Hiimalex's Thread, for Gab's Army |
HEY MAN, I really need your help...
...the thing is, I need you to start progressing faster then ever, but to achieve that I need your help:
* Don't know where to start? Just pm me and we will sort it out directly, I am online every day.
* Join My Army. Sounds aggressive? It is! We can study anything from the most fearsome picking techniques to bombastic songwriting. A medal of honor awaits the brave. Seriously, this is an opportunity for you to get a personalised learning experience...what are you waiting for?!
* Join my next video chat! GMC startpage holds a video chat schedule. We always cover a lot of ground and have fun. Remember that you don't need any previous knowledge, and you can be passive in the chat.
* Jam with me - you will find active collabs here.
* Post a topic on this board, guitar related or not - doesn't matter! You will find that chatting with instructors boosts your motivation to practice.
* You haven't missed my latest video lessons, have you?
* Finally I want to tell you a secret. Nah I changed my mind - pm me instead ;)
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Dec 1 2014, 07:46 AM
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Hi Alex! Thanks for all the details about how you worked on the routine the first week. I can say that you've learnt a lot in just 1 week! This is so awesome! Imagine how much you can learn if you work with this energy during month and then during a whole year. I don't know what you think but I feel that this type of routines are the way to go to achiever your guitar goals! I can see great things coming.
 About the melody, I wonder about the backing track since it's tricky to analyze the melody without the chords happening there. Do you have a version with backing? -------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Dec 1 2014, 07:00 PM
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QUOTE (HiimAlex @ Dec 1 2014, 06:02 AM)  Hi Gabriel! I definitely think that this was a fun and productive way to work on. Seems awesome for sure!  It makes me happy that you can see that I have learnt a lot in just 1 week. It is can be hard sometimes so see by yourself what you have achieved I am ready for week 2 And about the melody, I did not practice this over a backing so I am going to start practice over a backing. But am I allowed to use a backing from Guitarmasterclass to my song or do I have to find another backing? I think that you can use it if you add the info about GMC in the description but you can ask Bogdan for more details about it. Good luck with week#2! Please keep me updated! -------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Dec 3 2014, 01:29 AM
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Hi Alex, great to know that you can use the backing track. That chord progression is in D major tonality so the best choice is using D major and D Pentatonic major keys to solo over it.
Every time you want to know what's the tonality of a song or progression, there are some tricks to know it and it will give you an idea of what scale you can use over it. I recommend you to check this thread (LINK) in order to have more details about how you can know the key of a song. Using the same scale over a group of chords that belong to the same key is commonly called key center playing and helps to make your soloing sound smooth. This idea combined with the arpeggios of each chord will give you many possibilities in order to create a good solo over this backing. So over: D (I) – Bm (VIm) – G (IV) – A (V) You can play:   and you focus your melodies on the notes from the arpeggios of each chord in order to make a solo that moves more connected with the progression. -------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Dec 6 2014, 05:53 PM
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Hey Gabriel!
My practice is going great! and I will post a new bunch of notes in the coming days. When you just practice exercises it can be hard to realize how much you have learned, but when I have been just playing around I have realized that I have learned A LOT thanks to you, so I am extremely grateful that I have joined your army. I have chose the backing track from this lesson https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/My-Che...e-Ballad-Style/ at original speed. However here is an idea I got this afternoon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wgl9YCEkht8...FTD9SEGCCgwiWXQ Also regarding the song competition it ends on the 14th of December but I think that it is better for me to make a song that I am happy with, so even if the competition ends in one week I will learn much more if I take the time I need and not stress because then my song would not be that great. Cheers
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Dec 8 2014, 04:19 PM
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Hi Alex, thanks for your message. I'm really happy to know that you feel that you are progressing thanks for our work here. It's very inspiring for me to see you all the time totally focused and motivated. If you work on a well designed routine, baed on your goals, and practice it focused every day, you'll always be progressing. The way to note it is recording yourself, and uploading REC takes. Recording is the proof of our progress as guitarists.
About the backing track, great choice! I love that series of MCR lessons. I'm now listening to you solo and once again it becomes really tricky to understand the evolution of the phrases without the backing. Could you please upload a video in which I can hear you playing over the backing? I notice that some licks are not clear or have sync issues, so you should isolate and work on them if you feel that they are the best choices for the songs (I'll give you my opinion about it as soon as I hear the mix). I also agree that the competition is a great excuse to take your playing to a new level. Having this type of short term goals can be a great motivation to polish our playing and try to take the more of our creativity. We should "create" short terms goals like this one frequently. -------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Dec 8 2014, 05:04 PM
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Hello Gab!
