Hey! Guitar players, let's chat.

[Patrick-Ruff]

uh I don't know about finger style, for the most part I just mess around with it myself sometimes.

there's several different ways to finger pick, you can do it paul mccartney style (which I don't recommend) thumb and index finger for the majority or you can do it the easy way which is . . .

thumb top 4 strings, index 5th, and middle last (high e) this is usually the easiest but it can make doing some stuff difficult.

then there's the general standard among serious finger style guitarists

thumb top 3 bass strings, index g, middle b, and ring e.

the hardest part abotu the standard is the ring finger, it takes a long time to get it to work like the first two fingers (atleast for me) so most people that aren't serious finger style usually give up on that technique (like I did.) but if you're really seriousabout it you can try it.

though I recommend you work on your picking first ;). as fingerstyle is much easier than arpaggiated picking ;).

[herbster]

Patrick, yes I actually have been practicing a few songs that use fingerstyle and I have become pretty accustomed to thumb-EAD, index-G, middle-B and ring-E. I have this Acoustic Blue instructional video and the fella states right off the bat that this is the "proper fingerstyle technique," so I listened.

Yes, I was trying House of the Rising Sun last night and the whole doggone thing is arpeggiated, that picking's definitely gonna take some time to get down!!

BWT, on metronomeonline.com, what is the "standard" tempo of 4/4 if there is such a thing? I mean, I don't know what to play along with, it defaults on 92 but it seems a bit speedy.

[matthew]

While I use a flatpick most of the time, I actually enjoy playing fingerstyle. I generally use my thumb on the three bass strings and my index, middle and ring fingers for the G, B and E respectively.

To learn how to do this, start by having your thumb play bass notes, and then try plucking the three treble strings together, kind of a bass/chord progression.

As this becomes easy, add variations like different meters...bass/chord/chord for 3/4 and so on.

You can move to arpeggios fairly early with this as well. Start very slowly and simply. Learn to keep a very steady rhythm before you speed anything up. Eventually you can experiment with new arpeggio patterns a stuff.

This is actually a great way to enhance your sense of rhythm because mistakes are more obvious, so if forces you to slow down and be careful.

[Patrick-Ruff]

there is no starndard tempo, 4/4 time is merely how many beats per measure and what kind of note gets a beat . . . so in this case

4 = 4 beats per measure
4 = 1/4th note gets a beat.

usually above the staff you'll see something that looks like an eigth note with an equals sign next to it, specifying the tempo in which you'll be playing at . . . it's a bit tough to understand at first.

[matthew]

Oh, I missed the whole "what is standard tempo" question. I agree, there is no standard tempo.

My recommendation: start playing the song as slowly as you have to in order to play it correctly and with a consistent rhythm. Do not speed it up until you can play it well slowly. When the song feels right, that is the correct tempo...even if it is different from the original version (that's what good cover versions are all about anyway, interpreting a known song in a way that is more personal, and doing it well).

[Patrick-Ruff]

heh random note I just almost mastered The Rain Song by Led Zeppelin. pretty weird tuning but it was well worth it I love that song :).

[Patrick-Ruff]

hey all put up a new video of a new composition I made up this morning.

I haven't put it down in notation yet, just memorized and recorded it.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hVLitAT06sY

[omega_user]

I play bass, and I find that the different ways available to the player to hit the notes are very diverse and important to learn. Slap bass is something I want to get down pat, but technical work is also pretty important.

Current song to learn: Rondo Alla Turka by W.A. Mozart
This guy, David Hull, plays it very well Mozart Alla Bass Guitar (http://youtube.com/watch?v=sptkTmF8Jgk)

[Bezmotivnik]

Ooooooooooh. I'm intrigued. Please post a link when the photos are available to be seen, if possible.

OK, but remember, you asked for it! :shock:

Here's the full spread (http://photoweborama.com/guitars/switch?page=1). Note there are five pages of thumbnails.

It's a Switch "Oscar IV Signature" designed by Trevor Wilkinson. These are one-piece instruments made of a proprietary acoustic composite called "Vibracell." The pickups are Wilkinson "Cool Blue" neck and "Stinger" bridge. Contrary to all expectations, this is (despite the horrifying pimp appearance) a very nice instrument with surprisingly fine native sound. I got several of these Switch guitars, all wild looking and all very nice guitars. An S/S/H Roland MIDI equipped one is coming in in January.

The one in this spread was just unpacked, as you can see by the still-intact gold finish, which will last about a week in use.:rolleyes:

[jfank]

I know I'm a little late posting in this topic, but I play the guitar. Well I somewhat play the guitar. When I was younger and in high school freshman year and part of sophmore year I took lessons. I really loved doing it, but sadly I put the guitar down and sold it one day. I'm just now starting to get back into playing the guitar, and I tell you what i really miss it. I live in a very small area so I have to basically teach myself how to play the guitar again. I bought some of those DVDs that you can watch and use to learn, but it is difficult for me to learn from it. I do better when there is actually a person right there teaching me how to do it. I bought just a standard Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. There is times that I wish I just got one of those one's from Wal-Mart just because it is cheap, and I fell it is better to use a learner that doesn't cost that much, but then realized that they are very cheap guitars and don't have that long of a life to them. It is very easy to learn how to play the chords, but a true guitarist knows the cords and can listen to any song, expecially one never heard before and can pick up the cords quickly.

[matthew]

OK, but remember, you asked for it! :shock:

Here's the full spread (http://photoweborama.com/guitars/switch?page=1). Note there are five pages of thumbnails.

It's a Switch "Oscar IV Signature" designed by Trevor Wilkinson. These are one-piece instruments made of a proprietary acoustic composite called "Vibracell." The pickups are Wilkinson "Cool Blue" neck and "Stinger" bridge. Contrary to all expectations, this is (despite the horrifying pimp appearance) a very nice instrument with surprisingly fine native sound. I got several of these Switch guitars, all wild looking and all very nice guitars. An S/S/H Roland MIDI equipped one is coming in in January.

The one in this spread was just unpacked, as you can see by the still-intact gold finish, which will last about a week in use.:rolleyes:That is nice looking! It has a bit of an old National vibe...probably because of the molded body (it is molded, isn't it? not carved?). I've never seen a guitar by this company. Next time I'm on a continent where they might be sold, I'll look around for one to test out.

Thanks for sharing! I love it when your friend gets the "I want to photograph one of Bezmotivnik's guitars" urge. He gets good shots.

[Visti]

I play bass, and I find that the different ways available to the player to hit the notes are very diverse and important to learn. Slap bass is something I want to get down pat, but technical work is also pretty important.

Current song to learn: Rondo Alla Turka by W.A. Mozart
This guy, David Hull, plays it very well Mozart Alla Bass Guitar (http://youtube.com/watch?v=sptkTmF8Jgk)

So you wouldn't say that technical work could also include slap? I mean you hardly go from zero to Wooten just because one has got rudimentary slap down.

And yay for playing bass. I still consider it my main instrument, even though I've broadened my range a lot.

What do you guys use for recording? I can really recommend EZDrummer, it makes it a breeze for me to put down some tasty jams.Then later I can go over it with a more complicated drum sampler.

[Patrick-Ruff]

matthew check this out

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hVLitAT06sY

I composed it a day ago, solo's are kind of sloppy because I made them up as I recorded the video, I plan on doing more with tihs basic song, kind of like it, it's minor, the name matches well. I called it 'Drowsy Day'

[matthew]

matthew check this out

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hVLitAT06sY

I composed it a day ago, solo's are kind of sloppy because I made them up as I recorded the video, I plan on doing more with tihs basic song, kind of like it, it's minor, the name matches well. I called it 'Drowsy Day'Nice! I think your B and G strings were a bit out of tune (or my cheap laptop speakers just sound bad...which is not out of the question). I can tell that you put a lot of work into the idea. Congrats!

The switch to a distorted tone at 2:30 was a little abrupt (and back to clean later). It could have been the edits. I think the tune sounded better that way, but it could just be my ears, since I am very highly partial to a good tube amp for clean tones, and I really can hear the difference, even between a good digital or analog direct box and a good tube amp. If you were playing through a Fender Super (for example), I would definitely keep it clean all the way through and skip the switch.

You have good foundation here, I mean it. Keep going and you will build something quite enjoyable.

[Bezmotivnik]

That is nice looking!
As my late father would have said, "Well, it's...um...different." :-k
It has a bit of an old National vibe...probably because of the molded body (it is molded, isn't it? not carved?).
Yeah, it's some proprietary injection-molding process that allows them to manipulate a consistent density of this composite material, "Vibracell," which was invented by a Korean company as a tonewood substitute some time back. The fingerboard is Ebonite, the synthetic ebony from which they make wind instruments. The idea is that they can duplicate consistent tonewood sonic qualities from one instrument to the next, which is very hard to do with sub-Custom-Shop-grade guitars these days, which are increasingly made from whatever the lumber brokers had cheap that week. The end effect is that the Vibracell produces a very even native tone throughout the instrument's range, to my ear. The clean sound is excellent and far better than I expected. I had assumed that these would have very high-fundamental "icepick" tone. They don't.

Of course, using this method also saves a lot of trees and production costs. What's not to like?

Wilkinson also designed the Italia line, which also feature his pickups and hardware. They are also pretty swoopy.

I love it when your friend gets the "I want to photograph one of Bezmotivnik's guitars" urge. He gets good shots.
I think he was running out of daylight on this series; he prefers to shoot in summer, when he has more natural light with which to work.

He's very finicky about what he wants to shoot; he wasn't interested in shooting this one, which is a great axe:

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/2/1/4/537214.jpg

Aside from the fact that these are in Da-Glo colors (yes, actually florescent -- the orange one is probably visible for five miles) and have the silly bent top horn, they are exactly what they advertise: "A straightforward no frills instrument built with all premium hardware and electronics."

These were closeout/blowout items and as such I don't think Switch did setup on them, just shipped them once imported, but after a bit of tweaking (which included replacing too-long [OUCH!] saddle screws), I love this axe! Very hot Wilkinson "Red Hot" ceramic mag pickup set, Grovers, biflex trussrod, through-body/toploader bridge, medium-jumbo frets. At blowout, with some extra discounts, I got this axe for $89.99, shipped, easily the best player value per dollar I have ever gotten on an axe. Seriously.

This scary one is supposedly on its way:

http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/3/1/6/229316.jpg

...a Roland MIDI-equipped doozy (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Switch-Innovo-III-MIDI-Electric-Guitar?sku=511791) with a Wilkinson whammy. I'm trying to work a deal on a Roland GR-20 (http://www.roland.com/products/en/GR-20/demos.html) to use with it.

[matthew]

Of course, using this method also saves a lot of trees and production costs. What's not to like?

Wilkinson also designed the Italia line, which also feature his pickups and hardware. They are also pretty swoopy.

Aside from the fact that these are in Da-Glo colors (yes, actually florescent

These were closeout/blowout items and as such I don't think Switch did setup on them, just shipped them once imported, but after a bit of tweaking (which included replacing too-long [OUCH!] saddle screws), I love this axe! Very hot Wilkinson "Red Hot" ceramic mag pickup set, Grovers, biflex trussrod, through-body/toploader bridge, medium-jumbo frets. At blowout, with some extra discounts, I got this axe for $89.99, shipped, easily the best player value per dollar I have ever gotten on an axe. Seriously.I'm actually drooling. Envy isn't pretty. :)

In 1986 I would have killed someone for a day-glo guitar.

[Bezmotivnik]

In 1986 I would have killed someone for a day-glo guitar.
They actually had them in black, but I have lots of black guitars and none in SCREAMING DA-GLO YELLOW!!! so the choice was obvious.

Fortunately, the florescent effect isn't so marked when indoors, but I can still find it without my glasses. :-\"

They still have some left (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Switch-WildIV-Electric-Guitar?sku=515678) from the second -- and final -- batch in a few colors.

It was interesting to see that even in this rainbow of dubious choices (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/product/images/page=1/base_pid=515678), BLUE once again was the least favorite, the last one to sell out in the first batch. My "Law of Blue Guitars" might as well be carved in stone. If they wind up clearing out the remaining blue ones for a couple of bucks less in a "Stupid Deal of the Day," I'll bag one. The Red Hots are split-coil, so I could use the second axe for experimentation with alternate wiring -- though the split-coil fad seems to be fading a bit.

Somewhat to my surprise, MF told me that the ORANGE was the most popular, followed by PINK...I guess a lot of girlfriends are going to be blinded on Christmas morning. Wear shades, ladies! :cool:

[matthew]

Amusing. I think it looks best in yellow, at least in those pics.If they wind up clearing out the remaining blue ones for a couple of bucks less in a "Stupid Deal of the Day," I'll bag one.I think I'll watch the site for a bit and see if it gets discounted enough for me to be willing to have it sent to my parent's house in the states to wait for my next trip across the ocean. I might even be willing to buy a blue one. ;)

[Bezmotivnik]

Amusing. I think it looks best in yellow, at least in those pics.
That was pretty much my call.
I think I'll watch the site for a bit and see if it gets discounted enough for me to be willing to have it sent to my parent's house in the states to wait for my next trip across the ocean. I might even be willing to buy a blue one. ;)
Currently, if you pad the order to $149.99, you get a $15 credit (10%) which makes the axe $90, as I paid for mine under a slightly different direct 10%-off promo.

The last of them may make it to the "Stupid Deal" page, but maybe not; people are very impressed by these. The only flaw on mine was a couple of slightly high frets that I took down and re-crowned, plus the aforementioned protruding saddle screws. It totally rocks.

Being composite, these are atmospherics-resistant, a good thing for flying. My Gibson 335 developed problems due to airplane travel back when I was touring. This was one reason I jumped for the Ampeg Dan Armstrong (which I still have) when it first came out.

As you can see, I'm an alternative materials buff from way back. \\:D/

[Patrick-Ruff]

yeah I was having trouble deciding where to put that distorted sound, it's kinda hard to put that in without recording the track in audacity . . . I could just do that I suppose but I'm still a bit bad at planning out songs, but the music kind of flows out of me some times.


I thnk I'll be making a lot more when I have two weeks of free time :D (christmas break)

expect to see a MUCH better version of that song, and others. I perfected a couple of those solo's but I plan to have a back track with a rhythm constantly going. kinda hard to do that all by myself but I think I can pull it off.

if not, I can just get my friend to play it for me.

[Z_o-s-o]

Guitar List:

1) Sunburst Les Paul Copy, BB3 in the bridge, and some other Gibson bits and pieces to make it more authentic like

2) Another Les Paul copy, this ones stock

3) Squire Strat that I found in someone front yard and took it. Its been rewired with Fender pickups, new tremolo, tuners etc. Plays nice.

