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Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Mar 8 2016, 01:50 PM

Hi friend! How are you? As we've been talking via PM, this is your thread for Gab's Army.

I'll write here some info about you to have it as reference:

Level: Beginner / Late Beginner

Musical tastes: punk rock/pop, post-hardcore, power metal, indie rock, a bit of jazz (I like guitar-focused jazz, also gypsy jazz is awesome), blues rock, classic rock, some EDM

Diary time for practice: 30/60 minutes

Fret-board knowledge: 7th chords, Pentatonic minor shape 1


Ok mate, during this week I'd like to hear/see you playing so let's choose a lesson to work and share a take after some days of practice. What about this one?

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Metallica-For-Beginners/

Posted by: jdmd Mar 9 2016, 04:01 AM

Hello !

It took me 59 takes, according to my DAW, to record a take where I did not totally screw up. There's still a few mistakes, but here's the thing : I really struggle to play an entire song without messing up. It happens with every song. Sometimes I play some easy acoustic song that I've played for years with only 4 chords, but somehow I'll manage to hit C chord instead of a G. Not sure what's going on with my brain, but it causes me a lot of frustration. I know the song, I can play it. But I still screw up.

I screwed in some of the takes because I was accidently playing the actual riff from Seek and Destroy instead of your song. Also one take was destroyed by my cat jumping in front of the camera.

So here's the video. I tried to do a few more takes, but they were worse than this one. The places where I messed up the most were the little higher part after the intro riff and the timing of the few last notes. I had some trouble with the first part of the intro riff. The little hammer-on part in the slow section was easier than expected.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Mar 9 2016, 02:58 PM

hahaha the cat wants to be famous!

This is a good first take. I'd like to see you polishing this one during the next days. The main things to adjust are:

- Palm muting riffs and lines: Try to make them sound clearer and tighter. Sometimes you don't seem to hit the strings right, I notice a weird way or reaching the strings with your right hand. Try to hit strings more directly and to get a full sound of each note.

- Timing: I notice some timing issue in the riffs and chords but the most important timing issues appear in the solo.

- Polishing solo techniques: You can also dedicate some time to adjust bending (pitch), vibrato (more regular) and legato (notes sound).

Posted by: jdmd Mar 9 2016, 03:37 PM

Thanks for the feedback! Some of the takes had better timing/muting, but this was the best overall take.

For the way of hitting the strings, this probably have to do with the way I hold my pick. Like I said, I hold it with three fingers, kinda https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8Mp4TE3VKts/maxresdefault.jpg. Should I try to learn to hold my pick with two fingers like most people instead?

And how should I practice everything you said? What's the best way? I understand what I should be working on, but I'm not sure on the method I should use to do so or how to manage my time practicing properly.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Mar 11 2016, 12:15 AM

Hi mate,

yes, I don't think that the third finger is necessary there. It's better to have it available for maybe tapping or some hybrid picking.

How to work?

Working on small blocks always help to master a lesson. Thinking on 1 element at a time and focus on it is also another important trick to master these kind of things.

You can continue practicing this lesson for some days and use some complementary exercises. After some days of practice (around 5 days) you can share a new take and we'll see how to continue.

The first exercise form this video includes useful complementary exercises for bending and vibrato, the second one for legato.

Posted by: jdmd Mar 11 2016, 01:03 AM

Alright! I'll try to find a video on how to hold a pick. It might take a few weeks to get used to it however, I'm not sure I'll be able to play the Metallica lesson right away. What do you think?

I'll work on those Satch exercises too, since they're mostly left hand centric.

Posted by: jdmd Mar 11 2016, 01:33 AM

Could you send me a picture of your index finger while holding a pick? I can't seem to find a decent position and most pictures show the pick from the side of the thumb. Right now the pick is pressing down on where the side of my nail joins my finger, it's a bit uncomfortable.

Oh and the Floyd Rose on my guitar just crapped out after a bendy bend. At least the new guitar I ordered is coming tomorrow (and I have 12903298 other guitars I can use).