About the song, I do not have ideas for whole song yet, but I have started to get a couple of ideas so I wanted share them with you. Here is the link with my playing and backing track. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUYmZBMPuoo...eature=youtu.be As you said there is a couple licks that need to be worked more on if I am going to keep them. I think short terms goals can be a fun and exciting way to polish our playing and workout on creativity. So I definitely think we should create more of those in the future
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Dec 9 2014, 02:27 PM
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Hi Alex, thanks for this new version. I start to understand the idea behind you solo. The first section seems to follow the chords really good. You are playing phrases that connect great with each chord. However, you are not playing them with a right rhythm, it's not going with the groove of the song, and also sometimes it's played after or before the chord appears. Do you note it?
Then, the licks become less clear and you have to be sure that you are playing the correct scale. The lick at 00:36 needs to be polished, so you should base a diary exercise just on playing it as a loop. The notes at 00:46, 01:02 don't sound very good over the backing at the moment that you played them. The lick at 01:05 has many notes out of scale as well as the part at 01:28 and from there to the end. Please re-check the scales suggested in the original lesson. This recording shows that you need to work hard on your improvisation/composing skills. There is a great exercise that I would like to share with you to start working on this: - Choose a solo lesson from GMC archive that uses only 1 scale. It can be a major, minor or pentatonic scale. - Analyze the chords from the backing track, and learn the scale suggested/used by the instructor. - Learn part number 1. Play the lick over the backing track. Repeat it over the different chords and listen how it works. - Create variations of the lick changing the ending, the first notes, repeating the first section. Try to follow the chords from the progression with variations of the same lick. - Learn part number 2 and do the same. Then combine it with part 1 and work on variations combining both ideas with some of your own licks. - Follow the same steps with all the other parts of the lesson. - Play the lesson as it is, and then start progressively to make variations of the licks and parts, change the order of the licks, and add some of your own licks to it. This is the best way to start developing your phrasing. IT would be cool if you share here recordings of this process. What do you say? Are you in? -------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Dec 9 2014, 09:09 PM
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Hey Gab
Yeah I notice it that I dont have same groove as the song. I am in for this challenge for sure! And as you say, I definitely think and agree with your opinions that I should work more on my composing skills. I have not quite decided what solo I should learn yet, so I am decided between one of those https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guit...rian-mode-solo/ https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guit...assical-lesson/ https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/B-Minor-Ballad-Solo/ https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/emotio...feeling-guitar/ You can tell your opinion and say which one do you think is best for me. Here is also my notes from this weeks practice Week 2 Day 1: Picking Hand basics, Started by practicing the triplets alone without guitar pro for a little, then I pracitced the triplets part specific a couple of times at 100 bpm using guitar pro. Still struggling a bit when I shall accent the upstrokes in triplets Then pracitced the whole exercise at 105, 110 and 115 bpm couple of times. Tried also 120 bpm, but thats just a bit to fast so far. Reached 115 bpm Arpeggio: Started at 65 bpm, and ended on 85 bpm. Melody: Pracitced this 10 min extra to achieve the normal speed at 148 bpm and over the original song but now it doesn't sound so smooth yet and a bit stressed so need to pracitce it more to find that calm in it. So I dont rush and get infront of the beat. Day 2: Alternate Picking Workout 2, I find it easier somehow to play this with a thinner pick(0.88mm instead of 1.5mm) Last week the first 24 bars was the hardest without a doubt but today the just played automatlicty, but instead the parts that has been one of the easiest b4 was the "sweeping" parts and they are like the hardest now. Found out why the "sweeping" parts did not sound good, I muted the B string by mistake with my middle finger. Reached 140 bpm. Melody, The hardest part that I find is the part that starts at 1:00. Could reach 125 bpm. Reached also 125 at song. Day 3: Alternate Picking Lick: Chose one from Paul Gilbert Intense Rock I Reached 70 bpm. I will add a screenshot so you can see the lick. Solo: Reached 75 bpm, the legato run is still hardest part. Pentatonic Licks: It is hard to strech from 12 to 17 fret up to speed specificly when I got small hands. Did not changed anything in speed. Day 4: Alternate Workout: Had no pain today in my fingers from this at any time, so was able to reach 65 bpm. Melody: There is really no hard part in this, but if I have to chose one it is the pinch hamonic. Like I can do pinch hamonics but I don't get them everytime I try, it is like 80% of the time I get them. Reached 130 bpm. Could play the total song at 80 bpm. Day 5: Alternate Picking - Upstroke Focus: I think the last part of this one is the hardest one, and I find it easier to play it with an upstroke. Was able to reach a speed of 70 bpm. Tapping part: Was much easier to get up some speed when I got the pattern down, so moved from 50 to 60bpm. Day 6: Alternate Picking Chops: I actually think that the second part of this one is harder than the first part of it. It changed when I sat and had to guitar between my legs. But now after I changed the position the hardest part is when you change pattern for the fingers. Like for B string to G String and D string to A string. Reached 70 bpm. Last part of the song: 80 bpm. Could also play whole song at 80 bpm.  |
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Dec 10 2014, 05:54 PM
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Hi Alex! Thanks for the update and the details about your practice. It seems that you are working on the right way each of the lessons and exercises. I would really like to see a video of you playing each part of the routine. Maybe recording yourself while practicing and sharing here a shorter edition just to check it would be great!
