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Post by bluesbruce on Oct 27, 2019 8:46:30 GMT -6
Well, not much to report guitar wise. Made it through the hernia surgery OK. Also had three nodules taken off my left forearm, so between all this haven't felt much like playing guitar. Slowly feeling better, hopefully get back to it soon - maybe (gasp) actually try to record something.
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Post by Phil on Oct 27, 2019 9:00:27 GMT -6
Bruce, good to hear you're recovering well.
I had an eye opening experience last week. I was learning "The St. Louis Blues." It's an unusual blues tune in the way it's laid out. It has 2 choruses of regular dominant 12-bar blues, an 8 bar bridge in a minor key, and another chorus of regular 12-bar blues. Anyhoo, I watched several versions on YT from W. C. Handy himself to Louis Armstrong to Chet Atkins and other solo guitar versions. It then occurred to me that I couldn't even play a basic, acceptable sounding, finger style 12-bar Blues. I could play little pieces, but I couldn't string them together in a smooth, cohesive, pleasant sounding unit. I dug out my book, "Blues Solos for Acoustic Guitar," by Johnny Norris. I think Joachim recommended it a couple of years ago. I started it way back when, but didn't stick with it. (Sound familiar?) Well, I couldn't play the 1st simple study cleanly all the way thru without screwing up at least once every other measure. So, I'm spending about 15 minutes every day on this book. I'm happy to say that I can now play the 1st 2 studies with almost no mistakes.  The next few studies look a little intense, but I plan to slowly work thru this book a few minutes a day. I'm still doing the Jazz stuff, but it never hurts to go back to the basics and work on technique. Of course, I never had much in the way of technique so this is going to help. I know some of you have this book buried somewhere. I highly recommend that you dig it out, dust it off, and give it another shot. Lot's of good, usable licks and traditional turn-arounds. |
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Post by jack1982 on Oct 27, 2019 9:25:27 GMT -6
Bruce, good to hear you got that stuff over with! Now time to relax and enjoy some pain killers  I had an okay week of practice, played about 6 days. I'm afraid "Fantasy" has slipped out of the practice schedule - the solo has a lot of aggressive bends with vibrato and it was making my left elbow / forearm sore (mostly those 5 bends right at the beginning). I lifted weights for a week, about a month ago, and noticed those exact same places were sore. I suppose one activity aggravated the other. Anyhow I had .009's on the Les Paul and just ordered some .008's, I'll see if that makes any difference. I did a video of the solo at about 90% tempo, any constructive criticism is appreciated. It sounds like the first 3 bends are okay but the next two I bend up flat originally and then push them up to pitch? Mostly I've been working on Christmas songs on the classical guitar and a minor key hymn, "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent" on steel string acoustic (it's apparently Christmas related as it's in Mark Hansen's "Fingerstyle Christmas Guitar" book). Hey there's a 60% chance of snow here tomorrow night so I'm getting in the mood  |
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Post by bluesbruce on Oct 27, 2019 11:08:49 GMT -6
Jack, I thought the solo sounded pretty good. I'm not sure I would have even picked up on those 4th and 5th bends if you hadn't pointed them out - especially in with all the other notes going on in there. Great rock tone on that, too. Lighter strings like 8's are definitely easier to bend, but I found it kind of hard to not inadvertently bend notes that I wasn't trying to bend. Probably just takes practice and attention to finger placement and pressure.
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Post by Phil on Oct 27, 2019 12:00:11 GMT -6
Yeah, Jack, I'm with Bruce on this one. Great tone and solid playing. Impressive.
I also couldn't help noticing your ever growing guitar collection. You're going to need a bigger room one of these days.  |
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Post by cunningr on Oct 27, 2019 13:12:59 GMT -6
Bruce glad to hear everything is going well and your healing! Jack sounded top notch! I think Billy Gibbons uses 8’s also, and BB King used something really light when he got older, said why work when you can use lighter strings lol.
Me practice been down a bit, nothing new from class worked on playing over12 bar rhythm and knowing where we I am in the progression. I think next week were going to start learning Robert Trowers version of Born Under aBad Sign.
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Post by jack1982 on Oct 27, 2019 18:49:39 GMT -6
Thanks so much guys, appreciate the feedback! I submitted it to the "hotseats" thing at "that other site" and "that other guy" basically said I needed a more aggressive rock-style vibrato and gave me some tips on getting it up to speed, like speeding it up to 110% full tempo in order to let my fingers know what I expect of them, then going back-and-forth between 90% and 110% and gradually working it up. Well, I'll give it a try I think I've only played on .008's once or twice, several decades ago. They may very well feel like soggy spaghetti on the fretboard lol. I'll just have to see if it works or not. Phil, yeah I've often though about knocking out that back wall and taking over the (pretty much unused) bedroom on the other side LOL. |
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Post by grampalerxst on Oct 29, 2019 13:31:52 GMT -6
Bruce, glad the surgery went well. Jack, that sounded real good. Phil, I think I used to have that book. Seems like back in the day it came with a cassette tape, which even if I could locate I have no way to play it. Pretty standard week for me. Practicing my evening routine feels like mini Crossfit workouts. Over the last couple months I've gradually started changing up my whole fretting hand technique. The genesis of that was trying to work up that lick in the intro to Electric gypsy and get it to tempo. I'm pretty sure my epithet will read:
~Grampalerxst~
~
-He practiced "Electric Gypsy"
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Post by joachim on Oct 30, 2019 0:14:47 GMT -6
I am a little late to the party.
Jack, that was great! The sound was just spot on for a song like that.
I am still doing constructive noodling over the early studies of MBYCU. Then I started on a different Fleetwood Mac song - I've been doing the slow blues so long that I needed a change - this one is more rocking:
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The next few studies look a little intense, but I plan to slowly work thru this book a few minutes a day. I'm still doing the Jazz stuff, but it never hurts to go back to the basics and work on technique. Of course, I never had much in the way of technique so this is going to help. 
