3D Acoustic Guitar: Moderated by Vicki!

[herby]

Hello Vicki and welcome. I have to admit I'm a newcomer to your playing but have become a big fan. I'd prefer the free format too, as work interferes with scheduled times. I'd love to hear you talk sometime about your approach to keeping time so well and giving your music such a great feeling of forward momentum. It's an aspect of playing way too often under-stressed in a lot of lessons that are melodically based. (Not that I don't want to hear a lot about your sense of melody too : ). Thanks for taking the time. I'm looking forward to this. I'm liable to have a lot of questions. You're forewarned.

[wswilkinson]

practice with a metronome. first at slow speeds and then slowly increase your tempo with proficiency at slower speeds. after a while you will create an internal metronome that will almost be automatic for performance.
scott

[herby]

practice with a metronome. first at slow speeds and then slowly increase your tempo with proficiency at slower speeds. after a while you will create an internal metronome that will almost be automatic for performance.
scott

Always good advice... can't be said enough.

[Strummercat]

Vicki, welcome aboard. I'm fairly new to the forum but have been a TrueFire fan for a long time. I really enjoy your style of playing and am looking forward to your course blog. Thank you for taking the time from what must be a hectic schedule for you to mingle with us. I guarntee this "newbie" will enjoy getting inspiration from you.

Bob

[dekalog]

Ok I have always loved Vicki's music and bought the course as soon as it came out. Was totally psyched and then couldn't get the thumb slap.

Tried and tried and don't know why - looks easy enough - it's well explained - I've been playing guitar over 30 years can do the harmonic slaps and tapping and pretty much everything else, but my slap is not happening - the only thing happening is a sore thumb.

Anyone out there please let me know what I am doing wrong.


I went through the course again this week and still cannot get this.

Advice please?

I will be forever thankful

[vgenfan]

My 7 years old son saw Vicki playing KALI DREAMS & said 'whhhoooaaa, Daddy why can't you play like that?'. I said 'if I could, I'd be rich & famous!'
Well, after a few weeks of focused practice...today he saw me working on the KALI DREAMS intro & said 'you learned to play like that!' I like this style because it reminds me of Michael Hedges. As I practice, I get to concentrating so much that I loose track of time. (My wife came into the room earlier while I was practicing the slaps on guitar. I think I was driving her crazy. ha!)

Question...as I watch Vicki play, it seems so effortless. Whereas I am superfocussed. Any tips? Or is it just time with the techniques?

Hi there Guitarbot22! Congrats on being able to focus!! That is a feat in and of itself. I think there is a balance that we forever seek between 'focusing' and 'relaxing' our attention and letting our body take over....often times I find that if I walk away after an intense focusing bit then come back later - I am suddenly farther along than when I stopped, and with much less 'effort'. Try alternating between focusing and relaxing, letting yourself do 'whatever' for a while during the relaxing bits. Time with the techniques will also contribute to 'effortlessness'. Good luck and have fun!

[vgenfan]

Ok I have always loved Vicki's music and bought the course as soon as it came out. Was totally psyched and then couldn't get the thumb slap.

Tried and tried and don't know why - looks easy enough - it's well explained - I've been playing guitar over 30 years can do the harmonic slaps and tapping and pretty much everything else, but my slap is not happening - the only thing happening is a sore thumb.

Anyone out there please let me know what I am doing wrong.


I went through the course again this week and still cannot get this.

Advice please?

I will be forever thankful

Hi dekalog! Thanks for persevering! I've found that of all the techniques I teach in 3D, the Thumb Slap seems to be the trickiest....it seems to me that some of the factors involved are: your exact thumb, hand and forearm anatomy, shape and size of guitar, attack and release. Since we're all so different in the first two categories, it's extra important to make sure your attack is relaxed, yet firm and that your release is very quick and 'bouncy'.on the strings. Try all kinds of different positions - not just the one I'm using. This may help account for differences in anatomy. Just for kicks - try on another guitar...you never know!
Keep me posted!! Good luck!

[vgenfan]

Vicki:
Please let me reassure you that this course has had a tremendous impact on my playing. I have been living with these pieces and preparing them for performance. Not an easy task but well worth it in terms of having these techniques and teaching becoming part of my musical DNA. I have found for a piece of music or technique to become a part of me, it has to consolidate or ferment in my brain a while- hopefully while I am playing it frequently. DizzY Gelespie would not let his band record a piece until they had lived with it for six months. I have recorded and filmed Kali Dreams and Atomic Shuffle recently.See this link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/wilkinso.../1/YAvIE2B93T4
I took a little liberty with the tempo (about 95% speed). It seemed more musical for me. I also took a little different approach to the intro and outro to Kali Dreams- just a little more subtle because it was easier to capture the performance
You will also see on that link/channel another tune that I have learned written by Alex DeGrassi with similar techniques. I was attracted to learning the piece after digesting the 3D course. I think you will really enjoy seeing the fruits of your teaching and efforts in putting this course together. I know I will always appreciate what you have given us.
Dr Scott Wilkinson

Thanks Dr. Scott! You've obviously worked really hard and it shows. I think you've done a great job with Kali and Atomic! I look forward to seeing how you continue to grow with the techniques. Do you write your own music?

[dekalog]

I made a sound................

it was quiet

but I do believe it may have been the sound

Thanks Vicki and also wswilkinson and asherbro (for your vids - comparison is a good thing) - tested out a few other ways and turns out I was trying to complicate it WAY too much.

[vgenfan]

I made a sound................

it was quiet

but I do believe it may have been the sound

Thanks Vicki and also wswilkinson and asherbro (for your vids - comparison is a good thing) - tested out a few other ways and turns out I was trying to complicate it WAY too much.

YAY! Quiet is good. One of my own 'mantras' for challenging stuff is, 'slow & quiet'. That seems to release a whole bunch of tension - which is in so many cases the thing that holds us back!

[wswilkinson]

The thumb pick is a useful tool for some of these techniques. It just has to be angled in such a way that you still get a percussive sound similar the the bare thumb on the string.some of it is what you get use to.

[dekalog]

Vicki how on earth are you NOT hitting the other strings when slapping the A and D strings.

You make it so easy......

I make it sound.......

One day... I will keep practicing

[dekalog]

So after much practice I now can slap on E, A and D

I now have an issue with the arm mute. I'm fairly <uh-hum> chesty and I am wondering if this has something to do with it?

I play in a pretty classical position but the guitar isn't close to my body in that particlur area and that makes it so I have to wrestle the guitar to get my arm flat on the strings and that takes my left arm totally out of position.

Any suggestions?

Also - am I posting too much. Just got back into this course and now I'm a little psyched and getting into it but it is so different form the kind of guitar I usually play that I am finding it a little challenging. Breaking old habits etc...

Thanks for the place to ask the questions