Guitar thread

[Sky]

My thumb still sucks for doing barre chords. I tend to just run inversions on the upper three or four strings because I'm lazy. Another reason I love CAGED so much, it allows me to be lazier because I can play better chords. But then I pay because sometimes you need to do a lot of full barre chords and it kills my thumb.

Playing classical has also isolated another odd weak point - my pinky, which is normally pretty accurate and strong, really struggles with complex chords in the middle strings. To give an example I've talked about before, in Bach's Prelude in Dm there is a jump from a Dm cowboy xx0231 to this monstrosity 4xx431. The 4th fret in the middle is the pinky and I struggle like crazy with that, even without the big shift between chords. The fingerings are, respectively, xxx0231 to 3xx421. So it's a big leap for the ring finger but also an accurate placement for the pinky. Also, I have small hands; made playing bass quite a feat. But don't let your genetics deter you, they just set an upper limit, it's up to you to find what you can do within that (answer: quite a bit!).

Anyway. My point it, even after you've been playing for years and have some idea what you're about, you'll still hit frustrating roadblocks. The only way through them is practice, practice, practice. That's really the best advice I can give: find some music you enjoy and practice it as much as you possibly can.

[Nebu]

I could spend pages going over my weaknesses.  Hell, I'm still trying to figure out what the hell those two extra strings are doing on the fretboard. 

[apocrypha]

in Bach's Prelude in Dm there is a jump from a Dm cowboy xx0231 to this monstrosity 4xx431. The 4th fret in the middle is the pinky and I struggle like crazy with that, even without the big shift between chords. The fingerings are, respectively, xxx0231 to 3xx421.

Ah, I see your problem. You're trying that with the human-standard 2 arms yeah? Having just tried it you clearly need at least 1 extra hand somewhere.

[Sky]

Nah, just an extra finger or two.

Also, as my fiancee would point out at this juncture, I'm complaining that I can't instantly play a Bach piece that Segovia plays....so I should keep it in perspective. I'll link it just because I love it so much (it's a BW in this thread).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmTnLcOYEGE

There's also a couple twists in it. One is easy for me, some pull offs as the arpeggio would have gone beyond the nut, but the other is a string skipper, so arpeggiation of something like 0x6x45 (probably not that, just trying to go from memory). That skip I have highlighted in the notation because I always forget it. Great piece of music, though!

[apocrypha]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmTnLcOYEGE

Wow, amazing stuff.

[Nebu]

For the bass players out there, I found this cover of one of my favorite bass lines.  This guy does all the little things well.  I'm really trying to pick up some playing tips from watching him play. 

Do I Do - Stevie Wonder (cover)

I hope you appreciate the talent as much as I did.

[Sky]

He nails the line, but how do you sit that still while playing Stevie?

[Ingmar]

He nails the line, but how do you sit that still while playing Stevie?

Hello, he's a bass player. Most of them would sit that still during an earthquake.

[Miguel]

Bass lines in Stevie's songs are the perfect blend of groove and technical ability:  the feel is so damn important, and the runs are always challenging.

I got the master stem tracks for Superstition and I'm adding a bass line (the original was played on a clav through a Moog synth pedal).  I'll post it here when I'm done.

[Sky]

Hello, he's a bass player. Most of them would sit that still during an earthquake.

I guess I was not 'most' 

Miguel: can't wait!

[Raph]

My CD is back in print. Well, digital downloads, anyway.

This was recorded twelve years ago, in the Origin recording studio. It has been intermittently available but really, the main way to get it was originally the original mp3.com... Where some of the songs did OK on the of charts there.

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/raphkoster

[Sky]

Does that mean you're putting cdbaby out of business?

 

[Raph]

It's worse than that... from there, it goes to iTunes too!

[Sky]

RAPH KILLED STEVE JOBS!

I hope you get some movement out of it. As you can tell from my classical recordings this year, I'm a long way from prime time when it comes to laying down a commercial recording, I'm jealous.

[Raph]

I actually sold a copy of the album to someone I don't know yesterday. Amazing, this whole crazy Internet thing.

[Nebu]

I actually sold a copy of the album to someone I don't know yesterday. Amazing, this whole crazy Internet thing.

Does that make you a 'professional recording artist'?  You now have a new line on your CV.

All joking aside, it's a wonderful thing releasing music to the general public.  Congrats on the release! 

[Raph]

Technically, I already was... this same CD was on sale on MP3.com a decade ago, and I sold copies of it back then. Never been *profitable* with it though. So no tax writeoffs for me, by law I think that makes it a hobby not a business...!

FWIW, the process of getting something up for digital distro on CDBaby is around $60, and that gets you to iTunes and a ton of other stores. Getting actual CDs for order is a few hundred more. So the bar is pretty low. That album sale made me $7.59...

[Sky]

Most of the small artists I know use cdbaby or are dumbasses.

[stray]

I wonder if I will ever properly record.... anything.

I was never that guy who was that interested in getting a 4 track, next to my guitar purchase. I've had some gear, but never make much use of it. I'd be happy if someone did it all themselves and press record for me.

If I do, the whole perfectionist side comes out and I truly get nothing done. Other than getting into some state of mind that starts hating my own songs.

