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Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 9 2015, 03:00 PM

We have noticed several GMC’ers are bordering a “threshold experience” - meaning they are about to reach a new level.

Taking those final steps can be a frustrating experience - because the closer we get to our goals, there more confused we get about why we haven’t achieved them yet. Our vision gets blurred. It is easy for students who practice a lot to loose perspective on their own level and progress.

We don’t want you to just sit at home and “wait for something to happen” - therefore we are launching a new kind of group mentoring where we select students who we think are close to this threshold experience.

So what is this program about?

The goal is to help you overcome your threshold in a fast way.

1 - I will contact members via pm who we think have the right level for this. These students have been chosen after researching everybody’s work at the forum (REC program, Collabs, Mentoring programs, Workouts and other threads).

2 - I will give ~weekly assignments with *strict deadlines* that should be respected to accomplish the objectives of this course. You will have to work on them during the whole week and share a take to let us analyze it and decide if you pass to the next assignment.

So again - the idea is not for you to sit and wait for the ‘train to pick you up’. Instead, *you will have to work hard to remain on this train!* So this program will require much more work, and in return the rewards will be much greater.

3 - At the end of the course, we will set a date to have a live stream at the chat-room to hear the students who reached the end of the program rocking some of the assignments.

If you want to know what you must do to qualify for this program, please contact me.

Posted by: Phil66 Jun 9 2015, 03:52 PM

I think that's a fantastic idea. it would give the student some serious direction and something to really focus on. Sticking points can be hard to overcome. I used to be the strongest discus thrower in our county, one of the top in the country at schoolboy level. I know at times I just couldn't get past a certain distance, it would take months of practice on my own in the evening then, BAM, you hit your target and over the next few weeks you go beyond what you thought was possible.

Good luck to those that are selected. One thing though. If the instructor thinks something should be done in 7 days I think maybe the student, who is working full time and has family commitments should be given 10 days, or maybe by request if the student is going on a break for a couple of days they can explain to the instructor. 7 days would still be spent on the assignment in total but with a gap period.

Brilliant idea Gab. GMC just keeps on getting better.

Thanks to ALL STAFF at GMC

Edit.

What I meant in paragraph 2 was, the student's practise time allocation needs to be taken into account. Maybe this can be discussed with the mentor. It wouldn't be fair to give two students a week when one has 5 hours a day and one has 1 hour a day. Just thought I'd clarify what I was trying to say

Posted by: Kristofer Dahl Jun 10 2015, 08:28 AM

This is indeed a very exciting program!

The idea with this program is to give you pressure with strict guidelines, to help you prioritise your daily practice.

When we are exposed to deadlines and pressure which we can't fully control by ourselves - something happens, and we tend to deliver more (=faster results). So that is the whole idea with this one. Students will need to struggle hard to 'stay on board'.

Does it make sense?

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 11 2015, 04:14 PM

Ok guys! After a very intensive research at everybody's work here we defined the first group to start working. We feel that these students are at a similar level and that qualify to the main purpose of this program.

Before we publish the chosen ones names, we will get in contact to check if all of them are interested to join this one.

So please check your inbox!

Posted by: Phil66 Jun 11 2015, 04:19 PM

Makes 100% sense Kris, I just meant that the deadlines need to be student specific due to varying lifestyles. Or maybe give the student xx hours to get it done. Obviously if they take longer but say that they haven't then they are only fooling themselves. Honesty and integrity is the only way with that scenario

Cheers

Posted by: MisterM Jun 12 2015, 05:14 AM

Hi Gab,

It's a great idea.
Sometimes it's not easy to find the motivation .
Having an objective given by an instructor will be good .

Posted by: Daeron Jun 12 2015, 06:12 AM

+1 !

Posted by: Huargo Jun 12 2015, 07:04 AM

Enjoy the trip!!!!

Posted by: Phil66 Jun 12 2015, 07:12 AM

Also self discipline lets you down and you don't stick to your routine or you spend the whole time on one aspect and before you know it, time is up. This will give direction to those selected.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 12 2015, 04:12 PM

The students have been contacted, we are waiting for confirmations.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 18 2015, 06:46 PM

Ok guys! So these are the 5 selected and confirmed students for this group:


http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showuser=11900

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showuser=16806

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showuser=14292

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showuser=7667

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showuser=12988


Congrats guys! You'll receive news on how to start soon.

Posted by: Phil66 Jun 18 2015, 07:00 PM

Congratulations everyone

Posted by: bleez Jun 18 2015, 09:25 PM

Many Thanks this is gonna be really cool..........



.......... and Im not in the least bit nervous about it at all!

Posted by: Chris S. Jun 19 2015, 12:56 AM

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jun 19 2015, 07:14 AM

Thank you that I can be a part of this group !!

Posted by: yoncopin Jun 19 2015, 03:01 PM

I'm psyched, when's the first assignment come? I got a whole weekend ahead of me to practice. Thanks for letting me participate.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 19 2015, 05:48 PM

Hi guys! Stay tuned! We are defining the last details to start.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 19 2015, 08:17 PM

Ok guys! It’s time to start!

This course will take 2 months, so we have 60 days of hard work for 6 assignments. This means that you’ll have 10 days to work on each assignment. On day 11th , I’ll expect a video of you playing the assignment.

The assignments will consist on GMC musical lessons that combine different techniques and expressive elements. During the 10 days of practice I will also share tips and complementary exercises that I think will help to master the lessons easily, and you can off course share your status and ask everything you need to master it.

It’s not necessary to learn the whole thing; it is ok if you learn half of the lessons or even less. I won’t judge quantity, I’ll judge quality. You are also allowed and encouraged to add some of your own phrasing in your takes. I won’t be analyzing how close you play this lesson to the original; I will analyze how you manage the specific elements that I want you to work on each assignment.

Each of the assignments will cover a different style direction (blues, rock, ballad, metal, fusion) that will act as an excuse to work on specific elements but also to expand your playing.

At the end of the course I will analyze your overall performance, I’ll pay special attention to details and the amount of individual progress made and the one/s that pass this program will receive a Certificate from GMC.


Assignment 1 – Blues

The first assignment is based on Blues, the roots of most of the music that we hear nowadays. I think that it’s a must for every modern pop, rock, metal and jazz guitarist to master blues. So if you’ve never played this style, you’ll incorporate some new vocabulary into your playing. The specific elements that we will focus on this one are:

- Bending
- Vibrato
- Mixing Pentatonic major with blues scale


Lesson: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Bendy-Blues/

Deadline: June 29th

Posted by: yoncopin Jun 19 2015, 08:57 PM

whoa...

Posted by: Chris S. Jun 20 2015, 03:54 AM

Long day at work, have to be up in 6 hours to go back so I should probably go to bed...


BUT IM NOT!!!!!

Time to get started

EDIT: Holy moly is that a big bend in the first part!

Posted by: bleez Jun 20 2015, 04:25 PM

Yup, Its a David Gilmour of a bend

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 20 2015, 06:38 PM

Please guys confirm that everybody started working on this.

Posted by: bleez Jun 20 2015, 06:54 PM

The bending has begun

Posted by: yoncopin Jun 20 2015, 06:57 PM

Getting into it right now

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jun 20 2015, 06:57 PM

Back from vacation . I have also spent already 2 hours . I 'm still not sure if now I learn the lesson to improvise or improvise rather equal ....

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 20 2015, 08:19 PM

Great guys!

I didn't get what you mean...

Posted by: Chris S. Jun 20 2015, 08:44 PM

I just want to get a feel for what everyone else is doing:

Are you guys going for the full lesson in 10 days - or just as much as you can perfect in 10 days?

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jun 20 2015, 09:03 PM

I am now not sure if I should learn parts of the lession and improvise additional parts to it or if you prefer that I make a completely new improvised take.

Posted by: yoncopin Jun 20 2015, 09:04 PM

Now that I see that this course is about stretch goals, here's my initial plan:

1) Memorize the lesson as best I can and identify my trouble spots
2) Practice with an emphasis on the items Gab mentioned (bending, vibrato, pentatonic major)

After 10 days I want my recording to be as clean as possible. I don't want it filled with mistakes and be unpleasant to listen to. We don't have to stick to the source material like REC. So, if there's a really fast bit I can't get clean, I may improvise something I can play instead with a focus on the pentatonic major/blues scale that fits in the same place. If I can't learn the whole thing I guess I'll just fade out the backing at that spot.

Dunno if that's gonna work, we'll see. I just finished my first practice session during my son's nap and got about 30% through learning it. It's gonna be tough.

Does that sound like what you're looking for Gab?

