On April 15 2011 07:08 MaRiNe23 wrote: Ok my question is the same as PetiteCrabe and I looked through the advice you gave him. I can already play the A,E,G major along with Em, Am, D, C,F all cleanly. I've also started on a pentatonic scale(dunno the name of it but it goes like this: 14 13 13 13 14 14
and I been doing that up and down using alternate picking on and off for about a year now but... like what do u do after u learn that. It's boring just constantly going up and down the same sounds over and over. I can't get faster at it for some reason either.
This is where I hit a brick wall. I can play all these chords and be able to play all of today's pop songs with it and learned the pentatonic scales but I don't know wtf to do with it and here's where I'm getting stuck at and can't move forward and thought I needed a guitar teacher or something to help me learn how to improvise the scale and make my own stuff with it. I don't know..
So basically my question is a continuation of PetiteCrabe's. What steps come after the last thing you said for PetiteCrabe's question(after the pentatonic scales).
A fucking metronome a fucking big heart and lots of ATTITUDE!!!!
hah ok like so:
you pick a speed on the metronome you can play confortably, like VERY relaxed , it should feel a bit boring. Say you can play your scale at two notes a click at 72 BPM. So, we will go four notches down to 60 , play your scale 3-5 times. Then, move it up two more notches to 66, repeat, then up to your comfort speed of 72, then you go 2 past to 80, then finally to 88.
So,
60 - 66 - ((72)) - 76 - 80
Slowly you will find that your comfort speed can be moved up to 76, and the whole thing shifts over one. DONT rush the process though, only when 76 really feels comfortable do you move up your whole system two notches. This is how I've found the most surefire way to gain speed.
If you're interested in improvising the scale, you should start by just going for it. Say you like Rock N Roll by Led Zeppelin . Try and use your ear to figure out where to base your minor pentatonic scale. (in this case its A...) then just start messin with those notes. Turn it up loud and start muckin them
BEND THEM!!! SLIDE THEM SHREEEDD THEM!!!
Just have fun with it. Only through having actually experience with the problem can I guide you farther. So just fire up some tunes you like and solo over them. Try playing LOTS of notes, try playing VERY few notes and LISSSTEEN!!
So important to LISTEN.
Ok, if you need help figuring out which key a song is in , just let me know what a song or two and I'll help you out. GL HF
On April 12 2011 01:50 AdamBanks wrote: Here's my problem.
I start with a note, make some chords, then pick some scale that fits. Then when i want to connect this awsome riff/melody with another awsome riff i have no idea what goes with what and end up droning the same root over and over and over. As soon as i pick a scale it seems to box me into a corner where I can only seem to fit 5-6 notes.
Also I find when i write im constantly trapped or drawn back to the 1-4-5 progression. Any tips?
Perhaps i can help with this one. When creating the backing, it helps in the beginning to associate a meaning to the chords. The progression and tone of a piece of music tells a story. Mr Satriani goes over it a little bit in this video.
When you start piecing together a song, there are several ways of doing it. Starting with a note can help, but when you do that, ask youself, where do i want this song to go? If you give meaning to a song, after a while of playing it, it starts to play itself.
@ about 3 min.
I've always been huge fan of satch, and going over his stuff has taught me gallons about composing music and the thought process behind it.
It seems you have come theory background. I would recommend taking some compositional courses some where, as they go over a bunch of how to write music. But either way, if you don't find that key motivation, to connect your music to emotion, then the problem of what your having won't go away so easily.
Here are some more vids that i picked up, that go over parts of the song writing process for some of the best technical and compositional guitar players.
Paul Gilbert breaks down his method of song writing. Goes over examining some other music.
Joe Satriani goes over one of his more complex pieces.
Quick question Adam, do you know how to harmonize the major scale to find out what chords fit in what key? I'm going to help open up your ear to some new sounds if youre willing. Lemme know and we can keep rollin. While I dont really believe about assigning emotions and stories to everything you're doing, it can help for some people.