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Mar 11 2016, 03:17 PM

Hi mate,

I think that this lesson will help you: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Using-a-Guitar-Pick/

and these are the pics requested!

Posted by: jdmd Mar 11 2016, 03:30 PM

Thanks! On the last picture, your index finger seems to be pointing to the side of the pick, while it seems to be pointing downward on the picture before that. Which one is the correct way? I followed the lesson you linked yesterday, plus a few others I found on Youtube and the position differs from one person to another.

Anyway, I tried to play the Metallica lesson with the "correct" way to hold a pick. It's a bit more difficult, but I'm still able to play it. There's hope!

And my new guitar is now waiting for me at the post office. I might have to tell my boss I'm leaving work early today for, um, personal reasons.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Mar 11 2016, 08:30 PM

I think that the last picture reflects clearer how I'm holding the pick. I doing it in the same way on each picture but the camera angle makes it easier to note on the last picture.

Cool news! I'll wait for some pictures of your new guitar!

Posted by: jdmd Mar 12 2016, 03:39 PM

I'm really having trouble with the new way to hold my pick. I can still play the Metallica lesson, but it's mostly downstrokes. If I try to do alternate picking or strumming, it doesn't feel natural and my pick get stuck in the strings a lot. Not sure if I'm holding the pick wrong or if I just need to get used to the new way. I tried Ben Higgins' Stamina School lesson, I can't even play the lowest speed, while I can play the fastest with my old grip. I'm not liking it at all, I feel like a complete beginner !

Posted by: jdmd Mar 12 2016, 07:10 PM

Here's a few pictures of the guitar. I got it from eBay. It needs a bit of love, but it will probably become a great guitar.


I love this color.


I'm really liking this type of bridge. Not sure how it's called.


This kind of jack looks like it won't unscrew itself like it does on all of my guitars. I'm really surprised by the build quality.


The back is gorgeous. There's a scratch or two, I don't care much.


Way slimmer neck joint than most bolt-on guitars.


Cat tax. His name is Hector.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Mar 12 2016, 10:13 PM

Hi mate,

It seems that you are holding the pick on the right way now. It's normal to feel a bit uncomfortable for some days when changing the way of using your pick but it should become normal after some days / weeks.

The guitar looks so great! How does it sound and feel? Are you happy?

Posted by: jdmd Mar 14 2016, 11:49 PM

I really like the neck profile, it's thin, but not too thin. The finish of the neck feels fast too! I really like the sound of the humbucker, it reacts very well to the volume and tone knobs!

However, the frets are sticking out (stupid winter) a lot and they kinda feel weird when I'm bending, like they are not smooth enough. I'll get some Fast Fret, maybe that'll help. I'm not a fan of the neck pickup however. It doesn't sing, it has a vintage, woody characteristic to it. Maybe similar to a Tele? I really really like the Fender Vintage Noiseless in the neck of my Strat, so I'll swap it for something similar eventually. Man, that pickup with just a little bit of overdrive, sooooooo tasty.

I'm still not getting used to the pick grip, but I'm working on alternate picking and chords with a metronome. I'll give you some feedback later this week.

I was able to fix my other guitar (one of the screws at the bridge was loose), but now my girlfriend want to learn to play, so I'll let her have it for a while.

Posted by: jdmd Mar 15 2016, 12:59 AM

This is me trying to play a steady beat. Or at least trying to. It's easier when not palm muting, at least on the low E string. Do I just need practice or am I still not picking properly?

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Mar 15 2016, 02:56 PM

You hand looks good for alternate picking with palm muting riffing. You need to continue practice, but be sure to practice at a slower tempo to be able to play tight, and focus on making movements the smaller possible. Then, you can gradually increase speed.

Both your hand and pick hold look great, well done! Keep on practicing.

Posted by: jdmd Mar 15 2016, 03:27 PM

Great, I really hope I'll get my speed back soon! I sometimes get a nice tremolo picking going, maybe faster than I was before, so I feel I'll actually get faster once I'm used to the new way. Right now for palm muting I'm about as fast as my girlfriend and she's barely able to play an Em chord !

