LRAG-BEG - L# 7 & a Rant

Lesson 7 Picking Exercise

And I get to do it in my favorite chord of freaking D. LOL

But that is good, because D is sucking for me, and to tell you the truth, E is sucking as well! I know the chords, it is the delay from A to E, & A to D that blows. But that gives me something to practice up on!

This picking exercise is nice to switch over to, I was getting a little bit edgy with the whole left hand focus, so even tho this is a short break, I welcome it wholeheartedly. I would imagine that picking up on my picking will eventually be of assistance to my fretting hand, so I'll take all the help I can get from old righty.

I was going through my email this morning, and as an email subscriber to RHM's blog, I found this: 12 things you can do right now to become a better player and flew straight over to it...

Sarge reposted this in its entirety from a series of posts on this subject, and I can't even begin to tell you how glad I was to read this. RHM's people have been motivating the hell outta me, and I look forward every day to going to the weblog, and the main RHM site to interact daily. (BTW, here is a shout out to MJK (Mike) , he is the other follower on my blog here. I mention Sarge alot, so I need to wheel him into the front and center of the stage too. He pops in with comments for me over at the main RHM site as well.)

I think my 2 favorites of the 12 are:

5. LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES… Be your own worst critic and when you play something that is not completely correct know what it is and learn from it. I don’t like to call them “Mistakes I think of them as “learning experiences” and consider them as chances to grow as a musician.

Don’t pretend learning experiences (mistakes) don’t happen just embrace them as learning opportunities and you will grow as a musician. Find the cause and plan how to create a different result

I am madly in love with "Being my own worst critic". It is always what drives me to do better. I show absolutely NO MERCY on myself, and I trust myself more than I do others, so I get alot of good feedback from myself! :-)

9. LISTEN TO OTHER GENRES OF MUSIC…Don’t be closed minded to other styles or genres of music. Almost every great musician has taken a few influences and combined them to create their own style. I often listen to other instruments to find new ideas for my leads for instance I’ll take a sax solo and listen to the way that he phrases his notes and try to add elements of this into my own playing, not doing exactly what he did but taking his ideas and using them in my own way.

You don’t have to reinvent your instrument just look at it a different way.

This is huge for me. I am dearly in love with 80's Hair/Glam/Sleaze Metal & Country music, but I get the biggest thrill out of listening to, and absorbing other music as well. I can say very proudly that I have very "Eclectic" tastes.

My father bred a taste for Big Band & Swing in me when I was a small child, and I am so grateful for that! I could go one forever dropping names of band leaders, but you can go see for yourself if you are interested. (Saves me the typing) Along with my love for so many other genre's.

Except... And this might strike a nasty chord over at RHM, but...

I am not a big fan of today's Metal scene. I can appreciate the music, just like today I voted for All That Remains "Two Weeks". We listen to FUSE in this house, and I can appreciate the song, but I am not a fan. Now before folks squawk, lemme tell ya why!

Metallica, Anthrax, and Slayer were, and still are, antagonists towards "my" 80's Hair/Glam/Sleaze Metal, and for that, they get my scorn. And any that follow in their footsteps also get the same. Do I dislike the 3 artists just mentioned? Yes. They are hypocrites, and sell-out's now, just like we were then. Do I dislike those that followed them? No. They do not suffer for the sins of their fathers, but neither will I ever be a "Fan". I can see the beauty in their music, I can absorb and enjoy it, but I can never go "above and beyond" that. (BTW, Dave Mustaine can go flush his head down a toilet for a comment he made on VH1 about "The Decline of Western Civilization Part II" He claimed there was "A lot of creepy people in L.A." That didn't seem to bother that corporate whore when he was cashing the same checks as everyone else!)

When I look back in retrospect, can I say that their participation in killing off "my" metal was a good thing? Yes. If our music would have been allowed to continue on in the market, the lifestyle would have more than likely lead to my death. I was a big fan of the "excess" that was the ancillary drama of the genre, and I would have drank, drugged, and whored myself straight into the grave at the fastest rate possible. So for that, I am truly grateful. But there is still a bitterness that those fools had to be "The Buzzkill" of what was the biggest 15 year party of my life (1978-1992). Childish and petty? Maybe. But that is the way it goes, that is what being a "fan" is all about. "Loyalty". There is alot of good metal out there, but I just cannot bring myself to the level of "fan", loyalty they will never get, appreciation? Yes.

But never fear! The same goes for "Country Music"! As far as I am concerned, my participation as a "fan" stopped in 1996. It is no longer the same as it used to be. I can appreciate new country, and I do like many of the songs, but never do any of them get my "loyalty".

Maybe I am just getting old and traditional, but I like my memories, and I want to keep them at that. Just memories. :-)

RHM has a big "Metal Slant" to it, so I hope I have not offended those that might read this, it is nothing personal, I just refuse to leave (quite stuck in) the "80's Sunset Strip". LOL

My favorite "Hate Statement" was GLAM being "Gay L.A. Metal", and I am quite proud of being a former "Aqua Net" consumer. And we used "eyeliner", not "guyliner". (now how "Gay" is that?) At least we were proud to be shopping in the womens cosmetics aisle. LOL

Though the "lifestyle" was the biggest part of the genre, you have to admit, that the music wasn't all that bad... C'mon now, if you think Motley Crue sucks, then oh well... As if Vince, Nikki, Mick, & Tommy had no talent? Puhleese...

Sorry about the rant, but I had to get my cards out on the table someday. At least everyone knows where I stand in future conversations. :-)

LRAG-BEG - L# 7 & a Rant

http://rosegardenmusic.blogspot.com/2008/11/lrag-beg-l-7-rant.html

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