40-Day SWAT Camp Course Blog

[1TBAV]

"I start catching the 2nd string with my 1st finger as I release the bend."

Try pointing your index finger a little towards the bridge.

If your finger is too parallel to the frets it wants to grab that b string for some reason.

[emeryr]

Thanks I'll give it a try.

"I start catching the 2nd string with my 1st finger as I release the bend."

Try pointing your index finger a little towards the bridge.

If your finger is too parallel to the frets it wants to grab that b string for some reason.

[torr71]

Daze 15

Was a stretch and a Bend.. Not used to the bend down thang,,, so I will need to work on this one for a while.. Had some extra time today to go back a review some of the earlier stuff,,,, that was good..

[arjr77]

Nice arpeggios, I like this lesson.

Short but sweet


Angelo

[Wolfboy1]

Nice lesson, pretty idea behind that bend although not my usual method of bending. I found the slide up from the 9th to 11th and just bending the 11th to fall better under my second finger on left hand.

Additionaly I don't see your logic in not following through on your down stroke to complete the arppegio. You're right there heading down? Anyway liked the lesson, played it different c'est la vie.

[tev77]

My day didn't quite go to plan yesterday so didn't get to this lesson yesterday. This is definitely a lesson I will have to come back to. Some really nice funk grooves here that I need to spend a bit more time in order to really get this stuff.

[tev77]

That bending down takes a little bit of work. Getting it to sound right at speed is something still evading me a little bit.

[mel999]

after some tries it ran smoothly. then i tried all the delay fx my podfarm could supply

to let privates qualify for a free t-shirt by finding mistakes is an act of gernerosity, sarge! sending out new copies is another one!
did my humble self qualify for a t? i would be quite happy about it, but it should be xxl to fit this adipose body

mel

[wvgman]

This one is a little tricky, but "slow and easy in the beginning" has helped me get it up to speed. Still not perfect, but lots of fun. You need to keep your nails trimmed really short to make those downward bends.

[Rgalvez]

DAY 15

Wvgman is right! I made the bend with a bit long nail and it was a bit difficult to do a full bend (extra hard cause I play on acoustic) but nice ! of course I have to rework on it...I'm learning a lot folks! see you tomorrow.

[abbettjc]

Went Well.

I didn't have any trouble with the bends. I did have a little trouble at first getting the two strings on fret 14, first measure, fretted properly. My fat short fingers wanted to move around a bit. Cramming them in that fret was a challenge. I did get better at it after a little work.

I use my tuner to get the bends right. Is that cheating? Bright green light confirms when I stop that I'm at the right place. Once I start getting it right I can hear it and don't need the tuner. There are many places on the fretboard where I don't use it, but when I'm in a new position or a new bend I use it.

Nice break after day 14. I would need two weeks with that lesson.

-John

[rjbasque]

Couldn't quite get the full step bend on my Tele, switched to the shorter scale Les Paul and it was much easier. With some work the bends will come on the Tele. Kept wanting to skip the b string on the downward part of the arpeggio.

This riff makes me want to see how to move it to another chord shape to keep it flowing.

[Piztolpeet]

Trickier than it looked to get fretted properly and to get it to ring cleanly.I can see I will be revisiting a lot of these lessons to hammer in that muscle memory.

[jimiclaptoncarl]

I don't know why, but this lesson seemed pretty easy for me.

Loved the bends, especially with some delay!

[MidnightExpress]

A bit of R+R with this lesson. No problem at speed although needed a little work on arching the fret hand to hit all strings cleanly. Actually sounded better to my ears at a slower tempo.

[Sir Hackalot]

With all the work up to this point on ghost strokes and groove, I found it very difficult to play Ex. 1 with all downstrokes as shown. The shuffle pattern made me want to do ghost strokes and do an “Up” on the “&3”. Eventually went with that, and it felt much more natural!

Example 3 was much harder to do than it sounded. Something about moving the doublestops around with the middle finger and pinkie so quickly. I was getting too much slop/drag, and as a result, spent more time on this exercise than I probably should have before moving on. I was stubborn and I wanted to get it right, or at least try like crazy. Well, I tried, but...

Example 4? Well, I’m not sure how well I’m muting the 5th string once I get it up to speed, but overall it sounds OK!

