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Post by grampalerxst on Dec 16, 2018 6:11:18 GMT -6
Broken record week for me. Pretty much stuck to practicing the same stuff. Loop, loop, loop, then repeat. I've hit the point where the Andy Timmons Electric Gypsy lick is getting to be some slow going. Probably up to about 11,400 reps give or take. This coming week I'm going to split time again between 65% and 70% tempo. I've taken a couple excursions up to 75% to test the waters. I seem to do better at 70% or even 75% than I do at 65%. It's like there's a division there where 65% is slow enough I think my way through it but above it playing the notes relies a lot more on reflex. Reflex is fine except in that mode I don't readily make the little adjustments required to incrementally improve accuracy. I've also been working on the entire intro (~ first 16 bars I think, haven't counted). That's going okay at 65%-70% tempo after about 400-500 reps. Need to get the speed up just a little and I can probably start trying it with a backing track rather than playing along with the recording. At the speeds I've been playing I don't readily feel the melodic flow.
On Pride and Joy I've been working the lick at 90%-95% tempo playing long with the recording, will go to 95%-100% this coming week. Working the full intro chorus I've been at 95% and will probably stick there for one more week. I tried recording a few reps yesterday and the red button made my right hand/wrist really tighten up during the last 4 bars (what I call the "turnaround lick").
I have some extra time away from work this coming week which is good, but starting next Saturday I'll be traveling back home to Illinois to visit my dad for 4-5 days over Christmas. First holiday season w/o my mom has been a bit difficult for him. So I'll be away from the instrument for a handful of days starting at the end of next week.
It's also getting to be time to start thinking about getting back on a more organized routine, and the coming new year makes a good time to think about the transition.
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Post by cunningr on Dec 16, 2018 7:44:01 GMT -6
Well my week about same about 3 to 4 good hours of practice and some extra time 5 to 10 minutes random stuff. Still working on instructor stuff Honky Tonk i have it through 2 rounds couple spots with timing off but frankly havent been working with a reference focusing on the licks and technique and transcribing it to new key from F.
Worked on several variation of 2 new licks that go with shuffle rytmns but cool, still trying to get where I can go into the turn around smoother, I am having trouble visualizing where to start it in the 12 bar sequence, need to review my video i made during class.
Big event I ordered a Pearl Sea Green Fender Elite Stratocaster, little nervouse because I was really interested in an Eric Johnson version. Has 45 day return so if i dont like will send back for the other one. I got a 17 percent discount free shipping with 1 year free access to the fender learn to play site.
Grampalerxst you can call me Rich if you like.
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Post by grampalerxst on Dec 16, 2018 10:12:33 GMT -6
Grampalerxst you can call me Rich if you like. Roger that, Rich it is!  |
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Post by Phil on Dec 16, 2018 10:37:51 GMT -6
I got in 11+ hours if I include 1.5 hours playing with another guitarist. We're going to try to get together once a week. We still sound awful, but hopefully it will get better. I've been playing plugged in more regularly. That's helping me focus on picking attack and playing cleanly. Speaking of picking attack, I haven't played with a pick almost all year. I picked up the pick again last week. It's like riding a bike except for occasionally missing a string which is like your foot missing the pedal.  I got started (for about the 13th time) on the 2nd half of the Mickey Baker book which is in standard notation. It's going to take some self-discipline to continue, but I'm going to give it a shot. It starts off with some picking exercises which I always skipped. After all, I don't need no stinking picking exercises.  I hate picking exercises. Well, I went through them and stumbled all over trying to play them. I guess I do need the stinking picking exercises. A few minutes a day should be enough. I also discovered that what Mickey Baker has labeled as "scale runs" are actually arpeggios - something I seriously need to work on. Baker gives strange names to a lot of things. The book was published in 1955 and he wasn't formally trained. However, he was extremely well organized and knew how to put together a sensible, progressive guitar course. If you ever heard the original version of the old song "Love is Strange" by Mickey and Sylvia he's Mickey. He also did a lot of studio work in the '50s and '60s. I'm convinced that if this was the only book a person had, and he worked it the way Baker tells you to, he could become a very accomplished guitarist. This is probably also true of many other method books. The problem is most of us keep getting distracted by the shiny object over there. Since I'm on the subject of guitar books I'd like to point out that I did not fall for any of the Christmas discounts. I almost bought a chord melody course after a little forum discussion with Bruce. I'm proud to announce that I restrained myself. I looked over the dozens of Truefire courses, books, downloaded tabs, etc., etc., and decided I had enough to get me thru the end of the year. |
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Post by bluesbruce on Dec 16, 2018 11:02:11 GMT -6
Got in probably at least 1/2 hour of practice every day except only about 5 minutes on Friday. Well, even that is better than zero. All technique practice - scales, notes on fretboard, sixteenth note strumming (including scratches, floats, slides, chord embellishments). I probably need to get some picking exercises, too, Phil. I've also opted NOT to buy any more books/DVD's/on-line courses right now. Phil, I remember one of the things Mickey Baker says in his intro is that you should practice this material for two hours a day, one chapter per week, and at that it would take a year to finish his book... No question you could improve your chops if you'd do that! I also changed the strings on my Ibanez. I change them so infrequently, I'm always astounded at how much nicer the guitar plays and sounds with some new strings on it! Not to mention holds it's tuning... It's really not such a big deal to change them, and I'm not sure why I have such an aversion to doing it. Maybe I need to make that a New Years resolution - change my strings every month. I even made a little carry bag years age with a set of tools (string winder, wire cutter, small pliers, cloth, etc) and a bunch of strings in it for just this purpose, thinking it would make it so easy to do - but I still don't change them.
