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Post by Phil on May 2, 2014 21:01:29 GMT -6
I'm sitting in a hotel room with no guitar so I thought I'd bore you guys with a post. Writing helps me organize my thoughts and clarify things in my mind even if no one else reads it.
I want to talk about what I think is the real value of recording yourself. Personally, I see no value in recording myself during the initial stages of learning a new study or lick. At that stage I know what the problems are and which passages I'm having difficulty playing. So what's the point of recording and then listening to myself playing something that I know needs lots of work?
It's when I think I've got something down and can play it reasonably well that recording myself becomes useful and has some value. At this point I've got the notes under my fingers and I can play it over the full tempo backing track, but it lacks polish or might even have some big mistakes.
When I listen to the recording I can hear that I'm cutting a note or notes short, not bending to pitch, skipping a note, rushing here, lagging there, playing out of time, playing mechanically without feeling, and a dozen other things. I can identify and correct the flaws and work on the little nuances that make a piece of music interesting and pleasing. To be honest I haven't been spending enough time on this last part once I've recorded something.
Recording is also the best way to objectively track your progress. I can definitely see improvement in my playing from my 1 st few recordings to the latest ones.
In addition to the above the very act of recording yourself is valuable in that it helps you to concentrate and play with fewer mistake. And the repetition involved in getting a decent take forces you to repeat passages that you might otherwise not spend much time on.
Enough rambling.
Phil
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Post by joachim on May 3, 2014 2:43:40 GMT -6
Phil,
alone in hotel-room without wife, kids, and a lawn to mow... I'd vote for bringing the guitar as carry-on luggage - and don't forget plenty of cold beer!
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Post by jack1982 on May 3, 2014 5:31:13 GMT -6
Totally agree. Besides the solos, I learn and record the rhythm parts of the songs and use them as backing tracks to practice the solo over, and when I just sit back and listen to it I'll often notice that I'm rushing the beat with the rhythm part or just throwing in the occasional chord strum that's way out of time. It makes me listen much more closely to the drum track when I'm playing and pay attention to the cymbals that mark the subdivisions of the beat and try to lock into it. And just practice my rhythm playing a lot more in general.
A good thing to do is to listen to a few songs by professional bands and then play your recording afterwards. That really makes you notice the differences.
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Post by bluesbruce on May 3, 2014 8:18:22 GMT -6
Good post, Phil. If I'm traveling without the guitar, I at least try to bring the computer for "listening time". I agree with everything you said about the value of listening to yourself. I also agree with Jack1982 about the value of recording your own rhythm part. It's funny, I was toward the end of Bycu and had largely completed BRYCU when I had my finger injury. During my time off, I though what would be really cool would be a book that gave you BOTH the lead and the rhythm parts to "bring it all together" so to speak. That's one thing I've really liked about the Jazzin' The Blues book - it gives you both parts. I see that MBYCU is the same way. I expect JohnG didn't do BYCU this way because it's too much when you're just starting out. I think by the time you're getting toward the end of BYCU, you're ready for this approach.
Bruce
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Post by cunningr on May 3, 2014 18:08:08 GMT -6
Phil,
Please bring my mail back with you, I ordered BYCU about 8 days ago you'll be back before it gets here.
Like the post, I tried recording myself a was so nervous I keep messing up stuff I know how to play. I like the idea
Of laying down your own rythm also, that way you get to work on all aspects of your playing. Even if you don't
Record you can put a looper in your effects chain to lay down the rythm to practice over.
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Post by Phil on May 3, 2014 19:00:56 GMT -6
Phil, Please bring my mail back with you, I ordered BYCU about 8 days ago you'll be back before it gets here. Like the post, I tried recording myself a was so nervous I keep messing up stuff I know how to play. I like the idea Of laying down your own rythm also, that way you get to work on all aspects of your playing. Even if you don't Record you can put a looper in your effects chain to lay down the rythm to practice over. Rich, Glad to hear you bought BYCU. Now you'll have to practice about 15 hrs. a day to keep up with all the courses and on-line subscriptions you have.  Seriously, I think you'll like this book. If you pay attention to the theory and exercises in each lesson (which I don't do enough) in addition to the actual studies you'll really learn a lot. There are several members here, including me, that have purchased and downloaded an ungodly amount of method books and on-line lessons. That seems to be a pretty common thing to do. I personally have about 2 lifetimes worth of material. It wasn't until I stopped the jumping around and focused on one method that I started making progress. I still try to grab a little extra here and there, but that's exactly how I look at it - something extra if I have time, and I usually don't have the time. You'll be amazed by the progress you'll make in just a couple of months of focused practice. That progress then gives you the incentive to keep going, and it feeds on itself. I know you'll like the course. After you learn a few of the studies we'll have to get together and see what we can do (other than annoy the neighbors  ). Phil |
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Post by Phil on May 3, 2014 21:48:08 GMT -6
Bruce,
My original plan was to work BYCU and BRYCU simultaneously, but I get so rapped up in the BYCU studies that I haven't spent much time on BRYCU. I've got 5 studies left in BYCU. On the one hand I can see light at the end of the tunnel, but on the other hand the last 4 studies look pretty intimidating to me. I want to get through BYCU and on to More BYCU primarily because it teaches the rhythm and lead parts. I really need to get hot on BRYCU. I think More BYCU will go more smoothly if I do.
