After my brief stint without an amp, I've gone ahead and replaced it with the Orange Crush PIX 20 LDX that I was looking at. I kind of love the thing. It's not too loud, it's got a boatload of effects, it's really nice. It's a very proper, british sounding amp. Next time, I'll probably get something a little more bluesie, but right now, I couldn't be happier.
I'm getting back on track with Justin Guitar, which I'm pretty happy about. I did the Power Chords lesson, and got a lot out of it - based on that, I'm learning the fretboard and lots of theory. It's good stuff. To me, that one little thing is the most important lesson I can walk away with - which frets are which notes, etc. The power chords themselves are dead simple - it's one shape, and it can do ALL of them - there's, like, 11 of them. And, I've been doing exercises - the finger gym and the picking exercise.
I've also picked up a few new songs I'm learning. Not doing overly well with them, but learning. Mr Jones by Counting Crows, and an old celtic song, Johnny Jump Up.
Still not getting as much chance to practice as I used to, but I'm at least sticking to daily practice, and doing as much as I can.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Unplugged
Well, hello, everyone reading my poor, neglected blog. It's been a long time, but I'm still here, still learning, and still getting better. Sort of.
There's lots of news in my world these days. I gave my wife's brother his amp back - my intention was to go down to Steve's and pick up either an Orange Crush Pix 20 LDX, or a VOX DA-5. However, both were out of stock, and I wanted to play some and pick the one that I liked best. They have an Orange Crush in now, but no VOX. I'm tempted to just go and buy the Orange, as I don't think it's a decision I'll regret, but it's a bit more money than I have saved at the moment. It's also a bit more amp than I really need, but at the same time, it'll last me until they pry the guitar out of my cold, dead hands.
So, I'm without an amp, and back on the acoustic. And honestly, I think it's a good thing, this switching back & forth. I have a bit more fun on the electric, but the acoustic DOES make me a better player - I can't cheat to get something to sound right. If I play it right, it sounds good, if I play it poorly, it sounds like sheer hell.
I'm also on (as of today) to songs that feature F in a major way - specifically, Counting Crows Mr Jones. Awesome song, but F is everywhere in it. Which is good - I need the practice in transitioning to/from F in a song - it's much harder in a song than it is doing an exercise like the 1 minute changes.
Also, I'm trying to get back on course with doing proper exercises. Not so much with the 1 minute changes - after I managed to make F work with 1 minute changes in a decent way, I kind of abandoned it. But, I've replaced it with something Justin calls the "finger gym", and also, a picking exercise for picking individual strings. The picking one is a little boring, but I know it's necessary, but the finger gym - oooh, that one hurts. I can't even get through the whole thing before my hand starts to hurt. At that point, I stop so I don't injure myself. It's a pretty hurtie exercise, but is good for getting your fingers to work independently. Also for finger strength. Hopefully it's worth it.
Anyway, I've not been improving with the break-neck speed of when I first started - but that's to be expected. I guess most people plateau, and get discouraged. I'm not discouraged, however I AM having trouble finding the time to get in a practice. I'm trying to do things to inspire myself, though - we just recently got a guitar rack for the electric - one of the wall hanging ones. So my electric's out for all the world to see now, and I can't sit on the couch without my eye being drawn to it. It makes me want to practice, which is awesome - but it's also making me want to practice on IT, and, without an amp, it's not going to happen.
So, that's the state of my world. Things are good, still learning and improving, though more slowly now. Added more exercises to my routine, but ignoring some older ones which I shouldn't. I'll probably get back to those once I learn some new chords, and really need the one-minute-changes.
Also, I'm really chomping at the bit to learn scales - I haven't learned any yet, but the minor pentatonic scale is up soon. It's the Blues scale, so I'm very excited. Hopefully one day soon, I'll start to learn how music... works... the theory, which I know absolutely nothing about. I think that's it for now - but I'm going to try to update here more often (though I'm not sure if that will actually happen).
