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The improve your musicianship thread 2014


Chris

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It probably doesn't help that the only acoustic guitar I've ever owned was total garbage. It was unpleasant to play. The frets felt like needles. Doing any kind of bend felt like I was scraping sandpaper on concrete.

 

Still, I'm all about the distortion and fuzz. Can't play no DOOM on an acoustic.

Edited by Joda Serk
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Just stick on Andy Mckee or Jon Gomm and you will wanna play acoustic. I didn't think people struggled with pinched harmonics. As above, was one of the first things I ever learned but was a proper cock rock guitarist. I find it harder not to play them as I hold the pick so only a tiny bit is used. You can even do pinched harmonics on an acoustic.

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I dig some McKee and Gomm. Those guys have got serious chops. It doesn't make me want to play acoustic guitar thought. It puts me off it even more, as I know I can't shred like that.

 

I need to work on my low string pinches. I can wail pinches on the D and G no problem, but I'm pretty terrible at pulling off Killswitch-style pig-squeals on the bottom string. They would come in handy with the DOOM.

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My main goal this year is to get the Nashville Number System nailed. I've got the basics of it down and find it really useful when someone pulls a last minute key change to what the chord sheet provided says. But there is a lot to learn in terms of symbols used for developing the basic numbering system. The year is still young though so plenty of time. I guess I'd feel I have achieved my goal if I can write chord sheets using the system only, and that others who use it can read them properly. That along with being 100% confident in putting my new found knowledge to full use in the company of other more experienced users of the system.

 

My second goal is to get to grips with my lap steel as I've neglected it recently, removing the sparkies tape with the chords scribbled on it along the side of the fret board is first then developing more little licks to accompany the song and I'll be happy enough.

 

Finally as others have mentioned getting out and jamming with new musicians and seeing what I can learn from them, so if anyone is ever arranging a jam let me know! 

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I want to be able to noodle harder and faster. My benchmark has always been Matt Freeman - I want to be able to do that kind of soloing. My pop/slap technique is pretty solid but I'm just not fast enough to get where I want to go with it. Whenever I try to speed up my hands seem to tense up and just become completely useless. I also want to get my fingerpicking improved a bit for playing some acoustic type stuff on the side.

 

xx

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if it sounds good to you stick with it.. Often best to go with the Lou Reed/Velvets theory on songwriting and chord structure.. You can know every chord in the guitar/piano whatever instrument handbook but its the overall energy and feel that makes the piece of music stand up. Its certainly handy to know about the theory of music and playing but essentially a good song is a good song whether it has majors minors, diminished or augmented chords :)

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if it sounds good to you stick with it.. Often best to go with the Lou Reed/Velvets theory on songwriting and chord structure.. You can know every chord in the guitar/piano whatever instrument handbook but its the overall energy and feel that makes the piece of music stand up. Its certainly handy to know about the theory of music and playing but essentially a good song is a good song whether it has majors minors, diminished or augmented chords :)

 

Agreed, but it's amazing how much easier it makes things with a little background knowledge.  It's the same as when I started taking some bass lessons.  Had been entirely self taught up to then but the lessons really filled in the gaps and gave names to the things I did but didn't know why I did them or what they were called.  Now that I'm writing some songs, I think I'm pretty good with words, but up to now I've just been pricking about on the computer for chords until something sounds good.  Would like to know WHY it sounds good and if I'm in a certain key then have some signposts at the forks in the road.

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if it sounds good to you stick with it.. Often best to go with the Lou Reed/Velvets theory on songwriting and chord structure.. You can know every chord in the guitar/piano whatever instrument handbook but its the overall energy and feel that makes the piece of music stand up. Its certainly handy to know about the theory of music and playing but essentially a good song is a good song whether it has majors minors, diminished or augmented chords :)

 

That's true, but there's no harm in learning some theory.  Guess it also depends what style of music you're playing and what your goal is.  If you're writing rock songs you can get away with trying things out until you hit on something that sounds cool.  If you're wanting to learn jazz standards or classical pieces then learning theory is a bit more important.

 

Then of course you maybe just want to spend some time learning something in the spirit of self improvement.  

 

It doesn't have to be theory, the aim of this thread was to discuss ways to improve musicianship, not just music theory. So hopefully we can all support each other in improving as musicians whether that's learning to sight read, becoming more prolific songwriters or playing tighter.

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if it sounds good to you stick with it.. Often best to go with the Lou Reed/Velvets theory on songwriting and chord structure.. You can know every chord in the guitar/piano whatever instrument handbook but its the overall energy and feel that makes the piece of music stand up. Its certainly handy to know about the theory of music and playing but essentially a good song is a good song whether it has majors minors, diminished or augmented chords :)

 

Any cunt can achieve that 'play your feelings' hippy pish.  We're talking about grafting here.

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