4) Martin D12X1 12 string acoustic. Probably my least favourite and most expensive guitar. Least played as well.

5) Fender DG-8 acoustic. Nothing expensive or fancy, just a very decent 6 string acoustic.

6) P-Bass. Love the tone.

7) Kay 6 string banjo. I wanted a banjo, but didn't want to learn to play it, hence the 6 string.

Amp List:

1) Vox Pathfinder 15R. Took out the trash 8 inch speaker, carved out the cab a little, and stuffed in a Jensen C-10. It's amazing.

2) Fender Frontman 25 DSP. I hate this thing with all my heart.

3) Fender Rumble 100. I needed something thats gigable, and cheap.

Pedal List:

1) Marshall Echohead delay

2) Marshall Reflector reverb

3) Dunlop Wah (Hate)

4) MXR phase 90 with a few mods

5) Danelectro distortion

6) Danelectro OD

7) Electro Harmonix English Muff'n (love it)

:guitar:

[Patrick-Ruff]

nice stuff, saving up for a genuine paul? :)

[Z_o-s-o]

I might, but I'm not going to go high end or anything. Maybe something like this.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson-Les-Paul-Vintage-Mahogany-Electric-Guitar-103371357-i1149476.gc

Overall, I'm pretty happy with what I have. I might sell some of those pedals off, because I don't find myself using them all that much.

[lespaul_rentals]

I've been wanting to compose some more songs. I'll always get these great riff ideas, then get about 30 seconds into composing a song and go, "Dang, this sucks." I can write simple songs, the mainstream rock type fairly easily, but lately trying to write hardcore and metalcore is frustrating.

[Z_o-s-o]

I always end up recording songs in layers, especially acoustic stuff. It usually starts with a decent riff with some riff overlays.

Comes out nice most of the time......words are a different story.

[Patrick-Ruff]

vocals seem easy to me, get some lyrics down and make sure it stays in the right key + beat.

I've just been working on getting better at writing notation and sight reading . . . I'm writing more to get better at sight reading haha.

[Z_o-s-o]

I'm not much of a "write the song and stick to the plan" type. I can take basically any of the songs Ive written and improv it day and night. Its a great way to keep songs fresh. Its never quite the same any 2 times.

[lespaul_rentals]

I just learned the solo to "Come Clarity" by In Flames. Don't know if any of you are familiar with that song. I love the melody for the solo. It's so pretty. :)

[Patrick-Ruff]

eh, guitar world . .. what's up?

[herbster]

I been practicing consistently, have had some more time during the holidays. My fingerstyle is much improved, I can nail the whole Godfather theme almost without looking at the guitar.

I'm tackling Dream On now bit by bit, it's great that it's one of my favourite songs and a really good one to learn as it's having me play some positions I haven't yet.

Still spending half of my daily practice working on them barre chords, it's gonna take a while lol. I'll get 'em!

[shen-an-doah]

I left my guitar in Leicester when I came home for the holidays. I brought my little reed organ home instead as I need more practice on that.

I learnt the synth break in Rush-Tom Sawyer the other day and next I'm gonna tackle Chocolate rain :P

[Patrick-Ruff]

wow . . . rush does a ton of synth that must have taken some time ;).

[shen-an-doah]

wow . . . rush does a ton of synth that must have taken some time ;).

Well, it's just 6 repeating notes, but it is in 7/8. I'm pleased, seeing as it's only about the third thing I've ever learnt on piano...

[Patrick-Ruff]

ah well right on :).

I found that with my level of skill with guitar, and with how long I've been playing, if I go say 3 days without heavy practice I can't do 40% of the fast stuff I normally can do .. . kinda sucks.


oh well, more practice for me.

on another note, I played a les paul for the first time last week . . . it was one of my buddys in guitar class's, literally from the 70's. much fatter neck than I'm used to on electrics, and it was way heavier but I really liked it. I semed ot be able to do almost everything I could do on any other guitar, but better, that pick guard helps my picking a lot :).

[herbster]

How does one play something like this:

-----0---------
-0--0---------
---------------
-2--2---------
-2--2---------
-0--0---------


It's a part of a Nirvana song, but it's supposed to be played with a pick. How the heck do I not play the 4th string in these notes?

[shen-an-doah]

How does one play something like this:

-----0---------
-0--0---------
---------------
-2--2---------
-2--2---------
-0--0---------


It's a part of a Nirvana song, but it's supposed to be played with a pick. How the heck do I not play the 4th string in these notes?

Basically, you just need to angle your (fretting) fingers so that they effectively mute the string below.

I'm guessing it's not really an intentional thing, probably just Kurt playing a normal Em and not caring about good technique.

[herbster]

Hot damn that was fast, thanks shen-an-doah! It's funny, muting the strings was my best skill a month ago :D But now I must do it intentionally ;) Thanks!

EDIT: How do you play:
----
-4-
-4-
-4-
-2-
---

I believe it's a B. Is it barring with the ring finger on 4th fret?

[shen-an-doah]

Hot damn that was fast, thanks shen-an-doah! It's funny, muting the strings was my best skill a month ago :D But now I must do it intentionally ;) Thanks!

EDIT: How do you play:
----
-4-
-4-
-4-
-2-
---

I believe it's a B. Is it barring with the ring finger on 4th fret?

Yeh, that's how I've always done it. Or you can cheat and play it with the root on the 6th string. It'll be a nice exercise for you working out what that would be :D

[swoll1980]

bar the second fret with the pointer and g-e on the forth with your ring but only strum the 234& 5 strings

[Vaelrith]

Speaking of barring, I can't get the B string to stay down for the life of me. Been trying it FOREVER (months...)

Here's an example:
-1-
-1-
-2-
-3-
-3-
-1-

[swoll1980]

Thats a rough one try your thumb for the E your pointer for e & b your index for g and your ring for a & d it's akward but it's working for me

[herbster]

^^^^^ I feel your pain brother! I haven't been practicing barres for nearly as long, maybe a few weeks at most but consistently. I am determined to tackle them now, though. Spending most of my practice time on 'em.

bloor75, Thanks. That method is a pain the rear too :D Practice is my friend...

[Vaelrith]

I can do it if I move further down the neck, but up there at the top I can here the clanking of that one muted string... frustrating....

[swoll1980]

those grip things with the spring that you szeeze to streanthen your grip and you forearms they help out a lot.

[Patrick-Ruff]

uh wait a second. . . . you did not just suggest doing a barre with your thumb over the bass E did you?

if so don't even think about it. you're not getting away with that one, practice barring with your index finger, don't go for an easy way out, there isn't. practice it until the muscles in your hands become developed enough to hold down an entire row of frets without even trying ;).

for me I got barre chords down on a classical with steel strings . . . pretty much a fat necked PoS which is the worst to learn barre chords on, but after that every other guitar is easy (and I can do barre chords perfect on that one too, even at the 1st fret. it takes a while to get the strength in your hand but it just happens, don't worry about it to much. . .)

Practice Hopelessly.

[Nunu]

I practiced barres buy taking songs with many cord variations and then changing the chords to barre chords... Still not perfect but my changes are a lot more smoother and accurate. unfortunately my fat index finger keeps on muting high E instead of killing it on fret position. which sounds crap other thing that really helped getting barre chords right is to practice 5th cords and then going to power 7th chords, helps the pinky get use to being in awkward positions if you play all over the fret board

[Patrick-Ruff]

hey have you tried using the corner of your index finger?

it's like the spot right before the side. . . . when you're barring try shifting your index finger the opposite direction of the rest of your hand and see if it mutes it well.

most discribe this as using the side of your index rather than the pad of it.

[D-EJ915]

schecter released info about the new hellraiser models for next year: http://www.schecterguitars.com/news/Hellraiser-Jan08.jpg

[herbster]

Can you folks recommend a few good acoustic amps? I'm planning on one in a few months or so, would like to get an idea of what to look for/which to get.

[Patrick-Ruff]

I'm not sure, I'd go to guitar center if I were you and play everything acoustic amps . . . see what sounds good and fits your budget.

as far as acoustic amps go though, there's really not much to them, they're mainly just amps with better acoustic amplification with reverb and all that. nothing too stunning.

[matthew]

Can you folks recommend a few good acoustic amps? I'm planning on one in a few months or so, would like to get an idea of what to look for/which to get.

I'm not sure, I'd go to guitar center if I were you and play everything acoustic amps . . . see what sounds good and fits your budget.

as far as acoustic amps go though, there's really not much to them, they're mainly just amps with better acoustic amplification with reverb and all that. nothing too stunning.I agree.

If you are able to take your own guitar, that will help you assure you find something that sounds good with what you already have.

Also, don't be afraid to try some keyboard amps as well. Acoustic guitar amps tend to have/need a much wider frequency range to sound "right," and keyboard amps can fit that prescription pretty well at times.

[tdrusk]

I agree.

If you are able to take your own guitar, that will help you assure you find something that sounds good with what you already have.

90% of the time they have a guitar that's close enough to yours.

I'm bought this the other day. I can't wait for it to come in.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Line-6-Toneport-GX-USB-Recording-Interface?sku=241406

I'll post recordings and maybe write a review soon. It looks like a really great deal.

Oh and if anyone wants to check out some of the stuff I've written and recorded go to http://www.myspace.com/parvulusatrum . It's Death Metalish so if you're not into that you may not like it. I try to throw in some technical and experimental influence.

[Patrick-Ruff]

yeah sorry I didn't dig that at all, I can't stand vocals like that. I don't even know how people can call that vocals . . . that nintendo 64 song was alright, the very short clean arpaggiated thing was cool but really that's all I liked about it. I'm not much of a death metal fan so I have no idea how good this is in terms of death metal but I think you should put more solo's in those songs ;).

[shen-an-doah]

yeah sorry I didn't dig that at all, I can't stand vocals like that. I don't even know how people can call that vocals . . . that nintendo 64 song was alright, the very short clean arpaggiated thing was cool but really that's all I liked about it. I'm not much of a death metal fan so I have no idea how good this is in terms of death metal but I think you should put more solo's in those songs ;).

As someone who likes screamed/growled vocals, I've gotta say they weren't very good. You really need some dynamics in there to make them interesting. You should stick to guitar.

The guitar work is good and technically proficient, but it's not all that interesting. You need to work on coming up with some stuff that'll make your music stand out from everyone else.

Sorry to be negative, I'm just giving my honest opinion.

[Patrick-Ruff]

yeah I was thinking about suggesting that, when you go for deep technical skill usually it's best to stick with one instrument or instruments like it to do that (say, for you you would be technical at guitar, and say bass if you wanted.) when you throw too many instruments into the mix along with what you're trying to be technical at, you usually lose something musically . . sometimes it's just best to have a band to play along, so you'll have people who specialize in their instrument and then you'll have yours.

it can be seriously fun when all you have to do is focus on rhythm and maybe lead breaks, rather than bass lines, drum beats, changes within all of that . . . it's just really too much for one person to handle in my opinion, I believe your music will really come out when you focus on one thing to express it with, and in my opinion, guitar is a great one at that.

[shen-an-doah]

yeah I was thinking about suggesting that, when you go for deep technical skill usually it's best to stick with one instrument or instruments like it to do that (say, for you you would be technical at guitar, and say bass if you wanted.) when you throw too many instruments into the mix along with what you're trying to be technical at, you usually lose something musically . . sometimes it's just best to have a band to play along, so you'll have people who specialize in their instrument and then you'll have yours.

it can be seriously fun when all you have to do is focus on rhythm and maybe lead breaks, rather than bass lines, drum beats, changes within all of that . . . it's just really too much for one person to handle in my opinion, I believe your music will really come out when you focus on one thing to express it with, and in my opinion, guitar is a great one at that.

That's usually the case, but not really for me as I manage to be good at all the instruments I play. I think it comes from the fact that I'm not hugely technical on all of them, but what I am very good at (things like timing, rhythm, groove, compositional skills, etc) are applicable to all of them. I also know how to be very creative within my limits. So rather than trying to be really technical at guitar (or whatever), I think "Ok, I have this level of skill, now how can I use that to its full potential?"

[herbster]

Thanks guys, I'm hitting the store tomorrow where I bought my guitar to test some amps. I called them up today and they said they have some trainer amps, what are those? Also have a buncha others, and dude said the price begins at about $400 for 'em. Sound reasonable/make sense? I'll go online if I must, but just don't want to save $50 or something only to fork it out in shipping.

Also, what exactly do I need so I can play my guitar and have it record into my computer? That 'd be real neat :) I have no idea how to do that, whatsoever, so any details are appreciated.

And man I cannot stop playing the Sunshine of Your Love riff, it's been so great to help with my barring as I finally want to play a song that requires a [semi]barre chord, and am not scared off rambling about how I don't really need to play it once I see a barre in the tab, lol :D ;)

[herbster]

How do you play -XX--- ?? Two muted strings? I'm trying the Hendrix version of Sunshine of Your Love and I can't get past that, lol.

EDIT: Also, Tears in Heaven has this:

-----
-5--
-4--
----
----
-4--

But it's with a pick, isn't it? I suppose it's a similar deal with the two strings being muted or something. I await thy thread masters...

[Zimmer]

Also, what exactly do I need so I can play my guitar and have it record into my computer? That 'd be real neat :) I have no idea how to do that, whatsoever, so any details are appreciated.

;)

Well, I have researched your other threads and I gather you have an electro-acoustic.

Simple method #1:

Attach microphone to computer and fire up Audacity and press record...oh, and play the guitar near the microphone :guitar:

Not necessarily as simple , method#2:
Attach guitar output cable to computer and use Audacity.
Not simple as the signal output from the guitar may not be strong enough (you can try tweaking the mic boost on ALSA mixer, but results not guaranteed as I have not tried it!
Or you can use a DI (Direct Injection ) box to lift the signal to mic level (we have one we use at church to plug Electric guitars directly to the mixer). Not tried this yet, but I may pop back there later and borrow the DI unit and test it and I will report back :)

Or you can use a.n.other electric guitar interface which can send a decent signal to the soundcard: eg. Line6 Pods PodXT , PodXT live Toneport etc.

and again Audacity can be used to record the input. I have tried this as I own a PodXT Live and the results are fine.

[tdrusk]

Thanks for the feedback.

I really like my songs, which I think is most important.

I'm writing new songs that you guys may like more. It's for a band that I'm in, so they better be good :P.

[herbster]

Well, I have researched your other threads and I gather you have an electro-acoustic.

