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Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi May 19 2014, 12:50 AM

Hi Seriphroth, welcome to our thread for Gab's Army. Here I will help you to design your practice routines, monitor your progress and give you feedback. In the near future we can also work on composition if you are interested.

At first, I invite you to post here some info and videos of you playing to know you a bit more.

I hope that you enjoy your stay at Gab's Army.

Posted by: Seriphroth May 19 2014, 05:02 AM

Helping me set up a practice routine would be great. I have played for 30 years off and on and am self taught. I have never developed a practice routine. I just practice whatever so a specific routine would be great. Also like i said, I will be posting some videos too. I bought a good webcam just for recording myself.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi May 19 2014, 03:13 PM

Excellent! What guitar gear will you use to record the video?

I think that this video can help you:

Posted by: Seriphroth Jun 7 2014, 07:39 PM

As far as my recording gear is concerned I am working with 3 different programs to work on the best tone. I have the Line 6 gearbox and the POD farm and I am checking out Amplitube 3. After your feedback from the solo from Trond Vold that I posted I have been working more on getting a better sustain. I did not like the tone I had on that post. With the video i have a good webcam and for the audio I am using Reaper.
I know I need to get better at finger independence, picking, synchronizing the hands, and timing.
My plans are to work on the finger independence series, alternate picking exercises and using a metronome while I am practicing. What is your thoughts on my practice routine?

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 8 2014, 07:30 PM

Hi mate. A good way to have better sustain is to add an overdrive pedal in your patch, before of the amp emulated. (using the stmpobox section in your amplitube patch).

Regarding your practice routine, let's start designing one for this week. Please tell me how many hours per day you can practice, and also post here if you have some favorite GMC lessons that cover this topics:


Alternate picking
Legato
Rhythm
Bending & vibrato

Posted by: Seriphroth Jun 8 2014, 08:23 PM

For my tone, I have added the overdrive and a compressor to my sound and gives me some good sustain.

For alternate picking I have a few GMC lessons that I like first is an alternate workout from Muris Varajic, Alternate picking basics from Darius Wave, and picking exercise from Trond Vold.

For legato, rhythm, and bending & vibrato I have not looked at any yet. I have mainly been working on mostly alternate picking and finger independence. As far as rhythm I am using a metronome no matter what I am practicing. I have about 2 hours a day to practice during the week and around 4 to 6 hours on Saturday and Sunday to practice.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 8 2014, 08:49 PM

Ok, what about something like this for this first 1/2 weeks?


Warming up


http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Picking-Arpeggios/

Alternate Picking
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/move_your_little_finger!/
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/alternate-workout/

Legato
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Hammer-On-Pull-Off-Etude/

Vibrato & Bending
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/guitar_loves_piano/

Posted by: Seriphroth Jun 8 2014, 09:41 PM

You put for 1/2 weeks. is that for 2 weeks?
I like it but there is one lesson I forgot that I like that i forgot to tell you about
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/open-chords-zone-a/
I will add this to the alternate picking. Now its time to have some fun practicing. Thanks a bunch Gab!!!!!

Posted by: Seriphroth Jun 9 2014, 03:00 AM

That other exercise I said I would add will be to the warm up and the two warm ups with the picking arpeggios will take me a while to get comfortable with I have not really worked on extended chords but I have always wanted to learn them and be able to play them so I will be practicing them as much as I can. BTW my fingers thank you for the hard work you are giving them!!!!!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 9 2014, 01:48 PM

yeah, the 1/2 means around 1 and 2 weeks. Let's see how you feel with the lessons, keep me updated.




Ok! It sounds great. Let's go for it.

Posted by: Seriphroth Jun 11 2014, 02:57 AM

Hey Gab
I am having a problem with this exercise.

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/alternate-workout/

I first thought this exercise was a triplet run, but after looking again at the GP tap I realized it is a 16th note run. I am trying to play it as a 16th note run but when I speed it up a bit, I go back to playing it like a triplet run. Any tips on this other than playing real slow until I get it?

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 11 2014, 02:30 PM

The tricky part on this one is that you play 16th notes but accentuate with your pick each 3 notes. I think that a good exercise would be to practice the rhythm, accentuating each 3 notes over a metronome to get used to the accent is displaced from the beat and gets back after 4 beats.

Are you able to do it? just playing an open string...

Posted by: Seriphroth Jun 12 2014, 12:33 AM

I am starting to get a feel for it, but the exercise seems to have a natural tendency to a triplet riff but it is getting easier. I am slowing it down to 70bpm and that has helped a whole lot but I will need to dedicate a lot of practice time for this exercise, but it will be well worth it when I get it down. Out of all the practice exercises you gave me, I feel this is the hardest of them all, but it is all good and I will progressing pretty quickly. And again thanks for all you help you have given me so far and thank you in advance for all the future help you will give me.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 12 2014, 03:13 AM

Thanks for your words mate, it's a pleasure to share this work with you. Keep me updated about the progress and let me know when you are ready for new lessons.

Posted by: Seriphroth Jun 14 2014, 11:51 PM

Hey Gab
These first few lessons are tough but good practice. I have been practicing every night and they get a little easier each day. I still havent been able to play them all the way through. I have only been practicing the picking arpeggios and the alternate exercises so far. They both are tough so I will take a bit longer to work on those till I can play both all the way through.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 15 2014, 06:41 PM

Hi Seriphroth, well done! Diary practice is fundamental if you want to see quick improvements in your guitar playing. Let's continue with the current routine for another week.

Posted by: Seriphroth Feb 4 2015, 03:58 AM

Hey Gab,
Sorry havent been around for a while. Had some issues but now I am back practicing 1 to 2 hours a day with the lessons you gave me. I have go them down pretty good at slower speeds and am working on getting them up to the speed of the lessons. It will take me a while but it will be well worth the time I put in. I feel like I should practice these exercises until I get them to regular speed unless you feel I should do something else or add to what I am practicing now.
Shane

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Feb 4 2015, 02:31 PM

Hi mate! Welcome back! The last time we'd talked, the routine needed another week of practice so it will be ok to dedicate the next week to work on the current lessons. After that, we can check the progress and see how to continue. It would be good to be able to see you or hear you playing the lessons, is it possible?