Hi Muris,
In this post I will try to give you some idea on my current status, my background, goals, problems etc.
Background
My name is Roger, am from the Netherlands, 33 years old, and I have been playing the guitar effectively for about a year back in the early '90s, however lacked completely a proper lesson-plan etc etc. I was basically just trying to hit the strings and get proper sounds out of it (which to a certain extend even worked ). After this, I remained playing very minimal (sometimes once a month) for another 2 years, but then the guitars went to the attic.
Since about 1.5 years I have picked up my guitars again, and decided that this time things would go differently. I took lessons (which is extremely helpful getting the theory linked to the actual playing), but somehow it did not give me full joy. I came across GMC a while ago and since then I have developed myself quite a bit due to all the lessons, very valuable forum info and also the collabs. Since about 5 months I also play in a band, and am starting to write material for it
Besides playing the guitar, I have been frequently involved in playing music (piano, keyboards, drums), which certainly is helpful for rhythmic feeling etc.
I am interested in quite a few musical styles of which Jazz, Blues, Funk, Rock and Hard Rock are the most important ones. However, I would very much like to get more into other styles as I believe it will make me a better musician in the end.
Current status & problems
I have progressed quite considerably during the last couple of months, due the extreme increase in practicing and making it more focussed and organised. Generally speaking you can also notice this in the collabs I took part in (maybe not in all, but there is a certain line going upwards ).
Techniques
In terms of techniques I practiced most of them already on a regular basis, however there are a couple of technical points which require a lot of attention currently:
- Vibrato (no. 1 for sure)
- Bending
- Sweep picking
- Alternate picking (higher speeds)
Basically, the main objective for technique I have put myself in the forthcoming weeks is to actually achieve a controlled vibrato throughout a solo/song which is confident and contributing to the 'feeling' of the thing I am playing.
Nevertheless, besides vibrato and controlled bending, I would also really make some progress in really developing sweep picking and arpeggiated alternate picking runs at higher speeds.
In terms of rhythm playing, I am currently learning more and more chord shapes, however I would like to implement combining these chords with lead lines (hybrid picking), especially developing them in my own music (example I quite like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSM3FL7zUdw).
Although I would like to be able to playing some very fast runs if required, my ultimate goal is to become a good musician, and playing speed should only be a tool to reach that goal.
In terms of timing I could also learn quite a lot, although people keep telling me that I have quite a good feel for rhythm.
Theory
Theory wise, I am currently at a stage that I know e.g. the 7 3 nps boxes of the major modes, working on the harmonic minor scale currently and trying to connect all those boxes (e.g. sliding shapes through 3 boxes etc) to have proper fretboard knowledge instantly when improvising. It's really getting better and better due to a much structured approach.
Also, things as which chords to use with which modes, playing around chords, more jazz-related theory is something I am quite far in I guess (due to having teaching from a jazz player I guess ). But I certainly can learn loads more!!!!!
My major goal in terms of theory in relation to my playing would be to effectively being able to improvise on the spot using different modes. Part of this would also be developing a proper ear training to recognize all intervals.
A couple of key video's recorded in order of recording
20 Oct 2008 - Slow Blues Improv (first video recorded ever, quite happy with the licks produced, timing could have been better)
14 Dec 2008 - Christmas Rock Improv (was very happy at the time with the used techniques, maybe a bit simple here and there)
24 Jan 2009 - Stop Blues Improv (being able to switch relatively easy between the pentatonic boxes, not good use of vibrato)
12 Feb 2009 - Lick Construction Improv (achieved a fair level of picking speed and melodic/chord following improvisation, not very well controlled vibrato)
15 Feb 2009 - Fusion Jam Improv (not happy at all technique wise (vibrato/bending), first video in which I used a bit of sweep picking (yay ), timing could have been better, composing wise I am quite happy to actually compose something which is following chords, using arpeggios etc.)
Current lesson of Muris to practice
I started with the http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/phrygian-soloing-intermediate/, 2 weeks ago, learned the notes but then stopped it due to all the collabs etc and some personal things. Nevertheless will start this one up again tonight (update: can play the whole thing a bit sloppy at 60 bpm now). I noticed that some of the faster parts (legato + alternate picking are giving quite some problems).
Overall goal in the MTP
Improve myself as a musician and playing the guitar, which means that I will be able to make well thought own composed music which goes a bit further than the standard ABC. Furthermore, as part of this I would like to develop heavily my technique as this is definitely one of my weak spots currently (and that also limits my speed and other aspects of my playing).
I am extremely motivated to really make this one of the best experiences in my guitar playing life ever, and looking forward to start working with you Muris
If you wanna know any more details, just ask as I will probably have forgotten quite some stuff
Cheers
Roger
Hey Roger.
Watching all those clips I noticed that
you're pretty much of bluesy player which is great!
Here are 2 lessons that might fit your needs nicely.
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/modern-blues-soloing/
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/blues-bending-lesson/
You'll find lots of bends and vibrato in those lessons
which is probably most important in blues playing.
Good thing is, it's not only one pentatonic scale up and down,
I tried so incorporate couple of scales into simple blues progression
and I hope you'll find that useful as well.
Let me know if you have any questions tho,
I'll be looking forward to your takes on those 2 lessons
in lets say 7 days.
