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GMC Forum _ PRACTICE ROOM _ Self-analysis: Improve Faster

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 3 2014, 02:40 PM

Getting feedback from others is awesome - often other people are able to pinpoint problems you might not notice yourself.

However the flip side is that others do not know what your exact goals and ambitions are, so you cannot rely only on others to shape your style and playing.

From my experience I can say that recording my guitar practice and jams are a great way to then check it our and analyse my playing, my strong and weak points and even the creativity of my improvisations. Sometimes this also helps me to start working on new songs since I find good ideas there that I work more later, but the most important thing is that listening to myself without playing at the same time is great to analyze and then improve my playing.

Are you able to analyse yourself objectively?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 4 2014, 08:52 AM

Self analyzing takes a bit of consciousness on playing in general. I have heard a lot of folks being even a bit irritated because someone told them that they can improve things in a recording. It's all a matter of how realistic you are with yourself and your playing:

- are you IN TUNE?
- do you have good timing?
- do you have groove?
- are your bends in tune?
- is your vibrato expressive and matching the context?
- is your playing clean and controlled in respect to the context?

These are some questions that I would ask myself whenever I need to be honest with my work from a purely technical perspective.

Posted by: Monica Gheorghevici Jun 4 2014, 11:24 AM

I'm very objective with me. I have high expectations from me and this makes me to analyze my playing in the harshest way. Maybe that's why for me excuses like "I had a bad day" or "I was so tired"....it doesn't exist in my vocabulary. Lately I analyze every single note from my playing. This means a lot of time spent for this.

Also I like when people want from me more and more and more. That's why I love my mentoring thread because Darek know very well how I work, how ambitious I am and he is very harsh. We can work for the same bar 1-2 weeks until everything will sounds great. When a lesson sounds good, we start to working at details. This is the most important thing to get where I wish. The fact that we are in the "No Mercy" program and all the notes must played and sounds perfect it's the best thing that could happen to me ever smile.gif
When I sent him a take, I write where I see that I made mistakes. This means to judge all my playing very, very, very objective and to see behind. It's about technical mistakes not wrong notes. It's something like: the vibrato for one note was a little aggressive, I not played with a strength picking and the sound it's not how it should be, things about angle of the pick for a certain note and a lot other tiny details. All these are a huge help to became better.

Last week was awesome because I found alone a solution about what should I do to fix something. I realized where was the mistake and I knew which is the step back that I must make to solve the problem. When Darek told me that I made a smart thing and I didn’t tried to break the wall with my head, was a damn happy day for me smile.gif I knew that I made a step further and this push me to want more from me. I know maybe for other persons this not means too much, but for me was that impulse to believe that someday I will be able to fix all these things alone. Just judging my mistakes and analyzing my playing very careful and very objective wink.gif

So, as a conclusion I'm objective and very cruel with myself smile.gif

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 4 2014, 03:50 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jun 4 2014, 04:52 AM) *
Self analyzing takes a bit of consciousness on playing in general. I have heard a lot of folks being even a bit irritated because someone told them that they can improve things in a recording. It's all a matter of how realistic you are with yourself and your playing:

- are you IN TUNE?
- do you have good timing?
- do you have groove?
- are your bends in tune?
- is your vibrato expressive and matching the context?
- is your playing clean and controlled in respect to the context?

These are some questions that I would ask myself whenever I need to be honest with my work from a purely technical perspective.



Having a list of questions is a very good idea!

I could add:

- Does your tone sound good and fit with the mix?
- Are both hands synchronized?
- how can you improve this take?
- Are there any part that could sound better?


What other questions could we add?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 5 2014, 07:47 AM

One that I could add would be: am I using my time in a productive manner?

A lot of folks have BIG question marks in respect to this one - but I say:

If at the end of your practice session you can put your hands on what you did that day:

- a new lick
- a part of a song
- understanding a concept
- raising the accuracy on a certain phrase
...and these are just a few examples.... it means that you spent your time in a good way smile.gif

How many of you are worrying about not spending your practice time productively enough?

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 5 2014, 03:38 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jun 5 2014, 03:47 AM) *
One that I could add would be: am I using my time in a productive manner?

A lot of folks have BIG question marks in respect to this one - but I say:

If at the end of your practice session you can put your hands on what you did that day:

- a new lick
- a part of a song
- understanding a concept
- raising the accuracy on a certain phrase
...and these are just a few examples.... it means that you spent your time in a good way smile.gif

How many of you are worrying about not spending your practice time productively enough?


Excellent addition! Having a balance of what you've covered each day is very rewarding.

Posted by: Jim S. Jun 5 2014, 05:09 PM

Self-analysis is so important because without it you'll never grow.

