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Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 2 2009, 05:52 PM

Purple Hayes CV:

To get an idea of my skill level, here's my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/duathlon70

I played a bit back when I was in my teens and early 20's but quit playing for about 15 years and started again 2 years ago. Since then, I've been an active member of GMC and overly active in the REC program . I've got a bit of theory knowledge but could easily learn a lot more if pushed.

What I think I'd like to get out of this (but that's up to you, you're the boss): I'd like to have faster AP skills. That's probably the thing that hold me back from doing the more advanced lessons. But really, I'll learn anything you ask me to.


DECEMBER REC PROGRAM LESSON: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/neoclassical-alternate-picking-etude/

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 2 2009, 06:29 PM

Ok Purple Hayes! I've been watching some of your videos. I could note clearly what you mean in the "Phrygian Dominant solo". So we will do a intense alternate picking work. Which are your favorite guitar players?

Posted by: purple hayes Dec 2 2009, 06:57 PM

Satriani, Vai and Mustaine.

I should also add that I'm on vacation for the last week of December and won't have a guitar with me.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 2 2009, 08:43 PM

Thanks for notifying me! I'm not sure if we can do the MTP since we have one assignment per week. Let me check it with Chris.

Posted by: purple hayes Dec 2 2009, 08:55 PM

Can we double up one week?

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 2 2009, 09:40 PM

yes, we can continue and we have two possibilities. Try to make the 4 assignments and the REC before you go on vacation or you can complete the MTP when you are back.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 3 2009, 12:33 AM

Ok Purple Haye! This is your first assignment post for December. As I said in the previous post I’ve been checking your videos at youtube and I also think that working on Alternate picking is a good idea as well as on some other techniques to train your speed.
We will start with the first group of alternate picking exercises over three notes per string positions. The idea is to practice this with metronome starting at a comfortable tempo and then keep increasing the bpm until you reach at least the 200 bpm. The note value is 16th triplets.
The first exercise must be repeated on strings 3, 4 and 5, 6. The second exercise is in A minor and it could be practiced in the other three notes per string positions is you have enough time. You always have to start with a down stroke in both exercises.
Pay attention on:

• Move your picking hand and pick the less possible
• Play every note with the same intensity
• Always keep on tempo
• Use only alternate picking. Never repeat a movement.

You will find both exercises in different tracks in the guitar pro.

 Assignment_1.gp5 ( 5.65K ) : 89

Posted by: purple hayes Dec 4 2009, 02:36 AM

Am I supposed to be economy picking?

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 4 2009, 02:41 AM

no, you have to use Alternate picking. No matter if you are crossing strings.

Posted by: purple hayes Dec 4 2009, 02:43 AM

So, down-up-down-up-down-up-down-up-down-up-down-up-down-up the whole time?

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 4 2009, 02:45 AM

Exactly! Starting always the exercises with a down stroke.

Posted by: purple hayes Dec 6 2009, 10:49 PM

How much time should I be giving the weekly assignments each day?

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 7 2009, 02:12 AM

How many hours do you have to play guitar every day?

Posted by: purple hayes Dec 7 2009, 10:55 AM

2 hrs. during the week and 3 on the weekends.

Edited to add: I usually break down my practicing into 15 minute chunks (20 min. on the weekends). A typical schedule might be:

15 min - Legato
15 min - Tapping
15 min - Sweeping
15 min - Country Licks
15 min - blues

etc. until I run out of practice time and have to to to work.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 7 2009, 05:22 PM

Ok! So let's set our assignments in 30 minutes per day. When the week is ended you can add the exercises to your diary routines.

Posted by: purple hayes Dec 8 2009, 03:12 PM

Can we bump my schedule up by a day? I usually record stuff at night, but Wednesday nights are band practice, so they're out.

I'll record this weeks stuff and have it posted by tonight.

If you want to post up two weeks worth of lessons this week to make up for the last week of December, I'm cool with that.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 8 2009, 06:04 PM

Perfect!

