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Post by jack1982 on May 9, 2020 6:27:21 GMT -6
Well here's my crappy little rendition - that 11th fret bend at the beginning of bar 2 makes me cringe. Think I just got it up way sharp.
Been working on trying not to let bends "unbend" at the end but it appears I've got a ways to go still. My own little bit is a lot chord tones and some blues scale.
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Post by grampalerxst on May 9, 2020 8:25:06 GMT -6
Thanks Jack, Phil, and Bruce!
I listened again this morning and found it a little cringe-worthy. I forgot to mention that when I did the second 8 bars I was on my second adult beverage and so my listening skills were slightly dulled. Maybe should have held off uploading, but I'm glad I at least have something to show for two weeks of effort.
I'm starting to think listening to oneself is a skill that takes some practice. It's similar to listening to recordings of your voice speaking or whatever. What I really sound like is different than how I sound to myself while playing--maybe because I'm carrying around an idea of what I'm trying to sound like.
I guess I was envisioning a segue back to the vocalist and so maybe could have brought the last couple notes down some--live and learn! I agree that it does feel like a bait-and-switch ending it abruptly after making unkept promises. I'm learning a lot more goes into a solo than finger movements.
Anyway, thanks again for the encouraging words!
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Post by grampalerxst on May 9, 2020 8:57:15 GMT -6
Well here's my crappy little rendition - that 11th fret bend at the beginning of bar 2 makes me cringe. Think I just got it up way sharp. Been working on trying not to let bends "unbend" at the end but it appears I've got a ways to go still. My own little bit is a lot chord tones and some blues scale. Jack, that was really cool. Especially liked what you did with the remainder of the chorus, the double stops and the movement down into lower registers, and the note selection brightened up the harmony in a neat way. Bends are just plain hard, and the lick 2 part is full of them. If I can get the bends in the ballpark, I'll keep a take even with some stumbles elsewhere. The one you mention, playing along with the demo slowed down in Transcribe! it sounded like JG left that one a little short even, like a sign pointing ahead to the fretted F that follows rather than a path right onto it. I didn't really notice until I listened a second time after reading your comments that yeah, yours might have been a little sharp. I need to go back and listen to the demo, I was sort of choking that one off before I had to commit to a destination pitch--may have been a bit of a cheat on my part.
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Post by Phil on May 9, 2020 9:56:49 GMT -6
Nicely done, Jack. I really like what you did with the rest of the chorus. I think it's important to play the whole chorus and not just the 4 bars of lick by itself. These licks are useless unless you can incorporate them into the full 12 bars and you did that very well as did Grampa. As for me I'm afraid I'm going to have to sit this one out. The 1st one was fun and a nice break from what I had been doing. I was really looking forward to continuing with the rest of these licks. However, reality set in this week and it became apparent that I can't do this project and still work on the stuff that I primarily want to focus on. Maybe I could handle it if I was 40 years younger, but not now.
Blues is foundational to Jazz. However, the style of playing the kind hard core Blues that I like is very different than playing Jazz. In the past I tried to learn different genres at the same time and it never panned out for me. At one time I was trying to learn Blues with a pick, Rockabilly hybrid picking, Travis/Atkins style with a thumb pick, and straight up finger style in their respective genres all at the same time. There are many people who can do this, but I'm not one of them. If this project continues I hope to jump in from time to time. In the mean time I'll certainly be listening regularly to what you guys are doing. You guys are cranking out some good sounding Blues and I hope this project keeps going and more people will participate. Coach Bruce is doing a great job directing this and setting up those Guitar Pro files so we can hear these licks in context over a backing track.
I'm going to join our good friend T-Bone now and lurk from the shadows.
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Post by jack1982 on May 9, 2020 14:36:01 GMT -6
^^ Jeez the excuses that guy comes up with just to get out of making a video Nah I totally understand Phil, I was working on that Van Halen song and it seems to have completely fallen by the wayside since I've been working on our challenge. I do like to write stuff occasionally, that's a skill I've always wanted to develop and coming up with an additional 8 bars every two weeks, well it's 8 bars more than I usually do lol. I think over a period of a year or so it might start paying dividends. Thanks for the kind words by the way Oh and no "lurking" - we want videos of your jazz stuff. You've been working on that stuff so long you must have at least an hour's worth of material
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Post by bluesbruce on May 9, 2020 16:14:06 GMT -6
Jack, loved your part of that - very laid back and chill, some breathing space in it. I agree on the lick part, your bends were sharp, but your timing was dead on.
