At times, most people encounter these types of problems when learning to play guitar:

- You are a beginner and you don't know where to start
- You are stuck with a certain area of your playing
- You don't use your practice time as efficiently as possible
- You feel lost because you have started practicing too many things at once and you are nowhere near your desired goal...

We want to help you get on the right track as soon as possible - and for this reason I am offering you a unique opportunity to set up a personalized lesson plan.

Please just answer the questions below, either in this topic or via private message. I will then set you up with a practice regimen consisting of GMC materials, that can cover a week of practice towards your desired goal.

* How long have you been playing the guitar?
* What do you feel your current level is?
* What sort of theoretical knowledge do you have so far?
* How much time/day can you spend practicing?
* What are your favorite techniques?
* What would you like to improve?
* What is your current experience as a player (band, studio, home)?
* What gear do you own?
* Name a few favorite artists that inspire your playing

If you can provide audio/ video materials of your playing, it would be very helpful.
If not, we can work things out either way

I will try to get back to you as soon as possible, hopefully today already - depending on the amount of applications.

I am looking forward to helping you getting on the right track!

Cosmin

At times, most people encounter these types of problems when learning to play guitar:

- You are a beginner and you don't know where to start
- You are stuck with a certain area of your playing
- You don't use your practice time as efficiently as possible
- You feel lost because you have started practicing too many things at once and you are nowhere near your desired goal...

We want to help you get on the right track as soon as possible - and for this reason I am offering you a unique opportunity to set up a personalized lesson plan.

Please just answer the questions below, either in this topic or via private message. I will then set you up with a practice regimen consisting of GMC materials, that can cover a week of practice towards your desired goal.

* How long have you been playing the guitar?
* What do you feel your current level is?
* What sort of theoretical knowledge do you have so far?
* How much time/day can you spend practicing?
* What are your favorite techniques?
* What would you like to improve?
* What is your current experience as a player (band, studio, home)?
* What gear do you own?
* Name a few favorite artists that inspire your playing

If you can provide audio/ video materials of your playing, it would be very helpful.
If not, we can work things out either way

I will try to get back to you as soon as possible, hopefully today already - depending on the amount of applications.

I am looking forward to helping you getting on the right track!

Cosmin

Hi Cosmin,

I think that my alternate picking needs serious practice like Todd pointed out after watching one of my vids. I tend to play mostly downstrokes. I want to work on this first before doing others lessons. I think I will focus only on alternate picking the next few days. I will leave the other lessons and get back to wintertune after seriously practicing my alternate picking.

I think alternate picking workout #1 by Darius is a good one to start with? What are your thoughts?

Thanks Cosmin

Hey Cosmin, great idea, and look forward to the feedback.

Been playing about 10 years
I'm in between an intermediate and advanced player
My theory is pretty solid. Know all the chords, the notes, modes. Once you get to jazz tho, i'm lost.
At least an hour a day, maybe 2
I love all the techniques really, mostly emotional tasty solos
I really want to improve my alternate picking speed and precision
I play out in a local cover band
I have a pedal board, couple amps, not much in the vein of home recording tho
John Frusciante, Slash, Clapton, Marty Friedman, Steve Lukather

Hey Cosmin, new to the site, so apologies if the below opportunity has closed. In any event, thought I'd answer and give it a shot.

How long have you been playing the guitar? 6 years

* What do you feel your current level is? Intermediate

* What sort of theoretical knowledge do you have so far? I understand major modes, triad construction, 7th chords, circle of 5ths/4ths.

* How much time/day can you spend practicing? 1-2 hours.

* What are your favorite techniques? Alternate picking, economy picking, sweep picking, legato

* What would you like to improve? Picking & legato.
I'm retooling my picking technique after having seen some videos here (esp. the picking ones by Darius and Ben). Specifically, trying to correct my wrist angle to get more of a rotation going instead of a straight up and down. I'm also trying to ease my palm off the bridge, trying instead to graze the strings for muting instead of planting my palm, which has been causing tension. I'm also an economy picker, but would like to re-build my alternate picking in conjunction with the economy.

* What is your current experience as a player (band, studio, home)? Home.

