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Posted by: Emir Hot Aug 30 2009, 03:32 PM

Hi guys

After all the trouble I had with my computer I am back with the mix and the comments. Sorry for the delay. First my Sonar crashed and just as I fixed it my whole system crashed. Now I can finally continue with my work This collab was very interesting. I enjoyed listening to your takes. I hope you will find my comments useful and thanks for playing in this one


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GROUP 1

Chris Evans (0:00 - 1:09)

This take is great. The first thing I noticed when I imported your takes in the project was that you followed all the rules about recording and exporting the track. Great and healthy signal, mono solo track, no reverb/delay and stereo track with the backing. Well done. I believe that's not a hard task plus I don't need to spend 15 min aligning and cleaning the take. Your tone is really nice and has a great clean definition. I don't really have many words to say about your playing. It is clear that you enjoyed playing over this backing and when such thing happens, the take must be good I said in the lesson explanation “try to feel the whole thing as you're telling some kind of a story on the guitar”. Your take is exactly that, like the whole story. If you don’t feel what you’re playing then the melody reflects in a weird way. Everyone can notice that, even if a listener is not a musician. It is obvious that you’re a skilled and experienced player. Great control, nice flow and smooth connection between notes and phrases, nice amount of consistent vibrato and overall feel was great. Note choice was very interesting especially when you target the diminished chords. I was scared that at some point you don’t get too excited and not overplay but you carried it nicely all the way. I liked those jumps from a lower octave phrases to a very high notes. It just shows that your imagination and compositional skills are coming from a true artist. Well done Chris.


TheKeplerConjecture (1:09 - 2-14)

I really like this take. Full of great melody lines. There are some nice jumps from lower to higher octave. Well known Yngwie/metal trick. Your control throughout the take was very well controlled and balanced. You also did a good job with note choices. It is clear that you really worked on this and there was that polishing stage where you probably got rid of some unwanted notes and ended up with a nice take. That’s also my approach to composing. I might be wrong but it really sounds like you spent some serious time. I like the way how you target diminished scales. You wait for it on some note and kick in with the group of very nicely chosen ones for the dim7 part. The only thing that could be much better is your vibrato. It would sound much stronger if your vibrato was wider. Don’t be afraid to use it as much as possible in this style of music. It really adds power in playing. Also remember that next time you export mono guitar take. No need for stereo track on solo take. You export stereo only for the one with the backing. That’s a good practice and everyone should pay attention on that. Remember it if you want to have the whole thing done in a professional way when you work with producers and sound engineers. Well done for this one.


Enforcer (2:14 - 3-19)

After some discussion on forum about your previous recording you managed to produce very interesting take. There are still a couple of things that could be improved but this take works as it is. I noticed in your previous collaborations that your vibrato is somehow aggressive and very often some notes sound like nearly out of tune. In this take nothing is out of tune but sometimes just on the edge. I have a feeling that most of the notes you’re bending unconsciously even though there are no bends. The vibrato is consistent most of the time but sometimes you break that 8th note feel when vibrating and that reflects different in the phrasing. It should always be the same from beginning until the end. The scales are all correct and you did a great job with some very interesting melodies. That shows your real creative side which I noticed from your first collaboration. The first part of the solo was somehow all over the place with no perfectly defined melodic continuity but later (from those drum breaks) everything was perfect. There was a great melody flow. Especially the part when you’re sliding that diminished pattern and all the way until the end. I also noticed that when you’re picking faster palm muted phrases they are not perfectly in time. Maybe because of the palm muting you need to concentrate more on picking as your hand get stuck on the bridge and you limit your picking movement. Not a very big deal but it’s hearable. This take is very interesting melody wise and that shows your great compositional skills but some technical side of it can be more polished. Credits go to you for the properly exported track. Good signal, mono track, no effect etc... That’s how pro guys do it Well done.


maharzan (3:19 - 4:24)

Very nice take. Perfectly structured melody which starts slowly and with every next phrase announcing something different. That’s exactly how an interesting melody should be composed. Your vibrato is pretty good. Well controlled and consistent. There were only a couple of moments where you nearly lost that continuity but that was nothing dangerous. Some notes were not vibrated. Don’t be afraid to go for it all the time whenever you have a long note. All scales were correct and your note choice was very interesting. There are million ways how you can build the melody over this progression and you definitely found a good one. I noticed that when you’re going for faster runs you’re not perfectly in time. That’s noticeable when the drums have those broken fills and in the end with the very last lick. That lick itself was great but you were speeding it up just slightly before the beat. Be careful there. If you make us enjoy the take all the way then don’t ruin it at the very end just because you got too excited. You had some nice bends which were very precise. That’s very important when you go for bending not to make it sound out of tune. Another interesting part is how clever you target your every next note and switch from one scale to another. You wait for the part to come and just execute or resolve on the right spot with the right note. That shows that your skills as a composer are very good. You really showed an interesting and creative piece of work which I am very pleased to hear. Well done.


audiopaal (4:24 - 5:28)

This take has some very nice melody flow. There was only one wrong note on 4:41 (A note instead of A#). There you have the F# chord and it’s a major chord. A# is major 3rd from F# so that would be the right one. Never play minor interval over a major chord. The sound is somehow too clean. While is doesn’t sound bad at all I think it sounds better when I applied some distortion from Amplitube plugin. I couldn’t make warmer distortion as your sound was somehow already a bit distorted. Now it sounds dirtier but at least more in style. This solo is supposed to be played with distortion but not extreme metal one, more like a hard rock type of sound. Your vibrato could be more consistent. Vibrate from the wrist and keep the 8th notes feel against the tempo while vibrating. Vibrato is very important key in nicer and smoother connection between notes. It really adds a lot into the overall impression. Your phrasing was ok but sometimes too many long notes in a row. I wish you went for just a few more busier melodic runs. That’s just a stylistic thing, nothing to do with your actual playing but also improves the overall quality of the take. I liked when you switched to the higher octave and broke that low register continuity. It refreshed the melody and made it much more interesting. Your notes in that part were really good. Always felt like you’re targeting somewhere to resolve while you kept just the right amount of tension. The resolution came in the end which was nicely composed but you went a bit far after the backing stopped. I like this take but for the next time try to think of some tips that I mentioned in order to make it even better. I can hear that you’re talented musician and no reason why every next one wouldn’t sound better and better. Good work.


