks!

As for the improv, to be honest, I don't really hear much music in my head, other than whats being played when listening to .. things to jam over. I see pictures in my head though :| - And have sometimes tried to translate the pictures to sound, if that makes sense. :-)


I made a video were I tried to pretend my hand was locked by axis. - It feels like the three remaining fingers on the right hand tenses up if I don't anchor them (Like in the Cosmin 3 video below) and well, the entire hand gets more uncoordinated and harder to controll (bigger movements) but then again, it's most likely just a matter of practicing it that way.
As far as I can tell, the elbow / forarm is still moving a bit here in this video, but not in the second one. (Easier to relaxed when anchored )





A second one, were I tried to show how I would normally go about alternate picking ,and a bit faster. (far from flawless.)







Edit: I might just have to learn to calm down, release some tension and try to do things very much more slow.


Now to watch your video another time!
Thank you :-)

- Zaek

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 11 2013, 09:32 PM

Hey mate More observations coming in a new video - but till tomorrow - you should know that video 3 is ok'ish until the end, where you move your right hand fingers

Posted by: Zaek Jun 11 2013, 10:33 PM

Hey, awesome! :-)

haha, yeah, I was mainly concentrating on the left hand there to be honest! (Excuses )

Peace :-)

-- Zaek

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 12 2013, 07:05 AM

No problemmo mate - stay tuned and we'll take care of everything in due time

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 12 2013, 03:52 PM

Hey buddy, here ya go

Posted by: Zaek Jun 12 2013, 04:56 PM

Hey, yeah, the anchoring I do, seem to make it hard to play on the 6th string aswell. So, getting rid of it seems like a very good plan!

I'll get right on that, and yeah, we have a deal! - Next video will have both hands, at slow speed, steady timing and clean picking!
It'll probably take a while

*goes to practice*

Thank you! :-)

-- Zaek

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 13 2013, 07:22 AM

The pleasure is all mine man Let's build healthy habits, so that later on you won't have to go back on things.

Anchoring is not a bad thing, but there are sufficient moments when it'll hinder you - in the end though, it all depends on what you want to play and how you feel comfy. Bot for me at least, not leaning on the guitar body, provides freedom of movement.

Let's see how it works for you

Cosmin

Posted by: Zaek Jun 22 2013, 04:24 PM

Did another attempt at the first part of Ben's lesson.
Played it without the video, and with a metronome instead this time
Will do the other ones as well, but this is apparently not a great day for guitaring, having slight of a "damn, not progressing in anything, maybe I should throw the guitar out of the window" kind of day
(Oh, and yeah, I will work on the noise.)

Anyway, I tried! - Here's the video

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 23 2013, 09:19 PM

Hey man! Not bad! The timing is good, but you need to mute the strings around the note that you play - please focus on that and let's see the rest

You are on the good path

Posted by: Zaek Jun 24 2013, 07:10 AM

Hey, thanks for the feedback!

Yeah, ill have to find a way to mute the strings. Still adjusting to this right hand resting on the bridge way of doing things :-P

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 24 2013, 12:53 PM

How about if I make a movie for you - I will explain things easier, rather than writing them

Posted by: Zaek Jun 24 2013, 05:01 PM

Oh, sure :-)
What I'd normally do is to rest the palm of the right hand slightly on the strings above the one(s) I'm playing, and the other hand to mute the ones under what I'm playing. (I have no idea why I do this, I just noticed) But now my hand is ..on the bridge.

oh, and picked myself up an Ibanez 1570z today, so, there is no going back from this now. I have to develop skills to match the guitar.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 25 2013, 09:32 PM

hehe congrats for the new guitar man!

Posted by: Zaek Jun 26 2013, 09:03 PM

Thanks! - But ..how do you do this thumb muting? - The only way I seem to be able to do it is by resting the thumb on the strings, and that just completely breaks my picking. (Angle is very bizzare.)

Or by touching the strings (D,A,E) with the thumb on the upstrokes.

I should probably mention that I'm trying to do this with very much gain, and distortion, to make sure that the sound from the other strings are actually muted.

EDIT: Do you keep a rigid thumb?
EDIT2: This makes my thumb feel numb, along with my mind, not really sure of what to practice tbh. - And what is wrong with muting with the palm?

-- Zaek

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 27 2013, 07:24 AM

Hey man I am lightly touching the strings with my thumb - I don't press the thumb against them and I never use too much gain you know. The thumb moves when I pick, alongside my whole hand, but still, it touches the E, A and D strings so that it mutes them.

My advice - don't use too much gain Learn to play with less gain and you will develop a great dynamic control with both hands, which will stay with you for all eternity.

Let me know if all is clear and also, try to record at super slow tempo using these techniques - you can also mute with the palm if you think you can have better control like that. Nothing wrong with that - to be honest for me it can come down to a combination, of palm and thumb sometimes. I think that experimenting will get you to a good result - these are just pointers to what you should have in mind and what you can use to get to the desired result

Posted by: Zaek Jul 1 2013, 02:02 PM

Hey man, i Just wanted to let you know that i think Im starting to get the hang of how to practice with a metronome, was finally alle to clap 8th and 16th notes at 50bpm,might not mean much, but it felt good to just get something in time :-)

Currently Still at work, so will have to try to apply this to the guitar later, but thanks so far!