There's lots of news in my world these days. I gave my wife's brother his amp back - my intention was to go down to Steve's and pick up either an Orange Crush Pix 20 LDX, or a VOX DA-5. However, both were out of stock, and I wanted to play some and pick the one that I liked best. They have an Orange Crush in now, but no VOX. I'm tempted to just go and buy the Orange, as I don't think it's a decision I'll regret, but it's a bit more money than I have saved at the moment. It's also a bit more amp than I really need, but at the same time, it'll last me until they pry the guitar out of my cold, dead hands.
So, I'm without an amp, and back on the acoustic. And honestly, I think it's a good thing, this switching back & forth. I have a bit more fun on the electric, but the acoustic DOES make me a better player - I can't cheat to get something to sound right. If I play it right, it sounds good, if I play it poorly, it sounds like sheer hell.
I'm also on (as of today) to songs that feature F in a major way - specifically, Counting Crows Mr Jones. Awesome song, but F is everywhere in it. Which is good - I need the practice in transitioning to/from F in a song - it's much harder in a song than it is doing an exercise like the 1 minute changes.
Also, I'm trying to get back on course with doing proper exercises. Not so much with the 1 minute changes - after I managed to make F work with 1 minute changes in a decent way, I kind of abandoned it. But, I've replaced it with something Justin calls the "finger gym", and also, a picking exercise for picking individual strings. The picking one is a little boring, but I know it's necessary, but the finger gym - oooh, that one hurts. I can't even get through the whole thing before my hand starts to hurt. At that point, I stop so I don't injure myself. It's a pretty hurtie exercise, but is good for getting your fingers to work independently. Also for finger strength. Hopefully it's worth it.
Anyway, I've not been improving with the break-neck speed of when I first started - but that's to be expected. I guess most people plateau, and get discouraged. I'm not discouraged, however I AM having trouble finding the time to get in a practice. I'm trying to do things to inspire myself, though - we just recently got a guitar rack for the electric - one of the wall hanging ones. So my electric's out for all the world to see now, and I can't sit on the couch without my eye being drawn to it. It makes me want to practice, which is awesome - but it's also making me want to practice on IT, and, without an amp, it's not going to happen.
So, that's the state of my world. Things are good, still learning and improving, though more slowly now. Added more exercises to my routine, but ignoring some older ones which I shouldn't. I'll probably get back to those once I learn some new chords, and really need the one-minute-changes.
Also, I'm really chomping at the bit to learn scales - I haven't learned any yet, but the minor pentatonic scale is up soon. It's the Blues scale, so I'm very excited. Hopefully one day soon, I'll start to learn how music... works... the theory, which I know absolutely nothing about. I think that's it for now - but I'm going to try to update here more often (though I'm not sure if that will actually happen).
Friday, July 30, 2010
Still working on F
F is slowly killing me. But I'm getting it. I can do a fairly decent change now from C to F, finally, so there's progress. I'm working on some new songs, and trying to work on the hardest ones I can. That C-F change? My latest song does that change, like, 5 times in a row, then switches it up a bit, and back to C-F for a bit.
My practice schedule - I briefly got it back on track, and then dropped it to do nothing but changes from C to F, and back. I'll do just that change for, like, 20 minutes or so, then switch up to a couple of exercises. So I'm still practicing, and working it out. And it seems to be progress - slow, agonizing progress. But moving forward, slowly though it may be.
I think I'm working towards cresting the F hurdle, though. Apparently it's a rite of passage - it's also a work in progress, for me.
My practice schedule - I briefly got it back on track, and then dropped it to do nothing but changes from C to F, and back. I'll do just that change for, like, 20 minutes or so, then switch up to a couple of exercises. So I'm still practicing, and working it out. And it seems to be progress - slow, agonizing progress. But moving forward, slowly though it may be.