Posted by: Chris S. Jun 20 2015, 09:30 PM

I was thinking of doing something similar to what you said : keep the licks that are of main focus (in this case bends) and shoot for a majority of it with improvising in between.

I think it's a good balance of skill building and creativity

Posted by: mad Jun 21 2015, 05:42 PM

That's awesome! Starting tonight

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 22 2015, 03:15 PM

Hi mate, this sounds brilliant. It's exactly the main goal of this program and I can see how doing this in an intensive way, with strict deadlines can give an interesting impact into your playing.

Keep me updated.




Good plan! That's what this program is about... polishing your playing and developing your own style. Keep going!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 23 2015, 03:30 PM

Hey guys! How is it going??

This video includes some good complementary bending exercises for this assignment: https://youtu.be/Hh_pYY6UYIw

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jun 23 2015, 06:14 PM

Hey guys.

This is my first result! I work hard on bendings and vibratos...
I hope i can add more of my own phrasing...

Posted by: bleez Jun 23 2015, 06:35 PM

that's coming along nicely

so far Im playing maybe the first half of the lesson, Ive not made it to the end parts yet. I was planning to spend a few more sessions trying to learn more of it and then maybe from thursday I'll stop referring to the lesson and see if I can 'inflict' my own stuff into it. I'll just see what happens I guess

Posted by: Chris S. Jun 23 2015, 09:31 PM

Nice one man!! Sweet tone too I have to work on mine a bit more

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 24 2015, 03:44 PM

Hi Beat! This is going really good! During the next days please focus work on these elements:

Vibrato: Use it as an expressive tool, so try different types: Wider, softer, faster, slower, more aggressive. There is still more room to get more of this technique, and you can get inspired by the original lesson.

Timing: Be careful with timing! You tend to go a bit before the beat in some riffs (like the first double stop).

Bending: Your bending is very good on this one, you reach the right pitches even on the trickier ones. However there is more room to make them even more expressive and I think that the trick here is the speed of the bend, how fast or slow you reach the notes can have a very important impact in your playing so please listen to the original lesson and notice how Chris does it. I don't want you to copy his bending exactly as he does, but I'd like to see you using this idea in your phrasing.

Tone: Nice one. I would tweak it a bit to have more presence and a more defined ambiance (reverb & delay). Please experiment!

Besides those 4 elements, I think that there is also some room for dynamics. It's not one of the required elements on this one but some attention to it can also improve your overall playing.

Ok mate, I hope that this thoughts help, keep on the good job!






Good plan Bleez! Add your own thing to it keeping in mind the elements that I've listed, and also the comments that I've just written for Beat.

Posted by: Chris S. Jun 24 2015, 05:11 PM

This one is kicking my butt, man!

So this is where I am at - this is my first attempt at chopping out parts of the original lesson and attempting to add some of my own flare so it's pretty choppy (no where near as clean as Beat's):

https://soundcloud.com/stortzmusic/bendy

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 25 2015, 04:33 PM

Hi Chris, thanks for this teaser!

This is going on the right track considering the time that you had to work on the lesson. Now it's time to put emphasis on details that make this kind of phrasing sound more expressive. This are some things to have in mind:

- Vibrato: Be careful on overusing fast vibrato that starts too soon. This can make your phrasing sound like nervous. Experiment with different types, speeds, and width.

- Bending: There is a lot happening on the speed of the bends done by Chris. It's no only important what note you reach, it's also important how you reach it.... pay attention to it.

Also be careful with timing and dynamics.

That's all by now, keep on the hard work!

Posted by: Chris S. Jun 25 2015, 04:56 PM

Thanks, friend!

I will focus on these elements and try to polish everything to the best of my ability over these last few days

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 26 2015, 04:35 PM

Great!

Posted by: yoncopin Jun 27 2015, 08:58 PM

Ok, here is my take thus far. Hopefully I will have time to get some feedback and make some corrections, but if not, this may have to be my submission for the week. It's not perfect, but I feel pretty good about it. I have to say the deadline really pushed me. I didn't think it was possible to play this entire lesson in ten days. It's the highest difficulty (6) I've ever attempted, but here I am and for the most part think I've got it.

Posted by: yoncopin Jun 27 2015, 11:25 PM

Gab, what would you score this on the new REC grading scale? You can PM me if you want, it'd help me adjust in the future.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 28 2015, 02:03 AM

Hi mate, it's great to know that the deadline is making you work hard and even surprising of how much you can achieve in 10 days. It's one of the main objective of this program.

On this program I'll be very strict and as I said before I'll put a lot of emphasis on details. This take is good, but I think that there is still more room to adjust bending (the pitch and speed of them) and vibrato (to make it more consistent). Your tone is good, but my subjective opinion is that it needs more presence and a clearer ambience (delay and reverb).

I won't be giving grades before the deadline of each assignment, I'm sorry but I want the best possible from you... yeah,, I can become that teacher that we hate at the university....

Posted by: bleez Jun 28 2015, 10:58 AM

Just checking as there still may be enough time for me to change what Im doing with this if I got it wrong....
Im not playing the lesson 100% note for note. There are a few licks that I have dropped completely and substituted for my own stuff which is quite different from the original. Im maybe playing about 70% - 80% of the original and the rest is different, is that okay?

Posted by: Chris S. Jun 28 2015, 11:25 AM

That's what I've done too.

The last bit was a bit much to cram in so I've kinda improvised a bit.

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jun 28 2015, 01:30 PM

Hey guys.
This is my final version. Tomorrow i have a long long work day and not time for playing guitar.
I know that my vibrato need more practice.

Assignment 1: Final Take

Posted by: yoncopin Jun 28 2015, 01:46 PM

Beat, I tried to watch your video, but it's marked as Private.

Posted by: yoncopin Jun 28 2015, 08:50 PM

I couldn't leave it at that. I'm glad I got a bit of feedback before the deadline. I re-worked the guitar tone and improved the bend pitches and vibrato.



Edit: Assignment 1: Final Take

Posted by: Chris S. Jun 28 2015, 11:31 PM

All aboard the train wreck

You guys did so awesome for ten days I feel kind of embarrassed to post this:



I couldn't quite get the last half down to where I was happy with it so I decided to improvise instead but that didn't turn out any better...

Hope I didn't let anyone down - I tried my best

Best of luck everyone

EDIT: Assignment 1: Final Take

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 29 2015, 05:14 PM

Hello guys! Thanks for the takes! Remember that today is the last day to share your takes. Please include the phrase "Assignment 1: Final Take" to let me find them at any time.

Posted by: bleez Jun 29 2015, 07:19 PM

Assignment 1: Final Take


Im starting to think I added too much of my own stuff. It seemed like the thing to do at the time

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 2 2015, 04:10 PM

Ok guys!! Thanks everybody for your assignments. These are my comments on your final takes. Please take today to review the things that I marked and save the text for the end of the course. I'll share the Assignment II tomorrow....


ASSIGNMENT I - BLUES: The comments.


Bleez: link to the take: https://youtu.be/l8CvZ_hHeSE

Hi mate, congrats on your first assignment done!!

This take shows that you’ve been working hard on the details that I suggested for this first stage of the program. Your vibrato is going very natural with the backing, your bending is precise and there is some interesting dynamics work, mostly on the last phrases.

I think that your tone is not going really well with the backing on this one. I feel that it’s a bit trebly and counteracts the great feel of your playing. Maybe using the bridge pick up or tweaking a bit your EQ could help. The ambience effect isn’t helping because it’s not clear enough, it sounds like a poor reverb effect. I would try with another setting or maybe using some delay to give an ambience feel.

Let me mark some details:
00:04 – There is an unwanted noise sounding when you repeat the bend.
00:11 - The bends here doesn’t sound natural.
00:14 – That nice Hendrix lick could sound nicer and groovy.
00:17 – This phrase is a bit sloppy and again could go better with the track’s rhythm.
00:27 – This vibrato could be even wider! And this whole lick could be played with more intensity.
00:47 - This trill’s rhythm is not natural.

About the elements that I wanted you to work, I think that you are on the right track with them, except with the one that was most related to add your own playing to this one. I’d like to see more of you on future assignments. Sometimes your vibrato could be more defined and your bending more natural but this is on the right track. You’ll have to continue working on them, as well as on groove and dynamics that are two elements that have more room on this one.


Chris S.: Link to the take: https://youtu.be/OQ7xiy5LKhs

Hi Chris! Congratulations on your first final take for this program!

The first thing that I note on this take is that you added your personal touch to this piece and that’s very valuable on this course! You play your own stuff and the licks from the lesson with the same confidence which is very important. You did a very good job with the elements that I wanted you to work on this first assignment.

