What's your current project?

[Jimi75]

Hey folks, I started out with my new practicing schedule and after almost 20 days of working with it I have found out that it WORKS AWESOMELY! I feel pretty encouraged to transcribe some of my favourite solos. One great player, very melodic guy called Marco Sfogli who played guitar on James LaBrie's last solo CD (DreamTheater singer) improvised a solo on the LaBrie CD in a song called "Alone" and this solo just gave me chills whenever I heard it.
Unfortunately, there's only this shorter version (ending is missing)....anyways, I like it very much and I like it even more that I am almost done with that solo and can play it....yuppieehhh!!!! Of course I will go on with my practicing plan which remains my long time project....

What is your current project? A song, a solo...?

tBrNUOHtPQM

[Blaze]

Lately i started extracting licks from Youtube with this link Youtube extract.. (http://dowint.net/)so i can add new licks to my repertoire ..
learnin just one lick a week so that i can assimilate good ..
Nothing new here but works for me ..

Here s this week lick..

f1n3-Jp9paw&feature

Blazes (http://www.bluetracks.ca/labels/blazes?label_renomme=blazes&label_renomme=blazes&screen_width=1280&change_lang=en) :AOK:

[Robert]

I'm working on my blues DVD still... (taking forever of course... :puke:)

[Jimi75]

I'm working my blues DVD still... (taking forever of course... :puke:)

Don't give in! What takes long will finally be good Robert. Your DVD will be awesome I bet!

[sunvalleylaw]

I basically am working on two: 1) continued study of the fretboard, using the modes of G major, and playing with how the various modes cross, and using those crossing points to develop phrases. I like using a couple of backing tracks (esp. Gravity) to do this with, after running through playing the individual modes, and let the track take me to various places. I especially like to combine Mixolydian and Aeolian at the 9th through 15th frets then find more notes further up the fretboard toward the bridge, and a few back down the board picking up some more notes.

2) I just started trying to learn a way to play a combination of the rhythm part, and lead for "Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2". I am starting with just the first couple of phrases in the solo, and trying to get those down well. Also, learning to hit the bends accurately. It is still kicking my arse. ;) :D But it is fun trying, and it is a good vehicle for learning a variety of skills. Once I get some of Gilmour's phrases and licks down, I will get a chart of the modes in Dm, and use the song to learn what I am doing in (1.) above in Dm and see if I can learn to find modes and scales in all keys without thinking so much.

[Brian Krashpad]

Oh man, I wish I could be as focused as y'all. I haven't done the "I'm now going to learn the following piece" thing in years. And even that was only to try to prepare for playing bass for Bo Diddley. When we do covers in any of the bands I'm in, there's no attempt to play what's on the record, we treat all songs as if they were originals. Tabula rasa, baby.

Right now my side bands are pretty inactive. One, where the singer lives a couple hours away, exists only on paper really; hasn't played in almost 2 years now. The other side band, with my coworkers, has at least added a new song to our set, Warren Zevon's "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" (made famous by Linda Rondstat). It's a 3-chord rocker, and since I'm playing bass in that band at least for the time being, I did experiment on trying to do some little runs or fills with it, but none of them worked. It seems to be one of those songs where just playing the root actually sounds better and adds to the power of the progression. Whenever I tried to do more, even minimally, it actually hurt the song. I've always loved the song (particularly the original Zevon version), and I sing a lot of backing on it, including the entire chorus. Playing bass and singing is something I'm finally getting the hang of. We've also been working on another Zevon tune, "Lawyers Guns & Money," though I don't know if we've decided whether to actually put it in the set.

With Crash Pad, my "main" band, it has come out of hiatus because we're working on trying to polish a short 7-song set for a benefit gig on April 26. These are all songs I wrote, so it's mainly just getting everybody tight, especially the drummer, who I borrowed from the Hotheads (my coworker side band), who is still learning the songs and figuring out his parts. We threw out one song he had a problem with and replaced it with an older song, but otherwise it's been fairly smooth.

I'm also getting back into church playing, but that sitch is a "show up for an hour on Saturday, run 3 or 4 songs, and play on Sunday" kinda thing. I never know the material in advance until the day before, when we practice. Am getting used to working with lead sheets again after being away from church playing for a couple years. Also I'd forgotten about compound chords, and am getting used to dealing with those again. Depending on how comfortable I am with a given compound chord, I may play the whole thing, excise the added root, or play only the added root. It's a bit trial and error. The goal is to be able to play the whole compound chord every time, but I know from a technical level I may not be able to do that on every compound chord.

