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Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 13 2012, 11:42 AM

Aloha Mert

alright man, this is your spot so, let's see - first things first, would you like to approach things from a technical perspective only or would you like to focus on theory or other things as well?

Out of what you told me, technique would be your main interest at this point, but I am asking since I would like to know where you would like to travel in your musical journey

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic May 13 2012, 12:21 PM

Hi Cosmin,

I have had classical guitar education for 8 years and I have been playing the classical guitar for over 20 years now. So from theory side I am pretty well educated and comfortable. I have a pretty solid fretting hand as well. I would like to focus for now on technique, mostly for the picking hand.

Speed is my main problem and things like inside picking, sweep picking, alternate picking with string skipping are things I can do but I would like to be comfortable with these techniques at a shredding speed..

Looking forward to our journey
M.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 14 2012, 11:43 AM

Alright Mert! We shall start from the outside in by that, I mean to take things in a slow but surefooted way.

the main points of focus will be:

- relaxation
- precision
- movement economy
- dynamics

This being said, let's start with a simple two note per string pentatonic pattern which I attached in this post.

It is based on 16th notes and you may start at a tempo which feels the most comfortable at the moment I am thinking that we should agree on a particular BPM goal, ok?

let me know what you think

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic May 14 2012, 12:08 PM

Hi Cosmin,

I think the plan you suggest sounds excellent! I will have a look at the exercise you attached for the coming days. For me a good starting pace would be 100bpm. I don't know what the goal should be, let's say 140bpm to start with?? It is best if you set some goal for me and I will do my best to achieve that

I will post a video once I achieve it or if I can't within a week I will still post a video as best as I can do it and wait for your feedback..

Best,
M.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 14 2012, 12:33 PM

I think 140 is awesome Send the first vid when you shoot it at 100 BPM and we'll take it from there

cheerios

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic May 14 2012, 02:12 PM

Hey Cosmin,

Here we go. The pentatonic 2 strings exercise at 100bpm.



Cheers
M.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 15 2012, 07:53 AM

Hey Mert, this sounds very clean and accurate it is not really necessary at this stage, but focusing on moving both your hands less and less will bring enormous benefits.

Let's see the next one

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic May 17 2012, 10:17 AM

Here we are. Pentatonic scale exercise with 2 strings at 130bpm.

Cheers
Mert

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 18 2012, 08:06 AM

Hey Mert, this sounds good man! You choked a few notes but you kept the timing which is very good. Now, this whole deal is just a matter of practicing more

Posted by: Opetholic May 20 2012, 01:20 PM

Hi Cosmin

How is it going? So here we are, pentatonic 2 strings exercise at 140 bpm.

Cheers
Mert

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 20 2012, 05:33 PM

haha Great timing man! And very tight played! You are pretty awesome man now, let's change things a bit you have noticed that the exercise takes each 4 notes of each pentatonic box one after the other, right? What if we would shift the exercise on the next pair of strings meaning A and D - would you be up for it? 140 is our goal as well

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic May 20 2012, 06:01 PM

Thank you Mater Cosmin I am honored to hear good compliments from a guitar player like you
Ok I will work on the next pair of strings with 140 as my goal. Will post something slow, around 110-120 first.

May the force be with you
Mert

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 20 2012, 06:06 PM

Hehehe man, you are awesome yourself! I feel like I am inserting a coin and the prize comes out from the machine when I see your progress

Posted by: Opetholic May 24 2012, 10:54 AM

Hello Master Cosmin

Here is my take on the new exercise. Pentatonic exercise on B and E strings. I skipped low speeds, uploading my take on 130 bpm. Next will be at 140, hopefully

Cheers,
Mert

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 24 2012, 11:05 AM

Almost perfect mate try the 120 once but it has to be flawless, k?

Posted by: Opetholic May 24 2012, 11:50 AM

All right, here we go, at 120 bpm. It is so hard to make it flawless

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 25 2012, 03:27 PM

Almost there man! Well, In the mean time, I told you something about some arpeggios played by using sweeping 3 strings, right?

Try this idea on for size - harmonize the C major scale using these positions and sweep through the shapes:

E--3---------------5----7----------------8----
B-----5---------6----------8---------10----
G--------5---7----------------9---10----

for instance, or re-arrange them so that you will always start on the G string going up towards the E string and then back again for the follwoing shape

What do you think? What tempo shall we aim for this one?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic May 25 2012, 03:38 PM

Hey Cosmin,

Thanks I will post my pentatonic exercise at 140 bpm in the coming days. In the mean time yes I need to practice some sweeping. Basically sweeping and inside picking are two things that stop me from being fast. So this exercise is very nice. I don't know what tempo to start this or what to aim for. In the GMC lessons this kind of sweeps are usually done at say 120 bpm with 16th notes, but that seems a bit too out of my reach at the moment. What do you think? You tell me and I will work towards it

Cheers,
M.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 25 2012, 03:55 PM

Start playing it at 100 BPM - 8th notes go up until you reach your limit then go down 10 units (playing 16th notes now, k?) and start building up from that point on

Posted by: Opetholic May 28 2012, 11:58 AM

Hey Cosmin

Here is pentatonic exercise on B and E strings at 140 bpm.

I didn't quite understand your suggestion on the sweeping exercise tempo, what I will do is I will start at 60 bpm with 16th notes and try to reach in the end 120 bpm. But that will take a long time so I should also be working on another AP or sweep exercise in parallel to that. As you find fit my master

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 28 2012, 03:18 PM

Hey Mert! Good one mate I will watch it again though at this point it seemed great to me. Regarding the sweeps, yup, that's pretty much what I had in mind let's a take out of those and in the mean time, for AP, I was thinking you could try these two I presented last time in the v-chat session:

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=39243&view=findpost&p=586171

what do you think?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic May 28 2012, 03:22 PM

Hey Cosmin, the new AP exercises are awesome. I like the first one particularly I will work on them.. What is the target tempo? 140 bpm with 16ths again or more ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 28 2012, 03:30 PM

Mert the target is the highest you can get without loosing control and relaxation Glad you like'em

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 1 2012, 02:55 PM

Hi Cosmin,

Here is the mixolydian exercise at an embarrassingly low 60bpm tempo. I don't know how much higher I can go with this. Maybe you should give me a target

Cheers,
Mert

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 1 2012, 03:41 PM

Wow Mate, I was thinking that you would do it using sextuplets instead of sixteenth notes. Nonetheless, it is very good like this as well! If you feel like it, try to reach 130. But don't rush it! Even if this take was not that clean it had good timing and balance which are of utmost importance!

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 1 2012, 03:51 PM

Hi Cosmin,

I am playing sextuplets am i not? There are 6 notes every beat in my take. I am confused
I don't know if I can go up to 130 like this I will do my best though. The string skipping slows me down.
I would love to see you playing it at that tempo, it must look impressive!

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 1 2012, 07:55 PM

I think it has been recorded in the last week's v-chat so, if I'll choose that one for being re-played, you will see it

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 2 2012, 10:07 AM

Yea that must really look quite impressive. I am having problems even at half the tempo
Ok here we go, an embarrassingly slow 70bpm (I feel like it will take me a year to reach 130 bpm like this but I am patient)

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 2 2012, 10:15 AM

Hey Mert!

let's go back to 60 BPM and try to get really really comfy at that tempo In the mean time, I will concoct some more string skipping exercises and post them here for ya

At this point you are actually playing triplets at 140 BPM which is fast for this sort of exercise and it's the actual tempo where I am 130 BPM sextuplets is KILLER fast man - now I actually realized what you were talking about

Stay tuned for more string skipping goodness

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 2 2012, 10:58 AM

Pfeew man I was like how am I possibly going to play sextuplets at 130bpm
I was starting to feel very bad for being very slow But you know maybe 130 is too much, on the other hand something like 100 can be achieved I think...
Ok, going down to 60bpm from 70 felt very good and comfortable. Here is my second take at 60bpm

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 2 2012, 11:27 AM

alrightie, the next step is trying NOT to let the notes bleed into each other. Try to mute the strings with your fingers by taking them off and placing them back again, just like in the Vivaldi lesson if you need to, go slower! It is not compulsory to play fast - I would like to know that you are able to grasp the control over this idea at a lower tempo and build speed as you practice

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 3 2012, 11:16 AM

Hi Cosmin, thanks for the feedback.

Indeed this is something I need to get used to doing. In classical playing we never do this, actually it is not good practice to lift off fingers like that but in electric guitar technique I realize you need to do that. This is why I am having so many problems with the blending of notes into each other.

I tried it in a slower tempo to lift off all my fingers once I play a note but still I get the effect from the high notes on the E string. I just can't avoid it. Could it be because of the distortion ? Do you think you could record a take of this for me at a slow tempo so I see how you do it and also I see how it is supposed to sound??