There are only two moments in which I think that your timing is not going really well with the backing, the first one is at 00:20 and the second one is at 00:48. Both licks are similar so be careful with them.

I like how you managed vibrato and bending on this take. There is a lot happening on your bending technique, I notice that you put attention on how and when you reach the notes as I suggested previously. There is a bend at 00:06 in which the vibrato is a bit weak, it’s the only part there I noted that your vibrato is not consistent. On the other sections your vibrato is fantastic, it goes natural but it adds a lot of feeling to your phrasing.

Your tone sounds very nice with the backing and it’s enhanced by a clever use of dynamics.

In other words, you did a killer job with this one. Thanks mate!


Yoncopin: Link to the take: https://youtu.be/DQMTlXjNVM4

Hi Brian! Congratulations on your first assignment completed!

It’s awesome how much you improved this one compared with the previous one that you shared here. This shows how much you’ve been working. The first thing that I want to remark of your playing is how groovy you can play, your rhythm is amazing mate, it makes your overall playing sound very smooth, and it can let us forget about your weak points while you play.

However, as we are here to improve, I paid extra attention to your phrasing to see how you managed the elements that I suggested. Your vibrato sounds natural on the whole take, but I feel that it could be wider in some moments to add more intensity to your playing. I also noted that you don’t add vibrato on your bends, which would add something too.

Your bending is much more natural on this new take compared with the previous one. You reach the notes with more precision and your fingers seem to be more comfortable with the strength required. However, there is now a new target with your bends and it’s to add that extra feel that can be achieved by managing how and when you reach the notes. This is related to dynamics but also to the speed of your bends. Sometimes some retard in the reach of the notes can add extra feeling that is totally welcome on this style.

Your tone is more defined on this one and it makes it quite perfect to my ears. There is only some little room to add more “body” to the sound, which could appear by increasing some bass frequencies. Try it.

That’s all for this one, you did a very good job, congrats and thanks!


Beat: Link to the take: https://youtu.be/UAf0hhTVnw0

Hey mate! Congrats on your first submit for the course!

The first thing that I note on this take is that you put a big effort in working on the two technique elements suggested: bending and vibrato.

The winner is vibrato on this one, it’s cool to see that you are starting to find different kind of them which Is a good step to develop your own style of playing. However you just have to be careful and avoid playing vibrato always too soon. It’s better to let the note sound and then add it, in order to avoid your phrasing sound a bit nervous, which is what the first feel that I get from the overall thing. This is surely related to the fact that you were most focusing on the techniques than on how the overall thing sounds and feel.

Your bending is reaching the right pitches in most of the parts and your fingers look comfortable with the strength required. There is still room to get more from the original lesson on how the instructor reaches the notes, and how sometimes he retards the bend to give and extra feel.

There are some little moments in which your timing is not precise, and it’s once again related to playing too soon. Check out the Hendrix lick at 00:12.

Some other details:

- 00:28: This two bends are not reaching the pitch tight.
- 00:35: Great vibrato here!!
- There are some notes that don’t sound clean in some little moments. You’ll surely note it if you pay attention to it.

Ok mate, I know that this lesson has been very demanding but I feel that this take is a good step forward into this kind of playing and that more work on this kind of stuff will have a great impact on your playing.

Some of the things that I marked here are related to the fact that you need to relax while playing, breathe and make the things happen more natural… you’ll say, yeah it’s easy to say it. But well, with more practice, you’ll feel more comfortable with this kind of phrases, and it’ll be easier to do it. Keep on the hard work!

Posted by: yoncopin Jul 3 2015, 03:03 PM

Thanks Gab, that is a very complimentary take on my playing. The groovy rhythm line has me smiling every time I read it. I think making two videos was really helpful in getting close to the mark. If possible I'll definitely try to do that again. Ready for the next assignment!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 3 2015, 05:23 PM

Assignment 2 – Ballad

The second assignment is based on rock ballad. I find ballad backings really cool to improvise for long hours and also very helpful to train my expressive techniques and phrasing. The first time I've heard this lesson I was impressed by Darius composition but even more for his amazing and inspiring interpretation inspired on fantastic players like Andy Timmons and Jeff Beck. So pay special attention to how he uses expressive elements on this one, every little details makes the whole thing epic.

The specific elements that we will focus on this one are:

- Dynamics
- Tone
- Phrasing with Ionian Mode


Lesson: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Ballad-Soloing-Dynamics-And-Phrasing/

Deadline: July 13th

Posted by: Chris S. Jul 3 2015, 09:12 PM

Waaahh - it's due today?!

Guessing the 13th right?

I'm on vacation until the 5th so I'll have to practice extra hard when I come back - I won't let you down!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 4 2015, 06:00 AM

hehehe yeah, it's 13th!

Posted by: Caelumamittendum Jul 4 2015, 01:37 PM

Just wanted to say great work on your first assignment, guys

Posted by: yoncopin Jul 4 2015, 08:11 PM

I was trying to make a new tone for single-coil Strat for this lesson, and it's basically unusable when rolling in the volume swells because it brings the pickup hum right into the forefront. No matter, I tried a different guitar and it'll work fine.

But... in my reading about it I came across this guide http://www.foobazaar.com/podhd/toneGuide/ which was REALLY helpful in learning more about my Pod HD500X. bleez, you have one too right? Check it out, maybe it'll be as useful to you as it was to me.

Posted by: bleez Jul 4 2015, 08:33 PM

Ah Yes Thanks dude. Todd linked a page from that site about EQs, it was very interesting, cant say that I have EQ figured out though!
I didnt realise how massive that site is I'll definitely read through it.
Ive got no chance of matching the tone on this lesson. I dont have a single coil guitar or the knowledge on how to make an LP sound like one.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 6 2015, 12:57 AM

Hello guys!

Based on the last two posts, I wanted to say that I'm not expecting that you emulate the tone of the original lesson. When I say that one of the main elements to focus on this one is tone, the idea is that you experiment and explore your own gear to get the most of it to create a tone that fits good this this backing. Remember that every part of the chain is important when we talk about tone, from your fingers to your cabinet.

Does it make sense?

Posted by: Darius Wave Jul 6 2015, 09:33 AM

Feel honored to see my lesson chosen for you program. Thanx for your kind words Gabriel!

As for the tone. I know there is a problem with volume rolls - some distortion devices do not sound best when you roll off the volume. I do not want to mess too much in your heads about tone set-up but I can give some very basic tips. If you don't have a single coil, don't worry - simply brighten the tone of your less paul. Any kind of "Marshall-like" crunch distortion simulation should do the job. LeXTAC is a Bogner Extasy simulation and Bogner became famous by making mods on Marshall amps. Many people agree that Bogner is sort of Marshall on steroids That's why any "British stack" amp sim should do the job

The tips:
1. Make sure to use low distortion level to keep wide dynamics translation range - see if the sound becomes much more sharp when you pick very hard and the opposite - warm and round when you softly touch the string. If there is too much distortion, the difference between those two will be too small.
2. Make sure to turn off the noise gate on your signal chain - will help to avoid volume swells failure. Low gain level should be enought to get rid of most of the hum/noise

Posted by: bleez Jul 6 2015, 10:53 AM

interesting tips,Darius. thanks for posting. Im going to try a British stack type amp for this. I never would have thought about dropping the noise gate to help the swells but it makes a lot of sense

Posted by: yoncopin Jul 6 2015, 02:02 PM

If the goal was to explore our gear, mission accomplished. The noise gate was right out because of the volume swells and I had to try to solve the hum/buzz that was left behind. There are about a million different places in the Pod to adjust the volume and gain and I learned that my understanding of what did what was all wrong. I had been using the master volume, which controlled the amp's power section to volume-level my patches. Of course, this affects the tone a lot but I hadn't noticed. The channel volume is a transparent volume control which is the right answer. After learning that vital nugget, I wasn't fighting to build a decent tone with the amp power section cranked. It made it a lot easier All my old patches are pretty much out the window though...

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 6 2015, 03:01 PM

hehehe that's great mate! Yeah, I used a Pod in the past and remember that the master volume could quit drive in my tones if it wasn't used in 10 while the channel volume was a normal leveler. This information is vital to do the things right when setting a tone.

Keep on experimenting!

Posted by: bleez Jul 6 2015, 03:50 PM

so you guys would have the master volume ( is that the one on the actual unit? ) running quite high and the channel volume on the amp lower?

Posted by: yoncopin Jul 6 2015, 04:34 PM

Here's how I understand it now...

MASTER (hardware knob on unit) - Tone-transparent volume for controlling output volume from unit. At max level you have highest signal-to-noise ratio. I use SPDIF out to an audio interface, so this stays at maximum for me. It'd probably be more useful if you were gigging in different venues.