Simple method #1:

Attach microphone to computer and fire up Audacity and press record...oh, and play the guitar near the microphone :guitar:

Not necessarily as simple , method#2:
Attach guitar output cable to computer and use Audacity.
Not simple as the signal output from the guitar may not be strong enough (you can try tweaking the mic boost on ALSA mixer, but results not guaranteed as I have not tried it!
Or you can use a DI (Direct Injection ) box to lift the signal to mic level (we have one we use at church to plug Electric guitars directly to the mixer). Not tried this yet, but I may pop back there later and borrow the DI unit and test it and I will report back :)

Or you can use a.n.other electric guitar interface which can send a decent signal to the soundcard: eg. Line6 Pods PodXT , PodXT live Toneport etc.

and again Audacity can be used to record the input. I have tried this as I own a PodXT Live and the results are fine.

What is the Line6 Pods/PodXT/etc. you speak of? I found this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_6 But the terminology is still quite new to me. It states the device (if it's the same one you speak of) imitates the sound of amplifiers/microphones/pedals. So I plug my guitar into this device, and the device into my computer? Does it act like a microphone to the computer?

Thanks for your help!

[Zimmer]

Well, you should not need one just yet, I have just plugged an Ibanez Strat into the line in socket and succesfully recorded it with Audacity.

I tried using the DI box, too, but that is really for creating a Mic level input ... and was not as strong a signal on Line in as the straight plug in (I used an adapter to get the large Guitar lead into the 3 1/2 jack Soundcard socket BTW)

If you want to explore the features of a Line6 Pod go to
http://www.line6.com/products/pod/
or
http://line6.com/podxtlive/
or just pick any of the product pages and check out the sounds from the menu at the top left of the page and select a sound to listen to on the right hand side.....

You may be there some time.... :)

[Patrick-Ruff]

lets make one thing clear here, podxt is a digital effects box with the OPTION to plug it into your computer. most of those effects are specifically built for electric guitars so you may want to think about that before you shell out a good 300 dollars for recording clean tunes :P.


basically, there are several boxes you can use to hook your guitar up directly to your computer, I'll post one later, but they can be as cheap as 50 bucks, rather than 300 with a bunch of stuff you don't really need.

but yeah, if you buy an acoustic amp it'll be definitely loud enough to record well on a microphone, easily.

also, trainer amps are small low-voltage amplifiers built for newbies who don't want to shell out good money in case they turn out to decide guitar isn't for them.

so if you're sure you're going to be playing for years and years, buy atleast a 30watt. don't shell out money for a tube amp just yet, that's usually the reward for long time playing :D.

[shen-an-doah]

The Tascam US-122 is a good little unit with all the inputs you could need to record most things. It should work under Ubuntu, there's a thread on here somewhere about how to do it. If not, it comes with Cubasis, which is a great programme. You can get one on eBay for about £50 these days. Then you'd just need a decent mic (I use an SM58, which is good for guitar and vocal work) and you're away!

[Patrick-Ruff]

I still think you'll have good enough capability with a regular computer microphone . .

I suppose you could buy a decent one, maybe a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter would suffice for connecting a decent microphone? what do you think shen-ah-doah

[herbster]

I'm pretty sure I'd have to get a "real" microphone as I've tried a $10 computer one and now have one attached to my headphones, and whatever I record has to be right up to the mic and still isn't all that loud, with Mic Boost checked in volume control and all levels maxed. I should grab a sm58 or something and see how it would sound at least.

And just wanted to re-ask this in case y'all glanced over it:

How do you play -XX--- ?? Two muted strings? I'm trying the Hendrix version of Sunshine of Your Love and I can't get past that, lol.

EDIT: Also, Tears in Heaven has this:

-----
-5--
-4--
----
----
-4--

But it's with a pick, isn't it? I suppose it's a similar deal with the two strings being muted or something. I await thy thread masters...

[Patrick-Ruff]

oh right, forgot to answer that.

if it's picking most of the song, that's a hybrid picking segment.

what you do is, as your holding the pick in between your thumb and index . . . you pick the
5 <--ring finger
4 <--middle finger

and subsequently you would pick the 4 on the E string as well.
<edit: and to elaborate that even more, you would do all of this at the same time ;) >

also --XX- is picking a muted string twice . . . dt dt (sound that out :D)

[Vaelrith]

i was thinking about getting an acoustic-electric to just play around with. Will it work alright just plugged into my regular electric amp?

[shen-an-doah]

I still think you'll have good enough capability with a regular computer microphone . .

I suppose you could buy a decent one, maybe a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter would suffice for connecting a decent microphone? what do you think shen-ah-doah

If you weren't too bothered about quality, then a computer mic would be fine. Then again, a dynamic mic (like an SM58) into your sound card won't be very good either, as they're intended to be run through an amplifier of some kind before going into whatever's recording it. It'll work, but it'll be exceptionally quiet.

For a quick comparison, go to www.soundclick.com/faywray and listen to stuff off our first EP (Songs about girls), where I was using a dynamic mic straight into my sound card, compared to our second EP (Death, dolls and romance) and onwards, where I started using the Tascam. The simplest example would be to listen to the two different versions of Disorder on there. Obviously other things changed, such as my equipment and my production skills, but the difference is there.

[shen-an-doah]

i was thinking about getting an acoustic-electric to just play around with. Will it work alright just plugged into my regular electric amp?

It'll be fine, but it'll sound more like a hollow electric than a loud acoustic. This is because acoustic amps cover a broader frequency range than electric amps, which is needed to convey the full acoustic sound...

[Vaelrith]

Ah, thanks, I don't really need a good sound, I just want a sound. It's just a practice amp anyway. Thanks.

[herbster]

Patrick, thanks. So it's basically picking the low E and fingerpicking the G and B. I never thought of that, hehe.

Is there a certain method to finger picking strings? When I do it, strings tend to sound much quieter than with the pick, quite overshadowed. Is it a quick snap so to speak ? Trying to get it.

And what's it mean when a note is in brackets in tab? ie., --(3)---

[herbster]

Okay I'm gettin a bit confused, I'm trying to play this (Sunshine of your Love Hendrix version) and playing a muted string at the XX points doesn't sound right, unless it's because it sounds much diff with an electric guitar playing in tuxguitar:

-------------------------------------------------------------(7)---
----------------------------------------------------7--------7-----
----------------------------------------------------7---9----------
9---9---7---9--------------X-------X--------X--------------------
------------------(7)---9---X---8---X---7---X--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Also, Why the (7) at the same time as the regular 7 at the end? It sounds like a regular note with a bend.

[Patrick-Ruff]

I think that means implied, idk. I've always played those but if you can't it's no big deal kind of thing . . .

anyways, I don't know, my finger picking has always had that sort of quiet sound, I suppose the pro's grow their finger nails out and file them a certain way to be able to pick that perfectly, but for now that will suffice, just work on it. you could also try finger picks, they make some that'll go over your thumb (I don't like them) and then they make some that go over your index, middle, and ring finger (which I immagine would help the sound immensely.

[Patrick-Ruff]

still not sure about the (7) stuff. but hendrix usually hit muted strings hard and hit them well enough so they had that a sort of sound that isn't too easy to get. it probably had to do with his setup when he played the song too, but when you hit muted strings you usually have to hit them hard to hear that sound that he usually does.

[shen-an-doah]

The notes in brackets are ghost notes. This means they're played but hardly heard. You would either pick them very softly or you could simply hammer onto the note without picking it.

[Patrick-Ruff]

ah ok yeah that's what I meant by 'implied' kinda. didn't nkow it was always hardly heard, but that makes sense thanks.

[lespaul_rentals]

Hey guys, I've been playing for about 3 years or so and I'm not happy with my abilities. I can play most radio rock, punk songs, hard rock, etc. but my favorite genre to play is metalcore and to be honest I suck at it. I can play some basic songs, but my ability to play fast is not good at all. And when shredding I can only play 1/4 notes at about 210. The hardest song I can play is probably "Are You Dead Yet?" by Children of Bodom (all rhythm guitar parts). Am I at a decent place?

What should I do to get better? Are there any interactive lessons I can take to regain the knowlege of how to use modes to get interesting sounds in my songwriting?

[betamax]

Bit of a late addition to the mix.
I play a Fender Jaguar, mainly indie-rock style stuff.
(Johnny Marr been my guitar-hero of choice)

Wish I could say I was a great player.
Still its fun and it annoys my noisy trendy neighbors.

[Patrick-Ruff]

lespaul_rentals if you want to get better speed and ability wise what you need to do . . .

and this is essential, I see way to many metal-core kids who play with WAY too much distortion

what you need to do is play with clean, play scales, solo's everything in clean. make sure you pick the notes cleanly and evenly, picking hand in sync with fretting hand. it will take you a long time to master this but if you keep it up it will eventually happen.

it's essential that you sound good on clean, so you will all around have a more well-rounded guitar playing ability.

and as far as song writing goes, that's music theory. do you know how to read notation?

[herbster]

Ah, another surely simple thing is driving my noobula behind crazy :D

Here's the tab: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/s/snow_patrol/shut_your_eyes_ver2_tab.htm

Here's a quick clip I cut from the mp3: http://www.bobgill.net/song.zip

What is the strumming pattern? It's 3 repeats of the chord in the tab, and I can hear it in the song but can't strum it to sound like that. It sounds like the first chord is a bit long, then the second time is real quick and longer the 3rd. Dooo-do-doo. I can't play it right though.

[Vaelrith]

Sounds to me like Down Down Up, then he mutes right after he plays the up. Like put your hand on the strings or pull your fingers off the frets a little bit so that the strings don't vibrate anymore.

However, I'm kind of new to guitar, so pretty good chances I'm wrong.

[TomMK]

up - down - up - strike

repeat rhythmically.

by "strike" i mean lift your left hand fingers slightly so the strings aren't quite fretted, then play a downward stroke. you should get a "chunk" sound. The guy in the mp3 does this quite lightly. Also, he sometimes barely plays the down, just the 2 ups.

That help?

[herbster]

Thanks guys! It is down-up-down as it turns out, sounds just like the song now.

Tom, that is pretty tough, the "strike." Just how much do you lift your hand? I can only play it or lift even a bit and it's muted.

Also, WOOHOO! I finally found my correct position for barre chords and can alas play all 6 strings cleanly with my index barring on all frets. Now, adding other fingers to make some chords, well-- hey, er, let me have my small victory :p :D

I found this on ultimate-guitar.com that helped me and may help others in the grind of getting these down like I am. A very knowledgeable, skilled and helpful fellow made a couple videos:

http://www.ultimate-guitar.tv/guitar_lessons/steal_this_video_barre_chords_pt1.html
http://www.ultimate-guitar.tv/guitar_lessons/steal_this_video_barre_chords_pt2.html

[Patrick-Ruff]

isn't that strike merely hitting the strings down to the fretboard so they make that 'tshht' sound?

[TomMK]

I'll try and make a video of my interpretation of it, can someone recommend a video recorder in the repos please?

edit: I'm pretty sure I'm right about it being up-down-up-strike down; look here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd6238w_Owk

watch the last 10 seconds.

[herbster]

Hmmm, are there 4 strums? Sounds like 3, or it's the strike that I don't understand making 4.

And BTW, Tom, Mr. Emmanuel is some other worldly beast. A real natural.

[thisllub]

And BTW, Tom, Mr. Emmanuel is some other worldly beast. A real natural.

I had tickets to see him last Friday but he cancelled the tour.

[herbster]

thisllub, that stinks! :( Hopefully you get another chance amigo.

How is this played:

http://www.bobgill.net/tab.jpg

The curved line between notes indicates what? I know the slash is a slide, and the arc is a hammer on, right?

[shen-an-doah]

thisllub, that stinks! :( Hopefully you get another chance amigo.

How is this played:

http://www.bobgill.net/tab.jpg

The curved line between notes indicates what? I know the slash is a slide, and the arc is a hammer on, right?

Yeh, it'll be either a hammer-on or a pull-off.

[Visti]

Hey guys, I just wondered if this site has been up here: http://www.circle-of-fifths.net/

I's an excellent tool both for remembering and memorizing the circle of fifths. I remember an amazing teacher than once told me that one should draw a circle of fifths at least once a week with no reference to really get it's construction and the the theory under your skin.

Back then, I couldn't see the practical usage for the circle, so I sorta dismissed it and believe me I was really kicking myself when I learned how much easier a lot of things would be had I just held on to that knowledge. So get to it!


Ninja-edit: Received an excellent Washburn X-20 for Christmas and through Guitar Rig 3 its sound is fantastic!

[studiesinsound]

Hi,

I'm new to Linux and this board but learning my way around.

Current Rig:
Behringer mx802a mixer
Digitech rp350 (plugged into effects loop on mixer)
m-audio fast track
Dell Vostro 100 Laptop (2.0g x2 64 bit processor, 2 gig ram)
running Ubuntu Studio
Sooper Looper and timemachine

Maybe I'll add some Jack Rack stuff later but the digitech is a good effects processor

guitars:
1 Fender Mexican Tele late 90's edition
1 SX SST 57 Strat knockoff with p90's (good 100 dollar guitar)
Acoustic Fender DG20S

plug all guitars into mixing board, send to digitech via effect send if need be
out from mixing board to audio interface, into laptop to loop and use timemachine to capture the whole thing.

Oh yeah behringer fcb1010 midi pedal and M-Audio Trigger finger to control sooperlooper(see my other thread, looking to install sooperlooper 1.4.1 but having issues. Still using 1.0.8)

works okay
working out the kinks and getting my nerve up to take the whole rig to a show.

:)

lovng this thread!

oh and a shameless plug:
http://www.carbonrecords.com/bands/index.php?band_id=32
:guitar:

rock!

-John

[matthew]

Hey guys, I just wondered if this site has been up here: http://www.circle-of-fifths.net/
Nice! Thanks for the reference.
1 Fender Mexican Tele

-JohnWoo hoo! Another owner of a Mexican Tele. :) Welcome, John.

[herbster]

Yeh, it'll be either a hammer-on or a pull-off.

The big curved line? Sorry I'm confused about what you're referring to. I don't think it's a hammer on or pull off, it sounds like it's both notes being played quickly.

[studiesinsound]

yeah my mexican tele has been very good to me.
I know some folks don't like them but I think they had good production years and bad years.
I think I got a really good one.
Very musical.

Note: Frank Black played almost exclusively on Mexican Tele's when with the pixies.

I play it with 12 guage strings which has raised the action a little and lets me really dig in with my heavy moonshine slide.

Plus the 12's seem to rspond better to lower tunings like g and d, and my new favorite daddad tuning (super droney for soundscape type stuff).

rock!

