YOUR Guitar Diary for 2012

[Monkfish]

today has been great, got alot done in a short space of time.

Chromatics..........4mins
Eb maj scale, all positions........15 mins
Eb maj triads on 4 groups of three strings....10mins
Eb maj arps, 1 octave, 2 octaves, Horizontally......10 mins
Eb Dom7 arps, 2 octaves, 2 positions....5 mins
Bb nat minor scale, all over.......15mins
C harmonic minor, all over......10 mins
C melodic minor (new to me), 2 positions.... 10 mins

I then had a cup of tea

Jammed some melodic ideas with no key/scale/chor/arp in mind, I just let my fingers do their own thing, and it wasnt all bad......5mins
1st inversion Dom7 chords round the cycle of 4th.... 10 mins
Harmonizing the maj scale in 3rds.... 10 mins, in 6th.... 5mins
Secret Sauce, Function Junction. developing the ideas shown and then jamming them out with the backing track......40 mins

Apart from the jamming, everything was practiced with a nome set at 150 bpm and played with quater notes and then eighth notes, and every now and then a burst of quarter note triplets.

I am going to do an hour on the drums...6/8 study and then Im off to the pub to drink warm beer and watch/listen to a cover band

Practice Hard...Play Harder ! .......and Eat Right doh! I knew id forgotten something

[knittergeek]

Okay, so I was listening to "Honky Tonk" on the new Winter album and thought hell, I can play that! So I spent the last hour working up the rhythm for it. Woot! I'm a 3-chord wonder! Maybe I'll graduae to 4-chord-wonder again soon

Will be working on Blues for Beginners as soon as the housework is done...

[torr71]

Acoustic / Strum and Sing
50 Acoustic Blues Licks
CB's Blues Progressions and Solos
JS's 50 Blues Rock Rhythms

After My Cup of Tea...

Did my Acoustic / Strum and Sing thang , I've been using the different strumming patterns form "Solid Strumming"...Great TFU Course and now one of those Geetar Lab Thangs...

Then after not getting it in yesterday I went for JD's "50 Acoustic Blues Licks" pretty much worked on one lick for a bit ..not really a lick but a complete 12 bar..

This is a complete chorus showing off single note solo licks answered by fills harmonized in 6ths. The turnaround matches one of the fills and is harmonized in 3rds

This is a lesson in of its self ...

After that I began playing / noodling with some ideas from "CB's Blues Progressions and Solos"
worked out some cool lines that centered around Chris's concepts as well as some of the bending and vibrato stuff from SWAT Blues, mainly the Jeff Beck sounding stuff..i.e....Hammer from the flat 7 to the Root then pull back to the 7th and bend up to the Root ....and Shake it....
as well as bending up from a flatted 3rd to a 4th then release and slowly bend up to the major 3rd..Very cool Mojo...and Shake it Good

After That I began the Second Solo / chorus of "Larry's Trick" that builds from yesterdays chorus...Work on getting the notes in my head , then after some time I worked with the Jam Track and played with that for a bit....Will need another day or so to nail it , but well on my way..

Then.....did more from "50 Blues Rock Rhythms" Joe B. or not to be......

This is a riff that he uses to give a standard 12 bar progression a bit more of a nasty rock feel.

Real Cool Mojo !

Practice Smart...Play Hard ! and Eat Right

[wvgman]

Feeling very exhausted today for no particular reason, but I did manage to practice for about an hour and some change going over some things mentioned in Jeff's post last night. I used the Stratocaster and the Ibanez, both unplugged for today.

I hit some one string scales in each of the natural keys (I should have done the sharps and flats too, but it will have to wait) and I had a good time with that. Major, Natural Minor, and Major Pentatonic were as far as I was able to go today, but I am starting to see a plan come toghether. I also experimented and played these with varying intervalic patterns. That can get to be fun and tricky.

*************

Looking forward to Jeff Beasley's post here later tonight as our Special Guest Host. I have benefitted much from his previous posts and I am sure this one will be useful to me as well.

[rashotts]

Shorter practice due to other commitments, so just some basics on the guitar.

Practiced the FVMM chromatic scales on the guitar. First, ascending/descending horizontal on each string. Followed up with the vertical and sliding scales.

Watched the FVMM C major scale lesson. Then practiced one and two octave C major scales using various finger patterns.

I want to dig deeper into theory, so I started reading Berle's Theory & Harmony for the Contemporary Musician as a primer – thought it would be best to review the basics before tackling the trickier stuff. To make sure I balance the theory with the application each week, I am considering completely devoting one day to reading theory rather than any hands-on practice. Have not quite decided yet.

