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Post by jack1982 on Jun 2, 2019 5:08:45 GMT -6
I had kind of a light week, but got in a bit more practice these last few days. Worked a little bit on polishing up that song I posted last week, and also jammed along with some backing tracks from YouTube. This month's "challenge" at that other site is to write a solo - the first webinar is tomorrow so I don't know too many details yet, but I guess you're supposed to write something simple and then add more technical bits to it as the month progresses. I've been noodling over some minor blues backing tracks; one neat thing I like is that if the I and IV chords are minor and the V chord is a dominant 7th, you can play the harmonic minor scale over that V chord, which sounds kind of cool. So I've been messing around with that. Anyhow, looking forward to getting started on that challenge and hopefully having an inspired and practice-filled month  |
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Post by grampalerxst on Jun 2, 2019 5:47:49 GMT -6
Practice-wise I was in the 9-10 hr range I think. Mostly the same ole same ole. On good days I'm pushing the Electric Gypsy up around 80%-90% tempo. 90% is still a tad too fast for my mind to keep up, but sometimes my reflexes take over--fringe benefit of tens of thousands of reps, I suppose.
I've probably put my best focus on slowed down phrase replication efforts. I started on the last 6 of the 24 one-bar phrases in Wyatt's book (still working all 24). Generally I've been improving although this morning's effort felt like a dud. Not to be overlooked, but I'm doing the same with the first three phrases of BYCU #3 (True Blue). That one is vexing me. Part of the challenge is that one of the guitars I play daily has three springs on the trem, the other five. The former poses some challenges in that even on just a whole step bend, the bridge gives a little where on the latter it doesn't (making it much easier). Nevertheless I saw a good bit of improvement through the week. I've been working at 50% tempo for everything mentioned in this paragraph except I started off at 35% on the new one-bar phrases until I learned the notes.
As a wrinkle to my routine I've made Wednesday "Slow Day" the last couple weeks where I don't anything above 50% tempo. Right now that really only affects Electric Gypsy--and for it taking my foot off the gas for a day seems to refresh the learning process.
Coincidentally, I did a play-through of the minor blues backing track that was supposed to be our challenge. Hadn't done so in quite a while. All the blues stuff I've been working on is predicated on exploiting dominant blues harmony, so I pretty much had to stay away from the short phrases I've been practicing. I'd forgotten the challenges's theme melodic idea, so I was simply winging it. I wish I'd have recorded it, because I think some of it was okay. Nothing fancy like a harmonic minor scale ala Jack, but I did fool around with adding F natural around the IV chord and the B natural around the V or bending it a half-step to C during the I and occasionally the IV. Kind of neat-sounding, although my application of them sounds a little "forced".
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Post by Phil on Jun 2, 2019 8:22:09 GMT -6
For almost 3 weeks now I've been working on an 8 bar solo for a Jazz standard as played by Bucky Pizzarelli. The last 3 bars I didn't like much and couldn't get the groove so I changed them to something simpler and it worked out great. Captured the essence of the original, but different. I guess this is what you're supposed to do - take the idea and make it your own. I got started on the next 8 bars and have the 1st 4 down at a slow tempo. The frustrating thing is that I thought I had the 1st solo down, but when I tried to play it with another guitarist it fell apart. Playing with another person is very different from playing with a the original or a backing track. As Yogi Berra would say, "I think it's 90% half mental."  Of course, the real question is why is it still taking me 3 weeks to be able to play an 8 bar solo? Answer: crappy technique. With this particular solo I'm really analyzing it and trying to see what he's doing. I'm not just memorizing patterns (although that's a big part of it). Jack, I have a suggestion (I'm good at making suggestions  ) for coming up with a solo for your next webinar thing. This is something I've actually done, so I'm not just talking crap. I did it for a finger style solo Blues I put together, for part of the solo I mentioned above, and a couple of other things like intros. However, I definitely don't do it enough. Come up with solo ideas in your head first, then find them on the guitar. This is the opposite of what we usually do - try to stumble upon things by noodling in the pentatonic boxes. Play a Blues in your head while driving or relaxing and make up a solo in your mind. Try to repeat a small part that sounds to you good over and over in your head so you latch onto it and don't forget it. When you get to a guitar work it out and fine tune it. You'll probably find that you break away from familiar patterns and add in notes you otherwise wouldn't. And, most importantly, you'll start to develop the ear to fingers connection. For me this is the ultimate goal - be able to play what I hear in my head. |
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Post by bluesbruce on Jun 2, 2019 16:09:05 GMT -6
A little late to the party today - had to work this weekend and other stuff eating up too much time! Think I've had my hands on the guitar every day, but most of them have been kind of short, half hour or less kind of things. Same old stuff - Stetina total rock guitar, a little blues thrown in. That's about it. Phil, I like your idea of trying to work something out in your head, then figure it out on the guitar - maybe you could hum or whistle along and record it on your cell phone, then go back and work it out. I think you're right that it would force you out of "the usual boxes", so to speak. Cool idea!