Have a good time practicing!
Thanks Muris,
I will get on those lessons immediately tonight.
Just something I like to mention is that I actually want to progress to not be only a blues player (most of the collabs however had blues in it ) and I won't to move more into fusion/rock in the future as well. But regardless of that, I need to work big time on bending/vibrato so these lessons will be great!
Should I also produce a take on the phrygian intermediate lesson within 7 days, as it may be difficult to reach that given the timeframe?
Cheers!
EDIT: Checked the lessons out at work and they are really great!
Of course not only Blues,
I said that only because you seems to be very comfortable
with bluesy kind of playing and feel atm, that's all!!
And yes, we'll work on many other things as well,
this is just the start.
As for Phrygian lesson, it's fully up to you.
Even if you don't manage to nail lessons I gave you in 7 days
it's no big deal indeed, if you spend some time on them
I'm sure you'll get more power in vibrato and bending anyhow
which is one of our tasks here, just keep on working
and keep me updated!
Thanks a lot for the reply, I will do my utmost best to get as much out of all 3 lessons as possible
Just to quickly update you:
I am progressing fairly well with the Modern Blues lesson and the other bending lesson as well.
However one thing that stalls the progress is the fact that after I practice these lessons seriously for about 1 hour, my fingertips are totally ruined each day (and becoming painful as well), so I have to stop practicing those bends at that time (as I don't have enough power in my fingers any more to control it). This only shows to me that I really need to develop this area of bending/vibrato much more in order to get used to it.
Until now, I did not manage to record a video yet which was good enough to show you for the modern blues lesson (but this will happen before Thursday ). The other bending lesson may take a bit longer, due to the problems with hours of playing these bends currently.
No worries Roger, it is quite natural to face issues with finger tips
when working more on bends plus vibrato.
Just do it as you do know, have a break when you feel you need one
and try not to over work it cause sometimes it leads to very serious
problems and you would have to take even longer breaks to heal,
of course you know what you're doing and that won't happen.
Hi Muris,
Here is my first reasonable take on the Modern Blues Soloing lesson. It took me quite a while to get a take without quite a few errors (unfortunately, in this take the 2 whole tone bend is somewhat ruined due to string noise in this take, whilst this was much better in other takes ).
After watching the video, I am still not enthousiastic about my vibrato, but I have the feeling it's getting better since I started practicing the lesson.
I would appreciate any pointers to work on.
Gonna spend the remaining days on the other bending lesson Could you send me the backing of that lesson?
Cheers
Roger
We're getting there Roger, have no doubt!!
Ok, here are few pointers.
First of all, timing was bit wrong here and there
which isn't the must since we are focusing on bends and vibrato only
but you could try to fix that as well,
probably after few more listening to my take you'll get it in total, no rush.
Section 0:16-0:19, I believe you should you ring finger
for all those bends on B and high E string 11th fret,
you'll have much more strength instead of using pinky, give it a try.
Now, you could also try to play every bend in the lesson separately for a while,
just like a pure exercise, bend it and add vibrato then repeat it few times,
after that go next bend etc.
This might be boring thing to do but bends need time,
your hand will get used to everything after a while.
Here's one more trick but it's mostly psycho effect tho.
You can hit every note you need to bend very hard
and believe me, that will give some sort of confidence to your left hand
to perform even more accurate bends and vibratos.
As you can see in the lesson,
most of the time I was hitting strings like a mad man.
Good work so far Roger and here's backing you asked,
keep working, looking forward to more takes!
Blues_Bending_Lesson___BT_75_bpm.mp3 ( 982.4K )
: 3
Thanks Muris,
I noticed that the timing wasn't perfect, but as you said I was focussing a bit more on the other things. I will certain try to bend with the ring finger on the 11th fret (I was even doing that when I started the lesson ).
From now on, I will certainly do the bends only for a couple of minutes just to get them in my head.
Cheers!
Roger
Just a quick update here:
Starting seriously now with the Blues bending lesson, and to my own surprise the whole lesson goes much, much easier now compared to last week when I first tried it. The work on the other lesson really payed off already I guess
Anyways, gonna keep working on it tonight, and will probably record a video of it on Friday (tomorrow I am having my squash night ).
Thanks for great news Roger and looking forward to see
new clips, keep it up!
Hey Muris,
Here is my take on the Blues Bending Lesson. Not all bends are spot-on, but overall I am more or less OK with this take, given the relative short practice period. Done more bending the last week than in my whole life before
Looking forward to your comments and next assignments
Cheers
Roger
Oh yeah, I can see you spent lot of time with bending since
this isn't easiest thing to play, no doubt!!
Timing for mostly fine but some bends were kind a out of pitch
so I would ask you to pay more attention on these:
0:09 - you bended it nicely but then you released it not fully,
so you ended somewhere between F and F#, you should end of F#.
0:11 - this bend was too high, watch your steps here!
0:15 - there are 3 whole tone bends here in a row and they were all
pretty low in pitch, just bend them with more power to reach right note.
0:20 - this should be tone and a half bend on A string, pull it heavy!!
0:25 - this one was too high
0:30 - to perform this 2 whole tones bend on G string you have to bend it upwards,
there is no enough fretboard to pull it if you bend downwards.