[Monkfish]

To make sure I balance the theory with the application each week, I am considering completely devoting one day to reading theory rather than any hands-on practice. Have not quite decided yet.

Not sure about this one mate. I always recon theory is best considered with a scrap of paper, a pencil and your intrument of choice at your disposal. There are plenty of times during the day when you dont have an instument to hand and you can consider theory.
eg...I do try and spend a little time with the Mrs. of an evening and invariabley it involves watching TV.

Now TV to me is a load of old bollx. To me a film is a waste of 1.5 hours of potential guitar playing, so i generally get into the background music and things like.... ah, that sounds minor, maybe phrygian, maybe C phrygian. i wonder what notes are in C Phrygian, what chords can I construct from C phrygian, it goes on.

The Mrs thinks Ive spent some quality time with her but really Ive been making music in my head, so when she turns around to me and says 'what you thinking?' I just say 'nothing dear'. Its easier that way!!

Please excuse my ramblings, ive been down the pub, drinking warm beer

[beasley]

Hey guys thanks for reading my posts and for the kind words, I really appreciate it. Let me tell about my guitar day then I'll respond to Monkfish's questions.

I did my daily routine that I've discussed in the previous posts and then off to teach my Friday students. I've actually labeled everyday I teach by the type of people that come in for that particular day. Friday is "engineer Friday" because I have a ton of those guys on that day. I've asked a few of then why they seem to migrate to Friday and the typical reason is that's the only day they can leave the office because the other days are so busy. I wind up doing everything from theory to soloing to Pop tunes. They seem to like Journey a lot (so do I) and some of them like really hokey 70's tunes like Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves by Cher or Wildfire by Michael Murphy, etc...I pretend I like it too but it's really super corny...ha! Sometimes I hope no one can hear us doing the tunes but all-in-all I don't mind so much. Oh yeah I forgot about "If you like pina coladas, and gettin' caught in the rain", I forgot about that one. Maybe that's not a bad thing.

Monkfish I have experienced this many times in my career. If it's an adult I do what makes them happy. I try to push them to learn music, reading, scales and arpeggios, metronome work, etc...but after a while if they really don't want that and are happy just jamming, then I let it go at that and try to slip in some music training here and there. I have some adult students who've been with me a while that just want to do that, but I also help them gain depth in thier soloing ability by teaching them to follow form early on. Once they get a handle on that, I've got them, and I can at least train their ear to hear lots of different chord changes and teach them how to solo over them. Sometimes it's just Pop tunes they want to do but I can almost always tie that into western music theory and make reference to the fact that even their favorite players are utilizing those ideas.

Now, if it's a young person my rule is this: whoever writes the check is the boss! If their parents want them to read, then that's what we're gonna do. If after a while they still bit#h and moan about it, I'll tell the parents they really don't want to do that and are they sure they want me to continue to push it. If they say yes then that's what I'll do. Usually after a few times of going to them and saying "he doesn't want this and I think it's discouraging him" they acquiesce. Bottom line, in reality the student is the boss and your trying to make a living. Sometimes you have to do things that seem almost counter-productive but unfortunately sometimes, you can't do anything about it. If that's the case, I try to find some way to put as much stuff mixed in with what the student wants to make at least a little bit of a positive impact. I can usually pull that off but there have been times when I just teach them the tunes they want or jam with them the way they want. I used to feel bad too, but then I realized if they don't want to learn the things that are important to a musician then that's their deal, not mine. I can agree to disagree, in an agreeable manner. I hope that helps.

See you guys tomorrow.

Jeff

[wvgman]

I only have two students and the each have different levels of interest, but I teach them at the same time (they are brother and sister). It makes for some seriously challenging creativity. I am sure there will come a point at which the more interested student decides to really put on the gas and then the other one will be left in the dust. That is going to be one for the parents to decide.

Thanks again so very much for hosting and posting with us tonight.

Oh, BTW, the song Wildfire by Michael Murphy makes me cry.
But then again so does Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves.

************
If you don't mind, would you please tell me if "form fitting" is the same thing that the jazz players call "playing the changes?" It seems to me that it is, but an explanation here might help us all. Thanks, again!

[Jestme]

....
If you don't mind, would you please tell me if "form fitting" is the same thing that the jazz players call "playing the changes?" It seems to me that it is, but an explanation here might help us all. Thanks, again!

Thanks. I had the same question.. does this mean change scale when the chord change...?

thanks once again.

