So, what are you learning now? 2009

[Sl8sh]

Currently playing with my whammy bar on all of my excercises I've taught myself so far out of A Modern Method for Guitar Book 1.  LOVE THE WHAMMY BAR!!!!!!!!!!!  The great thing about having it, is my strings don't go out of tune.  My bridge is interesting.  The whole bridge goes up and down when you push the whammy bar down.

[julienarrijs]

Thanks Julie for the link.  An absolutely amazing song!!  It just makes me miserable though to think that Jason Becker will never play again because of his MS!  Damned disease knows no boundaries!!

Licksnkicks

just so you know i'm Julien...i'm a dude

and yup becker is such an inspiration to me, one amazing payer and composer.
i've been learning that song "air", and it's actually not as hard as it seems. memorizing all the positions is quiet a challenge though...you might wanna give it a try if you feel like pushing your boundaries a lil .

[Sl8sh]

Learnt some more pieces out of my book and more parts to Sweet Child of Mine. 

[Dan Graves]

Busy learning how to play Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" on my new Schecter Omen 8 string bass.
A bit harder then a 12 string guitar, and a lot harder then i expected.
But i shall shall learn this tune on this bass, even if it means playing 2 hours a day and dropping my regular guitar practice.

[Sl8sh]

I plan to eventually learn bass.  Guitar first, then bass.  Although I don't understand why luthier's or manufacturer's wanted to expand the range of the bass by making traditional 4 string basses then 5 string basses, 6 string basses and 7 string basses.  This confuses me because the bass is one octave lower than the guitar but if you keep adding strings, eventually you get into the range of the guitar.  I don't quite get the point but enough of my ranting. 

[Dan Graves]

Again, you are being silly.
You know how a 12 string guitar works and looks ?
Take that idea, and then use it for a bass.
4x2 strings, one normal, one an octave higher.
You have a lot to learn about instruments, grashopper 

[Cue Zephyr]

Yeah, the range is extended away from the guitar's range, not towards it.

[Bootstrap]

Transcribing 

Inspired by the TV Blog lesson I've finally got in the saddle and downloaded the Transcribe software. Giddyup!

For the life of me I cannot tell one chord from another yet - well I can with open chords played on an acoustic with no other sound going on, but when it is in a song I have nfi - too much happening for my novice ear.

So - I decided to start on just single notes and found I can do this (very slowly) - currently working on Pipeline. I've got the major riff sussed and it is a buzz to be able to play along with the record and have it sound good - now trying to work out the two higher riffs but I'm struggling to identify the start note - just have to keep plugging away I guess.

I've got the worlds supply of surf music and guitar instrumentals on my iPod so they should keep me going for a while Hopefuly this will lead to better chord recognition or at least the base note (of the chord).

All good!

Cheers, Bootstrap

[Bootstrap]

Clarification - by "higher riffs" - I actually mean the piano parts. Made a start tonight - it starts at high A (E string 5th fret or better still 14th fret on the G string).

I've got the first couple of bars of the piano bit but this transcribing lark is very hard for this little tone deaf duck.

Still it is what I am learning now

[licksnkicks]

Thanks Julie!

Licksnkicks

just so you know i'm Julien...i'm a dude

JULIEN   I'm really sorry about that.  We all make mistakes.  People thought I was a dude until I mentioned fact that NOPE I ain't a dude but a dudette!  My bad! 

Anyhow that song you mention by Jason Becker, "AIR' is an amazing song.  I love that song and I it's very intricate it is.  I won't be in that league of playing for some time.  Have fun with the song and maybe you could post something on Youtube.  I would love to see you playing this song.

Licksnkicks

[julienarrijs]

Thanks Julie!

Licksnkicks

just so you know i'm Julien...i'm a dude

JULIEN   I'm really sorry about that.  We all make mistakes.  People thought I was a dude until I mentioned fact that NOPE I ain't a dude but a dudette!  My bad! 

Anyhow that song you mention by Jason Becker, "AIR' is an amazing song.  I love that song and I it's very intricate it is.  I won't be in that league of playing for some time.  Have fun with the song and maybe you could post something on Youtube.  I would love to see you playing this song.

Licksnkicks

no worries,

i knew you were a duddette well i've been mostly working on tears in the rain from satriani lately, i'm really starting to have a good feeling with that song...it's very emotional and i'm really trying to let my emotions flow and to let the song flow on my emotions while playing it. it's really a great feeling, it's the first song on wich i really feel like i'm starting to use it as a way to express feelings and stuff. i'm trying to just play it and think about technique at all..the thing is i'm playing it much better that way, it feels like my fingers find their way by themselves, it's quiet cool.

but i will eventually go back to learning "AIR" since jason becker is huge inspiration to me...and maybe once i feel like i have it under my fingers i might film it... if get over my camera-fright thing

[licksnkicks]

I had my lesson last night and my teacher is teaching me Hey Joe a Jimi Hendrix song as you know.  I'm learning this using the same chords but further up the neck with the good old cage method.  I'm understanding more of the cage theory especially with a hands on approach.  I'm still working on the solo to Ozzy's Paranoid and am starting to conquer it and sound much better so he just said stay with what I have and he didn't want to give me anymore.  My teacher and I also discussed the fact about making mistakes and how good they are to make the particularly if you learn from them.  Sometimes when a song is played inperfectly is sounds more human if you get my drift.  I just hated the fact of making mistakes in front of him and told him that it makes me play in more of an inhibited style.  I just hate the fact that after 7 1/2 months of playing that I would be playing a lot better than what I am and just knowing how excellent he is made me cringe whenever I made a mistake.  Mistakes are made for a reason!   Thank god I'm over this hangup.  It just held me back a little.

