PART ONE: In part one we run through exercises for two, three, four and five string picking drills.
The exercise patterns are all based upon melodic scale segments and focus on how to organize melodic picking runs for increasing left and right hand coordination.
The studies employ a combination of 16th-note triplets and straight time feel 16th-note durations (used to help the student develop speed and accuracy). Fingerings for left-hand precision are included in the handout.
Watch Part 2 of this lesson and download the handout and jamtrack in the members area at: CreativeGuitarStudio.com
Posted by Andrew Wasson
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Courtesy of Jesse Sterling Harrison...
When performing your music, you need to be focused on delivering your best performance, not worrying about how everybody else might receive it... Artists often talk about being “too close” to their own work, being so immersed in the process of making music that they know longer have a strong sense of whether the work is good.
Philosophically speaking, that’s a worry for another time. During a show or a recording session isn't the time to be concerned about your musical legacy or the objective quality of what you’re doing. When you’re out there onstage, or in a vocal booth tracking leads, you need to be focused on delivering your best performance, not worrying about how everybody might receive it.
But there are times in the creative process when you need to self-edit, decide what projects are worth pursuing, and change what doesn’t work. There are times when you might want to listen to the opinions of others, even others who critique music as part of their work. Here are some hints to help pull back from that closeness and be your own best critic.
1. Remember that you're a music fan, too
Being a musician can trump being a music fan at times. The experience of just listening can be colored by knowing what tricks the artist is using, being jealous if they’re good, or hearing what they’re doing wrong. But in the end, most of the music that inspired you to play is still great, and you still enjoy it, right?
Chances are, your favorite musicians are beloved by tons of fans, even if they’re fairly obscure. That means that what you like will be liked by lots of other people. If you’re wondering whether your new song is any good, take a break from it, then listen as a fan would: not focusing on the details, but hearing the melody, groove, and feel of the piece. If you like it, so will others…probably the same others who like the music that influenced you.
2. Run your songs by impartial listeners
Because of the aforementioned professional jealousy, fellow musicians aren't always the best test listeners for your new song or new mix. They, too, can get caught up in tiny details most people wouldn’t hear, like the production on the hi-hat. And they can also be distracted by whether they think they could do just as well or better. Musicians tend to be competitive people and they want to be the best.
So, if you listen to anybody about the songs you’re working on, some of those people should be non-musicians. Free from all that songcraft and technical knowledge, non-players are better able than we are to hear the fullness of a song, because they’re not always aware of what’s going on beneath the surface. But they do know if a song grabs them on the first listen, and if they’re honest, they’ll tell you.
3. Consider criticism (briefly) Since you’ve taken the bold step of putting your music out in public (or you’re at least considering it), you’re going to be in line for some criticism. It could be from folks online who, behind the veil of the internet, feel it’s okay to make vulgar and cruel comments about work they don’t care for. These nasty comments should be ignored; there’s no reason to engage with them. If you get internet hate, shake it off and recognize that sometimes this means you’ve made a strong artistic statement.
Then there are those whose criticism affects your career. Club owners. Booking agents. Radio DJs. Suits from record labels. Some of these people will hear your demo and give you feedback, and that’s a good thing. “You’re amazing! We want you to be our house band and play every Friday!” is fantastic to hear, but you don’t learn anything from it, since being amazing was your goal in the first place. “We like music with a heavier groove,” or “Your songs sound too similar” might be harder to hear, but might be worth something to you as evaluate the music you’ve made so far.
It’s easy to get stuck in ruts, and sometimes it takes somebody who’s not worried about offending you to point it out. Rather than being prideful and instantly dismissing criticism, consider it. If somebody says your backing vocals are a little flat, or that one of your songs is two minutes too long, think about that. Take it to your bandmates, if you have them, and discuss it. But if you honestly examine your work and decide that the critic is wrong, then move on.
After such honest consideration, you may think that no change is needed and the listener’s comments were irrelevant. That’s okay; it’s your work, and there’s no accounting for taste.
4. Compare your work to stuff you love
Ultimately, we’re all standing on the shoulders of our favorite musicians, who in turn were influenced by the previous generations. How does your work stand up to the music that inspired you? Create a playlist in which your songs are intermingled with some of your favorite artists.
The things that make music great are often simple and fundamental: strong statements, distinctive lyrics, powerful beats, and well-written melodies. For example, Johnny Cash wasn’t known for his virtuoso guitar playing or his soaring vocals; he got famous writing simple, strong songs and delivering them in a gritty voice. It’s easy to understand why Cash is well known and to learn basic lessons from his songwriting. You can do this without instantly being as good as he was. The nuances will come in time.