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 2 2013, 07:24 AM

Mate, as long as you are able to understand a principle, speed and dexterity are the outcome of correct, constant and dedicated practice Don't worry, ok? Just practice and show me what you've got

Posted by: Zaek Jul 19 2013, 01:46 PM

Yeah, but before I was not able to clap them at all. - So that was kind of a tiny achievement for me, and I just wanted to share my happiness :-)

Well, here's the most recent results.

The timing will probably be off as when I had the backing track on, my hands just played 8th notes, because that's what I've practiced most with the backing track on that lesson. (And If I hear that backing track one more time I will most likely kick a chair.)

But then again, I have a much better understanding of what timing is now, than I did before we started this!

So, thanks!




Hm, side question (With a video!!)

I've been practicing this part of a solo for about ..7 months now, every day. - And well, it didn't feel like I had any progression at all, so I looked at a video I made 5 months ago, and well, there was some improvement! - I don't pick the sweep-parts anymore \o/

Anyway, the second part of the video (where the slow sweeps are taking place.) is there anything that makes you want to scream? - In terms of something that should be done differently, or is just plain wrong? Or do you think I should just keep practicing?
That is not how I practice it by the way. It was just to get an estimate of what I can do with that technique.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 20 2013, 05:06 PM

Hey mate!

First video:

It is very good that you have become conscious of the changes occurring from one rhythmic subdivision to another i.e 8ths to 16th notes - so now, I would be the happiest chap in the world if you would record the full lesson against the backing track playing everything in great timing and with clean picking. Make this happen and you will get rid of this lesson, trust me

Second video:

Your sweeping technique looks clean and sounds accurate - you got the correct motion in the second part of the video, so now it's a matter of practicing against a metronome and implementing what you have created in a rhythmic/musical context at the speed you desire.

Mate-do not shun the metronome, it will not save you any time - if you practice into thin air, without any rhythm you will not progress. Rhythm and timing are the mother and father of all music from the dawn of ages.

Timing is everywhere, even if you want to or not So keeping these in mind, let's see that lesson recorded so that we can move on, aye?

Cosmin

Posted by: Zaek Jul 22 2013, 07:47 PM

Been trying to record the last part of the lesson for a few hours now, can't play it at Ben's speed.


So, in the meantime, this video sums up whats going on right now

But I'll get there soon enough

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 23 2013, 11:13 AM

I knew this one

Mate, listen, don't hurry to record at Ben's speed - try to record the whole lesson against the track at 75% speed and focus on playing tight and clean and with great timing. I think you will be far better and satisfied with monitoring your progress and getting a finished take, by following this procedure. After having this one done, add 80% and try another take and so on, deal?

Posted by: Zaek Aug 2 2013, 03:55 PM

Hello! My thumb seem to be able to hold the pick again, or I've developed a way to hold the pick regardless of the burnt/weird skin. Anyway, I've been practicing a bit more on the picking.

And yeah, I just went with 100% speed, I've practiced everything at this speed so it's very awkward to try to slow it down.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Aug 3 2013, 10:01 AM

Hey buddy I know it's a bit linear, but still - after having the problem that you have, I can spot inconsistencies in your picking and even if I will give you a whole new lesson to deal with, I would like to see a whole A to Z full speed, clean and as close to perfection as possible, take of this lesson here. You tend to have a problem with recording things from one end to another - this can develop into a very bad habit later on - starting and not finishing things, for instance.

I don't want to torture you, I just want to help you build healthy technique and good habits as a player

How about this one? -> http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/legato_and_picking_beginner/

Posted by: Zaek Aug 4 2013, 07:10 PM

Hey man, yeah, I'm still working on the lesson!

About the torture thing, no, of course not, I just get a bit frustrated at times, but tends to pass after a few hours (sometimes minutes) and then I practice some more.

Anyway, I'll get right on perfecting this thing, so we can finally move on!

Oh, and the legato looks fun. :-)

And as always, thanks for your time :-)

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Aug 5 2013, 11:22 AM

Hehe, good to know that we are on the yellow brick road here

Post as often as you can and I'll be here to assist - do you like the lesson I suggested?

Posted by: Zaek Aug 5 2013, 09:22 PM

Hey, the lesson you suggested looks nice. I'll look more into it after we're done with the current lesson though.

Anyway, here is today's video of picking!
As you will see, this is the first time I actually recorded this in one take, and this is the first time I actually felt like I was getting close to what was going on when Ben plays. :-)

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Aug 6 2013, 08:56 AM

Hey matey It's great that you put things together in one shot! Now, what I notice is that you are rushing a bit as an overall observation and you can especially notice that at around 0:54 - you tend to become more balanced after 2-3 cycles of that part, but still you should focus on getting the whole take in the proper balance without rushing. What say you, my friend?

Posted by: Zaek Aug 6 2013, 04:58 PM

Well aren't you just a perfectionist? (Just kidding! )

Hm, yeah, I noticed the rushed parts as well actually.