[Sky]

My recordings drive me nuts and certainly aren't ready for retail, but I did a bunch off the cuff a couple months ago that are on the previous page, Stray.

http://forums.f13.net/index.php?topic=4508.msg971403#msg971403

I'm hoping to get enough of a repertoire cleaned up to release a cd at some point. It would be cool just to say I did it. Classical is so tough if you're a perfectionist, though. Blues and rock you can get away with a lot of stuff, especially with effects masking some of it. Doesn't help that my natural reaction to messing up is to PLAY FASTER :)

edit - I also love this thread because I can go back and remind myself of stuff. In the case, the post just before the one with the music where I'm talking about transcribing and jamming on the Tarentella. Need to get back on that project, it was a lot of fun.

[Miguel]

Santa came early this year....

[Trippy]

Oh yeah, the Classic.

[Furiously]

What brand of Les Paul is that?

[Sky]

Nice! Every stable should have at least an LP and a Strat. I went for the SG with the thin neck, the baseball bat LPs didn't work for me.

What kind of pickups?

[Miguel]

It's from Agile, which is essentially a rebrand of parts coming from Korea (like from the Cort factory).  A good friend of mine has a Cort LP and the parts look virtually identical (although the finishing is somewhat different).

The pickups are from Seymour Duncan, but I already have replacements.  The stock picks are SH-1's which are the PAF '59 clones.  I'm switching to the SH-2N and SH-4B combo (the 'Jazz' neck and 'Jeff Beck' bridge) as I think the tones are more diversified.

In addition, I'll be putting in a real shielding job and changing the volume pots to ones with pull-up DPDT switches, so I can coil tap each pickup.

[Raph]

So I joined a local Meetup group for acoustic music get-togethers. They do a variety of things, and it looks like there's something every week just about. It's all mostly traditional music, with occasional folk scare or 60s stuff thrown in, it seems like.

The first on I went to was a "Slow Jam" -- people bring songs, you break into small groups each with a coupl eof tunes, spend two hours learning and rehearsing the songs, and then every group gets their turn on stage and performs.

The second was at the local craft fair at the park, and it was basically just everyone standing up and playing Xmas carols.  But afterwards, most folks left and some of us stayed behind and started trading acoustic jazz arrangements, which was a lot of fun, and felt like busking.

They also do a bluegrass picking party, and workshops, and more. Kinda nice, and it's great to get out and play with other folks. I got asked to join a band in the first couple of hours. I think I'll keep visiting them.

[Sky]

That's cool, Raph. We have something like that in a local farm's barn, but it's about forty minutes away so I haven't been out there. I need to get something going with some people, but this area is so dead.

And I always get asked to join bands, the last time was that Beatles tribute as a drummer. If I can nail a decent classical set down, I've got a gig at a new coffee shop/restaurant just up the road a bit.

[Selby]

So I joined a local Meetup group for acoustic music get-togethers.

A friend of mine hosts these occasionally in her garage.  Always a good time to get 7-8 older hippies playing acoustic guitars with the ukulele and the occasional bass.

[Nebu]

I am so jealous of you guys.  I can't find any musicians to play with for the life of me and I'd love to play in some kind of a cover band again.

I hope Raph will provide some updates on the group.  That way I can at least live vicariously. 

[Sky]

I was tooling around with some guitar mags last night. Couldn't find my transcription of Holy Wars by Megadeth, I was watching some of the Sonisphere 2011 or Big 4 or something. Forgot how awesome that band is.

So, tooling through Working Man by Rush, first time I've played Lifeson's parts. I've done a few tunes on the bass, our first unofficial drummer was a Rush fanatic and keeps asking me to play covers (it's all he plays now). Lot of fun, now I'm thinking I should get a few more down to sit in with him. Not sure how he would deal with my jam factor, though. Not only do I just wing leads (preserving signature passages, of course), but at one point the tune drifted into the outro solo section of Iron Man with the descending blues pentatonic staccato riff, which I played through another verse and chorus then folded it back into Working Man.

[Selby]

Not sure how he would deal with my jam factor, though. Not only do I just wing leads (preserving signature passages, of course), but at one point the tune drifted into the outro solo section of Iron Man with the descending blues pentatonic staccato riff, which I played through another verse and chorus then folded it back into Working Man.

If he's a hardcore Rush fanatic, he'll have heard the band do it numerous times live and not have a single problem with it, likely thinking it's pretty awesome.  Unless he's one of those "album way only, man!" kinda people (why would anyone be?) then he would actually welcome someone who isn't stuck to the sheet music or recorded album version that so many other musicians are.

[Raph]

I can't think of a single cover I play that matches the album.

[Ingmar]

This is from last month, but:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123

Rage? Joy?

There are some things I like about the list (Johnny Marr gets credit for being awesome) and some things that make me go  (Hetfield over Hammett?)

[HaemishM]

Holy shit, I'm 4 guitarists into it and my head just exploded. Lifeson is 98 below STEVE FUCKING JONES from the Sex Pistols? REALLY?

EDIT: PAUL SIMON? What the fuck is wrong with these people?

[Selby]

Rage? Joy?

Most of that list is pure crap regarding the order.  And some of it is misplaced.  Paul Simon is a great songwriter, not so much a great guitar player.