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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
GaJ
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
GaJ
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! 
) Am I on the road to recovery? http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=25128004830514
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. :\
) Am I on the road to recovery? http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=25128004830514The 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. :\
Originally Posted by Uh_Me
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! ) Am I on the road to recovery? http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=25128004830514
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. :\
) Am I on the road to recovery? http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=25128004830514The 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. :\
Now make sure you respond to everyone and we won't think you're a jerk.
Originally Posted by Uh_Me
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
Originally Posted by Uh_Me
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! ) Am I on the road to recovery? http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=25128004830514
) Am I on the road to recovery? http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=25128004830514The 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
).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 apeshit. (I remember that's what I thought about guitar solos when I was a beginner, before I actually studied them
) 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.
Originally Posted by JonR
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 apeshit. (I remember that's what I thought about guitar solos when I was a beginner, before I actually studied them) 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.
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 apeshit. (I remember that's what I thought about guitar solos when I was a beginner, before I actually studied them
) 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.
Originally Posted by Uh_Me
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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