Here's an ex. I had very little self awareness when joining gmc and after the first rec. take I had comments like your timing needs work. I didn't understand. I felt that my timing was pretty good except for a few hiccups. I never asked what specifically about timing did I lack. It took probably a year of opening up and asking questions to get to a point where I'm always self analyzing. I know I'm out of time, I know when the sequence doesn't add up and I get a real big cheesy face when my down beats line up as I'm playing. I see my foo tap, the backings snare pops, my note lands right on beat and I know why my timing is on or off.

I've primarily worked on technique and timing here so that's all I can really self analyze at the moment.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 6 2014, 08:34 AM

QUOTE (Jim S. @ Jun 5 2014, 04:09 PM) *
Self-analysis is so important because without it you'll never grow.

Here's an ex. I had very little self awareness when joining gmc and after the first rec. take I had comments like your timing needs work. I didn't understand. I felt that my timing was pretty good except for a few hiccups. I never asked what specifically about timing did I lack. It took probably a year of opening up and asking questions to get to a point where I'm always self analyzing. I know I'm out of time, I know when the sequence doesn't add up and I get a real big cheesy face when my down beats line up as I'm playing. I see my foo tap, the backings snare pops, my note lands right on beat and I know why my timing is on or off.

I've primarily worked on technique and timing here so that's all I can really self analyze at the moment.


Amazing! It is indeed important to know WHAT to follow in order to be aware of yourself. Sometimes, if you don't know what's what, you will go on thinking that what you are doing is good. That's why here at GMC, the more you share with us, the more help we can provide wink.gif

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 8 2014, 08:40 PM

QUOTE (Jim S. @ Jun 5 2014, 01:09 PM) *
Self-analysis is so important because without it you'll never grow.

Here's an ex. I had very little self awareness when joining gmc and after the first rec. take I had comments like your timing needs work. I didn't understand. I felt that my timing was pretty good except for a few hiccups. I never asked what specifically about timing did I lack. It took probably a year of opening up and asking questions to get to a point where I'm always self analyzing. I know I'm out of time, I know when the sequence doesn't add up and I get a real big cheesy face when my down beats line up as I'm playing. I see my foo tap, the backings snare pops, my note lands right on beat and I know why my timing is on or off.

I've primarily worked on technique and timing here so that's all I can really self analyze at the moment.


This is so great to know for us Jim. Thanks for sharing your experience with REC. smile.gif

Posted by: Jeroen Jun 8 2014, 09:55 PM

I record and analyze myplaying, although I do not always see al the little mistakes I make. I try to be as objective as possible, even though it's hard sometimes to realize that I 'm trying to play something precisely correct, practicing for weeks every day and still to find out that is not exact.. But hey, guitar playing is a lifetime of learning they say.. wink.gif

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 9 2014, 08:13 AM

QUOTE (Jeroen @ Jun 8 2014, 08:55 PM) *
But hey, guitar playing is a lifetime of learning they say.. wink.gif


Exactly! As long as you treat it as a JOURNEY not as a DESTINATION, you will end up visiting amazing sides of your musical self and sharing them with others. Just give yourself the time spent accordingly, in order to move constantly, without frustration smile.gif

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 9 2014, 02:53 PM

Nice words Cosmin and Jeroen. The journey is everything when you dedicate your life to an infinite thing... and music is infinite. Le's enjoy the journey! smile.gif

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 11 2014, 08:22 AM

Well, there was this song called 'Amazing' played by YOU tell me what band biggrin.gif that had a verse saying:

'Life's a journey, not a destination and you just can't tell just what tomorrow brings!' wink.gif

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 11 2014, 03:11 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jun 11 2014, 04:22 AM) *
Well, there was this song called 'Amazing' played by YOU tell me what band biggrin.gif that had a verse saying:

'Life's a journey, not a destination and you just can't tell just what tomorrow brings!' wink.gif



yeah! I think that I know the band... It's Spinal Tap or Tenacious D... tongue.gif

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 12 2014, 11:02 AM

Most definitely Tennaceous D laugh.gif

I'm still mindblown after last night's concert with Alter Bridge tho...I will write a thread when I get home later today biggrin.gif

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 13 2014, 03:43 AM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jun 12 2014, 07:02 AM) *
Most definitely Tennaceous D laugh.gif

I'm still mindblown after last night's concert with Alter Bridge tho...I will write a thread when I get home later today biggrin.gif



Awesome, looking forward it. smile.gif

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 13 2014, 01:17 PM

Just downloading the movies tongue.gif The sound ain't that great, but it's something smile.gif Hope you guys will like them..

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 13 2014, 02:18 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jun 13 2014, 09:17 AM) *
Just downloading the movies tongue.gif The sound ain't that great, but it's something smile.gif Hope you guys will like them..



Great! Could you meet Mark?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 14 2014, 07:56 AM

QUOTE (Gabriel Leopardi @ Jun 13 2014, 01:18 PM) *
Great! Could you meet Mark?


Unfortunately not... I didn't manage to solve anything with that interview request, but I will surely do it with Karnivool biggrin.gif

Here it is: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showtopic=52395&pid=689064&st=0&#entry689064

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