Curtis P Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 OK, I want everyones honest opinon, should I stick with metal, cuz metal is all i have played since I started guitar, or go on to other stuff Purple Haze - Rate! Foxey Lady - Rate! First song I wrote thats somewhat good - Rate as well please!! can someone rate these songs? the last one is my attempt for metal while back Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sacred Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 I will be the first to be honest with you, I listened to all three links, you have got the notes in your mind and remember them but that is all I heard, I dont want to be harsh with you but all I heard was a kid remembering the notes of the songs, you need to develop your sense of feelings, bring it from your heart and soul and feel the song, dont play it. Try your hands at a Classical peice and see what comes from it, maybe tears roll down your face as you play it or laughter comes to you, feelings are hard to explain, they come from deep within you, when you play a rythym, become that rythym, feel it with the emotions it brings to you, it will show in your music, you have the ability to make other people feel emotions through music, that is what makes a good guitar player, one that can make you cry, make you dance, make you feel life through a song, work on the emotion part of it, hey you never know, one day you may make the whole world sing together, now wouldnt that be a great thing, keep working at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyG Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 I'd agree a fair bit with Sacred here looking past the recording quality (which is to do with your recording equipment not you so doesnt really matter in this) technically your a pretty good player, or at least thats what i thought from the song you wrote. sacred does have a point tho. there just isnt any feeling. thats somethingthat comes more from knowing the subtlties of the song than just knowing the notes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis P Posted May 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 ok, thanks, i will try to get some feelin in there Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hy_dro66 Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 Hey Curtis. I'd say that over 80% of the players in las vegas suffer from "great chops, no feeling syndrome" Most of my students also have struggled with this issue. It's fairly easy to learn other peoples tunes and even write tunes...however, playing with conviction is something that comes over time. I bet when you listen to tunes you can feel them without any problem. That is what playing guitar should be like. It's an extension of your soul. I think that just being conscious of it will help. Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarMaestro Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 Hi Curtis! I heard your own song and purple haze. As you might know I studied guitar and teach occasionally. If you were one of my students I would FORCE you to concentrate on the rythmical aspect of your playing. I think much of the missing feel the others talk about comes from the missing rythm in your playing. Your own song sounds like you actually are not really sure what you play in terms of rythm and changes in quaters per bar. A good think for you would be to pratice with a metronom and always try to stomp one feet to the beat. Then it will come to you that you are not really sure where which note has to go in the current bar or how long, etc. it has to be. If you focus on that you can make your playing much more understandable and get MUCH more feel accross. To most listeners something that is very basic and simple but is played tight sounds much more convinving then a complex fast riff or lick which is not cleanly played in a rythmical sense....You will be very thankful if you follow that advice. As I started out I was very focused on speed and shredding....I could play Van Halen solos but my rythmical abilities were ruining my playing. Practicing rythm is not as rewarding as pulling of that insane typping lick in the short run but for listening to your music and getting something across to the listeners it is even more important.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VanKirk Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 Knowing when to play, when not to play, how loud and how soft (dynamics) are all things that will bring the 'feeling' into your playing. I agree that these things start with getting your timing and a tight rythm. Practicing with a metronome or jamming along with a song are a couple of ways that I've learned my sense of timing (and still practicing). I've used midi files and 'band-in-a-box' CDs before and they've helped me alot. I try and get a good tight rythm first before I focus on the solos. Once you get an overall feel for what the 'song' is, not just the guitar but all instruments and keep a good tight rythm and feel with the rest of the instruments, then you can focus on the lead playing. So work on the timing and rythm as a starting point to get that 'feeling'. There are alot of ways to approach learning guitar and what I've said is only my opinion of what I think might help you. