DoubleStopStomp

Well, from one student to another ...

Your tone is really nice and you do a great job getting the notes to sound clear and distinct. I haven't listened to that one in a while on my CD, but they all sound accurate. My guess is that you're putting a lot of concentration into getting from one note to the next and executing it correctly, which leads towards what tbone mentioned--maybe your focus is so strong at times you lose track of the flow of beats in the song. Keep working with it and in time you'll be able to better hear the whole song while you're playing and the notes will begin to fall more where they should. I struggle a lot in the same area. Excellent work!

I need to find a way record myself without a ton of hassle, it's a great way to review one's progress and spot areas to strengthen. Don't know that I'm brave enough to go "public", ha!.

Nursedad,

I know this is kind of late and you've probably got this tune down pat by now, but I've been waiting to comment until I had some experience in playing with the backing tracks. Also, I didn't want to criticize without offering a possible solution other than saying to just practice more.

So, here goes - I'll be gentle. The good news is that you have the notes down and your tone is excellent (wish I could get your tone). The bad news is that your timing is off. Way off in some places, but on the descending line of the turnaround you're right on the beat again. When I first tried playing with a backing track I had a similar problem. I was totally lost and way out of time. I got pretty discouraged and felt like using my guitar for firewood. At least it would serve a useful purpose.

I think it's obvious that time and practice will solve any problem that any of us are currently having, but here are the steps I'm taking on the current study I'm working on to try and accelerate the process, and the way I will approach the rest of the studies. It seems to be working for me. BTW, I'm writing this as much for myself as for anyone else who might be interested.

1.) Just get the notes of the study down and don't worry about anything else. Spend most of your time on the specific passages that give you a problem. In other words, don't keep playing the whole study through over and over again. Just play the parts that are giving you trouble and play them over and over again.

2.) Go back and listen to the original recording and try to get the feel and flow of the piece. Play it as SLOWLY as you need to. Don't rush it. Don't use a metronome at this stage. Just tap your foot. I think this helps to internalize the pulse and get the feel.

3.) Now practice it with a metronome. (I recently downloaded a free app for my Android phone called 'Mobil Metronome' it has a clicking sound and not that annoying beep). Again, practice it as slowly as you need to in order to play it as best you can. Record yourself to track your progress.

4.) If you are getting frustrated at this point and/or just sick of this study and your inability to play it the way you want - walk away from it. Move on to something else and don't go near it for at least a week or even more. When you come back to it you will be very surprised.

5.) Practice along with the slow version of the study. This is where you will get to see where you are messing up and make the necessary corrections. Do this over and over until you can play the entire piece note for note in your head while driving your car.

6). Practice along with the full tempo version. When you can play it through reasonably well move on to the next step.

7). Play over the slow backing track until you're comfortable.

8). Play over the full tempo backing track. By now you should be able to play it in your sleep.

9.) Work on putting some expression into it - the little nuances like holding a note with finger vibrato, staccato, playing hard or soft, etc.

10.) Record yourself and post it. You made it! Have a beer.

This may sound like a lot of repetition and drudgery, but I think it's worth it. Especially on the more advanced studies. Each of these studies is made up of small fragments that I may be able to use later in my own solos. Plus, the technique skills acquired are applicable to everything I'll ever play.

Some of you may think this is overkill, and it may be for some. But that is totally dependent on your skill level. Somebody with a higher skill level might skip all of these steps and get the whole thing down in a couple of practice sessions, while someone else might take a couple of weeks or even longer if they walk away from it for a while.

Wow, that was cathartic. I don't know if you or anybody else benefited from this, but it helped me to consolidate my thoughts and come up with a progression that I can follow.

I'm looking forward to hearing you post an update of "Double Stop Stomp" - hopefully, soon. It takes a bit of courage to post your playing on-line and leave yourself open to  criticism. I wish more people would do it. I plan on doing it again as soon as I get my new guitar computer interface.

Phil

Thanks for the encouraging words and the 'not holding your breath' tip. I'll have to check to see if I do that. It's things like this that I would never think of on my own, but could make a big difference in one's playing.

Regarding having owned a guitar for 30 years and suddenly having your eyes opened - I'll tell you my tragic story some day.

Post what you are thinking about posting in regards to practicing. I'll bet that somebody will find it helpful, but what's more important is how you, personally, will benefit from from getting your thoughts on paper (that's a figure of speech - some of these younger guys may not remember pens and paper ).

Another of my recent revelations has been the benefit of putting one's thoughts down in writing. God, I'm reminded of the quote about youth being wasted on the young. If I only knew then what I ..........Ah, never mind, you know the rest.

Post it. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Phil

The "holding your breath" thought was meant for the original poster, but if you find it helpful, that's great. I'll go ahead and see if I can't put together a succinct summary of what I was referring to regarding practice. I'll have to be careful not to make it an autobiography/"12-step" treatment of all my past miseries. But you're right, distilling thoughts into written words is a helpful exercise.