Background: I'm self-taught (unfortunately), and have played the electric guitar (mainly, along with the acoustic and the classical) for a little over 6 years now.
Question 1: For something like Cliffs of Dover, how should I approach learning it? Should I start with the hardest runs first, practice them until I can play them cleanly and up to speed, and then move on to the rest? Or should I learn the "easier" parts first, practice them until I can play them cleanly and up to speed, and then move on to the hardest runs? Or should I learn the easy parts and hard parts at the same time (but taking them time to figure out and memorize each individual part on its own, first)? I'm a bit concerned that I may not be able to get the fastest runs, e.g., quintuplets at 150 bpm alternate picked, up to speed with metronome practice before clinical rotations start, when I won't even have time to sleep anymore, let alone practice. But I'm pretty determined, and willing to put in the work. It's my favorite "song" and I've made it my project aka guitar quest for the upcoming year to learn it.
Question 2: How can I make sure that I am keeping relaxed while playing a fast run? Do I just need to repeat the buzz exercise you mention in this thread again and again until there is no way tension is an issue? Whenever I run into Paul Gilbert legato with extensive pinky work, my forearm literally begins to heat up and get muscle burn even if I am focusing on eliminating tension in my arm and hand...whereas if I attempt a similar sequence with the ring finger instead, I don't have the same problem.
Ella ella ella eh eh eh, under my umber-ella ella--- hiiiiii!
I still have some creepy PMs from you.
I think I asked you something in the last guitar thread... hmm what was it-- OH YEA
"Ella how do I switch chords quickly my fingers are fucking suasages wahhhw wahh wahh-" -Lexpar, Last guitar thread
Actually now I've improved a lot. I can play all my major minor seventh chords, and have mastered barre chords (on a classical guitar no less; yeah bitches my fingers are like fucking iron nails). I guess what I'm mostly having troubles now with is doing solos. I don't trip up on chords now pretty much ever, even newish ones to me take like 2 days of practice to master. I guess the main thing is getting into doing solos and things. I know a couple scales (chromatic and blues: yes a couple means exactly two), and have a pretty decent understanding of music theory, and I have this friend whos been playing guitar half as long as me but who is a fantastic piano player and can just hammer out a solo cause he knows the right notes.
Anyway, if you could give me some good exercises to work on sliding and bending with precision, picking speed, scales and some idea on how to improvise solos I'd be eternally grateful.
PS: I learned ALL MY LOVING by THE BEATLES and that song is basically the exercise in barre chord frustration.
ella I'm able to play it at 88 bpm with 2 notes a click with ease. I did not rush it at all. I hardly make any mistakes at 88 bpm. Should I continue to raise the metronome by +6? My metronome that I'm using says 88 bpm is called "Andante."
Hey yall jus got some teeth pulled and im a bit doped up but I'll do my best here.
On April 16 2011 08:50 13th Marine wrote: I got pretty excited when I saw this thread. :D
Background: I'm self-taught (unfortunately), and have played the electric guitar (mainly, along with the acoustic and the classical) for a little over 6 years now.
Question 1: For something like Cliffs of Dover, how should I approach learning it? Should I start with the hardest runs first, practice them until I can play them cleanly and up to speed, and then move on to the rest? Or should I learn the "easier" parts first, practice them until I can play them cleanly and up to speed, and then move on to the hardest runs? Or should I learn the easy parts and hard parts at the same time (but taking them time to figure out and memorize each individual part on its own, first)? I'm a bit concerned that I may not be able to get the fastest runs, e.g., quintuplets at 150 bpm alternate picked, up to speed with metronome practice before clinical rotations start, when I won't even have time to sleep anymore, let alone practice. But I'm pretty determined, and willing to put in the work. It's my favorite "song" and I've made it my project aka guitar quest for the upcoming year to learn it.
Question 2: How can I make sure that I am keeping relaxed while playing a fast run? Do I just need to repeat the buzz exercise you mention in this thread again and again until there is no way tension is an issue? Whenever I run into Paul Gilbert legato with extensive pinky work, my forearm literally begins to heat up and get muscle burn even if I am focusing on eliminating tension in my arm and hand...whereas if I attempt a similar sequence with the ring finger instead, I don't have the same problem.