jafomatic (5:29 - 6:33)

Very good playing Jafo. Your melodic ideas are really nice. Not repetitive at all. Always something unexpected but never overplayed which I like. I wish your vibrato was much wider. It sounds almost flat. Read audiopaal’s comment about the vibrato. The take would definitely sound better if you applied some vibrato. Your faster phrases are very nice but sometimes they sound like you pick them weak. Don’t be afraid to pick harder. It also reflects in your sound. You just can’t get out all the power of you good guitar sound if you don’t pick the note properly. While speaking about the sound you could have a bit more drive. All your faster melodic shapes were excellent but sometimes sloppy in rhythmical placement. They need to sound tight and that’s the impression I want to have where we can all say “hey this guy knows how to do this” . The reason might be because of your picking. Just pick harder and with confidence. You had one wrong and weak note (6:20) which was the only wrong one in the whole take. Just before the long drum fill. The chord was F# and you slided from E to F. You should have played E and F#. I am sure this one didn’t sound right to you either. The rest of your notes and ideas were just great. Many cool licks and melodies to borrow from this one. I was really enjoying listening to this take. One thing recording wise - do not export your solo guitar in stereo format. Really no need for that. It sounds exactly the same as mono and my processor needs more power when I have such take in the mix. You’re an extremely talented player and just try to work on the things I mentioned. Stronger picking and vibrato. Your compositional skills are good. Well done.


Sensible Jones (6:33 - 7:38)

Nice ideas Jones. Very nicely organized solo but there are things that you can improve. You played all correct notes but many of your runs were sloppy. Some of them were completely displaced from the actual rhythm and that just doesn’t sound right. I heard exactly what your great ideas were but they would make more sense only if you played them on the correct spot. You need to practice your licks slowly. Once you’re 100% sure that you’re doing great then you speed it up until you reach the tempo you need. The first sloppy one was 6:41-6:43. Very common neoclassical lick but you slipped a little. The next one was on 7:12. You played one unnecessary note before the actual expected pattern. That first note displaced the whole line and the whole run sounded off beat. That’s the place where many of you went unison with the backing – on the long drum fill over F# chord. On 7:25 you had some scratches just before the diminished run. They sounded like you didn’t know how to start that pattern and you went faster with the diminished line which sounded rhythmically displaced. All nice ideas and great note choice but many times not rhythmically correct. The ending was good with that little trill. The other thing I want to say is your sound. It’s too trebly and too distorted. Just tweak it with the EQ and gain. Take out some treble and put less gain. The basic sound definition was good. The last thing but not less important is your vibrato which is nearly flat. I mentioned that in previous comments. Vibrato is one of the most important ingredients for a good soloing that every player should use whenever there is a long note. Read audiopaal’s comment regarding the vibrato. Your overall playing is good and your melodic ideas are great. Just work on the things mentioned and you can become a good guitarist. With your talent I see no reason why you can’t get there soon. Nice work overall.


bladzerok (7:38 - 8:43)

The first thing that I noticed is a very cool guitar sound. Kind of 80’s rock sound which I really like. Sounds like a real amp. Your playing and your ideas are on a great way to become a pro player. That’s very obvious from your melodic approach and some very interesting phrasing. You used a floyd rose in a couple of places but in a very clever way. One of the things I wish I could hear more is the vibrato. I said it many times in previous comments. The take is very well organized and everything could have been perfect if you didn’t miss that last diminished scale You played F dim notes but we need E dim notes. E, G, A# and C# are the right notes in that part. I am sure this didn’t sound right to you either. On 7:55 or 7:56 you had A note over F# chord which is minor 3rd against F#. Just after that the second time you played A# which is major 3rd and that’s the correct one, not the A note. The whole line was nicely structured so that note didn’t stand out that much as a wrong one but technically it was the wrong one. One of my favorite lines in your solo was 8:02 – 8:08. Great idea for the melodic run which finishes with a floyd rose touch in the end. I can hear that you pretty much know what you’re doing on the guitar and that’s very good to notice. Just be very careful which scale goes where. Please export your solo take mono next time. Read jafomatic’s comment about that as he did the same That’s just one thing every sound engineer will require if they hire you for some session work. Nice work overall.


Crazyfret (8:43 - 9:48)

I am not sure how long you’ve been playing guitar for but if I knew it would help me better judge your playing. Your main problem is timing and rhythm placement. I used to have the same problem when I first got into soloing. While your melodic ideas were really nice your timing was off nearly throughout the whole take. Every line started somehow before the actual beat. You need to practice with the metronome and follow that beat and the tempo. That will help you tighten up your playing. Take some simple pattern in 8th notes and repeat slowly until you’re 100% aligned with the tempo. Not a single note should be before or after the beat. The rest of your playing was nice. Some lines reminded me of Garry Moore The guitar sound had a good definition but your vibrato is very weak and that gives you hard time in getting the 100% of your sound out. You need to practice vibrato. In this case of ballad feel you need to vibrate in 8th notes against the tempo. That adds a lot into the overall playing impression. Most of your notes were in the correct scale which is good. On 9:45 (ending of the last diminished run) you finished with the wrong note. You stopped on C# instead of D note. There I resolve on Bm chord and the D note is minor 3rd against Bm chord so that would be the right one to go for. Another thing which wasn’t really necessary was your very last note. You already finished unison with the backing and you should have stopped there. That note goes too much into the next take and interferes with Gus’ guitar Also read jafomatic’s and bladzerok’s comments about exporting the mono track for mixing. Not a big deal but it’s a good practice to remember for the next time. You had nice melodic runs just try to practice things I mentioned. Thanks for collaborating


Gus (9:48 - 10:55)

Another stereo track Just read jafomatic’s and bladzerok’s comments and I don’t need to repeat it. Nice playing Gus. Your rock feel is very good. There are things you could work on. The first thing is the control. On 10:04 there was that first dirty unarticulated noise which shouldn’t be heard in a studio recorded take. You have tools to mute it before exporting the track. I heard some other minor ones but they were on the edge of acceptable range Vibrato was present most of the time but it really should be more consistent. Especially when you bend and hold the note vibrato should be really wide if you want to sound like a pro. Your bends were good btw. Some rhythmical problems were noticeable all the way from 10:24 – 10:29. I am talking about the hammer ons and pull offs. Rhythm placement of those licks was all over the place. When you go for such pattern you really need to make sure it’s tight as much as possible and on the beat, otherwise the whole lick is wasted. The rock run on 10:40 – 10:45 wasn’t precise either. Very good idea but not executed tight. The ending was good. Good thing is that your scales were all correct and well done for that. It is clear that your ideas sound very clever but in order to really make them work you need to work more on all the things mentioned. There were some very nice lines and I just wish you played them tighter. Remember these tips for the next time and I hope we’ll see improvement. Thanks for joining the collaboration.

