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Post by Phil on Sept 5, 2015 19:09:39 GMT -6
Well, here's my humble attempt at study #9 from "More Blues You Can Use." I know there are a few flubs, but I would like some nit-picky feedback on the performance - dynamics, holding notes for right amount of time, does it sound relaxed, and that kind of stuff. I don't care if you are on lesson #1 of BYCU. You can still give constructive criticism. Don't feel that just because you haven't gotten to a particular study yet that you can't critique it based on what you hear. Groovin' Easy |
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Post by joachim on Sept 5, 2015 23:45:41 GMT -6
Phil, overall I loved it! I have nothing to add to the lead part - it sounded immaculate, and with a wonderful sound. On the rhythm part it sounded to me like you were slightly ahead of the beat some times, but perhaps just my imagination. But great job!
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Post by wannaplayblues on Sept 6, 2015 2:18:27 GMT -6
Great laid-back feel. Love the slow bends. I could listen to an album of your work, I think you're good enough!
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Post by cunningr on Sept 6, 2015 4:48:20 GMT -6
I loved that tone was excellent and the playing. I hope I make it there sometime I the near year!
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Post by Phil on Sept 6, 2015 5:06:46 GMT -6
Joachim - I think you're right. I'd like to blame it on latency or something, but I don't think this crowd would buy that excuse.  I think the problem is I'm focusing so hard on what I'm playing that I'm not listening to the backing track - a common problem with amateurs like me. WPB - Thanks for the encouragement. Rich - I recorded the 1st study from MBYCU exactly 1 year ago. "Groovin' Easy" is lesson 9 of 13. My New Year Resolution for 2015 was to get through the book by July of this year.  It's a slow process when you're practice time is limited. I would have moved on to easier stuff if I didn't have this support group.  |
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Post by jack1982 on Sept 6, 2015 6:21:11 GMT -6
Sounding just super Phil, I remember how difficult that song was and you did a wonderful job! Sounds very smooth and sweet, and I love your guitar sound. If you really want some nitpicking (and please reciprocate the next time I post something  ), about the only thing I'd say is maybe you could have practiced along with John on the CD a bit more as there are a few very minor differences in phrasing here and there, for instance the last note in bar 5 you hold longer and put a tiny bit of a bend on it compared to John's version. Or those chromatic walk-ups like at the end of bar 18 / beginning of bar 19 sounds like it got turned into a little slide or something. But let me say, this isn't criticism by any stretch of the imagination - I'm sitting here with the sheet music in front of me going back and forth between your version and John's - this is just the nth degree of nitpicking lol  That note at the end of bar 5 added a really cool little swing to the tune there, it just sounds like a bit of your own style is coming through, which I like a lot! Anyhow excellent job and excellent sound. You're making great progress through that incredibly difficult book - and you're 7 songs ahead of me now |
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Post by bluesbruce on Sept 6, 2015 8:02:30 GMT -6
Phil,
I thought that sounded really good. To me, you had a very relaxed and laid back feel to it. I'm kind of with Jack - I think some of these little nuances are just your own personal style, not really "defects". I imagine if you had a professional like John G record a piece five times, you'd have some subtle differences in all five takes - although a professional can probably come closer to reproducing the exact same thing five times than any of us could. I think you've got to look at your "goal" here. Do you want to be able to record a study X number of times and be able to get one take that sounds like the original recording, or do you want to be able to play a song well enough that you could play it in a "live" setting? Being able to play something "live" also means you've got to jump right back in if you miss a note or get out of time, etc. Anyway, enough ranting. I really enjoyed hearing that, and I definitely see that I've got my work cut out for me with MBYCU. I also see that it'll be a fun journey and that I will really need to put in a lot of work to do it. I just hope I can keep myself on target, as it may take me two or three times as long as it's taken you!