Q1: Well obviously my first thing is START SMALL. SMALL AND CONSISTENT VICTORIES WILL PULL YOU THROUGH.
Plan out your picking, write down what the right hand has to do, and write down what the left hand has to do. It seems anal, but this is the kind of work that has to go into learning a complex piece. It ends up saving you days upon days and maybe more than months of time depending on the difficulty.
Now my little secret here:
Don't practice the same thing every day.
You'll come up with 3 different schedules that look something like this
day 1 : PART A broken into Parts A1 A2 A3 A4 with 15 minutes being spend on each one. Obviously you start very slow. (scroll down to see my metronome method, this will be the cornerstone to your practise after you figure out how to play the small licks you will be working on)
day 2: PART B broken into 4 parts, same deal
day 3: 40 minutes (or whatever same ratio of time in relation to how long you have) is spent on pure technique. Not especially working on the song. Practice picking open strings, sweeping, all that. In the most BASIC FORM so you can clean up your technique. You'll need to have monster technique to pull this one off, but it's VERY VERY possible. Remember that. It's just a guitar, you can do it. Just be patient and honest. Dont cheat yourself.
The other 20 minutes of this day are spent reviewing the previous two days. NO NEW MATERIAL CAN BE LEARNED HERE. Just VERY SLOW and steady review. There should be no speed, no tension, no goals. Just a casual, relaxed review of what has been done. Rinse and repeat
Here's my metronome method as talked about earlier:
you pick a speed on the metronome you can play confortably, like VERY relaxed , it should feel a bit boring. Say you can play your scale at two notes a click at 72 BPM. So, we will go four notches down to 60 , play your scale 3-5 times. Then, move it up two more notches to 66, repeat, then up to your comfort speed of 72, then you go 2 past to 80, then finally to 88.
So,
60 - 66 - ((72)) - 76 - 80
Slowly you will find that your comfort speed can be moved up to 76, and the whole thing shifts over one. DONT rush the process though, only when 76 really feels comfortable do you move up your whole system two notches. This is how I've found the most surefire way to gain speed.
On April 16 2011 12:13 Lexpar wrote: Ella ella ella eh eh eh, under my umber-ella ella--- hiiiiii!
I still have some creepy PMs from you.
I think I asked you something in the last guitar thread... hmm what was it-- OH YEA
"Ella how do I switch chords quickly my fingers are fucking suasages wahhhw wahh wahh-" -Lexpar, Last guitar thread
Actually now I've improved a lot. I can play all my major minor seventh chords, and have mastered barre chords (on a classical guitar no less; yeah bitches my fingers are like fucking iron nails). I guess what I'm mostly having troubles now with is doing solos. I don't trip up on chords now pretty much ever, even newish ones to me take like 2 days of practice to master. I guess the main thing is getting into doing solos and things. I know a couple scales (chromatic and blues: yes a couple means exactly two), and have a pretty decent understanding of music theory, and I have this friend whos been playing guitar half as long as me but who is a fantastic piano player and can just hammer out a solo cause he knows the right notes.
Anyway, if you could give me some good exercises to work on sliding and bending with precision, picking speed, scales and some idea on how to improvise solos I'd be eternally grateful.
PS: I learned ALL MY LOVING by THE BEATLES and that song is basically the exercise in barre chord frustration.
glad you gave your sausage fingers a good ... grillin hahhaha. It's awesome to look back and say "Shit, Im actually getting better"
Well, the pentatonic scale is kind of the starter for a lot of soloists. I'd grab a song you like, then start playing a one octave pentatonic scale in the right key over it . If you are unsure about how to figure out what key a song is in, feel free to ask me.
First, just start by playing one note every four beats. It'll seem a little empty but what you want to be doing is really hear how the note sort of meshes (or maybe sounds out of wack!) with the chords behind it. Dont think TOO hard, just listen and enjoy.