0:31 - these half tone bends were mostly low in pitch
I believe the tempo is what makes you problems,
it's could be too fast for you atm to play on time
and execute all those bands correctly!
So here is one slower backing for you, it's actually 90% speed of 75 bpm (time stretching),
try it and let me know how it goes, you should have more time with it
to perform all those bends with steady pitch.
Blues_Bending_Lesson___BT_Slower.wav ( 7.93MB )
: 1
Can I ask for one more take on each lesson and then we'll go with next assignments?
My fingers are not happy with you anymore Muris
But seriously, thanks for the comments and actually most of the bends you mentioned I already knew that they were not in pitch completely, but it was the best take I had after 1.5 hours from yesterday evening (quite frustrating ).
What I find in particular difficult is to execute this many bends in a short period of time, all with different amounts of bending.... I find it much easier to occassionnally bend and working on that one to be in pitch, but I guess that's normal.
Anyways, I will work on both lessons this morning a bit, and then I have a big party, so will be away until Sunday afternoon and will see if I can record 2 video's at least by tomorrow or Monday.
Cheers mate!
Roger
Ok, already made a recording of the Blues Bending lesson with the 90% backing (a night's sleep helps ).
I think most of the bends are now better in pitch, a couple are still off (e.g. the double bend in bar 4 is killing my fingers ).
I would appreciate if you could let me know whether this one is indeed better than my previous take?
Will record a take of the other lesson maybe still this morning or otherwise tomorrow/monday.
Cheers!
Sure thing Roger, take some rest and I'll wait for the take, good luck!
Hi Muris,
Here is my 2nd take on the modern blues lesson. I had some difficulties with syncing the video and sound, but it seems fine now.
I would appreciate your comments, hopefully it's better than the first one, both with regard to timing and bending precision
Looking forward to the new assignments.
Cheers
Roger
That was much much better Roger,
of course there is always room for improvement
so I'm asking you to continue practicing bends and vibratos, ok?
Now lets try with some alternate picking,
I would like to cover all technique regions first
and then to work more on theory, improvising and such.
Here is one pretty nice picking etude for you,
original tempo is 160 but lets try with 90 bpm,
it requires lots of stamina as well which eventually
leads to faster and more accurate picking no matter what.
For the starters you don't have to cover whole lesson,
50% would be more than enough,
I would like to see your movements when doing pure picking stuff
and then we'll dive into details.
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/c-minor-picking-etude/
Cm_Picking_Etude___BT_90_bpm.mp3 ( 2.09MB )
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Good luck and ask if you need anything of course!
Thanks Muris,
Start practicing right away!
Hey Muris,
I have two questions regarding the alternate picking. I have used that technique for a while already, however I always noticed that it's quite tough for me to increase speeds, even with familiar patterns, so I would like to tackle the problem right away. I believe it has to do with finetuning of the my technique used, and I would like to work on it already in this first part of the lesson:
Pick angle:
Should I aim to have the pick parallel to all the strings or with a slight angle (I particularly like the tone with I use no angle)? In relation to that, if I pick at different strings, should I adjust my pick angle or just accept a difference in angle?
Right-hand:
Should my right-hand movement be fully based from the whrist? Or should I use a combination of thumb/index finger - whrist movement? The elbow should be fixed right?
Many thanks for your advices.
Cheers
Roger
Hi Roger.
As for the angle, I guess you can keep less angle if you want,
of course it will not be the same all the time once you start
shifting from one string to another but it's ok.
And I advise you to play from wrist only, playing "from fingers"
is too weak for many occasions, specially if we are talking about acoustic guitar per example.
I guess you wanna be able to play almost everything
both on electric and acoustic, right?
Thanks Muris,
Glad that I started practicing the right way
Oh, and yeah I would like to develop myself as broad as possible playing guitar, so will stick with your advice on the wrist only Am progressing nicely with the lesson, must say that the 3 similar notes runs are quite tricky, compared to the regular 4 similar note runs. But with a bit of practice I am getting there (already noticing quite an improvement in my picking technique after a focussed practice session yesterday).
Finally I now really see that focussed practicing is really paying off big time
Cheers!
Awesome to hear Roger, keep me posted!
Hi Muris,
Attached a quick upload of the first 4 bars of the C minor picking etude to show you my basic movements (good that you pushed me in chat ).
Still quite sloppy, but should give you a good idea.
Looking forward to your advices
Cheers
Roger
It was very nice Roger,as I said in chat!
Try to make wider movements tho since you have time to do that,
it'll help you to feel each note better, also apply more power.
As for muting, you might notice that it doesn't have same effect
when playing slow compared with original tempo,
but still you can practice with and without PM at this speed, why not.
Sounds good Roger, have fun with the band tho!
After recording for about 2 hours , I managed to record a take which is most of the time ok-ish. It certainly has some 'errors', however I thought it would be best to show it to you this way. I omitted palm muting for now, as getting a take like this took me already quite a while
I find it particularly hard to play this flawless for 1.5 minute duration in total.
Looking forward to your comments.
Btw, even though I am only playing this etude at 90 bpm I notice a massive improvement in my alternate picking chops during jamming etc., even at much higher speeds, which is truly awesome! Anyways, I am more motivated than ever to really make things happen!
Nice, clean and accurate, thank you a lot for this Roger, made my day!