Bruce
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Post by Phil on Sept 6, 2015 8:38:12 GMT -6
Thanks for all the positive feedback. Jack, That note at the end of bar 5 was intentional. I just thought it sounded better. John G. plays that note and the next almost staccato. The chromatic walk ups (bars 18-19 and 22-23) were unintentional stumbles that I tried to recover from without messing things up too much. Your are right when you say that this was a difficult study. It sounds laid back and easy, but I had a very hard time in many parts. Hitting the target frets on those sliding 6's is much harder than it appears. I'm happy to hear that I'm ahead of you now that you're on your 2nd run through MBYCU. I have a tendency to stop playing along with the full version once I've memorized it and can play it close to full tempo. So, by time I get around to recording it it's been a long time since I played along or even listened to the original. I should probably at least listen to the original again a few times before recording it. Bruce,I often wonder if these studies were tabbed out before or after they were recorded. I have a feeling they were written out after the fact, and that John G. would probably play them with subtle differences each time. The important thing to me is to get them as close as possible to the original and play them in time. I'd also like to share the real secret to playing this study - baby powder. Yes, put baby powder or talcum powder on your fretting hand and it will slide up and down the neck like greased lightening. I'm thinking of marketing this as "THE SECRET THE PROS DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW!!!" |
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Post by jack1982 on Sept 6, 2015 8:50:04 GMT -6
I'd also like to share the real secret to playing this study - baby powder. Yes, put baby powder or talcum powder on your fretting hand and it will slide up and down the neck like greased lightening. I'm thinking of marketing this as "THE SECRET THE PROS DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW!!!" That's a great idea. Especially being the middle of the summer here, if my hands are even the tiniest bit sweaty and get stuck on the back of the neck one fret short of that damn sliding 6th, well there goes another take. Now if you came out with a special talcum powder specifically formulated for (or at least specifically marketed to) guitarists, I'd buy a case of it!  |
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Post by Phil on Sept 6, 2015 9:30:03 GMT -6
That's a great idea. Especially being the middle of the summer here, if my hands are even the tiniest bit sweaty and get stuck on the back of the neck one fret short of that damn sliding 6th, well there goes another take. Now if you came out with a special talcum powder specifically formulated for (or at least specifically marketed to) guitarists, I'd buy a case of it! I was thinking of just repackaging some generic baby powder and charging 10X my cost. Now I just have to come up with some slick name for it. |
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Post by jack1982 on Sept 6, 2015 10:03:00 GMT -6
That's a great idea. Especially being the middle of the summer here, if my hands are even the tiniest bit sweaty and get stuck on the back of the neck one fret short of that damn sliding 6th, well there goes another take. Now if you came out with a special talcum powder specifically formulated for (or at least specifically marketed to) guitarists, I'd buy a case of it! I was thinking of just repackaging some generic baby powder and charging 10X my cost. Now I just have to come up with some slick name for it. Like they do at the bar with liquor - charge as much for two shots as they paid for the whole bottle |
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Post by bluesbruce on Sept 6, 2015 10:29:48 GMT -6
I was thinking of just repackaging some generic baby powder and charging 10X my cost. Now I just have to come up with some slick name for it. Maybe that's where Neil Young came up with Powder Finger? |
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Post by blackcountrymick on Sept 6, 2015 14:57:30 GMT -6
WOW Phil, I was truly impressed here, I would really love you do do a video though so that I can see what you are doing with your fingers , that is as long as you don't pick your nose like Jack did on his last video  , er.. sorry Jack, I mean scratch your chin . |
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Post by jack1982 on Sept 7, 2015 4:27:56 GMT -6
that is as long as you don't pick your nose like Jack did on his last video , er.. sorry Jack, I mean scratch your chin . Oh great, I better re-do my bass line for Drivin' Blues because I think I reach up and adjust my headphones at the beginning, I'll probably never hear the end of it |
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Post by blackcountrymick on Sept 7, 2015 7:10:38 GMT -6
that is as long as you don't pick your nose like Jack did on his last video , er.. sorry Jack, I mean scratch your chin . Oh great, I better re-do my bass line for Drivin' Blues because I think I reach up and adjust my headphones at the beginning, I'll probably never hear the end of it That's bass players for ya!!! |
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I think the problem is I'm focusing so hard on what I'm playing that I'm not listening to the backing track - a common problem with amateurs like me.
It's a slow process when you're practice time is limited. I would have moved on to easier stuff if I didn't have this support group. 
), about the only thing I'd say is maybe you could have practiced along with John on the CD a bit more as there are a few very minor differences in phrasing here and there, for instance the last note in bar 5 you hold longer and put a tiny bit of a bend on it compared to John's version. Or those chromatic walk-ups like at the end of bar 18 / beginning of bar 19 sounds like it got turned into a little slide or something. But let me say, this isn't criticism by any stretch of the imagination - I'm sitting here with the sheet music in front of me going back and forth between your version and John's - this is just the nth degree of nitpicking lol 
That note at the end of bar 5 added a really cool little swing to the tune there, it just sounds like a bit of your own style is coming through, which I like a lot!
, er.. sorry Jack, I mean scratch your chin