I was approaching 4 hours of practice time, so I had to leapfrog over Example 5 and jump to 6. Had to set the metronome way down to 72bpm, but that help at least get it under my fingers. Got halfway through the lesson before having to call it a night.

This day was a doozie. Sarge promised us there’d be days like these!

Private Hackalot

[ChrisBuono]

Sorry guys!!

There was no wi-fi in the venue and I was there for a 12:00 soundcheck all the way to an 11:30 gig! I had planned on getting to a Starbucks for a sit down, but there were many NYC-style distractions attacking me ...

More soon.

[ChrisBuono]

Day 15. I can actually play this one although not quite up to speed. Just built an analog delay so this will be perfect to use it with. Need to finish my paint job.

NICE! Be sure to post that delay when it's finished.

[ChrisBuono]

Additionaly I don't see your logic in not following through on your down stroke to complete the arppegio.

It's a balance and consistency thing. Since I make a point to play that "border-like" pattern, it's just a part of my technique now. Plus, I think it puts a slightly different attack the note make for much-needed variation that arpeggiated passages can often lack. In the end, it's not a deal breaker whether you do or not in this particular instance.

[ChrisBuono]

That bending down takes a little bit of work. Getting it to sound right at speed is something still evading me a little bit.

Put the time in though after the 40 Days are over. You'll be psyched when you play it.

[ChrisBuono]

after some tries it ran smoothly. then i tried all the delay fx my podfarm could supply

to let privates qualify for a free t-shirt by finding mistakes is an act of gernerosity, sarge! sending out new copies is another one!
did my humble self qualify for a t? i would be quite happy about it, but it should be xxl to fit this adipose body

mel

Noooooooooooot sure what you mean here, bud.

[ChrisBuono]

This one is a little tricky, but "slow and easy in the beginning" has helped me get it up to speed. Still not perfect, but lots of fun. You need to keep your nails trimmed really short to make those downward bends.

All good info privates. READ THIS.

[ChrisBuono]

I use my tuner to get the bends right. Is that cheating?



-John

OMG NO! That's totally legal. Nice work.

[ChrisBuono]

Couldn't quite get the full step bend on my Tele, switched to the shorter scale Les Paul and it was much easier. With some work the bends will come on the Tele. Kept wanting to skip the b string on the downward part of the arpeggio.

This riff makes me want to see how to move it to another chord shape to keep it flowing.

Another great post.

[ChrisBuono]

OK Troops ...

I know this is a day late, but by no means are we a dollar short. I see Private Hackalot took the bull by the horns and went on without these orders--good work, Hack!

So, "another blues lesson", you might be thinking. Rightfully so. In addition to this course I'm sure you have had oodles of Blues pedagogy thrown your way. Truth is, you can never get enough. If all else fails, the Blues is the universal common denominator between all guitarists. Even if there was a language barrier--start playing a shuffle and [very] good chances are you're partner will chime right in and contribute to a fulfilling conversation.

Within this second lesson from Dave Rubin you indeed once more revisit the Blues. This time however it's through some fresh approaches to comping with the "s" word. Not only that, be sure to read the text to learn about some pivotal players who might have otherwise been under your radar and be sure to check them out.

NOW GET TO WORK.

[emeryr]

Yet another rude awakening from the basic Shuffle, the different chord voiceing, position changes and constant movement have left me at the bottom of the wall in the mud not being able to climb up the rope to get over the wall in Swat Camp, but will keep trying bits at a time till I get there.

[abbettjc]

Won't have access to the Internet later, but am looking forward to being humbled once again.

-John

[Leedelta]

No problems until I met Roy Gaines

Some cool voicings but fiddly to chord but practice makes perfect.

[ChrisBuono]

OK Troops ...

It's a Jesse Gress lesson, so you know what that means ...

Look on the bright side--it's a lotta awesome!!! And in the study of rhythm guitar, who could possibly be more awesome than Pete Townshend? That's the subject of this a-GRESS-ive lesson, and man, it's goes deeeeeeeeeep. You'll encounter many great moments in The Who's canon of iconic masterpieces. If you're a Who fan, you will be very pleased. If not, get ready to join the rest of civilization!

