On a scale of 1 to 10, how good are you at :

[anomaly]

Keeping time/tasteful Rhythm playing : 9

 

Playing solos (technique) : 7

 

Improvising solos (ideas) : 7

 

Playing covers "like the record" : 8

 

Jazzchords vocabulary/ reading charts : 1

 

Tweaking/dialing a good sound from your gear: 8

 

Songwriting skills/ original ideas : 7

[Mercer]

 

Originally posted by Cold Gin Keeping time/tasteful Rhythm playing : 7 Playing solos (technique) : 10 Improvising solos (ideas) : 10 Playing covers "like the record" : 7 Jazzchords vocabulary/ reading charts : 6 Tweaking/dialing a good sound from your gear: 8 Songwriting skills/ original ideas : 10

 

Here's a gem: it's the lines to a cold-gin song:

 

"Girls can't play good music

Girls can't play good music

Girls can't play good music

NO WAY MAN!

I can play the guitar

I can play the guitar

I can play the guitar

HEY MAN!

I went to a GC

I went to a GC

I went to a GC

The other day, man!

I played really good

I played really good

I played really good

Hooray man!

I picked up 2 chicks

I picked up 2 chicks

They were blond with big tits

That's what I say man

I'm home right now drinking

doing some peyote

thinking my pet toirtoise

is a really hot chick

WOOOOOOOOOOooooOH!IH!OH!"

[Mercer]

Is "reading charts" sight-reading, or just chorditude, cuz If it's sight-reading + chords then I'm a 6, but if it's just chords, I'm a 3.

[ZenFly]

This is a very subjective analysis, but I believe we can only truley measure against ourselves. That said, I can hold my own in any band doing classic rock , C&W, Blues, and some "dinner music".. Less so on "true jazz", Hardcore metal etc.

 

 

Keeping time/tasteful Rhythm playing : 9 This really does have alot to do with the drummer, fortunately I play with good drummers.

 

Playing solos (technique) : 8 within my genre(s)

 

Improvising solos (ideas) : 8 I grew up with the idea of taking solos to help move the music to a different place.

 

Playing covers "like the record" : 8 Depends on the record..

 

Jazzchords vocabulary/ reading charts : 3 I can read charts, I know some melodic chording, but I'm no Joe Pass.

 

Tweaking/dialing a good sound from your gear: 9 I can make my gear do what it needs to withing either in the studio or live.

 

Songwriting skills/ original ideas : 8 I've been writing and recording for 25 years..still chugging them out when the spirit moves me.

 

So having played 43 years that is how I view my personal progress, but if compared to a pro "10" in any category, there will be a sliding percentage to make up for any shortcomings!javascript:smilie(':freak:')

freak

[boxhollow]

Originally posted by Alchemist clips?

 

Yeah really......If your that good Cold Gin then I would really like to hear you. Especially with the 10 out of 10 for songwriting. If your that good you have to have some recording gear.......let's hear the playing that picks chicks up at guitar center

[Alchemist]

Originally posted by hollowbox Yeah really......If your that good Cold Gin then I would really like to hear you. Especially with the 10 out of 10 for songwriting. If your that good you have to have some recording gear.......let's hear the playing that picks chicks up at guitar center

 

I'd really love to hear it, in a non confrontational way, just because of my love for guitar. Theres only really a handfull of elite professionals out there who I would rate as highly as he rates himself in those categories. So it would make my day to hear someone that good.

 

I wont even bother saying what I think of my own playing, or I'd have to go into the negative scales:D

[Jkater]

Originally posted by Mercer Is "reading charts" sight-reading, or just chorditude, cuz If it's sight-reading + chords then I'm a 6, but if it's just chords, I'm a 3.

 

Well, the way I meant it is knowing/reading Jazz chords ("lead sheets") which implies familiarity with voicings that tend to come up often in Jazz comping. Reading standard notation is another skill that I did not include in my list. In my bad english, I may have called "charts" something that is better called lead sheet ( fake and real book stuff).

[6942]

I'm so bad.....even the police won't come to my house, if I'm playing!

Steve

[ylwledbetter68]

Keeping time/tasteful Rhythm playing : 8

 

Playing solos (technique) : 4

 

Improvising solos (ideas) : 7

 

Playing covers : 4

 

Jazzchords vocabulary/ reading charts : 8

 

Tweaking/dialing a good sound from your gear: 7

 

Songwriting skills/ original ideas : 7

 

Probably giving myself too much credit here and there, but that's approximately where I am.

