Who plays an instrument?

[Bornindamecca]

Re: Who plays an instrument?

Just my thoughts on 'I Don't Care'... Either tighten up the guitar tone(not the solo, the recurring rhythm section), or loosen it up some more. To me, it sounds like it is in the nether-region between fuzz and overdriven.

Nice playing on that background solo there at the end...

That was using Garageband's built in amp emulators. Tone is not really an option, lol. I'm using Logic now. If I go back to Garageband to do something quick and low in memory, I feed it through an amplifier. In GB, it's very hard to get a full on distorted tone to actually ring out in notes. I'm not saying it's impossible, but I have no idea how to do it, and after looking around, it looked like most people were either using Pod type emulators, or feeing through amps.

By all means, if you have a preset that gives a decent tone, then share it. Most people just laugh when they hear that we went through the GB amps though.

[Bornindamecca]

Re: Who plays an instrument?

I have very hard time being able to move my fingers up and down the guitar. I can tell that my left hand is even worse than my right hand because it never gets used, and obviously I need that for chord progression.

Not only that, I have a really difficult time strumming. I'm just all over the place. When I should stick with it, I get frustrated and stop.

I know it wouldn't come easy for me, but I didn't think it'd be this hard. If I had someone teaching me and I could imitate what they were doing, it'd really help me. I'm definitely not the kind to self-teach.

Start with one note. Don't over complicate things. Just play the note, play it clean, and listen to it. Go very slowly, and get used to holding the guitar in your hand. As a rule:

EVERYONE WHO PRACTICES GUITAR GETS GOOD AT IT.

It's just the truth. If you practice, you will get better. It's just a matter of muscle memory. At the time that I recorded "I Don't Care", I didn't think that I'd ever be a guy who could do a "real" metal solo. Me and my other guitar player(from metal band) started to buckle down and do some real practicing, and the change was immediate. When I say real practice, I mean going very slowly, working with a metronome and allowing my muscles to learn the motions properly. Seriously, it's night and day. If you practice very slowly with a metronome, you'll be better THAT DAY.

Here's an early test. Go to metronomeonline.com. Put the metronome to 60bpms, and pick the A note on the low E string(5th fret, 6th string) ONE time per beat. Pluck it downward on one beat, then up on the next. If you've never played guitar, you can do this. Click(downstroke) click(upstroke).

Watch a movie, or 1 hour television show, and only pick that note for the entire show. PM me after you've done this. This is a challenge, a test of patience. Don't go faster, and don't put the guitar down. Even if you feel you can go faster, or hit more notes, or a chord, don't. Just do this very slow picking exercise. I'll give you step two in the PM.

[eXperiment63]

Re: Who plays an instrument?

I've never used GB.

I use Reaper as my audio program. Then I use my own amp mic'd into the pc. Use steinberger virtual bassist and Jamstix for drums. ;P

[Bornindamecca]

Re: Who plays an instrument?

I've never used GB.

I use Reaper as my audio program. Then I use my own amp mic'd into the pc. Use steinberger virtual bassist and Jamstix for drums. ;P

Yeah, I have this big issue with paying for stuff....and GB is free . Besides, I've done the band thing before and I know what equipment I really like. We have the theory of spend zero dollars, or spend a lot of dollars, but we don't like to play with too much in between spending. Where are your recordings, btw?

[eXperiment63]

Re: Who plays an instrument?

Haha, I haven;t uploaded any. I don't seem to like any of the finished products as I'm still learning all of it. Once I actually complete something I like, I'll upload it.

[elicoleman]

Re: Who plays an instrument?

Start with one note. Don't over complicate things. Just play the note, play it clean, and listen to it. Go very slowly, and get used to holding the guitar in your hand. As a rule:

EVERYONE WHO PRACTICES GUITAR GETS GOOD AT IT.

It's just the truth. If you practice, you will get better. It's just a matter of muscle memory. At the time that I recorded "I Don't Care", I didn't think that I'd ever be a guy who could do a "real" metal solo. Me and my other guitar player(from metal band) started to buckle down and do some real practicing, and the change was immediate. When I say real practice, I mean going very slowly, working with a metronome and allowing my muscles to learn the motions properly. Seriously, it's night and day. If you practice very slowly with a metronome, you'll be better THAT DAY.

Here's an early test. Go to metronomeonline.com. Put the metronome to 60bpms, and pick the A note on the low E string(5th fret, 6th string) ONE time per beat. Pluck it downward on one beat, then up on the next. If you've never played guitar, you can do this. Click(downstroke) click(upstroke).