By listening to your work and that of your favorite artists back to back, you can at least determine if you’re on the right track. You can calculate whether your music has the basic elements that you like as a listener. Then you can keep working on the little things. Remember, the best songwriters you know sat and listened just like you, wondering if their new song was any good, grimacing at mistakes, striving to get better. That’s all any of us can do.
Jesse Sterling Harrison is an author, recording artist, and part-time farmer. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, three daughters, and a herd of ducks.
Posted by Andrew Wasson
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Courtesy of Jesse Sterling Harrison...
The acoustic guitar is the iconic companion of earnest coffeehouse songsters, grizzled folk storytellers, and country crooners who tell it like it is. And like most instruments, the price of admission goes from very little to sky’s-the-limit...
On most guitar websites, the cost of acoustics can range in price from just over $200 (for a tiny backpack guitar) on up to this $10,000 museum piece by Martin. But unless you absolutely need to match Neil Young’s guitar tone on “Harvest Moon,” price point is a matter of diminishing returns. Does a $1,200 Taylor sound better than a $250 Yamaha? In general, yes. But what extras do you get when you hit the $3,000 price point? How about $5,000?
With high-tech manufacturing and increasingly cheap electronics, just about all the models on this list are brilliantly manufactured and feature solid electro-acoustic functionality. What you get for your extra money: design, detail, and (sometimes) better tone from more expensive woods.
We didn’t go above $2,000 here, because it’s not clear that you need to when purchasing a beautiful guitar for stage and studio. Here are six amazing acoustic axes ranked by budget.
1. Ibanez Talman TCM50:
Priced at an MSRP of $299.00 US... The lowest-priced guitar on this list also has the most unique design. The double-cutaway body makes for easy lead work on the higher frets, while the swoopy grain of the ash top is the coolest thing in a while.
This guitar may lack the detail of the pricier models (in the simple dot inlays on the fretboard, for example), but the Talman delivers good tone from appropriate woods, a preamp for plugging in, and one of the coolest body shapes on the market for less than $300.
2. Epiphone Hummingbird Pro:
Priced at an MSRP of $329.00 US... At about a tenth the price of its big sister, the Gibson Hummingbird, this Epiphone is a steal at $329. Known as a budget alternative to pricey Gibsons, Epiphone instruments are also known to be rock-solid, reliable, and eminently playable.
Featuring a mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, and Shadow ePerformer pickup, this sunburst acoustic should be able to handle all your acoustic requirements without destroying your bank account. And just look at it! What a beauty for barely more than $300.
3. Epiphone EJ-200SCE:
Priced at an MSRP of $429.00 US... With Epiphone’s Southern Jumbo model, you’ll have all the playability of much more expensive instruments and a lot of their design details.
Especially for folk or country players, you’ll look great onstage with the Epiphone’s beautiful inlays, fancy bridge, and stunning sunburst finish. This is a big guitar with a big tone, courtesy of a maple body and spruce top. And it’s a great deal at $429.
4. Yamaha SLG200S:
Priced at an MSRP of $629.00 US... Another radical design, Yamaha’s SLG200S goes for portability, lightweight, and “silent” play by plugging headphones directly into the instrument. This might be the ultimate big-city guitar. The phantom design also alleviates the problem of microphonic feedback effects onstage.
Onboard electronics are optimized for a big acoustic guitar tone, even through headphones. Although a radical departure from the standard acoustic guitar program, the Yamaha is beloved by online reviewers, who rank it near five stars.
5. Taylor 214ce:
Priced at an MSRP of $999.00 US... Guitarists tend to remember the first time they picked up a Taylor. With their speedy necks and honeyed tone, they’re a favorite of serious musicians and studio slingers all over the place.
This beauty is perfectly suited for rhythm and lead work, whether live or on record.
Its radical cutaway gives unfettered access to the higher frets, while a natural-sounding pickup system translates that beautiful tone to your sound tech’s direct box.
6. Martin Performing Artist OMCPA4R:
Priced at an MSRP of $1,959.00 US... Tonewoods abound on this top-flight Martin, featuring a spruce top paired with full rosewood for the back and sides.
This might be the best-sounding unplugged guitar on the list, and also comes with a slim, ergonomic neck to keep you jamming all night. Like the lower-priced models, it’s also equipped with electro-acoustic hardware to plug in live.
Jesse Sterling Harrison is an author, recording artist, and part-time farmer. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, three daughters, and a herd of ducks.