Phil, sorry to hear you're bowing out - I figured we'd have some drop out. Glad to hear you'll still be hanging out and please do jump in from time to time. Oh, and I'd still like you to drop and give me ten pushups (and post us a video of you doing it!).
Well, here's my gimpy presentation - just the lick, no chorus. But check out that new GLS guitar cord! Doesn't it sound sweet?
I think I need to spend more time up front with these, then drop into my ten minute a day thing. I think this one took me the first week or more just to get comfortable with how I wanted to finger the thing. So I didn't really get into playing it in a chorus, playing it in different keys, etc. I didn't want this to turn into a thing that ate up all of everyone's practice time, but I really do think there is value to learning these licks - even if you don't do a full 12-bar chorus every week. I've looked at the next one (Lick 3), and it is only a two bar lick that fits over the I-IV progression (so the first two bars or the fourth and fifth bars of a 12 bar blues). I'll try to get demos out tomorrow, but I'm having to work this weekend, so if I don't get 'em out tomorrow, should be able to on Monday.
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Post by joachim on May 10, 2020 2:10:13 GMT -6
Jack and Bruce, I loved both of those renditions! I had an awful week where I barely touched the guitar, but I will do a rendition tonight, and I am looking forward to the next one, Bruce!
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Post by grampalerxst on May 10, 2020 4:30:10 GMT -6
But check out that new GLS guitar cord! Doesn't it sound sweet? I think I need to spend more time up front with these, then drop into my ten minute a day thing. I think this one took me the first week or more just to get comfortable with how I wanted to finger the thing. So I didn't really get into playing it in a chorus, playing it in different keys, etc. I didn't want this to turn into a thing that ate up all of everyone's practice time, but I really do think there is value to learning these licks - even if you don't do a full 12-bar chorus every week. I've looked at the next one (Lick 3), and it is only a two bar lick that fits over the I-IV progression (so the first two bars or the fourth and fifth bars of a 12 bar blues). I'll try to get demos out tomorrow, but I'm having to work this weekend, so if I don't get 'em out tomorrow, should be able to on Monday. Hey, Bruce that sounded good--so the new cord must be working! Good overall tone for blues, and as you get it smoothed out over time it'll sound killer with that setup.
It was pretty much the same for me--took the first week to sort of get things under my fingers to where I could actually practice it. C is a key I'm pretty unfamiliar with on the neck so I haven't worked on transposing anything so far. At this juncture this is a really good exercise for me, so I'm going stick with it. Blues is as much about how you play the notes as it is about the notes themselves. For me that takes a pretty good amount of time, but it's a good exercise--I haven't done much actual blues in the last 6 mos. This past one, except for Friday night when I was recording it, I don't think I spent more than 15 minutes on any given day--the bends tired me out pretty quick.
Four bars is a lot to digest in short order--two bars seems like a better size, plus it is an important phrase length in blues, sort of the standard length of the call-and-response approach. I'm looking forward to it.
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Post by grampalerxst on May 10, 2020 4:43:18 GMT -6
As for me I'm afraid I'm going to have to sit this one out. The 1st one was fun and a nice break from what I had been doing. I was really looking forward to continuing with the rest of these licks. However, reality set in this week and it became apparent that I can't do this project and still work on the stuff that I primarily want to focus on. Maybe I could handle it if I was 40 years younger, but not now.
Sorry to hear you're opting out, Phil. But I get it, hard to sink a lot of effort into something when your heart isn't in it. I may be doing myself a disservice by trying to juggle this, my prog metal project, working on three other "songs"* I'm "writing", and my bane--those damnable 16 bars of Andy Timmons. Consistent focus over time has never been my strongest suit .
Maybe someday you'll let us hear something from this mysterious other life your leading ...
*Really just guitar parts/progressions that could theoretically be used in a song.
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Post by jack1982 on May 10, 2020 5:41:41 GMT -6
Nice job on that Bruce, your bends were definitely better than mine Why can everyone do those except me lol. Looking forward to lick #3, seems like it might be a bit more useful in a wider variety of situations.
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Post by bluesbruce on May 10, 2020 6:22:53 GMT -6
Thanks for the positive comments - and after Lick 1 where I had that completely maligned bend! Joachim - we've all been there with life getting in the way of music - don't hesitate to put up a slowed down or partial version if that's where you are. My biggest stumbling block with this one was that dreaded next to last note - I just had a dickens of a time getting fingering, timing, and picking lined up on that note. Don't know if you can tell from the video, but I ended up fretting it with the thumb over the top, while getting my third finger ready to take that final bend. Grampa, my "setup" is plugging straight into the computer, where I have an embarrassing plethora of amp sims and pedals and effects in Logic Pro. Used one of their amp presets called "King's Tone", which I think is modeled on a Fender Deluxe and B. B. King's tone. I put an overdrive pedal in front of it, with the drive turned pretty low, and some EQ after it. I thought it came out pretty good. Jack, I don't think anybody has ever accused me of having better bends than they do! LOL. I'm hoping the two measure Lick 3 will be a little more manageable, as well.