Quick question, do you have a good lesson to recommend on pinch harmonics? I did a quick search on the site, but could only find songs with pinch harmonics in them, not an actual guide on how to do them. My thumb is sticking out less than before, so I have no idea on how to do them now.

Posted by: jdmd Mar 15 2016, 08:05 PM

Just found this. Just watch at around 1:00. If Paul Gilbert tell me to change the way I hold my pick, I'm pretty sure I should listen. If he can do it, I can, right?

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Mar 16 2016, 02:10 PM

hehehe VERY interesting video found! It's good to hear it from the master of alternate picking. Go for it!

Posted by: jdmd Mar 16 2016, 02:46 PM

Something weird/funny I noticed : if I'm playing air guitar, I naturally hold my air pick the correct way.

I'll make a redo of the almost-Metallica song tomorrow. I think I improved my phrasing a tiny bit, but I still butcher the legato slide part.

Anything else you want me to record at the same time? Or things you would like to see with the song (other angles, standing instead of sitting, some bad takes to see the mistakes I made, playing Metallica with a Strat or a Tele, more cat videos) that could help you analyzing my playing ?

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Mar 16 2016, 03:03 PM

Everything you can share will help me to stay more connected with you and your practice so feel free to share whatever you think deserves to be shared.

Posted by: jdmd Mar 17 2016, 01:44 AM

At what angle is your pick when fast alternate palm muting? I can apparently go very fast on a single string if I angle it around 45 degrees forward. It change the sound however, kind of a swoosh-y sound like Paul Gilbert described in his video.

Palm muting more than one string doesn't work too well this way however, my pick get stuck easily.

Posted by: jdmd Mar 18 2016, 04:49 AM

Here's my new take for the not-Metallica song. Not the best take once again, but it took me around 27 takes to get there. Most bad takes were timing issues in the intro where's there is no drum, some were cat-related, some where just me hitting the wrong string. I included a few bad takes at the end, most of them ending with me playing random notes.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Mar 18 2016, 08:08 PM

Hi mate, I cannot see the video, not sure if it's my computer or anything else, could you please copy the direct link?

About the angle, I try to angle it the less possible because the sound get less clear when you angle it too much. I usually don't angle the pick or sometimes just a bit.

Posted by: jdmd Mar 18 2016, 08:17 PM

Not sure why it's not showing. Here's the link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT1EHUeeitk&feature=youtu.be

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Mar 18 2016, 08:28 PM

Your right hand looks great on the video. You still need to practice to be able to play the riffs smoother and tight with the backing but you're on the right track. I also note pitch issues when playing the power chords, but also in the solo. I'm not sure if the guitar is out of tune or if it's related to your fingers pressure.

The solo also shows that you need to polish the faster parts to make them sound clear and tight.

You just need more days of practice, keep working!

Posted by: jdmd Mar 18 2016, 09:09 PM

The guitar was tuned beforehand. I haven't checked it's intonation, maybe that's the problem? I was planning to do this tomorrow anyway. I'll keep you updated. I'm getting more and more confortable with the grip. I'm also experimenting with different picks (like the Jazz III) and different angles.

So right now I'm doing the legato exercice, the bending exercise, I practice strumming and palm muting, then I play the song a few times. Anything I should add? And how much time should I spend on every exercise if I have 30 minutes to 1 hour of practice each day?

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Mar 20 2016, 07:26 PM

I think that the current routine is enough for a 1 hour per day practice. Regarding how to organize your time, there are two possibilities that you could try and see which one is more effective for you.

- Dividing your time on 4 equal blocks and practice the same time each topic.
- Divide in 4 blocks, one longer (30 minutes) and 3 shorter (10 minutes). In this approach you'll dedicate the longer block to a different topic each day.

Posted by: jdmd Mar 23 2016, 03:10 AM

I only played 15 minutes in 3 days, but my picking actually improved! I'll play for a full hour tomorrow, I promise. I'll try to post a video on Friday or Saturday morning.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Mar 23 2016, 01:22 PM

Great! Thanks for the update, I'll wait for your new takes...

