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Uh_Me

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I'm not sure if it goes hear or anywhere. I really just need some pointers. I've been playing for about one year. I really want to know of any bad habits more experienced players hear in my playing. Any help is appreciated.






(Might help if I fixed the link) Sorry. :|

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I wonder why you mentioned how long you have been playing for? It seems irrelevant, unless you are looking for people to comment on the amount of progress you have made in "about one year". In fact this is a meaningless measure, since you might have been playing for about one year 8 hours a day or about one year 10 minutes a day.


Were you playing to a backing track that we can't hear? For me the agonising thing about listening to this is that it was completely unmusical. Basically, it sounded like noodling. This could be because it was out of context, relying on some backing to make it work?


GaJ

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I actually think it's pretty good for a year! (I've never had any students who'd be capable of this after a year. Mind you, if I had, and they just did this, my sense of pride would be severely diminished... I'd be wondering where I went wrong...)


Obviously there's lots wrong with it. Which I'm going to talk about...


Almost unlistenable sound quality, for a start: why so much background noise?

And then after 1:50 it gets doubly unlistenable when you turn the distortion on (I winced and stopped listening at that point).


It's hard to discern "bad habits" in the technical sense (eg, poor hand position, etc), and the main problems are in what you're actually playing (not how you're doing it, technically).

In particular, some of the faster passages are fuzzy, with some notes not clearly articulated. This is a common problem with wanting to play fast: you let your fingers rip and they end up falling over themselves.

You need to make sure that every note you play is clear, however fast it is. There's really no point in trying to play fast if you can't do it flawlessly - it will just sound amateurish (as it does, in spades!). Much more impressive to play with a steady rhythm (totally absent from this), and at a speed where the fastest passages are still crisp, with each note well articulated.


As GaJ says, it's noodling - aimless. Nothing really wrong with that, if you can make it musical. You do seem to be sticking to a particular scale or key, so it's planned in that sense. But there is no sense of rhythm or time. Those things are fundamental: much more important than how many notes you can cram into a second. No one is going to care how fast you can play if it's messy; if you can play slow with a good groove, people will love it.

There is no melodic content either. There is a clear attempt, at least at the beginning (and well done for trying!) to combine slow with fast; but there's just extremes at both ends, and nothing in the middle. There's no evidence of awareness of the need to make musical phrases, ie with melodic and rhythm content. (Even shredders work with musical phrases, if they're any good.)

At the moment, you're basically just showing off how fast your fingers can move (with some long notes because you feel that's important), and how well you know your scale pattern(s).


The basic lesson is you need to exert some CONTROL. Get those fingers back on the leash. Work with a backing track - or drum machine, or even just a metronome - so you have a rhythmic context to play against.

Listen to your favourite guitar players, and listen to every way they control what they play - not just to how fast they can go.


A better way of us judging how good you are (technically) is to play some well-known riffs, and see how tight you can make them, how well you can get on top of them.


But - on the upside - you've clearly put in some intensive work over the year. You just need to organise it; it's a mess at the moment. Learn some music.

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Quote Originally Posted by GreenAsJade

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I wonder why you mentioned how long you have been playing for? It seems irrelevant, unless you are looking for people to comment on the amount of progress you have made in "about one year". In fact this is a meaningless measure, since you might have been playing for about one year 8 hours a day or about one year 10 minutes a day.


Were you playing to a backing track that we can't hear? For me the agonising thing about listening to this is that it was completely unmusical. Basically, it sounded like noodling. This could be because it was out of context, relying on some backing to make it work?


GaJ

 

The distorted segment must be the title track. The beginning segment woulda sounded perfectly cool with an EP behind it. The hum sucked royal though.
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On the topic of "one year", I think that if the OP _really_ has been playing for only one year, then he has achieved something impressive, technically. Being able to play those fast runs I would have thought would take longer than a year.


But it seems irrelevant to say how long you've been playing for. The only purpose it can serve it so solicit praise. "Gee, that's good for a year". So what? What matters is not how long it took to get there, but where you arrived at and whether you enjoyed the journey.


As usual, Jon totally nailed the description of where the OP arrived, and gave fantastic instructions for the next leg of the journey ... hopefully to a land full of music and joy smile.gif


GaJ

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Well, I feel absolutely terrible that I haven't been back here since this post. I must seem, and most likely am, a jerk for not acually becoming a part of the community like I should. But I did try and take to heart what you guys said. (On the matter of me stating how long I had played, I was wanting to know if I was making fair progress in that time. If I should be further along or not. and that hissing was my piece of junk web cam) But, like I said, I've been trying to listen to what was told to me and I made another video (With better sound quality! biggrin.gif) Am I on the road to recovery? http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=251280048305148


The guitar is all me. I downloaded a backing track to a song and played it through its entirety. I know I slipped out of time in places. I still am not the tightest player. :

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Good on ya for keeping at it, and taking advice - that's not something everyone can do.