[JoaoPazGuitar]

Jeff, thanks for your reply(ies) ! Great stuff in there - very incisive and wise advice in all, I'd say!!
Also super questions by the guys, as well

Now you got me hooked and I need to go check your courses excuse me about this but I'm relatively rookie to TrueFire


All the best, and I'm looking forward to your post tomorrow, Sir!

[beasley]

Hey guys thanks for reading my posts and for the kind words, I really appreciate it. Let me tell about my guitar day then I'll respond to Monkfish's questions.

I did my daily routine that I've discussed in the previous posts and then off to teach my Friday students. I've actually labeled everyday I teach by the type of people that come in for that particular day. Friday is "engineer Friday" because I have a ton of those guys on that day. I've asked a few of then why they seem to migrate to Friday and the typical reason is that's the only day they can leave the office because the other days are so busy. I wind up doing everything from theory to soloing to Pop tunes. They seem to like Journey a lot (so do I) and some of them like really hokey 70's tunes like Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves by Cher or Wildfire by Michael Murphy, etc...I pretend I like it too but it's really super corny...ha! Sometimes I hope no one can hear us doing the tunes but all-in-all I don't mind so much. Oh yeah I forgot about "If you like pina coladas, and gettin' caught in the rain", I forgot about that one. Maybe that's not a bad thing.

Monkfish I have experienced this many times in my career. If it's an adult I do what makes them happy. I try to push them to learn music, reading, scales and arpeggios, metronome work, etc...but after a while if they really don't want that and are happy just jamming, then I let it go at that and try to slip in some music training here and there. I have some adult students who've been with me a while that just want to do that, but I also help them gain depth in thier soloing ability by teaching them to follow form early on. Once they get a handle on that, I've got them, and I can at least train their ear to hear lots of different chord changes and teach them how to solo over them. Sometimes it's just Pop tunes they want to do but I can almost always tie that into western music theory and make reference to the fact that even their favorite players are utilizing those ideas.

Now, if it's a young person my rule is this: whoever writes the check is the boss! If their parents want them to read, then that's what we're gonna do. If after a while they still bit#h and moan about it, I'll tell the parents they really don't want to do that and are they sure they want me to continue to push it. If they say yes then that's what I'll do. Usually after a few times of going to them and saying "he doesn't want this and I think it's discouraging him" they acquiesce. Bottom line, in reality the student is the boss and your trying to make a living. Sometimes you have to do things that seem almost counter-productive but unfortunately sometimes, you can't do anything about it. If that's the case, I try to find some way to put as much stuff mixed in with what the student wants to make at least a little bit of a positive impact. I can usually pull that off but there have been times when I just teach them the tunes they want or jam with them the way they want. I used to feel bad too, but then I realized if they don't want to learn the things that are important to a musician then that's their deal, not mine. I can agree to disagree, in an agreeable manner. I hope that helps.

See you guys tomorrow.

Jeff

[Jestme]

Jeff B refers to folowing form in the intro to Shred Ahead Blues...

I haven't taken the course yet but it sounds interesting...sounds like he's going to go over following the form in the course.

[Jestme]

Jeff I know you use a metronome a lot... do you have any creative ideas on using metronomes in practice,. that you'd like to share...

Thanks

[beasley]

Sorry bro I forgot to reply to your post! It doesn't necessarily mean changing the scale with the chord. You could take one scale and follow the chord changes with that single scale (a great place to start) or you can change the scale to coincide with the chord. Initially I'd recommend the former (one scale) before trying the latter. For example: say your're playing a minor blues scale over the 1,4, qnd 5 chords. All of those tones (1,4,5) are present in the blues minor, so you could use that single scale to follow the changes. Eventually you learn to change scale and arpeggio types with each chord being played underneath.

Jeff

[beasley]

I do man, but I'll share those with you tomorrow night. I've got to go to bed, another work day tomorrow. God bless!

Jeff

[Jestme]

Thanks Jeff, Looking forward to tomorrow's post. I appreciate your taking the time to post with us.

Time for my nap too...

[djdrdave]

Love these posts. Yesterday I worked more on efficient guitarist and finally printed it all (maybe I'm old school but it's nice to have a hardcopy sometime).

Jeff, I am very glad you are going to do another course as well. Glad to see more of your style represented on Truefire. It's definitely something I will aspire to and work on.

As for me tonight, I had planned on coming home and playing guitar, unfortunately someone crashed into me on the drive home after I ate dinner at the restaurant where my wife works. Hit and run, and I really could have been hurt by this idiot. I made a left turn onto a street and this jerk ran a red light and could have hit me on the drivers side, he didn't even put on the brakes, he was barrelling through, fortunately I sped up as i saw he was going to hit me and he crashed in the the rear left bumper. We think the same guy crashed into another car further down the road, but I couldn't positively ID the guy to the police as it all happened so quick and he was moving so quick and it was dark.

