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Post by bluesbruce on Apr 30, 2023 11:14:30 GMT -6
Well, here's to starting another 9 year streak! I don't actually have anything to report - slowly digging out from under all the boxes. I'm hoping not to move again for a really, really long time.
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Post by joachim on Apr 30, 2023 11:59:09 GMT -6
I won't promise to post an update for 9 years straight, but I am in it from the start.
Last week I did some rhythm work for my next lesson + a little minor pentatonic soloing. I am starting to appreciate my Headrush MX-5 mini-board plugged straight into my amp; especially the looper is very convenient.
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Post by jack1982 on May 1, 2023 5:33:11 GMT -6
I was pretty slack on practicing last week, but I did get started on "Shine" by Collective Soul. Got the whole rhythm part memorized and with some more practice I actually might be able to play it  It's in drop D tuning plus it's a half step down, so the low E is tuned to C#. The main riff is a bit tricky, you've got to get just the right amount of palm muting to make it sound nice and mellow, and it's got a few quick bits too, like you slide from the 11th to 14th fret on the G string, then instantly play a couple double stops on the 7th fret D and G strings. The solo has some really fast parts, so that will take some practice. Hopefully this week I'll get in a lot more practice. |
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Post by blackcountrymick on May 1, 2023 15:42:41 GMT -6
Still working on the Stetina lead study "to the stage", slight improvement speed wise, but not good enough to sign off or record. Finished Chapter 3 review Stetina Rhythm book, not recorded. Started working on reviewing "disturbed" from Total Rock book, I remember having a lot of trouble with this one the first time around. Added an alternate picking exercise set to practice regime hoping to build back finger dexterity, speed and co-ordination. I found this quite tiring for the first few nights. I'm hoping I can build back to at least the level I was a few years ago before I went into a major lapse. I hope it doesn't take another 9 years to get there, I will be 77 by then  |
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Post by grampalerxst on May 2, 2023 3:24:16 GMT -6
Hey guys, sorry I'm late again. Line 6 dropped a new firmware for their Helix family so having a couple of new amp models to play through helped ratchet up enthusiasm to play a little more. Busy week this week with taking my dad to medical appointments, and I even have one myself--I go in for fasting labs Thursday so I'll get my first under-the-hood look at whether pulling out all the stops on diet/nutrition/activity has done me any good aside from relieving some tension on my belt. With Dad this week will hopefully provide the last of the answers and get us on a steady course moving forward. We've got some in-home care in place for him, which should help everyone involved, and take some of the pressure off my siblings while I spend June-Sept up in Jack's neck of the woods. One thing I will say is my regimen does seem to be helpful when it comes to guitar. Could be placebo effect, of course, but there are some things that have given me trouble for years that I've been able to smooth over in relatively short order this spring.
Mostly I've been revamping old things I've been hacking along on for many years or decades. A major one is Limelight by Rush, which I intend to do a Jack-esque recording of sometime this year (won't be quite as accurate though) if I can find the stems for it. I'm going to put together a concise technical regimen and a list of songs to work on for the time I'm up at the cabin--believe it or not a guy can't fish all day every day.
If we go another 9 years I might be able to report at some point that I finally finished one of John's books.