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GROUP 2


Dexxter (0:00 – 1:10)

Awesome take Dexxter. Excellent tone. Is this your flying V guitar? I remember from your REC takes that you had killer tone on that guitar. Besides you have an excellent control and feel. Your take sounds extremely professional. Every melodic line and your creative ideas are something that we usually hear from top class players. I like that you moved to the higher octave at some point and broke the low register continuity which gave totally new dimension and huge refreshment. Scales, lines and note choice are all great. I can hardly find any weak point to comment. The only thing I noticed is your bends could be just a tiny bit more in tune. You followed my lick from the lesson (or it sounds like it to me) when I play a note and right after bend to that same note from a fret below. You didn’t bend it all the way to the right spot but that’s really minor issue which is not even worth mentioning Your vibrato is very consistent and great but I would go for even wider vibrato if I played this take. When you moved to the high octave you played just great amount of vibrato. Don’t be afraid to go for it, just make sure that you control it well. Excellent take and thanks for joining the collab.


JamesT (1:10 – 2:14)

Great ideas James. I really like your solo. Very good control and great neoclassical lines. Some parts sounded like I am listening to Bach I like how you combine muting and normal picking so you get dynamics and more interesting phrasing. That’s what I do as well all the time. It just shows that you have skills and experience. Sounds like you followed my instructions and went for the correct scale approach. You even targeted that sus 4 spot and resolved on a normal major chord. However I have to say that there is one weird spot with the scale choice. On 1:57 you played C note over F dim 7 chord. That note doesn’t belong to that arpeggio. You should have gone for F, G#. B or D. After that you went for the B note to target that F# sus 4 which is great but I couldn’t hear the sus 4 at all as you already ruined the logical chord structure with the previous C note which created harmonic confusion. After that you had another diminished run which was correct. Let me say that the last diminished run wasn’t very well controlled. It sounded a bit sloppy. Sounds like your hammer ons and pull offs are not strong enough. There are tons of exercises for that and just practice that technique more. Also the last note (before the unison ending) was just a bit late from the right beat. Besides these things I think you’re an extremely talented player which is on a good way to make a great career. Well done.


leedbreak (2:15 – 3:19)

After some corrections that we had in your Guitar Pro file you managed to produce a very listenable take with some very interesting lines. So there is already progress which is great. I have just looked back at our corrected GP file and there are still a couple of notes that you missed from our corrections although nothing major. I said I will not judge your scales this time as you said you’re not very familiar with the theory but I will focus on your playing. For that reason I am not going to go back and tell you which notes you missed but please be careful next time and I am sure you can do it correctly even without my help. Of course you can always feel free to ask anything if you get stuck. Now back to your technique. I am not sure how long you have been playing guitar but to me it sounds like a couple of years. If I am correct with this then I think that you’re doing pretty good. I say this because I remember when I had 2-3 years of playing I sounded similar Not everyone can compose, record and play solos after a couple of years so you’re on a good way. You need to practice vibrato. Play 2 or 3 notes over some simple progression and try to connect them smoothly while vibrating from the wrist. Try to stick to the tempo and vibrate in that tempo feel. In this particular case of a ballad the best vibrato is if you’re following 8th notes feel when vibrating. The next thing is your connection between notes. It’s a bit aggressive and not smooth. You’re cutting notes just slightly shorter than their actual durations so your melodic lines don’t sound like smoothly connected. You did have some vibrated notes and some bends. Both sounded nearly out of tune because you’re not controlling them 100%. This comes with time and I said you’re already doing good just need more practice. I can hear that you have some clever ideas for the melody. You just need to use that skill with your improved technique and your playing can sound good very soon. The purpose of these collaborations is that you get experience with composing, practicing, improving your improvisational skills etc. That’s why it is useful to join whenever you have time so we can monitor your progress and give you the best advices possible. If you want to learn theory, Pedja’s collaborations are great for that. In my ones you can learn theory as well but the focus in my collabs is towards the technique, melodic creativity and sometimes recording. This take is good and I am looking forward to your next ones which should be better each next time. Good work overall.


Nimrandir (3:19 – 4:24)

This take is excellent. Great control and great ideas. You attached dry guitar because you were not sure about the sound but I think your sound works great over this backing track. Maybe just a little less bass frequency. You also mentioned some timing issues but that’s almost impossible to notice so I won’t take it as an important issue. You are one of rare in this collaboration that had good vibrato. Very nicely controlled and executed where needed. You really sound like very experienced player. I don’t know how you sound with faster shred stuff but in this kind of soloing you did a great job. Phrasing and note choice are very tasteful. There were some small trills in some of the melodic lines which added excellent taste to your melody. I almost don’t have anything else to say apart from well done. Next time just export mono take instead of stereo. Your dry take was mono but this one wasn’t. Great work Nimrandir.


Oubollig (4:24 – 5:29)

I heard some very interesting playing in this one. There were some chords played together with the solo which is very interesting approach in soloing. Reminds me of George Lynch in some parts. First I want to say that your tone could have had just a little more drive. It works as it is but at some parts you needed a bit more sustain for longer notes. It actually sounds over distorted on the lower strings but on the higher not enough drive. That happens sometimes if you are using neck pickup all the way through the solo but I might be wrong here as I don’t know which one you used. Regarding the technique everything was pretty nicely controlled but you had some lines where you could have been tighter. All melodic runs were great but there were some wrong notes. Let me just correct that for you and be just little more careful next time. From the start I can see that you’re great player so let’s avoid any wrong note next time as we all want to enjoy listening to pro guys. I am saying this because you’re really not far from becoming a pro. On 4:36 you played pure A major chord over my E/G#. That was a complete clash. You could have gone for E7 arpeggio or if you wanted to play the chord just follow my E/G#. Then on 5:02 – 5:05 (F# phrygian dominant) was another wrong one. Just before the finishing note of that phrase you had A, B, C# and B. It should have been A#, B, C# and B as that’s the F# phrygian dominant pattern. When I am talking about this pattern I want to point that you didn’t play it very tight. Two notes were a bit sloppy. On 5:19 – 5:21 there were four chromatic notes. The second note C was not in the scale. I understand that you wanted to go for the chromatic approach but this would have worked only if this line was at least as twice as fast so we can treat that C as a passing note. This way sounds like that note is the real part of the melody and clashes with F# phrygian dominant formula. The last one is the ending line where you once used A note. A# should have been used as we are still in F# major chord. Everything else was very nicely composed. As I said you’re on a good way to become very good player and just pay more attention next time which scales you’re going for. Very good work overall.