Your hand is fully relaxed which is most important here,
next you can apply more attack into picking if you want,
that helps a lot for better tone and timing tho timing here was excellent!
Ok, for a homework you could try maybe 100 bpms
but also do a solo over the same backing,
now you've memorized some picking patterns
plus all those bends from other lessons,
lets see how it'll be.
Quick question:
After looking at the chordprogression again in more detail would you say the following approach would be a good one for the scales to use during the solo:
Complete backing using C Aeolian except for the G and G7 (using C Harmonic minor or G mixolydian) and F#dim (using C locrian)?
Cheers!
Best idea would be C minor plus C harmonic for G and G7
and D Phrygian Dominant over F#dim, or simply play F#dim arpeggio like many do.
Ok thanks , will probably record the first part of the solo soonish (until Eb or so), to give you an idea how it's going.
Hey Muris,
Ok, here it is. I have tried to stick partly to the C minor etude patterns (hence the type of solo I made), using vibrato and several bends here and there (was it better than 2 weeks ago before we started?). Also used some more speedy runs in between to spice things up a bit (could not withstand that).
Please let me know which parts you liked, and which parts can be improved so I can work on that while composing the remainder.
Cheers
Roger
I see that you feel much more free to bend the string!
However, be careful when trying whole tone and a half bends,
you did it 2-3 times but most of them were low in the pitch,
I know it's maybe little bit scary to bend string that much
but if you stared it then you have to finish it,
otherwise you end in between the notes and it sounds out of tune.
Picking was also nice, it made cool refreshing sound
after all those longer notes, just make sure that you count
all notes correctly like 16th, 16th triplets or whatever,
random picking runs might sound kind of sloppy if they
are played without enough confidence and power,
or at least you need to end it right on time with strong note
and that way even random runs will sound ok!
And vibrato could be maybe better,
you had lot of longer notes and enough time
to perform all those wide and heavy vibratos,
perhaps you were thinking what to do next and maybe that's what
distracted you from applying nice vibrato all the time,
try to focus enough on every single, hit the strings, apply vibrato
and let is stays as long as you want but keep it sounding sweet and not nervous,
once you're done with the note you can go for next one etc.
Each note we play needs special treatment, just like kids!
How about doing another one but maybe more melodic,
try to sing a line along with the backing and then
copy some of those lines that you sang,
we're after sweet solo that\ll have our attention!
Thanks for all the comments, still a long way to go . I will eventually get the bending/vibrato right .
Will try to make a more melodic one this time (I actually knew the last one wasn't melodic enough, but that was because I put things in it artificially what I normally wouldn't do that much).
Cheers!
Sorry for delay Roger, I just arrived in US,
looking forward to new take.
Hey Muris,
Here is my new attempt (HQ setting is loads better ) to get something melodic on the backing of the C minor etude.
Looking forward to your comments
That was way more melodic Roger, good job!
Just pay attention at 0:31, we have Eb chord there
and you ended on C note, that's note pretty much strong note
cause Eb chord doesn't have it inside, try with Bb, G or Eb instead,
I would go with Bb tho since it's closest one to C.
Also focus more on vibrato on longer notes,
I'm sure you can notice that it's pretty nervous,
needs some more work and we will work more on that.
And last thing that I would like to talk about here is
Alternate Picking part you fired off in the middle of section,
you picked very cool spot but your timing was bit inaccurate
cause it wasn't kind a "prepared".
In improvisation we play some unprepared licks from time to time
but our hands must be comfortable with something similar
in order to pull it off nicely.
So think all licks that you wanna play, try it slowly,
see what note durations you're up to, clean it up,
play it slowly and then build the tempo.
After many licks you play it'll take less and less time
for those preparations.
How about another one with clean picking and more
slow and wide vibrato on longer notes?
You can use full backing if you want
and also think of strong notes when you lay down.
Hey Muris,
Thanks for the extensive feedback, which is certainly helpful.
Parts of the solo were indeed improvised, including the quick part, which explains that problem.
I will post another take fairly soon, and if you agree I would like to stick with the current length for now, just to get the vibrato better and the timing issues. I really, really would like to get my vibrato/timing/bending fully controlled as it annoys be bigtime currently .
Was the bending generally better compared to previous takes you saw from me?
Cheers
Roger
Hey Muris,
Here is a new take from me. I have focussed fully on the vibrato on this one and hopefully it's improved (I have at least the feeling, both during playing and after listening that it improved) compared to the previous take. Please let me know.
I also got rid of the ending at 0:30 on C (ended on Bb instead), however I know that the quick alternate part is not good yet, but I thought it would be good to know first whether the vibrato is finally getting better or not.
Thanks for the comments.
Cheers
Roger
Sorry for delay Roger, I was out of town yesterday, another gig!
Latest clips were very good, specially the very last one,
bending is getting better and vibrato is sounding much smoother,
there is still room for improvement as you know
but there is major progress compared to when we started, no doubt!
Keep working on those and now lets work on Alternate Picking a bit.
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/alternate-picking-thirds/
Here's one nice picking lesson for you that involves 3nps patterns all the time,
I'll give you full tempo backing which is 100bmp, let me know if you
need slower one, maybe you have some software to slow it down tho.
Good luck and please let me know if you need any help with it!
