Weekly update June 12, 2022

So sorry to hear about your covid WPB, take it easy and get well soon

I had a pretty good week I guess, just working on "Diary of a Madman." I've got the intro recorded to my satisfaction, I'm still working on getting the guitar sound just right though (I recorded it dry so I can mess around with it endlessly). It's an acoustic doubled by two clean electrics. I've got all the acoustic stuff recorded but I think I'll be re-doing some if not all of the rest of it. The last couple of days I've been working on the distorted electric guitar parts, they're a lot of fun to play. The solo is coming along - there's one little lick that every teacher on YouTube plays a little differently; I think I've finally made up my mind how I'll play it so now I just have to practice it. The solo ends with a fast ascending pattern in box 1 of the pentatonic minor, and I'm still working on getting that up to speed.

Hopefully I'll get a bit more recorded this week. Looks like the next "fixit" session is on the 29th, so that's my deadline.

Hope you guys are all doing well

I hope you get better soon, WPB.

Jack, glad to hear your practice is better than the rest of us.

Not much difference in my practice situation. I did find a potential teacher, though. If can clear up a little time over summer, then I'd love to take lessons again.

Sorry to hear about the covid, wpb. Hope you're doing better.

Sorry I've been a little scarce. I made it up to my rustic hideout and played a little yesterday for the first time in several weeks. Had the expected rust and a little stiffness, but it went okay. Can't really say I practiced anything. Nothing hurts. I'll probably continue like this for a week--picking up the guitar for 30 minutes here and there and just noodle with whatever my whimsy dictates. Then I'll go back to some of the items I was working with my instructor on--at least the ones where there were more significant mental/visualization aspects than physiological demand (e.g., orienting things around the CAGED root shapes, etc.). I only brought one book with me along with my lesson notebook. It's called Interval Studies and Lead Guitar Techniques. Opposite the name, the beginning of the book goes through a lot of technique drills and I'm going to focus on the string muting and pick hand material. Stuff I'm usually too impatient to internalize well that makes minimal demands on my fretting hand.

My fishing kayak project, which became my substitute obsession when I had to put the guitar down, has not been as smooth as I'd hoped. It's a little more difficult to get in and out of the water than I'd anticipated. The little strip of shoreline I have ready access to is a little steeper than I remember and the footing tricky. I'll have to work out some sort of system, but for now getting on the water is enough of a chore the idea of getting out for an hour or two after supper or whatever would involve more boat manhandling than fishing.