I will play tomorrow after I take it into the collision place (I've had this van since September 2009 and this is the third time someone hit into it, two times while my wife drove and one time for me, I swear sometimes I want to move out of Illinois, so many bad aggressive drivers here. I am proud to say I'm from Ohio.

[jimiclaptoncarl]

Well, I spent the entire day figuring out the solo to Steely Dan's "Peg." Love the tune and the solo, so I was excited that I got most of it down. There is 1 part that is a bit strange and I can't figure it out yet. I probably spent a good 90mins working on that. Hopefully, with a break of a day or two, I can come back to it and it'll be easier to figure out.

Love your posts Jeff!

[torr71]

Not a lot on the Practice front today... Scrambling to get ready for a work trip to
El Paso next week...Will be bringing my Travelers Guitar and laptop and hope to stay connected..

I did work on my Sherpa's assignment and turned that in ....here's a link if you want to listen, its a Groove Thang...Its from JS's "50 Blues Rock Rhythms"


http://www.4shared.com/mp3/EQgSrzIe/JoeBLp2a.html

[JoaoPazGuitar]

I did work on my Sherpa's assignment and turned that in ....here's a link if you want to listen, its a Groove Thang...Its from JS's "50 Blues Rock Rhythms"

http://www.4shared.com/mp3/EQgSrzIe/JoeBLp2a.html

Nice groove, Torr, quite "agressive" and great sound!

Joao

[beasley]

Hey guys I get off a bit earlier on Saturdays so I can post a little earlier! Did my routine and taught today per usual. Remember I said I label each day of the week by the types of students I have that day? Well today is teenage girl Saturday! I have lots of teenage girls come in, so I wind up doing Taylor Swift, lots of reading, and songs in the top 40. I have to say the girls are pretty dedicated and almost never miss. I have an older lady first, she's been with me over 10 years. We usually solo quite a bit to backing tracks in various styles. She's a really good player and keeps me on my toes!

Now, Jestme's question about metronome studies. When I was in college my professors always asked me if I had practiced that weeks assignment with a metronome. Of course my answer was "yes", when in reality I couldn't stand the metronome. It was like Chinese water torture, tick, tock ,tick, tock...I hated it! But eventually I had to look in the mirror and ask myself, "do you really want to be the best you can be"? My answer was yes and so I began to practice with it a little. Everything was ok until I tried to play eighth notes (2 notes per click). I couldn't do it! I tried several times and just couldn't get it so I got mad and threw my metronome on my dorm room floor and it broke! Of course I had to by another one. I tried about three more days to get the eighths and I got it! After that it was off to the races and I've been using one ever since.

After years of working with the metronome I've found that the key to using it is not necessarily setting it on a higher tempo, but developing the ability to balance a group of notes over each beat. For example: 2 notes over one click (eighth notes), 3 notes per click (triplets), 4 notes per click (sixteenths), etc...you don't have to set the metronome at a high tempo to develop this ability. This approach is how you genuinely develop a good sense of time. Over time and through repetition, you get more and more comfortable with the different beat groupings. In my practice routine I mix it up. Some things I play in triplets, some in eights, some in sixteenths, etc...

There are other things you can focus on as well. Once you get a handle on the different beat groupings, you can start to focus on playing in the "pocket" or in the "groove" as some players call it. Every beat has a beginning, middle, and end. If you play on the front (beginning) of the beat, everything you play will sound rushed, not tight with the metronome. If you play in the middle of the beat it sounds monotone, lifeless. But, if you play on the back or end of the beat, that's the pocket. That's where everything sounds tight and the music literally flows. A great exercise to develop this ability is to turn the metronome on a moderate tempo 108-120, turn your back on it, and clap your hands to the beat. If you can make the metronome (clicks) disappear while your clapping, you're in the pocket. Try clapping in quarters first (one clap per beat), then 2, then 3, then 4, etc...Eventually you play in the pocket and recognize quickly when your not.

One final thing about the metronome. When I was in college I used to practice ridiculous amounts. I was so terrified to give classical guitar recitals, I played the pieces I knew I had to perform over and over and over. I would play in front of my friends at the dorm and to anybody that would listen, just to try to prepare myself for what I knew was coming. I would play at the recital and just bomb because I was so nervous. So, I kept practicing with the metronome. Over time I really learned to hone in on the beat and focus. The metronome put pressure on me, it wouldn't slow down or speed up for me. If I got off, I was off. Eventually it brought all the insecurities I had about my playing to the surface and forced me to deal with them. It taught me to focus under pressure. I can't say that I never get nervous now because sometimes I do but, through repetition I get to where I can focus. I probably would've thought I sucked to this day if the metronome hadn't taught me that I can have good performances and I can focus if I choose to.