Thanks,
Mert

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 3 2012, 08:21 PM

Hey Mert, sure thing I'll shoot for you and thanks for an awesome idea regarding this concept I will make a movie dedicated to this for the benefit of everyone here! Stay tuned and practice the other exercises too, ok? Don't get too lazy

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 4 2012, 11:57 AM

Hello Master Cosmin
I will be waiting for your video. It will surely help me a lot. In the meantime here is the second exercise you assigned me to practice from your video chat lesson notes. I started this playing sextuplets at 80bpm. Here we go

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 4 2012, 06:36 PM

Hey man! This looks like you can pump up the tempo a bit more you know, you remind me a lot of one of my old teachers in the way you are picking. You got a very good AP movement in the right hand

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 4 2012, 07:10 PM

Oh man, you have no idea how much it means when guitar players like you or Ben or Gabriel compliment on my picking! Makes me want to practice nonstop so one day I could maybe come close to playing like you guys.. I will post a take on this exercise with a higher tempo tomorrow after I work on it

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 5 2012, 01:38 PM

All right, here we go: pentatonic stretching exercise at 90bpm with sextuplets.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 6 2012, 03:50 PM

Spot on Mert!

Tell me, would you like to try something more musical implying AP? I think you can do a lot more than just exercises!

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 6 2012, 04:00 PM

Hey Cosmin, thanks I have done this exercise at 100 bpm today, haven't recorded yet. Yes I would like to do something more musical On the other hand I still want to learn to be able to stop notes from blending into each other.
I leave it up to you to decide how to proceed

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 6 2012, 04:19 PM

I'm still thinking about how to make a little vid regarding this topic - I think you can also check the parts in the vivaldi lesson for this idea as they treat the same subject and they are being shot in slow tempo as well. I'll shoot a vid with that exercise and I hope it'll help

In the mean time, what say you about this one?

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Popeye_The_Sailor_Theme/

This dude is a friend of mine from Romania

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 6 2012, 04:30 PM

About the video, I think if you shoot the mixolydian exercise first at a slow tempo showing clearly how to stop unwanted noise and then repeat it with a fast tempo it would be amazingly helpful! One would first see how it is done and then also hear how it is supposed to sound..

About the lesson, yea I will learn it and post it here Although I shouldn't make a REC post of it just yet because it will lower my average lesson difficulty

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 6 2012, 04:39 PM

Okai mate! I'll shoot slow and then fast for ya Post the vid here first, we'll discuss it and then you can go for the REC!

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 9 2012, 11:29 AM

Hey Cosmin,

In case you are wondering what I've been up to I am posting a video from a part of my practice session for the lesson you gave me. This is the first time I am practicing the most difficult parts up to tempo. I think within a week I will have a full REC take of this ready

Here we go

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 9 2012, 03:06 PM

Hi Mert! Great man! This lesson may sound funny, but it's not easy at all to tackle

I think you are faring very good aside from that ascending run which needs more slow practice you know which one the one with ascending intervals and there's also the one around min 02.48

Maybe slowing things down a bit will help? Don't rush bro, k?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 11 2012, 09:51 AM

Here is my first take on the popeye lesson. It is so much fun

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 11 2012, 04:16 PM

Hehehe! I told Marius I recommended this one to a skilled picker here - that's you

I think you are on the right way man! Just a bit more cleaning up and it's yours to bag

In the mean time, I suggest we keep things running and go for the next one, what say you?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 11 2012, 04:45 PM

Hey Cosmin Oh man hehe I hope Marius likes my take of it then
I will practice it more to make it cleaner and then record something in the coming days. Otherwise yea sure we can start to move to the next assignment. Let me know what you have in mind.

Cheers,
M.
PS: About the little idea I had, thanks for the encouragement I will see what I can do with it. I need some inspiration hehe

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 12 2012, 10:27 AM

Hey Mert! Get busy with that song of yours man it has a nice potential

How about tackling this one in the mean time?

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/c-minor-picking-etude/

It will build endurance and consistency in what regards picking the same note with the same dynamics

what say you?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 12 2012, 10:38 AM

Hello Master Cosmin,

I will start with the new lesson as soon as I am done with the Popeye lesson. Today I am gonna eat a can of spinach and play some Popeye the Sailor

In the mean time I am still practicing the AP exercises you gave me and the sweeping stuff. Just so you know..

Cheers,
M.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 12 2012, 11:15 AM

Great mate Let's see those chops catching fire!!

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 12 2012, 11:34 AM

Ok here we go: Popeye the Sailor Theme REC take after a can of spinach

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 13 2012, 09:28 PM

Congrats Mert! This one was cleaner than the previous one

I'll try to get you the finger muting movie tomorrow, so you can be fully aware of what's going on when the left hands has to mute some strings

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 14 2012, 04:41 PM

Thanks Cosmin, I really need to learn to do that. Not only for my AP but also for my sweeps it will help..

I am practicing the next AP lesson now, I really like the new one has string skipping also which I always enjoy.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 14 2012, 07:16 PM

Oy Mert You got a PM waiting containing something of interest

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 14 2012, 07:23 PM

Cosmin!!! Thanks so much! That is brilliant. I will study it and try to incorporate it as much as possible in my playing. Thanks again

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 14 2012, 07:24 PM

Nothin' to it buddy!

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 15 2012, 09:53 PM

Hmmm the new lesson by Muris is challenging me I can play each shape up to tempo individually but then I can't play the whole thing up to tempo because my picking hand gets too tense and tired I may need to practice this slowly and take some time...

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 16 2012, 11:26 AM

Exactly man! Try to link the pieces at a slow tempo and THEN gradually work the speed up - a good technique which you should pay attention to, is visualizing what you have to play next at the slow tempo - this will build up A LOT of confidence when the tempo increases, as you will be aware of WHERE your fingers will go in the next bars

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 18 2012, 12:47 PM

Hey Cosmin,

Just so you know what I am up to, I am uploading my take for the C minor picking etude at 130bpm.. It is not perfect but I will upload faster and more accurate takes in the coming days.. Hopefully I will be done with this up to tempo soon

While playing each shape I am trying to think of the next shape I will play as you recommended.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 18 2012, 03:40 PM

Whoa Mert! This is great man! I suggest you first clean up and then go faster though This is almost perfect you know, just a few dirtier notes here and there

Good work nonetheless!

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 18 2012, 09:55 PM

Hi Cosmin,
I feel very bad that I am going to fail the Iced Earth Style Lesson by Ben. I failed myself as a guitar player as I couldn't do justice to a very nice piece of work and I feel also like I failed you since you are my instructor

I worked on it and here is another take. I wanted to show it to you before posting for REC. Do you have any comments? Did I play it properly this time do you think??

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 19 2012, 05:31 PM

Howdy Mert!

It's much better than the one you posted in the REC zone You didn't fail me man! You are actually one of the most ambitious people here at GMC the fact that something is not perfect from the first try, is nothing but a sign that you have to work some more. Remember: the only competition you lost this time, was one with yourself if you had a more patience and practiced a bit more, I'm sure the first one would've been as good as this one.

Now, I think that you could clean this up a bit more - it's hard, I know and there's a gallon of notes to be played oh, at about 0.57 or1.04 those 16th notes are a bit blurry, other than that, I don't think there's anything else which is severe.

Anyway, this lesson is a tough one

Congrats! What are your thoughts man?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 19 2012, 05:42 PM

Thanks Cosmin, for the nice words and the encouragement. It means a lot!! I will work on this lesson together with others for a bit more and if I can't make a better take I will post this one and hope to pass. As you say it is a difficult one.. I am still working on the C minor picking etude, I will post something tomorrow on that. Otherwise I am also starting to practice the Mojo Oro Part 1 by Muris. I had a look at it today and I can surely play it. I learned the first part of it and I can almost play it up to tempo. Here is a take if you are interested



So after the C minor etude I want to give my full focus on this one if you are ok with that.. After that we can decide what to do next My AP is starting to be good thanks to you but I still have a lot of way to go

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 19 2012, 06:05 PM

Nothing to it man! The pleasure and satisfaction are mine Whoa - those fingers are on fire Way to go brother! Can't wait to see the whole deal uploaded!

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 20 2012, 09:30 AM

Hey Cosmin,

Here is a take on the C minor picking etude

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 21 2012, 09:15 AM

Pretty awesome Mert!

I think there are slight imperfections here and there, but this is good enough to go to the REC zone for feedback! Perfection is close You are a tremendous picker already

Congrats!

Cosmin

PS: I will push your rhythm playing too do we have a deal?

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 21 2012, 09:45 AM

Thanks Cosmin I will put it in REC zone, let's see what other instructors think..
Wow man it is an honor to hear such words from you If I can be half as good as you are in picking, or the rest of the instructors, then I will feel really good and accomplished

About rhythm playing, oh man yea you can push me but you will have to push really hard as I am not talented in this department at all so yea you can give me something to work on. I love your metal metrics, especially the second one, I would have tackled them already but I don't have many guitars to use different tunings so I think I would want to work on something with standard tuning..

In the meantime regarding AP, I am working on Mojo Oro Part1. I learned the second part also and am almost up to tempo with it. On to the middle section

Thanks a lot again,
Mert

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 21 2012, 02:26 PM

Hey Mert! If you like the Metal Metrics Series, we can tackle them, piece by piece and you can play them in drop D the important part is the rhythmic concept and the practicing

What do you think? The 4th one is the easiest, so I'd suggest we start with that one

Aye?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 21 2012, 02:37 PM

Man I can't tell you how much I enjoy the Metal Metrics series Sometimes I just open them and listen to them just to listen to something kick ass Ok then if I can play them in drop D I should be fine. I will work on it and post something soon. In the meantime I will also work on Mojo Oro..