When done regularly, a bands jam time can be extremely beneficial
to its players, even if it doesn’t seem to produce tangible results right
away...
If you practice regularly with a band, you’re probably aware of how unstructured jam sessions can eat up valuable practice time and throw people off task. Because of this, many bands tend to keep collective jamming time to a minimum, if they allow for any at all. If you’re hesitant about making jamming a regular part of your band practice routine, here are five benefits of jamming that might make you reconsider your position.
1. Jamming creates chemistry
One of the joys of watching a great jazz band perform is seeing the amazing chemistry between the players. This is a chemistry that only comes from playing improvised music with the same group of people over a long period of time. As a band playing non-improvised music, it can be difficult to attain that same level of chemistry, which is why jamming is especially important for non-jazz bands.
Jamming with your band-mates helps you learn to listen to your band-mates more, offer better musical support for each other, and even anticipate each other’s moves. All of these skills will help you not only when improvising, but also when playing pre-written parts.
2. Jamming can lead to new song ideas Many great bands use group improvisation as a key songwriting tool because this method allows them to stumble on new ideas as a group that they may never have thought of individually. In a free jam, players aren’t worried about making a mistake or playing the “wrong” chord, and this freedom can lead to all sorts of creative ideas.
Bringing song sketches to your band and jamming out the ideas together can also yield great songwriting results. Your band-mates will hear things differently than you, and you may be pleasantly surprised at where they take your ideas.
3. Jamming helps you focus
Sometimes group jam sessions seem to lead to a lack of focus, but if you structure your jam sessions properly, they can actually be a great way to re-focus your group. For example, after working through a tough section of a song, you can use a brief jam as a sort of palette cleanser to help everyone de-stress and reset their brains. Then you can take another crack at that difficult section after you’ve let off a little steam and given your brain some time to process everything you learned.
4. Jamming helps battle stage fright
By playing more adventurously than normal during your jam sessions, you’ll become more comfortable with taking risks and even (gasp!) making the occasional mistake. This doesn’t mean that you’ll start making mistakes onstage, but by taking risks on a regular basis, you’ll become more comfortable overall on your instrument, which will lead to more confidence during your live performances.
5. Jamming is fun It should go without saying that jamming is fun, but there’s more to having fun than just the good feelings you get in the moment. Studies in sports science have shown that athletes who incorporate a higher level of free play time into their training are less likely to quit or experience burnout than those who are focused solely on skills development.
The same could be said for bands as well – musicians who have fun playing together will have an easier time sticking together for the long haul. And when it comes to band practice, having fun isn’t always the easiest thing to do, especially when perfection is your goal.
Of course, rehearsals aren’t just about bonding and having fun – there’s lots of important work to be done, too, so you can’t spend all of your time jamming. However, you may be surprised to discover how much easier and more satisfying that work feels after a good jam session. And jamming doesn’t have to be a huge commitment, either; even five minutes of free improvisation at the beginning of every band practice can be enough to get everyone feeling comfortable together and ready for a productive rehearsal.
Casey van Wensem is a freelance composer, musician, and writer living in Kelowna, B.C., Canada.
This GuitarBlog episode not only introduces a number of great ballad progressions for lead practice, but I'll also be spending a lot of time playing lead over them...
When it comes to "Guitar Ballads" there are a number of common harmonies that guitarists should become familiar with. In this episode, we'll look at four extremely popular chord progressions which stand to organize some of the most widely used "Guitar Ballad" harmonies.
PART ONE: Example one takes a look at the common dropping harmony of a Minor key, "I - VII - VI," chord movement. This minor harmony is applied to dozens and dozens of songs. Example two, uses the chord changes from the Jeff Beck piece "Cause We Ended as Lovers." This is a very popular minor key harmony that moves, "I - VI - IV - Ima." It's a fantastic minor key idea that's a lot of fun to solo over.
PART TWO: In the third example we switch tonality into a "Major Blues" feel in the key of "C." Our chord movement tracks the chord harmony of Eric Clapton's, "Bell Bottom Blues." Here we find a chord harmony of "I - IIIma - VI - I - IV - V - I." The other nice idea happening here is the descending diatonic bass-line. Our final example moves across the sounds of the Pink Floyd classic, "Shine on You Crazy Diamond." This example brings in the use of 6/8 time. Along with the unique time signature the minor key ballad also introduces a "#VII major" chord. Soloing concepts take on a powerful new perspective with the shift of the "VII-chord" found in this harmony. Enjoy the lesson!
The most essential organizational skill for a DIY musician is time management. Organizing your data and your belongings are important, too, but those also require first organizing your time...