Phil
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Post by jack1982 on May 4, 2014 5:50:07 GMT -6
There are several members here, including me, that have purchased and downloaded an ungodly amount of method books and on-line lessons. That seems to be a pretty common thing to do. I personally have about 2 lifetimes worth of material. It wasn't until I stopped the jumping around and focused on one method that I started making progress. Count me in on that too lol. I've got a pile of instruction books, half of which I'll probably never get around to, and on top of that there's a million lessons on YouTube and all sorts of sites with really good instructional material. Between the blues, fingerstyle acoustic blues, classical, flamenco, heavy metal and songbooks I'd need 50 hours a day to give it all proper attention. So I just stick with BYCU, More BYCU, the rhythm book and spend some time with my own improvising and songwriting. I'll never be a master of everything so I've decided that just becoming a halfway decent blues player should be a pretty good goal. Oh by the way all the rhythm parts for the songs in BYCU are included, the chords are listed above the sheet music and you can just get the strumming pattern from listening to the CD. I think it's a great approach because the rhythm parts tend to be fairly simple, leaving you with nothing to think about except to get them locked into the groove and perfectly in sync with the drums. That's the foundation of rhythm playing and then when you move onto the more complex stuff in More BYCU you can build upon that foundation. |
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Post by Phil on May 4, 2014 8:36:52 GMT -6
Jack1982, This is what I call the try-to-learn-everything-at-once-and-accomplish-nothing syndrome. It appears to be very common. We have such easy access to so much information that it's practically irresistible. There should be a 12-Step program to help wannabe guitarists deal with this.  I'm still in recovery. Phil |
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Post by cunningr on May 4, 2014 8:48:25 GMT -6
Yeh, I have found so much info, I usually practice a minimum of 1 hour a day. I have started a new approach to divide the time memorizing the patterns I have 1 thru 3 down in the key of A but now how to move them around. Spend some time on rhythm practice, and some minutes just playing.
I am working some lessons between the blues guitar unleashed site and active melody, and this site. I found a new site with really good theory so am working that in for
Bed time reading. When my blues guitar unleashed arrives and BYCU book will limit the focus. I bought a stand so I now have my guitar permanently in the family room, so I can grab it and practice un amplified. My goal is get to where I can jam with some friends maybe a group in the long run. I really do it to help me relax.
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Post by jack1982 on May 5, 2014 6:41:55 GMT -6
Jack1982, This is what I call the try-to-learn-everything-at-once-and-accomplish-nothing syndrome. It appears to be very common. We have such easy access to so much information that it's practically irresistible. There should be a 12-Step program to help wannabe guitarists deal with this. I'm still in recovery. Phil Yeah I call it the "know a little bit about everything but not much about anything" syndrome  Then on top of that there's Gear Acquisition Syndrome, I've got a shopping list that will take me until the middle of 2016 to complete lol. |
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Post by cunningr on May 7, 2014 15:52:24 GMT -6
We'll I received my blues guitar unleashed so I now have some focus, the first lesson actually talks about the importance of recording yourself to track progress. The instructor says to record yourself and then go back in 3 months and record the lesson again then listen to both to hear how much you have improved. Because you hear yourself everyday you may not pick up on your progress. Anyway still waiting on my BYCU book and picks I ordered.
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Seriously, I think you'll like this book. If you pay attention to the theory and exercises in each lesson (which I don't do enough) in addition to the actual studies you'll really learn a lot. 
). 
I'm still in recovery.
Then on top of that there's Gear Acquisition Syndrome, I've got a shopping list that will take me until the middle of 2016 to complete lol.