But hold on How do I play it in drop D ?? There are open chords in there, I can't produce the low C sound with drop D tuning. I am confused Do you suggest I play without the backing track just with metronome ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 21 2012, 02:56 PM

That sounds very good! Thank you man If you got the time, you can check out my band - Aria - see the link in my signature most of the riffage is taken out of Aria songs

Now, I got you working on both lead and rhythm how cool is that?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 22 2012, 11:53 AM

Hey Cosmin,
If the Metal Metrics series has riffs from songs from Aria, I will definitely check Aria out!!!
In the meantime just so you know where I am at the Mojo Oro lesson I am uploading this video of the first part of the lesson at 160bpm. I don't think I will have problems reaching 170 bpm but we will see..
Here we go


Something on Metal Metrics 4 will come soon

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 22 2012, 01:20 PM

That looks awesome Mert, I would suggest you to keep pushing for more cleanliness at this tempo, rather than pushing to 170 you got great timing but some notes sound a bit blurry. It's just a matter of exercising though, as we are talking about VERY VERY smooth details here

keep me updated man! You are making me mega proud! And a bit envious because I don't have enough time to practice and play this sort of stuff as often as I'd like

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 22 2012, 01:30 PM

Thanks Cosmin Yea I will practice this lesson at this tempo for some more time to be comfortable enough to try at 170..
I will now upload my first practice take on Metal Metrics 4 I am not sure if you will be so proud after you see this hehe I messed it up a bit at the end.. But well, I will practice this more also to get it perfect. Any comments will be most welcome..

Here we go, Metal Metrics 4


PS: when it's time to put it on REC zone, I will play this standing up and with as much attitude as possible, this needs it!

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 22 2012, 01:56 PM

Hey Mert! Who said you were bad at playing rhythm? The timing is good and you seem to grasp the phrases very well, aside for the bends in the second part - those being played during the harmonics part. I think that this only needs a bit more practice and it's good for going straight to the REC zone

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 22 2012, 04:28 PM

Hey Cosmin I was saying I am bad at rhythm playing
Ok I practiced on the bends. Let me know what you think please.
You know, this riff kicks so much ass
Here we go, take two

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 22 2012, 10:35 PM

Aiight! Much better - bends fixed

Now for a final touch, I would like you to focus on the groove and on the microbends, scattered here and there can you hear them? I got a little knack for using them all the time

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 23 2012, 04:37 PM

Hey Cosmin, thanks for the feedback I am not sure if I understand which microbends you are talking about. Could you point me to some examples from the lesson please ?

In the meantime here is the full Mojo Oro lesson at 150 bpm. I messed up the last bit a bit I practiced this at 150 bpm so my fingers memorize the full piece. Faster and more accurate takes will come

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 24 2012, 11:10 AM

Ok here is an update on Mojo Oro. I can now practice it at full speed. There are mistakes here and there but getting there slowly My hands are now used to the full speed at least

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 24 2012, 12:59 PM

U know, I started learning it myself right now I can play the first part, as this is the only one which I had time to grasp, but hopefully I can manage to learn it as a whole.

This piece is really tricky and you are doing a good job man it's only a matter of cleaning up and becoming crystal clear now - focus and determination while practicing is what you need.

About the microbends - right before going into the harmonics there's a little riff/ lick which has microbends - check out my take and you'll see that i am bending the notes in such a way that it seems they are just a bit under a halfstep higher Guthrie Govan does this a lot, if you are curious to hear more

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 25 2012, 03:58 PM

Hello C-Maestro
I can't wait to hear your take of the Mojo Oro lesson I am sure it will be flawless..
I put my flawfull take on the REC I am happy about it
Here is a link


About the microbends, I know what you mean now I will try to incorporate them in my playing and post here a take of the lesson soon... In the meantime what shall we do about AP? Shall I have a look at Mojo Oro part 2 ? What do you think ??

Cheers
M.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 25 2012, 07:55 PM

Hey Mert! Great playing man I am slow on this one, compared to you at this moment, very slow

Anyway, Try ALL THREE of them why not?

I shall also give you some more work to do on the microbends as well I wouldn;t want you to transform into a machine gun type picker and just that Deal?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 26 2012, 10:07 AM

Sounds good Cosmin Deal to anything you say
Here is another take for the Metal Metrics 4. I tried to do microbends but I don't know if you can hear them.. Let me know how it is all together
Here we go

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 27 2012, 03:38 PM

Man, what a chug-a-chug! I loved the heaviness you achieved in the palm muting section! Unfortunately I can't hear the microbends, neither the vibrato I am playing when reaching the F note in the first part.

Hmmmmm, look closely at the part at second 0.47 in my take - you will hear a very slight bend those are the ones I am talking about - once you'll get a hold of them, you will hear them everywhere were they exist

Shall we try one more? Don't rush, focus on finding all the microbends and exaggerate a little, until you get the hang of it

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 27 2012, 04:33 PM

Wow C-Maestro I love it when you push me to perfection. I am hearing so much more in this piece now that we talk about all these things. The devil is in the details!! We will try as many times as necessary to nail this down
Here is my new take trying to correct the mistakes you mentioned


Looking forward to your comments

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 27 2012, 10:47 PM

Mert! This is better for certain I notice that you are using your fingers to vibrate and bend? Shall we take care of that? I would totally recommend using the wrist Are you acquainted with the technique my friend?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 28 2012, 09:52 AM

Hi Cosmin,
Thanks for the feedback I know the wrist bending. I just find bending and vibrating the low E string with my fingers easier and stronger. Notice that the tone and a half bend towards the end is so effortless that way.. But I will shoot a take trying it with wrist bending/vibrato if it will make you happy I just find that a bit more difficult especially with low E string which you need to bend downwards.. What do you think?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 28 2012, 10:03 AM

i would be very happy if you could do that aaaaand I will push you a bit in that direction, to get your bad habits running

Posted by: Opetholic Jun 28 2012, 01:24 PM

Hey Cosmin All right, I am working on it. I will need some time to adjust to wrist bending and vibrato. In the meantime I am practicing Mojo Oro part 2 Here is a 160bpm take of the lesson until the last run. The last run is tricky, I need to work more on it.. This is a short lesson but it is still demanding with the speedy stretches.
Here it is

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 30 2012, 10:12 AM

Howdy Mert! Looking and sounding good, although there's still a bit of polishing here and there my suggestion would be to try and finish with the whole mojo oro series - it needs to be complete, right? And then, we shall focus on articulation

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 2 2012, 11:54 AM

Hey Cosmin, here is Mojo Oro part 2 at 150bpm. The final run is extremely tricky, maybe you should have a look, I am sure you would enjoy it. It is hard for left hand because of some nice stretches and tricky fingering, it is hard for right hand because in the middle of the run you need to switch strokes so you start with a downstroke. Also it is tricky timing wise so it is quite tricky hehe

Here we go

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 3 2012, 07:32 AM

Hey Mert! Sounds good your tone has cleaned up somehow, in comparison to the previous takes! I am almost done with learning the Mojo Oro 1 myself and got it at about 85 % I hope I'll find enough time to get it down under my finger

Mojo Oro 2 is next those parts are tricky indeed, but I think the Mojo Oro 1 is nastier than this one.

Hit me with the next and when we're ready, it's off to the REC zone with you!

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 3 2012, 09:38 AM

Hey Cosmin, I can't wait to hear your take It will be something to hear I think. You know you can put it in REC zone also, like Ben did some time ago Indeed Mojo Oro 1 is nastier, it is longer for one thing with more repetitions. There is more chance of screwing up but second part is not as innocent as it looks I can tell you
Here is my take for the full part 2. I will put it in REC zone I think..

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 4 2012, 10:35 AM

Hi Cosmin

How are you? I practiced Mojo Oro p2 a bit more, I am not satisfied with my previous REC zone performance. I want to get a higher grade from C-Maestro

Here is another take. I tried to take into account what you, Alex and Gabriel told me. What do you think about this one?


Another take on Metal Metrics 4 is on the way Man those wrist bends and vibratos on the low E string is too difficult

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 5 2012, 08:15 AM

Well, I am very much impressed by your ambition and consistency Mert! You are to be appreciated, BUT I want you to push yourself constantly, so I won't let you breathe too much!

Your tightness has increased indeed with the Mojo Oro 2, but still I can hear a lot of unwanted sound - could it be due to the fact that the recording is a bit too loud?

The last lick came out much cleaner indeed! Ithink this kind of stuff is only getting better with time, so don't accumulate any frustration ok? Let's see the microbends and wrist work into action

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 5 2012, 02:00 PM

Hey Cosmin,

Yes indeed the unwanted noise is due to recording being too loud. I don't have a home studio or fancy equipment either. I have a crappy amp and a pedal board and the best thing I have is my LP guitar and you have seen it, it is not the best guitar either So my recording is pretty primitive, that's why I have to crank up my amp so you guys can hear anything

Here is another take on Metal Metrics 4. I messed up at the end with the tempo a bit so this is not going to REC zone definitely but what do you say about the wrist motion and the microbends ? I am still not %100 happy but I think I am on the right track What can you suggest ??

