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Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 31 2021, 04:21 AM

Hi Hamid! Welcome to your mentoring thread.

Link to our previous chat: https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showtopic=62088&view=findpost&p=791920

Please tell me a bit more about you, your influences, your current level/knowledge and your goals.

Posted by: Hamid Sep 2 2021, 11:06 AM

Hi Gabi,

In a nutshell, I started to play about 4 years ago, at the age of 36, at the same time as my son (he is 11 now) so that we can have fun together in the future playing some tunes.
Anyway, main influance is pretty "classic": I love Blues, Blues-Rock and classic Rock, sometimes metal...

Santana is a huge reference for me because of his melodies, and of course Jimi for everything.
Then you have Slash (for the melody as well), Mark Knofler, Joe Bonamassa and Gary Clark Jr for their blues rock riffs, and many many others...

My current goal number 1 is to be able to play more melodicaly: as you said better targetting notes when knowing the chords. That needs a structured and organized practice, an action plan with progressive difficulty so to speak.

And second, when I improvise on a track, it sounds "ok", I mean it is melodic like some elevator music, I stick too much to the melody of the backing track and can't break out, so it lacks emotion or surprise. You can check here what I mean, imrovising on a sunday morning when everyone still sleeps:
https://youtu.be/OCHq8pL6Hh8

So, can you help?

cheers,
hamid

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Sep 2 2021, 08:05 PM

Hi Hamid! Great to hear from you mate.


Yes, I understand what you mean. There are many things that you need to work in order to become a better improviser, but there are two elements that make a big difference:

- Knowing the fretboard
- Connecting your mind with the guitar through your ears. In other words, being able to play everything you imagine in your mind.

One question...

Do you know the Caged System?

Posted by: Hamid Sep 3 2021, 05:34 PM

QUOTE (Gabriel Leopardi @ Sep 2 2021, 07:05 PM)

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Sep 3 2021, 05:48 PM

Great! So this is the first task.

1) Connecting Mayor Pentatonic.

We'll take two chords. For example A major and F major. You need to record a video once you work on connecting both chords on any part of the fretboard. I'll show you an example starting with A chord (E shape).

- You play the chord:

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/scalegenerator


- Then play the scale and try to visualize the chord within the scale.

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/scalegenerator


- Then, play the closest F major that you can find.

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/scalegenerator

and play the pentatonic major scale around it (again try to see the chord and scale related, as a unique thing, this visualization is the key)

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/scalegenerator


- Once you memorize both shapes, connect them using a metronome. Start playing scale up and down, one measure for each scale, switching to the following scale by playing the closest note from the new scale.


- If possible record a backing track that plays A major on measure 1 and F major on measure 2. Practice switching scales, visualizing chords, then playing random notes and then making phrases.



Does it make sense?

Posted by: Hamid Sep 5 2021, 04:00 AM

QUOTE (Gabriel Leopardi @ Sep 3 2021, 04:48 PM)

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Sep 5 2021, 05:14 PM

QUOTE (Hamid @ Sep 5 2021, 01:00 AM)