Thank you guys for allowing me the pleasure of writing in this thread, especially you Ron! It's been fun for me and I hope I've helped someone with some of my experiences as a player.

God Bless!

Jeff

[torr71]

Hi Jeff,
This has been a sweet ride...
The"metronome studies" should be a published article..Thanks for taking the time.

[rashotts]

Kept it fairly simple today, focusing on topics from the last week rather than a new lesson.

Practiced chromatic scales (horizontal, vertical, and sliding) on both guitar and Stick. Then switched to major scales.

Worked on triads while walking the major scale on both instruments.

Followed up with a set of hand independence exercises on the Stick.

Finished with some play on time on the Stick and then the hollow body.

[wvgman]

A special big Thank You goes to Jeff Beasley for taking the precious time to share with us some of the wisdom and insight he has gained from years of study and work as a professional guitarist!

Jeff, we are honored to have had you be our Special Guest Host for this thread over last four days! You have given to us a wealth of information. I hope you will consider doing it again some time.

I am posting a link to your web page where some of the folks may like to visit to glean even more of your accumulated guitar wisdom and to send you a "thank you" note for being here.
http://www.guitarsource3.com/index.cfm

Thanks again so very much for doing this! You are just awesome, my friend!!! I am really glad to be in your Sherpa Class too! See you there soon!

[Monkfish]

Thank you so much for your most helpful answer to my teaching question, you have reassured me that I am doing the right thing with this student.
The cheque writer has been informed several times and assured me that things would change, although I see no evidence of that yet. The student did get a distinction in his RGT grade one exam but he stalling somewhat over grade 2. Itts a shame, I know he has got it in him to do well if he applied himself some more.

many thanks

[Monkfish]

Cool track, nicely done. you have set me off on a SRV fest
Cheers mate

[Monkfish]

today was back to front for me. I went to bed very late last night and so got up very late this morning, did I say morning?

first job was to take my Les paul for a fret dress and so the best part of the day was spent sitting in traffic.

I did manage to get an hour of serious practice in But I struggled to focus and so made alot of mistakes

Chromatics....4mins
harmonic minor....15
Natural minor....15
melodic minor.... 10
Minor triads......15
and few other bits and bobs.
drumming... 45mins

While I was with the guitar tech he advised me how to fix my strat, which I have done

[Jestme]

Jeff

Once again thanks for your insights. They were very helpful to me. I can see you are a very busy and dedicated player. Your playing skills are proof that good disciplined practice, planning and dedication can really pay off.

Thanks for the metronome thoughts, you have inspired me to give the metronome another try.

Thanks again.

[Jestme]

A special big Thank You goes to Jeff Beasley for taking the precious time to share with us some of the wisdom and insight he has gained from years of study and work as a professional guitarist! ...

Yeah and a special big Thank You to you too Ron for the thread and for lining up Mr Beasley.

[rjbasque]

First Off.. Jeff thank you for stopping by and sharing with us. You are welcome to chime in whenever you have a chance.

Fridays (6th) are not usually practice days, full day at work, then 6hr shift at restaurant. Don't get home until after 10pm. Saturdays (7th) is also a 6hr/10pm shift, but not after a full workday.

So last night I continued drilling the linked scale forms. I have the powertab set for 6 repeats @ 40bpm and 6/4 time. This feels a lot faster when you're actually playing. The goal is to be able to play the full 6 repeats with minimal mistakes, and consistent volume. Then I will work on speed increase. Worked the trills a bit. Again working on a consistent volume.

I moved on to Blues Alchemy - Swamp Funk. I ran through about 8 choruses of the basic rhythm, working on hitting the accents and chokes properly. Then I ran through the first variant for about 10 choruses, working on getting all the changes clean. David has a funny little change to the "A/E" power chord boogie-woogie pattern where when moving from the 6th to the 7th with the 4th finger extension, he drops the 3rd finger to the next higher string, same fret, then returns to the 6th. I can accomplish this easily by sliding up and dropping my 2nd finger on the higher string. I suppose I should practice it both ways. As Brad Carlton says don't have any weaknesses in your playing.

