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Post by Phil on Jul 26, 2014 17:56:45 GMT -6
I'm taking a break away from "Delta Child" and "All Forms Blues" before I go crazy with frustration. I re-recorded Minor Blues which was my very 1st recording from BYCU 6 months ago. I started the studies out of order, which was a big mistake, and then started going through them in order as they were meant to be learned. Recorded today: soundcloud.com/jack_e_blue/12-bycu-minor-blues-07-26-14Recorded 6 months ago: soundcloud.com/jack_e_blue/minor-bluesThe big question is: Has my playing improved over the last 6 months? |
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Post by blackcountrymick on Jul 27, 2014 3:06:41 GMT -6
The answer to your big question is most definitely yes, the recording 6 months ago was very acceptable, you played all the notes with a good sense of timing, the latest recording to me sounded a lot more controlled and very confidently played. The biggest sign of improvement for me though is the fact that you are tackling the last couple of songs in the book which are at quite a high level. They are certainly at the top level of my ability and I've been "playing" on and off for years. Someone posted recently about if you want to improve you need to keep pushing yourself, this is most certainly true, I focused on my bass playing for a good 6 months solid and I amazed myself at the progress I made. On the other side of the coin my guitar playing has remained pretty static mainly because I spread my self too thin just dipping into random books picking songs I could easily handle and passing on them if it got too difficult. Looking back I wish I had stuck it out with BYCU, I can see now that John's method will push just enough to keep you improving. You and others on this forum are proof that John's method provides results, I also believe that this forum itself plays a large part of the motivation to stick it out and realise the potential of the books.  |
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Post by Phil on Jul 27, 2014 4:27:00 GMT -6
The answer to your big question is most definitely yes...... On the other side of the coin my guitar playing has remained pretty static mainly because I spread my self too thin just dipping into random books picking songs I could easily handle and passing on them if it got too difficult. Looking back I wish I had stuck it out with BYCU, I can see now that John's method will push just enough to keep you improving. You and others on this forum are proof that John's method provides results, I also believe that this forum itself plays a large part of the motivation to stick it out and realise the potential of the books. Mick, Thanks for the encouragement. Spreading yourself too thin is the number 1 thing that we all seem to have in common.  I didn't start making any real progress until I set aside every other guitar method, lick collection, rhythm studies, etc., and focused on one method. If I hadn't found this forum and been exposed to the video/audio uploads of other people working on the same material I would have never stuck this out to the end. I would have have attempted "Delta Child" and "All Forms" a couple of times, found them to be too difficult, and moved on to something easier with the intention of returning to them someday (of course that day would never come). You have to push yourself out of your comfort zone, set attainable goals, and stick with it until you reach those goals if you want to progress. And, unless you are an extremely self-disciplined person, you need the encouragement of others to stay motivated. Having this forum is like having a teacher in some respects. You want to be able to show your teacher that you learned what he taught you last week. And that helps motivate you to practice and progress. |
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Post by Phil on Jul 27, 2014 5:31:35 GMT -6
Thanks, T-Bone,
The most frustrating thing I find about bends is that they sound good when I'm playing, but not so good when I listen to the play back. I think I'm going to start practicing them with a tuner. I don't know why I didn't think of this before.
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Post by jack1982 on Jul 27, 2014 7:19:42 GMT -6
Definitely shows improvement Phil. You're not doing that staccato thing any more which makes it much smoother, you're putting some feeling into the bends and overall your playing's gotten a lot neater. Hey what's this about not spreading yourself too thin? I just got three more instructional books yesterday - including the Disco Guitar Bible (and no you can't borrow it)  |
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Post by bluesbruce on Jul 27, 2014 7:43:16 GMT -6
Phil,
I agree with Jack - those staccato type notes are gone, whole thing sounds more fluid. Bends are definitely improved. Yeah, you'll be ready for the Disco Guitar Bible in short order!
Bruce
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Post by wannaplayblues on Jul 27, 2014 10:24:37 GMT -6
5mins of wifi on holiday and all I wanna do is check in with my BYCU buddies ...I'm not addicted, honest... The recent recording is near perfect. It's testament to your efforts an progress. Surely you can hear the difference? It's astounding. I also preferred the tone in the recent one - seemed to fit the mood better. |
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Post by cunningr on Jul 27, 2014 15:44:53 GMT -6
Wow I just hope I make as much progress as you have in 6 months, I liked the tone better on the second and it had a more polished sound
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I didn't start making any real progress until I set aside every other guitar method, lick collection, rhythm studies, etc., and focused on one method. 