Then,
Switch notes every two beats. Things are a bit more interesting now.
then,
Every beat play a new note. This shouldnt be TOO fast for your hands, but your head might get tripped up in remembering where the scale is. No big deal, this is a new kind of practice! For the mind and the hands.
OK OK FEWWWF.
Now, go back to the one note for every four beats. And listen again. You may be a bit bored. Start to HEAR (but not play) how you might fill in those extra spaces. Is it a soaring bend? A small and subtle vibrato on the same note you just played? Maybe the note in your head is a little lower sounding, try and find it with your fingers .
Most importantly, ENJOY. This is just the first step to getting familiar with the differencing between joining together with your instrument versus merely playing it. Instead of using it to reach the end, it is the means.
Now I dont expect a rebirth or anything, at first you'll probably feel really shy about this, not sounding as good as the next guy or whatever. Dont let your ego tell you what to do, your musical pursuit doesnt owe your ego a damn thing. So chill out, try it some more. maybe try a different tune. Then, for today, that's enough. Slowly you're going to build the ability to hear what you would want to play in your head, then being able to translate it into your hands onto the fretboard. Like FUCKING MAGIC BRO!!!!
Let me know if you need more specifics or are having troubles. This is just one kickstarter I use for an aspiring soloist
On April 17 2011 08:36 MaRiNe23 wrote: ella I'm able to play it at 88 bpm with 2 notes a click with ease. I did not rush it at all. I hardly make any mistakes at 88 bpm. Should I continue to raise the metronome by +6? My metronome that I'm using says 88 bpm is called "Andante."
Continue through with the method. So, make your comfort speed 92, and everything else gets shifted up one. So, your top speed now is 100, and your low safety speed is 84. I'm proud of your patience and you should be too. Keep pursuing this method and you will soon see that no speed is too quick as long as you get to that goal in a controlled and relaxed way.
I just want one part cleared up. If I feel comfortable at my current speed, do I just keep moving it up by +8 or +6? I'm not familiar with these guitar terminologies you throw at me like "notches" and stuff.
When I say +6 I mean for example, say my comfort speed is 92, then if I want to raise it, I add 6 from 92 which is 98 so I would set the speed on the metronome to 98 and practice at that speed.
So when you say "everything gets shifted up one" what is "one"? All I see is that you added 8 from my comfort speed for 100 and subtracted 8 for 84. But in the previous post you went up and down by 6 so I'm confused on this one part. So basically, do I keep moving it up by 6 or 8? Thanks.
My math was all bullshitty because most metronomes dont move in equal BPM from their lowest to highest speeds, it starts with 2s and gets up to 8s. So just move two higher.
If you have a digital metronome that doesn't move in that way, just move in 4 BPM as your "notch"
My math was all bullshitty because most metronomes dont move in equal BPM from their lowest to highest speeds, it starts with 2s and gets up to 8s. So just move two higher.
If you have a digital metronome that doesn't move in that way, just move in 4 BPM as your "notch"
Make sense?
Coincidentally I had the same question, and this definitely clears it up!
I have two more follow up questions:
In the example you gave, there were two parts and subsections to those parts. Each part would get a day, and each subsection its own time. And then on the third day of the rotation, it'd be technique work and review. So for Cliffs of Dover, at least for me it makes sense to think of it as having an Intro, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Solo, and Outro. And within each of these, it seems that there's usually a few subsections...so to approach this, should the overall schedule be extended from 3 days to 7 days? Or should I stick to 3 days and then rotate which parts I practice for each cycle? Or perhaps stick to 3 days but double the overall practice time and cover two parts in a day? Or perhaps stick with the original 3 day template, get the first two parts clean and up to speed, and then work on the next two parts with the first two parts incorporated into review?
Also, there is quite a bit of vibrato thrown in, which is often a bit brisk...and I was never really sure how to practice vibrato, as important as it is. Should I practice it on its own, starting slow and clean and then slowly speeding it up? Or should I try to get to the desired speed, and work on cleaning that up? Or should this be done in the context of a melodic line?