Ch.Vol (Edit software) / VOLUME (hardware knob) - Tone-transparent volume knob for leveling patch volumes. Keep at around 50% to start to have some room up and down.

Gain (Edit software & hardware knob) - Amp preamp gain stage

Master (Edit software and editable parameter) - In "Amp Parameters" Amp poweramp gain stage

Mixer: This is the one I understand the least at this point. I think it's primary purpose is to adjust volumes when using dual amps.

Posted by: Chris S. Jul 7 2015, 01:43 AM

So what happens when you come back from vacation? LOTS OF CATCHING UP!

Here's a rough take of where I am - I'm definitely going to try to pump as much of myself into this one but keep some of the main elements (you'll notice how I shift the piece at 32s back a little from where it should be). I even added a big bend (although it needs to be a little bigger) to add a touch of the previous lesson in it.

The swells are pretty bad but I will definitely work on them:

https://soundcloud.com/stortzmusic/gmc-ballad-progress

Any advice? Thanks

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 7 2015, 05:12 PM

yes, that's what I do unless I want to lower drive as it would happen with the pot of my guitar. If I want all the signal with the drive set by the amp I turn it in 10.




Hi Chris, this is on the right track. I like the feeling of what you are playing here. Be careful with timing and the pitch of your bends during the next days of practice. The tone is also promising, I would continue experimenting with EQ to make it fit better with the mix but it's really close. Maybe lowering a bit the mid frecuencies and with some more presence but you could also experiment with some other changes like the cabinet, mic, etc.

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jul 7 2015, 07:39 PM

After two days without a computer is now the problem fixed! I say it again and again " in each apple is a worm "
I working hard on the new task . A major challenge is the sound!

Posted by: bleez Jul 7 2015, 08:06 PM

anyone else finding this one hugely difficult the original lesson is absolutely fantastic but I hate what Im doing to it right now! It sounds like Im killing it slowly and painfully

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jul 7 2015, 08:27 PM

I also find that it is very difficult. If I make a recording , it sounds a little weak.
But we ha a few more days !

Posted by: Chris S. Jul 7 2015, 10:19 PM

If you think you're doing bad just listen to my sound cloud sample I posted

All that we can do is try our best!!!

Posted by: bleez Jul 7 2015, 11:38 PM

Dude, your sample is showing promise even at this early stage. you tone is sounding nice already and you have the backing track playing faster than I do at the moment.
I had a bad session tonight, I dont like my tone, Im playing it really slow and it just sounds bad. It kinda bummed me out a bit
I'll keep working at it.

Posted by: Chris S. Jul 8 2015, 01:49 AM

Wish I saw it like you do

I think we're just too hard on our selves

Keep rockin' man!

Posted by: Chris S. Jul 9 2015, 02:41 AM

Hey Gab!

So just a quick update of where I am at:

https://soundcloud.com/stortzmusic/gmc-ballad-progress-2

I've been trying to tighten up the timing and focus on reaching the right pitches on my bends (except at 27s where I purposely over-bend to emulate the Bendy Blues assignment).

Tried to work on the tone a little bit as well - just updated my setup with a BBE Sonic Maximizer rack mount and a Tube Screamer (to add some analog to the signal instead of using the built in TS clone on my 11 Rack). Do you think it's any better?

I know I'm kind of using more of my own stuff than I probably should but I can't help it - this backing track rocks - but I am trying to use as wide of a range of dynamics as I can possibly think of so that counts for something, right?

Keep on rockin' everyone!

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jul 9 2015, 04:42 PM

My first version. I hope i have the right sound.
At 1:20 there is a noise on the backing track. Do you have that too ??

Posted by: Phil66 Jul 9 2015, 06:01 PM

I'm really enjoying following this thread, learning a lot about approach too.

Thanks

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 10 2015, 01:40 AM

Thanks a lot Mr Wave for the great tips here! It's very valuable for us here to have your input during these 10 days of work over your lesson.




Great job Chris! The new tone is much better now! The overall color is nicer, and more natural, and it fits a lot better with the mix. Good job changing gear and tweaking the EQ. Your playing is also on the right track, be careful with bends and of course keep on exploring dynamics possibilities....





Hi Beat! Great to see you working hard. Your tone is good, I think that it has the right amount of drive and that the only thing that needs some tweak is the EQ. There are some low mid frequencies a bit too present, I would try searching for those frequencies and lowering them a bit.

Besides this, please also focus a bit more on your phrasing, try to be more precise with the pitches while bending and also while playing vibrato, and give more attention dynamics to control this element a bit more.

Keep on the hard work!

Posted by: Chris S. Jul 10 2015, 08:10 PM

Hey Gab!

So this is a rough final take - I got a case of the record button jitters

47-52 seconds is not what I had in mind but once I hit record that's what came out

https://soundcloud.com/stortzmusic/gmc-ballad-assignment-rough-final

and I goofed up the harmonics at 1:08-1:10

so those two parts in my final take will be slightly different. I also strayed further away from the main tabs at the end

I could resist wailing out a solo I had bottled up

Still have to work on my bends and tighten everything up but overall what do you think? Did I go about this the right way?

Thanks

EDIT: Do you think the over bend I use at 27s to take away from the last lesson is a bad idea? Do you feel it ruins the rest of the take?

Posted by: Darius Wave Jul 11 2015, 09:44 AM

Hey Beat! I was cheking it at home through different speakers, headphones and on spectrum + clip analyzers. I coudln't find anything worng, any noise, nothing but the natural "stick click" from the drums fill being spoted in this time area. Do anyone experience what Beat pointed?

Beat. Maybe it has something to do with sampling rate value in your daw vs backing track sample rate? Does it happen even when you decrease the track volume? Does it happen on both - downloaded file and backing track playback directly on the site?

Posted by: bleez Jul 11 2015, 10:02 AM

sounds okay on my headphones, I don't hear any issues at 1:20.
nice playing, Beat

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jul 11 2015, 11:32 AM

This is what i have when i made the download from the site.... It confuse me a bit...
Or i have somethings in my ears..

I have asked my wife.
She think also that i have something in my ears...

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jul 11 2015, 02:29 PM

My new version.
A little change in the sound setting. More dynamics and more focus on vibratos and phrasing.

Posted by: yoncopin Jul 11 2015, 08:15 PM

This took a trillion takes and a lot of practice, but here's my final take. I thought this was impossible when I started, but after a lot of work I'm pretty proud of the result. I got pretty good control of the volume swell and learned a ton about creating tones with my Pod. I can't believe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u66aWoteeTk, I can't thank Gab and GMC enough for how far I've come.

Posted by: Chris S. Jul 12 2015, 03:24 AM

Assignment 2: Final Take



Overall, I am pretty happy with it. I got rid of the overbend because I didn't feel like it blended well. I also made some minor changes to a few parts.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 12 2015, 05:21 PM

Nice tone Beat. It has a good balance between sustain and quantity of drive and the EQ is also very balanced. It is perfect to focus on Dynamics. I wouldn't change any setting except the fx that creates the ambience which could be more present, but not necessarily, it's just my subjective opinion.

Your playing is also on the right track. I like how you are managing dynamics, there is more room for it, mostly in the most aggressive parts that could be played stronger.

Also please polish timing, and some legato licks that sound weak.

Keep on the good job!


Thanks Chris S. and Yoncopin for your final takes! I'll give you complete feedback as soon as I get all the final takes.

Congrats on a new goal achieved!

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jul 13 2015, 01:42 PM

This is my Final Take Assignment 2

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 13 2015, 02:04 PM

Hi Beat, thanks for your final take!

Posted by: bleez Jul 13 2015, 09:18 PM

Final Take Assignment 2




there's nothing I like about this take. I'd much prefer not to post it tbh.
I like the lesson very much but Ive just not got the touch ( or tone ) for it and it's been most depressing these last 10 days having to listen to myself playing it
I had tried playing more of my own licks but at the weekend when I reviewed what I had been playing I really didnt like it at all so I had to drop most of my ideas.
I know there are mistakes and bad bends but Ive spent SO much time recording take after take after take that if I had to record it one more time tonight I would probably go on a kill crazy rampage.

Posted by: Chris S. Jul 13 2015, 09:36 PM

Personally,

I think you did an awesome job along with everyone else

Posted by: yoncopin Jul 13 2015, 09:44 PM

I agree, this one was really hard. I'm impressed with everyone so far.

Posted by: Chris S. Jul 13 2015, 11:12 PM

We can't be too hard on our selves - what we are doing in 10 days is pretty amazing!