I hated the intro. It seems to value speed over melody. The very first lick sounded like "I'll play this as fast as I can", and it sounds like you're playing it just faster than you really can play it with feeling. As a result (I think) all the notes run together without any subtlety, and they phrase is too fast for the gap that follows. I like the notes of that lick, actually - it's a really good opening lick. The timing just is too spaz. Like you were on hyper drugs playing it.


The rhythm sections are great. I mean - it might not be everyone's cup of tea, but its entirely listenable and relatable, I think. And excellent chunky punky groove.


I can hear that the lead break is trying to be more melodic. Althought the first few notes sound like there might have been a clam in there, it's actually an excellent opening, really fits the music. But then it gets into this non-stop diddle-diddle-diddle sound - continuous samey triplets, as if this is all that you can do, and you think it's musical to do it as fast as possible. I reckon the break through would be if you took the first diddly run that starts at 2:48 and STOP it after the first two or three diddles and say something different at that point. Instead of diddle diddle diddle diddle diddle, say diddle diddle diddle wahhhhhhh wah wahhh or something. Know what I mean?


GaJ

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Well you certainly got something driving you. IMO needs more discipline and work. Do the track again. Clean this time. Go for less impact and better fit. And do again with shorter lead phrasing. Coordinate with the tune - navigate it.

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Quote Originally Posted by Uh_Me

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Well, I feel absolutely terrible that I haven't been back here since this post. I must seem, and most likely am, a jerk for not acually becoming a part of the community like I should. But I did try and take to heart what you guys said. (On the matter of me stating how long I had played, I was wanting to know if I was making fair progress in that time. If I should be further along or not. and that hissing was my piece of junk web cam) But, like I said, I've been trying to listen to what was told to me and I made another video (With better sound quality! biggrin.gif) Am I on the road to recovery? http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=251280048305148


The guitar is all me. I downloaded a backing track to a song and played it through its entirety. I know I slipped out of time in places. I still am not the tightest player. :

 

As long as you know it, you can fix it. Without this, all the good is negated.


Now make sure you respond to everyone and we won't think you're a jerk.smile.gif

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Quote Originally Posted by Uh_Me

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Thanks. So I guess I didn't make too much progress lol. And I think I know what you mean.

 

I think you did make progress! You're playing a song, to a backing! You have gutsy rhythm chops. You tried to fit your triplet skills into a melody. It's all gold.


I just think you need to have a little variety in your repertoire. It's not really listenable to listen to "one thing: all the time: kinda tiring on the ears. Do some bends. That'll slow you down, and make you listen to melody, I think.


GaJ

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Quote Originally Posted by Uh_Me

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Well, I feel absolutely terrible that I haven't been back here since this post. I must seem, and most likely am, a jerk for not acually becoming a part of the community like I should. But I did try and take to heart what you guys said. (On the matter of me stating how long I had played, I was wanting to know if I was making fair progress in that time. If I should be further along or not. and that hissing was my piece of junk web cam) But, like I said, I've been trying to listen to what was told to me and I made another video (With better sound quality! biggrin.gif) Am I on the road to recovery? http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=251280048305148

 

I agree with the above comments.


The sound quality is definitely much better!


Ignoring the intro for the moment... The rhythm - the time-keeping - is generally excellent. It slips out (ahead of the beat) around 1:10, but that's a common error; people who've been playing longer than you still suffer from that occasionally.

I agree you should try again with less distortion. Doesn't have to be totally clean (and the aggressive tone, while not quite my taste, is not a bad thing).

Where it really breaks down and becomes painful for me is the lead playing. While there's some obvious technical skill there, it loses all connection with the song. The rhythm disappears, the notes seem to have no connection to the key or the chords. (And the nasty tone doesnt help.) At one small point (around 3:35, for a few seconds) it comes back to earth and seems to recognise that there is actually a piece of music underneath it all that you're supposed to be playing to.


My main advice - moving forward - would be to try copying what the singer is doing.

Learn every note he is singing, and play along with him on the guitar.

Then check how those notes fit the chords.


Your rhythm is good, as I say. You just have to carry that through to the improvisation. The beats still matter. And of course make sure you're playing the right notes! Start off with the notes in the vocal, and the notes in the chords. That's plenty to work with. If you don't know what they are - learn them! That's the business of the improviser: to learn the material thoroughly (not to apply some cool scale he learned from a book or DVD, and still less to just go widdly widdly as fast as he can over the top smile.gif).


On the rhythm guitar, you sound like you know what you are doing (and are 99% in good control). Congratulate yourself on that.

On the lead guitar, however, it sounds like you have no idea at all. (I mean, some ideas, maybe, but not musically relevant ones.)


As well studying the song itself (to extract the material to use for a solo), study some great guitar solos, making sure you know how the notes relate to the chords, and listening to how they fit the rhythm, how they are phrased.