[lespaul_rentals]

Here's a picture of my Schecter C-1 Hellraiser. Bad picture, good axe.

http://www.maj.com/gallery/silverscythe/Me/100_4274.jpg

[shen-an-doah]

The big curved line? Sorry I'm confused about what you're referring to. I don't think it's a hammer on or pull off, it sounds like it's both notes being played quickly.

That's definitely the symbol for a hammer-on/pull-off (or more generally a "slur").

[matthew]

yeah my mexican tele has been very good to me.
I know some folks don't like them but I think they had good production years and bad years.
I think I got a really good one.
Very musical.Mine is a Mexican made Tele Special (http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/product/Fender/Telecaster+Special/25/1) from 1995. It's a bit different as it has a humbucker in the neck position and a 5 way switch. I wouldn't trade it for guitars I've played that cost 10x as much. Oh, the graph-tech saddles are not original.

(click for large)
http://matthewhelmke.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1049&g2_serialNumber=2&g2_GALLERYSID=23599f2ed42b801505eabd0c8bf47703 (http://matthewhelmke.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1047&g2_serialNumber=1&g2_GALLERYSID=23599f2ed42b801505eabd0c8bf47703)

Here's a picture of my Schecter C-1 Hellraiser. Bad picture, good axe.Nice! Very good looking.

[herbster]

Damn, nice guitars guys!! I know I've made it when I got my name on mine, lol :D Of course, there are those crayons in my niece's play area... ;) :D

Okay, super noob question #465: How do I put my guitar strap on? I just took mine out of the bag, hadn't bothered since I got the guitar. I don't have anything where the neck and body meet that I normally see strap ends going. I do at the bottom of the body, so I am missing a spot for the left end. Here's a pic (http://www.bobgill.net/PICT0061.JPG)

[shen-an-doah]

Okay, super noob question #465: How do I put my guitar strap on? I just took mine out of the bag, hadn't bothered since I got the guitar. I don't have anything where the neck and body meet that I normally see strap ends going. I do at the bottom of the body, so I am missing a spot for the left end. Here's a pic (http://www.bobgill.net/PICT0061.JPG)

Most acoustics are like that for some silly reason. What you do is get a bit of string (something like a shoelace is good, you strap might even have come with one) and fold it in half. Then stick the loop through the hole in your guitar strap, then slip the two ends through the loop and pull it tight so it's attached to the hole and you have the two ends dangling. Then just tie those ends under the strings just behind your nut. Et voila!

[jseiser]

ok, i need to replacements humbuckers, i have a gibson SG special, and currently have seymour duncans in it, and they dont have the right punch.. I would like som high output, bluesy pickups. Something that a tube amp and tue screamer would love. ideas?

[Z_o-s-o]

http://www.gibson.com/Products/Accessories/Gear/Pickups/BurstBucker%20Pro%20(1)/

[Comm]

I just had a real quick question--one that doesn't really require a whole new thread--I thought I would post it here since you guys seem to know about music :p...

My question is,

I've noticed a lot of musicians, when playing live, opt to use headphones; I've always wondered what it is they are listening to. So that's the question, what are musicians listening to when using headphones during a live performance?

to specify, I mean, "what's the reason as to why they use headphones, and tying it in with the original question--what do they normally listen to in order to accomplish the "reason""

[burning_man13]

I own a Hamer Duotone, it's a hybrid between an electric and an acoustic, with two outputs and a switch to go between the two, I paid $4100 for it... it's my baby... I also have an Ibanez EX series that I bought for $30, but completely rebuilt... the funny thing about that guitar, is it's one of four of that type of Ibanez made... Ibanez tried to buy it from me for $5350... but I turned it down because of all the work I've done on it... it would be like selling your child... I have a BC Rich Warlock that just collects dust, I haven't used that guitar in 5 years... My electric guitar I owned was a Fender Strat (Japanese made) that also collects dust... The first guitar that I owned was a Martin acoustic... My little brother threw it off the house one day when he was angry at me... I about killed him... My personal favorite acoustic that I own is my Alvarez Yairi DY91... It's a gorgeous guitar... I also have an acoustic that I built from scratch... It has nice tone, but zero playibility... My next guitar is going to be an Alvarez 12 string... I've played guitar since I was 8... I'm 20 now... so it's been about 12 years (common math, right!!! :) )... I've developed my own style that it a cross between Jam (Umphrey's Mcgee, String Cheese Incident, ect...) and raw 70's rock (Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, Frampton, ect...) Guitar is my life, Ubuntu is just a side project... *grins* ok... sorry I just wrote a book... hope somebody enjoys it...

[Zimmer]

I just had a real quick question--one that doesn't really require a whole new thread--I thought I would post it here since you guys seem to know about music :p...

My question is,

I've noticed a lot of musicians, when playing live, opt to use headphones; I've always wondered what it is they are listening to. So that's the question, what are musicians listening to when using headphones during a live performance?

to specify, I mean, "what's the reason as to why they use headphones, and tying it in with the original question--what do they normally listen to in order to accomplish the "reason""

Foldback. either their own sound replayed or a mix . 'Normally' (if there is such a thing as normal these days) if you are playing on stage you will benefit from having a stage monitor system of amlifiers and speakers playing your sound back at you so you can hear what youare playing above the sound of the PA.

I imagine having the foldback through a headset could be an advantage in certain circumstances.

The other possibility is that the singer doesn't know the words and someone is prompting thru the headset !! :)

[matthew]

I just had a real quick question--one that doesn't really require a whole new thread--I thought I would post it here since you guys seem to know about music :p...

My question is,

I've noticed a lot of musicians, when playing live, opt to use headphones; I've always wondered what it is they are listening to. So that's the question, what are musicians listening to when using headphones during a live performance?

to specify, I mean, "what's the reason as to why they use headphones, and tying it in with the original question--what do they normally listen to in order to accomplish the "reason""The only person I have seen use this (I'm not saying others don't exist...I just haven't seen them) is Eric Johnson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Johnson). He's a bit of an extremist where his ears are concerned. In blind tests he can tell the difference between battery brands in his effects pedals, and accurately guess their age in hours of use. :O Really. He wears the headphones so that loud stage volumes won't damage his hearing, and so he can be sure his tone is what he wants.

He is a talented guitar player with amazing tone, but no stage presence whatsoever...I wouldn't bother with a live show, but his recordings are very good.

[herbster]

What does it mean to have "amazing tone" ?? There's a Youtube video of a cat playing Page's Stairway solo, it sounds great I really like it and he's quite skilled, yet I don't quite understand some comments complimenting his tone as well. Is it exclusive to electric guitar? Just need to be clear on what to listen for.

[herbster]

I own a Hamer Duotone, it's a hybrid between an electric and an acoustic, with two outputs and a switch to go between the two, I paid $4100 for it... it's my baby... I also have an Ibanez EX series that I bought for $30, but completely rebuilt... the funny thing about that guitar, is it's one of four of that type of Ibanez made... Ibanez tried to buy it from me for $5350... but I turned it down because of all the work I've done on it... it would be like selling your child... I have a BC Rich Warlock that just collects dust, I haven't used that guitar in 5 years... My electric guitar I owned was a Fender Strat (Japanese made) that also collects dust... The first guitar that I owned was a Martin acoustic... My little brother threw it off the house one day when he was angry at me... I about killed him... My personal favorite acoustic that I own is my Alvarez Yairi DY91... It's a gorgeous guitar... I also have an acoustic that I built from scratch... It has nice tone, but zero playibility... My next guitar is going to be an Alvarez 12 string... I've played guitar since I was 8... I'm 20 now... so it's been about 12 years (common math, right!!! :) )... I've developed my own style that it a cross between Jam (Umphrey's Mcgee, String Cheese Incident, ect...) and raw 70's rock (Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, Frampton, ect...) Guitar is my life, Ubuntu is just a side project... *grins* ok... sorry I just wrote a book... hope somebody enjoys it...

That was awesome man! I just turned 25 and have begun my journey. You have quite some guitars and that's wild how Ibanez tried to buy back their guitar, haha.

[herbster]

Most acoustics are like that for some silly reason. What you do is get a bit of string (something like a shoelace is good, you strap might even have come with one) and fold it in half. Then stick the loop through the hole in your guitar strap, then slip the two ends through the loop and pull it tight so it's attached to the hole and you have the two ends dangling. Then just tie those ends under the strings just behind your nut. Et voila!

Okay, is this correct? Picture (http://www.bobgill.net/strap.jpg)

[lespaul_rentals]

Okay, is this correct? Picture (http://www.bobgill.net/strap.jpg)

Yup, good job.

[paul cooke]

What does it mean to have "amazing tone" ?? There's a Youtube video of a cat playing Page's Stairway solo, it sounds great I really like it and he's quite skilled, yet I don't quite understand some comments complimenting his tone as well. Is it exclusive to electric guitar? Just need to be clear on what to listen for.

amazing "tone" on youtube?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

that's possibly the worst reference ever for sound quality...

cheap microphone on the video camera, heavy compression and low bitrate in the actual recording itself... then it gets cross-converted by youtube themselves

[herbster]

Yeah, youtube normally sucks for quality but it was actually pretty good and clear. He was using a good camera, and it sounded nice. But again, I don't know what tone infers yet.

[lespaul_rentals]

Yeah, youtube normally sucks for quality but it was actually pretty good and clear. He was using a good camera, and it sounded nice. But again, I don't know what tone infers yet.

Tone is the balance between equalization, distortion, overdrive, compression, etc. that fits the person's style and conveys the emotion they want to convey.

Take a look at Alexi Laiho of Children of Bodom (great metal guitarist, pay him a listen if you want some good neo-classical stuff). He likes to enhance the mid section of his tone. Marty Friedman (another fantastic neo-classical guitarist) seems to highlight his highs when he solos. Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan (I love both so much) know how to turn the overdrive up just enough to get a rockin' crunch, while still being clean to accent their great feeling for the slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs, etc.

[Comm]

thanks a lot Zimmer and Matthew.

[matthew]

What does it mean to have "amazing tone" ?? There's a Youtube video of a cat playing Page's Stairway solo, it sounds great I really like it and he's quite skilled, yet I don't quite understand some comments complimenting his tone as well. Is it exclusive to electric guitar? Just need to be clear on what to listen for.Anyone can get a good sound out of a guitar with some time, training, and work. Not everyone can make you get goosebumps when you hear them play one note. That's great tone. It comes from quality gear, and to a greater extent, experienced ears and fingers.

Comm: you are welcome.

[Bezmotivnik]

What does it mean to have "amazing tone" ??
Absolutely nothing, and you can quote me.

Outside of a few extremes of gross awfulness, "great tone" is entirely subjective and therefore utterly meaningless. Tone discussions give me a rash.

In any event, most "great tone" in recordings is the product of engineers and producers after the fact, not guitarists themselves.

A mature player knows that the right guitar sound is merely what fits in the aural context of the performance or recording without creating problems in the mix. "Great" is just what works.

[Patrick-Ruff]

I think I like lespaul rentals definition more ;)

[matthew]

A mature player knows that the right guitar sound is merely what fits in the aural context of the performance or recording without creating problems in the mix. "Great" is just what works.I knew that would get a rise out of you. :) Just for fun, I almost said that great tone is best created using a blue guitar. ;)

To be fair, I think you are correct here. Tone is subjective, and "great tone" really means learning to use a sound that fits the context.

Now that I have said that, I think it is reasonable to say that some people do this more consistently than others, because of how well they listen and because of how skilled they are with their instrument and amplifier (and because of the skills of the recording engineer, too).

[herbster]

I had a feeling that it was a pretty subjective thing, and I feel Bezmotivnik on his response. I just wasn't sure if hearing a guitarist playing and digging the sound had multiple aspects to it or if it just sounds good or doesn't as I felt I'm too new to discern.

I am aiming for an electric in a few months, do you guys have recommendations in the 500-1000 dollar range? And now that I am pretty up to speed with acoustics, what are important considerations in looking for an electric (if they are different)???

Other than to be sure it's blue ;) :D (Have read almost this whole thread, had to throw that in there lol).

[Bezmotivnik]

I knew that would get a rise out of you. :) Just for fun, I almost said that great tone is best created using a blue guitar. ;)
No, no! It's the quality of your guitar face! Don't you know ANYthing? Haw!

I was looking at the site header of some silly guitar forum and it was a montage of all these guitar gods, each one looking like he was valiantly trying to pass a cinder block. Hilarious!

That's where great tone comes from! Not the "hands," the face!

To be fair, I think you are correct here. Tone is subjective, and "great tone" really means learning to use a sound that fits the context.
In real life, "great tone" means getting the raw track down and going home so the engineers and producer can do their jobs -- because they'll create the sound and have the final say anyway and your obstruction will do nothing but waste studio time and inflate the band's recoupable debt.

The artist usually has no idea where the sound came from, though of course he thinks he does. He may have even unwittingly been replaced with a studio musician who redid the track the way the producer wanted (that happens every day).

I think it is reasonable to say that some people do this more consistently than others, because of how well they listen and because of how skilled they are with their instrument and amplifier (and because of the skills of the recording engineer, too).

The real skill is in producing a raw track base sound that lends itself to further manipulation while having and maintaining a distinctive character.

That's the holy grail. That's what big-money, A-List studio musicians have knocked.

In my experience, most of the guitar recordings that stand out in my mind tend to have been done using raw base tracks from uniquely degraded small Fender vintage tweed amps with no inline effects. As more and more money is at stake, these somewhat unreliable relics are being replaced by finely-tuned small boutique amps.

Much, much further down on the food chain, modelers with true pro programming are used a lot because they're fast and time is money. It's amazing how much modeled guitar I hear in regional broadcast advertising, for example.

[matthew]

No, no! It's the quality of your guitar face! Don't you know ANYthing? Haw!

That's where great tone comes from! Not the "hands," the face!

*image removed...hotlink went down*

lol

I generally record (okay, admission, it's been a while, several years in fact, but when I was recording...) using a clean blackface Fender, or my self-built knockoff (http://matthewhelmke.com/guitar-amp/allen.html) once it was finished.

I'm not a big fan of modeling since I can almost always pick it out in a mix, but I do have a Tech21 SansAmp TRI-AC (http://www.tech21nyc.com/triac.html) that does reasonably well. I've been known to take it with me and plug it in directly to the house mixer when playing live where the crowd won't notice and I don't feel like carrying a heavy amp. Well, at least it's not digital. :)

[Patrick-Ruff]

hmm, so I have a bit of an issue with my fretting hand.