Thanks again for the tips! I never knew that starting small and practicing different things was so crucial. The lack of that knowledge does explain quite a bit, looking back on my practice, and I'm psyched that I'm better equipped for the future.
I know this is a very random question. I am buying a relatively new guitar from one of my friends. Do you know if how much it costs to ship or is it worth it to bring on the airplane? I am going from Atlanta to Houston.
hello ella_guru! i would like to thank you for taking your time to help out TL!
ive been playing electric guitar on and off for a few years now. i know some basic chords and can switch between them quite well, but most of the songs i play are just power chords anyway. im pretty much your average guy who picks up the guitar and doesnt bother to learn much theory. i can play the major and minor pentatonic scale.. for a warm up exercise.
can you recommend me a few steps for me to take to improve? i dont know what to learn from here.. thank you!
1) Hey I have a $600 acoustic guitar. Can I change the action on it from a low action to a high action? 2) Would using high quality strings effect the sound significantly? 3) What's the best way to make your fingers tougher so they don't hurt as much?
Coincidentally I had the same question, and this definitely clears it up!
I have two more follow up questions:
In the example you gave, there were two parts and subsections to those parts. Each part would get a day, and each subsection its own time. And then on the third day of the rotation, it'd be technique work and review. So for Cliffs of Dover, at least for me it makes sense to think of it as having an Intro, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Solo, and Outro. And within each of these, it seems that there's usually a few subsections...so to approach this, should the overall schedule be extended from 3 days to 7 days? Or should I stick to 3 days and then rotate which parts I practice for each cycle? Or perhaps stick to 3 days but double the overall practice time and cover two parts in a day? Or perhaps stick with the original 3 day template, get the first two parts clean and up to speed, and then work on the next two parts with the first two parts incorporated into review?
Also, there is quite a bit of vibrato thrown in, which is often a bit brisk...and I was never really sure how to practice vibrato, as important as it is. Should I practice it on its own, starting slow and clean and then slowly speeding it up? Or should I try to get to the desired speed, and work on cleaning that up? Or should this be done in the context of a melodic line?
Thanks again for the tips! I never knew that starting small and practicing different things was so crucial. The lack of that knowledge does explain quite a bit, looking back on my practice, and I'm psyched that I'm better equipped for the future.
Ahh, in regards to your sectioning question. I would take a couple weeks or so to get the first half or third of the piece in a VERY SLOW and playable condition. This isn't USUALLY how I'd suggest learning music as one can get into the habit of just practicing the parts theyre good at, but you should sort of think of this tune as 2 or 3 seperate tunes since it is a pretty substantial one to learn. So for two weeks or so do that sectioning thing I talked about in a way you see fit, moving nice and slow. Then, when you can play the begginning sections (doesn't matter if you can really connect them together or not yet, so long as you can play the sections cleanly and SLOWLY)
So divide that tune into 3 seperate sections, and then apply what we talked about to each one . So you work on small parts of each third until you can sort of noodle your way through each, then you begin to practice using the three larger sections.
I'd just spend about one minute a day on vibrato. The trick is to open your ear up to how you want the vibrato to sound, and connecting your fingers to that sound, since the actually physical motion of it isn't all that hard.
Just so you're aware - there are two (some say three but..) main types of vibrato.
Vibrato one - It's just like bending , then releasing to your original note (or close to it) and repeating in an even way. Practice doing this both SLOW AND WIDE, FAST AND WIDE, SLOW AND TIGHT, and FAST AND TIGHT.
Vibrato two - I like this one more, it's usually more subtle too. You apply pressure to the string and sort of pull it left and right instead of up and down. So, you are actually pulling on the string to make it tighter when you move left, this raises the pitch, then when you push the string to the right you slacken it a bit and the pitch lowers. This one has the benefit of going both ABOVE and BELOW the target note, so it has a sort of richer more even sound, though if you want a really wide vibrato this probably isn't the best choice. Same deal with how to practice.