Sergio Dorado (5:29 – 6:33)

What to say Sergio. Every time you impress me with your great ideas. Awesome control, killer tone and great execution. I have never heard you using floyd rose this way like Vai and Satriani usually do. You went for that effect that people call dive bombing but in some very smartly chosen places. Where the backing track has some melody fill you go for that as you don’t want to disturb my line and then go back to soloing. This just shows that you really think of the whole arrangement not just your own playing which is a great thing to notice. I must say that you had some timing problems here and there but the overall quality of your solo really puts that behind. It usually happens when you’re finishing some faster phrases. The scream on 6:10 was not perfectly in tune and the ending of that scream ended with the noise instead of nicely defined note. You just need to be more careful when using floyd rose this aggressive way. The ending line made me smile. Great idea to play the harmony in 3rds over my melody on the backing track. Besides the issues I mentioned, this is still an awesome take full of creativity and some very interesting techniques. As always, I am very happy when you join my collaborations as your participation is giving these collabs a great flavor. Well done Sergio


superize (6:33 – 7:38)

Nice intro Superize. Great melody, good control and some cool neoclassical licks. I remember from your great REC takes that your vibrato is not yet developed 100% for solos like this but I can tell you that it extremely improved since you did my first collab. The vibrato timing is good, feel is good and it just needs a better control and a bit wider than now. That of course makes me happy whenever I hear the improvement. Just continue to practice it and it will be great. I know your timing is great and you are very aware when you go off a little. That’s noticeable from your metal riffs in REC takes where you demonstrated some very exceptional takes with complex timing. Your notes are all nicely connected and there were no breaks in the melody. The phrase on 6:55 – 7:04 could have been executed tighter. Practice picking and get better with faster playing. This musically awesome line was a bit sloppy but within acceptable range. Also the last diminished part had one little note that almost slipped but you managed to land safely. Everything else was very good. I would just advise that next time you export your mono take for the solo and please switch off delays and reverbs. You left your effects in this one so I can’t do much in the mix with your take although your guitar sound is very nice. Great work superize.


twist (7:38 – 8:43)

Hi Twist. I remember fixing your GP file but I can’t hear that you corrected some of the notes in this recording. Open your GP file (fixed one) and look at the bar 9 where I changed your 14th fret into 15th. We are in the F# major chord and your 14th fret on the 3rd string is minor 3rd interval from F# but we need major 3rd which sits on the 15th fret. The exact same thing happens in the bar 17. Apart from that everything was correct. You posted this video on Youtube. I watched it and there is something I noticed which I wouldn’t otherwise if you just left your audio You use your pinky in places where you have normal 4 frets situation which is good. Wherever you have wider stretch you are using only 3 fingers. Why? It is more natural to use it there as you’re dealing with more frets. This happens in that part which you didn’t fix (bars 9 and 17) and the last diminished line. Both of these are “crying” for pinky. Because of that you have much more stress to control the whole line. Whenever you have opportunity to use your pinky just go for it. That means when you have 4 frets situation and more than that, always use pinky. Your vibrato is not very developed. You’re vibrating from the finger but you need to do it from the wrist. This will come with time but you really need to practice vibrato more. Your guitar sound is well defined but the type of distortion you are using is a bit buzzy. Listen to Dexter’s take and try to find something similar in your presets if you are using any amp simulator. I am looking for something warm, and with enough sustain but decent amount of drive. This take works as it is and I am happy I could help with your GP file. I am happy to do it anytime but please don’t forget about those corrections. Nice work with your creativity.


Velvet Roger (8:43 – 9:48)

This take is interesting with some cool arpeggios. I like the concept you had in mind when you were composing it. However there were quite few notes that were not in the scale but I will rather focus on your playing this time. Your connection between notes is not smooth. I said the same thing to “leedbreak”. This is my sentence quoted from his comment: “You’re cutting notes just slightly shorter than their actual durations so your melodic lines don’t sound like smoothly connected.” I can only think of one reason why this happens. It really sounds that you played the whole take with all down strokes when picking. I really apologize if I am wrong but that’s how it sounds to me. When all notes are picked like that you have constant amount of attack (the same tension) and you’re completely losing dynamics. Alternate picking (up/down) will smooth that movement as some notes will be with less attack and some with more. That’s how we create nice melody flow and dynamics which is very important in music in general, not only in soloing. You need to achieve the melodic flow with no breaks. That’s not an easy task but if you practice picking and vibrato like I said in many previous comments I am sure you will sound much better. You do use vibrato but it is inconsistent and that’s another thing that won’t let you achieve the smooth flow of your melody. I liked the way you composed this solo as there are some very nice lines. If only you played them the way I explained this would have sounded great. It works as it is but I am trying to give you tips to make it better. Well done for all good things that you delivered and I hope I’ll see you again



Tjchep (9:48 – 10:52)

You are an extremely talented musician. I enjoyed your every upload on forum and every video of you playing. Great feel and overall control, nice vibrato – agressive just when needed. There is not much to be said about your playing. Just keep up the great work and you are ready to start becoming well known player. I heard some dirty notes but that probably came because you were too excited when recording. Almost slipped completely a couple of times You also need to concentrate on your hands instead of closing eyes and just killing the beast out of the guitar which is a great thing if you execute everything properly The weakest point in this solo was that double stop on 10:05 which was out of tune. I would have played these two (look at the bottom Tjchep picture attached). Apart from that I liked everything you played and I can only say well done and thanks for joining the collaboration. I hope to see you again. Well done