Alternate_Picking_Thirds_BT_100_bpm.mp3 ( 974.09K )
: 2
Thanks Muris for the comments.
Good to hear that things are progressing . I will start working on the AP thirds lesson, as well as continuing with the other AP exercise + solo.
I have Soundforge, so I can easily slow the backing down. Have started with that lesson a while back, and know all the 3 nps patterns already, so hopefully this won't take too long to record a reasonable take
Off to band practice now
Cheers
Roger
Sounds great Roger, have fun with the band
and looking forward to new takes.
Hey Muris,
Just a quick update from my side after we had the chat discussion last week. I have started tonight again (after I returned from the US) with the alternate picking thirds lesson and I can more or less play the 80 bpm variant. However, it's still too sloppy, so I will practice it for a couple more nights if you don't mind and post a take Friday or Saturday (I have work appointments tomorrow and the day after in the evening as well unfortunately).
The biggest problem I currently have is that my pick is moving within my fingers, which I need to correct and that results again in sloppy playing as well
All in all a good lesson to practice!
Thanks for your patience
Welcome back Roger!
Take your time and some rest,
weekend seems to be just fine,
I will wait for your takes.
I can some some struggle Roger but we can fix this in a sec!
Main thing is that you keep your
left hand wrist too much behind the neck,
you have to push it in front to get more comfort,
here you have 2 whole frets per string pretty often
and it's very hard to play that the way you do,
imagine you're playing it with legato,
you have to hold your fingers kind a vertical with frets
and that means wrist goes ahead!
Give it a shot and let me know if it's getting better!
Hey Muris,
Here is a new take in which I tried to focus on my left hand posture much more. The take is still sloppy (especially going down during the last pattern, where a suddenly increased speed without any reason ), however I thought it would be good to know first whether all the basics movements/position are more or less OK now, before cleaning it up further?
Thanks for your help!
Cheers
Roger
Left hand posture is much better now Roger!
However you might try to close your legs
and turn on the left a bit,
you're hitting your belly with your left hand
which causes you some extra problems,
actually you did try to avoid that few times
in the video, when you move in the place.
Keep it up, it's going fine!
Just a quick update from my side Muris: slowly getting improvement in the lesson, and hopefully I can record a proper take this weekend (have squash/bandpractice today/tomorrow).
Was also thinking of working on the April challenge a bit of yours (the intermediate one ).
Cheers
Roger
ps: Summer Song is definitely improving as well, but we have difficulty in using it in the MTP on the forum (concerning tabs, videos and such - after feedback from Maria on it). Will update you on this once I know more.
Looking forward to it Roger,
let me know about Summer Song through PM in a meanwhile!
Hi Muris,
I've been practicing the alternate picking in thirds lesson an aweful lot, and been busy trying to record a proper take this evening since 21:00 ... and somehow, when I press that record button I get all those uncontrolled things happening during the take (string noises etc etc). Anyways, this is the best I could get out of this lesson for now (which is really a big dissappointment for me ).
Anyways, let me know your thoughts
Cheers
Roger
Just sent a PM with the first part of Summer Song .
Thanks for the comments. Will certainly continue with the previous lessons on a daily basis, but am glad as well that we can move on a bit.
I was thinking to take something completely different for a change:
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/rhythm-guitar/funk-rhythm-lesson/
Would that be logical (if so, could you give me the backing at full speed?), if not I am more than happy with any lesson
Funk Rhythm lesson, great idea Roger!!
And here's backing for you!!
Funk_Rhythm_Lesson___BT_105_bpm.mp3 ( 912.1K )
: 1
Hi Muris,
Here is a take of the Funk Rhythm lesson at 95 bpm. I can play it pretty much the same at 105 bpm but it's a bit less stable than this one. I kinda miss a bit of the funky feel still and the main riff is a bit sloppy sometimes, but working on that .
Looking forward to hear your thoughts
Cheers!
Roger
Nice work Roger!!
Here's the thing about Funk and those grooves,
when you listen to a take it might sound almost
100% fine and in time but when you LOOK at the player
you will realize why it sounds ALMOST perfect.
And you're guessing the reasons of course,
you must be more relaxed overaly
but another very important thing is to actually
feel the rhythm by tapping with your foot
or even small dancing with your shoulders!!
You learned piece correctly and that's very crucial at this stage,
now you just have to dive more into groove,
get some nice mood and do The Funk!
Can't wait for next clip (including some dancing)!!
Been busy practicing the Funk Lesson and it certainly improves. Hopefully I can record a take tomorrow.
In the meantime, I have also made a take for this month challenge on your dynamics solo writing lesson, and I would love to hear your comments as well on that one.
Here it is:
Cheers,
Roger
Yeah, I just saw it in REC thread and said few words as well.
Here's what crosses my mind atm and these
are truly small details but those mean a lot!
First, somehow you play staccato notes in a phrase
when it should be legato, not technique but connection between
notes, you make a gap probably because of the sync issue,
that happens on picking parts tho.
So pay more attention to that, keep it flowing.
Next thing is picking and bending probably,
I can always make complaint about it
but you ARE making some major progress since we started
so just keep working on that as you have done so far.
I knew you're gonna understand my point Roger,
those details can really make a huge difference after all!
Keep up the work and let me know when you
have a new recording on the way.
