Still on Lesson #7, as well as practicing Lesson#6. I think I am going to stick to working on Lessons 6&7 until Monday 11/17/08, before starting out on the new chords in Lesson#8. I will feel more comfortable getting in a good amount of time with the E, A,& D chords before venturing on to new ones. I do indeed know them, but it would be nice to have them good and down as best as possible in the Strumming Rhythm before going on.
Also...
I am going to start "Music Theory" very soon. This Friday, when I order "Rock House Wired: Guitar Care + Repair" (DVD) I am also going to order a book on music theory, and run that concurrent with the instrument lessons. Now would be a good time to get in on the "ground floor" of theory whilst I am at the baby stages of dealing with the guitar itself.
I posted a question at the RHM forums looking for suggestions, and getting some answers. I did a little looking around, and I am currently leaning towards: "Edly's Music Theory for Practical People". So unless a suggestion comes along that I find more appealing than that, I imagine I will go with that.
It will give me something more to talk about on "Practice Days" then just the usual "Still on this and that" posts. I can get into what I am learning daily on that front, in the hopes some other beginners might see the usefulness in adding theory to their guitar curriculum.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Practice day & an upcoming addition to learning.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Practice day
Workin on the picking exercise from lesson #7 still. Going quite well so far, I must admit. So far I have been counting in my head to get 'er done, 4-1-3-1-2-1 but I imagine that I will need to do it not only without counting, but without looking as well. But I will cross that bridge when I come to it.
As for lesson #6, I am still practicing that as well, and I am actually able to start looking away from the guitar during the chord changes! Kinda nice to be able to see that my old memory isn't so foggy about learning new things. Getting kinda the "comes natural" feeling during that practice, so that is quite exciting indeed.
And as for the old fingers? They actually do not hurt as much as they did at day one, and neither do they hurt as long after practice. Now I can add a little more time here and there to my practicing.
Could it be that I am actually making progress?
Monday, November 10, 2008
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.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! :-)LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES… Be your own worst critic and when you play something that is not completely correct know what it is andlearn 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 pretendlearning experiences (mistakes) don’t happen just embrace them aslearning opportunities and you will grow as a musician. Find the cause and plan how to create a different result
9. LISTEN TO OTHER GENRES OF MUSIC…Don’t be closed minded to other styles or genres ofThis 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.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.
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. :-)
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Strumming Rhythm / Practice day
Here we go with our first update to see how far I have gotten from ground zero. Not bad if I say so myself. Not the best, but better than where I started...
Going to spend the rest of the day practicing lesson 6, then Monday I will get to lesson 7. I now have something to practice everyday, along with the current lesson, I can just start every day with all of the lessons beforehand, and then practice the current lesson, that way I keep plugging away on everything I have learned in the past, along with the new, daily.
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