About the phrasing exercise. I think that this lesson (LINK) is the best option for this purpose because it has many easy to learn licks and that are also easy to modify to create variations of them. The other lesson that could work is this one (LINK) but there are some really tricky licks there. -------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Dec 10 2014, 09:40 PM
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QUOTE (HiimAlex @ Dec 10 2014, 03:20 PM) Sounds great Gabriel! I will be working on recording the video in the coming days, but do you want me to just recorded the whole song at the tempo I am comfortable at or should I follow the routine and divide it into parts? Both of the options could be ok for me. It's just to monitor your progress. 
-------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Dec 13 2014, 06:01 AM
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Hi Alex! Thanks for this video! This one will be a great reference for me to compare your progress when I'm back, after 3 weeks of hard practice. Based on this video, I can say that you mostly need days of practice to feel more comfortable with the different exercises that you are practicing. This is a list of things to have in mind:
- Hand Sync: I notice that you tend to lose sync when you play fast alternate picking. This mostly happens when you play licks like the ones around 2:50 that cross strings and require speed. - Vibrato & Bending: Both techniques need more time of practice. Please remember to add vibrato when you are practicing melodic phrases, and keep on practicing bending, using this exercise: http://youtu.be/Hh_pYY6UYIw - Economy of movements: Try to make small movements when you are playing in order to make your technique more effective. That's all by now, keep on practicing with these things in mind and let's get a new video in 21 days. Deal? -------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Dec 13 2014, 04:17 PM
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Thanks Gabriel for your response
We definitely have deal Let's see how I and Cosmin develop my composing skills together I wish you a safe and enjoyable trip and time, take care
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Dec 13 2014, 10:38 PM
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Great to know it! Thanks mate. See you when I'm back.
-------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Jan 6 2015, 11:19 PM
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Hey Gabriel
Here is an update what has happened while you were gone. - I got a tubescreamer clone (Joyo Vintage Overdrive) - I got two 2.75 mm V-Picks which I really like - I have joined multiple of Todd's Video chats - Instead of doing the phrase exercise where I should make a variation of a lesson. Both me and Cosmin agreed on joining the Kris-must collab since I had never joined a collab before and I would work on phrasing there too. Here is the end result https://soundcloud.com/alex-arvedahl/krist-must-collab-take-199 The timing is bad but except that I think it turned out pretty ok for first collab. And here is the video I got some questions about my practice routine, how should we organize it now when I have reached full speed on certain exercises/part of the song, while some parts/exercises makes a small progress like 5-10 bpm per week. I also sent you the notes so you can see my progress on "paper". I think that's all for now
Attached File(s)
Guitar_Notes_Week_5.txt ( 2.35K )
Number of downloads: 297
Guitar_Notes_Week_4.txt ( 2.71K )
Number of downloads: 297
Guitar_Notes_Week_3.txt ( 2.47K )
Number of downloads: 307 |
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Jan 7 2015, 06:42 PM
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Hi Alex! Thanks for the great update with video, audio and notes. I note that you are having problems with Hand Sync when you play Alternate Picking and that's one of the main problems that appear in many of the things that you are practicing, so answering your question about how to organize your next weeks, I think that you have to focus on Alternate Picking and Hand Sync.
Please divide your practice time in 3 and dedicate 2/3 to Alternate Picking and 1/3 to Satriani's song for the next week. For the alternate picking work, please focus on Darius lesson and work on very small sections as a loop putting all your focus on making both hands go together totally synchronized. Slow down the exercise if it's necessary, precision is more important than speed. Any question?
-------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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