Rated Htr (10:52 - end)

The first thing is to apologize about missing your take I hope now it’s all ok. Your take sounds good. All correct notes and good control. Some faster runs can be tighter especially when you’re playing legato which doesn’t really sound like you have enough strength. It is important to pull off like you really pluck your string hard, not just moving off the finger from the fretboard. The playing and the creativity is good. Some things can be controlled better. Often you go for that quick hammer on and pull off like you want to make a quick trill. That’s a very cool little thing which I use a lot in my licks. The problem is that every time you execute it too slow so it doesn’t sound like a trill anymore. That one is usually notated as the grace note (the note doesn’t even have the duration) but it’s up to you to find a place for it. Vibrato is not bad but it could be more consistent. I know you’re soon to become ICMP student so I am sure you will improve it all there and come back to impress us all The mistake you made is that you exported your solo with the effects so unfortunately I can’t do much in the mix. The worse is that you have a huge amount of reverb in your sound so if I touch anything I will just make it worse. The third is that your take is stereo which doesn’t change the sound but it’s a good practice to export your solo guitar mono for easier mixing. The last thing is that your last note was cut. You probably didn’t set your markers all the way when you were exporting the take. I fixed it somehow I like your melody and creative ideas. You can definitely compose just need to improve the technique. Wish you good luck at your university and if not on GMC I can help directly from London. Cheers

Posted by: audiopaal Aug 30 2009, 03:43 PM

Thanks a lot for these comments Emir
I actually didn't hear the wrong note until you pointed it out, but I can hear it now.
And it sounds better as you say with A#..
Yes the sound is pretty clean, and too clean for this backing.
I'm experimenting with my rig and I didn't wanna switch things up at the moment, sorry about that
And I kinda forgot I could just add some distortion with Amplitube or GuitarRig *shame on me*
It sounds better now in your mix!

I'll try some more varied and busier melodic runs in the next one if there's room for it
Next time I'll trake these comments and make something better, as I feel I learn quite a bit from reading what I'm doing wrong and what I can do better! So thanks for the great comments, and I'll be sure to take them to heart

Great job Emir, fantastic mix!


edit: typo

Posted by: Emir Hot Aug 30 2009, 03:48 PM

I think that's the point of collaborations. To learn, to get experience and to have fun

Thanks for playing in this one and use those tips next time. I am sure we will see the improvement.

Cheers

Posted by: maharzan Aug 30 2009, 04:04 PM

Wow, that was really nice feedback comments in there. Like I have been saying before I have virtually zero theory knowledge. I had to struggle what F# Phrygian Dominant scale meant only to later find out that its the same scale as B harmonic minor and the name only given coz it start at F#. Aint I stupid now. But I learnt a few things too. It took me a whole day to come up with that lick and really really happy today I got to read those nice words about it.

Thank you so much. I have been composing songs since I was 15 (thats 15 yrs already wow) but just been able to compose 2 guitar tracks till date. The main reason i joined GMC is that I can learn more theoretical knowledge and all those scales and get some nice guitar instrumentals on my name. I am doing some easy collaborations to start with. This was the second one. I have improved vibrato a LOT and still need some more practicing with bending.

I had also noticed that I was going too fast too early in the end but how many times I was trying to take the take it wasn't improving. Perhaps I will practice a lesson that deals with timing. Really need that to understand thirds and what not. The main problem I think is I don't practice on a mentronome.

Anyway, I will definitely be more careful next time. Thank you Emir for bringing this beginner stuff collaboration. And Thank you GMC for this opportunity!

Well done everyone. This collab is so nice to listen!

Cheers!!!

Posted by: Rated Htr Aug 30 2009, 04:08 PM

I'm not in there!!! :'( :'(

Posted by: Emir Hot Aug 30 2009, 04:14 PM

Thanks maharzan. I am very happy if I could help with my feedback. There were some very nice melody ideas in your take. Regarding the theory, you have many lessons about it. Learn intervals, major scale modes and chords with the chord structure for each of the modes. When you get to the point to understand it then you'll see that it's a piece of cake Thanks for playing with us.

Hehehe not yet When my computer crashed I had to reorganize the whole collab so I lost continuity how I started before the PC trouble. It will be posted soon, the latest tomorrow.

Posted by: jafomatic Aug 30 2009, 04:23 PM

So much stuff to cover, amazingly detailed feedback!

So, vibrato comes up first: Vibrating at 8th note feel was new for me, I actually sat and practiced with a straight drum backing (closed hat on 8ths) to make sure I was feeling it correctly. Even so, it seems I then didn't do it wide enough. My vibrato habits seem to be stronger on quarter and sixteenths. At sixteenths I'm wider but that's way too fast for most things that I'd actually play.

Picking: I feel pretty heavy-handed sometimes, but I notice in unfamiliar musical style (or arrangement) that I will soften up too much as confidence is lower. Seems like the only answer for this is to play more often in more styles.

Drive: I swear you said "Don't give me your screaming metal drive here" so I lowered mine quite a lot and tried to create a fairly warm setup with just some tube OD. Once I heard Chris' take, I really REALLY wanted to change that as well.

Rhythmic placement: This usually isn't quite so much of an issue for me but the way I recorded this take really didn't help matters. I was selecting small regions of time and recording JUST those measures (1 measure, 2 measures maybe) and that gave me only 4 clicks before recording to get into the groove. A foolish way to record, on top of my own (less) imperfect rhythmic placement in an unfamiliar musical style. First time choosing my own notes in this major phrygian. I'd only really played with it in a few passages of your Turkish March lesson (at least, it sounds to me like that's what some of those passages are played in).

Wrong notes: I remember the one weak bend that became a poor note choice. I'll go listen for the other. I listened to this take after rendering it and decided it wasn't going to get much better. I listened again in the morning and already hated it because of that bend.

Stereo vs. Mono: I never noticed a choice to export mono and I rarely would. This particular tone is the same on both channels but quite often I will split tone and the difference between left/right channel will actually matter. I will look for a mono (or summed mono) option for future recordings.