I can play scales and such starting from the high E and going backwards to the low E very fast . . . but I can't start from the low E and make it to the high E playing any scale really fast because of my fretting hand.

and this is the real key to my innefficiency as a guitarist, position switches and going forward (for lack of a better word.)

I believe this has to do with me playing right handed when I am left handed, my right hand is still much faster than my left hand and I think this may be the key to my issue.

I may be having surgery again soon, and it could be possible to play guitar with my other hand, but I'm just wondering if I can work through going forward or not . . . and if my right hand would be any better . . .

[Patrick-Ruff]

any insight on this?

[herbster]

Patrick, though I certainly don't have the knowledge/experience yet to advise you, we are in the same boots as I'm playing right-handed while I am left-handed. What do you speak of with regards to surgery? Do you have any disability/impairment with regards to your hand[s]?

It's interesting, I can go forward much, much easier and quicklier than backward (on scales as you speak of)...

[Patrick-Ruff]

well if you're left handed I suggest you play left handed . . . I don't know it's kind of strange.

my right hand's fingers normally move faster than my left(current fretting hand) always have and I'm afraid they always will.

I messed up my arm about 3 years ago working for someone, fell down with it locked straight, fractured some bones, they healed in the wrong spot.

I didn't go to the doctor for a hwile as I thought it was a sprain, went ther got xrays, they removed several peices of bone, some the size of prunes. what's left now is scar tissue on my joint which makes it impossible to straightn my arm, bend it al lthe way, and rotate my hand beyond that of shaking someone's hand or strumming guitar ;).

so the reason I don't pla yleft handed is because I can't rotate my hand to fret. otherwise I would. I have two guitars that can easily be converted to lefty. the electric I have is a flying V so either side is good, the controls are just in different spots . . .

[herbster]

Patrick, seems you have a unique situation. The fact that you're playing guitar and doing so well with it is quite admirable!

For me playing lefty isn't out of the question, but I'm quite enjoying my progress as a righty so far. Both my hands are pretty up to snuff and in good coordination thus far. I've just really begun so I have a ways to go before I clue in on my potential challenges, but I can see for myself that being a lefty and playing right "feels right," as counterintuitive as it appeared at first.

[Patrick-Ruff]

yeah well there's a lot of lead stuff I can't do that really irritates me, it's all involed with my fretting hand . . .

[tdrusk]

I just threw up a new teaser on my bands myspace. I recorded it the other night. It took soo long to do the drums because I was copying them from a video camera that I took of the drummer. It's not very long and isn't mixed that well, but it's enough to give fans an idea.

http://www.myspace.com/aegisdeathmetal

btw, how do the guitars sound? I used the toneport gx to get my tone.

[matthew]

hmm, so I have a bit of an issue with my fretting hand.

I can play scales and such starting from the high E and going backwards to the low E very fast . . . but I can't start from the low E and make it to the high E playing any scale really fast because of my fretting hand.

and this is the real key to my innefficiency as a guitarist, position switches and going forward (for lack of a better word.)

I believe this has to do with me playing right handed when I am left handed, my right hand is still much faster than my left hand and I think this may be the key to my issue.

I may be having surgery again soon, and it could be possible to play guitar with my other hand, but I'm just wondering if I can work through going forward or not . . . and if my right hand would be any better . . .

well if you're left handed I suggest you play left handed . . . I don't know it's kind of strange.

my right hand's fingers normally move faster than my left(current fretting hand) always have and I'm afraid they always will.

I messed up my arm about 3 years ago working for someone, fell down with it locked straight, fractured some bones, they healed in the wrong spot.

I didn't go to the doctor for a hwile as I thought it was a sprain, went ther got xrays, they removed several peices of bone, some the size of prunes. what's left now is scar tissue on my joint which makes it impossible to straightn my arm, bend it al lthe way, and rotate my hand beyond that of shaking someone's hand or strumming guitar ;).

so the reason I don't pla yleft handed is because I can't rotate my hand to fret. otherwise I would. I have two guitars that can easily be converted to lefty. the electric I have is a flying V so either side is good, the controls are just in different spots . . .
Ouch!

You are doing pretty well as things are, considering the above.

Really, this boils down to two issues: real physical limitations and perceived ones. The real limits are things like "humans can't fly without mechanical assistance". The perceived ones are "I can't play the accordian."

Real limits are insurmountable without outside assistance, and some will remain even then. No matter how hard I work at it, I will never run as fast as an Olympic athlete. I can certainly work hard and improve my conditioning and my form, but there are some very real genetic factors involved in my ultimate ability.

Perceived limits can be removed, if given attention and effort. I've never built a house, but if I spent the time learning how to read blueprints and how to use all the tools necessary, I think I could do it.

Playing the guitar involves a bit of both.

Sometimes our limits frustrate us, but can be overcome. For example, a person who doesn't know how to play a major scale can sit down, practice very slowly, gradually building up speed and accuracy with good rhythm.

Other times our limits mock us at how insurmountable they really are. No matter what I do or how hard I work at it, I know that I will never play like Tommy Emmanuel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Emmanuel), with his passion, his ability to play a bass line, a melody line, and an incredibly percussive rhythm all at the same time. It's just not going to happen.

Then, at our best moments, we discover ways to live within our real limits and still be creative. It is in these times that we often find ourselves developing a personal style, perhaps even taking guitar playing in a direction it has never gone before (it is a pretty new instrument, after all). I'm thinking here of people like Django Reinhart (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Django_Reinhart), who had several fretting hand fingers fuse together as a result of a fire, and then came back to the guitar to define a new genre within jazz guitar while playing with only two fretting fingers--we now call the style of music he played with virtuosity "gypsy jazz." Phil Keaggy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Keaggy) is missing at least one finger. Tommy Iommi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Iommi) used to use false fingertips on his fretting hand after losing the originals...don't know if he still does or not. For a non-guitar related example, how about Rick Allen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Allen_%28drummer%29) from Def Leppard? He lost an arm from amputation and came back, and the band achieved even greater things after that then they did when he had both arms.

Anyway, something to think about.

I would also say, it doesn't matter if you play left or right handed. I've seen people play both ways. It's nice to have your dominant hand doing the rhythm/picking duties, but it isn't vital. This stuff isn't natural anyway, so you can train either hand/arm to do either task...ask any good drummer how hard it is to get your hands to work independently (and your legs, in that instance). It's just a matter or practice. I generally tell leftys to play right handed guitars simply so that they don't limit themselves to using specialty gear...so they can walk into a friend's house or guitar store and pick up and axe and start playing.

[sajro]

I feel silly what with my Squier Mini. Hehe.

Best you can really do at 13 when you don't have a job and are already spending too much on computer stuff.

[shen-an-doah]

Tommy Iommi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Iommi) used to use false fingertips on his fretting hand after losing the originals...don't know if he still does or not.

Yep, and he always will. It's because of this that Sabbath sounded the way they do (he couldn't press hard, so he used light gauge strings and tuned low).

For another (probably quite appropriate) guitarist with a limiting injury, how about Les Paul (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Paul)?

In January 1948, Paul was injured in a near-fatal automobile accident in Oklahoma, which shattered his right arm and elbow. Doctors told Paul that there was no way for them to rebuild his elbow in a way that would let him regain movement, and that his arm would remain in whatever position they placed it in permanently. Paul then instructed the surgeons to set his arm at an angle that would allow him to cradle and pick the guitar. It took him a year and a half to recover.

[paul cooke]

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=1816525057

Bill Clements... one arm...

[matthew]

I feel silly what with my Squier Mini. Hehe.

Best you can really do at 13 when you don't have a job and are already spending too much on computer stuff.Don't feel silly. That guitar of yours is far better than my first guitar. :)

For another (probably quite appropriate) guitarist with a limiting injury, how about Les Paul (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Paul)?Oh, I totally forgot about him. I have several of his albums (yes, on vinyl). Truly an amazing guitar player. For a long time he could only hold the guitar in one position.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=1816525057

Bill Clements... one arm...Wow.

[Visti]

On an entirely different note, I've been trying to nail The Stone by Dave Matthews with singing for forever and I think it's finally about to click and I learned so much from it about seperation of rythmic elements and what not, so for anyone out there who are trying to get better at singing while playing you should take a look at this one:
Dave Matthews - The Stone (]http://youtube.com/watch?v=suK1v3R_cPs)

and head on over to www.dmbtabs.com for some indepth tabs and videos of the guitar part. In fact I think that everybody who plays guitar should have a look at that site, because all his guitar lines are excellent studies in accompanying yourself on the guitar..

Any way, I was just so thrilled about making progress that I thought I would throw a random post in here!

[herbster]

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=1816525057

Bill Clements... one arm...

http://www.hoofprints.com/images/whoa-sign.jpeg

[Hightide]

come on guys, turn it up...lets rock
:guitar:

[herbster]

Ouch!

You are doing pretty well as things are, considering the above.

Really, this boils down to two issues: real physical limitations and perceived ones. The real limits are things like "humans can't fly without mechanical assistance". The perceived ones are "I can't play the accordian."

Real limits are insurmountable without outside assistance, and some will remain even then. No matter how hard I work at it, I will never run as fast as an Olympic athlete. I can certainly work hard and improve my conditioning and my form, but there are some very real genetic factors involved in my ultimate ability.

Perceived limits can be removed, if given attention and effort. I've never built a house, but if I spent the time learning how to read blueprints and how to use all the tools necessary, I think I could do it.

Playing the guitar involves a bit of both.

Sometimes our limits frustrate us, but can be overcome. For example, a person who doesn't know how to play a major scale can sit down, practice very slowly, gradually building up speed and accuracy with good rhythm.

Other times our limits mock us at how insurmountable they really are. No matter what I do or how hard I work at it, I know that I will never play like Tommy Emmanuel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Emmanuel), with his passion, his ability to play a bass line, a melody line, and an incredibly percussive rhythm all at the same time. It's just not going to happen.

Then, at our best moments, we discover ways to live within our real limits and still be creative. It is in these times that we often find ourselves developing a personal style, perhaps even taking guitar playing in a direction it has never gone before (it is a pretty new instrument, after all). I'm thinking here of people like Django Reinhart (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Django_Reinhart), who had several fretting hand fingers fuse together as a result of a fire, and then came back to the guitar to define a new genre within jazz guitar while playing with only two fretting fingers--we now call the style of music he played with virtuosity "gypsy jazz." Phil Keaggy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Keaggy) is missing at least one finger. Tommy Iommi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Iommi) used to use false fingertips on his fretting hand after losing the originals...don't know if he still does or not. For a non-guitar related example, how about Rick Allen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Allen_%28drummer%29) from Def Leppard? He lost an arm from amputation and came back, and the band achieved even greater things after that then they did when he had both arms.

Anyway, something to think about.

I would also say, it doesn't matter if you play left or right handed. I've seen people play both ways. It's nice to have your dominant hand doing the rhythm/picking duties, but it isn't vital. This stuff isn't natural anyway, so you can train either hand/arm to do either task...ask any good drummer how hard it is to get your hands to work independently (and your legs, in that instance). It's just a matter or practice. I generally tell leftys to play right handed guitars simply so that they don't limit themselves to using specialty gear...so they can walk into a friend's house or guitar store and pick up and axe and start playing.

=D> =D> Excellent post, matthew!! Very true indeed. Really hits home for me with weight lifting, something I've done for years. I'll never do a 500lb bench or 700lb squat, but I've always tried to do the best with what I've got and have come so far from when I began. This is precisely what excites me about learning the guitar, just finding my own style, my own potential, my own abilities and really giving it my all to see what I can do with it.

Again, great post!

[herbster]

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How do you do this? How the eff do I keep my index on 1st then hammer on with pinky on the 5th? This is a warm-up exercise from a site, they have some other ones I like and that are helping me a lot but this one is bogglin' me noggin. I simply cannot hammer on the 5th without letting go of the 1st as my hand has to move. Ayudarme!

[matthew]

How do you do this? How the eff do I keep my index on 1st then hammer on with pinky on the 5th? This is a warm-up exercise from a site, they have some other ones I like and that are helping me a lot but this one is bogglin' me noggin. I simply cannot hammer on the 5th without letting go of the 1st as my hand has to move. Ayudarme!Lots of practice...really, that's it. I can do it. Start slowly, carefully, and don't speed up until you can do it well, with good technique and rhythm.

[Patrick-Ruff]

yeah that ones a pain fo rme too, but I can do it well enough :)

[herbster]

Maybe not the ideal thread but might as well ask: Do any of you have a webcam that works well in linux? I want to get one this weekend so I can start hearing and seeing myself for better practice and correction here and there.

[Patrick-Ruff]

I think I'll record a video soon to show you my 'backwards' soloing soon. I've always been able to play the blues scale backward faster than forward . . . so I don't know, I guess the future of my solo's will be backwards based? it seems a lot of guitarists do this in their solos.

edit: sorry I have no idea what cams work well with linux, I hardly use linux anymore, except to crack WEPs

[diwas]

Well, I play little bit of guitar too...no fancy stuffs but just a simple semi-acoustic guitar. But what i wanted to know is that is there any replacement software for guitar pro 5.2? Mind 5.2 coz its RSE is quite kool and i use it a lot for my own compositions.
Does installing Guitar Pro 5.2 with RSE through WINE work?
I tried searchin about guitar pro here in this thread but its 103 pgs...damn. Hehe

[herbster]

diwas,

tuxguitar! I love it, it opens all Guitar Pro and Power Tab files (.gp3, .gp4, .ptb, etc.) just fine and you can install an alsa plugin so it behaves nicely with other programs using sound simultaneously. I've been using it for a while now and it's great. I don't use Ubuntu but it should be in the repos so try apt-get install tuxguitar.

[diwas]

Does it support .gp5 format?
Tux guitar is not in the repos. Damn!

[herbster]

I'm sure it does, though you'd have to try to verify.

http://tuxguitar.com.ar

Enjoy

[lespaul_rentals]

Tuxguitar supports GP5 format, as well as PTB.

Download the .deb from the Tuxguitar site, so long as you have the latest version of Java you should be good to go.

[Patrick-Ruff]

I doubt it supports RSE. Guitar Pro in wine sucks, it wont play your songs right which is what you want . . .

so if tuxguitar doesn't support RSE then no, there pretty much isnt' a replacement.

[shen-an-doah]

I doubt it supports RSE. Guitar Pro in wine sucks, it wont play your songs right which is what you want . . .

so if tuxguitar doesn't support RSE then no, there pretty much isnt' a replacement.

Also, last time I installed it in wine, it used the only windows font it could find for the menus. This meant it used the musical notation font. It was rather unreadable :-?