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 6 2012, 12:32 PM

howdy mate! It's definitely getting better, but for the part at 0.30 you should pull on the strings and release them a bit delayed it's a bit difficult to explain but with a bit of exploring you should get it. I say, let's isolate that little part and try to work on the microbends there.

About the recording I totally, but TOTALLY recommend this: http://line6.com/guitarport/ it's about 99 dollars and it comes with the included software - Gearbox which you can use for some crushing tones. I got a thread in my instructor zone where I have placed 2 patches for riffs which were used to record this along with the AMT:

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Djent-Time-Signatures/

what do you think?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 6 2012, 02:16 PM

Thanks Cosmin for the feedback
I will try to work out those microbends better in the next take..

Man, about the line6 unit, if you told me this 2 days ago I would have a look into it. Sometime ago I decided to take a different path and yesterday I bought the first piece of it So I bought myself a cheap external soundcard. Now I will buy a cheap mic and mic my amp speaker and connect to computer through the soundcard I got the M-Audio Fast Track MK2.

In the meantime I practiced your exercise from yesterday. Here is what I have for the Aeolian mode at 90bpm.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 6 2012, 02:29 PM

That's pretty darn good man! Push it up now!

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 9 2012, 06:57 PM

Hello C-Maestro,
Here is another take at 95bpm. I don't think I will be able to push this above 100, that is if I reach 100
Here we go

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 10 2012, 11:12 AM

Good work man! I haven't practiced it anymore so you topped me with 5 BPM

Mert, your technical skills are starting to create a dangerous gap between them and your articulation skills Shall we pursue that patch for a bit?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 10 2012, 12:13 PM

Hi Cosmin, I think I know what you mean. I am feeling very good with my AP now. I think we should pursue the articulation patch as you say but I don't want to stop working on exercises and lessons for my technique. I still want to master sweep picking... We can do it in parallel probably. Actually the Metal Metrics 4 helped me a lot with articulation, still working on it and will do it perfectly someday

At the moment I am working on Metal Metrics 4 and Mojo Oro part 3. There is a bit at the end of Mojo Oro 3 that is probably the most challenging thing I ever tried. You should have a look, it is really impressive. I hope I will manage to do that. I am close I need to play 16th triplets at a tempo of 170bpm!! It is really hard, my fingers hurt after a while and I start to get a lot of arm motion also which is unavoidable I think. Even Muris gets that at that speed..

So when I am done with Mojo Oro 3, shall we concentrate more on articulation for a while with technical lessons in parallel but less in focus ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 10 2012, 02:25 PM

hey Mert, I think it's a good idea I congratulate you for your patience and ambition to tackle the mind boggling lessons of Mr. Muris

Let's get Mojo Oro 3 done with and we'll shift towards the articulation lessons!

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 15 2012, 11:45 AM

Hi Cosmin,

Long time no post I have been working on Mojo Oro part 3. I realized that too much Mojo Oro is bad for you I have been feeling like a machine and somehow even though it is an amazing epic lesson, I didn't want to play it after some time. I think I've had too much of machine like playing maybe. I really struggled this week to pick up my guitar and practice this. At some point during the middle of the week I really didn't want to see my guitar anymore but today I forced myself to get back to it and here I am hehe

Here is my first take which I think is ok for the REC zone probably. Here we go

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 16 2012, 09:57 AM

Hey Mert It's that story with the chocolate cake - it's awesome, but have only that for a whole year and you won't like it anymore

This lesson is killer and as you will notice in the REC zone, I have graded 8, as you have missed some notes. Nothing that can't be solved IN TIME

So, ready for the next step?

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 17 2012, 05:45 PM

Thanks Cosmin I would normally try to make a retake of this to get a higher score from you But I am so done with Mojo Oro for now, I don't wanna practice it for a while... The third part was exceptionally difficult because of the last run which is the hardest thing I have every tried on an electric guitar.. Focusing on that too much, I forgot about the other parts so there were some choked up notes indeed. I could do better but I won't try for the time being.. You know when I was practicing for this I played it once perfectly but that I wasn't recording

Anyway, yea what is next ?? You tell me I still want to finish Metal Metrics 4 and work on more Metal Metrics possibly. For AP, I picked myself a lesson from Muris.. But as we agreed on, I will focus more on articulation for a while under your guidance Like you, Benmeister also thinks that my bends and vibrato sucks those are my weak points together with sweep picking I think..

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 18 2012, 07:46 AM

Mornin' Mert

I totally know how it feels man Finishing up the take (the perfect one) and realizing in dismay that you have forgotten to push the REC button

I guess this one: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Bens-Vibrato-Odyssey/ is a great start for vibrato!

Ben did an excellent job with this series!

What say you my alternate picking friend?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 23 2012, 08:19 PM

Hello Cosmin

That sounds like a good plan. Takes on Ben's Vibrato Odyssey and Metal Metrics 4 are on their way. But in the meantime I have been a very naughty student and practiced this lesson also
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/pentatonic-substitution-lesson/

Here I am posting my first take for it. What do you think?


Also soon there will be improvements on my sound quality. I bought an SM57 microphone and now I can record from my cabinet. The only thing standing on my way is that I need to figure out how to synchronize audio and video.. My computer is pretty old and so are the software I am using

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 24 2012, 08:58 AM

hey Mert! This sounds very good as I told you, your technique is getting better and better and you are among the few always tackling the hard lessons here THe ensemble is good, but you can still polish some blurry notes here and there - give it time and it'll come

BUT let's see the vibrato and bending into action eh?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 26 2012, 08:43 PM

Hi Cosmin

It is now Metal Metrics 4 time !! And I have a surprise for you. Now I have better audio quality in my videos It is hard work for me though so I will not do this for everything I record probably
Here we go

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 27 2012, 07:49 AM

Hey Mert! I like what I'm seeing and hearing man

Your vibrato and bending skills have improved - still! there's work to do, in order to perfect them The timing and execution are very good on the other hand!

I would like to see, Ben's Vibrato lessons on the REC as soon as possible and then, you can have another go on the Metal Metrics 4 I'm curious to see what's gonna happen!

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 27 2012, 07:56 AM

All right Cosmin Thanks for the feedback!! I am on Ben's Vibrato Odyssey. I still need to practice a bit more and then I will make a recording of it very soon I am curious to see what's gonna happen as well

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 27 2012, 12:34 PM

Hey Cosmin thanks for the flattering words for the Djent collaboration take feedback I enjoyed the final mix. Was really nice. Your solo is so great !!

Ok, time for some vibrato action Here is my first take on Ben's Vibrato Odyssey 1.. Looking forward to your feedback on this. I think there is much to improve probably.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 28 2012, 07:46 AM

Howdy Mert!

You are about 80% there mate The idea is that you are sometimes hasting with the vibrato, which has to be as wide and round in this lesson, as possible. Try to give it more flow, by vibrating slower and more equal, ok?

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 28 2012, 08:47 AM

Thank you C-Maestro I will work on the lesson with your feedback in mind and make a new take for it sometime soon
In the original lesson for example for C# on E string, Ben has a bit of a more aggressive vibrato as compared to the previous vibrato on the note D.. How do you achieve that without moving the hands faster ??

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 29 2012, 01:52 PM

Hehe I know exactly what you're talking about. It's about pushing the string a bit harder against the neck while moving sideways from left to right, to execute the vibrato. It's called 'touche' comeing from French and it's that thing which words can't explain, when you hear a seasoned player phrase with great pronouncing. It's just like with words - when you speak dutch, you can articulate and say each word perfectly and be expressive with the mother tongue. But when speaking a foreign language, the words sometimes come out a bit hindered and not too expressive, due to the fact that you may not be used to speak that language so well. The ears will help out tremendously! Listen to great phrasers - Andy Timmons is a great example!

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 29 2012, 08:10 PM

Hey Cosmin
I know you won't like this one %100 either but here is another take. Since it is a slow enough lesson and there are not so many notes, maybe you can point out the ones you don't like so I work on those vibratos more??

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 30 2012, 08:38 AM

Good morning Mert I will only say this - watch this video and focus on keeping the vibrato constant, on the notes which you rushed when having to shift to the next note. The fun part is, that your rushed vibrato reminds me of Chris Cornell's playing, in this song:

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 30 2012, 12:37 PM

Hello C-Maestro
Here is another attempt. I tried to make it more spacy and less rushed. But I can't avoid some of the fast vibratos as this is how Ben also does those in the video (for example the vibrato before the last note of the lesson). Let me know what you think.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 30 2012, 02:29 PM

Howdy again Indeed, this one seems more rounded and smooth - it's a very fine difference - if you are to ask me, I think you can move on to Nr2 Shall we proceed?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 30 2012, 03:46 PM

Oh wow I wasn't expecting that Ok, shall I put it in REC and start practicing Nr2 then ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 31 2012, 09:38 AM

Please do, sir!