I'm glad to be a part of this program with you guys

Posted by: bleez Jul 14 2015, 07:29 AM

it was difficult thats for sure and you guys takes were solid with really nice sounding tones as well. Chris, I really liked the reverb you have on this. I dont know if you have your new unit in the chain here but whatever..... it sounds great.

Posted by: Darius Wave Jul 14 2015, 04:24 PM

Well well All of You did a great job with this lesson. I know there is a lot of details to learn, and the time was short but Your results are enjoyable Thank You

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 14 2015, 09:38 PM

ASSIGNMENT II - BALLAD: The comments.


Yoncopin:

Hi Brian! Congrats on completing the assignment II!! At first I have to say that you did a very good work setting the tone for this lesson. I like the quantity of drive and eq that you used so we can consider that half of the work is perfect.

This lesson requires a very good control of expressing skills and I think that you are on the right track with this elements. You played the licks with a very good timing and with precision. Your dynamics are starting to appear there, I notice that you put a lot of effort to emphasize them, but I think that there is still a lot of room to make it more expressive and controlled.

I also notice that you are not playing this relaxed, I can see in your hands and hear in your playing that you are still worried about to many things while playing, you have to think too much. This is off course something natural related to the fact that the deadlines are short on this program. I’m sure that you’ll feel more comfortable with this with more days of practice, so please keep it in your diary practice.
So to summarize, you did a very good job and your take shows that you still need to continue exploring and working on dynamics but that you are on the track.

Keep on the great job!


Chris S. :

Hi Chris! Congrats on your work! You have completed the assignment II of this program!

The first thing that I note in your take is that your tone fits good with the backing. I like the EQ and the ambience created by delay. I would have mixed the backing a bit louder but it’s ok for this workout.

Your playing is good on this one, It’s very valuable to see that you added a lot of your own playing on this take because I can see that this is another step in the search of your own voice on guitar. It’s the way to make the licks of a lesson of your own.

I like the feel of your phrasing, it’s calm and relaxed but I think that there is still work to do with your dynamics work. You are not accentuating any notes from phrasing to give your melodies a special and more expressive feel. The overall solo has an intensity / drive evolution but this is not happening too much on each phrase. You should train it to be able to control more the intensity of each note that you pick.

Your timing improved a lot comparing this take with the previous that you shared here so it’s very good to see that you concentrated on fixing it.

Finally, there are some little pitch issues here and there, nothing really serious but it would be good if you pay attention to it on future assignments.

Ok mate, thanks for your take, keep on the hard work!


Beat:

Congrats on completing this new assignment!!

You did a great job with the tone design. It’s very very very nice, warm and enjoyable, well done! Your playing is also very nice on this one.
Your phrasing is relaxed and calm, and even with the lack of more aggressive picking in some little moments, I feel that your playing has enough and natural dynamics.

So we can say that you covered the main elements of this assignment successfully.

The two things that I’d like to mark as things to work are your vibrato technique and even most important your timing.

Your vibrato is not consistent on this take, sometimes it’s a bit weak, while other times is irregular and not natural.

Regarding your timing, I noticed that many short phrases have timing issues on this take so I recommend you to concentrate on timing on you future assignments since it’s a problem that appears when there are many things to think on.

Ok mate, even with the timing issue, your take is very enjoyable thanks to the feeling and tone that you’ve achieved. Keep on the hard work.


Bleez:

Hey mate, congratulations on a new assignment completed!

I have to say that this new take shows that this program is having a big impact on your guitar playing! Your overall phrasing is being polished and old problems start to show important improvements.

You already know the old problems, and I’m sure that you note the things that need more attention on this one but here is a list to have them in mind:

- Polishing some licks that show timing issues and notes that sound weak.
- Polishing your bending, it’s getting better but there are some bends that are not reaching the correct pitch.
- Keep on improving your vibrato.

Your tone is not bad but I feel that the lesson deserves a warmer tone. I think that this can be related to the amp chosen, which seems to be too metal and lacks bass frequencies. Try another more vintage amp for this kind of solos, and also with less drive.

Your control of dynamics is good on this one, I’m impressed on how much it improved compared to previous videos that I’ve seen from you. You are on the right track, keep on working like this!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 15 2015, 05:16 PM

Hey guys! Have you seen the feedback? Are you ready for the next assignment??

Posted by: bleez Jul 15 2015, 06:24 PM

yes indeed, thanks Gab. Im keen to move on

Posted by: yoncopin Jul 15 2015, 06:58 PM

Yes, thank you for the feedback. I feel pretty good that we were thinking mostly the same things about my take. I was enjoying the quiet before the storm of the next lesson. Ok, what is it this time?

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jul 15 2015, 09:19 PM

Thanks for the feedback!! I'm ready!

Posted by: Chris S. Jul 15 2015, 09:28 PM

Bring on the pain!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 16 2015, 04:19 PM

Assignment 3 – Rock

This third assignment is based on rock style. I consider that this lesson is even more demanding than the previous lessons because it's at a higher level. I know that you won't have enough time to master the whole thing and play the licks tight but as I said before, you don't have to play the whole thing, and also I expect from you variations based on the licks shared on this lesson. So it will be interesting to see how you simplify those licks that are over your current technique level. This lesson is based on the style of Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, so you'll also incorporate some other their phrasing elements and scale choices into your own playing.

The specific elements that we will focus on this one are:

- Legato
- Slide
- Harmonics
- Phrasing with Lydian mode

Lesson: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Falling-In-A-Lydian-Dream/

Deadline: July 27th

Posted by: Chris S. Jul 16 2015, 05:35 PM

I'm gonna need more fingers...

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jul 17 2015, 12:03 PM

Hi Guys.
Can any of you explain the Harmonics?
Position of the fingers on the string and position of the picking hand....

Posted by: yoncopin Jul 17 2015, 01:54 PM

This helped me... some

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 17 2015, 03:50 PM

Hi Beat! The video shared by yoncopin is very clear. Here you have another lesson that you could check:

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Tapped-Harmonics/

The lesson also includes some pinch harmonics so you could check this lesson too: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Pinch-Harmonics-Workout/

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 19 2015, 10:37 PM

hey guys, how is this going?

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jul 20 2015, 07:38 PM

I give my best!!

Posted by: yoncopin Jul 21 2015, 02:16 AM

Going ok, I guess. I was able to learn the first half of the song over the weekend. After about 0:46 it's completely impossible to play due to the speed, so I've been working on my own phrase to finish things out. I think I have something and I wrote it down & recorded it quickly tonight so I wouldn't forget it. Now just need more repetitions because everything is a sloppy mess.

Posted by: bleez Jul 21 2015, 06:57 PM

not fantastic! Ive yet to make any real progress at the moment tbh, but its early. I'll see how the rest of the week goes.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 21 2015, 07:07 PM

Great guys! Remember that this week's assignment is to push you the more possible and also to make you take fast decisions on how to arrange the solo to make it suitable for your playing.

I won't judge if you don't play the tricky parts, I will judge quality on what you play... no quantity no speed, just quality and personal touch.

Let me say that you guys are doing a killer job and that I'm proud of how this program is evolving.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 23 2015, 03:33 PM

4 days to go... you are so silent on this one...

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jul 23 2015, 05:10 PM

Hard work....!
I go this way.

Posted by: yoncopin Jul 23 2015, 05:58 PM

Woah Beat, you've got way more of this one down than I have.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 24 2015, 02:20 PM

Hey Satch! Is that you???

This preliminary take is very promising mate! I like how you are using your tremolo bar on this one. Please be careful with some note choices in the second half and with timing when you record the final take.

Keep on rocking!!

Posted by: yoncopin Jul 25 2015, 06:48 PM

Ok, here's my final take for this lesson. I don't really love this one, tried to work the legato in the phrases I added at the end. Meh.

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jul 26 2015, 09:50 AM

Hey guys.

This is my final take.

Tomorrow i have a long long work day and not time for playing guitar.
I work really hard on my vibrato. But when i am watch my vibrato in my video i am not really happy!

Assignment 3: Final Take

Posted by: bleez Jul 26 2015, 06:00 PM

Hey Beat and yoncopin, you guys done great with this. You both got a lot more of the licks than I managed, well done. It was a tough lesson to work on

I dont think Im going to make any improvements by tomorrow so Ive just done my take today.
Assignment 3: Final Take

just a couple of points
I dont have a guitar with a whammy but I do have a whammy pedal! Ive never really used it yet other than for detuning ( its the digitech whammy DT ).
I didnt attempt too much of the original lesson because I just sounded like I was playing a crappy version of the licks. I felt it was better to just not play them at all.

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jul 26 2015, 06:17 PM

Bleez
I find your version of this lesson awesome!

