Need skills... help

[BlindCowboy]

Ah, That's the secret. And all this time i've been drinking monkey extract and soaking my fingertips in almond butter, as suggested by the local buddist monk.

I don't think that monk even plays guitar.

Blind Cowboy...

 

[Dakota]

This is all very good advice. The only thing I would add is that most rock solos are pentatonic, so speed within and between the 5 pentatonic boxes is crucial.

Finding Chords: I find the chords in a song by playing the bass notes. Simple as that. I can hear the low root easily. Major or minor chords with no 'extra' notes are easiest to find.


MrStitch, what part of SD are you from? I lived in Sioux Falls for 22 years.

 

[Dakota]

If you don't mind my asking, that is!

 

[guitarjesus]

When it comes to music, it's an ear thing. If you have that ear thing everything else is easy.

You know when you have that ear thing, because that is what keeps you going back to picking up the guitar. Because you want to hear that beautiful TONE.

Thank god for that, because it lets us practice at home with other peoples recordings. You can play with your favorite band, and compare your playing.

First you should know the differnet scales and chords, and the different keys. But, after that it is up to your ear. So, if you hear a song and you can find the key it is in then you are a real guitar player. Because that is how songs are made. So, keep practicing with the radio, that is the best way.

 

[MrStitch]

Crappy Mitchell, South Dakota.

yup... big music scene here...

uh hu.... sure is.... some day =)

 

[Dakota]

Ah, Mitchell! I've been thru there a few times on my way west!

 

[Cyrokk]

So here's the deal...... Our band has a few originals worked up, and I have some really good IDEA'S for leads. I can hear 'em in my head, but they completely fall apart when applied to the fret board. Obviously I just need more practice.

I agree that you need to practice scales, and to do good solos in a rock context you need to get that pentatonic (blues) scale down, both major and minor, as well as learn the fingerings of modes, particularly mixolydian, phrygian, and locrian for metal.

However, in my personal experience, although I can play these things to my heart's content, when doing tasteful solos I pretty much forget the majority of the scale work. I suggest you take those compositions your band wrote and play them hundreds of times, soloing over them using the various scales you learned until you find a FEW key notes to work with. With those notes in mind, move around them, concentrating more on phrasing and feel. Get that vibrato working. Remember to hold some notes over and drop in some breaks and rests. Don't follow the rhythm but contrast it (for example, try to play slower during faster songs, and vice versa) and fluctuate between pushing the speed and dragging the notes through the song.

Seriously, just noodling on a solo will 9 times out of 10 yield crapass results. Actually composing a solo, note for note, will leave the impression that you not only know what you are doing, but that your heart is behind it. Furthermore, by having a note-for-note solo written, you have just provided a framework that you can noodle within and still come out sounding great. In the end, what really counts in music is the impression you leave on others, not whether you can play all the scales in all keys.

Cy

 

[Scottgman]

God damn... this minor pentatonic scale is kicking my ass.

MrStitch, if all this scale talk seems a little overwhelming, just focus most of your attention on that first position.

Seriously, you can get a ton of guitar solo mileage out of that first position of a scale. After a while, you will get bored with that-- and you should. If every solo you write never strays from that first position, you will sound one dimensional. So, I'm not saying "ignore" the other positions. The other positions give you different flavors of the same notes.

When I'm improvising, or just messing around trying to get a feel for what I want to do with a guitar solo, I almost always start with that first position.

Also, I think good old pen and paper really helps when you are learning this stuff. If you aren't sure about what key a song is in, write down the chords on paper (E, A, B, etc.) and then write down different keys:


"Hmm, I think this might be Emin (a good starting point if you are playing metal), let's see Emin is: E F# G A B C D. Looks like that E A B chord progression might be in the key of Emin."

Hell, now you are half-way there! Bust out that first position pentatonic minor scale, start on the 12th fret, and play what you feel.

The other tough thing to work out is playing a scale without sounding like you are playing a scale. Throw in lots of bends, hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, and skip notes. That stuff will keep it sounding interesting.