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 31 2012, 04:55 PM

I have some bad news for you C-Maestro : After a long and very much needed break from work, I am starting with my work again this week Wednesday (tomorrow). Basically I won't have much time for guitar anymore as in the past several weeks. I will still be here at GMC and still doing lessons and working but not as much as you are used to me doing Maybe the good part of this is that you won't have to deal with me as much anymore

My plan is the following: I will keep on working on the Vibrato Odyssey lessons and the Metal Metrics lessons. In the meantime I am working on an insane lesson that has lots of AP, you will be happy when it is over But as I said it will from now on take me more time to progress..

In the last two months or so I think I improved a lot in my AP so I am very happy about it. Thanks for all the help

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Aug 1 2012, 11:31 AM

Hey Mert! The plan is good man! You know, consistency is the best way to do things Just don't stry from your practicing and even if you will post recordings scarcely, they will be better as you will have to take more time to work on them

Working with you is an absolute joy, as you are a very ambitious and hard working dude, making a lot of progress! I am looking forward on raising the bar with you, my friend!

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Aug 18 2012, 09:14 PM

Hello C-Maestro,

Long time no post from my side. I thought I should update you on what I am up to. Since I started working again after my break, I hardly find any time to play the guitar. It is very busy these days.. But during the time I practice anything I practice the mind blogging string skipping lesson by Muris. I am posting here what I have practiced so far: It is half of the lesson at 130bpm. I need to reach 150bpm with this. It looks impossible at the moment but well, I keep on practicing

Here is what I have so far:

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Aug 19 2012, 03:49 PM

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeyy Mert! Wuzzup mate?

Sorry to hear that work is taking your time away the take is building up nicely - you know the recipe with speed and accuracy Time well spent practicing in the right way will bring the desired results

What else is up??

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Sep 2 2012, 07:41 PM

Hey Cosmin,

Not much is up man working like crazy and extremely busy. When not busy, girlfriend demands time with her, so not much time anymore like in the past for guitar playing.. I am planning on spending a bit more time on guitar playing soon I hope.

In any case, here is some improvement on the lesson I have been practicing. I added 2 more bars and I think I am a bit more confident at this speed now. I was the other day able to play this at 140bpm. Still some way to go but I will get there eventually

Here we go, at 130bpm still

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Sep 2 2012, 09:11 PM

Howdy Mert - well, this one is tricky indeed. You still have work to do, even at 130 BPM as there are notes which are not quite there. Mate, tell me, can you play for 30 minutes each day? Trust me it's BETTER to play 30 minutes each day, than 2 hrs one Sunday - I don't know if that's the case, but I'm only trying to help here. I was very happy with the way you had evolved a while ago and I want to keep the ball rolling

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Sep 2 2012, 09:17 PM

Hey Cosmin Thanks for all the help you have given me so far and for trying to help for the future Yea I will try to work at least 30 mins a day from now on (or more, maybe even an hour or so) instead of 2 hours on a sunday. Indeed this has been the case for the last month or so.. Let's see what happens then

Indeed this is a tricky lesson but I will manage it, I know I can I will post better takes in the coming weeks..

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Sep 2 2012, 09:24 PM

Please do so and keep in mind that consistency and correct/ focused practice is the key to everything!

Read Go Rin No Sho - The Book of 5 Rings by Miyamoto Musashi no kidding, read it

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Sep 12 2012, 08:10 PM

Hey Cosmin

I have been practicing a bit more structurally since we last talked. Still not as much as I would have liked to but getting there
I had a look at the book you suggested. Indeed there are many lessons you can take from that book which you can apply to lots of things in life. It is very inspiring. Thanks

Here is the latest version of my take of the mind blogging string skipping lesson. Still at 130 bpm. Every time I learn a new part of it, the previous parts become more confident Soon I am done learning this and then I can start speeding it up.
Here we go



By the way I was looking at some normal alternate picking stuff after practicing this for so long, and AP without string skipping is now like a childs play I could so easily play Mojo Oro, I can even play it faster than the tempo at the lesson I think

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Sep 13 2012, 09:02 AM

hey Mert! Mojo Oro, faster than it already is? I got it up to 96% of the actual speed and got bored with it then Writing some music felt better instead

This take shows improvement and I think you convinced me to try it myself There are still glitches here and there, but you know the drill - practice, practice, practice

Glad to know that you have done things steadily, but, what's next on the agenda?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Sep 23 2012, 01:30 PM

I finally learned the whole lesson. Here is a take at 140bpm. I had to use the original backing track at 150bpm and with garagaband get it down to 140bpm. So the backing may sound a bit weird

What it next on agenda: well, after finishing this lesson ready for the REC zone, which will probably take me another month or so, I will concentrate full time on Vibrato and Metal Metrics lessons..

But for now some string skipping here we go

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Sep 24 2012, 09:11 AM

hey Mert! It's building up mate, but it's still blurry Can you send me a take at let's say...125 BPM and work up from there? The plan sounds good with the vibrato and metal metrics

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Sep 27 2012, 08:09 PM

Hey Cosmin, I will send you a take at 120-125 bpm this weekend. In the meantime I am trying to push my speed up to the desired tempo. Here is what I did today, a take at 145bpm. I really enjoy string skipping my favorite guitar technique I think, AP + string skipping..

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Sep 29 2012, 12:56 PM

Howdy Mert! Man, gotta give you credit - you are a very ambitious player!!

I think you are losing stamina around 0:30 as up to that point, things sounded pretty darn good! Time and constancy are the only ones getting to receive the credit for reaching the top with this lesson The more relaxed and precise you will be, the better you will play!

Congrats! I'm waiting for the other takes

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Oct 1 2012, 08:31 PM

Hi C-Master
Thank you for the kind words. I know I would never be a guitar player as good as you or Ben since this is not my profession but I am trying to be as good as possible. I have still a long way to go

I pushed myself really hard during the last few days to reach the full speed with this lesson. Here is my first take on full speed. I still lose some stamina as you pointed out before but I am building it up. I think in a few weeks time I should play this well enough for a REC take..

Here is my first full speed attempt


Have you looked at it yourself ? It is quite fun to play it actually

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Oct 3 2012, 08:48 AM

Hey Mert! This is indeed fun to play but unfortunately, I have the Aria EP release on my hands and I can't study too much extra curriculum stuff After November the 29th I guess i could try and tackle it myself. It looks killer anyway Well, work hard on it, but DO NOT get hooked up in this lesson only...You will not be as fond of it after some time, try to spice up your practice routine man

Posted by: Opetholic Oct 6 2012, 01:41 PM

Hello C-Maestro
It was good to see you the other day at video chat. I never have time anymore for video chats I am still working hard on the Muris lesson. Here is my second take at full speed:



I think soon I will be ready for a REC take with this lesson. After that I am all yours to educate on vibrato and micro bends

By the way, I saw your new audio collaboration. The idea is very cool I will see if I can come up with something. I already have an idea but it is quite unorthodox so maybe I first post it here

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Oct 7 2012, 02:52 PM

Oh man! Show meee I'm curious to see your take on the audio collaboration About the Muris lesson, I think that the improvement would be the fact that you kept constancy a bit more this time but towards the end it still sounds forced It's a hellish one, I know, I know...Anyway, I'd love to have you on the 'Tight Timing Collab' and also looking forward to making your expressive side shine as well!

Posted by: Opetholic Oct 27 2012, 08:59 AM

Hey Cosmin, long time no talk... About 2 weeks ago I had a small accident, I won't go into details and bore you but I ended up hurting my left hand, especially the pinky finger quite badly. I have been in pain for a while but now it is ok. I haven't played anything since then. Yesterday I tried to play a bit and it was all ok. Of course there is still a bit of pain but it is not much.. So I will once again start with the program for bending and vibrato. I should have something ready soonish.... Just letting you know if you were wondering why I haven't posted anything

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Oct 27 2012, 10:37 PM

OH man! What happened?

Sorry you had to go through hard times Mert! Well, if you need assistance, just let me know!

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Nov 8 2012, 07:12 AM

Hey C-Man

I am now doing much better. Started again to practice. My hands are back to normal I will post something very soon. Also maybe a small surprise for you

Hey check out the Rec Scoreboard for the average points on the difficulty of lessons completed

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 8 2012, 05:24 PM

Hey there Guitar lord Glad to hear your hands are better and waiting for the surprises How are you otherwise mate?

Posted by: Opetholic Nov 8 2012, 09:00 PM

Hello C-Maestro

Hehe if I am a guitar lord then what are you ?? A guitar God Ok here is my surprise for you:


There are still some mistakes but in take 2 I will fix them. This piece is nice for me because it is easy enough and has lots of bending and vibrato.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 9 2012, 09:35 AM

Wow! Duuuude This is awesome!! There slight mishaps here and there but nothing major! You have improved A LOT! Mate, just take care to be as wide as possible everywhere and reach the correct pitches! Let's see number two and then get it in the REC zone!!

I'm so happy

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Nov 9 2012, 12:47 PM

Hey C-Maestro
Man I am happy also it is good to see that your instructor is happy with your progress, really I am very happy to be at GMC and to be couched by a great guitar player like you and also the rest of the instructors, Ben and everyone ... I feel like I am really making some progress with my playing here..

Ok here is my second take. I think I corrected the mistakes in this take but still there could possibly be improvements

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 10 2012, 01:48 PM

Glad to be able to help out man!