On April 27 2011 14:43 JiSu wrote: I know this is a very random question. I am buying a relatively new guitar from one of my friends. Do you know if how much it costs to ship or is it worth it to bring on the airplane? I am going from Atlanta to Houston.
The thing with the airplane is - THINGS CAN GO WRONG. If you aren't prepared to damage the guitar then you'd probably be better of packing it tightly in something with packing foam and sending it by courier. When I take the plane, there have been times with a little fuss I can get it on the plane with me (some airlines are better/worse than others, some are used to it and have a little closet for things like that on the plane). Other than that, things CAN happen if it goes in the cargo hold. I saw a guitarist once, and he landed the day before the concert and his next snapped off at the body and had to borrow someone elses guitar.
On April 27 2011 16:58 scyper wrote: hello ella_guru! i would like to thank you for taking your time to help out TL!
ive been playing electric guitar on and off for a few years now. i know some basic chords and can switch between them quite well, but most of the songs i play are just power chords anyway. im pretty much your average guy who picks up the guitar and doesnt bother to learn much theory. i can play the major and minor pentatonic scale.. for a warm up exercise.
can you recommend me a few steps for me to take to improve? i dont know what to learn from here.. thank you!
Oh no worries Scyper! I'm doin the best I can to hopefully guide y'all down some new paths.
Hmm, well it depends on your goals. On one hand, if the only music you desire to play on the guitar is mostly power chords, then I dont blame you for not wanting to explore higher techniques or ideas because they don't really apply to your music (this isnt a bad thing! you should always just play what you enjoy). On the other hand you could take a chance and try and broaden your musical palette.
I would look to some barre chords for something for your hands to do. How is your alternate picking? You should get it to the point where you can do 16th notes at 120 two octace scales. (16th notes mean 4 notes for every click) Where are you at with that?
To get the mind going, I would learn the note names on the fretboard for each string up to fret 12. I would take a few days to learn what notes actually exist. When you are comfortable with that apply it to your first string. Take 5 days to learn your first string (spend only two minutes a day on this!) then take another 5 days to learn the second string WHILE maintaining the first string. After a couple weeks you'll have the whole fretboard down for the rest of your life cold.
Why bother? It's going to open up shortcuts in where/how you play chords and licks, as well as help you to begin to understand ways to make riffs and solos.
On May 04 2011 13:40 Androg wrote: 1) Hey I have a $600 acoustic guitar. Can I change the action on it from a low action to a high action? 2) Would using high quality strings effect the sound significantly? 3) What's the best way to make your fingers tougher so they don't hurt as much?
1)Yes, either by shaving the nut (hahaaha) or adjusting the truss rod. This is typically a non-expensive adjustment at any music shop 2)More so on an acoustic than an electric. It sort of depends on how well your ear is atuned to the subtleties of tone. Good tone is a bit like wine I guess, where most people will just say "well, it tastes like wine and gets me drunk so it is good wine!" where other people practically make a career out of understanding how to feel all the ingredients in the wine.
Bottom line here - If you like the sound of the cheap strings, just play them! If you think it could sound better, splurge on a pack and see if you notice the difference (ideally make recordings so you can do a side by side comparison).
3)The disease is the cure haha. Just play . After a few weeks of regular playing (something like 15 minutes on most days) itll go away. If it is still really hurting, it's an issue with your left hand technique .
Here's a C+P when this problem was
guitar is a finesse instrument, rarely a strength thing, like golf, say. Here's how we want our left hand technique to go. Imagine you are crushing a can. Open, close, open , close. That's the sort of muscle group we want to engage while using our left hand. Imagine the energy going to the finger tips. Use the finger TIPS not the PADS to press down on the strings. always come DOWN on the strings as best you can, behind the fret nice and close.
Now to the squeezing thing, how hard is too hard?
