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GMC Forum _ MTP (Pedja) _ Noskill Introduction Thread

Posted by: Pedja Simovic May 28 2010, 01:25 PM

Tom,

Feel free to tell me as many things as possible about your playing and knowledge. Audio and/or video of your playing could also help. I am looking for specific goals (short and long term) so that I could create proper plan for you

Pedja

Posted by: NoSkill May 30 2010, 03:03 PM

Hi Pedja!

Well, I'm very excited to finally get this opportunity with you.

In the last while, I've been working on fretboard knowledge. Mainly major scale positions, modes, pentatonics, and Maj7/Min7/Dom7 arpeggios. I've spent some time with the CAGED system and chord shapes and voicings for major and minor chords within CAGED. I've worked on some alternate picking exercises and some hand synchronization stuff. I've been trying to do much more improvising and though my phrasing tends to use fairly short intervals, I'm getting much more comfortable using modes, scale positions and pentatonics, while improvising. Using arpeggios? Not so much. I enjoy all types of music. I mostly move towards blues and rock, but I think this is because I can move around the neck in the pentatonics in my sleep. I can add some modal and major/minor sounding notes in addition, but am quite grounded in the pentatonic scale.

My goals for the next few months, is to continue building on this foundation. I want to do things that get me more comfortable with the fretboard in choosing and playing chords, and improvising over them. One of the things that I enjoy in your chats, is that you take a chord, or a progression, simple or complex, and then improvise over it. This is something that I would like to be better at. I have a long way to go with guitar technique, but I hope to delve into some elements of this as well.

My strengths: I love guitar. I love it. I think about guitar. I think about guitars. When I'm not playing one, I'm looking at one. When I'm not looking at one, I'm surfing the net looking at one. If I'm not playing one, I'm tweaking the setup on one. I love guitar. LOVE!

My weaknesses: I tend to lose focus, get distracted and don't make good use of my playing time. I'll sometimes play the same thing, over and over, just to be able to play something. If I get frustrated, I pick up a different guitar, further distracting me from moving forward. If I get really frustrated, I'll just go buy another guitar hoping that the soul of the new instrument will change my life.

I have no regiment, no study or practice schedule, no plan. I am planless. I am, without a plan. I spent a decade, in university, with a totally structured learning environment. Self learning is not my strength. I'm too easily distracted by pretty shiny things.

I've been trying to do collaborations for the last few months. Getting a feel for choosing my own notes. I still like to submit to REC once in awhile because it gives me a sense of finality when working on a lesson.

My Playing: All of my collab takes, REC submissions, and things I post for comment from my GMC friends on Youtube.

http://www.box.net/shared/pkeh3ojjz7
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/index.php/Noskill Back to the beginning. *shudder*
http://www.youtube.com/user/GMCNoSkill

If there is any other specific information that you might find helpful, but that I've not included, let me know Pedja.

Cheers, and thank you!

Tom

Posted by: Pedja Simovic May 31 2010, 03:53 PM

Hello Tom,

This is fantastic introduction. You told me everything I need to know here and I really don't have any questions for you.
I think your 1st assignment will be to create different practice plans! We will later work on the part where you stick to them

Look for your 1st assignment tomorrow at this part of forum.

Pedja