This take is definitely better and I think it technically correct! What you need now is MASSIVE playing with bends and vibrato to get a nice flowing touch - but this take is great REC material! Let's get it in there shall we?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Nov 10 2012, 09:50 PM

Hey C-Maestro

I prepared one more take. I will put this one in REC.. I really want to improve my feeling, vibrato and articulation in general and you are the perfect player to learn this from. I want to have this MASSIVE playing ability . Let me know if you come up with some lesson for me, otherwise I will continue with Ben's Vibrato Odyssey No:2..

See you in the REC with this one

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 11 2012, 08:52 PM

First of all, thanks again for choosing me to be at your side on this journey Mert!

Seconds, give yourself time with the vibrato and bends You have a great talent for guitar playing and if you practice and explore, you will gain a high level of proficiency with the instrument. The next step? Getting the music inside you out into the world

Posted by: Opetholic Nov 26 2012, 10:13 PM

Hey C-Man

How are you ?? I have a little surprise for you


Some vibrato action coming soon

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 27 2012, 09:43 AM

Holy cow! O-man

This is fabulous! Please re-record it in such a way that we can see your left hand as well and PLACE IT IN THE REC!

Man u made my day!

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Dec 1 2012, 03:34 PM

Hey C-man Thank you ! Here is another take. You can see my fretting hand here. Also I tweaked my tone here, it is more dry. Ben was complaining about palm mutings so maybe here they sound better ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Dec 2 2012, 07:53 PM

Hey O-man! This is great! What Ben meant (I think) is the fact that you don't have that heavy chug chug which is due to the fact that you still need to search a spot where the palm muting will offer that effect. Otherwise, as the french will say.. 'Chapeau bas!'

Posted by: Opetholic Dec 2 2012, 07:57 PM

Thank you Cosmin I will put it in REC then.. For the GMC competition I picked a lesson I hope you will like. I am working on it. You won't see it until I post it in the competition page So surprise hehe.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Dec 3 2012, 08:35 AM

Hehe! I love surprises But I'll see you in the REC first thing

Posted by: Opetholic Jan 7 2013, 09:38 PM

Hey C-Maestro

I was working on a take for your collaboration. Wanted to let you know what I have so far. I will polish it and play better and post it soon I hope

Cheers,
Mert

 cosmin.mp3 ( 2.39MB ) : 83

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 8 2013, 09:24 AM

Hey Mert! Glad to hear from you in 2013 mate and also glad to know you want to join the ship for the collab

The whole ensemble sounds very promising, but I would like you to tighten and clean it up and focus on getting those bends in pitch - you can post intermediary takes in here, but I would like you to post the final take in the collab thread

If you have more questions, please do tell

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jan 24 2013, 08:24 PM

Hey Cosmin

How are you doing ?? I am doing well. New year started off very fast for me, I have been very busy with work. But things are getting back to normal slowly.. For guitar, well, I haven't had much motivation lately. So in order to get over that I thought of giving myself a goal for 2013. So here is what I would like to achieve: you know my level and how I play pretty well now. Think of my alternate picking level. It may not be extremely good but I am happy about it and I can use AP very comfortably when I play, improvise or come up with a solo. My goal is to achieve same kind of level at sweep picking.. Will you help me achieve this goal in 2013 ? I am looking for some suggestions to start working on this goal.. I think with your help I can master sweep picking ..

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 25 2013, 09:58 AM

Howdy Mert If that's what you wish for, we'll go for it - I am sure that with your diligence, you can do a great job with this technique as well

Let's start out by choosing a simple one and seeing a take on it so i may discover how you fare, ok?

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Sweeps_Major_and_Minor/

then you can try this one from Muris - it's not the easiest thing, but it takes you through many situations so I'd be happy if you would go at it slow at first, to get acquainted to the shapes

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/sweep-picking-lesson/

How does this sound to you mate?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jan 29 2013, 10:02 PM

Hey C-Maestro

Thanks for the nice program! I am on it. I will make a recording for the first lesson you picked at a slow tempo so you see how I do.. Will be up here soon..

Cheers.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 29 2013, 10:45 PM

Alrighty Mert! Let's see whatchagot

Posted by: Opetholic Feb 2 2013, 12:44 PM

Hey Cosmin,
Here is my first take of the first lesson. It is at full speed. It is not too fast anyway.. But if you think I should practice at slower tempo let me know..

Looking forward to your valuable comments !!!

Mert

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Feb 2 2013, 02:47 PM

Hey mate - it sounds pretty good! It just needs a bit more confidence if you get my hint Otherwise it is in good timing and the playing sounds pretty clean.

Giving it more time will increase your definition and technique, so keep playing this one as well and let's see the next one

Posted by: Opetholic Feb 6 2013, 09:18 PM

Hey Cosmin,

Thanks for the feedback! I have been practicing both lessons everyday. Here is my second take for the first lesson. I will upload a slow take for the second lesson sometime during weekend, I still need to practice more
Here we go

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Feb 7 2013, 08:32 AM

Hey Mert! Looks like your chops are improving This take sounds very good and the only observation I would have - I know you want your technique to be stainless - is that you should take care of not having any notes bleed into each other, especially in the lower registers (ex: around min 0:12-0:13). Looking forward to the other one!

Posted by: Opetholic Feb 9 2013, 12:56 PM

Hey Cosmin, thanks for the feedback! I worked on this lesson a bit more trying to stop notes ringing too much. Here is another take. I want to practice this as much as necessary to make it perfect! So please be as critical as you want to. I will post the second lesson a bit later when we are happy with this one So, waiting for your comments..

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Feb 9 2013, 01:07 PM

Hey Mert!

Mate, a very interesting phenomenon occurred - in your race to get everything really clean, some notes in the lower register sound a bit too dry and timing is off in some parts. Don't exaggerate with muting now You have landed on the other side!

Play natural man, clean but natural, ok?

Posted by: Opetholic Feb 9 2013, 01:21 PM

Hey Cosmin, thanks a lot for the fast feedback ! I think you are absolutely right I will work on it a bit more. But you see, this technique has always been very difficult for me. However, I won't give up ! So, will practice more and try to get things clean and natural at the same time and with good timing

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Feb 9 2013, 01:29 PM

Good choice my friend Listen mate, I always wanted to ask you - in which part of Holland do you live?

Posted by: Opetholic Feb 9 2013, 01:41 PM

Actually it is interesting that I never had the chance to tell you or anyone here at GMC really about myself much. That's a shame. So I am happy you asked I live in Amsterdam, east of the city, slightly off the center. But Amsterdam is a quite small city so it is ok I am not originally Dutch though, well as you might have guessed from my name or from my picture I am from Turkey. After long years of academic study in lots of places including the US and others, I ended up in Holland to work here. It was a temporary thing in the beginning but then I decided to stay. So here I am Life is weird sometimes... How about you, where in Romania do you live ?? I have a very very good Romanian friend from graduate school. I am still in contact with him. He lives somewhere in Transylvania region. So I really want to visit Romania one day to meet him again after many years. And who knows, maybe I can get the chance to meet my GMC instructor also

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Feb 9 2013, 01:49 PM

Hehe well, there's a double chance because I also have a part of my family living in Holland, in The Hague more exactly So, I might give you a buzz when I drop in to visit my cuz and auntie! I live in Bucharest - that's south and it's the capital

Posted by: Opetholic Feb 9 2013, 01:59 PM

That is very nice. And it would really be kick ass cool if you dropped by Holland and gave me a buzz

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Feb 10 2013, 09:38 AM

Sure thing mate! It'll be done once I get there!

Posted by: Opetholic Feb 10 2013, 01:39 PM

Hello Master-C

Here is another take of the first lesson. What do you think about this one ??

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Feb 11 2013, 09:26 AM

Best one so far!! Clean and tight and I can see that right hand moving easily and with flow. You are on the good path Mert! Let's see the other one

Posted by: Opetholic May 11 2013, 06:15 PM

Hey Cosmin, do you remember me ?
I have been having so much trouble with the next Muris lesson. It broke all my confidence that I can master sweep picking I can hardly play it at 130 bpm and I need to reach 160. It looks really impossible.
Here is my attempt at 130 bpm.. Maybe we should pick another lesson or another exercise ?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 12 2013, 07:21 PM

Hey mate, glad to see you are back Listen, Muris is an extremely technical player and not being able to reach his prowess is no reason to feel bad - remember, you are into this for the music - not for a sport, ok?

In the mean time, of course we can select a sweeping lesson that is easier to approach and we can try it on for size, how about this one?

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Fusion_Sweep_Arpeggios_in_C_Major/

It's a different approach, but it will clean up your technique a lot!

What do you think mate?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic May 12 2013, 07:45 PM

Thanks Cosmin, I should for a while get away from Muris' sweep lesson. It was starting to drive me crazy. How can a level 5 sweep lesson be more difficult than the level 9 or 10 lessons I did from Muris
Ok I will practice the new lesson. Thank you !!

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 13 2013, 07:00 AM

Usually, when I feel like something is not going in the right direction, it means that it needs more time. But why waste that time, when I can do other things to improve my musicianship/ guitar playing, instead of staying stuck and eventually frustrated because I can't reach that level as fast as I thought I would.