Watch a movie, or 1 hour television show, and only pick that note for the entire show. PM me after you've done this. This is a challenge, a test of patience. Don't go faster, and don't put the guitar down. Even if you feel you can go faster, or hit more notes, or a chord, don't. Just do this very slow picking exercise. I'll give you step two in the PM.

Thanks for the tips man. I'll do this tomorrow when I get home from work.

[Bornindamecca]

Re: Who plays an instrument?

Haha, I haven;t uploaded any. I don't seem to like any of the finished products as I'm still learning all of it. Once I actually complete something I like, I'll upload it.

That's just it, man. This song wasn't a "finished product" in the professional sense. With a program like GB, you can put any idea together and upload it just for fun. No pressure, no judgement. The complete lack of self consciousness that I learned working in alt. rock/80s stuff is something I'm trying to transfer to my metal stuff. Fun is healthy. Just have fun and throw some isht up, man. People really respond to that energy, and I find that my song writing skills skyrocketed after recording, putting up, recording, putting up, etc.

[bcruise]

Re: Who plays an instrument?

I'll be the weirdo...I played the oboe all through middle and high school. As you might expect, I was the only one in the MS and HS band for just about the duration.

Seven years later, I still have it and pull it out from time to time, but I haven't really played for a purpose since high school.

In any event, I credit the rhythmic knowledge (and finger movement) I gained from that as helping tremendously on Guitar Hero.

[therizing02]

Re: Who plays an instrument?

I've been the front man in a Springsteen/Classic Rock band in Chicago for about 5 years now. I play the Telecaster, Harmonica, and vocals.

It's definitely a hobby. There just isn't enough time to practice as much as we'd like.

[mgoblue]

Re: Who plays an instrument?

Start with one note. Don't over complicate things. Just play the note, play it clean, and listen to it. Go very slowly, and get used to holding the guitar in your hand. As a rule:

EVERYONE WHO PRACTICES GUITAR GETS GOOD AT IT.

It's just the truth. If you practice, you will get better. It's just a matter of muscle memory. At the time that I recorded "I Don't Care", I didn't think that I'd ever be a guy who could do a "real" metal solo. Me and my other guitar player(from metal band) started to buckle down and do some real practicing, and the change was immediate. When I say real practice, I mean going very slowly, working with a metronome and allowing my muscles to learn the motions properly. Seriously, it's night and day. If you practice very slowly with a metronome, you'll be better THAT DAY.

Here's an early test. Go to metronomeonline.com. Put the metronome to 60bpms, and pick the A note on the low E string(5th fret, 6th string) ONE time per beat. Pluck it downward on one beat, then up on the next. If you've never played guitar, you can do this. Click(downstroke) click(upstroke).

Watch a movie, or 1 hour television show, and only pick that note for the entire show. PM me after you've done this. This is a challenge, a test of patience. Don't go faster, and don't put the guitar down. Even if you feel you can go faster, or hit more notes, or a chord, don't. Just do this very slow picking exercise. I'll give you step two in the PM.

I'm going to a concert tonight, but over the weekend/next week I'll dig out my guitar and try this again...I've been meaning to take lessons to actually learn how to play my electric, it's tough by yourself.

[Bornindamecca]

Re: Who plays an instrument?

You're never alone in the internet era. Go to Youtube and you'll find some of the most amazing guitar lessons for all levels. Just type in random guitar keywords like:

guitar
lesson
blues
rock
metal
legato
legato runs
chord lesson

etc...And it's just awesome. I've learned a ton from that stuff. To get you started, search for "Cefalu Hopscotch" It's a fantastic lesson to help you learn scales all over the fretboard. It works at pretty much all levels.

[mgoblue]

Re: Who plays an instrument?

You're never alone in the internet era. Go to Youtube and you'll find some of the most amazing guitar lessons for all levels. Just type in random guitar keywords like:

guitar
lesson
blues
rock
metal
legato
legato runs
chord lesson

etc...And it's just awesome. I've learned a ton from that stuff. To get you started, search for "Cefalu Hopscotch" It's a fantastic lesson to help you learn scales all over the fretboard. It works at pretty much all levels.

Yeah...i'll have to look around...I just know nothing aside from what I've started learning via a book and some online stuff. Just tougher when I don't know how to read music, it's not like I've played other instruments so it's just transferring from one to another. I've sung in choirs, but even then I was able to learn by ear and mimic the other people next to me (separated into sections).