To finish off instead of playing along with song mp3s, I fired up Jambox, and tried to find some different ways to hit chords. I can lock into the groove ok, but I'm looking to move off the drum/bass hits and stretch out a little, using little arpeggio type things, or find passing chords and anticipate the changes a bit. I probably should reference Blue Grooves for some pointers.

Overall, about 45mins, and fingertips felt pretty good. Actually a better practice than I would have expected.

[Bluefugue]

Haven't been doing much the past few days. I've been in the doldrums a bit. My car broke down and needs a fairly expensive repair, which really sucks. I'm bummed out about that. Anyway, Thursday night was band rehearsal again, as we have a gig coming up. Aside from that, I have been working on Jeff McElrain's 50 Blues guitar licks; I've gotten through the first two. Also, I think I've decided upon a "learning path". I'm going to choose the consummate improviser, as it covers all styles. I also want to keep going with efficient guitarist. Also looking into Modern Method For Guitar by Frank Vignola. It's hard to pick one.

[Monkfish]

Nothing much today, couldnt get into practice so I did some recording instead which I shall put up in the jam thread when its done

[rashotts]

Shorter practice due to other commitments.

Did some treble and bass exercises from a Stick book. Followed up with some triads on the treble side.

Switched to the guitar to work briefly on Blues in B flat from Mimi Fox's Jazz Anatomy.

[djdrdave]

Didn't want to disturb my wife while studying so loaded the tracks from Shredding Bach to my Tascam GB10. It's ok but I'd prefer to use a real amp.

Yesterday I was using the Ipad and instead of Iswifter I downloaded Photon which I think played back the videos better, unfortunately I dont think it allows you to download the pdf though. It's better for watching the videos I suppose, it is a bit buggy.

Oh well I have limited access to our Imac whens she's studying so I better start playing in the early am if possible (and hook up my guitar port or something so I don't disturb sleeping beauty in the morning!). For all the grumbling, very happy to be married and she supports my guitar playing.

One frequent comment she makes is that she'd like to hear me play some full songs instead of noodling all the time. She even makes a funny imitation of my noodling on the guitar.

So one of my ideas has to been to learn chord melody. I have the Beatles for Jazz Guitar book from Hal Leonard and have played a few arrangements of that, and will probably do the Chord Melody course as well. Not sure if there are other good courses in that topic. That being said I need to finish the efficient guitarist as well. So many good options on Truefire, as many have said information overload is easy.

[wvgman]

No Practice today. It has been a bit of a sick day for myself and some others in my household today. About half of it is seasonal stuff, but still taking the day off.

[wvgman]

Received in the mail some junky videos that I bought on e-bay, but one of them had the intro to the Bon Jovi song Dead or Alive and I always wanted to learn to play that lick. So I spent a little while doing that until I was comfortable playing it. Not that complicated, but I was never able to figure it out previously.

Played along to some of the other videos and played along with Tuesday's Gone on You Tube by Lynyrd Skynyrd since I was reminded by a friend that today would be Cassie Gaines birthday (it is also Jimmy Page's birthday, but I didn't play any Zeppelin, hmmm?).

Worked on my 12 bar blues with some variations, still working in thirds and sixths off the 1s, 4s, and 5s per my Sherpa Class assignment. I am really starting to get stuck on the blues. I have worked to get another Special Guest Host for us in February so more good things are coming our way. More on that later. I have been dealing with a few health issues lately and it has diminished my focus on practice. Here is an interesting thought regarding practice and musical terminology, "When my focus is diminished, my need to practice is augmented." Mostly just playing songs today.

[robzebr]

One thing that has helped me quite a bit is organizing what I wanted to practice in one tight package...

I went out and got a 1/2 inch binder and a hole punch. I took the courses that I presently have... 50 Shred, Modern Method, ... and went through and printed the first 10 Shred Licks and the first 10 practice assignments from Modern Method... ..

I did that with all the courses I have... I then put them into the binder and separated them with a clear sheet protector...

So now when its time to practice.... I have everything in one binder and can go through as much or as little as I have time for that day.... The other nice thing is that if you go somewhere ... you can just grab the binder and have all your current coursework with you....

This is a great way for the beginner or intermediate player to stay organized.... Everything is there... Neck Diagrams, scales, chord progressions....

Then after a month or whatever ... you just have to take out what you were practicing .... file it... and replace it with the next set of licks, lessons... etc...

The scales, neck diagrams, chord progressions typically stay in the binder.... just the licks and lessons get refreshed....

Its really helped me stay on top of things... No more wasting time trying to figure out what to practice ... its waiting for me in the binder...