You may think that the lead guitarists you admire are doing something like what you are. Maybe it sounds liike they are just going crazy ape{censored}. (I remember that's what I thought about guitar solos when I was a beginner, before I actually studied them wink.gif) But they're not: what they are playing always relates to the chords (and sometimes to vocal phrases), and is always right inside the rhythm.

That - not your level of technique - is why they sound good and you don't! You have more than enough skill in your fingers to play some really beautiful solos. But you have to play with the song, not against it.

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Quote Originally Posted by JonR

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And of course make sure you're playing the right notes! Start off with the notes in the vocal, and the notes in the chords. That's plenty to work with. If you don't know what they are - learn them! That's the business of the improviser: to learn the material thoroughly (not to apply some cool scale he learned from a book or DVD, and still less to just go widdly widdly as fast as he can over the top )...


As well studying the song itself (to extract the material to use for a solo), study some great guitar solos, making sure you know how the notes relate to the chords, and listening to how they fit the rhythm, how they are phrased.


You may think that the lead guitarists you admire are doing something like what you are. Maybe it sounds liike they are just going crazy ape{censored}. (I remember that's what I thought about guitar solos when I was a beginner, before I actually studied them wink.gif) But they're not: what they are playing always relates to the chords (and sometimes to vocal phrases), and is always right inside the rhythm...


But you have to play with the song, not against it.

 

Repeated for excellence thumb.gif
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Let's try this again. Since my rhythm playing isn't necessarily an issue, (it can be better, but my lead is my worry right now), I used a different track that I just did leads over. I hit a few wrong notes, but the battery in my recorder died after this take so it's all I have. I tried to implement more melody, but my fingers really seem to have a mind of their own and kind of fly. I think I am more in tune with the music though. Some more input?


http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=...type=3&theater

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Two chord jam. Takes a very good guitarist to fly one of those for anything more than a few bars. What you're doing might be good practice and discovery but there isn't much to critique as a solo or melody.

As far as the practice, two chord vamps make good templates to test the fit of rhythms and whatever licks and chops you got. I'd go easy on the cliche guitar flurries though and favor train of thought, and proportion to the time scale ie. 1 or 2 minutes, 5 minutes; whatever. Some kind of musical statement/journey/event/add your own criteria, should develop and thusly transpire.

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Quote Originally Posted by Uh_Me

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Let's try this again. Since my rhythm playing isn't necessarily an issue, (it can be better, but my lead is my worry right now), I used a different track that I just did leads over. I hit a few wrong notes, but the battery in my recorder died after this take so it's all I have. I tried to implement more melody, but my fingers really seem to have a mind of their own and kind of fly. I think I am more in tune with the music though. Some more input?


http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=...type=3&theater

 

You say your rhythm playing isn't an issue, but your timing is the main thing that's wrong there. It's what really marks you out as an amateur.

The note choices and phrasing are mostly good - apart from a tendency to go for either long notes or very fast ones, with little in between. But if the timing was solid, that wouldn't be an issue; it would sound near professional. Your tone and feel are good, IMO.


There's definitely an improvement over the earlier example - but timing is still where you need the most work. (It's improved a little along with everything else, but not enough.)


Do some real basic work - maybe on a more medium tempo track - placing notes right on the beat (quarters), then 8ths - splitting the beat exactly in half - then 16ths; again making sure the beat is in exact quarters, and that you still get notes on the beat where they should be. IOW, don't play too many 8ths or 16ths until those quarter notes are absolutely solid.


Try not to let your fingers fly away! That can be a good thing once you have a solid grounding in timing/rhythm, and once you understand the scale's relationship to chord tones (that's generally fine here, but there's only two chords and little chance of going wrong). But right now you need to control every note, make sure it's in the right place (relative to the beat).

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Quote Originally Posted by JonR

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You say your rhythm playing isn't an issue, but your timing is the main thing that's wrong there. It's what really marks you out as an amateur.

The note choices and phrasing are mostly good - apart from a tendency to go for either long notes or very fast ones, with little in between. But if the timing was solid, that wouldn't be an issue; it would sound near professional. Your tone and feel are good, IMO.


There's definitely an improvement over the earlier example - but timing is still where you need the most work. (It's improved a little along with everything else, but not enough.)


Do some real basic work - maybe on a more medium tempo track - placing notes right on the beat (quarters), then 8ths - splitting the beat exactly in half - then 16ths; again making sure the beat is in exact quarters, and that you still get notes on the beat where they should be. IOW, don't play too many 8ths or 16ths until those quarter notes are absolutely solid.


Try not to let your fingers fly away! That can be a good thing once you have a solid grounding in timing/rhythm, and once you understand the scale's relationship to chord tones (that's generally fine here, but there's only two chords and little chance of going wrong). But right now you need to control every note, make sure it's in the right place (relative to the beat).

 

Is there any places in specifically that are slipping out of time? Aside from the unintentional pick slip, I'm having trouble picking many spots where that is a real issue in this one.
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