I think I'll benefit from actual in person practice, I'm sure I learn bad habits because I don't know any better. Once I learn a bit I think I'll be more able to learn on my own. I just need to get past that first big frustrating hump. I know

I'm somewhat musically deficient, it's not where my talents lie, so taking a couple lessons could help me out a lot. Otherwise I start learning stuff, the lessons online don't explain enough, or assume too much, I get frustrated, say "Screw you guys, I'm going home" and then put the guitar away for months. Dumb, I know, but it's really easy to get frustrated when you sound like crap and don't know if/how you can get better. I know it's not supposed to be easy, and that I have to put in time, I suppose I just don't see the light at the end of the tunnel, so I end up giving up for a while.

*edit* Just to let you know where I'm at, I don't know scales...I searched for the Cefalu Hopscotch thing, and I'm like "Panatonic what"...Shapes? Wtf? lol...yeah, I don't know much. I've tried to learn some tabs and stuff for a few songs and could kinda sound like a song or two, but that's it...

[Stumbleweed]

Re: Who plays an instrument?

To get you started, search for "Cefalu Hopscotch" It's a fantastic lesson to help you learn scales all over the fretboard. It works at pretty much all levels.

Thanks for that -- nice practice method for sure. That's what I still struggle with to this day -- remembering scales and moving fluidly up and down the neck. I definitely get stuck in boxes sometimes, but I mostly just play by ear (I taught myself). Even though I know how to read standard notation, I've never been able to translate that to the guitar. Just one of those things... if I played more and really focused, I'm sure I'd be able to do it, but I've always been one of those guys who hated to play with the by-the-book classically-trained types, so maybe I've sort of resisted the urge to improve my playing in those respects...

[Beantown]

Re: Who plays an instrument?

Got to play at the palladium in worcester once.

Ever play in the Battle of the Bands thing they have there one a year?

[Bornindamecca]

Re: Who plays an instrument?

Thanks for that -- nice practice method for sure. That's what I still struggle with to this day -- remembering scales and moving fluidly up and down the neck. I definitely get stuck in boxes sometimes, but I mostly just play by ear (I taught myself). Even though I know how to read standard notation, I've never been able to translate that to the guitar. Just one of those things... if I played more and really focused, I'm sure I'd be able to do it, but I've always been one of those guys who hated to play with the by-the-book classically-trained types, so maybe I've sort of resisted the urge to improve my playing in those respects...

I warn everyone, here comes a sermon, but this helped me a LOT, so I want ot explain.

I'm like, 98% self taught. I can't read music myself, and I think the reason you're having trouble translating sheet music to guitar, is because sheet music is not really made for the guitar. Because of the multiple positions for fingerings, and how complex they can become, there is still a lot of work left to be done if you have the sheet music. Tabs on the other hand, are guitar specific. I'm much closer to reading music now, but it's because of writing music in tab programs, and learning the timings as a result. If you don't add up the timings, the program will let you know, so you have to really learn where "dotted sixteenth notes" go etc...

The big switch for me happened last year. Now up to this point, I'd been in a serious metal band, played shows with some big bands. I won't name drop, but we played huge shows, let's leave it at that. So I had the "training" of playing shows, and having to do serious recording. But because I joined a band about a year after I picked up the guitar, I'd never got into regimented training.

Then last year, me and my other guitar player both agreed that we were about 75% of the way towards being "good". Just that annoying level of "almost". And we decided to give this "practice" thing a try. So we put on Lost, Season 1. For every segment, up to a commercial break, we'd do the 4 note per string chromatic exercise. That's about twenty minutes. We started it at about 60 bpms. That's pretty slow and methodical. I think the first session, we watched 1 DVD, four episodes, and moved the metronome up 8 beats each commercial break.

The strangest thing happened. Guitar playing got "easy". I mean zero effort. At about 90bpms, there was no thinking at all, no pressure, no "work". The fingers were working by themselves. The moral of this story: practicing slow for a long amount of time is exponentially better than practicing quickly for 20 mins. The difference is immeasurable. I can't recommend it enough, because it made guitar a million times more fun. I stopped because comics work got pretty busy, but I picked it up again over the summer, and consistent play has gotten me up to around 130 bpms on sextuplet patterns, and 200 bpms on quadruplet patterns. I never thought I'd be a guy who could play 800 notes in a minute with perfect clarity, but sure as hell, that exercise is MONEY.

I apologize to everyone else for the long post, but I played guitar for like six years with hot and cold practice techniques, and I got decent. Then I switched practice methods and about six months worth of it got me from decent to a guy that most people would regard as fast and clean. I hope everyone can benefit from this, because guitar is much much more fun when it's easy.