What are you currently practising?

[Nicki]

Curious to know what other members over here are working on in terms of their playing.

I've been making my way through John Ganapes "Blues You Can Use" and taking guitar lessons with a teacher who's answering my questions and giving me pointers on playing blues.

How 'bout you?

 

[Dr. Caligari]

Solos I wrote in guitarpro that turned out to be actually difficult.

 

[Dr. Caligari]

More precisely some 3-string sweeps with palm mutes, some alt picking and... bends! I don't think I've played a bend before in my life, and... surprise, I suck at them! My fingers hurt.

 

[jaxadam]

I just make up exercises with alt/economy/sweep/string skipping and half of the time they end up turning into a song or a lead.

 

[Nicki]

More precisely some 3-string sweeps with palm mutes, some alt picking and... bends! I don't think I've played a bend before in my life, and... surprise, I suck at them! My fingers hurt.

This is exactly what I'm working on in "Blues You Can Use". Bends. The concept of bending is so easy that you think just by knowing what it is and how to do it that you'll just be able to do it right. Nope. Bending to the proper pitch is more challenging than you think... Don't even get me started on vibrato on bends....

 

[ShredmasterD]

linear modes (one string up and down)

 

[ShredmasterD]

Curious to know what other members over here are working on in terms of their playing.

I've been making my way through John Ganapes "Blues You Can Use" and taking guitar lessons with a teacher who's answering my questions and giving me pointers on playing blues.

How 'bout you?

i need to do more blues. i always intend to but never really dive deep.

 

[Nicki]

linear modes (one string up and down)

Interesting. I never thought of modes linearly.

i need to do more blues. i always intend to but never really dive deep.

Highly recommend "Blues You Can Use". It's starts off with just building the pentatonic patterns 1 through 5 and has some fun studies at the end of each chapter (basically a song that goes through some technique). If you're willing to revisit some basics before building up to more, it's a great book.

 

[SCJR]

Haven't had time to play much lately but when I do I've been learning Throne of the Anxious by Stephen Taranto.

If I can get through the whole thing at 70-80% speed I'd be happy with that

Edit: I think Sheet Happens is having a sale on digital tabs and tracks at the moment.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

rivers of nihil - where owls know my name. I bought the tab book a while ago but only recently started learning any of their stuff

 

[SCJR]

rivers of nihil - where owls know my name. I bought the tab book a while ago but only recently started learning any of their stuff

Not to derail this thread but I took my foot off the gas in about 2011/12 as far as finding new heavy bands I didn't already care about. Are they top heavy or is every album this good?

 

[Dr. Caligari]

This is exactly what I'm working on in "Blues You Can Use". Bends. The concept of bending is so easy that you think just by knowing what it is and how to do it that you'll just be able to do it right. Nope. Bending to the proper pitch is more challenging than you think... Don't even get me started on vibrato on bends....

Yeah and what's annoying is my ear is pretty good at this point so it's really obvious to me just how off the pitch is.

It's hard because it's whole step bends and the tempo is pretty fast. There's no time to feel in the note, it has to be there like bam. But I'll get it.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Not to derail this thread but I took my foot off the gas in about 2011/12 as far as finding new heavy bands I didn't already care about. Are they top heavy or is every album this good?

Their earlier stuff is nearly on par with WOKMN imo. Their newest album isn't nearly as good as their previous work imo. It still has some very heavy parts, but it's definitely leaning more into a proggier/melodic vibe than previous albums.

 

[BenjaminW]

I've been on a big Beatles bender recently. I started playing because of them and only wanted to learn Beatles songs when I started playing, but I never thought I was good enough to learn any of their songs then.

Recently, I made a list of Beatles songs I wanted to learn and have just chipping away at that, just so I can have something new to play and learn, and it's been a lot of fun.

 

[Metaloaf]

After a 5-6 year hiatus from guitar, Ive just been working on interpreting voice melodies (and other things I can fit in) from songs that challenge and feel good to me. With metal always being in my hearth, Ive found that although I love getting technical and fancy, I really enjoy just focusing on the music itself regardless of genre. Not the theory or complexity of it, but the minute details of a voice line with the changes in pitch, vibrato, etc., and the rhythmic accompaniment of basslines, keys, etc.
So basically interpreting voice melodies as if they were to be played on an instrument (guitar in this case). Sometimes theyre simple/easy enough, but often times theres little details that could go unnoticed but make the melody what it is, and I find other interpretations dont quite take it into account. Like, is one thing to get the right notes but another to get the movement and timing of that voice line accurately and true to the song.
Otherwise Im just noodling around to nothing or trying to learn songs that are awesome but too hard or time consuming for me to focus on.

 

[Lorcan Ward]

I have been practicing some original solos that I am not looking forward to recording. Recording solos is where you unlearn how to play guitar with every failed take and it’s easily my least favourite thing about making music.

This is exactly what I'm working on in "Blues You Can Use". Bends. The concept of bending is so easy that you think just by knowing what it is and how to do it that you'll just be able to do it right. Nope. Bending to the proper pitch is more challenging than you think... Don't even get me started on vibrato on bends....

Bending and vibrato are two techniques that rely on fluency from regular practice. If you stop playing guitar for a while your bends and vibrato will be less smooth and confident sounding. It takes years to learn properly and then it needs consistent practice to maintain. No other technique degraded quicker, not counting stamina for downpicking since the technique never degrades, only the ability to do it for long periods.

 

[Nicki]

Yeah and what's annoying is my ear is pretty good at this point so it's really obvious to me just how off the pitch is.

It's hard because it's whole step bends and the tempo is pretty fast. There's no time to feel in the note, it has to be there like bam. But I'll get it.

Same. I know I'll get it because it's more about learning how to insticutually get the bend to pitch. I was surprised at how bad my bends actually were until I came to this lesson in my book.I have been practicing some original solos that I am not looking forward to recording. Recording solos is where you unlearn how to play guitar with every failed take and it’s easily my least favourite thing about making music.

Bending and vibrato are two techniques that rely on fluency from regular practice. If you stop playing guitar for a while your bends and vibrato will be less smooth and confident sounding. It takes years to learn properly and then it needs consistent practice to maintain. No other technique degraded quicker, not counting stamina for downpicking since the technique never degrades, only the ability to do it for long periods.

My vibrato has been pretty consistent because I'm conscientious of returning back to pitch while doing a vibrato.

Bending is just one of those nutsoid things where you do it a bunch in your normal playing and bends are just done in passing phrases and sound totally fine. So you start falsely believing you can bend. Then you play a piece where the bends are the most prominent notes and you come to learn that your bends are actually shit because when it's held longer than a quarter note.

So basically, my bends are actually shit lol.

 

[Nicki]

I've been on a big Beatles bender recently. I started playing because of them and only wanted to learn Beatles songs when I started playing, but I never thought I was good enough to learn any of their songs then.

Recently, I made a list of Beatles songs I wanted to learn and have just chipping away at that, just so I can have something new to play and learn, and it's been a lot of fun.

And? We're/Are you good enough to learn them? 😄

 

[Mboogie7]

I’m working on my picking a lot. I want to get more fluid with alternate picking, appregios, string skipping, etc.

Currently I’m working on the solo from “December Flower” from In Flames.

 

[BenjaminW]

And? We're/Are you good enough to learn them? 😄

I mean back then I was shit for a long time! 😄 But now I've been at a point in my playing for a few years or so where I've felt confident enough to learn them. I also decided to go on a big bender because I felt like even though I'm a massive Beatles fan, I only knew how to play a handful of their songs and felt like I should know more. Plus, it's nice to Get Back to a goal I've always had since I started playing.