[Jestme]

Great idea Rob... I just started to do that myself...

[Monkfish]

Not alot done again today.
Its tthat time of year when I have to file my tax return but before I can do that I have to tidy my music room so I can find last years paper work

Ive had a good day at it today and it should all be completed on wednesday so should be back to normal on thursday.

I did some chromatics
A little bit of major scale
G maj triads..... no more than an hours playing today
Drums 30 mins

[rashotts]

Mostly scale work today from FVMM on both the guitar and the Stick.

Started with horizontal chromatic scales on each string. Then on to vertical chromatic scales.

Reviewed the vertical C major forms from the previous lesson.

The next lesson up was on playing the the horizontal C major scale on every string.

Finished up with some play time on the acoustic 12 string. Was thinking of doing a bit from TFU 10.5 (Solid Strumming), but didn't get to it. Hopefully tomorrow.

[torr71]

Began the last solo from Larry's trick last nignt ,when I returned to my room
(freakin long day and Flight from Heck) ...My laptop took a dump ,, so for the rest of the trip I'll be working from memory ..

[rjbasque]

No practice on Jan 8, today (yesterday actually) was acoustic work. Worked the linked pentatonics. Forms 1-2 are pretty much together, and forms 3-4 are almost there. Next practice I'll probably add forms 5-1. Working trills on acoustic is interesting, not a lot of sustain. A quick run of the arpeggios, but need to work on holding full barres on the acoustic.

Moved on to the Fretboard Epiphanies "E" form exercises. Drilled each one a couple of times. Spent a while on the moving bass note lesson (#9). Need to focus on that one for a bit, those stretches for bass notes are tough.

Noodled a bit, and ran Swamp Funk a couple of times, then finished up on Jambox again. Came up with a "Pop" sounding rhythm over the bass/drum track from Rock Solid-Southern Jam, complete with the first position C9 chord.

[mysticguitar]

No practice on Jan 8, today (yesterday actually) was acoustic work. Worked the linked pentatonics. Forms 1-2 are pretty much together, and forms 3-4 are almost there. Next practice I'll probably add forms 5-1. Working trills on acoustic is interesting, not a lot of sustain. A quick run of the arpeggios, but need to work on holding full barres on the acoustic.

Moved on to the Fretboard Epiphanies "E" form exercises. Drilled each one a couple of times. Spent a while on the moving bass note lesson (#9). Need to focus on that one for a bit, those stretches for bass notes are tough.

Noodled a bit, and ran Swamp Funk a couple of times, then finished up on Jambox again. Came up with a "Pop" sounding rhythm over the bass/drum track from Rock Solid-Southern Jam, complete with the first position C9 chord.

rjbasque, what are "linked pentatonics"? Is there a TF course your working with that includes "linked pentatonics?", where are the "forms?" you are working with?

[rjbasque]

This is an exercise I nicked from Chris Buono's Guitar Gym Sherpa Class. I mentioned them here. I don't think Chris will mind too much if I post one of the exercises. The bpm setting, and multiple repeats were added by me.

I know Brad Wendko's wants to keep "something special" in the sherpa classes, but I think Chris's exercises would make a real popular course in themselves. I should ping this off Chris and Brad again. There seemed to be a general theme in the questions to Mr Beasley, of "what should I practice". This might be a good answer.

[knittergeek]

Okay, after working with Blues for Beginners for a few days I was ready to chew my arm off... it was a little *too* basic lol! So I've added Solid Strumming to my practices which is making things much more interesting. I'm able to keep up with the rhythms even at the faster speeds and I feel like I'm really playing. I'll run through B4B as a refresher then move on.

I do need to figure out how to do a C chord without muting the 1st string

[gadlaw]

Hey guys thanks for reading my posts and for the kind words, I really appreciate it. Let me tell about my guitar day then I'll respond to Monkfish's questions.

I did my daily routine that I've discussed in the previous posts and then off to teach my Friday students. I've actually labeled everyday I teach by the type of people that come in for that particular day. Friday is "engineer Friday" because I have a ton of those guys on that day. I've asked a few of then why they seem to migrate to Friday and the typical reason is that's the only day they can leave the office because the other days are so busy. I wind up doing everything from theory to soloing to Pop tunes. They seem to like Journey a lot (so do I) and some of them like really hokey 70's tunes like Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves by Cher or Wildfire by Michael Murphy, etc...I pretend I like it too but it's really super corny...ha! Sometimes I hope no one can hear us doing the tunes but all-in-all I don't mind so much. Oh yeah I forgot about "If you like pina coladas, and gettin' caught in the rain", I forgot about that one. Maybe that's not a bad thing.