[MullardECC83]

Keeping time/tasteful Rhythm playing : 7

 

Playing solos (technique) : 5

 

Improvising solos (ideas) : 6

 

Playing covers "like the record" : 2

 

Jazzchords vocabulary/ reading charts : 1

 

Tweaking/dialing a good sound from your gear: 9

 

Songwriting skills/ original ideas : 8

 

I like your approach. Far too many people put all the emphasis on one skill or another. Most guitarist are really good at a few of these things, few master them all.

[ninjaaron]

Keeping time/tasteful Rhythm playing: 4

(Good on tasteful rhythm playing, but I'm screwed without drums or a click... don't know why)

 

Playing solos (technique) : 5

 

Improvising solos (ideas) : 6

 

Playing covers "like the record" : 3

(depends how difficult, but I don't normally go in for that thing in the first place. Music is hobby for me, not a livelihood).

 

Jazzchords vocabulary/ reading charts : 6

 

Tweaking/dialing a good sound from your gear: 9

(just takes time and patience, anyone can do it)

 

Songwriting skills/ original ideas : 6

(suck at putting whole songs together, but I'm good at arranging, adding bits, and finding unique chord progressions).

[davis1]

Keeping time/tasteful Rhythm playing : 10

 

Playing solos (technique) : 5

 

Improvising solos (ideas) : 8

 

Playing covers "like the record" : 2

 

Jazzchords vocabulary/ reading charts : 10

 

Tweaking/dialing a good sound from your gear: 5

 

Songwriting skills/ original ideas : 10

[BillyCorgan]

Keeping time/tasteful Rhythm playing : 10 (Studio engineers tell me i'm a human metronome.)

 

Playing solos (technique) : 6-7 (I'm sloppy but it works)

 

Improvising solos (ideas) : 7 (under pressure)

 

Playing covers "like the record" : 9

 

Jazzchords vocabulary/ reading charts : 0

 

Tweaking/dialing a good sound from your gear: 10 (I always have someone coming to the stage amazed at my tones.)

 

Songwriting skills/ original ideas : You tell me. (Sig)

[FiletOfFish]

Keeping time/tasteful Rhythm playing : 9: My timing is pretty tight, since I started as a bassist, and I think I'm pretty good at fitting the mood of a song.

 

Playing solos (technique) : 4: I'm facile enough in terms of playing and have good thory knowledge and application, but I have trouble coordinating fast playing, trem usage, and other techniques without losing the feel of the song.

 

Improvising solos (ideas) : 6: I spend a lot of time just jamming with songs or the music in my head and my ear's pretty good, so I can almost always play something appropriate.

 

Playing covers "like the record" : 1: I just don't have the attention span...

 

Jazzchords vocabulary/ reading charts : 6: My chord vocabulary is limited but I have a good deal of jazz bass experience, so I can read charts well. My sightreading(of actually notation, not chord charts), though, is terrible.

 

Tweaking/dialing a good sound from your gear: 8: I can usually find a sound I like from decent gear pretty quickly.

Songwriting skills/ original ideas : 4: I come up with a lot of cool progressions, riffs, melodies, and sometimes lyrics, but I usually go from one thing to another too quickly to finish anything.

 

Overall my biggest problems probably stem from lack of discipline: I have trouble keeping at some stuff over a long period of time, so my chord knowledge, reading, technique/speed skills and songwriting suffers. Maybe I should start a band to motivate myself.

[Jkater]

Originally posted by %#%$@^&!*# I like your approach. Far too many people put all the emphasis on one skill or another. Most guitarist are really good at a few of these things, few master them all.

 

Thanks %$#@$#%%&*?%$#%$#@.... or whatever your username is.

 

BTW, %#%$@^&!*# , welcome to the board!

[jerry_picker]

 

Originally posted by BillyCorgan Keeping time/tasteful Rhythm playing : 10 (Studio engineers tell me i'm a human metronome.)

 

 

I've known human metronomes who could keep a rock steady beat. You start a jam, and 10 minutes later, the beat is dead on.

 

I've known others who can give you a specific rate. "Give me 108 bpm" and they give it without any external reference.

 

Some human metronomes can make or keep the beat in their heads, but are not especially adept at creative or tasteful rhythm playing, so I am apt to separate keeping time from "tasteful" rhythm playing. I mean, a perfect 4-beat is nice, but it doesn't get you Little Wing.

[Jkater]

 

Originally posted by jerry_picker Some human metronomes can make or keep the beat in their heads, but are not especially adept at creative or tasteful rhythm playing, so I am apt to separate keeping time from "tasteful" rhythm playing. I mean, a perfect 4-beat is nice, but it doesn't get you Little Wing.

 

 

Good point, Jerry. Two different skills.