Well try this, play a single note on the low E string (the big boy). Ok, nice and clean. Now, release pressure and pluck until you get a bit of a crunch sound , but can still hear a bit of the actual note. It'll take a second to find this sweet spot. Ok, now, push just a HAIR BIT MORE in pressure. THATS what it takes to press a string down. Just a bit more then pushing down a key on your keyboard. The problem is, people get exciting and CRUSH the fuck out of their guitar. Plz dont ; ) . The first thing you do when playing is start with about 30 seconds of this buzz technique, to remind yourself that its a relaxed pursuit, not one of strength.
Do you know the standard factory setup for a Taylor 410ce (e.g. height of action along frets etc)? Can this information be found anywhere on the internet, as I am having trouble knowing where to look.
The reason I ask is because I had my saddle sanded to make it easier to play on the higher frets but now regret it because the guitar has lost a lot of its tone and power, so I have ordered a new bone saddle so that I can start over. The thing is I don't know how high it ought to be - the maker says they make them slightly larger so some sanding may be required depending on the guitar, but I'd like to be as close to the factory condition as possible.
Taking the guitar to a Taylor luthier won't be possible as I do not live in the US.
Just to start off, I own an acoustic guitar and would like to learn play with a pick since I heard fingerstyle was more challenging... on to the questions:
What's the best way to start for a complete beginner(i.e. How should I be spending my time while practicing)? I know how to read piano notes, but from what I have heard guitar is focused heavily on learning and playing chords so is the best way to learn chords first?
I've tried playing a bit, but some problems I've run into are: accidentally lightly touching strings I'm not supposed to which messes up the sound, not being able to move from one finger position fast enough, I sometimes strum strings I'm not supposed to.
Any tips on how to fix these. I'm assuming lots of practice(though it would be nice to be practicing the right way)... Is there any particular way I should be holding the guitar and pick? I know you can strum up or down, but my question is do you alter the way you hold or angle the pick when you are switching from one or the other because I think this is the source of my problems with hitting strings I shouldn't be hitting? If yes, then how do I do it.
Last, is there anything I should know about or any questions I should have asked?
Thanks for letting me ask questions... btw summer is coming up, so I should be able to practice and I will definitely update you on any progress I make or what I learn.
P.S. I'll of course look at the 'first round' of questions on your blog, but as of now I haven't gotten around to it
When playing rasgueado, does one strum first with the index finger and go down to the pinky, or start with the pinky finger and move to the index finger? Or is it personal preference? I hope I haven't been learning wrong...
I just noticed this thread now and I'm a songwriter. Anyway, that graph can apply to many things other than guitar.
If your in a band, sure you are on the road a lot and in the studio which is hard on all relationships. Or you could be a guitar addict and that speaks for itself.
I have a problem where my musical technique is far better than my musical ability, and I would like to work on the latter. I've played guitar on and off since I was a kid, playing the acoustic one as a kid and the electric as a teen. Last year I decided to pick up the classical guitar and learned to read music by myself and can play some pretty decent songs which is what I mean by the musical technique. I can play Sor's Study in B minor, Valse Venezolano no.2 by Antonio Lauro, and parts of many others such as Choro Tipico no.1 by Villa Lobos, Recuerdos Del la Alhambra by Tárrega and I'm currently working on Fantasie by Weiss transcribed for guitar.
These are just examples to help you understand where I am in terms of skill on the guitar, however, in terms of my musical ability the situation is different. I don't have a very good ear, I still can't tune the guitar very well and I know very little music theory and I would like to close this gap some but I don't know where to start or any good resources since I am mostly self-taught. I have done some music theory when I played in the jazz ensemble at my high school for one semester, but I was playing the bass and it was many years ago now!
I saw that goodear trainer you linked earlier and figured I should practice some with it, but in terms of other things I could use some tips on where to go and what to practice to improve. For example I know almost no scales, just the major and blues one starting on the root note on the lower E string. Any pointers where to go to read up or stuff to learn to improve would be appreciated!
Excellent blog. I have more of a general question. How many songs do you think one should practice at once with say...an hour each day of time. Would it be counterproductive to learn too many at once?
EPT