I talk too much! This was fun, thanks so much for giving us your time and suggestions; I look forward to putting them to use very soon

Posted by: Emir Hot Aug 30 2009, 04:41 PM

Good to hear that you're aware of all the things you have mentioned No reason not to be happy as your take sounded very good. You sound like you really know what you're doing. I was just trying to find some weak points where I can help you make it even better. Regarding the mono track, if there is a L/R difference in sound then no problem you can leave stereo but explain before that you did it for that reason Thanks for collaborating.

Posted by: Santiago Diaz Garces Aug 30 2009, 08:43 PM

Let's get on work guys!!. Very nice Collab Emir. Comments are amazing. Let's see the other group

Posted by: Emir Hot Aug 30 2009, 08:44 PM

Cheers Santiago, the next one very soon to come

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Aug 30 2009, 08:56 PM

Excellent takes guys, well done Emir for the comments. As always they are very useful, I am sure members will appreciate them

Posted by: Emir Hot Aug 30 2009, 08:58 PM

Thanks man Glad you liked it

Posted by: Chris Evans Aug 30 2009, 10:59 PM

wow thank you for the wonderful comments Emir, my only regret was a lack of vibrato on the very final bend of my take, but I was concentrating more on finishing the note at the right place other than that it is the first collab take that I have done that I`ve felt happy with what I had played and composed

I was actually using this backing earlier on today, you guessed right, I really enjoyed it, and I`ve said before that the best backings always inspire the most.

This was a good exercise for me, I would definatly have got a little carried away in certain places normally , thank you again for putting this together for us, there is great takes throughout!

your comments were very kind and certainly made me feel quite chuffed with myself thanks

Posted by: Emir Hot Aug 30 2009, 11:31 PM

You should feel happy because it sounds just awesome. Well done once again

Posted by: enforcer Aug 31 2009, 12:18 AM

Thanks man, I'll do better, inconsistencies exists vibrato wise and composing wise, because as you know I replaced wrong scales in my first take with correct scales, and that being correct note wise, it really damaged integrity of first part creativity wise and as I mentioned you earlier, I am trying to play perfect with the least possible number of step recording takes and maybe that's why faster muted runs and vibrato have suffered. But I am working constantly on those flaws to get it right.

One of the greatest collabs, as always, your comments motivate me a lot to get better and better and I can be nothing but being glad about that fact!

Thank you again bro!

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Aug 31 2009, 12:47 AM

This is great Emir, you done some very good comments on this one, great job. Well done everybody with their playing, I enjoyed listening to the final mix.

Posted by: Emir Hot Aug 31 2009, 12:50 AM

Thanks man. I know about your note corrections as we spoke on chat about it. It's all ok I just had to comment on what I had. I know you can play


Thanks for popping in Ivan. Glad to hear you like the mix.

Posted by: TheKeplerConjecture Aug 31 2009, 04:40 AM

Thanks for the comment Emir! Sorry about the stereo export. I didn't realize mono was a requirement. Expect mono from me in future collabs.

I don't usually use my wrist for vibrato (as you explained in Audiopaal's comment) and haven't put much practice time into vibrating within a specific rhythm. I'm on it now. Thanks again for the help!

Posted by: Emir Hot Aug 31 2009, 11:00 AM

Thanks man. Just try to practice that as it will help you a lot with the control and the feel. About the mono track I am only talking about the solo not the full track with the backing.

Cheers.

Posted by: Emir Hot Aug 31 2009, 07:34 PM

Hi guys, get ready, the 2nd group is being posted. It will be here in 5 minutes.

I hope I didn't miss anybody There are 10 participants in each group

Posted by: Rated Htr Aug 31 2009, 07:36 PM

YAY! * jumps around *

Posted by: twist Aug 31 2009, 07:38 PM

cant wait

Posted by: Rated Htr Aug 31 2009, 07:48 PM

Hey, I thought I was in the second group

Posted by: Emir Hot Aug 31 2009, 07:54 PM

I think I missed Rated Htr Oh man I am sorry I will fix that. Just sent you PM about that

Posted by: Rated Htr Aug 31 2009, 07:56 PM

answered

Posted by: Emir Hot Aug 31 2009, 07:59 PM

Really sorry man, I am fixing it right now. My computer crashed and I went back to the collab thread to pick up all the takes again. Somehow I missed yours.

Please guys let me know if anyone else is missing. It all went wrong when I reinstalled my system and lost all my collab work. I will fix it straight away if I messed up.

Posted by: Gus Aug 31 2009, 08:00 PM

Hi Emir. Nice job with the mix. I heard it fully a couple of times already!

Thanks a lot for all the comments. They will help a lot!
I will try to further incorporate those things into my practice routine.

Can you suggest a tutorial or something on how to remove the noise before exporting?

After struggling a long time with out of tune bends, I've been working on bends so it is good to hear they are fine.
However I do have problems with bend+vibrato. I am playing a floyd-rose, so when I bend and than do vibrato the tension varies a lot. If I make it too wide I always find it out of tune . Can you suggest any tips or exercises/lesson to make proper bend+vibrato?

Posted by: twist Aug 31 2009, 08:07 PM

Hi Emir, thank you for your long comment I did not ignore the changes you made on my gp file on purpose. It just somehow slipped through... sorry...

The other thing you mentioned, sloppy pinkie use, is one of my bigger problems. I do that for years and its hard to get rid of. At the moment i am practising scales all day with correct finger palcement to get more pinkie training.
And the vibrato is another problem i am working on. Do you have any suggestions, maybe some lessons, i could learn to help building up vibrato skill?

For the sound, i will listen to the other takes

So, again, thank you for your time and help! This was the first thing i "composed" ever. And i am glad i had the chance to do it here with your help!

Posted by: Emir Hot Aug 31 2009, 08:13 PM

You should practice bends and vibrato with both fingers and floyd rose. I don't really have any tips for bends. They just need to sound in tune I just hear when they are not. Bend with the 3rd finger whenever possible but press the 1st and the 2nd as well so you have more strenght when bending. About the vibrato you can read in many of my collab comments about it. I think I told something in the leedbreak's comment, that might be helpful.

That noise wasn't from the guitar sound. You played something unarticulated When that happens, just mute that part or cut it in your program. When you polish the take then click export

Thanks for joining


Thanks for collaborating man. I have just told Gus about the vibrato. I mentioned that in many comments in this collab. Read leedbreak's one. If this is your first solo composed then it's awesome. My first solo wasn't even near this quality You're doing good just keep coming back and I am sure you will see the improvement. Thanks again

Posted by: Tjchep Aug 31 2009, 08:24 PM

This means alot to me. Thank you very much.