[guitarmook]

Keeping time/feeling the groove: 8

 

tasteful Rhythm playing : 9

 

Playing solos (technique) : 9

 

Improvising solos (ideas) : 9

 

Playing covers "like the record" : 7

 

Jazzchords vocabulary/ reading charts : 5

 

Tweaking/dialing a good sound from your gear: 9

 

Songwriting skills/ original ideas : 8

[pzkpfw]

LOL I love how alot of people just outright ignored the songwriting part.

 

Keeping time/feeling the groove: 4

 

tasteful Rhythm playing : 7

 

Playing solos (technique) : 3 (I have plenty of techniques to draw from, but I'm not too good at composing solos. My techniques all go into my riffs.)

 

Improvising solos (ideas) : 2

 

Playing covers "like the record" : 5

 

Jazzchords vocabulary/ reading charts : 1

 

Tweaking/dialing a good sound from your gear : 7

 

Songwriting skills/ original ideas : 10

 

All my eggs are in one basket I guess, the basket of writing riffs.

[jerry_picker]

Originally posted by pzkpfw LOL I love how alot of people just outright ignored the songwriting part.Songwriting skills/ original ideas : 10 All my eggs are in one basket I guess, the basket of writing riffs.

 

A TEN???

 

Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Hoagy Carmichael, Brian Wilson...those guys are TENS.

 

How do you figure?

[pzkpfw]

Am I the only one to use ten in this thread? It's relative to my other ratings.

[_pete_]

Keeping time / tasteful rythym playing: 9.5 (I have a good internal clock)

 

Playing solos(technique): 6 (better than some, not as good as many)

 

Improvising solos(ideas): 7

 

Playing covers "Like the record": 9.98 (that's my job)

 

Jazzchords vocabulary/reading charts: 0 (not my thang)

 

Tweaking/dialing good sound from your gear: 9.5 ( I can get what I want from my gear pretty quick)

 

Songwriting skills/original ideas: 5 (never happy with my stuff)

[Fulham Fallout]

Keeping time/tasteful Rhythm playing : 7 (not tasteful, so much as solid. I could be a bit more 'fluid' though

 

Playing solos (technique) : 4 (definitely getting better at this. I'd have given this a 1 a year ago)

 

Improvising solos (ideas) : 4 (getting better at this too)

 

Playing covers "like the record" : 3

 

Jazzchords vocabulary/ reading charts : 0

 

Tweaking/dialing a good sound from your gear: 8 (I sound much better than I am!)

Songwriting skills/ original ideas : 7 Probably my best skill is at putting together several guitar parts and arranging the whole band. I think my songs are pretty good too.

 

All you 9's and 10's guys - are you sure?

[DVaz]

Originally posted by Jkater One way I suggest you to do this is copy and paste the following in your post, then enter your numbers : Keeping time/feeling the groove: tasteful Rhythm playing : Tastfull? Here and there. I can and do play in some very lizard-brained timings, confuse the hell out of crap drummers and have a great time with good ones. Think meshughah, SYL, LoG, Nile for fast insane playing and pelican, isis for scholarly very slow but exact timings. Its my bread and butter really. 9. Playing solos (technique) : 5. I take this to mean raw lead ability: accuracy, timing, phrasing, finger independance, musical versatility. This is a HUGE musical playground and I've just and so scratched it, really. I could play kirk hammet under the table, but am nowhere near a genuinely good lead player (YJM, friedman, loomis, cooley, gilbert). Improvising solos (ideas) : Within the bounds of my ability I am pretty creative, as I judge by comparing what I play whne improvising to what I have actually learned of others music. 6 or 7. Still nowhere near the big league, but I've guaged my answer to this with my answer above. Playing covers "like the record" : 3 or 4. I can but I dont like to. Jazzchords vocabulary/ reading charts : 2. I'm a metal player at heart, and probably use more chords than most, but its not exactly a good grounding for chordally rich playing. I add a few every few months Tweaking/dialing a good sound from your gear: 8. I piss well with the cock I've got. Songwriting skills/ original ideas : 3. Quite creative compared to much of what I hear, but still much more derivative than not (as the vast majority of people are: I dont believe answers in this higher than 5: chances are someones already done whatever you just did)

[Prages]

Keeping time/feeling the groove: I get by.

 

tasteful Rhythm playing : I get by.

 

Playing solos (technique) : I get by.

 

Improvising solos (ideas) : I get by.

 

Playing covers "like the record" : I get by.

 

Jazzchords vocabulary/ reading charts : Don't have much knowledge of jazz chords, but I can read charts if I have to.

 

Tweaking/dialing a good sound from your gear: I get by.

 

Songwriting skills/ original ideas: I get by.