Posted by: purple hayes Dec 9 2009, 03:02 AM

Exercise 1 at different tempos so you can see where things start to fall apart.



Exercise 2 at different tempos so you can see where things start to fall apart. (played along with the GP file because I wasn't really thinking about it coming through in the recording. oops)



I probably should have put this in the CV, but this is about as fast as I want to get: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/modal_madness_pt_4_5_string_patterns/

It's not insanely, shreddy fast, but it's fast enough to play anything I'd want to play.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 10 2009, 07:17 PM

You did a great job man! At 180 and even 190 bpm you play the exercises perfectly. Then you have some little synchronization problems that can be fixed with some more practice. So I think that you passed this one!
In your CV you said that your AP limits you to play advanced lessons... What lesson could you give me as an example of this?

Posted by: purple hayes Dec 10 2009, 07:59 PM

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/modal_madness_pt_4_5_string_patterns/ (I can play some of the descending patterns up to speed, but I can't play any of the ascending ones up to speed.

I can't even come close to playing this one: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/country-picking-advanced/

A lesson of yours that isn't within my skills: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/shred-solo-lesson/ (at least the first 6 bars)

I may sneak that last lesson into my practicing line up. The patterns look fairly easy to learn.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 10 2009, 10:19 PM

Second Assignment:
Let's go for the http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/shred-solo-lesson/ this week. The licks are easier than the country style lesson by Muris however they will help you to develop your alternate picking in REAL situations. Isolate each lick as an individual exercise and practice it with metronome. You can post the whole lesson played at any of the backing's tempos or you can only play every part of the lesson the faster than you can over metronome. You choose! I'm interested in the first 3 parts of the lesson however the following parts are also interesting to work on legato, tapping and sweep Picking.

I will prepare another lesson for your alternate picking for the 3rd assignment and post it the sooner than I can.

Let me know if you have any question!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 14 2009, 05:41 PM

Third Assignment:
Hello Purple Hayes! As we have agreed I'm posting here your third assignment in advance to let you practice this one. I checked the video that you sent by PM with the Second Assignment and I think that we must work on Ascendant Alternate Picking.
I prepared 4 exercises for you combining 2 strings. Every exercise must be played in every group of adjacent strings. The tempo is as always... the faster than you can without losing clarity.
Work with metronome or over a backing track in the correct key (C major or A minor).

Let me know if you have any question!

 MTP_December___Assignment_3.gp5 ( 4.04K ) : 89

Posted by: purple hayes Dec 14 2009, 05:48 PM

I've been working on your 2nd assignment. I've got the ascending parts worked out, but I'm not quite up to the speed. I'll probably work up the whole lesson eventually. The rest of the lesson is relatively easy, I just need to work up the sweeps at the end.

Week 3 Assignment: I'll start working on it today. I think I'll be able to tackle this one. Maybe even get it up to speed. :fingers crossed:

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 14 2009, 08:50 PM

That's perfect! Can't wait for the takes!

Posted by: purple hayes Dec 15 2009, 02:42 PM

Did I say up to speed? I've worked on week 3 for about 30 minutes total so far and I'm not even going to get close to getting that up to speed in a week.

PS - I'm not a total theory dummy. It's all in F Lydian.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 15 2009, 03:47 PM

Don't worry & keep on practicing.
I think that this exercise will be your friend for many weeks!

About the scale.. F Lydian is the the forth mode of C major scale, so they share the same notes. I know that you are saying this because the tabbed exercises start in F but it doesn't matter because the idea is to play this in every group of strings. This means that every time that you change the note where you start you have a new mode (C Ionian, D Dorian, E Phrygian, F Lydian, and so...) . So to resume, we are working on C major!

Posted by: purple hayes Dec 17 2009, 07:28 PM

I'll get the week 2 upload done tonight. I tried on Tuesday but I just couldn't get it. In fact, I tried to record 4 different lessons and failed at all of them. :|

The 26th or 27th of December will be the last day that I'll have access to a guitar to record/practice. I'll have the neoclassical etude done before then.