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Post by jack1982 on May 2, 2023 5:58:04 GMT -6
Hey guys, sorry I'm late again. Line 6 dropped a new firmware for their Helix family so having a couple of new amp models to play through helped ratchet up enthusiasm to play a little more. Busy week this week with taking my dad to medical appointments, and I even have one myself--I go in for fasting labs Thursday so I'll get my first under-the-hood look at whether pulling out all the stops on diet/nutrition/activity has done me any good aside from relieving some tension on my belt. With Dad this week will hopefully provide the last of the answers and get us on a steady course moving forward. We've got some in-home care in place for him, which should help everyone involved, and take some of the pressure off my siblings while I spend June-Sept up in Jack's neck of the woods. One thing I will say is my regimen does seem to be helpful when it comes to guitar. Could be placebo effect, of course, but there are some things that have given me trouble for years that I've been able to smooth over in relatively short order this spring. Mostly I've been revamping old things I've been hacking along on for many years or decades. A major one is Limelight by Rush, which I intend to do a Jack-esque recording of sometime this year (won't be quite as accurate though) if I can find the stems for it. I'm going to put together a concise technical regimen and a list of songs to work on for the time I'm up at the cabin--believe it or not a guy can't fish all day every day. If we go another 9 years I might be able to report at some point that I finally finished one of John's books. Griff Hamlin was saying that of all the things you can do to improve your guitar playing, being healthy is the most important. I'm kind of in the same boat as you were - too fat and my blood pressure is getting high. I cut out drinking during the week (there's a gigantic amount of calories right there), started working out and now that the weather is getting nice I'll hopefully be taking a walk most days. Hope your dad is doing well! Take care. |
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Post by jack1982 on May 2, 2023 5:59:37 GMT -6
Still working on the Stetina lead study "to the stage", slight improvement speed wise, but not good enough to sign off or record. Finished Chapter 3 review Stetina Rhythm book, not recorded. Started working on reviewing "disturbed" from Total Rock book, I remember having a lot of trouble with this one the first time around. Added an alternate picking exercise set to practice regime hoping to build back finger dexterity, speed and co-ordination. I found this quite tiring for the first few nights. I'm hoping I can build back to at least the level I was a few years ago before I went into a major lapse. I hope it doesn't take another 9 years to get there, I will be 77 by then For the exercises, everybody preaches that you need to reduce tension. Chris Brooks - who can literally play as fast as Yngwie Malmsteen - has a nice video on it. |
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Post by Phil on May 4, 2023 23:52:21 GMT -6
I didn't have anything to say on Sunday, but I do now. The collaboration video I participated in has been posted. I know most of you aren't into this style of music, but you still might find it somewhat interesting. There are 17 guitarists from several different countries playing "Autumn Leaves". Each player was assigned a time slot to perform their own 8 bar solo. Some guitarists were also assigned harmonies and fills to play in the arranged parts. My solo starts at 3:50. The amazing thing to me is the creativity of the individual solos and how well they flow into the next person's solo even though no one knew what anybody else played. The guys who put this all together did an incredible job with the video and audio. Maybe this will inspire one of you to dabble in some Jazz.  |
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Post by jack1982 on May 5, 2023 5:35:12 GMT -6
That was really nice Phil, loved your solo! You kind of make us wait for the resolution of each phrase - nice! Now you should toss in a little diminished whole tone scale to get it a little "out there" Just kidding, great job! Would love to hear you do a longer piece. |
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Post by bluesbruce on May 5, 2023 5:38:46 GMT -6
Phil, that is, once again, quite an impressive production. Not only is the playing really good, but I can't even imagine trying to do all of the audio and video production on something like that. My hat is off to you and the rest of the "band" on that one! Very cool!
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Post by Phil on May 5, 2023 11:13:38 GMT -6
That was really nice Phil, loved your solo! You kind of make us wait for the resolution of each phrase - nice! Now you should toss in a little diminished whole tone scale to get it a little "out there" Just kidding, great job! Would love to hear you do a longer piece. Thanks, Jack. I appreciate your comments. My idea of playing "outside" is when I play sitting in my back yard. 
Whenever we do one of these I come up with a 32 bar solo before I know which 8 bar section I'll be assigned. Then I just record the bars that I'm assigned. I'm too lazy to record the whole thing. |
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Post by Phil on May 5, 2023 11:18:13 GMT -6
Phil, that is, once again, quite an impressive production. Not only is the playing really good, but I can't even imagine trying to do all of the audio and video production on something like that. My hat is off to you and the rest of the "band" on that one! Very cool! Thanks, Bruce. Yeah, the 2 guys who do the video and audio do a great job. All I do is submit my video and audio raw. I don't even have to sync them up.
I don't think there's another guitarist who plays at Frank Vignola's level who would take the time to participate in something like this with his students.
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Post by blackcountrymick on May 5, 2023 17:31:58 GMT -6
Bravo Phil and gang, that was truly inspiring!!! We might have waited a long time for a vid, but that was fantastic. |
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It's in drop D tuning plus it's a half step down, so the low E is tuned to C#. The main riff is a bit tricky, you've got to get just the right amount of palm muting to make it sound nice and mellow, and it's got a few quick bits too, like you slide from the 11th to 14th fret on the G string, then instantly play a couple double stops on the 7th fret D and G strings.
