I beg for advice

  • Thread starter Thread starter austinm08
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austinm08

austinm08

the pigeon knows the way.
I'm a newbie at recording/writing/performing...

but I have been for a while. I feel like I can't progress. It could be because I haven't taken any formal lessons.. and it's just me teaching myself. Who knows..

Is this any good or is it worthless crap? It's just the beginning of a song.



The bass is just my electric.. both parts were recorded direct from a Fender Frontman 25R. And also the third part you hear later.

Any tips (vocals, arrangement, guitar.. overall quality) would be greatly appreciated. Don't be afraid of hurting my feelings. :)
 
austinm08 said:
I'm a newbie at recording/writing/performing...

but I have been for a while. I feel like I can't progress. It could be because I haven't taken any formal lessons.. and it's just me teaching myself. Who knows..

Is this any good or is it worthless crap? It's just the beginning of a song.



The bass is just my electric.. both parts were recorded direct from a Fender Frontman 25R. And also the third part you hear later.

Any tips (vocals, arrangement, guitar.. overall quality) would be greatly appreciated. Don't be afraid of hurting my feelings. :)
Click to expand...

Worthless? I'd say no.......rough.....yes. But, you have the seed of an idea and there is no reason not to go forward with it....lots of people teach themselves...and have very good results. Just keep pickin' at it and do yourself a favor by putting yourself in the company of those who can smoke your ass....you will leave there with a new lick or a new take on something...you can't learn from people that are on the same level as yourself. Don't be afraid to step out and take some chances....the better guys may make fun of you they may try to help...either way , you go home with something you did not have before......cheers :D
 
Thanks for replying and for the advice. I go to this open mic night at a pizza place almost every Thursday and get to see some talented people play.. I leave wishing I could play like them. heh

It's like.. all I know how to do is to play straight simple chords.. maybe adding in a couple extra notes with hammerons.. it's like I'm at a loss for understanding what(or how) everybody does(what they do) to sound so good. Oh well.

Life goes on.
 
austinm08 said:
Thanks for replying and for the advice. I go to this open mic night at a pizza place almost every Thursday and get to see some talented people play.. I leave wishing I could play like them. heh

It's like.. all I know how to do is to play straight simple chords.. maybe adding in a couple extra notes with hammerons.. it's like I'm at a loss for understanding what(or how) everybody does(what they do) to sound so good. Oh well.

Life goes on.
Click to expand...

Just keep chipping at it........ain't no mystery really....you only have 12 notes, just a matter of putting the right ones together :D
 
Patience my friend! Don't put yourself down like that! Just buy an excercise book and practice it consistently. Learn a song that is NOT easy for you. When you finally learn then you go to the next level. It takes years to master the guitar. I've been playing guitar since 6th grade(I'm a college freshman) and I haven't really mastered the guitar because of the attitude you are having right now. Back in the day I would play then give up for 4 or 5 months because it wasn't "easy". It was like that for a while, then one day I devoted myself to learn Fade to Black and I did! Then I learned the solo for it and then I put myself down and gave it up for a while and then like a year ago I really got into it for good. Don't make that mistake. There is a guy that has been playing for only about 3 years and he kicks my ass! Why? Well he took lessons, but it wasn't the lessons that helped him, the lessons forced him to be consistent which was something I didn't do. SO keep at it dude! ;)
 
austinm08 said:
It's like.. all I know how to do is to play straight simple chords.. maybe adding in a couple extra notes with hammerons.. it's like I'm at a loss for understanding what(or how) everybody does(what they do) to sound so good. Oh well.

Life goes on.
Click to expand...

Are you looking for song-writing help or recording help?

I love the electric guitar sound in the clip, and the levels seem fine, so I'm gonna assume you're doing okay at translating your ideas into a mix.

As for song-writing, Simple chords = best chords. I mean it. When you begin to unravel complex melodies, most are structured around a handful of basic chords. The advantage of playing in a band is you can take that structure and build on it. Having said that, I apply the following theory to pretty much every song:

If it cant be stripped down to one guitar, it'll never be a great song. Purely because the majority of fantastic songs are spawned form someone strumming chords, or sitting at a piano.