Posted by: yoncopin Jul 26 2015, 07:16 PM

I agree, I feel like your interpretation is much more creative than mine. You got a little loose at the very end, but it was awesome.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 26 2015, 07:16 PM

Hi guys! Great to find your final takes here!! I'll analyze each take and be back with comments and the new assignment. I'm really happy to see that this program is making you work really hard and keep you focused.

Posted by: bleez Jul 26 2015, 07:48 PM

thanks for the kind words guys much appreciated. I was very impressed with how close you guys got with some of those licks. In such a short amount of time as well. I would be very pleased with myself if I had played it as well as you guys did.
I just plugged in my whammy pedal and tried to divebomb over the hard parts

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 27 2015, 05:34 PM

ASSIGNMENT III - ROCK: The comments.


Yoncopin:

Hi mate, congrats on completing a new assignment!

You solo has good things to mark. I like how you managed harmonics and melodic phrases. Your playing is tasty and the notes choices connect really well with the chords from the backing. The use of harmonics is very clever and sounds as good as Satch does it.

The problem appears mostly with the fast licks used as connectors. That’s when your take needs more polishing to make the whole thing sound smoother (for example the lick at 00:21). And it’s also what I feel the overall solo is lacking to be more interesting (as well as some phrasing direction)

Your vibrato is good but you have to be careful because sometimes it sounds a bit nervous. Remember to let the note sound and then add the vibrato to avoid this effect.

I like your tone for this one, it sounds clean but with a lot of sustain and connect really well with the backing track.


Beat:

Hi Beat! Congratulations on completing the new assignment!!

Your solo is very enjoyable. Except by some little sections where it’s not totally polished, your playing is smooth and has a very cool feeling. I like how your connected phrases and the use of whammy bar to add vibrato and to make flashy harmonics.

As I already said, there are parts that sound fantastic while there are some very little details that fixed could make this solo totally killer. Let me mark the details that could be fixed:

0:18: the lick is not clean
00:30: Not totally happy with this phrase.
00:37: There is a problem with the pitch here.
00:57: the note choice is weird
01:04: the end is not clear or defined.

I’d also like to add that your vibrato and bending technique are great on this one. Your vibrato is very natural and tasty, and your bending is consistent.

Talking about tone, there is nothing to argue, it fits great with the backing and style. Well done!


Bleez:

Great job completing this assignment!!
I have to say that you rocked this one. Why? This sounds in the style of Bleez. It’s awesome to see how you took this lesson and made it of your own. The way you played each lick, the use of bending technique and whammy effect bar have given this a totally fresh air.

I could mark some details to be fixed about technique and phrasing direction but what I want to say is: THIS IS THE DIRECTION! You have to continue exploring in this way, experimenting and taking your phrasing to a new level. I can start to see your own voice on guitar, and I strongly recommend you to work hard to continue developing it.

This assignment is a very important achievement mate. Congrats!

Posted by: yoncopin Jul 27 2015, 06:45 PM

Thanks for the comments Gab, I totally agree with you on my take. I definitely need to work on improving my speed. I think it would make things more interesting which was my biggest gripe with my take. Can you elaborate a bit on "phrasing direction"? I'm not sure what you mean or how I can focus on improving that. Thanks!

Posted by: bleez Jul 27 2015, 07:04 PM

thanks Gab, that just made my day
Its weird because this lesson intimidated me the most. I even put off trying it for a few days because it was like nothing Ive played before but I ended up really enjoying playing it, even though I couldn't get the faster licks it was still a lot of fun.

I still wish I could have played Darius' lesson better, I would love to play exactly like he does in that lesson

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jul 27 2015, 07:37 PM

Thanks for the comments Gab!
I hope i can spend more time in details in the next assignment!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 28 2015, 02:48 PM

Hi mate! Phrasing direction is related to the use of call & response, tension & release while phrasing, the structure of a solo and also the use of the connectors. The more you improvise and the more solos you analyze, the better you'll be at this.

By the way, great job with the video!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 28 2015, 03:44 PM

Assignment 4 – Fusion

This fourth assignment cover jazz fusion style as an excuse to work on topics that we haven't worked yet, and also to incorporate some basic concepts that can expand your playing, whatever style you usually play. I consider this lesson very cool to incorporate fresh phrases in the style of players like Scott Henderson, Greg Howe and Mike Stern, but what is more interesting is the introduction of the concept called "enclosures" that I'd like to see you trying in your own phrases. Please feel free to extend the backing if it's necessary.

The specific elements that we will focus on this one are:

- Economy Picking
- Use of enclosures
- Phrasing with Mixolydian mode

Lesson: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Jazz-Fusion-Enclosures/

Deadline: August 8th

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jul 30 2015, 12:04 PM

For me this is a very difficult lesson !! Until now I have never played anything from the jazz fusion ! This is not the music that I listen to ........

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 30 2015, 06:26 PM

Just 10 days of unfamiliar licks to expand your playing... isn't it a good deal?

Posted by: bleez Jul 30 2015, 06:40 PM

Im exactly the same! It makes no sense to me at all, its far too clever for me

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jul 30 2015, 07:28 PM

hahaha it makes sense with the overall program.

Assignment 1: Blues (Bending, Vibrato, Pentatonic Scale)
Assignment 2: Ballad (Dynamics, Tone, Ionian mode)
Assignment 3: Rock (Legato, Slide, Lydian mode)
Assignment 4: Fusion (Economic Picking, Chromatic passing notes, Mixolydian mode)


However, it's not my idea to make you play something that you won't enjoy practicing. So if you are not totally connected with this style and have no intentions on get into it, I can reformulate the assignment...

What do you think?

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Jul 30 2015, 07:54 PM

As this lesson is useful for the overall program I'm doing this now . Sometimes you have to learn something that you don't like so much!

Posted by: bleez Jul 30 2015, 10:15 PM

its cool with me dude I think its great having this lesson in the program. I just meant that I dont really understand Jazz music! Its a style of music that Ive never been able to listen to
Im looking forward to trying to play it though, it's going to be interesting.

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Aug 2 2015, 07:21 PM

This is my new workplace for the next four weeks in my mobile home! I'm in the holiday....

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 3 2015, 06:12 PM

Great guys! Looking forward your early experiences with this new one.

Wou! That looks fantastic man! I've always dreamed on having a mobile studio like that one to make and album while traveling.

Posted by: yoncopin Aug 3 2015, 06:24 PM

It's going ok for me. I've learned maybe 60-70% of it but haven't quite gotten to full speed. I think my picking should be able to go that fast, but the rhythms and fingerings are so quirky.

Posted by: bleez Aug 3 2015, 07:28 PM

EGAD! due to stuff happening Ive only managed to begin this today
Im a bit worried about getting this one learned in time

I have quite a bit of catching up to do.



BTW Beat..... your mobile jamming station looks excellent

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 4 2015, 01:53 PM

Ok guys, thanks for the report. It's time to work hard! We are very close to complete the whole program.

Posted by: yoncopin Aug 5 2015, 02:40 PM

The deadline for this one is fast approaching and I haven't even started learning parts 5 & 6, nor gotten 1-4 up to 100% speed yet. I've been working on it as hard as I can but I think my take is going to have to be a partial.

Posted by: bleez Aug 5 2015, 03:25 PM

Im in a similar position. At this moment I cant even see me getting what little I have up to full speed.
I cant even get into the timing of it.

dont think my brain can cope with jazz!

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Aug 5 2015, 04:41 PM

Slowly it begins that i like it!!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 6 2015, 08:19 PM

Hi mate, this means that there is a lot to learn on this topic... remember the first rule of this program: quality over quantity.




This is very promising mate! You are on the right track with this one!! There are just 3 things that you should pay attention during the next practice sessions:

- timing
- dynamics
- visualize/understand what you are playing and it's relationship with the scale and chords from the backing.


I'm impressed.

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Aug 8 2015, 08:49 AM

After a lot of hours spend in this lesson is this my final take.
Sorry for the bad video quality... The WLAN on this place is not so fast.

Assignment 4: Final Take

Posted by: bleez Aug 8 2015, 06:41 PM

I got nothing, sorry.
Just didn't mange to get enough time on this to learn it to an acceptable level. I gave up on it last night, I literally cannot face playing it any more. Sorry Gab.
good luck with the rest of the program guys.

Posted by: yoncopin Aug 8 2015, 07:54 PM

I met my goal of parts 1-4 at 100% tempo, but I'm not great at it. I just faded out the rest of the track, I hope that's ok. These last two lessons have been really tough. I feel like I'm getting worse lately. Sorry to see bleez drop, Beat you should be really proud, I think this is your best one yet.