The new praise band director seems open to let me figure out what to do on each song, which has been the case with the three or four directors at my previous church, and suits me fine. Also, his approach is a lot more vigorous, performance-wise, in that he doesn't like to "water down" songs that have a bit of energy to them, which is what his predecessor did. That suits me fine too.

:AOK:

[Guitarist327]

Me, im working on my first song, learning how to sweep pick and xperimenting with new sounds instead of metal 24/7

[kiteman]

My current project as it had for years is foolin' with my guitars.

New strings, new pups, new tuners, etc. :)

My playing's still the same as ever. :thwap:

[sunvalleylaw]

The other side band, with my coworkers, has at least added a new song to our set, Warren Zevon's "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" (made famous by Linda Rondstat). It's a 3-chord rocker, and since I'm playing bass in that band at least for the time being, I did experiment on trying to do some little runs or fills with it, but none of them worked. It seems to be one of those songs where just playing the root actually sounds better and adds to the power of the progression. Whenever I tried to do more, even minimally, it actually hurt the song. I've always loved the song (particularly the original Zevon version), and I sing a lot of backing on it, including the entire chorus. Playing bass and singing is something I'm finally getting the hang of. We've also been working on another Zevon tune, "Lawyers Guns & Money," though I don't know if we've decided whether to actually put it in the set.

. . .

The new praise band director seems open to let me figure out what to do on each song, which has been the case with the three or four directors at my previous church, and suits me fine. Also, his approach is a lot more vigorous, performance-wise, in that he doesn't like to "water down" songs that have a bit of energy to them, which is what his predecessor did. That suits me fine too.

:AOK:

Good to hear what you are up to! Brian, frankly I forgot Linda did a version. Warren's is the only one I care for. And "Lawyers, Guns and Money" is an old favorite too. I say go for it and add it into a set. Zevon was a law school years discovery for me, and I love to hear his music being played. Good to hear about your church oriented playing too. It sounds like your new situation is a big improvement! :AOK:

And as far as me being focused, I am not so much. I am just coming off ski season, a two job season for me, and my playing has been sporadic, and not as focused and energetic as I would like. I am trying to use the above to just not go backwards in technique, and continue to work on my beginnerish understanding along the way. I hope to have more playing time this spring and summer, and find some guys to play with again. The guys I played with previously are have been off to college etc. I did find another lawyer with a tele that sounds like he is close to me in progress, and we are trying to set something up. He is a dad type like me. Maybe we can find a few folks to play regularly with, and form our own jam session. :AOK:

[Brian Krashpad]

That sounds cool Steve, good luck!

I'm a lazy bast*rd and have never been able to learn much (past initially learning to play at an arguably competent level) on my own. For me, the real discoveries have always come from group playing.

[sumitomo]

I have been playin with a band in a hispanic church(first time for me playin with a group)It's a challange,the song aren't to hard but I am trying to understand the lyrics and changes and sing too.Sumi:D

[Brian Krashpad]

I have been playin with a band in a hispanic church(first time for me playin with a group)It's a challange,the song aren't to hard but I am trying to understand the lyrics and changes and sing too.Sumi:D

Que' bueno. Buena suerte, cante a dios!

OK, I've exhausted my Spanish.:AOK:

[mrmudcat]

Working on a sg build that started atleast a year ago:thwap:

Finally decided on pups,wcr's (fillmore set) cant wait!!!

Hopefully my headstock fix will hold:D

[R_of_G]

I'm working on fleshing out an original instrumental piece. I've had the basic melody line for over a year now but I hadn't quite figured out a good setting for it. The last few days I've hit upon a few musical ideas that might suit it quite well. We'll see where it goes from here. If I like where it's heading I will try to record it and see what you guys think.

[Brian Krashpad]

Had a practice last night with my main band, and before it really started I was playing a new song I wrote a couple weeks ago, called "Hothead." I actually wrote it for my side band, though, because the name of the side band is "Hoyt and the Hotheads." It's just a fast I-IV-V rockin blues in E, but it's fun to play and sing. Anyhow, the drummer in both bands is the same guy, so I got a chance to play it at volume with a drummer as well as sing it through a PA for the first time (which is always a bit different than just piddling around acoustically, or singing un-amped with a guitar amp very low).

It should work as a song for the Hotheads, but if we do it I'd like to have Hoyt sing it and have have me come in on the choruses. I think the drummer enjoyed it, so I have an "in" with maybe getting it into the Hotheads set, but Hoyt has final say in that band. We'll see. I don't think it'd work for Crash Pad, which is more of an old school punk vibe.