[lespaul_rentals]

VMware time?

[herbster]

Yeah it doesn't have RSE of course, but I use the alsa plugin with timidity and it sounds decent. I only really use it to learn songs I know very well, so how it sounds isn't of too much concern to me as much as learning the rhythm, notes, etc. But of course you can bust out the VM machine and do it that way, I've got Guitar Pro w/RSE on my XP VM.

[herbster]

I know not all of you are interested in it but for those that are to whichever degree, can you recommend some nice, not-so-ungodly-insanely-superimpossible fingerstyle pieces? Something somewhat beginner-intermediate perhaps. I've pretty much mastered the Godfather theme and am hungry for more. Edgar Cruz watch out! (In about 30 years lol). Much appreciated.

[herbster]

Adding to the previous air of inspiration in recent posts, may I suggest:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=m3gMgK7h-BA

!@##*$~!))!($*

[diwas]

I have a problem with the TUXGUITAR. The file is loaded successfully (except the *.gp5 which is the 5.2 version of guitar pro), but when i play the file, no sound is given out. I think this problem is due to the non configured MIDI. So how do i configure it?

I know not all of you are interested in it but for those that are to whichever degree, can you recommend some nice, not-so-ungodly-insanely-superimpossible fingerstyle pieces? Something somewhat beginner-intermediate perhaps. I've pretty much mastered the Godfather theme and am hungry for more. Edgar Cruz watch out! (In about 30 years lol). Much appreciated.

Hmm try playing riffs of Metallica. They are fast cool and awesome. But if u really want to play some leads to blow off your head, try John Petrucci's any song! Well he is in the band dream theater, if you dont know. Try the solo of Another Day of dream theater. Its very melodious. The band is my personal favourite too.

[herbster]

diwas,

You should try the forum on tuxguitar.com.ar, and download the ALSA plugin. Do you have timidity installed? I suppose apt-get install timidity or timidity++. Then try running it with:

timidity -iA -Os &

And get this: ftp://ftp.personalcopy.net/pub/Unison.sf2.gz

Put the Unison.SF2 somewhere (/home/user/ or wherever you prefer) and then edit your /etc/timidity/timidity.cfg and add:

soundfont /WHERE_IS_THE_FILE/Unison.sf2

Then when you run tuxguitar, you see a Plugin menu item at the top and use that, select a Timidity port.

[diwas]

No timidity is not installed. Do i have to install it? I mean its too large for my dial up and will take days to download it. Is there any alternative for that which is small in file size?
PS: timidity is approximately 30MB.

[herbster]

Damn, yeah you're going to have to have timidity installed, unless there is an alternative and I don't know if there is-- you should google and give it a shot, though. I don't use Ubuntu so I thought it was installed by default. Do you have a 56k? 30mb shouldn't take anything near days, maybe an hour or two, perhaps a bit more?

BTW, thanks for the Metallica suggestion. Fade to Black is really helping my picking and I got an acoustic version of Nothing Else Matters that is perfect for fingerstyle.

[diwas]

Damn damn damn...my connection is 28.8kbps maximum. So it will take 3-4 hrs. hehehe
Yeah maan fade to black is too kool song. The lyrics the solo the melody everythin is simply kool. Yeah for picking...listen to "classical soul" of Oscar Lopez...iam sure u will be thrilled by that master piece.
Besides, listen to "hollow years" of dream theater. The guitar part when the lyrics progresses is damn kool and smwat hard to get the correct timing.
Just listen to these master pieces...

[lespaul_rentals]

"hollow years" of dream theater. Just listen to these master pieces...

Is there a Dream Theater song that isn't a masterpiece?

[jwmislan]

quote'
Here's my problem: I'm entirely self-taught. I can play some things extremely well, but occasionally I discover glaring holes in my musical foundations'

Malmsteen woodshedded on scales and arpeggios for months at a time to improve
technique.
I'm sure he became extremely confident through these sessions.

Confidence is a good thing that arrives with the realization of accomplishment.
(You can now execute difficult scales/arpeggios/passages, easier than you could before)

To reach higher levels, and to improve our general musical ability, I would recommend - ( The Scale Book ) - Music Notation And Guitar Fingerings
by Leigh Powers .
It gives all scale patterns in guitar tablature diagrams as well as, easy to read, standard music notation which will help improve basic music reading ability.

The scales are easier to play on my 1957 Fender Stratocaster than when I practice them using my Classical Guitars ( Fender Classical FC-100 ), ( Takamini EC-132S ), because of the lighter tension on the Strat.

If you have an acoustic, mine is a ( Gibson J-45 ) the scale practice will strengthen the left hand/fingers, muscles - builds your Chops ! .

The Arpeggios - can be built through the scales study too.
I would recommend - Mauro Giuliani - Studies for Guitar Book 1 - Opus 1a - GA 30AP ( publisher - SCHOTT ), for working with, and practicing Arpeggios -
the one with the Andres Segovia's picture on the upper right back cover.
You'll love it! - it's standard music notation only - so if you don't read music, try building some arpeggios from root, thirds, fifths, ninths, etc steps in the Leigh Powers - scale studies book. There are some important aspects and advantages to having some sort of arpeggio study book though, ( I don't like Tablature for arpeggios ) but if you can find some arpeggios in tablature, either on the net, or in the music store, you will definitely benefit from the study.

This kind of approach to Guitar practice will patch up holes in our technique, remove tension, improve memory, increase our playing confidence, and musicianship - etc.

You'll love the New You :guitar:

JWM

[herbster]

jwmislan,

Thanks, great post! You post that a good time for me. It's been just short of 2 months that I've been playing and today I must've practiced for at least 3 hours total, more than I have in one day so far without doubt. My hand is quite sore (in that good way) now. I've just begun practicing some scales now and am trying to get my pinky involved as much as possible as I really didn't use the little guy at all for the first while and got scared I might become dependent on just the first 3 fingers. Some Metallica riffs (Master of Puppets is a dope one!) and scales are making a big difference :D

And yeah, man just this weekend I was at my friend's house and played his brother in-law's Ibanez again. Wow, it's like a completely different animal compared to my Takamine acoustic. So very much easier on the fretting hand. I'm glad I'm learning on an acoustic so I can, as you said, strengthen my hand and build my chops ;)

It all goes back to the fundamentals. Playing a scale down and up and over and over again, all the "boring" stuff that most either don't do at all or for not nearly long enough, and it comes back to bite you in the derriere. I'll take my time and be as well-rounded as I can be. I've got no concerts booked any time soon ;) :D

[jwmislan]

jwmislan,

got scared I might become dependent on just the first 3 fingers. Some Metallica riffs (Master of Puppets is a dope one!) and scales are making a big difference :D

And yeah, man just this weekend I was at my friend's house and played his brother in-law's Ibanez again. Wow, it's like a completely different animal compared to my Takamine acoustic. So very much easier on the fretting hand. I'm glad I'm learning on an acoustic so I can, as you said, strengthen my hand and build my chops ;)

It all goes back to the fundamentals. Playing a scale down and up and over and over again, all the "boring" stuff that most either don't do at all or for not nearly long enough, and it comes back to bite you in the derriere.

Well - You are quite welcome Joseph, and I'm glad my post was of some use to you.

You said that
'got scared I might become dependent on just the first 3 fingers. '
You are correct that
You don't want to get into a three finger habit .

The Leigh Powers Book guides you away from incorrect fingering by simple tablature pictorials of Guitar fingerings and positionings throughout the fretboard.

The easiest way to help others improve guitar technique, is to know of an excellent tool of reference as the Leigh Powers Scale book where answers are all put in one place.

Many people think scales are boring but -
The scale study gets really interesting when you consider that all the patterns lead to other patterns, and paths for exploration, and manipulation.

Get the Book if you can it'll be worth it .
I should have said before that, it's a thin magazine type booklet, probably today, 12-15 Dollars, I bought mine 10 yrs ago. $7.95

Anyway, keep up the good work with your Guitar Practice.
Best regards
Jwm

[jwmislan]

I agree. I'm a pretty good guitarist (blues, classic rock, hard rock, even country), but I'm just an adequate bass player. You can kind of kick back sometimes while playing the guitar--you mess up and almost no one notices as long as you recover well. With the bass you have to pay attention to the groove and really be immersed in the music, you are the foundation.

Ouch. It's true. I once heard someone joke that Rock and Roll required the knowledge of 3 chords and the ability to spit.

Dude, nice Dean--mahogany, right? I have found that most true metal players have a real respect for learning the foundations and technical aspects of music, often rivaling classical players.

Here's my problem: I'm entirely self-taught. I can play some things extremely well, but occasionally I discover glaring holes in my musical foundations that someone who had even one year of lessons would understand. I've read a lot of books, but most of what I play I learned by watching others and playing with really good musicians.
Malmsteen woodshedded on scales and arpeggios for months at a time to improve
technique.
I'm sure he became extremely confident through these sessions.

Confidence is a good thing that arrives with the realization of accomplishment.
(You can now execute difficult scales/arpeggios/passages, easier than you could before)

To reach higher levels, and to improve our general musical ability, I would recommend - ( The Scale Book ) - Music Notation And Guitar Fingerings
by Leigh Powers . It is a thin magazine size type - today probably cost is 10-15 $ I bought mine 10 yrs ago - at about $7.95 .
It gives all scale patterns in guitar tablature diagrams as well as, easy to read, standard music notation which will help improve basic music reading ability.

The scales are easier to play on my 1957 Fender Stratocaster than when I practice them using my Classical Guitars ( Fender Classical FC-100 ), ( Takamini EC-132S ), because of the lighter tension on the Strat.

If you have an acoustic, mine is a ( Gibson J-45 ) the scale practice will strengthen the left hand/fingers, muscles - builds your Chops ! .

The Arpeggios - can be built through the scales study too.
I would recommend - Mauro Giuliani - Studies for Guitar Book 1 - Opus 1a - GA 30AP ( publisher - SCHOTT ), for working with, and practicing Arpeggios -
the one with the Andres Segovia picture on the upper right back cover.
You'll love it! - it's standard music notation only - so if you don't read music, try building some arpeggios from root, thirds, fifths, ninths, etc steps in the Leigh Powers - scale studies book. There are some important aspects and advantages to having some sort of arpeggio study book though, ( I don't like Tablature for arpeggios ) but if you can find some arpeggios in tablature, either on the net, or in the music store, you will definitely benefit from the study.

This kind of approach to Guitar practice will patch up holes in our technique, remove tension, improve memory, increase our playing confidence, and musicianship - etc.

Jwm
You'll love the New You :guitar:

[Patrick-Ruff]

Is there a Dream Theater song that isn't a masterpiece?

yes, a few actually ;).

if you REALLY want to know I'll listen to dream theater today and write 1-2 down lol.

but one of my favorite songs by them is The Answer Lies Within :D

[Patrick-Ruff]

heh, also make sure you're using wrist motion in your picking, it's generally the best way to gain speed as far as soloing and scales go (for some reason picking was a big deal for me, it's not so much anymore, now it's mainly my fretting hand speed.)

I think I've isolated my max speed fretting wise, and I think it's fast enough to atleast tackle 80-90% of guitar solo's, so I think I'll be alright :D. I wont be a shredder but I'm sure I'll be able to get to a high level atleast . . .


but yeah, anyone have any exercises that can help me with position switches?

I have a huge problem with going forward in position switches rather than backward . . . . say, I can go from the 5th position to 3rd position no problem, still be playing smoothly, but when I go forward it's different, it's like it disrupts the entire flow of everything. like say, moving from 5th position to 7th or 8th position . . .

I think it might be the amount of time it takes for all my fingers to be situated? not sure . . . if any of you have any tips on that I'd appreciate it :D.

[herbster]

We're pretty much the opposite there, Patrick. I can go forward pretty well but backwards is climbing a mountain at the moment ;) It's improving, though.

I'm curious, do you guys practice with backing tracks at all? Are they useful?

[Patrick-Ruff]

they're good if you want to get your solo improvisation down. after a while though, it's a good idea to make your own back-tracks :D

[diwas]

Well Dream Theater is 'The Band'. Hehehe

Iam self taught completely, concerning guitar but have a little bit of different taste. I dont play fast, neither i use any fancy guitars to play any song. What i actually do is make up some rythm patterns myself in my mind and start soloing. No, I havent learnt scales. I have never consulted any books. The scales comes out i dont know like deep down inside me and reflects on the freetboard.
So according to me, i dont like fast solos...rather the solos which have melody within them are the best ones. For example November Rain's solo (Guns N' Roses, Slash) are far more better than the ones of numerous fast guitarists. But again, its my point of view.

What do you guys think abt the solo, should it be: Fast or Melodious??
Im waitin for ur answers.

[lespaul_rentals]

What do you guys think abt the solo, should it be: Fast or Melodious??
Im waitin for ur answers.

It all depends on my mood and the song, but one thing I hate is non-melodic solos. I don't care if you can play 16ths at 200 bpm, if there's not a catchy or emotional melody somewhere in those notes the solo is worthless to my ears.

That's one of the reasons I love Children of Bodom so much. Yes, they are metal and good for rocking out, but their music is so deep and rich! Their note selection, their modal feelings, everything carries so much feeling. I think everyone should listen to "Children of Bodom" by Children of Bodom. Listen to the leads thrown in, the guitar and synth melody lines during the chorus, and the solo. Sure, the solo's not blazing fast, but it sounds like something out of the Baroque period.

[Patrick-Ruff]

well personally I can't play 16th's at 200 BPM... well I suppose I can, but my fretting hand doesn't move fast enough so there's a lot of repedition, my speed is in my picking.


if it can be fast and melodious then I'd pick th at as well as melodious. I wont ever put a non-melodious solo in any of my songs.

diwas you should try learning theory, it would most definitely help you alot. (not saying you need help, but it really does help with the whole process of making things go together well, knowing notes and such.)

[herbster]

Yeah, good points on the solos. I saw a youtube clip that was a compilation of maniacs like Vai, etc. going nutso and I almost fell asleep--- and I'm about as guitar-obsessed as I'll ever be at the moment. It reminds me a lot of advanced gambling sleight of hand with cards that I've been doing for many years; so many numbnuts just want to perform moves as quickly as possible, forgetting the purpose of the move, the rhythm, the fluidity, etc. Just as with the cards, where folks just like to perform for each other as fast as possible to win inner circle points, it's like some peeps just want to show other guitarists how special they are with theirs.

Like the Stairway to Heaven solo just melts my brain with how incredible it sounds and although I'm not the most knowledgeable on what a "fast" solo might be, it has gotta be played pretty fast in many parts of it.