Assignment 4: Final Take

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 8 2015, 08:20 PM

Awesome! Great to find you complete take here! Congrats Beat.





Hi Bleez, I'm so sorry of reading this! You've been doing a great job in the previous videos. I wonder if you couldn't learn at least a few licks that let you get into this phrasing to create some more improvised ideas around it. Is it possible?





Hi Yoncopin! Great to find your final take here!

You've told me that you'll go on vacation for 10 days from August 15th to 21th so I think that it will be ok if you work on the assignment 5 when you are back, what do you think? or maybe you prefer to work on it the next 6 days... please let me know.

Posted by: yoncopin Aug 8 2015, 09:50 PM

I don't know what's best. I think I'll fall behind if I wait until after I get back. Can you post the next lesson today? I can get started right away and see how far I get. I'd like to try to get it in before I leave, but it kinda depends what you have planned.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 8 2015, 10:23 PM

Hey guys! I share the next assignment here to let yoncopin start soon. I'll be back with comments about your takes.

Assignment V – Pop Rock

This fifth assignment is based on the stle of Steve Lukather as an excuse to work on some topics that we still need to cover on this program. Steve is an amazing guitar player who has influenced most of the modern rock guitar players that many of us cite as influences. His phrasing and technique are top level, and he is also a great improviser and composer. In this lesson Muris covers most of his techniques and patented licks so it's a good way to get into his playing and get inspired by some of his chops.

The specific elements that we will focus on this one are:

- Alternate Picking
- Incorporating Tapping in licks
- Phrasing with Aeolian mode (and modulating to major)

Lesson: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/steve-lukather-style-lesson/

Deadline: August 20th

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 12 2015, 03:12 PM

ASSIGNMENT IV - FUSION: The comments.


Yoncopin:

Congrats on being one of the braves that completed this assignment!

It’s really interesting to see you playing this kind of phrases, and what’s even cooler is that you look comfortable with this kind of stuff. Playing different styles helps a lot to expand our horizons and always brings some fresh ideas into our playing.

Your tone fits great for this one, it has a very balanced EQ and the perfect amount of drive required for this fusion style. Also, there are not important technical issues to mark or improve on this one, your playing is consistent in the whole take. I just feel that your vibrato could be stronger in some licks.

Besides the improvisation idea that shared this lesson, it’s a very good lesson to train your rhythm abilities. This kind of funky fusion stuff requires a good manage of groove, and I can say that even knowing that there is more room to improvements; you did a very good job.
So I can say that you did a killer work and that you could save this one for future practice to keep on improving your groove, and also to keep on experimenting with the “enclosures” idea that is applicable to any guitar style.

Keep on the great job!

PS: I recommend you checking the collab albums recorded by Kotzen/Howe. Very in this style, and very groovy.


Beat:

Another braveheart! Congratulations on completing the assignment number 4!

And I have to say that you’ve done it really naturally. You look as if you have been playing this kind of funky rhythm for a long time!
The first thing that reflects is how groovy your take sounds. You go with the backings really well, and this is one of the most important things of this style. I feel that it’s even more important than the notes! I remember Victor Wooten saying that rhythm is the “why” of a piece of music or solo, he said focus on groove, always keep grooving and even wrong notes will sound good.

Besides this, your technique is very consistent on this take. Your bending is precise, your vibrato goes very naturally with the groove, and your slides are very delicate and nice to hear.

Finally, your tone, is very warm and enjoyable.

You should consider seriously keep on exploring this kind of phrasing.

Congrats on your great work!!

Posted by: yoncopin Aug 13 2015, 02:03 PM

Thanks Gab! That's pretty encouraging since I wasn't too keen on my performance. The unique rhythm is what stood out in that lesson to me. I did some listening to Kotzen/Howe yesterday, it's always useful to hear different styles. Jazz is definitely unfamiliar territory for me.

I'm going to record my assignment 5 tonight. I've been working very hard on it but it's going to have to be a partial lesson like the last one. I made sure to address some challenging bits, that tapping section in particular. I really like this one, very expressive. I'm finding my limiter in a lot of these course lessons is speed. I definitely want to focus on that when this course is over, I think it'll open up a lot of new material for me.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 13 2015, 04:09 PM

Hi mate, it's interesting to see that this course is helping to expand your horizons and also to identify some things in which focus on the near future.

I'll wait for your take on the new assignment.

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Aug 13 2015, 04:12 PM

Hi Gab.
Thanks for your comment. When this program is finished i will come back with this Jazz Lesson in the rec program.

Posted by: yoncopin Aug 14 2015, 12:50 AM

Ok, here it is. Pretty hurried to record this as there's lots to do around here. I worked really hard this week, but this was the best I could do with 5 days. I might come back to this one later and see if I can get a bit more of it.

Assignment 5: Final Take

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 15 2015, 06:19 PM

Good idea!




Great mate! I hope you have a good holiday! My comments on this take and the final assignment will be here when you are back.

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Aug 19 2015, 07:40 PM

Assignment 5: Final Take

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 19 2015, 10:36 PM

Awesome mate! I'll be back tomorrow with comments!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 20 2015, 04:58 PM

ASSIGNMENT V - POP ROCK: The comments.

Beat:

Hi soldier!! Congrats on your hard work mate! It’s awesome to see that you are the only one that could follow the whole program without any hiatus. (Yoncopin is on vacation so he will do the last assignment when he is back).

Your playing on this one is really good as usual. You have a good control of bending and vibrato which are two fundamental techniques on this style.

About the two main techniques to focus on this lesson: tapping and alternate picking. You also did a very good job with them. Tapping could sound clearer but the dirty sound makes it sound rocker. Your alternate picking is precise but I think that you could do smaller movements with your right hand. It’s not a problem at this speed but maybe it can be a barrier for faster licks.

One thing that I note in this take is that you are not relaxed while playing it. This can be to the fact that it includes a lot of techniques and phrases and you need to think on too many things, but I think that you could get a nicer feeling if you could relax a bit more while playing it. The short period of time to master it can be another reason so I think that it would be good to keep this solo in your diary practice.
I’d also like to add that the use of the tremolo bar on this solo is very tasty, and that your tone fits great on this one.

To summarize, you did it again mate! Great job!!


Yoncopin:

Hi mate, I know that you did a great effort to be able to submit this take before going on vacation. You dedicated less time than the required and what you get is reasonable.

Your playing is good but I’d like to see you dedicating some more days to polish the licks and get the most of them.

We’ve been working on bending, vibrato and legato previously and here I can note that you have a good control of these techniques. However the techniques required for this assignment still need practice. There are not many alternate picking licks here, and the tapping lick is ok but has some little pitch issues
.
I feel that it would be ok if you dedicate 5 extra days to this one when you are back and share a new take. What do you think?

Posted by: yoncopin Aug 22 2015, 03:24 PM

Ok, I'm back and am on it! I really missed my guitar.

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Aug 22 2015, 05:10 PM

Hi Yoncopin

Welcome back!

We can start the last Assigment!!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 22 2015, 07:46 PM

Assignment VI – Metal

On this last assignment we will cover Metal rhythm and solo style. This recently published lesson by Guido is killer because it covers the style with a very modern approach and incorporating many expressive techniques that makes the phrasing really interesting.
The main thing that I want you to incorporate from this one is how the techniques and modes that we've been working on previous assignments are combined naturally, and how phrasing and melodic lines are totally clear and very expressive.

The elements that we will focus on this one are:

- Rhythm
- Combined techniques: Alternate Picking, Bending, vibrato, tapping and slides
- Combining modes with arpeggios in phrasing.

Lesson: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/melodic-metal-classical-elements/

Deadline: September 3rd

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Aug 23 2015, 08:15 AM

Very nice lesson!
Normal and drop - D tuning . I'm still on vacation and have just one guitar here . What can I do??

Have the answer!
I do it as Guido!!!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 23 2015, 06:19 PM

Yes, you can do it as in the lesson, recording two takes and using cross fade.

Posted by: yoncopin Aug 23 2015, 06:21 PM

Cross fade? The supplied lesson backing track already has the rhythm guitar recorded in it.

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Aug 23 2015, 07:07 PM

You are right!
What is the plan?

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 23 2015, 07:15 PM

Let's see if we can get the backing without guitar from Guido. I'll contact him.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 24 2015, 01:27 PM

Thanks to Guido, here we have the backing without main rhythm guitars!

 Lesson_Mentoring_Backing_track.mp3 ( 2.45MB ) : 64

Posted by: Guido Bungenstock Aug 24 2015, 05:53 PM

You're welcome, Gab!