I gotta tell ya: This lesson was one of the highlights for me as my older brothers were and still are major Who zealots. So this stuff is tucked way deep within my psyche. Never did open position chords sound so good (well, there is the genius of Malcom Young, but I di-GRESS)

NOW GET TO WORK!

P.S. Sorry for the shameful puns

[Hutch82]

Jess Gresse he plays with Todd doesn't he.......I am not worthy,sorry Chris I'm outta here....

H

[mel999]

Wait, wha?
Noooooooooooot sure what you mean here, bud.

i was too hasty, sarge, hoping for pardon

it's like to echo private hackalot: in ex.1 i'd have felt much more comfortable with an upstroke at the "2&"s. it doesn't sound too bad actually.

ex.3 left me experimenting with double stop riffs for about an hour (there was a lot of time, i took a holiday today).

roy gaines was leapfroged. i'm not in jazz too much, and sarge playing ex.5 looked so incredible and completely impossible for me. i hope not to get disciplined for this arbitrary act.

ex6 was fine with the machine at 70.

i'm very glad with the pete-lesson tomorrow. it was the main reason to buy the course (the video among the samplers did deeply impress me).

private mel

[Sir Hackalot]

Not sure this is what Sarge meant by "mistakes in a introduction", but on day 24 (Heavy Fretting), the "bumper video image" introduces Ex. 3 when it is actually #2 and Ex. 2 when it is actually #3. Might want to mark that down so it doesn't throw you once you get there.

The Sarge still rules, though.

Private Hackalot

[arjr77]

To many rhythms not enough time,

ex. F is by far my favorite exercise!!!



Angelo

[torr71]

Daze !6
I scuffled through the shuffle and I r ready for the next one...That Pete stuff sounds cool.....

[Wolfboy1]

In example 16:
I really liked example 6, others okay but 6 was awesome!

I tried to play the examples before I heard you and I was thinking to myself I bet he's using his thumb in example 1 to fret that F chord. I tried it a few times and also the Bb chord. So then I see your example and I'm wondering....why didn't you use your thumb for the bass note on these?

[garylee]

Day 16 Shuffle Power - played thru all the examples, however most chords gave me fits with some strings not ringing clean. used thumb for notes on the 5th string, which made it hard to switch to the next chord
Gary

[ChrisBuono]

Jess Gresse he plays with Todd doesn't he.......I am not worthy,sorry Chris I'm outta here....

H

No worries, Hutch, you're on a very special mission

[ChrisBuono]

Not sure this is what Sarge meant by "mistakes in a introduction", but on day 24 (Heavy Fretting), the "bumper video image" introduces Ex. 3 when it is actually #2 and Ex. 2 when it is actually #3. Might want to mark that down so it doesn't throw you once you get there.

The Sarge still rules, though.

Private Hackalot

Thanks, T-shirt for you. Email Nancy and I'll let Ren know ...

[Wolfboy1]

Lesson 17 one of the best so far. Could really here Pete in these examples!

Did Pete ever finger pick? I love to finger pick arpegios. In example 20 for instance is great for the old p i m a m pattern.

[1TBAV]

Man that is way to much chord changing for me but a very cool lesson none the less.

I'll just be shuffle under powered for a while.

TB

[Piztolpeet]

Spent time in the shed today.Enjoyed ex 2 a lot and ex 6.Tricky muting the 5 on ex 4.Looking forward to one of my heros Pete Townsend.

[wvgman]

Spider Monkey to Big Iguana. Behind enemy lines! (Travel status out of town with family to see in-laws). Received and reviewed all intel from Big Iguana.
Mission difficult due to absence of familiar arsenal of weaponry. I have improvised and adapted to overcome obstacles and found some abandoned enemy tools to use for completing mission. Will need to revisit much upon return to home base. Attack upon the shuffle feels incomplete at this point. Spider monkey out.

[Wolfboy1]

That's hilarious!