Regarding the sloppy playing, I'll admit I sometimes get carried away when playing/recording and that is something that I really do need to work on.

Thanks again Emir.

Posted by: Emir Hot Aug 31 2009, 08:42 PM

Thanks man. All credits to you for a great take

Rated Htr is uploaded and the mix is updated with his take

Posted by: Velvet Roger Aug 31 2009, 09:07 PM

Thanks Emir for your comments.

I already noticed that the whole thing did not flow like it should be ... and this while even using alternate picking . Anyways, somehow I could not get it right this time at all, which is probably even more obvious in this take due to the large amount of long notes. Will certainly practice this until I get it right as well as with the vibrato.

Posted by: Sergio Dorado Aug 31 2009, 09:51 PM

Hi Emir, thanks for the comments and congrats for this overall great work. I´m seriously thinking sign up you for making backings and final mixes to my compositions. So which is your buy-out clause? 96 euro millions, like Cristiano Ronaldo? No problem: I will talk with Florentino Pérez, president of Real Madrid, for lend me this money. In the next hours you will receive a call telephone from my manager.

Posted by: Dexxter Aug 31 2009, 10:37 PM

Thank you so much Emir, this means a lot to me! Yes, this is my flying V Yes, when I was done with my take I noticed I had the same lick as you on two places. Will work on the bends Thanks for the nice words once again! And thanks for this collab, looking forward to your next!

Posted by: Emir Hot Sep 1 2009, 01:02 AM

Well I am sorry because you said you played alternate picking. It's good that you are aware of the things I mentioned and I hope you know the way how to improve. If not feel free to ask anything and I am here 24 hours for everybody. Your take had some great parts but that connection has to be improved


Hi Sergio I never liked Ronaldo hahah. My favorite player is Messi. He costs less than Ronaldo and I'll be happy to get half of the deal. Tell your manager to call me asap


Thanks man, you're an awesome player. I see a bright future in the music career for you.

Posted by: JamesT Sep 1 2009, 02:31 AM

... now if I can just get to where it sounds like Steve Vai playing an interpretation of Bach!



... I'll go back and check that out. One of my main goals for this collab was to make sure my note choice was perfect harmony wise over the backing chords. That note sounded just right to me, I'll have to see where it's wrong and try your suggestions.




.... more legato work in my near future.


Thanks so much for organizing this collab Emir, and for putting together such great and well though out comments. It's a great learning experience to have someone with a critical ear listening and giving feedback. Awesome!

Posted by: Rated Htr Sep 1 2009, 02:35 AM

Feel very happy about what I think it's bad Let's get improving ^^ Awesome collab, thanks Emir

Posted by: Emir Hot Sep 1 2009, 03:06 AM

Don't really know about Vai but some lines were really Bach style


I was listening to your take then I took my guitar and found it That note wasn't right but hey, it's just one note hehe. Easy to fix.


That technique took me years to develop to a decent level. I always tried not to play it much because my solos used to sound better without it. Now I am ok with both legato and picking but it really took time until I got relaxed. I am sure you know the way how you're going to practice that


Thanks. Trust me that for each take I spent at least 20 min analysing. One take is about 1 min long and I don't mind listening 20 times until I find the right words to explain what I think it can be improved. I am not saying that I am always right but I just hope that some of my advices can help. Thanks for joining this collaboration and welcome to every next one


Thanks man. The main problem was that I couldn't mix your track the way I wanted but your playing was ok. Thanks for playing with us

Posted by: leedbreak Sep 1 2009, 03:29 AM

Thanks for the great learning experience and in depth comments. These collabs are helpful in giving us direction and setting goals. Only bad news is I have played much longer than 2-3 years. But since I have been on GMC for that long maybe I can handle that depressing comment. ((Truth can hurt so bad))

I look forward to your next one. Can I auto join it now. lol

Posted by: Emir Hot Sep 1 2009, 03:58 AM

Yes you can auto join

I am sorry if I missjudged your playing experience. Saying that you have been playing for 10 yeras (or so) and saying that you've been constantly practicing for 10 years is not the same. Which one of these is true? If the second one is true then you didn't have a well perpared program that would make you sound like a pro as in 7-10 years you should be able to play like a pro. GMC has some great examples of how people here can improve. The one that comes to my mind right now is Superize. Just a year ago he was really a beginner level. Now if you look at his REC takes he usualy gets all 5. You just shouldn't lose continutity in practicing and everything will sit on the right place soon. The fact that "truth can hurt so bad" is sometimes true but believe me that I receive negative comments every single day. I always learn something from each of them unless they come from someone that really doesn't have a clue about music Don't worry too much about that. We are here to help you go the right direction and your job is to practice and impress us

Posted by: leedbreak Sep 1 2009, 04:42 AM

Well, then you judged right, cause like I said I am only counting GMC time as real practice

Posted by: Crazyfret Sep 1 2009, 09:04 AM

Hi Emir

Thanks for your comments, very constructive and honest

You'll probably be suprised that I've been playing, or should that be I've had a guitar since 1989! So been playing / mucking about for nearly 20 years! I know I'm in comparison a poor guitarist I no longer have a band to play in and its only through this site that I've been able to get back into some form of playing / practicing.

I was a little disapointed to hear my timing is off it was something I was reasonably good at albeit being mainly a rhythm guitarist. It obvious now that I need to sit down and do some serious practicing again!!

My vibrato is weak and is something I'm working on but with winter approaching I should be able to dedicate more time to improving.

I welcome any advice you give and suggestions for lessons you reccommend will help. I have to be honest and say I find practicing with a metronome very dull but if you know any way of keeping me interested and motivated I'm all ears.

I've a couple of lessons lined up atm which I'm going to learn one of them being your neoclassical lesson as it was a challenge with the diminished runs, even though I messed it up in this collab. I find the choice of using different scales helps to give fresh ideas.

Thanks again

Posted by: jafomatic Sep 1 2009, 10:15 AM

If the metronome is too obnoxious, find another time keeper. A looped drum track, or even a delay unit synched to bpm and set to quarter notes, eighth notes, whatever you prefer.