Posted by: jdmd Mar 26 2016, 05:14 PM

I'm at 55 takes and I still struggle to get something semi-decent and not particularly better than my last video. I'm getting really frustrated. I kept hitting other strings, or my fingers decided to forget to hammer on a note, or they played completely the wrong thing even if I know the bloody song. I'm discouraged now.

Here's my last take with a few errors at the end. Sorry for the really bright fretboard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxnBXPBuVVA

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Mar 28 2016, 02:39 AM

Hi mate, it takes time to see notorious improvements, you have to keep working hard, and they will come, but patience and diary practice are the keys.

I think that we are ready to build your first routine. A well organized practice schedule to be done every day for 1/2 weeks. How much time per day do you have to practice?

Posted by: jdmd Mar 28 2016, 06:29 PM

Yay, I've been looking forward to the day I would get an official routine !

Like I said before, I have between 30 minutes to one hour a day, depending on a lot of factors. It would be great if you could give me options/priorities depending on how much time I have each day.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Mar 29 2016, 02:07 PM

Great! Well, I think that the structure of your first routine could be:

- Warming up (5 minutes)
https://youtu.be/1XsLRQFV7rY

- Alternate Picking + Legato (10 minutes)
https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/legato_and_picking_intermediate/

- Rhythm (5 minutes)
https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Metal-Essentials-Riffs1/

- Bending (5 minutes)
https://youtu.be/Hh_pYY6UYIw

- Theory (5 minutes)
Impro Course - https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showtopic=42832&view=findpost&p=694411

The best for this routine would be to practice for 1 hour and dedicate more time for each topic, but if you only have 30 minutes, go for the suggested minutes. Please let me know what you think!

Posted by: jdmd Mar 30 2016, 12:18 AM

I'm trying the routine right now, I'll be commenting on each one after I'm done with it.

Stretching : Woah, John really changed a lot! He should share his bodybuilding routine instead of his guitar practice routine! Is there a specific number of times I should do each stretches or duration I should do the massages ?

Legato : Woah, that's fast. I'll start at 25 BPM and work my way up eventually. I'm having trouble with the legato part when there is three notes that are each 2 frets apart, like |-7-5-3-5-3. I'm have somewhat small hand, so it's a big strech, it's really hard to get a nice legato there. I'm also really bad at placing my fingers on the other frets before doing pull-offs in general. Any advice?

Rhythm : Man that's a brutal track! I'll have to work on my thumb position for the pinch harmonics, but nothing special to add here for the moment, except that the very fast riff in the first part is well...very fast.

Bending : I get how to do the exercise, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do for 5 minutes. Do I just pick random notes then try to bend it a half-step and then a whole step, then pick another one? Do I stay on a note for a while? Also I really don't get how to do a vibrato while bending. When I try to do it, it sounds all wonky and not musical at all.

Theory : Not sure what I'm supposed to do here, I sadly don't have time to watch the whole 1 hour G-Chat. I played the scales that were under week 1, not sure what else I should do.

So far it looks interesting, once my questions will be answered, it'll be a blast!
Also, what kind of feedback would you like to see from me during the next weeks?

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Mar 30 2016, 02:17 PM

Hi mate! Interesting questions! here we go...

Divide the 5 minutes into blocks to dedicate the same amount of time to each position. You can do the same thing at the end of the routine. It's very good to take care of our hands, arms and muscles. We can change guitar and strings but not our body.




Take some time to just keep your fingers on the shape. Practice the stretch without playing. Move it up and down on the neck. Also be sure to put your thumb in the center of the other fourth fingers. I've seen many students that use their thumb closer to the first finger and it makes stretches more difficult. Even with small hands, this shapes are doable, but you can need some days to get used to it.




Practice at a slow tempo that feels comfortable and increase it gradually. Don't practice at a tempo in which you can play the riffs clearly.




