2011 - Learning goals, aims, objectives - do you have any?

taylornutt · Post by **taylornutt** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 6:51 am

Start Playing Regularly
Buy tools for more guitar builds
Get iPad with Amplitude 2 and Fender Amps
Fix the DL4 (Bank 2 doesn't engage)
More Dirt Pedals (MBM 78 IC Muff, MKIII)
Figure out a better Video demo setup
Possible Builds - Mustang, Jazzmaster Super-Sonic
Build a Paint booth
Build some pickguards

Simon · Post by **Simon** » Mon Jan 24, 2011 10:27 am

Good topic, this.

I had a similar experience in that I got a little obsessed with pedals and all that stuff. So much so that I began to neglect trying to teach myself anything new. I want to become more familiar with notes on the fretboard. I'm pretty good with chords and inversions, I'd say when I first started playing, that was the thing that interested me the most. I never really bothered with scales and haven't done much since... I tend to 'feel' my way around the neck and for the most part, it's guess work. I can't play solo's for shit and my technique isn't great. I'm an acoustic guitar player at heart but I want to get the best I possibly can be at playing electric.

I'm what you could call the 'lead' guitar player in my band, although for the most part I just play little riffs around the chord progressions and do a lot of trem picking. I still rely heavily on my effects but where I used to play almost everything with delay to hide my imperfections, I'm starting to get away from that and rely more on things like reverb (i'm beginning to actually prefer reverb to delay in a lot of ways)

I think I've got my sound nailed in terms of the way I want my guitar to sound and also in terms of my setup, amp, pedals etc.

So yeah, in short, I'd love to be able to say I am a 'proper lead guitarist' I'm not interested in all that fret wankery kind of shit as it's really not to my taste but I'd still like to be able to know my theory and be able to use it to do more interesting variations and riffs. Those Lick Library DVD's look like they could be really really helpful so I'm going to check those out... Â£20 on Amazon though!!!

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 6:00 pm

I must learn to sing and play at the same time. It's been the elephant in the room for the past two years, it's really the main thing that's holding me back from starting a band and it's really wearing down my drive to continue playing.

mickie08 · Post by **mickie08** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 6:05 pm

endsjustifymeans wrote:I must learn to sing and play at the same time. It's been the elephant in the room for the past two years, it's really the main thing that's holding me back from starting a band and it's really wearing down my drive to continue playing.

This.

I am weird when it comes to this. I can sing and play stuff that is not totally simple yet there is really simple stuff that I can not play and sing at all. The songs i know well, no problem, but I definitely have issues learning songs because of this. For example, I can not play and sing the standard Johnny Cash type country rythym...DO not ask me why? Can not do it while singing...

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 6:15 pm

mickie08 wrote:
endsjustifymeans wrote:I must learn to sing and play at the same time. It's been the elephant in the room for the past two years, it's really the main thing that's holding me back from starting a band and it's really wearing down my drive to continue playing.
This.

I am weird when it comes to this. I can sing and play stuff that is not totally simple yet there is really simple stuff that I can not play and sing at all. The songs i know well, no problem, but I definitely have issues learning songs because of this. For example, I can not play and sing the standard Johnny Cash type country rythym...DO not ask me why? Can not do it while singing...

I once, and only once, was able to play The Misfit's Halloween and sing the whole way through it. I've never been able to do it before or since. It at least gave me hope that it was possible. Even songs I can play in my sleep... about a girl, polly... I can't sing and play to. It's like my strumming hand forgets what it's doing and strums in time with the lyrics instead of the song itself. My chording hand is fine though...

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 5:50 pm

I just discovered I can play Knocking on heaven's door and sing at the same time... more or less. Should I just keep plugging away at this same song until it's second nature to sing and play or because I can play this one, should I move onto another song?

Viljami · Post by **Viljami** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 6:27 pm

SHRED more.

Well, that and to get more into the "I can play what I think of" instead of powerchord after powerchord. And more singing and playing.

Ends, I'd keep practising on that one BUT also introduce a new song, just to keep it interesting.

gaybear · Post by **gaybear** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 8:00 pm

endsjustifymeans wrote:I just discovered I can play Knocking on heaven's door and sing at the same time... more or less. Should I just keep plugging away at this same song until it's second nature to sing and play or because I can play this one, should I move onto another song?

yeah, keep messing with it. mess with the tempo too, using the same chords. transpose it to a differnt key. etc

avj · Post by **avj** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 8:03 pm

endsjustifymeans wrote:I just discovered I can play Knocking on heaven's door and sing at the same time... more or less. Should I just keep plugging away at this same song until it's second nature to sing and play or because I can play this one, should I move onto another song?

I've always found this to be an interesting skill. I've been playing for 17 years this year, and for me it's never been as simple as, "Okay, I have now learned to sing and play at the same time. I'll never have to worry about that again!" For me, each song seems to present a new challenge -- especially cross-genre.

