What's everyone working on at the moment?

andrushkiwt said:
What prevents your thumb from moving up and down the back of the neck? is the grip too tight? is it rubbing in a counter-productive way?
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yeah andru i love cherub rock! i want to cover it.

yeah this power chord/octave thing is so frustrating. i think it might be the neck. it has finish on it that's kind of...sticky. my hand wants to go up or down, but then the thumb gets stuck on that sticky neck, so the fingers go where they need to but the thumb drags. it's so annoying. i'm thinking i might have to sand the back of the neck.

my thumb is just like you say, kind of bent backward.

one other question: when you guys are playing a punk style song and changing chords quickly, do you let go early to get to the next chord?
say the pattern is

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 e & a

On that last part (the "a"), do you lift off early to make it to the next chord? I don't see how it's possible to play the "a" and get to the next chord at higher tempos. I watched a youtube video and the guy said everyone lifts off on that beat, but I'm curious to hear if people agree.
 
Nola, just practice more. How long you been playing?

Was playing octave chords in a solo last night. I definitely release a bit of thumb pressure when moving the shape. It's not your neck though, again, just practice.
 
Because you've got a death grip on your neck. Lighten up, you're probably using more pressure than you need. Power chords were meant to be easy to fret and easy to slide up and down the neck. Slow it down and practice.
 
Funny, when I play my thumb doesn't touch the back of the neck at all. It hangs over the top and plays bass notes here and there.
 
JDOD said:
Nola, just practice more. How long you been playing?

Was playing octave chords in a solo last night. I definitely release a bit of thumb pressure when moving the shape. It's not your neck though, again, just practice.
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I've been playin' a while but then went years where i didn't play at all and completely lost it -- when i picked it back up i played like a neanderthal.
so i've only been relearning things for 4 months with any kind of daily, rigorous practice routine. it's been going well and surprisingly i've had an easier time relearning leads and things like that vs sliding power chords or changing power chords very fast (like 180bpm punk stuff i can't change them fast enough still and find myself lifting off the chord early to make the next chords). i'm going to work on them a lot over the next few days and see how it goes.

do you think finish on the neck can make drag when sliding chords? i don't feel like i have a death grip. if my guitar is holding me back that will be annoying and i'll have to sand it. i like the matte type neck and this one has a sticky finish on it that bugs me. i hoped playing it would make it come off but so far that's not happening.
 
Nola said:
I watched a youtube video and the guy said everyone lifts off on that beat, but I'm curious to hear if people agree.
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It sounds like the best bet is to do practices. No one can really relate on a forum anything that is going to help you improve as much as practicing on your own will. You won't get a sudden tip that makes playing that much easier. Unless the neck of your guitar is made of needles and glue, i don't think it's much of an obstacle. Devote a few hours every day, if you can. You can do "drills" and "warm up" stuff too...i do some of those before sitting down to record a take. At some point, your mental map of the fret board will become more instinctive and natural...but that only comes with time.
 
Nola said:
I've been playin' a while but then went years where i didn't play at all and completely lost it -- when i picked it back up i played like a neanderthal.
so i've only been relearning things for 4 months with any kind of daily, rigorous practice routine. it's been going well and surprisingly i've had an easier time relearning leads and things like that vs sliding power chords or changing power chords very fast (like 180bpm punk stuff i can't change them fast enough still and find myself lifting off the chord early to make the next chords). i'm going to work on them a lot over the next few days and see how it goes.

do you think finish on the neck can make drag when sliding chords? i don't feel like i have a death grip. if my guitar is holding me back that will be annoying and i'll have to sand it. i like the matte type neck and this one has a sticky finish on it that bugs me. i hoped playing it would make it come off but so far that's not happening.
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Your problem is not your guitar. It's you. Practice more. You've got very basic, rudimentary things tripping you up. It's not that hard.
 
Your guitar might not be great but I won't be the main factor. Just keep practise, more
You'll get there.

Try playing motorbreath my Metallica. That's all fast power chord changes and fast rhythm too. I remember struggling with that when I was learning. Another song I liked to practice on was the riff from Know Your Ememy by RATM - quick powerchord changes and you need to be accurate.
 
Greg_L said:
Your problem is not your guitar. It's you. Practice more. You've got very basic, rudimentary things tripping you up. It's not that hard.
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Greg, this is what I'm talking about with the last milliseconds of a bar. It's not really the "a" of a 16th note...it's after that, I think, just a quick open chord to make the change on time. See the 3:15 mark. This guy says it's common to all strumming.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhVMJrecrNo

Do you disagree with what he's saying and think the chord should be held entirely through the measure? If so, how do you change to the next chord on the 1 beat at high tempos?

I also noticed I don't have any problems sliding power chords like I was saying. It's more localized to that Cherub Rock intro when he slides the octave from the 11tth to 12th fret and back down. It's mostly just that one part.
 
JDOD said:
Your guitar might not be great but I won't be the main factor. Just keep practise, more
You'll get there.

Try playing motorbreath my Metallica. That's all fast power chord changes and fast rhythm too. I remember struggling with that when I was learning. Another song I liked to practice on was the riff from Know Your Ememy by RATM - quick powerchord changes and you need to be accurate.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Jdod. Maybe you can watch the 3:15 mark of that video above and see if you do that quick open chord, too. He says it's normal...I do it instinctively but feel guilty about it, but I can't get to the next chord without doing it.
 
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