* What gear do you own?
Amps: (a) Divided by 13 JRT 9/15; ( Mesa Boogie 3 channel Dual Rectifier (modded by Voodoo Amps)
Rack: Just got rid of my TC Electronic G System (didn't use many of the effects). Now just have pedals running through an effects loop on my Mesa via an RJM RG 16 (function and amp switcher). Also have a BBE Sonic Maximizer 2 channel rack unit.
Pedals: (a) Dunlop Wah (Slash verison); ( ISP Decimator (noise suppression); ( c) Mad Professor Deep Blue Delay (pcb version); (d) Rockett Clean Boost (original model); (e) Rockett Afterburner (overdrive, original mode); (f) Holy Grail reverb; (g) Jacques Overtube (overdrive); (h) EVH Phase 90; (i) Smooth n' Slim (tone shaper); (j) Lehle Little Dual (amp switcher); (k) RJM Mastermind (foot controller)

* Name a few favorite artists that inspire your playing
- Jeff Loomis
- Andy Timmons
- Jason Becker
- Muhammed Suicmez
- Tony Macalpine
- Joe Bonamassa

Thanks Cosmin, I will follow your advice and keep you updated on my progress.

I think my main 3 goals are:

Improve alternate picking
Improve on string bending
Improve vibrato

Hey Jeroen - I think I already recommended you to begin with Ben's lesson on alternate picking as it's a tad easier than Darius'. You can try this one after you get Ben's done. They are both great, but for a true AP beginner, Ben's is the right one to start with and then Darius'

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Picking-Hand-Basics/



Hey bro! Thanks for answering the questions I will treat you with a lesson which has become popular here at GMC, based on your preferences and your time - please follow my suggestions bellow for the following lesson

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/The-Vo...Of-Your-Guitar/

- understand the theoretical concepts - know what and why you are playing!
- learn the lesson structure - things will flow naturally once you know what's next when playing any piece
- learn each part and reproduce it slowly with the metronome - you will learn the lesson and become accustomed with the timing and feel
- put all the parts together and practice them against the slowest available backing track - respecting timing and phrasing will provide essential advantages when you will face the details of any piece!
- work your way up tempo with the available backing tracks

Day 1-5:

Based on the fact that you have between one and two hours a day, I think that the lesson above is pretty much a sufficient load to handle this week, so please follow the steps indicated in order to understand, learn and perform it as best as possible.

Day 6-7 - Revision (you practice the lesson, assuming you that you already know the structure and you can play it) - focus on timing, definition, clean playing, articulations and details! Recording - it's not mandatory but it can help A TON - and writing conclusions so that we may draw a line and see what have you learned out of this lesson

How does it sound to you mate?

Cosmin

I started out as a classically trained pianist at the age of 9. My parents said you are going to play music and we had a piano in the house sooooo that`s where it all began. I had to do the old black tie on stage alone on the grand piano in a huge auditorium full of people. But no pressure right. hahaha oh man I used to feel like i`d pass out I was so uncomfortable. But yeah playing live in a band is way easier than the solo performance show.

At the age of 15 I found my moms old acoustic guitar and started trying to play, classical music was a bit unfulfilling for me and I loved classic rock. One day the song Limelight from RUSH was on the radio and I just started playing it with the radio, the opening riff the cords, it`s as if my hands knew what to do. The lightbulb went ON------ I can actually play whats on the radio because I did`nt think it was possible to do that for anyone, it was like mere mortals cannot play as good as whats on the radio. I was so happy.

Quit piano, started guitar and now its over 20 years later......

Skill level ??? I have no idea, I have been paid to play live and in the studio and many big shows been very lucky.
My first big accomplishment was learning Adrain Smiths guitar part note for note on the Iron Maiden Live after death album when I was a teen. I used to play along with the album and freak my friends out.

What do I know? I have been exposed to a lot but I seem to only retain what I use the most and much of the music theory, modes and altered scales I don`t really like the sound of so I don`t use it much. Major, Relative minor and some modes makes up the bulk of what I use and remember.

I practice up to 6 hours a day if I need to but I try to at least play for two every day.

I like too much stuff, I do love blues and classic rock but I played in speed metal bands, pop stuff, jazz, garage rock, I pretty much studied to be a lead guitarist that could cover lots of ground. Which has`nt helped my personal songwriting at all.

What do I want to improve? I`m not sure- my vocabulary I would like to incorporate more modes and cord structures but in a useful way.

Current events?- Band, Studio work.

Too much gear to name at this time, but my moniker says it all.

Taught myself how to edit video yesterday-

OK Cosmin, I`m in! Sometimes going back to the basics I can always find something to use or maybe something I was never exposed to.

Hi Cosmin,

I'm working on picking hand basics. I know this is not yet good enough. But to show you my progress here's a first try out after a few hours of practice.