Here's my plan so far:

Dec 17: Record and post week 2 lesson

Dec 20: Record and post week 3 lesson

Dec 23-25: Record and post neoclassical etude

Dec 26-27: Record and post week 4 lesson

Posted by: purple hayes Dec 18 2009, 02:38 AM

I think I may be over practicing things (at least the AP stuff) I seem to be getting worse. Anyway, here's weeks two's assignment.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 18 2009, 04:57 AM

Excellent Plan! I'll give you the 4th assignment as soon as you post the 3rd one!




Great job man! It's not getting worse but it's great to know that how you are feeling to know how to continue our MTP! You don't notice the result know but I assure you that this intensive work will have amazing results! In this take you loss synchronization in the ascending licks. You should decrease a bit the tempo and continue practicing... but let your mind relax from this one for some days!

Posted by: purple hayes Dec 18 2009, 02:49 PM

I'm just asking a lot of myself lately and it's starting to drag me down. I get up at 4:30AM to play guitar for a couple of hrs before i go to work. I play guitar for 1 hr. during lunch at work and then I play more when I get home. Then I start playing Modern Warfare until I fall asleep. Then it's up at 4:30AM to start over again.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 19 2009, 02:58 AM

That a very good schedule! You are being very productive. I understand what you are saying about how you feel and I think that every guitar player that takes this seriously have/had this feeling any time. I felt frustrated lot of times and I still feel like that sometimes. However I always try to reverse those feelings in order to get more energy to continue practicing and becoming a better musician. One thing that really works with me is watching dvds from my favorite bands/players.
BTW I think that you have to be patient with the results and enjoy the process. Enjoy doing music and playing the guitar,, if you don't this doesn't makes sense.

Posted by: purple hayes Dec 21 2009, 12:50 AM

Sorry for the poor video quality. My computer is being dumb and wouldn't record better quality video and keep the metronome at a steady speed at the same time.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 21 2009, 09:37 PM

Well done man! You are working this in the right way. I can't mark any problem in your technique so I think that you only have to continue playing this exercises everyday adding them to your routine. I notice that your hand get tired when you are reaching to the end of the exercises and this can be solved with more time of practice.
So great job and keep on working in this way!
I'll be back later with the 4th assignment.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 21 2009, 10:38 PM

Fourth Assignment:
Well purple hayes! I want to share with you a Bach piece called Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (arranged by Dave Celentano) for the last assignment of this month. This is a very cool Alternate picking exercise that is really useful to warm up before starting your practice routine or before a show. You have to play this piece starting with a down stroke and continue with alternate picking during the whole piece.
This would be our last exercise for this month and a really cool way to end this intensive AP work!

 December_MTP_Purple_Hayes_.gp5 ( 2.27K ) : 99

Posted by: purple hayes Dec 22 2009, 03:53 PM

That one is a bit of a finger twister. I'll have it posted by late on the 26th or early on the 27th.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 22 2009, 06:17 PM

Perfect!

Posted by: purple hayes Dec 26 2009, 09:53 PM

I've also submitted my monthly assignment to the REC board.

See you next year.

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Dec 31 2009, 05:36 PM

Hi Purple Hayes! You did a good take of this masterpiece. There are some little errors and some out of synchronization (between both hands) parts that must be worked. However the overall sounds well. We have to continue working on this kind of stuff the following month because we must look for the perfection. I mean the take is well but it's at its 80% and we must go for the 100%. Does this make sense? So.. keep this piece in your routine!
I feel that this has been a very productive month. I'm very happy that you completed the whole December MTP. Thank you for your compromise and hard work!

See you next year! Happy New Year!

Gabriel.-

PS: I also graded your REC Take!

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jan 1 2010, 11:18 PM

MTP DECEMBER FINISHED

• 4 weekly assignments completed
• REC PROGRAM TAKE: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showtopic=32827