[lespaul_rentals]

Best guitarist ever IMHO is Marty Friedman. Check him out, amazing.

[rockin_goliath]

Have you guys seen Mattias Ia Eklundh? Totally awesome! By the way, what you you all using for gear?

[herbster]

Have you guys seen Mattias Ia Eklundh?

Nope, will check him out now!

Totally awesome! By the way, what you you all using for gear?

Good question! Can you folks recommend an electric guitar and amp (and what else do I need?) for about $500-$1000 range? Gonna grab me one in a couple months or sooner.

[Zimmer]

You've started something now, Herbster! You could get more recommendations than you have dollars :)

As someone who has played only acoustic seriously for the best part of 38 years I finally bought a new guitar (the first new one in 30 years! ) last June.

Could not decide what I wanted so I bought a VAriax and a Pod.

Even then I had to try the different versions to find which one suited me, neck width etc.

The only other electric I have bought was for my daughter, and that was a second-hand Ibanez Strat copy.. that plays very well, the Strat style of guitar suits me, too....

But you must try many many many of them before you decide what feels and sounds good to you.....

Oh, and then there is the decision regarding an amp.... I have a Pod and plug Headphones in... As I will be doing in about a half hour... and for gigs I either plug the Pod through the house PA or take my Peavey Escort Portable PA system.
The Pod does all the amp modelling so a standard guitar amp would not suit my needs.
(The Pod also plays well through the small stereo we have..

So take your time and try every combination you can in the store :), one day , when you have tried them all you may have found something that suits you or will recreate the electric guitar sound you want. I am sure everyone else will tell you what sound they get from their particular combinations of Guitar and amp, try them and see..

[herbster]

Thanks Zimmer! That's wild friend, 30 years!! Whew, better late than never :D

I definitely need to spend some Sunday afternoons over the next couple months at the guitar store to play different combinations.

Are there important specifics I should be looking for, though? Be it with the guitar or the amp. Or is it really all personal preference/style?

[rockin_goliath]

I use an Ibanez RG 7620 7-string guitar and a Peavey 5150 II with a Randall MTS 2x12 cab. I'm not into effects I just plug straight intot he amp. Just a pure dry signal!

Herbster, if you have $1000 to spend on gear, budget $950 guitar and $50 for the amp. I absolutely love my Ibanez (which I got on eBay for $350, but now lists at $800) but that may not be for you. DONT BUY ANYTHING WITHOUT PLAYING IT FIRST!!! Go to guitar stores and try stuff out. Go into the store without any preconceptions about that certain guitars are for certain styles and things like that. One of my friends is really into heavy metal, but he went into a guitar store looking for a Christmas present for himself and came out with a Epiphone hollow body! He plugged it in and it sounded just brutal! My point is, allow yourself to fall in love with your guitar. Love at first sight DOES exist ;)

[herbster]

Thanks rockin_goliath. Certainly I will be playing all the guitars before I even consider taking one home.

So what is a cab? Can you give me a little breakdown of the components that make up all the gear for electric guitar? I'm only familiar with the idea of the amp but all else from pedals to cabs to whatever are foreign to me still.

[diwas]

Yes you are right Patrick i should learn the theories. Coz whatever whenever i start soloing on my own i lack smthg behind. I always have that missing note. So sometimes have to compromise without it. I will learn it, but dont know when! hehe
Children Of Bodom is also one of my favourites. Personally i dont like the sweeps, coz they are not melodious but talking about Children Of Bodom, they have melody in sweep, which is for me extra-ordinary. They have indeed great music and yes the note selection is awesome!!!

Talking about gears, u know what is the best gear for your guitar?? An acoustic guitar. Personally, its the one which will teach you abt guitar. Though i have to play electric guitar with overdriven and what not in the concerts, I prefer acoustic guitar!! But depends upon person to person isnt it? Hehe

[Patrick-Ruff]

eh, I don't agree with that advice goliath. as far as I'm concerned you should never pay 50 dollars for an amp if you're buying a 950 dollar guitar. screw that. I'd say you should split it somewhat, maybe 800/200 or 700/300. don't play a great guitar out of a shitty amp.

personally as far as gear goes, I have a 50 watt crate, with no real good effects, I need to buy a digital effects pedal one of these days. but for the time being, I really love Les Pauls. Fenders are nice too but a lot of people don't really dig the button positioning :P.

but as far as guitars go, just go play some and whatever you like best, get it. as far as amps go, I say don't go under 200 dollars for one, seriously.

[rockin_goliath]

eh, I don't agree with that advice goliath. as far as I'm concerned you should never pay 50 dollars for an amp if you're buying a 950 dollar guitar. screw that. I'd say you should split it somewhat, maybe 800/200 or 700/300. don't play a great guitar out of a shitty amp.

My reason for making that statement was because, in my experience, it's easy to upgrade an amplifier since that is not really what I become attached to. My guitar, on the other hand, is something that I want to live with and love. I've owned many different amps, but only one guitar. My guitar is something that I never get tired of playing. If I get tired with the sound of my amp, I'll sell it and get a completely different one, but I'll use the same guitar.

[diwas]

Hmmm amps amps and amps...hehe

[Patrick-Ruff]

I guess I was just thinking about the whole idea behind someone owning more than one guitar, but if that's your deal then I suppose it's more beneficial in the long run to go for the more expensive instrument. but for a beginner I don't recomend it, I say you should wait until you're 100% sure you're going to persue this for life.

[shen-an-doah]

One of the most important things with guitars is the build quality. You can replace pick-ups and tuners and electrics and all the other hardware on a guitar, but if the wood's rubbish and it doesn't play well then that'll never change.

I have three electric guitars but I still mostly play my first guitar. It cost £150 new, but with all the stuff I've done to it (replaced the bridge pick-up and tuners, added a Bigsby, etc) it's closer to £400 now. This would have been pointless if it wasn't a well made guitar with just not so great hardware...

It's basically the same idea as not spending so much on an amp. A guitar's sound can be changed quite easily (well, except for the part of the sound contributed by the wood), but the way it plays is a hell of a lot harder...

[tdrusk]

jwmislan,

Thanks, great post! You post that a good time for me. It's been just short of 2 months that I've been playing and today I must've practiced for at least 3 hours total, more than I have in one day so far without doubt. My hand is quite sore (in that good way) now. I've just begun practicing some scales now and am trying to get my pinky involved as much as possible as I really didn't use the little guy at all for the first while and got scared I might become dependent on just the first 3 fingers. Some Metallica riffs (Master of Puppets is a dope one!) and scales are making a big difference :D

And yeah, man just this weekend I was at my friend's house and played his brother in-law's Ibanez again. Wow, it's like a completely different animal compared to my Takamine acoustic. So very much easier on the fretting hand. I'm glad I'm learning on an acoustic so I can, as you said, strengthen my hand and build my chops ;)

It all goes back to the fundamentals. Playing a scale down and up and over and over again, all the "boring" stuff that most either don't do at all or for not nearly long enough, and it comes back to bite you in the derriere. I'll take my time and be as well-rounded as I can be. I've got no concerts booked any time soon ;) :D

You should learn erotomania by Dream Theater. That song got my pinky going.

[diwas]

Well guys...this is for those who wants to install guitar pro5 through wine http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=247869
finally i think i got what i need!! hehe

[lespaul_rentals]

Children Of Bodom is also one of my favourites. Personally i dont like the sweeps, coz they are not melodious but talking about Children Of Bodom, they have melody in sweep, which is for me extra-ordinary. They have indeed great music and yes the note selection is awesome!!!

Yeah man!

\m/ :guitar: :guitar: \m/

Can anyone recommend a song for me to learn to get my rhythm chops down? I've been learning "Hatebreeder" by Children of Bodom (http://ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/c/children_of_bodom/hatebreeder_ver2_tab.htm). There's no way I can play the sweeps or solo as fast as Laiho but the other lead/rhythm parts I've got down. I've got the rhythm parts and main lead riff down for "Hate Me!" too (http://ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/c/children_of_bodom/hate_me_ver2_tab.htm). Got any suggestions? Also, can anyone tell me if this is a good level for me to be at, as I've been playing for 3 years now (lessons for the first 6 months, self-taught the rest)?

[diwas]

Are you talking about just the rythm or solo and sweeps? Well if u want plucking i have smthg for you..."Classical Soul" By Oscar Lopez. Its so much fun to play...and yeah its just acoustic.
Talking abt riffs and all...you should try Holy Wars by Megadeath. Cool timing and great solo too. On top of all an Arabic tune in between the song. Its intro is kool...hehe
tell me if this is not your level...i mean if this is a piece of cake for you, i have other materials too.

[lespaul_rentals]

Are you talking about just the rythm or solo and sweeps? Well if u want plucking i have smthg for you..."Classical Soul" By Oscar Lopez. Its so much fun to play...and yeah its just acoustic.
Talking abt riffs and all...you should try Holy Wars by Megadeath. Cool timing and great solo too. On top of all an Arabic tune in between the song. Its intro is kool...hehe
tell me if this is not your level...i mean if this is a piece of cake for you, i have other materials too.

Great idea man, thanks for the recommendations!

Sometimes I think I'm wayyyy far behind. For about 3 months I didn't take it seriously and I think that hurt my progress. :(

[herbster]

lespaul_rentals, You can't look back homey. The beauty of this is you can turn up the heat whenever you want-- practice more and practice consistently. Lately I've been spending every free moment hurtin' me hands on the ol' gittaw ;)

I just got Edgar Cruz's DVD this past weekend. Un-frickin-believable. I really, really love the arrangements and the style, and the fact that they're entire songs I can play one just my guitar and they sound georgous (not me yet-- talkin' Edgar, lol :D) is just too awesome. Just starting to figure out harmonics and some other great stuff he teaches, including common fingering which seemed so doggone obvious the moment he instructs it I couldn't believe I hadn't realized how important and helpful it is to learn.

I am getting a webcam soon and will start making some clips so I can hopefully get some constructive criticism from you guys and learn even more, of course.

[herbster]

Well guys...this is for those who wants to install guitar pro5 through wine http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=247869
finally i think i got what i need!! hehe

diwas,

Thanks!! I hadn't even thought of trying Guitar Pro again since I configured Timidity, but I just installed it and it works great! This is awesome :D :)

[Patrick-Ruff]

so, this'll be the second time I've asked this, does anyone know of any great methods of speeding up the fretting hand and getting it more in sync with your picking hand even on the craziest of solo's?

I don't want to do that 1 2 3 4 stuff on the strings, that doesn't work well for me, I can do those all day and it doesn't feel like it makes any difference at all.

[diwas]

C'on Patrick...that 1 2 3 4 stuff is damn good...it really helps to place the fingers and play accurately.
But yeah its smwat booring but try scales of chords like Am...that will help...

[Patrick-Ruff]

I just hate that excercise, so so so so so so much. I have guitar class this year and that's one of the thigns we do every day and it just kills me with boredom. I don't like mundane exercises, but my solo's are too blue's oriented so I need an alternate view, a different style to progress my skill further.

also, I started a myspace for my future recordings and compositions. if any of you are interested, you can view/add it at www.myspace.com/erraticwavelengths (yes I suppose I am revealing who I am but I don't think it matters much, many of you couldn't possibly find me if you tried.)

[shen-an-doah]

If you're bored of the 1234 exercise, try varying it a bit, like this:

|------------------|
|-------4--1-------|
|-----3------2-----|
|---2----------3---|
|-1--------------4-|
|------------------|

|------------------|
|------------------|
|------------------|
|---2---4--1---3---|
|-1---3------2---4-|
|------------------|

|------------------|
|------------------|
|---2---4--1---3---|
|------------------|
|-1---3------2---4-|
|------------------|

Etc.

[herbster]

The Master of Puppets riff has been working wonders for me, just doing it all across the fretboard and at different strings.

And yeah, it's all about doing the boring stuff, like anything you want to excel at. :guitar:

[lespaul_rentals]

The Master of Puppets riff has been working wonders for me, just doing it all across the fretboard and at different strings.

And yeah, it's all about doing the boring stuff, like anything you want to excel at. :guitar:

Which one, the spider riff?

[diwas]

Guys...medicines are always bitter...ehehehe

[matthew]

FYI...there's hope for us all.

Research indicates that practice, training and experience are what develop a musician’s ear, not genetic predisposition (http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/537352/?sc=dwtr).

[herbster]

Which one, the spider riff?

Hmm, I don't know if it's called such but perhaps, it's this one one on low E and A strings:

----2----3---4----3----2-2
0-1-0-1-1-0-0-1-0-1----

FYI...there's hope for us all.

Research indicates that practice, training and experience are what develop a musician’s ear, not genetic predisposition (http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/537352/?sc=dwtr).

Excellent! You just gotta pay your dues.

[diwas]

This one of Master Of Puppets is my best...though i took lots of time to master it!! hehe.

[ComputerHermit]

Master Of Puppets I like to add pick harmonics in that riff

[lespaul_rentals]

Hmm, I don't know if it's called such but perhaps, it's this one one on low E and A strings:

----2----3---4----3----2-2
0-1-0-1-1-0-0-1-0-1----


Yeah, that one. They call it the spider riff because it looks like a spider when you play it.

[diwas]

Have you guys heard to endless sacrifice of dream theater?? The chorous riff is damn good...simple though...
try it out..

[lespaul_rentals]

Have you guys heard to endless sacrifice of dream theater?? The chorous riff is damn good...simple though...
try it out..

I love that song.

[BatsotO]

I'm sad that none of you mention Jason Becker, A virtuoso even before his 20, Team up with Marty Friedman, Recruited by David Lee Roth now live in wheelchair with tubes stuck on his throat and stomach due to ALS, literally speaks with his eyes ( Eyes movement code) but still compose music, check out Serrana Arpeggios!

[herbster]

Whoa, I will check it out BatsotO, thanks for the info!

[lespaul_rentals]

I'm sad that none of you mention Jason Becker, A virtuoso even before his 20, Team up with Marty Friedman, Recruited by David Lee Roth now live in wheelchair with tubes stuck on his throat and stomach due to ALS, literally speaks with his eyes ( Eyes movement code) but still compose music, check out Serrana Arpeggios!

He's one of my biggest inspirations. http://youtube.com/watch?v=qjc1TREntDc

[diwas]

Whow....i have never heard of that...

