Weekly Update 14-08-10

Morning guys, my main BYCY focus this week has been "All Forms Blues", probably had about 3 to 4 hours work put into it so far, it's coming together nicely but not ready for world exposure!!
I've done quite a variety of rhythm guitar work this week also, I have posted lesson 6 from BRYCU and had a couple of run throughs on lesson 7 "Funky Blues". Nothing to do with blues but I have also posted an Americana style rhythm guitar lesson on YT. I've also been trying to hone my alternate picking and speed skills with a view to preparing for MBYCU .

So, for the coming week it's more AFB, Funky Blues (hope to post), more random rhythm guitar studies and alternate picking.
If I do get a little more spare time after Funky Blues. I think I may move across to R&BYCU. I have just discovered that the drum machine in my Boss BR800 that I use for recording can be edited on computer to build songs, if I can get that working I can "do a Jack" and be a one man band to demo lesson one - Easy Rhythm".

So that's all my leisure time allocated . No extra jobs for wifey next week then!!

Mick I'm looking forward to hearing your full band arrangements - I have so much fun picking out a drum track and learning the bass line and then putting it all together. Gives you a real sense of accomplishment and I'm sure it's greatly educational to see how all the parts fit together and interact with each other as well.

I've been working on Blues A La Chord in MBYCU, I'm about halfway between the slow tempo and full tempo versions right now. It's got this tremolo strumming part which is actually a whole lot of fun - but it's challenging too as you can't just rub the pick up and down across the strings - that sounds like muddy crap - you've got to strike all four strings fast enough that it sounds like they're being hit simultaneously and keep a strong sense of rhythm going through that part, which leads to a lot of open string noise on the E and A since they're not being used. Practice practice practice The part that's giving me the most problems though is actually just this simple chord part at the beginning where you have to slide up a fret; I've got the neck cradled in my hand but to slide up and do it with the proper feeling I've got to get my hand off the back of the neck and just hold it with my thumb, and something there isn't quite clicking.

Also working on Sweet Soul Song in the R&B book. I've got it recorded but much like Phil, I've decided to polish it up a bit more before posting. It's actually a very complex song as the lead and rhythm parts kind of take turns playing the lead licks (the previous song kind of did the same thing). Makes me appreciate John's songwriting talent a lot. The lead part is one of those things that sounds great when I play it, but when I listen back to it it's like "Oh there's a mistake, and there's another one!" There's a hammer on - pull off part in the rhythm part that needs to be synchronized with a corresponding part in the lead, so maybe I'll re-record it to get that just right, even though it's buried under the lead and you can't really hear it, and even though I just re-recorded it yesterday lol. The bass is kind of tricky too; it sounds like I'm rushing it, but I was going to re-record it yesterday but ended up deciding it was right the way it was.

And I'm doing a little improvising along with backing tracks as always. Like to keep that skill at least somewhat current.

I was messing around with my Ibanez guitar this week, it's got one of those Floyd Rose style tremolos and I installed one of those Tremol-No things on it www.tremol-no.com/ It goes inside the back cavity by the tremolo springs. It's pretty cool, you just tighten the two thumbscrews and it locks the tremolo in place, loosen them and it goes back to operating normally. So now I can bend one string without the rest of them all going flat. I switched strings on that from 9's to 10's so I had to get a fourth tremolo spring to counteract the added pull of the heavier strings, then I adjusted the truss rod and the string height. It's plays great now. Next project is to replace the pickups - it's got these high output things that sound okay for blues, but it's heavily compressed and unnatural. I'd like some Seymour Duncan vintage output humbuckers, but it'll be a while before I can afford that 

Yikes I just wrote a whole novel lol.

I've been working on polishing up "All Forms Blues" and took the leap into "More BYCU."

Rich (aka cunningr) gave me a tip a couple of weeks ago that I started using with good results - record yourself playing along with the full version, and on playback compare what you are playing to the original. I panned the full version just left of center and my playing full right so I can clearly hear and compare. It's working well. Why didn't I think of this myself a few months ago? Sometimes we miss the forest for the trees and need a fresh perspective. Thanks for the tip, Rich.

MBYCU is lead AND rhythm on every study. I've got the rhythm down pretty well on "Chord-on Bleau" although the last 3 measures were tricky for me - some quick chord changes. It's a very cool and useful walk up to the I-Chord. The lead is coming along well. I'm taking this a few measures at a time and trying to nail those measures before moving on. This is in contrast to my approach on previous studies where I learned the whole thing half-assed, and then try to smooth it out. I'm finding this new approach is working better and it's much easier to memorize these small chunks.

But the most important thing I've done this week is to write down a comprehensive practice schedule. If I can muster up the self-discipline to follow it, I think it will help my progress. I've also been keeping a practice log since 20 Feb 2014 and that helps keep me focused and on track.

Phil