Lnk

[myfingertipshurt]

I have begun work on the "House of the Rising Sun," "Zephyr Song," and "Mr. Jones."

Sounds like a lot to take in at once, but really what I mean by "working" on those songs is:

"DAMN THIS MOTHERF_-_-_- F BARRE CHORD"

I've been working on this one chord going over previous chords just long enough so I don't forget them then doing nothing but trying to play an F barre for at least an hour (minus several cigarettes) every freaking night, for two straight weeks, and I'm just now starting to be able to make every string ring out, let alone do that and finger it fast enough to even implement it into chord changes at the lowest setting on my metronome.

It is such a PITA. My pinky and the side of my finger are finally getting there callouses developed, and I can feel the muscle you use when you press your thumb on the fretboard getting stronger. Who would have thought I would have to develop a really weird little muscle I didn't even know existed to be able to play guitar.

licks, this is why I love learning on my own, "poor bloke" style, if you will. I can sit in my garage and sound just atrocious and nobody will hear me, I hope, then refine it before I let anybody hear it.

When my muscle starts to hurt from F I switch to wonderwall for a bit.

[julienarrijs]

Sometimes when a song is played inperfectly is sounds more human if you get my drift. 
Lnk

well i remeber seeing a video from nuno bettencourt..a great inspiration to me as well....saying that when he was learning the guitar (the good old way, transcribing from records) he was trying to play a not for note thing but whenever he got the chance to see his guitar heros playing the same song he realised they played it much differently....wich he thought was a damn good thing...since what we should aspire to is to become our own guitar hero, with our own unique style...and as justin says "if it sounds good, it's good, if it sounds like xx--xx, it's xx--xx"...so if something a lil different from the original sounds good...it's good !   

[Cue Zephyr]

I still do transcribing, and loving it even through the hard times it's giving me.

[schect]

Continuing on what Julien said about playing note for note. A few years ago I met Johny Lang on a golf course. We happen to be waiting on the same Tee. I told him our band played Lie to Me but of course I couldn't play it exactly like him. He said, "Doesn't matter, I probably never play it the same twice, just play in B and let it rip."

He was a pretty nice kid. Got his autograph on my score card.

[licksnkicks]

Sometimes when a song is played inperfectly is sounds more human if you get my drift. 
Lnk

since what we should aspire to is to become our own guitar hero,  

Eloquently put.  I could not of said this better. 
A standing "O"!!

Licksnkicks

[Happy Jack]

Started Jimi Hendrix version of "All along The Watchtower" lots of barre chords with pull off hammer on fills. If you don't know what I mean see Justion's Hendrix Style Rhythm Guitar.

Doing part from tab, part transcribing and part impovisation - good fun - my timing is bloody awful though :

[lorezolutions]

nice interesting thread.

Myself, I've been working through the beginners course to see what I need to do to get back up to speed. I'm working mainly on the chord changes and rhythms up to level 5. As I used to play a bit a go some of the stuff is there and some of the stuff is hard to remember. I'm also working on a couple of the songs he recommends; Knocking on Heavens Door, Sitting on the dock of the Bay and Seven Nation Army.

On top of that I've been reading some theory and also going through my old notes from guitar lessons 20 years ago. I was shocked at what I was working on back then.

Main focus for the coming weeks is grooving the chord changes and making sure my left and right hands know what each other is doing. Making good, disciplined progress through the rest of the beginners course in time to play with the planned xmas present of the RUST dvd.

[Cue Zephyr]

I'm now experimenting with the DADGAD tuning.
I'm actually trying to write a song for a girl on YouTube, she asked me if I could write her a song.

[zkash_guitarist]

  Started transcribing Boulevard of Broken Dreams(finally), started experimenting with Open G tuning, and going to look at a few tabs for some 3 Days Grace Songs.

[licksnkicks]

Started Jimi Hendrix version of "All along The Watchtower" lots of barre chords with pull off hammer on fills. If you don't know what I mean see Justion's Hendrix Style Rhythm Guitar.

Doing part from tab, part transcribing and part impovisation - good fun - my timing is bloody awful though :

The good thing though about Jimi's songs was that they were always full of improvisation.  You can't really follow tabs on his songs.

Lnk

[zkash_guitarist]

  Trying to learn this song by ear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcfiViHa1F4&feature=related

  I found it while watching a couple of Letterman re-runs.

[schect]

Working on the rhythm and solo for Nowhere Man. Which is kinda tough because they played the rhythm with a capo on 2 but the solo without a capo.

I'm going to have to get really good at getting that capo on and off faster.

[Muffinz]

Well, my guitar teacher says that I have to learn this bossa nova-song (Manha de Carnaval), so thats what i'm doing atm. If I wasnt busy with that I would probably be working on my pinch harmonics and the C-shape barre chord. I would also learn the rest of Crazy Train (chorus and some bits of the solo).