I've gone over it very many times now and well, I feel like it's not that hard anymore, but when I look at the video, it's still not flawless, from looking at the video, it looks like I just fade out, and stop focusing every other second or something.
Hm, I also again want to say that I play it better when there damned camera isn't there.

I just realised I've done nothing but play guitar for the past 3 days now. (time off work is great!)

I'm not sure if there is anything new in this video, maybe the transition from triplets to 8th and 16th notes is slightly better.
Here is today's hopefully improved take!

Thanks for your time! :-)





Oh, and even though there are probably things I should get better at before even thinking at sweeping properly, I've been trying to play 16th note triplets (Sextuplet?) at 50 bpm, counting 1,2,3,4,5,6. Would this be the right way to it with a metronome?
I'm having a slightly hard time keeping the fingers are that time, they just play faster, and if I turn there speed on the metronome up, I can't really.. follow the counts. - Any input on this?

Edit: ..Is there any reason I shouldn't just play quarter notes when learning to sweep? - That makes everything a lot easier, I'd suppose.


-- Zaek

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Aug 7 2013, 09:15 AM

Hey there my friend Theoretically, it is correct although I still feel it is a bit a teeny tiny bit ahead of the beat It will all come in time, so don't worry, now I think it is better to focus on the new lesson and play this one once in a while - maybe come up with a new recording next month and then we can compare the results?

In the mean time, I would like to make a video for you regarding your last question, so stay tuned

Hey buddy, here we go:

Posted by: Zaek Aug 9 2013, 05:42 AM

Hiya mate
I shall get back to the lessons as soon as I have time, and yeah, it looks quite good!

Oh, and about the video, I'll be watching it when I can concentrate slightly better. :- ))

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Aug 9 2013, 07:35 AM

Hey man There's nothing wrong with having a couple of beers with your dad and working on a project together - just watch out for nails and hammer and fingers Ok?

Determination and success are two things which can be bred, with the right mindset Take some time to watch the vid while having fresh ears and mind and let me know what your thoughts are, deal?

Posted by: Zaek Nov 13 2013, 09:37 PM

*pokes head out*
Hi.
I have returned.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 14 2013, 09:16 AM

Hey mate Welcome back! Well, how are things going with you?

Posted by: Zaek Jul 9 2014, 05:23 PM

Wops, I'm a bit slow on the replies apparently.
Hi, thanks. Good. Trying to work out how to play stuff without tensing up.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 9 2014, 06:28 PM

Hey bro Welcome back!

Tell me more about your tensing problem - when does it occur usually? Does it appear with every technique, only when you play rhythm or lead as well?

The more you tell me or show me, the more I can help

Let's rock!

Cosmin

Posted by: Zaek Jul 10 2014, 09:13 AM

Hi, thanks!
No, it seem to mostly happen when I try to alternate pick at higher speeds, in other words, when I have to concentrate a lot.
I would assume the answer to fix this is to take notice of the body, and going gradually up in speeds to pin-point where and why the tension happens.

But it seems to only be when I'm trying to play specific stuff, if I just noodle around on the fret-board with various techniques, there is almost no tension

I could try to show you later today, but now I've gotta run off for work!

Thanks.

Zaek

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 11 2014, 10:46 AM

You have given yourself a very honest answer mate Now, two things:

1) If you could show me such a critical moment in a video, I could tell you more, of course, based on what I see and hear and...

2) Making a good habit out of noticing what's happening and taking action WHEN it is happening, will work wonders of course That means, if you notice a problem, don't continue like it's not there, but stop, isolate the part that causes trouble, slow it down and practice it taking into account the relaxation, precision, clean playing and articulation of the phrase at the low speed. Once you are comfortable, raise the speed gradually to get to your desired level

Let me know what you think, ok?

Cosmin

Posted by: Zaek Jul 14 2014, 02:49 PM

Hi! - I've been trying to get it in a video, but from what I've noticed in the past few days (just started vacation, body isnt tired from work when I play) it seems to be more of a gradual buildup of tension from ignoring tiny amounts of tension! - So, I'll try to focus on that when it happens, and get it worked out like you mentioned.

Oh, and I think I'll start working on this http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/neoclassical-etude-1/

Way out of my comfort zone and abilities at the moment, but aim for the skies right?

-- Zaek

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 15 2014, 07:30 AM

Hey mate

You have started on a good path - now, in order for you to have less and less to deal with tension, as you noticed, your body is relaxed, because of no stress beforehand - work or other similar things. You should learn how to enter such a state of mind in which you leave everything else aside and the body will also follow.

It's amazing to discover what we can do if we put our minds to it Being aware is the most important thing:

When and why am I starting to tense up?

As soon as you feel that coming, stop relax and start again - there will come a point when you will be able to relax while playing, but until then, you should become comfortable with the tension provoking movements at slow speeds, where they can't provoke anything. Focus on small and relaxed movements and keep this spirit when you are raising the speed

About the lesson, if you play it correct, in good timing, clean and articulated at 75% speed, I think it's excellent. The purpose here is to be able to play correct and then, speed will come in time. What do you think?