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 Curtis, you want advice? Practice more on an acoustic guitar with clearer tones. Thats the advice I give to people who are learning most of the basics. Lots of people don't realize how many of their mistakes are masked by distortion pedals. So if they don't realize they are making mistakes then they can't fix their playing. Many people also don't use their ears as much as they think they should. They concentrate so much on getting the visual aspects down, ie. placement of fingers and plucking the right strings, that the sound, which is the whole reason for doing it, gets lost in the mix. I have a friend who began learning on electric guitar which he played for a good 15 years. He finally bought an acoustic and basically had to relearn many important aspects of guitar playing. He couldn't strum worth a damn, had no rhythm as most of what he learned revolved around melodies and improvisation. He also complained about sore hand muscles in the beginning. On the other hand I began by playing acoustic, LOTS of strumming songs. I finally picked up an electric guitar 15 yrs later and had to learn about those aspects. I had to tone down my strumming arm and pick attacks (BUZZZZ!) and proper bending and vibrato techniques. But my hands were already conditioned to playing heavier strings with more tension. My first electric guitar felt like butter. The bottom line is also being familiar with the music you are playing and getting intimate with your fretboard. Thats why a lot of folks ask questions about singing while playing. How do you do it? Most of your concentration is put into learning where to put your fingers and contacting the strings. If you can learn it so well that you can play it with your eyes closed, then the mechanical aspects will enter the subconscious and you can concentrate more on how it sounds as well as singing and even dancing (if thats your thing) along with your guitar playing. But you did a wise thing by posting your music clips. Its good for your progress to get things out in the open. Nobody is going to say "you suck" and then leave it at that. I have to admit, my creative songwriting abilities are almost nil. I play everyone else's music and I only play the songs I really like. Thats what gets me ahead in learning new techniques and perfecting what I already have. A good example is one of the saddest songs I ever heard. The words alone gave me the drive to play it right almost the first time around. Its by Steppenwolf, written originally by Hoyt Axton and is called Snowblind Friend. Find those songs that give you the chills and you will wind up trying to get that "feeling" instead of just learning the mechanical aspects. Its good for the soul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis P Posted May 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 GuitarMaestro The song I wrote was while back, I will post something tonight if i get a chance to, probaly not though.... Southpa I would like to go back to acoustic, but mine is out of commision right now, need to get some strings, wont be till monday at the earliest, friday at the latest. I tried to play some stuff on acoustic the other day, but missing the A string made it difficult, and i dont have any spares laying around, I need to stock up again. Everyone As for rythem, I am horrible at it, I tap my foot when I play, heck I even play along with it on CD millions of times to get the rythem right, and nothin, so i think it will have to come naturally, cant force it on.... as for my own songs, I cant really right anything thats as good as what they could be, i record them, then listen, and hear my own mishaps and re-record again and they are gone, but then hear i could have added a slide there or bend there to make it sound better, when i finally get it all recorded, it actually sounds like crap, i get frustrated and delete it. huh, funny thing is that I am in 2 bands right now and they expect me just to pump off a solo top of my head, I can barely play any solo at this point in my "guitar career" So, maybe I wont build anymore guitars, focus on playing, I know about 3 people who are killer on guitar that are good friends of mine, they can show me some stuff, heck i would pay them couple bucks each time, maybe it would make things better Sorry for the long post everyone, maybe thats just the way it has to be? Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted May 30, 2004 Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 not everyone is cut out to play(not saying that you aren't though) my cousin has been playing for years and to this day he can't even play a recogniseable song my advice is if you can't make a go of it,then maybe you are meant to build instead i forget how long you have been playing...is it 3 years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis P Posted May 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 yes, 3 years, i used to take lessons, but my teacher was a (for nice terms, a dink) so i quit them, he kept tryin to teach me the same stuff and said stuff like maybe you should find a new teacher cuz you aint gettin this, he was a total "dink" after I quit lessons, i had already been playin a year and could play a couple of songs on acoustic, then i bought my electric and went on with metallica (enter sandman, wrong version though, one, bit of justice for all, never right though) and then i was in a bit of a "rut" so i opened my old lessons book and re learned all of them, my own way, and i did way better then when my teacher taught me, then i went on to metallica again, ozzy, iron maiden, black sabbath and it was a little better, i only know the one pentonic scale (5,8 5,7 so on so on) and i guess maybe now i am in another rut, so to speak. I love hendrix, his music is awesome, same with ACDC, i ca play couple ACDC and it sounds good. maybe I am only meatn for building, time will tell i suppose Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis P Posted May 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 http://www.fullservesite.com/curtis/Music/...bout%20this.mp3 10 seconds of something off the top of my head, and i cant tell if there is feeling or not in there Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis P Posted May 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 yea, i just listened to it again, i should have changed it a bit after 5 seconds, it gets boring after 5 seconds i think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted May 30, 2004 Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 Sounds a bit like "The Oaf (My Luck Is Wasted)" by Big Wreck, though Ian Thornley uses a stereo tremolo effect in his. The Oaf is a great song, so yours didn't sound bad to me, either. Keep at it, I say. Even though you've been playing for 3 years, if you stick to it there will