So have fun guys! :-D

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 25 2015, 07:43 PM

Nice to see you here Guido.

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Aug 27 2015, 08:38 AM

Hi Guys
This is the way that a made for this Assignment.
In this lesson we have a lot of short fast licks. I can not play this in the next ten days....
My focus is more on timing bendings ,vibratos and all the other points that we have in the last Weeks!

Thanks to Guido for the new Backing. But i can not play this at the moment..

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 27 2015, 01:31 PM

Hi Beat! Good plan! I think that this is going on the right track. You are keeping the feel of the lesson but creating variations of the licks to be more comfortable with them. This is the first rule of this program. Now it's time to keep on polishing everything and adding ornamentation that embellish the phrases.

Keep on the good job!

Posted by: yoncopin Aug 27 2015, 02:39 PM

This is exactly what I'm doing as well. I really need to improve my speed, it's very limiting. My version doesn't have as much of the changes in velocity that Guido's does.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 27 2015, 03:18 PM

Ok, so Speed Training is a good topic for a future workout.

Posted by: yoncopin Aug 30 2015, 05:11 PM

Two new videos for my last entries in this course! I can't believe I made it to the end, that was a ton of work. I got a lot out of this but am really looking forward to focusing on the weaknesses which were exposed in my playing. I had to get these done now, because I'm going out of town again Sept 3-9, but should have Internet access and my laptop.

First is the retake of my Steve Lukather lesson. I focused a lot on cleaning up the tapping section and was able to extend the recording a few more bars. Speed is still a big limiter as my alternate picking is just nowhere close to approaching those fast runs.

Assignment 5 Final Take


Second is the Melodic Metal lesson. I tried my best to come up with alternate parts for the fast sections. Sometimes I feel like they are a bit disjointed from the backing, but I had to record both tracks to a metronome to just be able to play them in time.

Assignment 6 Final Take

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Aug 31 2015, 12:59 AM

This is awesome Yoncopin!! Congrats on being one of the two GMCers who could follow and complete the whole program! If we look back, this has been 60 days of hard work that had a great impact in your guitar playing. This kind of intensive workout always affects out performance on guitar. So congrats again on your discipline and dedication.

I'll be back with comments regarding your takes and some other cool news.

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Sep 2 2015, 03:34 PM

Assignment 6 Final Take.

Many thanks to Gabriel for this workout in the last weeks!!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Sep 2 2015, 06:51 PM

Awesome!! Another winner! Thanks for your take Beat! I'll be back with comments and news for both.

Posted by: yoncopin Sep 2 2015, 06:55 PM

Enough with the suspense already, what's the news?!

Congrats Beat! <high five>

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Sep 2 2015, 07:07 PM

<high five> Congrats also yoncopin!

Posted by: Kristofer Dahl Sep 3 2015, 08:29 AM

Fantastic - well done guys!! Beat - I have pm:ed you!

Posted by: Phil66 Sep 3 2015, 12:48 PM

It's been awesome following this workshop. Congratulations to the two finishers, well done. It's been inspiring.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Sep 3 2015, 04:14 PM

ASSIGNMENT VI - METAL: The comments.

Beat Zbinden:

Great job with the metal assignment!

I think that this take reflects the great job you’ve been doing during these previous weeks adjusting your technique. I can see you much more comfortable combining naturally vibrato, bending, harmonics, adding tapping and even using your tremolo bar.

There are some little moments that need adjustment on this one, like the lick at 00:35, and the following lick at 00:39. I’m not sure if the reason is alternate picking technique or the use of triplets, but the licks are not sounding tight.

I like the work that you did with this one, but I think that you still have room to make this sound even cooler. There is more to do regarding dynamics, groove, and also vibrato. There are some of them that are not totally on spot and this is related to the fact that your attention is on too many things yet. The more you play this solo, the more you’ll enjoy it and the better it will sound.

Your tone fits perfectly with this backing.

The only thing that this one is lacking is the rhythm part.


Yoncopin:

Assignment 5 take 2:
Great job! Except by some little details, your new take is killer! I like the feeling of your playing, and your tone is so tasty for this backing.

The details are related to the pitch of your bends and timing. There is still some little adjustments to do in order to make this a top level take, and I have to say that I’d like to see you mastering them. Let me mark the parts:

Bending pitch: 00:10, 00:28.
Timing: 00:13, 00:31

If I become really strict, I can say that most of the bends have a VERY little room to sound tighter so more diary work on this technique can be a good idea.

Assignment 6:
The good part of this workout is that it has push you to learn quickly many lessons and I start to feel that you are gaining a very interesting training on this. Your fingers are starting to look more comfortable with new licks and ideas.

Your take on this lesson is really good! I’m impressed of what you’ve got with this little amount of time to learn the lesson. Your rhythm playing is tight, and your phrasing sounds consistent and connected with the backing track.

Your bending and vibrato are much better on this one than in assignment 5. What can be the reason? Maybe you are more comfortable with this style or groove… who knows, but it’s great to see you playing at this level on the final assignment of this workout. I consider it as a win.




GMC BORDERLINE PROGRAM COMPLETE!! - RESULTS & FINAL WORDS

Ok guys!! First of all I want to say Congratulations for the fantastic work done during this 60 days of intensive work. You are the 2 winners of this program, and the results can be noted just by checking each of your final takes.

Your overall playing had a great impact and I'm sure that this workout, not only polished your playing, it opened your eyes on the future steps or things to work.

During this program we've covered successfully a wide range of techniques, improvisation concepts and styles. Just to refresh everything, here we have the whole plan:

Assignment 1: Blues (Bending, Vibrato, Pentatonic Scale)
Assignment 2: Ballad (Dynamics, Tone, Ionian mode)
Assignment 3: Rock (Legato, Slide, Lydian mode)
Assignment 4: Fusion (Economic Picking, Chromatic passing notes, Mixolydian mode)
Assignment 5: Pop Rock (Alternate Picking, Tapping, Aeolian Mode)
Assignment 6: Metal (Rhythm, Combined techniques, Combining modes with arpeggios)

Both of you have had a strong performance during the whole program and that's why I consider that both passed this program and will receive GMC certificate.

I'd like to hear from you, what about your experience with the program? How does it feel? Do you find it helpful? Your feedback is really valuable for me.

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Sep 4 2015, 12:40 PM

Hi Gabriel

Many thanks for your feedback and for your time that you have spend in the last 60 days with us.
I invested also a lot of time in the last 60 days. Sometimes it was a little hard when we have a new lesson with higher levels.
10 days practice with focus only on one Lesson then it is clear that we made one step higher!
I'm very happy with my progress and I go straight on in this way!!!

Posted by: yoncopin Sep 4 2015, 01:28 PM

Gabe,
Thanks so much for all the time you've spent mentoring me and others, it's incredibly helpful. My playing is really benefiting from your guidance. I'm very proud that I made it the whole way through this course, it was tough at times, but rewarding in the end.

On the Borderline program itself:

Pros

+ I'm not as intimidated by more advanced lessons which may have new techniques in them. For example, I've never practiced any tapping or whammy licks before and I won't shy away from lessons in the future which may have a bit that's unfamiliar. I've learned how to approach learning those things more efficiently.

+ Highlighted some areas that need more long term focus and helped me define some very clear new goals. My new practice routine is going to focus on bending, vibrato and alternate picking exercises followed by working on a more advanced solo lesson. I really like some of Piotr's.

+ It inspired me to want to improve my recording's audio and video. I'm going to try to improve the quality of all my videos now that I won't be in such a rush to get each one done.

Cons

+ 60 days was longer than I expected. I'm really looking forward to working on lessons which are more at my level so I can actually get them perfect. Sometimes I got frustrated because I felt like there was no way for me to record something which I would be happy with, because I just didn't have the skill yet.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Sep 4 2015, 03:15 PM

Nice to know it Beat! yes, focus on 1 lesson is the key. We usually try to cover many things at the same time and in the end, we don't really cover anything. We need to work on a small amount of elements and focus on them to polish each details. That's what makes guitarists sound great. Congrats again mate.









Thanks for this fantastic feedback. I have to say that I agree with everything you've said, even about the cons that comparing with the pros is not really relevant but some adjustment could be fine for future programs.

I'm really proud to know that this program has been positive for your playing and mind.

Keep on the great job!

Posted by: Kristofer Dahl Sep 10 2015, 10:09 AM

Snail mail is now on its way, congrats again guys!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Sep 10 2015, 01:42 PM

Cool!!

Posted by: Beat Zbinden Sep 12 2015, 08:26 AM

I have it!!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Sep 13 2015, 11:57 PM

Wou! That's an epic pic!! Congrats Beat!!