Let me know how it goes, ok? What else is up with you man, how's life?

Posted by: Opetholic May 20 2013, 01:32 PM

Hey Cosmin here is my take for the new lesson. This lesson is level 6 and Muris lesson is level 5 but this lesson is like 100 times easier than the Muris lesson. The guys who are giving lesson levels really underestimated the Muris lesson, I would like to see them play it at full speed, the whole thing..

Anyway here is the new lesson at 100 bpm. Still need to work hard on it but just letting you know how it is going Otherwise life is very busy man, very very busy. How about you ??

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 21 2013, 08:23 AM

Hello my hard working dutch friend!

You are on the good path with this, even tho it's clear that you have some polishing to do in certain spots. Now, I noticed a very important thing: your breathing You are holding air too much man! Your brain needs oxygen in order to pump blood into the muscles and provide the necessary things for your performance.

Have you tried to be conscious regarding your breathing rhythm?

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 21 2013, 11:33 AM

Hey CMan

I am uploading my progress on this lesson which is very slow. Here is my take on the original tempo of 125 bpm. Still choking on a lot of notes..

About breathing, you are right I tend to hold my breadth at difficult parts I don't know why.. I will try to be more conscious of it.

Let me know what you think.. Here we go:

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 22 2013, 09:38 AM

Hey hombre! Glad to hear from you!

You know I noticed something I think that when you sweep up, you tend to move your hand away/towards the exterior from/of the strings a bit and then sweep. It should be a constant motion that doesn't move your hand away at all. I think this is a part where you can lose momentum.

What do you think?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 22 2013, 07:27 PM

Hey Cosmin that is a very interesting observation. I am not sure if I understand it fully though. Do you think it is possible that you make a video for me showing 1) what you think I do that is wrong and 2) how I should rather do it?

This would be very helpful. I want to get this bloody technique down

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 23 2013, 11:00 AM

Hey Mert - sure thing man, I'll lay my thoughts down in a video and show you what I mean!

Here we go:

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 24 2013, 10:23 PM

Hey Cosmin,

Thanks a lot for the video!! I now understand what you mean precisely and you are absolutely right, I do that kind of movement with my right hand that possibly slows me down. So I will go back to slower tempos and practice the lesson trying to correct my right hand motion.. Hopefully post something soon but first I need to practice a bit

See you soon here
Thanks again!

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 25 2013, 08:10 AM

The pleasure is all mine, my Dutch friend You know, sometimes, it takes just an extra pair of eyes to see what we do not, simply because we can't look at ourselves. I think self observation and awareness should be taught as a very valuable skill in life in general. I tend to have the same problems sometimes and only after I watch a recording of myself, I am able to say, hey, that's not ok, I should correct that or this and so on.

Show me whatchagot, as soon as you are ready

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 27 2013, 04:14 PM

Ok C-Maestro I practiced this lesson very slowly to get my right hand motion right.
Here is the video


I still have some of that motion.. What do you think ?? I don't know how to avoid it..

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 28 2013, 02:41 PM

Hey Mert - I observed another thing Would you consider slightly sliding your right hand across the bridge in a vertical fashion while sweeping the high strings and getting it up again when playing the lower strings? I think that the fact that you are keeping your wrist locked in one spot, is hindering you a bit... What do you think?

Posted by: Opetholic Aug 13 2013, 09:01 PM

Hey Cosmin, I practiced a bit more paying attention to your last observation. Here is my take again at same tempo. What do you think ?? Practicing sweep picking makes me feel I am so untalented with this instrument

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Aug 14 2013, 08:26 AM

Mert, if I ever catch you saying that, I will make my way into the Netherlands and slap you silly!

How can you let a single technique bring you down like that? I noticed something else at your right hand that I think is a bit hindering - video coming up!

Here we go:

Posted by: Opetholic Dec 23 2013, 12:11 PM

Hey Cosmin,

Thanks for monitoring my progress on 40 Metal Bands lesson in forums It was hell of a detour
This year my goal was to get sweeping at a good level. I don't think I managed but I am not too unhappy either. I think I will get it soon For 2014 my goal is to get sweeping good and also improve on my articulation. I think you like that goal

So here is a surprise: you thought I forgot about this right ? Well, no. Here we go, it is Metal Metrics time



I will post something soon on the sweep lessons you assigned to me earlier as well..

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Dec 24 2013, 02:20 PM

SOLID! Good NYR man! Articulation is always a good aim! Also, I think you did a very good job on the 40 Metal Bands - it's a very difficult one, so it's no piece of cake to tackle such a lesson.

Anyway - focus a bit on nailing each note when doing the natural harmonics on the thick string and that last bend before the two open C chords should be more into pitch. Otherwise - spot on! And the tone is a beast!

Posted by: Opetholic Dec 27 2013, 03:55 PM

Hey Cosmin,
Thanks for the feedback Here is another attempt.. What do you think??

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Dec 27 2013, 10:55 PM

Haha! Amazing man Now the ONLY thing that I found was that the last bend was a bit too much this time Find the right pitch to reach and you are there!

Posted by: Opetholic Dec 27 2013, 11:53 PM

Thanks Cosmin You are right, the bend was not good this time either. It is so strange. I don't remember ever having problems finding the right pitch with bends. I know why this is giving me trouble. It is because the tuning is so low, especially the first string, it is very hard to get it to the correct tuning and also while bending get it sound right.. I will see what I can do

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Dec 28 2013, 01:34 PM

Hehe! I know what you mean mate - that's why it's always good to record and listen to yourself And I also think that the thickest string is not the most usual place for that sort of bend Let me know if you are into moving further

Posted by: Opetholic Dec 30 2013, 01:01 PM

Ok here is another take One day you tube will be full of my Metal Metrics 4 takes

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Dec 31 2013, 12:55 PM

Wow! Mert the perfectionist! I love that! Dude, it was very good, the only thing which was a bit hesitant, being the last slide vibrato. I really think you can move on if you wish, as that one is most surely something that slipped due to some probable attention slip Am I right? If yes, we should tackle the next articulation based one?

Posted by: Opetholic Dec 31 2013, 01:41 PM

Hey Cosmin
Ok lets move on to the next articulation lesson. 2014 will be my articulation year along with sweeps.. What do you have in mind for me?
Also I will put Metal Metrics 4 to REC. Lets see what happens

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 1 2014, 06:05 PM

Hehe! Glad to hear this man!

I think that this one could be a nice challenge for ya: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/bending-control/

What do you think?

Posted by: Opetholic Jan 1 2014, 06:12 PM

Whoaaaa Cosmin This will be very challenging for me indeed but I am up for it I will start working on it. Thanks!

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 1 2014, 06:26 PM

Aye aye matey! Glad you accepted the challenge! Let's see it done then!

Posted by: Opetholic Jan 8 2014, 09:16 PM

Hey Cosmin
Here is my first take. Looking forward to hearing your feedback!!
Here we go

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 9 2014, 09:06 AM

Hello there Mert

I think this is a very good first take! So - bends reaching intended pitch, rhythmic phrasing .. you have it all There's a small glitch at about 0:36 that I noticed and the thing that you need to focus on: Vibrato - it needs to be smoother and wider as now it's too rushed somehow.

Keep going man, you are on a roll!

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Jan 11 2014, 11:13 AM

Hey Cosmin, thank you for the feedback!!
I have a question for you about the rushed vibrato: I would really like to be able to do the wider and smoother vibrato you mentioned but at the same time I find it hard to execute, especially in this lesson. The difficulty I am having is related to the note durations being not too long. How can I execute a wide vibrato for a note with a very short duration?? I would be very happy if you could instruct me a bit on this..
Thank you

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 11 2014, 03:54 PM

Hey Mert This is not something that one can explain too well in words - it's something you feel. Because of the tempo, you tend to rush, but the whole idea is to be within the tempo and still wide, without making things sound like you're quickly trying to get out of there. I for one have never ever studied vibrato consciously, but I always used my ears into emulating various types of vibrato and then when I understood the principles, I just adapted things to various contexts.. That's quite it frankly

Posted by: Opetholic Jan 11 2014, 04:08 PM

Ok Cosmin Thanks for the answer! I will try to play so that I don't rush the vibratos and make some recordings and post here soon. I guess with your feedback I will eventually find the right feeling for it.. Will keep you posted

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 12 2014, 03:02 PM

Hey Mert I have an idea - why not make a video in which you experiment with various types of vibrato that you have heard and we can talk on the matter What say you?

Posted by: Opetholic Jan 12 2014, 04:03 PM

Hey Cosmin, about the video, good idea What should I exactly do though in the video?? Play this lesson while experimenting with the vibrato or should I just make a video where I show you what I know about different types of vibrato?? If you could tell me exactly what you would like me to do, I will do it

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 12 2014, 04:47 PM

I was thinking more about picking a lesson in which long notes abound and in which you could experiment with becoming comfy with vibrato and then applying the new skills in this one How about this?

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/John-Mayer-Style-Ballad/

Posted by: Opetholic Jan 12 2014, 04:52 PM

Ok got it Will work on it and post something soon..