Posted by: Emir Hot Sep 1 2009, 11:08 AM

You didn't mess up The purpose of these collaborations is to help you realize things you should work on. Many people often see collaborations as competition. That's absolutely wrong. If you read some previous comments on instructors collaborations you will see that we all make many mistakes. http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showtopic=21439&st=0&start=0 If you say that your timing is ok while playing rhythm that's great and I believe it is. With soloing is different as you're involving many techniques which obviously means that you nees much more concentration as there are more things to thing of at the same time. About the metronome practicing Jafomatic replied just as I would tell you. Take some phrase and repeat slowly until you perfectly align with the tempo. When you're ready speed up 10bpm and start again. I do that many times when I am learning something new. Your solo had nice melodies and you know how to play but I am only talking about the things that will help you improve. Thanks for joining and feel free to ask any questions, we're all here to help

Posted by: Crazyfret Sep 1 2009, 11:27 AM

Lol I see your point Btw who teaches the teacher?

I find I get a lot out of these collaborations, esp the comments from the instructors and to hear the vast array of interpretations to a backing track which does offer up some really cool stuff like this one for example I think the playing was of a high order. You're spot on saying about the timing issue for lead work being more demanding than for rhythm playing

I need to take a leaf out of Supersize's book as you correctly said his playing has really come on in the last 6-8 months and its all down to old fashioned practice.

Posted by: Emir Hot Sep 1 2009, 11:34 AM

Yes, he really improved a lot.

It is also true that we can all learn from other takes. Each take has something very nice about it. Even I can pick some cool stuff from these but I'm not going to tell when I do

Posted by: audiopaal Sep 1 2009, 01:06 PM

Hehe

Posted by: maharzan Sep 1 2009, 02:01 PM

Yep, creative ppl never unveil their source(s). haha.. nicely said Emir.

Posted by: Emir Hot Sep 1 2009, 03:22 PM

Posted by: Sensible Jones Sep 1 2009, 05:02 PM

Thanks for the positive feedback Emir!!
It's very encouraging for me as this is the first time I've played this style of Lead!!
I shall continue using the backing to practice all the things you've mentioned!!
Unfortunately the only way I have of recording at the moment is running my Live Rig into the PC and using Audacity. I have some latency issues with the PC. (That's not an excuse for MY poor timing though!!! )
Believe it or not that particular patch was a Factory set 'Yngwie' sound and didn't sound too bad through my Monitors.
I can't wait until my Bro has finished building my new PC and I can start using a proper DAW to record!!!
Again, thanks for this backing as i really enjoyed the challenge!!

Posted by: Emir Hot Sep 1 2009, 05:20 PM

Thanks for playing with us Regarding the sound, if it's written Yngwie, believe me that doesn't mean anything Yngwie's gear doesn't fit in a 200£ box. You have to have his pickups, preams etc... in order to get something similar. I am sure your unit can produce good sound but you need to make it yourself. I used to have one Behringer multi effect full of presets. I tried SRV sound and after 3 chords strummed I instantly deleted all factory presets. They just pay people to put their name in, it's got nothing to do with the sound. Just listen which drive sounds warm and if you have enough sustain. That's how I do it.

Posted by: Sensible Jones Sep 1 2009, 05:36 PM

I know what you mean about the presets, most of them aren't usable! The thing with that one is that if I'm in the Rehearsal Room or similar then it sounds alright when you're actually driving it hard.
The unit is a fairly old Zoom 9150 that I've had for ages. It has a valve preamp side first so that it's very warm sounding when driven but at low recording type levels it's sound seems to come more from the digital side which as bit of a pain!!
I've just picked up some of my old Gear from where it was being stored so I have a Zoom 9030 which I will try running through for recording and see if that's any better!!

Funny you mention SRV and Behringer as the SRV Patch on my V-amp is about the only decent one on there!!!!

Posted by: Nimrandir Sep 1 2009, 07:05 PM

Thanks Emir, I'm really flattered
Sorry about stereo track, as I've mentioned this is my first recording and first collab, so I didn't know that I need to export mono (I've exported dry to mono because in stereo it was panned completely to one side ).
As for shred - I'm not very comfortable there yet, but it is my goal, and I'm slowly moving towards achieving it

Thanks for the comment and for this collab - I really liked that the backing has all those key changes and some brainwork was needed to come up with something which sounds ok

Posted by: Emir Hot Sep 2 2009, 03:31 AM

Thanks for your great take. About the export just click mono option in the export dialog box, that should help. You should also record mono as that's how we all do it in real life

Posted by: Oubollig Sep 2 2009, 07:58 PM

Hi Emir,

Thanks for the comment, I appreciate the work you put into this

As for the wrong notes, I actually did all of it by ear and only after reading your comment I checked the theory behind my take but still I don't fully understand what I did wrong. I think I understand now that the A major chord didn't belong over the E/G# chord, because in E phrygian the chord would have been A minor(7). However, the E chord in Bminor key would have been Dorian as it's the 2nd mode and B aeolian the 6th right? My A major chord would be wrong anyway, but I don't understand why I should play E phrygian when in the key of Bminor the phrygian mode is F#. Or you switched key, but to me it doesn't sound like you did Also you say I could have played E7 arpeggio but that's dorian again, not phrygian, if I understand?
The next wrong part at 5:02 - 5:05, I'm really quite sure I played A, A#, C#, B there, where the A was intended as a passing note. However I meant to use B harmonic minor, and was not really thinking about modes at all. I used harmonic minor because you said I could use Bminor all the way to E/G#, so I assumed I could use harmonic minor as well. I didn't think about the C# in between though.
At the end I did the same but as it was descending I used A first... However, I don't understand why I should play an A#. Doesn't F# phrygian have the same notes as Bminor; F#, G, A, B, C#, D, E, F#?

It's true I do not play tight enough a lot of the time, but it's hard

Thanks again,

Joost

EDIT: By the way, I used stereo as well, sorry about that

Posted by: Emir Hot Sep 2 2009, 09:22 PM

Hi

I am trying to think of all this now but you gave me too many informations Can we meet in chat and I'll explain it to you. I'll play your take and tell you exactly every single line. It is good that you did analisys of all that so we can better understand each other. Regarding your playing it was very nice. I was just talking about the note choice. Let me know on PM when can we meet and we can go in the other chat room if the main one is too busy. Cheers