Monkfish I have experienced this many times in my career. If it's an adult I do what makes them happy. I try to push them to learn music, reading, scales and arpeggios, metronome work, etc...but after a while if they really don't want that and are happy just jamming, then I let it go at that and try to slip in some music training here and there. I have some adult students who've been with me a while that just want to do that, but I also help them gain depth in thier soloing ability by teaching them to follow form early on. Once they get a handle on that, I've got them, and I can at least train their ear to hear lots of different chord changes and teach them how to solo over them. Sometimes it's just Pop tunes they want to do but I can almost always tie that into western music theory and make reference to the fact that even their favorite players are utilizing those ideas.

Now, if it's a young person my rule is this: whoever writes the check is the boss! If their parents want them to read, then that's what we're gonna do. If after a while they still bit#h and moan about it, I'll tell the parents they really don't want to do that and are they sure they want me to continue to push it. If they say yes then that's what I'll do. Usually after a few times of going to them and saying "he doesn't want this and I think it's discouraging him" they acquiesce. Bottom line, in reality the student is the boss and your trying to make a living. Sometimes you have to do things that seem almost counter-productive but unfortunately sometimes, you can't do anything about it. If that's the case, I try to find some way to put as much stuff mixed in with what the student wants to make at least a little bit of a positive impact. I can usually pull that off but there have been times when I just teach them the tunes they want or jam with them the way they want. I used to feel bad too, but then I realized if they don't want to learn the things that are important to a musician then that's their deal, not mine. I can agree to disagree, in an agreeable manner. I hope that helps.

See you guys tomorrow.

Jeff

Dude! You would be such an internet sensation if you did some YouTube videos on exactly these songs! Dudes are searching in vain for some clue as to how to play these songs and you could be the oldies 'go to guy' Just be sure to wear your Buddy Holly glasses and you'll be the next Goldhat.

I do like the insight into the guitar instructor. That's really something many of us need when we are able to go find an instructor for that one on one.

[wvgman]

Good to see Knittergeek and Gadlaw chiming in with us today!
Having been dieting for 2 days now, I was not sure I had the strength to practice, but I was able to overcome the procrastination that hunger causes, crawl to a chair, and get a guitar in my hands for about an hour and a half. Today I played my PRS Anninversary SE 24 (you would never know it was a cheaper model just by the name) plugged into my little 15 watt Marshall.

In keeping with part of my Sherpa Assignment, I worked on some 12 Bar Blues Tracks that Jeff Beasley made and sent for me in a video. One he calls "The Mae West" because he says it sounds like some sort of stripper tune and the other is an Allman Brothers style arrangement of "Stormy Monday." Now if you have taken the course Blues Progressions by Chris Buono, you will be familiar with the types of chords and the changes that occur in these progressions using a quick 4, a minor second, a 3rd and a b3rd.

I worked on revisiting some of those stock chord shapes for a while because I have not used them in a long time and then I worked on playing leads with the pentatonics and some sixths over these super sweet blues changes. I just had a very good time doing it too! I also notices that I am not hungry when I am playing!!!

I am also excited because I received another confirmation from a third Special Guest Host that we can have in March. One has agreed to do some time for us in February and another one has agreed to do some time for us in March. I may be ambitious, but will try to get us a Special Guest Host each month this year.

I also received from Hutch a copy of the book Zen Guitar and I read the first chapter. I needs to send a thank you note!

[Monkfish]

Nothing much again today because of end of tax period paper work.
Just a few chomatics
a bit of melodic and harmonic minors
a dram of major scale
and a tot of triads

I kinda written off this week for any intense work. Next week will be back to normal

[rashotts]

Worked on various flavors of chromatic and C major scales on both the guitar and the Stick.

Practiced diatonic triads of the C major scale on both instruments.

Continued working with Blues in B flat from Mimi Fox's Jazz Anatomy.

[torr71]

Stuck on Eastern Standard Time so I was up early, with time to kill so I did some hammer and pull work with some other exercises..Then worked out lines for a 12 bar blues using the theory from CB’s Blues Solo’s course I’m working on as well as some rhythm work…

Was done a bit early this afternoon and it just happens there's a Geetar Center on the exit That I’m at ,so hit that and did some noodling in the acoustic section mainly Joe Dalton blues stuff and some general noodling in the electric section on some high dollar geetars…

The IT guy at the university that I’m working at is checking out my Laptop so….Hopefully he can get it working…was planning on using it for practice stuff..

Not a bad day

Headed Back to the Room and will probably do some more noodling…