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Post by joachim on May 10, 2020 9:42:24 GMT -6
Here's my version - just the lick, nothing inspiring. Sloppy timing, and an iffy bend at the end - oh well...
Thanks again Bruce, for keeping us at it. Next week I will spend more time on this - the licks are kinda cool!
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Post by Phil on May 10, 2020 11:43:52 GMT -6
Sound great, Joachim. I'm impressed that you can do that 11th fret bend with your index finger. I also like the way you fingered that little downward run just before the final note. I'm talking about playing the 10th fret 5th string with your middle finger to allow your ring finger to stay in place a split second longer on the 4th string. I learned to do that from one of John's supplemental lessons for BYCU and have been using that technique ever since.
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Post by blackcountrymick on May 10, 2020 17:39:46 GMT -6
Just got this done before going to bed. Uses bits of my own, licks 1 & 2.
Sorry file too big, try again tomorrow!!
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Post by bluesbruce on May 10, 2020 18:05:56 GMT -6
Good job, Joachim. I like the index finger full tone bend, too. Impressive! I'd have to work on that one for a while to pull it off. I tried that next to last note with the index finger, just couldn't seem to get it to working for me. I do think that's a better way of fingering it than my thumb over the top, though I could probably bend that last bend up off the top of the fretboard with me thumb wrapped around like that LOL! It'd sound terrible, though.
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Post by grampalerxst on May 11, 2020 1:47:53 GMT -6
Here's my version - just the lick, nothing inspiring. Sloppy timing, and an iffy bend at the end - oh well... Thanks again Bruce, for keeping us at it. Next week I will spend more time on this - the licks are kinda cool! Joachim, nice job, you handled the lick as well as anyone. I guess we're the only ones that did that first 11th-fret bend with first finger. Glad someone else does it that way, was beginning to think I was doing it "wrong". The lick was a tough one and I think you came closest to nailing it.
Edited: added "you" to the above (see underline).
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Post by joachim on May 11, 2020 4:05:03 GMT -6
Okay, I guess I'll go first this time ...
***CHEAT ALERT*** I did this in two takes. The first four bars is one and the last 8 I did in a second take--just couldn't get the last 8 going well on the heel of getting through John's licks. I could just "learn" what I played for the last 8 and do it in 1 take maybe, but I'm too lazy. At least to lazy to commit to it. I might try again for the sake of pride.
But tomorrow is my birthday, so be nice to me
This is another C+/B-. I thought I did pretty good on lick 2 (it's a relative thing), wish I would have laid back a little. Obviously need to work on bend/vibrato combos. The last 8 have some thing I like too, I kinda like how I stole from JG and mashed it up with a cliche. That longer rambly phrase in the middle of the last 8, I didn't really stick the ending like I would have liked, but I got into the cliche (I got it from SRV but it probably originated with Albert King maybe) that I finished with. I'm starting to get a little thickness out of my pick stroke which is cool. I've got a looseness/sloppyness in my playing that I'm learning to harness, but there's still something I can't but into words about the overall execution that bugs me.
My setup was similar to last time, but I used an AC15 model for the clean part this time. I also captured the direct guitar again and reamped with a overdriven Revv model and blended the two. In the hands of a real player it might be a cool tone.
Great one! I somehow missed it when you posted it - I am glad most of us are still aboard!
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Post by grampalerxst on May 11, 2020 4:18:47 GMT -6
Great one! I somehow missed it when you posted it - I am glad most of us are still aboard! Thanks, Joachim!
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Post by blackcountrymick on May 11, 2020 4:33:50 GMT -6
Just got this done before going to bed. Uses bits of my own, licks 1 & 2. Sorry file too big, try again tomorrow!! Ok, I've shortened it a little bit!! groovin easy 2.mp3 (985.3 KB)
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Post by joachim on May 11, 2020 4:36:23 GMT -6
Just got this done before going to bed. Uses bits of my own, licks 1 & 2. Sorry file too big, try again tomorrow!! Ok, I've shortened it a little bit!! Sounds great, Mick! Very creative and terrific sound - makes my rendition sound very dull...
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