 

[Scottgman]

I don't know a single thing about A7b, or whatever the hell else you guys are talking about..

This is where I think writing stuff down on paper really helps. If you want to know what an A7 chord is, write down the key of A major:

A(1) B(2) C#(3) D(4) E(5) F#(6) G#(7)

The forumla for a 7th chord (it's actually a Dominant 7th): 1, 3, 5, b7

So an A7 = A(1) C#(3) E(5) G(b7)

 

[MrStitch]

well... it's been day 3 (i think) since i started on these scales.

I'm working on the minor pentatonic... and decided to switch on and off with an Ionian Mode scale...

That really screws with my fingering =)

But... so far so good. Don't have them down perfect yet, and probably never will.
I'm a perfectionist when it comes to getting that last little "pluck", or extra accident note, out of the final run =)

I noticed that it also helps to take a break, and type something like this, once and a while.... I usually come back kicking ass.

weird =)

Thanks guys

 

[Dakota]

Taking frequent breaks is an excellent way to learn new skills. When I was learning, I would watch tv and play only during the commercials. 3 minutes of playing at a time was plenty and the tv show would get my mind off what I was trying to learn. This seamed to really help the muscle memory in my fingers.

 

[lotuscent]

Taking frequent breaks is an excellent way to learn new skills. When I was learning, I would watch tv and play only during the commercials. 3 minutes of playing at a time was plenty and the tv show would get my mind off what I was trying to learn. This seamed to really help the muscle memory in my fingers.

Taking breaks is cool, but I think learning to maintain a longer focus is very important. I agree that overdoing it is counterproductive - I think consistency is really the key... but consistently doing three minutes and then resting for 10 or so...? Sounds like your training a short attention span.

 

[Dakota]

You've got a point, but I only took the breaks when I was learning. My fingers were not physically strong enough to play longer than 3 minutes. (It didn't help that I had an acoustic guitar with poorly set action.)

As I learned and as my fingers got strongs, I gradualy increased my playtime. Now, I often play 20+ songs non-stop...

 

[MrStitch]

20+ eh?
Suppose you could move back to soo foo and just come down with my drummer to be my lead guitarist? hahah

That would cut out a couple years of learning for me =)

 

[Dakota]

LOL!

Actually, I'll be back in SF in November, but I'm moving to Seattle WA in the spring. I'm going to try the music scene up there. I know there's only a slight chance of makin it, but I've got to try- at least for a year or two.

 

[MrStitch]

gunna have to send me an e'mail when ya get in. =)


mrstitch66@mit.midco.net

 

[Dakota]

Cool man. I'll shout out to ya on the email.

 

[lotuscent]

LOL!

Actually, I'll be back in SF in November, but I'm moving to Seattle WA in the spring. I'm going to try the music scene up there.

I used to live in SF - from 92-95. Slogged through quite a few gigs and bands that amounted to nothing... hard scene at the time when all the metalheads were being reborn as "modern rockers" with new haircuts...

I have been playing pro in Alaska since then - good money up here but the scene is dying as AK is getting more and more conservative, demographics are changing. Most of the clubs are dong lots of DJ nights...

I was thinking about checking out Seattle... I've met quite a few touring guys from there who make it up here in the summer... I bet the competition is brutal and the pay is low, but at least i may find great players there.

what's your take?

 

[Dakota]

Finding great players is exactly why I chose Seattle, lotuscent. I'd like to form a small band or maybe just team up with a poet to write the words for my songs.

(BTW, by SF, I meant Sioux Falls... just in case you were thinking San Fransisco.)

I have considered all the big music centers (as I know them), LA, Chicago, Nashville, and NY. And with my style, I'd fit in best in Seattle. Don't know if you'd call it alternative, because what was alternative became mainstream in a way.

I've got a folk/funky/blues thing goin for me. Really difficult to narrow down to one style. And my sound evolves into something new every few months.

I've been listening to a lot of techno lately, so I'm sure that will work it's way into my playing soon!

 

[lotuscent]

Yeah, I did think San Francisco...