Oh, and Rich, you know the protocol - all new guitars mandate VIDEOS! We're all anxious to see it and hear it!
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Post by jack1982 on Dec 16, 2018 11:18:12 GMT -6
Very uninspired week for me, just messed around with "Silver Bells" a bit and that's about it. Today, if the constant buzzing noise around me ears - aka my family - ever gives me a moment of peace I'll get the classical tuned up and get some of my Christmas carol books out. Congrat's on the new guitar Rich! Hey that's no fair getting noiseless pickups, you've gotta put up with the hum just like the rest of us  Hope you like that compound radius fretboard - were you saying you liked a flatter fretboard? That will probably work good for you then. |
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Post by Phil on Dec 16, 2018 11:30:32 GMT -6
Got in probably at least 1/2 hour of practice every day except only about 5 minutes on Friday. Well, even that is better than zero. All technique practice - scales, notes on fretboard, sixteenth note strumming (including scratches, floats, slides, chord embellishments). I probably need to get some picking exercises, too, Phil. I've also opted NOT to buy any more books/DVD's/on-line courses right now. Phil, I remember one of the things Mickey Baker says in his intro is that you should practice this material for two hours a day, one chapter per week, and at that it would take a year to finish his book... No question you could improve your chops if you'd do that! I also changed the strings on my Ibanez. I change them so infrequently, I'm always astounded at how much nicer the guitar plays and sounds with some new strings on it! Not to mention holds it's tuning... It's really not such a big deal to change them, and I'm not sure why I have such an aversion to doing it. Maybe I need to make that a New Years resolution - change my strings every month. I even made a little carry bag years age with a set of tools (string winder, wire cutter, small pliers, cloth, etc) and a bunch of strings in it for just this purpose, thinking it would make it so easy to do - but I still don't change them. Oh, and Rich, you know the protocol - all new guitars mandate VIDEOS! We're all anxious to see it and hear it! Man, I was hoping you would get one of the chord melody courses I don't have so you could tell me about it.  Mickey Baker gets pretty demanding with his 2 hours a day thing. Can you imagine actually following his instructions to the letter? We'd probably be good guitarists.  A year seems so long when you're looking ahead and so short when you look back. I just checked my Amazon account and see that I ordered this book in Aug 2016. I could have gone thru it twice by now. How far did you get into the book? Ever thought about getting back into it? I made it thru most of the 1st half and practically nothing in the 2nd half. I've been toying with the idea of doing a video series of me struggling thru this book from beginning to end. Just one of the far too many ideas I toy around with.  |
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Post by cunningr on Dec 16, 2018 11:59:33 GMT -6
Bruce I will try to do something of a video, guitar shipped yesterday so maybe this week with some luck it will arrive Friday.
Jack yes my 335 has a 12” radius and I really like it, I am concerned about the pups I getting mixed reviews I suppose I could get a loaded pick guard with an alternate setup. Still not sure I should have gotten the Eric Johnson but the pups are his tone and I didn’t like the idea of the vintage trem. But it has a12” radius neck.
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Post by jack1982 on Dec 16, 2018 15:57:42 GMT -6
Bruce I will try to do something of a video, guitar shipped yesterday so maybe this week with some luck it will arrive Friday. Jack yes my 335 has a 12” radius and I really like it, I am concerned about the pups I getting mixed reviews I suppose I could get a loaded pick guard with an alternate setup. Still not sure I should have gotten the Eric Johnson but the pups are his tone and I didn’t like the idea of the vintage trem. But it has a12” radius neck. Yeah there's about a gazillion pre-loaded pickguards you can get for Strats, so if you like to experiment, you're set for life |
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I hate picking exercises. Well, I went through them and stumbled all over trying to play them. I guess I do need the stinking picking exercises. A few minutes a day should be enough.
Hope you like that compound radius fretboard - were you saying you liked a flatter fretboard? That will probably work good for you then.
A year seems so long when you're looking ahead and so short when you look back. I just checked my Amazon account and see that I ordered this book in Aug 2016. I could have gone thru it twice by now. 