[Patrick-Ruff]

that was an amazing video I love that kind of jamming, hopefully I'll be able to do something like that one day :D.

speaking of, I plan to buy this guitar next :D
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-DR200CE-AcousticElectric-Guitar?sku=518378

any thoughts on it? looks like a great price and guitar to me :D

edit: marty friedman has a weird picking style haha

[BatsotO]

[QUOTE=Patrick-Ruff;4256240 marty friedman has a weird picking style haha[/QUOTE]

He doesn't want his palm to mute the string, So the notes would come out clean. Megadeth had other weird style guitarist, Chris Poland. He cannot fully bend his left index finger. Here's the links http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PsJEYU1n08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgrACYkXFqY

[Fitzy_oz]

He doesn't want his palm to mute the string, So the notes would come out clean. Megadeth had other weird style guitarist, Chris Poland. He cannot fully bend his left index finger. Here's the links http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PsJEYU1n08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgrACYkXFqY

I wouldn't say weird was the right word for Poland, he's a Jazz Fusion Giutar player, Friedman on the other hand is a freak :P He uses very weird phrasing lengths and a lot of wide vibrato, unconventional scales. Both fantastic guitar players. I remember trying to learn the solo from Megdeth's Lucretia (from Rust in Peace) a few years ago and it was a mission to say the least. Have a look at a guitarist called Django Rhinehardt (not sure if thats the right spelling) that guys a freak, he can only use two fingers...

[Patrick-Ruff]

well I mean it's weird even for avoiding muting, I have a picking style that looks mostly normal and I don't mute any strings when I play, I'll make another video one of these days, but what do you all think of this guitar?

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-DR200CE-AcousticElectric-Guitar?sku=518378

[herbster]

I'm hardly the veteran yet to give advice, Patrick, but that looks solid to me and is in fact one of the choices I was pondering before my Takamine. I don't think you can go wrong with that price and with it being acoustic-electric to boot.

[lespaul_rentals]

that was an amazing video I love that kind of jamming, hopefully I'll be able to do something like that one day :D.

speaking of, I plan to buy this guitar next :D
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-DR200CE-AcousticElectric-Guitar?sku=518378

any thoughts on it? looks like a great price and guitar to me :D

edit: marty friedman has a weird picking style haha

Is it a solid-top? If so, go for it, looks good to me.

[cytheria]

i cant get fof to work on my computer
ive tried downloading all the different scripts from sourceforge and there all i get is data and more data just a bunch of srpits and icons what do i do we these?
moreover i downloaded the update and in there is again more data when looking in adept package manger i found the game but all that does is freeze my computer and then restart it immediately i really want to play this game is there anyone out there that knows where im at in the installation process? is there anyone who can help me?
Ive found source code for the terminal and i tried that as well but when i got to the end of the source "to do" list and created a launcher with nano and alacarte but then after that nothing it just says to enjoy. well id like to but how?please someone can you help me and thank you for the consideration

[Patrick-Ruff]

yes thank you completely off-topic . . .

well sorry everyone for my lack of posts lately, I've been really really sick with the flu, missed a week of school, and I have a fat ear infection that I have yet to get antibiotics for, I'm hoping I wont need them because my whole homelife is kind of screwed up right now.

anyways, this is the longest I've gone without playing guitar since I first started playing . . . . what's everyone else up to?

[k2t0f12d]

I used to have a Peavey Predator, but now only keep a sweet Washburn D11.

[herbster]

Sorry to hear that Patrick, I hope it gets better man.. sometimes picking up the guitar when it hurts the most could make ya feel a bit better...

I've just been working on Edgar Cruz's arrangements. Got the first minute or so of Bohemian down decently. It's such great material to practice as it's really forcing me to get barres down.

[fissionmailed]

I used to be a guitarist, but now I'm more of a bassist. Also half deaf it seems too.

[shen-an-doah]

I remember when I had a virus that meant I couldn't eat anything, so I had no energy. After I started getting better I picked up my guitar and had to stop after like 5 minutes as I was worn out :(

[Patrick-Ruff]

yeah that's pretty much how it was for me. now I just have an ear infection, I had to get antibiotics for it since my ear drum burst and there's fluid flowing out of it haha. it's pretty messed up. I picked up my guitar yesterday and I was way slow haha. so it seems I have a lot of practice in store for me . . .

[Patrick-Ruff]

well my ear infection is getting a lot better, the pain is still there but it's not draining nearly as much now, thank god . . . . I'm gonna have to exercise my *** off, I've done absolutely nothing for 10 days straight

[herbster]

Aye, I've been getting plenty exercise last few weeks-- more snow to shovel than you can imagine, lol.

I've found my weightlifting routine really helps with the guitar, I feel barely any tension or tightness even after a couple hours playing as my shoulders and back are loosey-goosey and stretched out. Wasn't so when I didn't touch the weights almost all of December.

[NoSmokingBandit]

Im sure this has been asked a million times before, but theres 200 pages to look though so ill ask again. Is there any semi-pro recording software for linux? Something that offers a bit more than audacity but isnt really complex? Ardour doesnt look very noob-friendly but i might give that a shot.

[Patrick-Ruff]

a lot of people here haven't really found anything . .. . you could try audacity but I don't know if you'd consider that semi-pro, it's pretty good though.

[NoSmokingBandit]

Audacity really never worked for me in linux, i would get all sorts of errors and stuff. Plus i would like to step it up a bit so i can do cooler things. The ideal thing would be Kristal ported to linux, but the dev doesnt want to do that. :(
I might just have to stick to audacity...

[herbster]

What kind of errors? I got some when first trying it, ya gotta be sure and set your devices right in Edit> Preferences.

[marty99]

Hello like this, first of all send a greeting and thanking them read these few lines, please see this page is astonishing, for your part in persuading her

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thanks

Marty
:guitar:

[NoSmokingBandit]

What kind of errors? I got some when first trying it, ya gotta be sure and set your devices right in Edit> Preferences.

I had some kind of device error but i dont remember what it was. I dont have ubuntu on my machine anymore. I tried all sorts of stuff to get it working so i got frustrated and gave up.
Has anyone used Wired? (http://wired.sourceforge.net/) it looks promising.

[Patrick-Ruff]

ok, on to other things. anyone composing anything?

[Patrick-Ruff]

common guys we've got to get this thread to 200 pages before we let it die ;)

[herbster]

Definitely :D

Got a pretty nasty cold this morning, will be staying home for a couple days in our lovely -15C weather... gonna be practicin' pretty hardcore.

I'll have had the guitar for 3 months tomorrow... I can do barres pretty well, a buncha scales accurately and pretty quickly and play some songs now, I'm pretty pumped. My weak area is switching between chords, it's just not up to par with everything else yet, so I need to work on that.

I find myself playing fingerstyle about 95% of the time now, I hardly use a flatpick at all. Seems to be the style that interests me, but of course I've got a ways to go...

[paul cooke]

Definitely :D

Got a pretty nasty cold this morning, will be staying home for a couple days in our lovely -15C weather... gonna be practicin' pretty hardcore.

I find colds mess my timing right up...

[NoSmokingBandit]

does anybody have any tips for speeding up sweeps? I've been practicing them for a while but it seems like a i have hit a roadblock speed-wise.

[Z_o-s-o]

I dont find colds to screw up my timing much, except when drumming.

Other wise I just tend to have off and on days. Somedays I'll be playing great, other days its just not happening 100%. I tend to have a sloppy playing style aswell, so you can factor in a couple dead notes in even on a good day. Thats not to say I'm a bad player.

[Bezmotivnik]

Has anyone used Wired?
No, but the real problem is Linux hardware drivers being unavailable for most of the front-ends in use. That kind of stops you right in your tracks. :(

It also seems to lack VST support, which makes it a non-starter for serious use.

[Bezmotivnik]

well my ear infection is getting a lot better, the pain is still there but it's not draining nearly as much now, thank god .
Make sure you follow doctor's orders on this and do the followups. I'm deaf in one ear from exactly this.

Take it from an old musician, hearing loss is forever. :(

[NoSmokingBandit]

No, but the real problem is Linux hardware drivers being unavailable for most of the front-ends in use. That kind of stops you right in your tracks. :(

It also seems to lack VST support, which makes it a non-starter for serious use.

I recently got a hold of a copy of Adobe Audition. Freaking amazing. Im going to using windows to record from now on. Well, at least until i get osx86 fixed.
<_<
>_>

Idk, ill see how it goes.

[Patrick-Ruff]

Make sure you follow doctor's orders on this and do the followups. I'm deaf in one ear from exactly this.

Take it from an old musician, hearing loss is forever. :(

oh ****. how long did you let it wait?

[Visti]

I recently got a hold of a copy of Adobe Audition. Freaking amazing. Im going to using windows to record from now on. Well, at least until i get osx86 fixed.
<_<
>_>

Idk, ill see how it goes.


Audition is amazing! I've used it since it was Cool Edit Pro.. It's light and does a lot of things really elegantly. However, it's lack of MIDI support renders it almost unusable for me.
So, I had to move on to Pro-Tools and quite frankly, the interface is shockingly similar. Audition just seems to be a nice simplified PT with no MIDI.. So really, if you ever get you hands on an M-box or a piece of M-audio recording equipment (I use this (http://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-US44010-Interface-Session-Software/dp/B00061ZM2Y) and it's actually excellent..) consider upgrading to Pro-tools or PT M-powered.

I was really reluctant because of the hardware requirements - That is, they sell you their program, but you can only use it with their hardware - but M-powered really turned me around.
It's affordable hardware and I can honestly see why PT is the standard studio program. It's so easy to correct any mistakes you made while playing, even if it's a lick in the middle of a take or one chord, you can enable just that segment for recording and play along to the original track you recorded, only overdubbing what you told it to.

Sorry to go on there, but I'm just hyper about this.. I now have an actual Pro Tools system at home..

[shen-an-doah]

I'd love to have a Pro Tools system at home. That's on my list for when I've got money to spend. My favoured set-up would be a Mac running Pro Tools for recording, a Desktop running Ubuntu for everything else, and then something like an Asus Eee for travel...


In other recording news, my current project is reworking the production on the album I made last year. I was on a deadline, so some of it got kinda rushed and it doesn't sound as good as I would've liked. I've already redone the drum tracks to make them heavier. Next up is to add more guitar tracks and then redo all the vocals.

If you guys wanna have a listen to the previous versions, click the link in my sig. Let me know your thoughts on the production as it'd be good to have other people's opinions :)

[tdrusk]

Can you guys listen to some music I recorded? The metal song isn't that great, but I am proud of the rock song. Please crit!

www.myspace.com/tylerruskproductions

[NoSmokingBandit]

Audition is amazing! I've used it since it was Cool Edit Pro.. It's light and does a lot of things really elegantly. However, it's lack of MIDI support renders it almost unusable for me.
So, I had to move on to Pro-Tools and quite frankly, the interface is shockingly similar. Audition just seems to be a nice simplified PT with no MIDI.. So really, if you ever get you hands on an M-box or a piece of M-audio recording equipment (I use this (http://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-US44010-Interface-Session-Software/dp/B00061ZM2Y) and it's actually excellent..) consider upgrading to Pro-tools or PT M-powered.


I dont do any midi stuff at all really (im an analog guy, i hate even using a computer at all...). It would be nice if audition ran in wine. I actually dont know if it does, i should go try it out. I doubt it will work seeing as most adobe programs hate wine.
I need to record something with it so i can see all of what it can do. I've just been messing with some old tracks i have laying around.

[Visti]

I'd love to have a Pro Tools system at home. That's on my list for when I've got money to spend. My favoured set-up would be a Mac running Pro Tools for recording, a Desktop running Ubuntu for everything else, and then something like an Asus Eee for travel...


In other recording news, my current project is reworking the production on the album I made last year. I was on a deadline, so some of it got kinda rushed and it doesn't sound as good as I would've liked. I've already redone the drum tracks to make them heavier. Next up is to add more guitar tracks and then redo all the vocals.


Well, PT is perfect for my desktop system. It's so easy to organise recording in and spot record difficult parts that you wouldn't actually need to be the best player to get amazing tracks after a litte effort.

[Patrick-Ruff]

well, Bezmotivnic, just to let you know I went to the doc's today and got 2 antbiotics, one in ear drop form, and one in pill form. he took a sample of the drainage from my ear and he's going to culture it so if it's still here in a week or two from now we'll have a better idea of what to do. he said there's a good chance I wont lose hearing in this ear :)

[Bezmotivnik]

he said there's a good chance I wont lose hearing in this ear :)
That's good.

I had several bad infections in the same ear as a kid and from what I understand, they damaged the small bones that transfer vibrations from the eardrum. I'm almost totally deaf in that ear, though I experience constant tinnitus in it.

Your ears are very fragile and most damage to your hearing is irreversible, never mind the delayed damage that almost all music people experience in later life. Those ear buds are causing so much damage there will be major problems for a whole generation starting in a few more years. I'm very surprised that the medical profession hasn't raised a bigger stink about them...or perhaps the media doesn't want to alienate a huge pool of their advertisers by giving the problem coverage.

[Bezmotivnik]

Audition is amazing!... However, it's lack of MIDI support renders it almost unusable for me.

Wait...you mean you can't use softsynths, MIDI-controlled devices or MIDI editing with Audition?

Wow, that's incredible in 2008. :shock:

Useless? Boy, I'll say!

[Visti]

Wait...you mean you can't use softsynths, MIDI-controlled devices or MIDI editing with Audition?

Wow, that's incredible in 2008. :shock:

Useless? Boy, I'll say!

Well, yeah. That's what I'm saying. But it is actually stable as a rock and responsive as a ..uh.. responsomator for tracking live tracks. But really, not suitable for full production, even at a home studio environment. Or rather, especially in a home studio environment where VSTs and MIDI can improve everything immensely.

On a related note, don't shun MIDI just because it's MIDI until you've seen how far they've come with this stuff. I mean, drum synths and stuff like Garritan is invaluable for me and sounds completely organic if you know how to use it. I mean, the piano in Garritan Orchestra is better than any sound I could ever get with all the mics I would want and a grand piano of my own..

[Patrick-Ruff]

That's good.

I had several bad infections in the same ear as a kid and from what I understand, they damaged the small bones that transfer vibrations from the eardrum. I'm almost totally deaf in that ear, though I experience constant tinnitus in it.

Your ears are very fragile and most damage to your hearing is irreversible, never mind the delayed damage that almost all music people experience in later life. Those ear buds are causing so much damage there will be major problems for a whole generation starting in a few more years. I'm very surprised that the medical profession hasn't raised a bigger stink about them...or perhaps the media doesn't want to alienate a huge pool of their advertisers by giving the problem coverage.

I use ear buds ocasionally, but I never blast it. so I don't think I'm damaging my ears with them, but I know a few kids who definitely are.