Yeah, I can feel the groove Roger, much better regarding that topic!
Now there are some spots where you have only technical issues
to they sound somehow sloppy and not so clean,
you might wanna break it down into smaller sections,
play slow just to catch up your picking and see if everything is going as planned
and then build up the speed slowly.
Now need to play it too slow tho, maybe 15-20 bpm slower than full tempo.
Good work!
It's all about hours we spend with the guitar and whole effort
but everything pays back nicely, no doubt!
Btw, if you have any problems with Luke lesson, specially with timing,
you can check out http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showtopic=26994 where I uploaded
a slower take on it, easier to follow everything.
Thanks Muris!
Just a quick note that I am quite busy with work currently, and in the evenings stuffed with other things (like band practice tonight, squash etc).
Will practice regularly though and hope to have something uploaded by the weekend
Cheers
Roger
No problem Roger,
let me know when you have something!
Hey Muris,
Just to update you a little:
1) Funk rhythm lesson is now better regarding rhythmic placement as far as I can judge it, and will continue to work on that for the next days and will post a video when I am satisfied
2) Luke lesson: did not have time the last 3 days to practice, but today I achieved quite an improvement and can more or less play the lesson at 50 bpm with OK timing. Only struggling a bit still with bar 9, 11 and 12. I noticed that I find it somehow quite hard to do chromatic pull-offs smoothly with 4 fingers on 2 strings after each other . Anyways, will try to record a video of that as well in the next days.
Am quite busy currently as well with my band, as I am going to sing in the band as well ... and that brings a totally different dimension into my performance, which is taking up a bit of time.
Sorry for the delays (tomorrow I have 2 birthday parties and we have 'Mothersday' in the Netherlands ... so going to visit 4 homes in one day which are spread around 150 km from each other , but you will get something from me soon hopefully
Cheers
Roger
Despite of lack of recording I must say that I'm really glad to hear
that you're working a lot with the bend,=
and specially that you'll be doing vocals too, way to !
Regarding Luke lesson and chromatic pull-offs,
it's natural to have problems with that kind of licks
IF you haven't played something similar before,
actually doing pull-offs or hammer-ons with all 4 fingers in a row
just might be the hardest combo available,
practice it slow until your fingers get the idea on how to execute that.
Looking forward to new takes Roger,
have fun at parties etc!
Hey Muris,
Here is another try on the funk rhythm lesson. I believe that the rhythmic placement is better now, however I noticed afterwards that I danced less . Hopefully this one is good enough for the REC program .
Anyways, looking forward to your thoughts on this one
Cheers
Roger
It IS getting better Roger!!
Rhythmic placement is pretty much on place
except those muted triplets that you've been missing, at 0:23.
They are not crucial but give really cool flavor to Funk, muted or ghost notes.
And the last note B should be a lot shorter,
whole rhythm section stops immediately and you should do the same,
do not let it ring a lot, that's the point of that kind of endings,
short, accurate in in your face!
Good take, worthy for REC, no doubt.
Great, thanks for the heads up!
Since yesterday evening late, I suddenly noticed that I was putting too much pressure on the fretboard with my playing to get the placement right and after I did this much less, not only this lesson went much better, but all my playing went great in comparison to earlier .... kind of an eureka moment I guess for myself
Eureka is best feel ever Roger!!
I cannot say if you have applied too much pressure
but one thing is for sure, we need to be as much relaxed as possible
and that very often means less pressure as well.
However I would keep working on applying more attack with the picking,
it's sometimes very helpful for timing, articulation etc.
And you'll always know when you apply too much, it'll sound wrong.
Hey Muris,
As discussed this afternoon in chat: here is my first try on the Luke lesson. Kinda sloppy still (but don't have any time left today to get that sorted now ): timing is not perfect at several places as well as some bends are out of pitch, but you were definitely right to record something prior to my holidays, which start tomorrow
After I return I will keep on going with this lesson until it's OK regarding timing and will then move on to the 65 bpm speed as well.
Any helpful pointers are always appreciated
Cheers
Roger
Hi Roger and thanks for recording!!
I know that you have a lot on your mind atm so it's very appreciated.
Here are few pointer of course.
This added not on bend at 0:08 is always tricky when you try it for the first time.
And you have to be very focused when doing it,
your hand needs to keep bend fully while pinky is adding a note,
of course it's matter of practicing but concentration as well,
you have to say it "hold right there until it's over!!".
And you can also try it with tapping every once in a while
until you're able to play it perfectly with pinky.
Rest of the bends were pretty fine imo but I noticed that you've been
using pinky very often for some other bends like at 0:17 and 0:45 ,
you can play those much easily with ring finger to get better control
of the bend and eventually apply some vibrato,
it's very hard to control bend with pinky imo, no need to torture yourself.
Timing was like 95% ok tho!
There are some tiny problems with faster part
but I'm sure you'll clean that in no time with some more facused
practicing on that specific part.
I wish you some great time at holidays Roger
and thanks for the take, it was VERY nice!
Thanks for the feedback Muris, much appreciated!
Hey Muris,
Am back from holidays, so back to practicing the Luke lesson . Been playing the acoustic guitar for a whole week playing all kinds of little wing type of improvisation (memorized about 20 new chord shapes all over the neck), which now I am back playing the strat, does give me the feeling that I am making an enormous boost in my playing ability.