I think I'm working towards cresting the F hurdle, though. Apparently it's a rite of passage - it's also a work in progress, for me.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
F... I'm getting it.
So, I have a bunch of random stuff to report.
F sucks. Starting to do the 1 minute changes. Yes, just starting - the last few weeks have been completely insane. Starting to calm down now - those two really stressful things? One is behind me, the other I'm in the process of. Hopefully I'll be able to get back on track shortly.
So, I'm way behind in practice. I have been just playing (not doing any exercises, just playing "music", for certain values of music) for about 20 minutes, and that's generally all I can manage. I need to get back on track with a practice routing that includes EXERCISES. The problem is they are no fun.
I did a full practice today - including my exercises (the finger exercises, as well as the 1 minute changes and basic chord practice), so, that's good, I guess.
I *finally* figured out what I've been doing wrong with F - I needed to choke-up on it a bit, so my barre is starting at my first knuckle, instead of ending with my fingertip. With my fingertip, the B string falls in a crack of a knuckle, and ends up muted, but this way, everything sounds great. And I'm starting to be able to do it semi-quickly. I've noticed improvement even since last night.
So, going better than it was, and seeing improvement again, instead of just hanging on.
F sucks. Starting to do the 1 minute changes. Yes, just starting - the last few weeks have been completely insane. Starting to calm down now - those two really stressful things? One is behind me, the other I'm in the process of. Hopefully I'll be able to get back on track shortly.
So, I'm way behind in practice. I have been just playing (not doing any exercises, just playing "music", for certain values of music) for about 20 minutes, and that's generally all I can manage. I need to get back on track with a practice routing that includes EXERCISES. The problem is they are no fun.
I did a full practice today - including my exercises (the finger exercises, as well as the 1 minute changes and basic chord practice), so, that's good, I guess.
I *finally* figured out what I've been doing wrong with F - I needed to choke-up on it a bit, so my barre is starting at my first knuckle, instead of ending with my fingertip. With my fingertip, the B string falls in a crack of a knuckle, and ends up muted, but this way, everything sounds great. And I'm starting to be able to do it semi-quickly. I've noticed improvement even since last night.
So, going better than it was, and seeing improvement again, instead of just hanging on.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Back from the dead
So, it's been a few weeks. I've been stressed and running around like an idiot.
Of the 5 most stressful things a person can do, I'm currently in the middle of two of them, so my free time has taken a bit of a dive. But I digress...
I've been working on F, trying to make a decent one I can just hit. Not making much progress on that front - mostly because my practice routine has gone in the toilet. I'm practicing once per day, if I'm lucky. I would like to get it back to twice per day, but I don't know at what point that will happen. So, I can pull an F, but I can't switch to/from it - I need to start doing 1 minute changes that are F based, but haven't had time to really get into it.
On another front, though, I found that I can do the finger-picking Robyn left me with at our last jam session, and miraculously, I have made progress on that front. Don't know how - without practice - but I'll take it.
Anyways, the rest of my day awaits - I'll try to say more next week. And hopefully things will start to calm down in the next week or so, though it's entirely possible that the opposite will happen.
Of the 5 most stressful things a person can do, I'm currently in the middle of two of them, so my free time has taken a bit of a dive. But I digress...
I've been working on F, trying to make a decent one I can just hit. Not making much progress on that front - mostly because my practice routine has gone in the toilet. I'm practicing once per day, if I'm lucky. I would like to get it back to twice per day, but I don't know at what point that will happen. So, I can pull an F, but I can't switch to/from it - I need to start doing 1 minute changes that are F based, but haven't had time to really get into it.
On another front, though, I found that I can do the finger-picking Robyn left me with at our last jam session, and miraculously, I have made progress on that front. Don't know how - without practice - but I'll take it.