I will never forget one time in the Navy we were flying a NATO operation out of Scotland and doing a hot turnover (good direct path contact on a diesel Sub) to a Brit aircrew. The Brits are really into the NATO non-secure communication code words. Sometimes it really seems like another language. Being US Forces we really don't play all that well in a pure NATO environment either. Well, me and my pilot in command are flippin around in our code books trying to figure out what in hell is going on and getting more and more frustrated. So finally my pilot gets pissed and yells over the radio "Hey limey boys, the griddle is hot, time to choke the octopus and pour some pancakes we're outta here!" (which meant absolutely nothing) Man, we laughed all the way back to base and the hot griddle/ octopus chokin comments got a a work out for the rest of that deployment!

[rjbasque]

Spider Monkey to Big Iguana.

OK Welcome to Day 16 of the 40 WEEK rhythm swat camp
To be honest I thought I played OK before this course has proceeded to hand out a continuous serving of Whoop a..

Actually examples 1&2 when pretty easy. #3 was a bit of work but once I got it quite a bit of fun. I'm with Jeff on #4, I'm gonna try it using a wrap over thumb

#5 There is more chords in those 12 bars than my whole vocabulary! Retreat! Retreat! (Monty Python reference)

Example 6: I WANT TO PLAY THAT! MUST GO TO WOODSHED!

Looking forward to trying some Townsend tomorrow.

[Rgalvez]

I did the two first exercises quite well...but I felt all the weight of the week with ex 3 and I decided to stop it and review it tomorrow, because next day is a short lesson by..Jesse Gress??? oh,no ! geeez I'm done!!!

[tev77]

There was so much in that lesson its hard to digest, a number of chord voicings that I haven't really used at all before so takes a little bit of time to familiarize myself with them. Some of the examples are definitely gonna take some time to get down.

[MidnightExpress]

Day 16
First three examples went pretty much without a hitch. Lots of familiar voicings. Example four needs more work and sorry to say I had to kick Roy to the curb. Too much nonsense going on there. Ran out of gas for the the last jam and only touched on it briefly. Will return to that one later. Enjoyable lesson overall.

[1TBAV]

Really liked the Who lesson.

What are you using for your amps? I remember you saying it's nice to have the proper guitar per style but I was wondering if you used different amps for all these videos.

[Leedelta]

Todays lesson was beyond me.

I never really dug the Who.

Some good open drone ideas that are stealable.

Maybe someday I will come back to the lesson.

[Sir Hackalot]

I could tell three minutes into this video, that this will likely be the first lesson I return to after the 40 days are up. I eventually want to work through every example in the original article and pdf. Working through this lesson made it clear how much of an influence PT was to my personal guitar hero, Rick Nielsen.

Ex 2a: Once again, something that “didn’t sound difficult on the radio”, but was a much different story when I tried to play it in this lesson! The rubber wrist thing is completely new to me, and I can see that it’s crucial if you want to make 2a sound “right”. Sarge almost seems to be throwing his wrist into it. I don’t have a problem doing this rhythm with all ghost strokes, but actually apply it to the strings (which is the whole point here, obviously), and my (not quite) rubber wrist’s pick gets snagged in the strings. It seemed to help if I applied more of the pick’s energy towards the upper strings. I didn’t seem to get quite as “stuck in the weeds” that way. If you get stuck on this, you might try just isolating and doing reps of the triplet riff with Mr. Metronome. That sure helped me!

Ex. 20 was just too fast for me to switch chord positions and not miss any appegiated notes. I ended up practicing this one two ways: First with the metronome set to given speed but giving me unlimited time to switch chords, and then secondly with the metronome speed bumped down to the speed which allowed me to appegiate and change chords without missing a beat (down to @ 96 bpm). I figured that gave me two kinds of practice: the first concentrating on getting the arps up to speed, and the second which concentrated on helping me to switch chord forms without missing a note.

And… about Sarge’s advice about it “not just being about the chord you’re on, but also the chord that’s next”? Check out his fingering on Ex. 24, the F# of the F#m7 (22:26). First I thought, “why is he fingering that with his ring finger rather than his pinkie?” At the time, I was using my pinkie, but was having trouble switching fingers from the previous chord. Then I realize the ring finger is what he’s using (as I was) on the previous chord, the F#7. He just holds it in place, and it works perfectly! No need to juggle fingers.

Both musically and application-wise, today’s lesson has been my favorite so far. What a blast. Spent over six total hours on this one throughout the day, and don't regret a minute of it.

Private Hackalot