I can also manage the Luke lesson at 65 bpm with only a few things to correct and will upload a proper take somewhere this week. Have to practice quite a bit for the band as well because we are going to play Little Wing on Friday (and I need to get that in my system for 90% still ).
Cheers
Roger
Welcome back Roger!!
Those small chords all over the neck are helpful indeed,
give you better overview when improvising and not just playing chords as they are.
I'll look forward to your new take, see ya soon!
Ok Muris,
As discussed in the chat 10 minutes ago, here is a take I recorded this morning which certainly has still several things to address, but I agree it's better to regularly upload something indeed
Will certainly try to record a better take soonish, but besides that I would love to also get started with another lesson if you agree?
EDIT: as discussed on the forum.. directions to progress in are those which I don't play often: Jimi-Hendrix like knowing as much chords/riffs (a la little wing) to freely improvise or a bit of hybrid picking or so. On the other hand: I really need to work more and more on rhythmic development as that's something which comes up several times with collabs and such.
Cheers
Roger
There were some problems with timing starting from middle of the lesson
but your bends are much much better and accurate Roger!!
And this Luke lesson ain't easiest one,
all those bends and vibratos are very tricky to handle
for many players, well done so far!
You may continue to work on this and all other lessons we've tried so far,
it's never wrong to play things over and over,
it's just a matter of time when a segment from one or few comes in handy.
Here's my Hybrid Picking Beginners lesson,
maybe you are not beginner at this point
but I would love to see how you handle this one
before we start with something bit harder, ok?
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/hybrid-picking-beginner/
And here is BT for you (let me know if you would like slower one as well) .
Hybrid_Picking___Beginner_BT_85_bpm.mp3 ( 1.15MB )
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And as for Hendrix type of chords/riffs,
I do not have any lessons of that kind running at GMC atm,
perhaps you've been working on something similar
that I might correct or give some input?
Ok, here is a take on the hybrid picking lesson
Quick update just before you're in the plain:
Hybrid picking lesson get's along quite nicely and I will try to record a decent take while you are in London. The sweep picking one is really annoying the hell out of me, but I know I have to keep on doing it and at a certain moment it will all fall into places
Practicing the advanced challenge for this month as well to improve my alternate picking skills.
Have a great time in London and good luck!
Thanks for input Roger, it's matter of time and practicing,
keep working and record as often as you can!
Thanks for your kind wishes tho, means a lot, talk soon!
Hi Muris,
Just a quick update here: practicing the intermediate hybrid picking lesson quite a lot, however I am struggling heavily with getting some of the sections clean played. Somehow my right hand fingers are not listening to my brain . Will upload a take at 120 bpm in the next couple of days hopefully.
Cheers
Roger
Hey Roger, great to hear from you!!
Yeah I know, many of my intermediate lesson
might be advanced for someone but it's sooo relative,
pardon me if I make mistake while rating 3 levels sometimes.
Let me know if you need any help or hint with it tho!
Hehe, good that at least this lesson is rated 6 by you ,
Well, in order to clean it up I guess I just have to work to use my right hand fingers very carefully and mute all the not used strings as well with my left hand and right hand palm as much as possible.
Will keep on it
Hi Muris,
Here is a take at about 110 - 120 bpm on the intermediate hybrid picking lesson. I am far from happy with it, but it took much too long in the first place to record something in the first place. Some of the sections need a bit of clean-up, and those I can actually already play cleaner already, however I struggle big-time with the bars 9 - 12. How can I get those at least a bit cleaner .
Anyways all comments are much appreciated
Thanks for update Roger,
it is a bit sloppy but you're getting there!
Here's one thing that I noticed tho,
you seem to play very soft here, both with pick and fingers.
Don't get me wrong, being able to play soft is some sort of a gift,
many guys can't do that, they hit heavily all the time!
But when you have kind a faster licks to play
it usually ends sloppy it you don't apply enough energy into picking,
and that very energy within picking (pick and fingers)
will help you to sync hands nicely too, believe me.
You're still pretty new to this technique
so that's why you should "attack" more on every note for now,
later on you can play it softer and more smoother
as you get more comfortable with technique.
So here's what I would do,
I would simply practice each lick separately over and over,
with more power in right hand, string should swing every time you hit it,
that might be your guide here!
As you can see in video, strings are not moving up and down
as you play them cause there is no enough power,
add more, play licks separately, start very slowly and upgrade the speed smoothly,
that should work.
Holidays, sound like a good time, have a great one Roger!!
And yeah, bring your guitar with you, try some new stuff if you get some time
and hit me here in thread if needed, no problem at all.
My vacation..hmm... I had some nice plans for August
but I've been getting new jobs invitations almost daily
so I might skip it this year, most likely, will see.
Anyhow, don't listen to me complaining about everything
run and catch some sun, talk soon!
Hi Muris,
As you might have already noticed ... am back from Spain. Had a great time and learned a lot whilst playing the acoustic guitar as well. Completely swamped myself with a lot of advanced theory stuff which is opening up a whole lot of new possible roads to take to make music.
Gonna start again on the hybrid picking lesson to get that better soonish
Cheers
Roger
Hey Roger!