Hey mate! The opportunity is always open

So, based on the time that you have and on what you wish to improve, I suggest we begin with one lesson/week and if everything goes along well, we can push things with maybe two/week. I have thought about the following lesson:

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/legato...cking_beginner/

Now, if you like the combo of legato and alternate picking, I would also like you to follow the next set of suggestions which work pretty well as a thorough routine which is meant to offer maximum insight on anything you would learn:

- understand the theoretical concepts - know what and why you are playing!
- learn the lesson structure - things will flow naturally once you know what's next when playing any piece
- learn each part and reproduce it slowly with the metronome - you will learn the lesson and become accustomed with the timing and feel
- put all the parts together and practice them against the slowest available backing track - respecting timing and phrasing will provide essential advantages when you will face the details of any piece!
- work your way up tempo with the available backing tracks

Day 1-5:

Based on the fact that you have between one and two hours a day, I think that the lesson above is pretty much a sufficient load to handle this week, so please follow the steps indicated in order to understand, learn and perform it as best as possible.

Day 6-7 - Revision (you practice the lesson, assuming you that you already know the structure and you can play it) - focus on timing, definition, clean playing, articulations and details! Recording - it's not mandatory but it can help A TON - and writing conclusions so that we may draw a line and see what have you learned out of this lesson!

Let me know what you think about all these ideas, ok?

Cosmin






Focus on Ben's lesson to begin with and we'll see afterwards, ok?

Awesome! I'll get to work. Looking to get a user-friendly recorder to record progress and analyze, great suggestion!

Hi Cosmin,

Still working on some things that don't go smooth enough. Here is it against the slowest available backing track of 90 bpm. I'm getting a feel for it, but it's not 100% yet.

Hi Cosmin,

Have you seen this? http://youtu.be/CNQwhVheFa8

Thanks Cosmin, I'm learning a lot here at GMC. And I felt like shredding the hell out of El Torro as soon as I picked it up!!! I have thought about notes and chord progression. Which notes fit the chords, but not exactly in the way you describe. Definitely something to look at, gonna put that on the agenda. But first alternate picking and then wintertune

Always happy to hear that you are having a nice learning experience here with us, Jeroen! It's good to know what you are doing and why you are doing it, so take a little time to analyze a progression before you start jamming - you will get A LOT out of knowing what chords are being played and figuring out what note-chord relationships are possible. How's the AP lesson going?

I'm practicing the AP lesson still at the lowest speed, I want to make sure that everything is in time and played correct. I'll send an update vid soon.

Alright man Don't forget to pay attention at playing everything as even as possible, ok? Become conscious of every rhythmic subdivision in the lesson - 8ths, 16ths, triplets and so on If you do that, things will fall into place automatically.

Thanks Cosmin. the triplets are the hardest to play in an even rhytm. I'll send you a vid of my progress.

Hi Cosmin

Sorry for not being active lately. I have being quite busy lately with multiple things and also have being feeling really tired and when it comes to playing my guitar at night I just could not concentrate when trying to put some proper practice time in and found myself just not really getting anywhere.

My problem is I just don't get enough sleep.The past two nights I have only had around 8 hours sleep.I usually wake up about 4am then go to work come home and do a cardio workout.I am training for a 12mile mud/obstacle run.I think I have just burnt myself out.I also don't thing I was eating enough food so I have started to eat more and do feel a bit better.Just need to deal with the sleep problem.

I am still determined to achieve a passable take on beginner rock rhythm and also have about 4 lessons that I believe with more work put into them I can get them to a good standard

Also I got a new guitar arriving hopefully Tuesday.Its a PRS SE Zach Myers. I will put that in the gear thread and upload some pictures when it arrives

Cheers Sean

Hey man! Please take care of yourself - sleep deprivation is definitely something you don't need!

On the other hand, the Zach Myers - wow! The new model?? That beautiful guitar?

I can't wait to see and hear it man Let me know when you have questions on the lessons or recordings so we can move forward, ok?

Hey mate! Nice axe

I think you need to take a few steps back and focus on the following things:

- your tone needs a bit more gain - it's too dry at this point and it's not helping at all
- try to record against the original to see where your timing slips occur
- after that, learn the whole piece by heart and hum it against the original recording while tapping your foot on the floor - notice the note length and the rests in respect to the tempo and beat dictated by the foot!
- try to record it against a simple metronome click at a lower speed

At this point, the biggest issue is that you don't seem to remember the piece thoroughly and the speed is not helping, You can always try to record over a slower backing - in this way you will see if technique is the issue or you still have to rehearse because you haven't yet internalized the piece.