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 13 2014, 12:29 PM

Looking forward to that

Posted by: Opetholic Mar 22 2014, 07:16 PM

Surpriiiseeeee Not what you assigned to me but this is a lovely piece, I had to learn it

I am playing on top of your recording.. Any feedback??
I will still upload takes of what you assigned earlier..

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Mar 23 2014, 10:35 AM

Hey Mert! long time no see

Hehe! Amigo this is almost great You are rushing and it can be felt throughout the take, as well as some very small pitch differences in some bends.

Now, I'd focus on the balance as this is the essential thing now. When playing along with my recording, stick to the length of the notes and the pauses, ok?

Posted by: Opetholic Mar 26 2014, 10:11 PM

How about this take??

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Mar 27 2014, 10:00 AM

VERY NICE MAN!!!! In the second part there was maybe, MAYBE one bend who was not that great, but otherwise everything sounds very good!

Now, can you play in the same manner and in the same spirit over the backing track?

If you do it, it's going straight in the REC zone What say you?

Cosmin

Posted by: Opetholic Mar 28 2014, 10:23 PM

Ok here is me playing alone.. It is not really good is it?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Mar 29 2014, 05:05 PM

Hey mate! Oh but it is!

There are VERY little pitch issues - such as 02:04 or 02:10 where you almost reached the pitch but not quite - I know, I am a bit insane, but since you got it to this point, why not aim for perfection?

You are on the good path mate! Congrats!

Posted by: Opetholic Mar 30 2014, 04:13 PM

How about this one??

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Mar 30 2014, 09:01 PM

Heh! Let's take it to the REC It could have more interpretation, but that's a very subjective affirmation - I think you are doing a very nice job here! C'mon I'll meet you there!

Posted by: Opetholic Apr 6 2014, 06:32 PM

Hey Cosmin, here is take 1 of my earlier assignment. John Mayer Style Ballad.. Unfortunately I am not able to combine movies so that's why only the lead guitar part is on the video.
Let me know what you think. Am I playing this ok??

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 7 2014, 10:35 AM

Hey Mert!

Your articulation has improved A LOT! My sincerest congrats

Mate, the only things I can say are the following:

- the bend done from an already bent note around 0:35 should be smoother - maybe not even picked
- you are playing with the same dynamics all the time By this, I mean that all the notes are having the same intensity - please listen to the original recording to see and hear which are the more silent/soft ones, deal?

Very nice!! Keep it up like this and you will be a killer player - you are already a VERY technical one

Posted by: Opetholic Apr 7 2014, 08:39 PM

Hey Cosmin, thank you for the nice words I still don't recognize my articulation getting better, I need to practice more..
Here is another take. Is this better?? What do you think??

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 8 2014, 07:52 AM

Hehe!

Mert you are a fast learner. You are getting better, but as I always say - articulation is not something that grows over night You got the idea of dynamics, but now you need to polish it - I would start with not vibrating the notes so early on. Play the note that will be vibrated and then, let it breathe a bit before actually vibrating it, deal?

Posted by: Opetholic Apr 12 2014, 09:41 AM

Hey Cosmin, in the meantime I am having fun with this alternate picking exercise:
[attachment=36691:Movie.mov]
I have to remind myself that I am an ok player. All the articulation lessons make me feel very down and like a very bad player.. I am just so bad at it..

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 12 2014, 10:40 PM

Man, stop that! You are NOT a bad player - you are a good player who's learning constantly and improving himself! That's how you ought to think! The exercise still needs a bit of polishing, especially on the arpeggios, but it's almost there man. It's a piece of work anyway, so be patient, alright?

Posted by: Opetholic Apr 13 2014, 10:01 AM

Hey Cosmin, yea I know but it gets frustrating sometimes.. But I know that in order to be better I definitely need to improve my articulation. So I won't give up on that.. Do you know the AP lesson I posted then? It is another difficult Muris lesson I will just casually practice it, who knows maybe one day I play it up to tempo.. But I think it is a bit beyond my capabilities to be honest..

Ok back to John Mayer Ballad. I tried to get the notes to breathe more following your advice. Do you feel any difference?? Let me know

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 13 2014, 06:20 PM

Mert! The approach is very good - but it seems like your guitar is a little bit out of tune? Somewhere around 0:14 - that note that is just being held, not bent, sounds somehow under the pitch. I guess it could, be that string only? I haven't heard that AP lesson you posted, but it sounds like a nasty business Especially now that I know it is Muris' work..

Posted by: Opetholic Apr 20 2014, 09:30 AM

Hey Cosmin, you are absolutely right, my guitar is out of tune. I am ashamed I will post a new take soon. In the meantime, check this out:
 Movie.mov ( 7.03MB ) : 126

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 20 2014, 09:26 PM

Wow! Dude! This was awesome I think you are ALMOST there. A few choked notes, but all in all this is a great rendition! My sincerest congrats! No worries, get the guitar in tune and you will sort out that piece I also noticed that your sweeping technique is pretty much uber improved! You see? What did I tell you some time ago?

Posted by: Opetholic Apr 21 2014, 09:36 AM

Cosmin thanks for the nice words I feel like my sweeping improved yes but I still do that unnecessary right hand motion, I can't avoid it, especially at high tempos.. I am upset about that.. This piece by Muris, man I am actually right now playing it only at 110 bpm, it has to go up to 150 bpm I don't think I can make it.. I decided to increase it 5bpm every week, lets see how that goes.. But I love it..

Ok getting back to serious business, here is my next take of John Mayer lesson. What do you think of this one?? The more I think of it the more it makes sense to do the vibrato after waiting a bit. Feels more controlled also. I like it

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 22 2014, 04:13 PM

Holy ... dude, that's fast

If you have enough patience, you will get there for sure I have no doubts about it

Now, regarding the mayer lesson - your vibrato is getting better and better indeed! Congrats, but please take care of the bends - there are a few that sound a bit uncertain and also, it still seems like the guitar is out of tune - see sec 0:13 - that note on which you land on the G string

Posted by: Opetholic Apr 22 2014, 06:23 PM

Hey Cosmin thanks for the feedback..
I will see what I can do about the bends to make them sound more sure.
About the note on the G string, man, I really made sure my guitar was in tune this time, I even checked it with that note specially.. Could it be that the arpeggios in the background are out of tune and therefore we feel like the relative gap is wrong?? Although I must say I can't feel that it is out of tune this time What can I do about it?? Do you think it is slightly flat or slightly sharp??

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 23 2014, 06:57 AM

Why don't you check it out by playing against the original recording? My guitar is in tune and you can use it as a land mark to see whether you are flat or sharp - what say you? It could also be that the background arpeggios were recorded when the guitar was a bit out of tune - but you can hear it, can you? I mean that note on the G string

Posted by: Opetholic Apr 27 2014, 09:45 AM

Ok Cosmin, I will investigate what's going on. I guess I will rerecord the backing arpeggios with better tuning also..
In the meantime at 110bpm I think I will practice this at this tempo for another week..
 Movie.mov ( 7.78MB ) : 88

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 27 2014, 02:22 PM

Hey mate! Not bad at all That bend around 0:33 should be taken care of and the phrases before it as well - they could be a bit cleaner, but this is a difficult piece mate! No worries, focus and practice and it will be there!

But, I was curious of something - what are you going to do with all this technique you are learning? I haven't heard you talking about writing anything so far

Posted by: Opetholic Apr 27 2014, 02:26 PM

Good question Cosmin, I don't know.. I am a very frustrated guitar player. I have so many things in my mind, so much emotion that could go into a lot of music, I just can't put them down and play them on the guitar.. Also still my technique is not good enough to play like music that inspires me. For example Andy James inspires me a lot. A lot of people say they can't listen to it more than a few pieces or even minutes, I can listen to his music for hours and every time it amazes me and I get something new out of it.. I can't play like that though you see

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Apr 28 2014, 07:28 AM

Why do you want to play like him? He already does it You are doing nothing else but frustrating yourself over being an eagle when you are actually a shark - you can swim and have great jaws You get my meaning, right?

If you will keep doing this to yourself instead of starting to explore the music in you with your skills and knowledge AT THIS TIME, you will only end up frustrated and battered, music will not be a thing you like and you will resent it. So, pull up yer guts and let's see how you can start writing something of your own - deal?

Posted by: Opetholic Jul 26 2014, 02:33 PM

Hey Cosmin,

Long time no see. I thought about what you told me and with a lot of difficulty recorded some of my ideas. They are nothing concrete but here you are, first time you hear I don't know what exactly I am trying to tell with this music but this is what I feel like playing when I grab my guitar.. Apart from the Andy James stuff which I can't play
 idea2_2.mp3 ( 8.2MB ) : 86

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 27 2014, 04:54 PM

Hey mate

I listened and I like it Sounds very atmospheric and musical - since it's a jam, I won't say that it's repetitive because most likely you have searched for ideas. It is a very good starting point and I like the way in which the ideas develop and grow into one another.

You have a very natural flow and if you shorten these up a bit, you might end up with a very nice grungy song - this reminds me of Alice in Chains or Soundgarden!

I would try to structure these ideas a bit and transform them into a song - thought about vocals maybe? Building a vocal line with the guitar could be a first step What say you?