inevitably come a time where you will really decide to go balls out and learn stuff. OR, you will eventually realize that your rhythm has gotten better. I can't over-emphasize the importance of playing with other musicians. I wouldn't be where I'm at now if I didn't have a friend (a better guitarist, too, which was important to me at least) to play songs with. It made it more enjoyable by far, and also pushed me to -listen- more carefully to the importance of rhythm and dynamics. If it hasn't been mentioned on another thread yet, get yourself a metronome or some backing tracks to practice with, and let your right arm/wrist BE a metronome as you play. As for feel... well, everyone has their own feel. No point in trying to 'force' feel out of yourself. Everyone will have their own opinion on this, but I wouldn't worry about feel until your technique improves. I'm not saying it has to be 'perfect', but in order to bring feel to a part, you USUALLY have to know it well enough that you're not concentrating on 'playing' it anymore and are able to divert that energy into getting its 'feel' right. Unless the feel you want is confusion and chaos, in which case you don't need to know the part at all. Above all else, I gotta give you mad props for your positive attitude. You are able to listen to criticism as something that's positive and constructive, and you don't seem to let it get you down. That's HUGE, and I really respect you for it. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis P Posted May 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 thanks GregP, I am going to buy a book on monday Wes said the Kill em all tab book, any other suggestions?? I was thinkin a scales book with some more stuff in it, but maybe the kill em all tab book has that?? Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted May 30, 2004 Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 Everybody has their own learning style. Myself, I'd rather learn a song than a scale any day; however, I do value various lessons from Guitar Player that have helped me learn the pentatonic scale all over the neck instead of just in one position. Haven't gotten around to any other scales yet. Maybe in another decade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis P Posted May 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 lol, well i want to grab a book on some stuff, i gone through one book already on notes and chords, now i want scales riff building and all that so figured might as well try that one i will take a look around since i will be there for about an hour helpin friend pick out first electric guitar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren wilson Posted May 30, 2004 Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 I think a book is the wrong approach for you. I think you need to develop your ear and your feel, both of which you can't get from books. Your playing sounds stiff and mechanical, but not precise. My advice:Play along to more CDs. Entire albums, if you can. Play with a drummer. Train your ear better. (Your 'Crazy Train' intro isn't even the right chords.) Learn how to palm mute and alter the dynamics of what you're playing. Try something other than downstrokes. (Everything sounds like 'da-da-da-da da-da dadadada da-da-da-da'.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis P Posted May 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 my crazy train into, yes, horrible, wrong chords, but i did that last summer by ear, i dont know if i am going to try and learn it the right way because i barely play it anymore, I play with a drummer when i can, i want to jam all the time and hes like, no, its too nice of day i dunno, my friends say that i got lead guitarist material if i could get it down pat, but i dont know right now, there is (or was) a guitar magazine in the local 7 eleven on heavey metal, it was like a tab book only it was a magazine, it was mostly tabs, metallica, pantera, stones, slipknot, that stuff, i was goin to buy it, but then didnt, so might check monday Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis P Posted May 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 ohh, i can plam mute, maybe not the greatest, but i can, and when you say dynamics, like louder softer? i can do that too Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren wilson Posted May 30, 2004 Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 By dynamics, i mean playing harder or softer, using vibrato effectively, leaving some breathing room in between all the notes you play, and playing like you mean it, and not like a tab-regurgitating note machine. Like i said, maybe skip the books and the tabs for a bit and train your ear. Mechanically, you're playing the notes, but i don't think you're actually hearing what you're playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis P Posted May 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 so, go by ear, its worth a shot, but i dont think i can devolpe my ear that well without using some kinda of reference Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren wilson Posted May 30, 2004 Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 Not having a point of reference is exactly how you train your ear. If you cheat and look at the tabs or sheet music, you haven't taught your ear a thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis P Posted May 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 so where do i start? not to sound rude or anything but you cant expect me to listen to any song and just start playin it on guitar after i heard it, can you? Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis P Posted May 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 i am talkin to my friend on msn, he said start with like happy birthday and easy stuff like that, just goof around with it, try and play the stuff on tv, eventually i will get it and it will all become clear that what you mean darren? Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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