Anyways, the rest of my day awaits - I'll try to say more next week. And hopefully things will start to calm down in the next week or so, though it's entirely possible that the opposite will happen.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Jammin... and I saw my Holy Grail of a guitar
So, my friend Robyn came over on Saturday, and we talked music and had a bit of a jam session. It was fun! And I learned a lot. My fingers still hurt, though - we played for a long time. It was on the electric this time, so it wasn't so bad, but man - still hurts.
She left me some notes on some blues progressions - there's the same chord progressions that Justin is teaching, which she had something similar/identical to, but, more interestingly, she also had the lead guitar part to it as well. I was looking at that yesterday, and going through it, and actually doing pretty well. My first swing I got confused - it's the same exact pattern, for a very, very long time, but at certain points it goes up or down a string. I didn't notice this at first, and was thinking "man, it doesn't sound as cool when I do it - I wonder why....". Then I had a eureka moment and figured it out, and everything made sense. That was really cool.
Apparently my swing/shuffle is just about right, too. The twangie problem seems to be a few things - the new strings, the acoustic itself (it sounds much cooler on the electric), and not a problem with my technique, as such. And Robyn seemed to think my rhythm had improved tremendously, which is good - that seems to be something I was struggling with. She also talked a lot about theory, which made my head spin - she knows a lot, and I had a pretty terrible experience with a music teacher in the dim distant past, so didn't care about or remember anything, so I think my eyes may have glazed over as she talked waaaaay above my level. Anyways, it was really good, and I learned a lot. I'm looking forward to life-type things slowing down a bit so I can schedule something like that on a regular basis.
So, Friday... I found myself in downtown Toronto, and ended up dropping by Steve's Music Store. Mostly, I was looking at amps - my guitar is great, and my amp is great, but the guitar is mine, and with the amp, I'm living on borrowed time. My gal's brother may want it back at any time - though I suspect I've got it for at least another 6 months. Anyways, I was looking. And, since I was there, I couldn't help but look at guitars, as well.
Gibson 1959 Les Paul Reissue with '59 Burstbuckers in the Iced Tea finish. Actually, they didn't have the 59, they had the 58, but close enough. I was in awe at it's sheer awesome. Of course, I don't deserve anything remotely approaching that quality of guitar, and won't for probably another 10 years, but it was nice to look at. Besides, I love my guitar, and it will be quite some time until I outgrow it - if I ever do. Still, it was nice to look & drool.
Note: Why the '59 Les Paul? Lots of reasons. Les Paul himself was pretty awesome. Inventor / musician, he did a lot of cool stuff. Musically he was less interesting to me - Country/Jazz, but he was really cool, and the story behind the Les Paul guitar is pretty funny. Why the 59? Two reasons - many, many people call the 59 Les Paul the pinnacle of the Les Paul style guitar, for looks, playability, and sound. Secondly, it is what Jimmy Page used as his signature guitar, and the man is musically my hero.
Overall, I'm continuing to improve, and still having boat-loads of fun at it. It's fantastic stress relief, too, which is a good thing.
She left me some notes on some blues progressions - there's the same chord progressions that Justin is teaching, which she had something similar/identical to, but, more interestingly, she also had the lead guitar part to it as well. I was looking at that yesterday, and going through it, and actually doing pretty well. My first swing I got confused - it's the same exact pattern, for a very, very long time, but at certain points it goes up or down a string. I didn't notice this at first, and was thinking "man, it doesn't sound as cool when I do it - I wonder why....". Then I had a eureka moment and figured it out, and everything made sense. That was really cool.
Apparently my swing/shuffle is just about right, too. The twangie problem seems to be a few things - the new strings, the acoustic itself (it sounds much cooler on the electric), and not a problem with my technique, as such. And Robyn seemed to think my rhythm had improved tremendously, which is good - that seems to be something I was struggling with. She also talked a lot about theory, which made my head spin - she knows a lot, and I had a pretty terrible experience with a music teacher in the dim distant past, so didn't care about or remember anything, so I think my eyes may have glazed over as she talked waaaaay above my level. Anyways, it was really good, and I learned a lot. I'm looking forward to life-type things slowing down a bit so I can schedule something like that on a regular basis.
