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Posted by: DarkWaveRiffer Mar 27 2012, 12:04 AM

I have been on this site for less than a week, but I already can see how this site will help me attain my goals. Daily interaction with the gmc community and instructors is like living with a guitar instructor. except you don't have to worry about them eating your food, and taping over Ancient Aliens. I am glad I found this site...again.


My influences: Metallica (The Black Album and earlier),Disturbed, Atomship, Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, Amorphis, Dead Letter Circus, CKY, The Red, Volbeat, Five Finger Death Punch, Megadeth, 10 Years, 12 Stones, Gary Numan, In Flames, Manmade God, Muse, Saliva, Seether, Perfect Circle, Nirvana, Iron Maiden, Queens Ryche, Trouble, Bullet For My Valentine, Joe Bonamosso, SRV, Dark New Day, Black Lab, Adelle

As you can see I have a range of influences but mostly Metal, and Rock.

Background: I am 37 years old. I got my first guitar when I was 16. It was a Ibanez RG, and I still have it. I took a few lessons, but I was having issues with my mom, ended up moving back to my dad's, and didn't pick up the guitar until about 2 years ago.I was going through a rough patch in my life. Trying to find something that made my life feel worth it. My daughter gave me purpose, but something was still missing. I neglected to mention I had all these ideas about why I couldn't play guitar which to be honest I am still dealing with:
My fingers are crooked, My memory is bad, My eye sight isn't good,God didn't give me the talent to play, so I must not be meant to play. Those beliefs kept me from pursuing guitar. Then I saw a youtube video of a guy playing guitar with his feet! That killed all my execuses. I still had my Ibanez. Always swore I would learn to play it some day. Then I saw this red guitar online. An AX400 LTD. It was wicked looking. I just knew if I had that guitar I would learn to play.

I got the guitar. My cousin paid for it on his credit card, and I gave him the money for it.I picked it up at his apartment. His friends were over there, and of course everyone wanted to hear me play.I tried to make up some excuse of not playing, but before I knew it, I was taking the guitar out of the case, and plugging in. It was an awful experience. The look of "You suck" reflected back at me. I scoured the internet looking for a miracle that would teach me guitar as fast as possible. I found Metal Method. I bought it, and tried to get through disk 1, made some progress, but my old excuses were haunting.

Almost a year went by with me tooling around on my guitar with no real progress. I decided to get a guitar teacher.
First teacher was good, but narcasistic, and spent more time talking about his bad marriage, and showing off on the guitar, then teaching me. My second teacher was very good, but he had this dark cloud over him. He was either in a bad mood, or thinly masking his frustration with my failure to grasp what he was trying to teach me. He is actually one of Troy Stetina's old students. I just didn't feel comfortable with him. Then I found my current teacher. He is patient, and very good at helping me with techniques, and theory. I would say his own lacking is structure.

I mentioned this in my introduction, but I often hear music when I dream. Music I never heard before. I have been lucky enough to remember the melody, and lyrics sometimes, and write them down. My teacher put some of the to guitar, and recorded it. I can't wait until I am good enough to play this music I hear in my dreams.

Strengths: Creativity, Drive, Power Chords, Palm Muting, Hammer Ons, Tapping Can name a note on the fret board in less than 6 seconds.
Weaknesses: Rhythm, Lead, Speed, Accuracy Lack of Scale, and Chord knowledge, Pull offs, Bends

Goals: To be in a band in a year playing my own stuff.
Song I want to be able to play: Orion

Posted by: Ben Higgins Mar 27 2012, 09:34 AM

Really cool post man, thanks for sharing. Was really interesting reading about the different instructors too.

Have you found any lessons that you're working on yet or have you got involved with any of the mentoring ?

Posted by: DarkWaveRiffer Mar 27 2012, 11:40 PM

Hi Ben,
I am actually following your Bushido tasks, and Cosmin is mentoring. I have only been doing it for about a week. If you check out my Epic practice journal, I mention what I have been doing. So far so good.

Posted by: Ben Higgins Mar 28 2012, 07:05 AM

QUOTE (DarkWaveRiffer @ Mar 27 2012, 10:40 PM)