Good to hear from you, glad you had a great time in Spain tho.
Hit me with some new recordings when you can
and feel free to talk about theory that you've been diving it recently!
A little update
Making some nice progress on they hybrid picking lesson following your advice and hopefully will record a take later today or tomorrow (might be even full speed ).
Must say that my total playing skills have definitely improved over the last weeks whilst only playing the acoustic .... overall alternate picking speed definitely increased with several BPM as well as my fretboard knowledge due to the large number of chords/intervals I recognize better now.
Coming to a point now for the first time that I think that I might be able to tackle some more advanced instrumental tunes
Your help has been really invaluable for all the progress I have made (can imagine how my bending/vibrato would have been without your help ) in the last months and will be during the coming ones. Many, many thanks for that!
Cheers
Roger
That's just AWESOME Roger!!!
Spot on with acoustic btw,
it helps with picking big time,
you have to pick harder and with more accuracy, no doubt,
you are doing a very wise thing by spending more time with your acoustic!
Looking forward to your new takes.
Hi Muris,
Finally recovering a bit from the flu-symptoms I had in the beginning of the week as you knew, so here is take on the hybrid intermediate one. Hopefully it improved since the previous one. Tried to have the fingerpicking a bit stronger now as well. I have quite a bit difficulty with playing this clean at several spots. I am looking forward for your comments .
In the meantime I had a bit of a thought on how to proceed and I guess one of my main issues is proper phrasing/rhythm (as you pointed out during the improvisation take). Also, my legato needs some work I guess (I hear that comment quite a few times 'legato is a bit weak'). Any good lessons you could recommend for me to work on?
Am learning/memorizing the 5 CAGED arpeggio shapes for Maj/Min/Maj7/m7/7/m7b5 chords at this moment as well, in order to include more chordial phrasing in my playing. Would be awesome if there is a lesson which could incorporate both things
Many thanks!
Roger
Hey Roger, great to have you back on track!
I watched clip you posted and here are my thoughts.
Your finger picking IS pretty stronger now and I very salute that!
But I'm noticing a tiny problem in another area which is pick.
You seem to do pretty wide movements when you play with the pick
which moves your hand totally and that leads to hitting unwanted string,
or you simply miss a string.
So my advice would be to try some simple exercises along with the lessons.
Take D and G strings per example, any 2 notes on those strings,
G note on D and D note on G maybe, a 5th.
And then play them looped, upstroke on D string and G note with middle finger.
Play them countless times, start slowly and keep your movements smooth and short,
then upgrade your tempo a little.
Then try similar thing with D and B string, D with the pick and B string with ring finger.
Of course you can use different strings for these exercises, I'm just telling one.
Keep your movements as short as possible while keeping the same attack,
that's probably heavy task for you atm but I'll get better after a while
and with more practicing.
Now about legato.
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guitar/legato-lesson/
There's one legato lesson but you might also wanna try something from Legato and Picking serial,
it's 3 level serial, check it out and tell me which one suits you the best
and of course let me know which BTs you would like.
Regarding those arpeggios that you're practicing, that VERY smart thing to do!
Now, I can't think of any lesson (or at least not from me) that would cover all that
but you should be able to play all those shapes in any key and over any backing track imo.
And you don't even have to follow same type of chord of every arpeggio.
Let me try to explain this.
We are in a key of Am and there is Am chord, 2 bars approx.
What can we play over that chord arpeggio wise?
You can play Am, Am7, Cmaj7 (works like an Am9 chord), Em7(works as an Am9 without 3rd) etc.
Some of those arpeggios would NOT cover everything that chord has
but it doesn't matter, you don't have to follow the same chord all the time.
Specially this Em7 arpeggio over Am chord per example, try it, sounds VERY smooth.
Hey Muris,
The backing track from the legato lesson would be a great start. So if you could send me that, would be great! After I have that one under my belt I will also work on the legato/picking serial.
Believe it or not, but it's the first time I ever solely practice legato (not being part of a total solo), and I notice that I need to work on this big time. But the first practice already pays off, so am extremely happy with it
Your hybrid picking exercise is also helping me quite a bit to get my picking movement improved. Only my girlfriend hates me now, due to the monotonous practice .
Cheers
Roger
Sorry to hear about girlfriend Roger,
I felt the same many times.
Here's backing, let me know if you need any help with it.
Legato_Lesson_BT_110_bpm.mp3 ( 1017.86K )
: 1
We have some news regarding MTP so it would be great to check them out
and prepare for new "timing".
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showtopic=31054
Hi Muris,
I saw that indeed, and given the current circumstances I am (in work, private life and my new band), I barely have time to spend on GMC at the moment unfortunately. Apologies for not being very responsive the last months on the MTP board as well!
I think it would be better if I step down for a while being mentored by you. I really learned a lot in the months you worked with me and I am very thankful for that, but I think it's best if someone else makes better use of your time currently in the MTP
I am certain that I will pick up my practice routine again, once I sort out all the other things, and would appreciate any advise you can give me later on!
Thanks once more!
Roger
You don't have to apology at all Roger!!
Tho I'm sorry that your current situation doesn't allow you to participate
as you would like too.
Thanks you for your gesture and I am sure others appreciate it as well,
all the best with everything that you do and eventually we will meet
again in MTP sooner or later.
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