Keep working hard and let me know if there are any questions

Thanks for your feedback Cosmin

Here is a recording against the original



I think I got a little excited with the bend in there and went way to sharp


When I break down the lesson into sections and practice with the metronome it feels like I have got it down and I know what I am doing.Then when I put everything together it becomes a mess

I think I will record against a metronome click next. That sounds like a good idea

Hey amigo!

The rhythm part sounds a bit stiff and it's not tight with the original - take a listen and you will see what I mean. You need to memorize the riffs thoroughly and understand where they are being played. The lead part is better in comparison to the rhythm one. So please focus on listening to the recording and seeing the differences in the rhythm - especially in the part before the solo Deal?

Hey amigo! No worries I am sure that taking a little bit of time off that particular lesson will give you a fresh new insight on it. In the mean time tho, I would like to suggest you to tackle a new rhythm lesson, which would be a little easier than the previous one.

I think that it will help you out in working out so that you may be able to tackle this problematic one with more success

I was thinking about this one: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/rhythm-gu...r2-palm-muting/

The right hand will thank you for this one I am looking forward to hearing your input on the suggestion, mate

This lesson looks really good Cosmin. I was practicing it yesterday and it feels I can play on time and it makes sense thanks

I will keep you updated with my progress

Cheers

Great, mate! It is very important for me to know directly how you feel about some tasks I am sending your way, so that I may be able to guide you and help you out as well as possible

So, in fewer words, when you aren't 100% sure of something - be it something you don't understand in a lesson or simply when a lesson feels too difficult for the time being, just let me know

Who knows, maybe he will learn how to sing as quickly as he learned how to mix

Jeroen - how are you faring mate? We were missing you in the practice schedule thread

Hehe! I see you are a busy man This is great and I think that you will certainly make progress with things. I was curious tho, have you tried playing the alternate picking lesson against the original recording? You should also record it that way, so that you can listen and see where the spots that need more focus are occurring.

Usually, it's a matter of becoming very conscious of a few things when we are dealing with a musical phrase:

- where it starts and where it ends, in respect to the backing track and bars
- the note lengths and the rest lengths
- the dynamics of the notes - are they being played evenly or some softer some louder?
- the tempo - when you decrease or increase a tempo, the phrase keeps the same form, so always be aware of this aspect, as there are some cases in which people interpret some phrases differently just because they are slower or faster. But it's like thinking that a man becomes fatter or thinner just because he is walking and then running Nope, he stays the same regardless of how fast he is moving.

Now, having all these in mind - I would be curious to hear a recording of the alternate picking lesson against the original recording. What say you?

Hi Cosmin, I will record over the original and post it here, so we can analyze it.

Alright bro - I'm here if ya need me

Hi Cosmin

Regarding the lesson assigned I have a couple of questions.

1. The original recordings tempo is 102 BPM. The backing track available for downloads tempo is 80BPM and is the same time duration as the 102 BPM backing track. So basically it cuts off early.

2.Part 6 and 7 I don't get how to play that part as it seems that there are too many notes too play 16th note patterns over a bar of 4 beats. I tried listening over the original recording to see what is happening but it is too fast for me to work it out.

Apart from that the lesson feels great and I have really enjoyed learning it.I just need to understand the last part and I will be able to record a take very soon.

Hey mate Well, there is one thing you can do that will totally enhance your playing abilities - play the whole piece with the metronome only

It will be a bit more difficult because this means that you understand it and that you can play it thoroughly in any condition and in respect to videos 6 and 7, my suggestion is to follow the slowed down videos and play along with them. There's this option on the video gauge that allows you to create a loop of the part you want to practice Please take a look at the image I attached and drag the little arrows on the gauge, with your mouse to create a loop and then play alongside - it's slowed down and you can surely use it to understand the parts in both vids. Please let me know how it feels, ok?

I think I have got it worked out now Cosmin thanks for your help mate

Cosmin, I need your help.

In wintertune near the end there are bends. Is it called a unison bend? Anyway, I mean the bends where you hold one note with your index finger and bend the string above it with your ring/ middle finger. That's ok, but then adding vibrato to it. No matter what I try, I hardly get that played right, leave alone playing it up to speed. How should I approach practicing this phrase?

Thanks Jeroen