So, Friday... I found myself in downtown Toronto, and ended up dropping by Steve's Music Store. Mostly, I was looking at amps - my guitar is great, and my amp is great, but the guitar is mine, and with the amp, I'm living on borrowed time. My gal's brother may want it back at any time - though I suspect I've got it for at least another 6 months. Anyways, I was looking. And, since I was there, I couldn't help but look at guitars, as well.
Gibson 1959 Les Paul Reissue with '59 Burstbuckers in the Iced Tea finish. Actually, they didn't have the 59, they had the 58, but close enough. I was in awe at it's sheer awesome. Of course, I don't deserve anything remotely approaching that quality of guitar, and won't for probably another 10 years, but it was nice to look at. Besides, I love my guitar, and it will be quite some time until I outgrow it - if I ever do. Still, it was nice to look & drool.
Note: Why the '59 Les Paul? Lots of reasons. Les Paul himself was pretty awesome. Inventor / musician, he did a lot of cool stuff. Musically he was less interesting to me - Country/Jazz, but he was really cool, and the story behind the Les Paul guitar is pretty funny. Why the 59? Two reasons - many, many people call the 59 Les Paul the pinnacle of the Les Paul style guitar, for looks, playability, and sound. Secondly, it is what Jimmy Page used as his signature guitar, and the man is musically my hero.
Overall, I'm continuing to improve, and still having boat-loads of fun at it. It's fantastic stress relief, too, which is a good thing.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
12 Bar Blues\b\b\b\b\bCountry?
....the hell?
So, Justin's course - I'm at the Rhythm Guitar stage where I'm learning about the Blues Shuffle. Awesome. Basic 12 bar blues progressions. Awesome. Got three of them down - A, G & E (E has the B chord in it a couple of times - I don't know B yet, so I'm substituting D, and it sounds all right, but that's the only thing I'm fudging).
The problem is, it doesn't sound really bluesey... It sownds laak aye play BOWTH kands a musac - Country AND Western.
DO NOT WANT
Hopefully it will sound better through the electric - it just sounds so... so... TWANGIE through the acoustic. It is very much lacking in the awesome. It could also be that I just replaced the strings - da gunk makes da funk, as I've been told, and these strings have zero gunk right now.
Anyways, I don't know what the problem there is, other than hearing it and thinking - wow, country.
In other news, Robyn and I are getting together and having a jam session this weekend. Don't know where yet, but probably at my place, since we have AC and apparently hers is currently located underneath pigeon nesting facilities. I guess she transcribed that finger picking stuff that we were doing last time, which is awesome - it sounds wicked awesome and cool. Can't wait.
So, Justin's course - I'm at the Rhythm Guitar stage where I'm learning about the Blues Shuffle. Awesome. Basic 12 bar blues progressions. Awesome. Got three of them down - A, G & E (E has the B chord in it a couple of times - I don't know B yet, so I'm substituting D, and it sounds all right, but that's the only thing I'm fudging).
The problem is, it doesn't sound really bluesey... It sownds laak aye play BOWTH kands a musac - Country AND Western.
DO NOT WANT
Hopefully it will sound better through the electric - it just sounds so... so... TWANGIE through the acoustic. It is very much lacking in the awesome. It could also be that I just replaced the strings - da gunk makes da funk, as I've been told, and these strings have zero gunk right now.
Anyways, I don't know what the problem there is, other than hearing it and thinking - wow, country.
In other news, Robyn and I are getting together and having a jam session this weekend. Don't know where yet, but probably at my place, since we have AC and apparently hers is currently located underneath pigeon nesting facilities. I guess she transcribed that finger picking stuff that we were doing last time, which is awesome - it sounds wicked awesome and cool. Can't wait.
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