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Post by Phil on Jun 2, 2019 19:31:57 GMT -6
A little late to the party today - had to work this weekend and other stuff eating up too much time! Think I've had my hands on the guitar every day, but most of them have been kind of short, half hour or less kind of things. Same old stuff - Stetina total rock guitar, a little blues thrown in. That's about it. Phil, I like your idea of trying to work something out in your head, then figure it out on the guitar - maybe you could hum or whistle along and record it on your cell phone, then go back and work it out. I think you're right that it would force you out of "the usual boxes", so to speak. Cool idea!I can assure you that it's not my original idea. 
Here's one way to practice the concept. Put your index finger on any random string and fret. Play that note a few times to get the tonal center in your ear. Now play Happy Birthday or some other tune that you've heard all your life. Do this randomly all over the fret board. You might surprise yourself.
I like the idea of singing or humming into your phone so you don't lose the idea you had. I never think of my phone as a readily available recording device.
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Post by cunningr on Jun 3, 2019 14:44:59 GMT -6
Well I am even later to the party Bruce. I have been working on same stuff mostly got about 4 hours last week. Sunday was a bust had a stomach bug kept me occupied.
We did go over the. Intro to Eagles life in the fast lane, so working on that too.
Phil not sure you followed much soccer here but Reyes was killed in a car accident Saturday between Utrera and Sevilla. Killed also were one of his cousins and the other is in bad shop 65 percent burns. The last passenger is my next door neighbors son. Estimated speed147 mph tire blow lost control, caught fire.
Anyway i elected to continue classes in Aug after my vacation, and got tickets to a blues night river cruise.
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Post by jack1982 on Jun 4, 2019 5:06:27 GMT -6
Jack, I have a suggestion (I'm good at making suggestions ) for coming up with a solo for your next webinar thing. This is something I've actually done, so I'm not just talking crap. I did it for a finger style solo Blues I put together, for part of the solo I mentioned above, and a couple of other things like intros. However, I definitely don't do it enough. Come up with solo ideas in your head first, then find them on the guitar. This is the opposite of what we usually do - try to stumble upon things by noodling in the pentatonic boxes. Play a Blues in your head while driving or relaxing and make up a solo in your mind. Try to repeat a small part that sounds to you good over and over in your head so you latch onto it and don't forget it. When you get to a guitar work it out and fine tune it. You'll probably find that you break away from familiar patterns and add in notes you otherwise wouldn't. And, most importantly, you'll start to develop the ear to fingers connection. For me this is the ultimate goal - be able to play what I hear in my head. Phil, that's actually (sort of) what we're supposed to do: "Write your solo first, do not improvise it. This causes you to think through the options in front of you." So if I only knew what the notes sounded like before I played them...  I suppose that's sort of the point. Dang it, I hate learning new things lol. |
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Post by Phil on Jun 4, 2019 12:44:13 GMT -6
Phil, that's actually (sort of) what we're supposed to do: "Write your solo first, do not improvise it. This causes you to think through the options in front of you." So if I only knew what the notes sounded like before I played them... I suppose that's sort of the point. Dang it, I hate learning new things lol. Put your finger on a random fret. Play Happy Birthday. Do it now. You know what these notes sound like before you play them. |
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Post by joachim on Jun 4, 2019 22:27:34 GMT -6
I am still on the same studies as last week, but practice time has been rather scarse, so there hasn't been time for much else, for example improvisation practice. Hopefully next week will be better.
Jack, those challenges sound really fun!
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Of course, the real question is why is it still taking me 3 weeks to be able to play an 8 bar solo? Answer: crappy technique.
) for coming up with a solo for your next webinar thing. This is something I've actually done, so I'm not just talking crap. I did it for a finger style solo Blues I put together, for part of the solo I mentioned above, and a couple of other things like intros. However, I definitely don't do it enough.
I suppose that's sort of the point.