In my previous band (linked in my sig) I sang harmonies, but most of the time the rhythm of the vocal melody would align with chord changes or whatever else I was playing on guitar. The band I'm with now is a completely new direction for me. The music is much, I don't know, punchier I guess, and there's no real flowing chordal crap going on. I'm usually playing some leadish guitar stuff, something on the Moog, or both. It's all very staccato, and when we were trying to decide who would handle vocal duties, I knew there was no way I could do it. It's been a challenge just to keep up with the occasional background vocal accent, but it's a whole new fun challenge -- and I love that.

Gabriel · Post by **Gabriel** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 10:55 pm

I thought I should write a longer contribution to this thread. This year I will have been playing guitar for over half of my life, I'm coming up to 17 and have been playing for nearly 9 years. Also I've made the decision to pursue a life in music and am aiming to study at a conservatoire such as those at Royal Academy of Music or Guildhall, focussing on Jazz Composition.

So this year I've really stepped up my playing, as I haven't had a tutor for a year or so I decided to take up lessons on Jazz improvisation - I had been struggling with playing around changes and chromaticism, often attempting to use a modal approach which would lead to either over-complicating things or plainly not finding the right scales to work with. In the 2 lessons I've already had I am far more confident, applying the use of arpeggios and chord tones into my improvisation. In the next week I will be starting theory lessons and am aiming to achieve at least grade 5, hopefully higher, by the end of summer. Finally in the next month I will be taking up classical guitar...again. I think this time I finally have the focus I have needed in the past, previously I faced an incredibly frustrating struggle with sight reading - combined with learning new techniques - this lead to me giving up as I felt disheartened by the basic level I could perform at. However as my sight reading has vastly improved through working on Jazz pieces that are often written for other instruments, I feel a lot more confident about approaching the classical guitar.

Its also been awhile since I've been gigging in a band, I've got something lined up to start over summer so hopefully that should work well.

All in all the coming year is going to be pretty tough but hopefully by next year I will have succeeded my goals and be on my way to studying on a course that I will enjoy and also hopefully get me where I want to be.

lorez · Post by **lorez** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:39 pm

endsjustifymeans wrote:I just discovered I can play Knocking on heaven's door and sing at the same time... more or less. Should I just keep plugging away at this same song until it's second nature to sing and play or because I can play this one, should I move onto another song?

yes carry on until it is 2nd nature, then you will have confidence to nail any other song afterwards knowing that you have already done it once. Remove all doubt and then the world is your oyster

ambientnoize · Post by **ambientnoize** » Sat Mar 12, 2011 12:18 pm

So how's everyone doing?

I've surprised myself, as i've pretty much stuck at the rock school book, and can play the majority of tracks. What i'm doing now is working on my solo technique.

This is where i think the other book should come in, to get me up to speed with lead work.

I've also managed to collect a few lick library DVD's.. namely the Chords and Scales and Learn to Play Radiohead. Although i plan to get a few more.

lorez · Post by **lorez** » Sat Mar 12, 2011 5:23 pm

well i managed to find a bass player to play with so this might progress to getting some others onboard. Its making me think more about things differently instead of my usual dicking about when I play at home. Its even made me question the types of sounds that I want to make as well. All good fun.

Not done any transcribing though as I've been trying to come up with my own riffs ideas but I do find a lot of those are very similar to stuff I listened to that week

dorfmeister · Post by **dorfmeister** » Mon May 09, 2011 1:37 pm

I've been working with some Chord Melody materials from Robert Conti. Seems like a really interesting direction to go for a self-taught rock guitarist like myself. i am finding it slow going. He uses chords and chord fingerings that I have never used before and I am finding it a real challenge to finger and smoothly change from chord to chord in time. Basically it is kicking my butt.

http://www.robertconti.com/products/sho ... ct=1610597

rps-10 · Post by **rps-10** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 11:15 pm

This year was to be the year I picked up guitar again and made a proper effort.
Only really started this evening, got my main 6 string back from the menders this morning and this evening got out the headphones and the old zoom 9002. I'm planing a 4 on, 4 off regime if I can. No playing on my 4 days in work due to time, then the 4 evenings off I'll try my best to practice something or learn a tune.

Fancied a go at the intro of Little Wing, failed after about 20 mins lol, then got "The Good the bad and the ugly" sorted as a nice exercise and then found the Mortal Kombat theme tabs..

Thought I was doing good (for me and my standard of shit playing) until I had a break and had a look on youtube to see other versions and found this fella..

[youtube][/youtube]

I do wonder why I bother sometimes

ambientnoize · Post by **ambientnoize** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 12:06 am

feel terrible.

lost the 'fun' in playing
band fell apart
sold off lots of gear

still got the guitars, but i guess i'll get myself a cheap acoustic and start from scratch..