If you get to the gig 30 minutes before load-in and your gear is tangled and strewn all over your vehicle, you’re still better off than if you show up tidy and inventoried and 30 minutes late.
Being cluttery stresses you, and you can fix it when you get fed up with it. But being late stresses the venue and can burn bridges that you won’t be able to repair. Taking control of your time is your most urgent objective.
"Spending" time
Time is like money. They’re both forms of currency, and often one replaces the other: If you don’t have money, you’ll have to spend time. When you’re indie and still developing, you don’t have the money to pay for everything you need, so you do it yourself: You spend your time. Once you get some money, you start paying people to do some of the work for you: You buy back your time.
The big problem with time as a form of currency is that it’s limited. On one hand, it’s great that you automatically get 24 hours every day. On the other hand, there's nothing you can do to receive more time. It's literally impossible.
Think of all the language we have around this: make time, find time, stretch time, gain time, save time. These are all illusions. You get the same amount of time as everyone else, on the same schedule, in the same increments.
This illusion of a bottomless well of time is a major pitfall for ambitious indie artists. You go to a workshop or read a book or meet with a consultant, learn dozens of great ways to grow your music business, get all fired up and motivated, and tell yourself you’re going to do all of those things. All it will take is dedication and self-discipline and focus, and you have those qualities, so you can do this!
No. You can’t do all of it. The math doesn’t work. Enacting every great idea would take more hours than you have. You must choose the best ones that will fit your time budget.
So the first thing to understand is that time is like money: it’s finite. Next is recognizing that, of your already limited time, you only have authority over a portion of it.
Externally vs. internally controlled time
All of your time is either externally or internally controlled. Externally controlled time is governed by forces outside of yourself: other people or circumstances or simply realities you can’t change. Sleep is a great example: it’s a requirement of survival, so you have no choice but to spend about a third of your life doing it. Other examples are the hours you must spend at your day job, or at school, or commuting, obligations that you really can’t afford not to fulfill, plus the minimum amount of time it takes to run your life (eating, showering, doing chores, etc.).
The time that you’ve voluntarily committed to someone or something else is also externally controlled: It’s life-balance things like playing in a sports league or taking a regular shift at the animal shelter, but also all of your music-related commitments: rehearsals, performances, recording sessions, media appearances, songwriting circles. Anything with a deadline or a schedule becomes externally controlled as soon as you promise to do it.
Internally controlled, or self-controlled, time is what’s left. It’s what we tend to call “free time,” which is ridiculous since it’s obviously not at all free or cheap. Start with 168 (the number of hours in a week), subtract all of your externally controlled time, and you’ll probably be shocked at how few hours remain. For most people, it’s only about 1-3 hours per day.
Your internally controlled time, the time you get to use exactly how you want to use it, is a scarce and precious resource. And as a DIY musician, it’s all you’ve got.
The 80/20 Rule
You can’t always know which time expenditures will pay off. Most of what you do will, at best, contribute in some small way to moving the entire operation forward. At worst, it will knock you back.
There's a theory called the Pareto Principle, aka the 80/20 Rule, that tells us, on average, 20 percent of any category is the really valuable stuff, and the other 80 percent is of less value. Some people take this to mean that 80 percent of everything is crap. That’s an exaggeration: the 80 percent isn’t all useless. Some of it is, but most of it is just less useful.
Applying the 80/20 Rule to time, you can expect that about 20 percent of the time you spend working on your music career will pay off the most. The other 80 percent will either be necessary but no-glory work or mistakes that waste time.
The problem with the 80/20 Rule is that it’s hard to predict which 20 percent of your time will produce the big rewards. However, if you’re making well-thought-out choices about how you spend your time and keeping track of the results, you’ll become better able to anticipate how to budget your precious few self-controlled hours.
Where to begin
I know this is a lot to digest and it can be discouraging at first. Don’t throw in the towel; you can make this work for you! For now, start thinking about time as a resource like money: recognize its limit and pay attention to how you’re spending it.
Debbie Stanley is the owner of Thoughts In Order and has been helping chronically disorganized clients get their act together since 1997. Her most recent book, The Organized Musician, was released on September 20, 2016.
Learn this little known secret trick to earn a million dollars as a Guitarist...
This completely underground musicians income method will transform even the most average guitar player into a millionaire musician.
And, amazingly enough, it should do it for any guitarist in less than a month, (little to no real musicianship required). So, sit back and get ready to unlock wealth, and good times as you learn how to make a million dollars as a guitarist!
