What Are You Working On??

haoli25
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Fri Jul 31, 2009 5:03 pm

BigBear wrote:

I am really jealous!! I would give up a little technique to learn songs quicker! You have a gift my friend!



I would be all too happy to trade with you. It is a challenge at times and I still have to remind myself to SLOW DOWN, but I am beginning to notice musical subtleties that I had either ignored or skipped over before. It is helping me with both songs in the TARGET program and songs that I have been playing for years.


Lavallee
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Fri Jul 31, 2009 9:16 pm

Bear you were asking me about how long it took me to learn Yesterday. I still do not play it flawlessly. I think that you really know a song when you do not think at all , when there is no hesitation. For example lets take a horse with no name. For a beginner who is not familiar with the chords it is a challenge to do that second chord. But you play it without thinking so it sounds nice and you do not look at the fretborad when you play. This playing really apply to all level of songs that you say you can master. So if it is not perfect it is still in progress. There is a difference in remembering the chord with the fingering and give a good rendering.

Of course some people have more talent and learn faster, but by choice I decided not to be part of that group. ;) Same thing for golf, I want to swing for my money

Marc


cabro
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Fri Jul 31, 2009 11:34 pm

I'm in the process of re-learning "From The Beginning" the right way. I'd been playing the song for years and then had the misfortune of seeing Neil's teaser and then an excellent video of ELP from 1997, showing me just how close (and wrong) I was. Also messing around with an open E version of "Norwegian Wood" and "Friend Of The Devil".


BigBear
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Sat Aug 01, 2009 1:59 am

Lavallee wrote:
Of course some people have more talent and learn faster, but by choice I decided not to be part of that group. ;) Same thing for golf, I want to swing for my money
I'm with you on that. My friends say I get the best bargain in golf because my cost per swing is the lowest! I haven't played to my handicap for so long that my friends now bring a VISA machine when we play so I can pay them by credit card after I lose! :lol:

You make a very good point about learning songs! If you have to think about it, you haven't mastered it! I'm working on If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot and although it is a fairly straight forward song it has a rather tricky picking pattern with forward rolls followed by reverse rolls. I can play the song but I don't have the accents down yet so it doesn't sound right. I guess that's the difference between mechanics and the feel of a song.

I also agree that I wouldn't want to be one of those people who learns songs quickly. What would be the challenge of that? ;-) Of course, who wants to hit your driver 300 yards up the middle every time? Boring!! :lol:


heyjoe
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Mon Aug 17, 2009 8:45 am

Hello

I'm working on classical gas, blackbird, here comes the sun, strong enough, and windy and warm at the moment. As you can probably tell, I'm focussing pretty much on fingerpicking, as its one thing I really really want to learn how to do.

I've picked a few songs as I find that if I work on a few at a time, when I have a breakthrough on one song, it helps on all the songs I'm working on, it also keeps me focussed.

Thanks

Joe


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Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:38 am

Working on "Landslide", "House of the Rising Sun", "Dust In The Wind" and One Step Up" (Bruce Springsteen)for my fingerpicking. I just started lessons again two weeks ago to get back to the theory and Ear training parts. I REALLY REALLY want to get better and transcribing my own songs, so I can focus on the music I want to learn, and to be able to help others out when they get stuck. So, during lessons we are working on running through chord progressions as arpeggios and saying the corresponding Solfege. Very helpful so far in listening for the little parts of the chords. Even the first two weeks have got me a bit more focused on hearing the right thing in a song. I am currently breaking down an old REO Speedwagon tune called "Blazin' Your Own Trail Again". My instructor got me started on the intro and I guessed that it was in the key of D. Now for this weeks homework, I have been trying to breakdown the first couple of verses. Going fairly decent so far. The hardest part for me is being able to tune out the non guitar stuff.... They have things you can buy to play your music through and it will cancel (well reduce) everything but the guitar, but I am unsure of them right now. Plus I should probably just learn to do it the hard way and be better at it.

I'll keep you posted on the REO song if anyone is interested. When I get it finished, I will post the final product for some criticism from the gallery.

Nice thread, have some Karma....

MJ

:P


haoli25
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Mon Aug 17, 2009 2:45 pm

In the TARGET program, I am still working on 'Classical Gas' and I am having a lot of fun with 'Windy and Warm'.

Away from TARGET, I am working on Bach's 'Chaconne' and also on 'Koyunbaba'(this one will take YEARS! lol)

I am also working on AC/DC's 'Highway To Hell' and Metallica's 'ONE'.

For technique, I am working on double pull-offs. Mine had got very sloppy, and I hadn't noticed until I watched Neil on one of the webinars.



Bill


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Mon Aug 17, 2009 3:10 pm

haoli25 wrote:
For technique, I am working on double pull-offs. Mine had got very sloppy, and I hadn't noticed until I watched Neil on one of the webinars.
Yeah, watching Neil play can really make you feel good about your own playing, can't it...... It is fun to watch and something to aspire to though. I find double pull-offs very difficult. The principle is there, it's the execution that lacks.

:laugh:


quincy451
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Mon Aug 17, 2009 4:18 pm

Bear I am with you on not remembering a song. I have Author Smith's guitar boogie down to where I play the whole thing looking at the tab and not make any mistakes. Take away the tab and I get some sections, a page here and there. But can not get the whole thing through. Not sure what to do about that. So I just try to get longer and longer sections from memory.

Next I want to look at classical gas.

But right now I am in the middle of another guitar related project. I am taking my classical and lowering the action. Switching out the plastic nut and saddle for TUSQ and sanding to fit. I got the nut done. Now I need to do the saddle. I went with new materials for they might deliver more sound but also because I can still go back to the unaltered parts.

This is also forcing me to play my steel string...which is a good thing. I will either get past the heavily radiused neck or I will not.


BigBear
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Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:02 pm

quincy451 wrote:
This is also forcing me to play my steel string...which is a good thing. I will either get past the heavily radiused neck or I will not.
Does your steel string have a heavily radiused neck or are you talking about the nylon stringed classical? Maybe I'm spoiled but most higher end steels have really good necks, more like a Stratocaster. That might be something to look at.

Good luck with your luthier work. I really like Tusq because it is so easy to work with and if you screw it up it doesn't cost what a bone nut does to get another one! :cheer:


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