I dunno if you're familiar with Martin Guitars' advertising campaign; its pretty good, it features lyrics of songs that are now epic and outlines how each was spawned on an acoustic guitar. There really is a wealth of stuff born of one person playing a few chords.

What I'm trying to say is that you have everything you need to make good music. Alot of people apply the phrase ''1% inspiration, 99% perspiration''. I think when it comes to the creative process of music, its 99% inspiration, 1& perspiration.

My two cents.
 
Thanks guys.. Tele and myhatbroke.. and jpw.. you guys are very encouraging.. I feel better now..

I think I have the skill.. I just don't exactly know how to use it maybe. I realized I am able to play the intro for Drive by Incubus.. so that boosted my confidence a little bit.

Anyway, I'll keep at it. You guys have been a great help :)
 
Austin, definitely keep at it. Your song is rough, and the guitars are a little out of tune, but you have a nice voice and with a little bit of developing you could seriously impress yourself. If you have the money, I'd suggest formal vocal and guitar lessons. If not, do all that you can to surround yourelf with positive people who aren't afraid to give you constructive criticism (this site is a great place to start). You definitely have talent in the making, I wish I was where you are now when I was 17 years old.

Keep up the good work, and don't give up!
 
Man, I wasn't even allowed to have/own/learn/play an instrument at your age.
Get amingst it.
this snippet is the kernel of a good song. Needs work but then again so do my shoes.
Get in & finish it. the guitar sounds good & all the other comments above ppoint in the single common direction of GO FORTH & MUSICIFY.
 
danny83 said:
Austin, definitely keep at it. Your song is rough, and the guitars are a little out of tune, but you have a nice voice and with a little bit of developing you could seriously impress yourself. If you have the money, I'd suggest formal vocal and guitar lessons. If not, do all that you can to surround yourelf with positive people who aren't afraid to give you constructive criticism (this site is a great place to start). You definitely have talent in the making, I wish I was where you are now when I was 17 years old.

Keep up the good work, and don't give up!
Click to expand...

I've got to agree with danny. The tone of your voice is excellent, and it's a great start on a song. I'd also agree with vocal lessons - they'll help you sing on pitch, teach you to add definition and clarity to your words, etc. It's hard to teach yourself that stuff. If you can afford guitar lessons, do those too, but it's easier to teach yourself to play guitar than it is to teach yourself to sing.

But yeah, CERTAINLY don't give up. There's a difference between lack of talent and lack of polish. I think your situation right now is more about polish and confidence than it is talent - you've got some great possibilities ahead of you, so keep pluggin'! :)

~Jon
 
i agree with all of the above. you have plenty of talent, the rest is work and persistence.

cool song btw.
 
I wish I could listen, but I am on a pc without speakers, and when I tried my headphones, I couldn't get any sound out of the soundcard. Some days you're the windshield, some days the bug.

But from what I am reading from some very respected names, it sounds like you are on to something. Keep in going.

I'm glad that no one said "quit while you're ahead".
Good luck!
 
...If you can sing and play Anything simultaniously, you're better than I am, hell, I can't even sing!.. :(

I play somewhat.. But I started at some10 years old and I'm now 32..
You're almost half my age. ...shit, if you take it to practise, you'll probably sink me into a swamp in a year..

EVERYTHING is about practice. ..there are no natural-born gifts.
Slight physical advances, probably, but no-one is born with talents well honed.

Learn them chords--> a couple of scales-->play, play with radio, friends or by yourself, just play.--->play some more.

dabble your fingers to change notes within a chord-->new chord
WATCH what the hell your perhaps better guitarist-friends are doing
WATCH always the fingers on the board when you get a chance.
..after you have learned doublepicking properly, ofcourse. ..etc.
 
I've been really busy, lately, but I came back to this and read all of the replies I hadn't seen before.

Thanks everyone for your support! Maybe I'll look into getting some voice lessons. I've thought about that before. I also want to take some guitar lessons.
 
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