This is more like a free exercise so you can do whatever entertains you. What I usually do is turn on a backing track and do the work on random notes but using a scale that works over the backing. This makes me always stay in pitch and scale. You can find some extra info for the same exercise here: https://youtu.be/JNDyI5b3Fh8





The idea for weeks 1 and 2 is learning major scale based on the caged system, learning some patterns to get into the scale, learning some basic arpeggios and apply everything over major backing tracks. That's all. The video includes some deeper explanations and me playing the tasks.

Posted by: jdmd Mar 30 2016, 03:39 PM

Perfect, thanks for the detailed answer! I should more time to dedicate on my routine tonight, I'll apply your advice. Good tip about the thumb position! I'll check if this apply to me tonight. And great idea for the backing track!

The only question you did not answer is the one about what kind of feedback you would like to receive during the next weeks. Do I just do my thing and report back in two weeks if I don't have any questions? Or do I have some kind of assignments?

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Mar 30 2016, 08:36 PM

You can ask here every time you need it and share videos of any specific part or lesson that give you problems. What I expect from you would be an update in audio or video in around 1 week to let me check how you worked on the tasks and to decide if we go for another week with the same routine or change something. Deal?

Posted by: jdmd Apr 1 2016, 12:45 AM

Deal. I'm already improving on the legato part, I can place my fingers into position much quicker !

Posted by: jdmd Apr 1 2016, 03:36 AM

I just watched the first few minutes of the video chat. It really helped me understand everything.

But quick question :

Why is the C scale in the shape of G is not the same pattern as the G scale?

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Apr 1 2016, 02:18 PM

Go to the next C pattern shown and it will be the same one. There are 5 different patterns showed but we start with two of them in G major that can be transposed to any key. The C major pattern that you are showing will be worked on the second week of the course.

Posted by: jdmd Apr 2 2016, 06:32 PM

Quick weekend update :
I slowly started to increase the BPM for the legato exercise. I'm now at 35 instead of 25. The picking part is easy, but the legato part is still a bit sloppy, I'll work on that before increasing the tempo again.

For the rhythm metal track, I can play everything at full (160) BPM, except for the fast part, where the cleanest I can get is 110 BPM. Also, I can't get a good pinch harmonic going.

For the bending exercice, I pick a backing track in a different scale each time and I improvise something with a lot of bends. It's fun!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Apr 2 2016, 06:48 PM

Great stuff mate! Thanks for the update. Keep on the hard work and results will continue happening.

Posted by: jdmd Apr 7 2016, 12:36 AM

A bit of a drawback, my left wrist hurts a lot (old injury), I haven't touched my guitar in 3 days. I hope it will go away soon, but in the meantime I have to rest for a few days.

Posted by: jdmd Apr 7 2016, 03:05 AM

At least I still had fun with my guitar tonight, in a way.



There's now a $8 eBay rail pickup in the neck. It lacks clarity, but still, I like better than the stock one.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Apr 7 2016, 04:28 PM

hehe it looks good. How are you feeling today?

Posted by: jdmd Apr 7 2016, 04:34 PM

Same, or maybe a bit worse than yesterday. I have seen a doctor and a physiotherapist in the past and it helped for a while, but the pain always come back from time to time.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Apr 7 2016, 04:46 PM

oh, I'm sorry about it.

Posted by: jdmd Apr 7 2016, 04:53 PM

Since I won't be able to play for a few days, is there anything I could do that is guitar-related in the meantime?

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Apr 9 2016, 09:36 PM

What about reading about theory?

https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showforum=25

Posted by: jdmd Apr 14 2016, 03:45 PM

Quick update, I can play for like 15 minutes before it starts hurting, I'm seeing a physiotherapist next Thursday.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Apr 14 2016, 07:52 PM

I'm sorry about it mate. Don't hurt yourself, take care.

Posted by: jdmd Nov 13 2016, 06:20 PM

I'm back from the dead! My wrist is feeling better, I think I'm ready to get back on track. I'm not sure I'll be able to play for extended period of time, so for right now I'll have to stick to 30 minutes playing sessions.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Nov 13 2016, 10:35 PM

Hey mate! Great news! Welcome back! Please start slowly with some of the stuff that we've working and share a video here when you can.