YouAreAwesome
Well-Known Member
Hey guys,
First off: love the sevenstring.org community. As a reader-only it has already helped me so much, from music theory to technique, from new bands and music to gear knowlegde. Thanks a million!
Somehow I now think it is time for me to actively engage with you guys and start a thread here.
I consider myself pretty new to the guitar, although in a certain way I am not. As a child (prob. from my 8th to my 16th) I had weekly guitar lessons. Although I developed a musical taste for heavier rock and metal I somehow failed to develop in that direction on the guitar. My guitar teacher was a good guy but apparently let me fumble around instead of ignititing a passion. In the end I didn´t sync with the instrument I guess and lost interest because other silly teenage interests.
Since a year or 2 now, after a pause of more than 10 years, I have gotten back to the guitar. I started out just wanting to play some riffs and easy songs, just for the fun of it. Much time has passed since I left the guitar and was amazed by all the internet resources there are now. One thing led to another and gradually I did get interested in music theory, developing my technique and learning (including memorizing) more complex song.
Over the past year I think I was able to define my goals and assemble a pratice regimen based on some learning materials I collected. Today I want to share it with you people, hoping you can give me feedback to develop my skills and reach my goals faster and/or in a better way.
Why not go to a guitar teacher? I still want to do this but work, a study and a child leave me with little time. That's not to say I don't want to (because it is all about priorities) but I think that with some of the materials I have I can still progress and in 6 or 12 months go to a teacher (when time would be less an issue) to further develop, rather than having a teacher giving me basically the same homework I now give to myself.
My current skills are I guess so-so. An OK starting point to develope further but nothing fancy. I can do some songs, riffs, licks and solos as long as its not too complex or fast (and believe me guys, when I look at what you normally discuss here, this is probably an understatement). I know a bunch of chords (basically major, minor, 7, sus2) and for a while have been working on major/minor scale (and the pentatonics), not just the shapes but really internalising them and understanding the logic/theory behind it. All basic technique is covered I guess and I am familiar (not saying I master everything) with much of it.
My goal is to advance my guitar playing and knowlegde in such a way that I can play (popular or mainstream or common?' hardrock/metal songs including solo's and more complex riffs etc. My goal is nowhere near any stuff like Animals as Leaders or Scale the Summit (which I do like) but more like some popular stuff like Stone Sour and Slipknot (let the flaming begin!). Yes, I know they have simple songs but I am looking to master songs with solo´s. A song (2 actually) I´d really like to master is Gone Sovereign/Absolute Zero by Stone Sour. I think that those songs might be a proper description of the level op playing I am trying to reach. That´s enough for now and as much as I like the guitar nerd stuff: that´s nowhere near my league (and frankly: that´s OK for me). Some ear training is nice but not a main goal and neither is writing music for now. Connecting the dots is a goal, trying to understand how the fretboard works and improving improvisational skills. Although I know better then to think in terms om time needed, I´d like to reach this level more or less by the end of 2015 (I guess its the time of the year for new years resolutions!).
Finally my pratice regimen. First off I bought the Jim Root Sound and the Story DVD to learn from the man himself. However, the skills to really get into the faster and more complex part lack. So I have bought the Troy Stetina books. I looked in to Heavy Metal Lead Guitar vol. 1 and Heavy Metal Rhythm vol. 1 but it offered nothing really new to me (and I therefore wasnt stimulated to work through it). I do however have the vol. 2, Speed Mechanics and Fretboard Mastery. My plan is to gradually work on a daily basis work through the latter two. In weekends I really want to sit down for the vol. 2´s. By the end of 2015 I want to have gone through it all (although I of course realise that to really master it will take years).
Specifically for technique I do excersises with a metronome on a daily basis, gradually moving up speed (chromatic, spiders, legatos, complex chords, sweeps etc, basically all the regular stuff you can find online) and have also bought Chris Letchfords Guitar 360 degrees of which I try to add new exercises every week. I also gradually will expand knowlegde of chords and scales by memorizing more of them and looking into the theory behind it. I will also throw in a new excercise (from the internet, magazines whatever) to keep everything fresh now and then.
I have been working with this regimen now for a month or so and it seems to do the trick. Gradually there is more speed, better technique en more understanding. However, I´d really appreciate your feedback. Are there any things missing? Do I need to focus on other things? Have I missed any great materials? Or am I just being silly and need to start over again? Just let me know. It will be appreciated very much. Thanks!
Sorry for the long post but this way I hope to really give you a clear view of my skills, goals and means to get there.
First off: love the sevenstring.org community. As a reader-only it has already helped me so much, from music theory to technique, from new bands and music to gear knowlegde. Thanks a million!
Somehow I now think it is time for me to actively engage with you guys and start a thread here.
I consider myself pretty new to the guitar, although in a certain way I am not. As a child (prob. from my 8th to my 16th) I had weekly guitar lessons. Although I developed a musical taste for heavier rock and metal I somehow failed to develop in that direction on the guitar. My guitar teacher was a good guy but apparently let me fumble around instead of ignititing a passion. In the end I didn´t sync with the instrument I guess and lost interest because other silly teenage interests.
Since a year or 2 now, after a pause of more than 10 years, I have gotten back to the guitar. I started out just wanting to play some riffs and easy songs, just for the fun of it. Much time has passed since I left the guitar and was amazed by all the internet resources there are now. One thing led to another and gradually I did get interested in music theory, developing my technique and learning (including memorizing) more complex song.
Over the past year I think I was able to define my goals and assemble a pratice regimen based on some learning materials I collected. Today I want to share it with you people, hoping you can give me feedback to develop my skills and reach my goals faster and/or in a better way.
Why not go to a guitar teacher? I still want to do this but work, a study and a child leave me with little time. That's not to say I don't want to (because it is all about priorities) but I think that with some of the materials I have I can still progress and in 6 or 12 months go to a teacher (when time would be less an issue) to further develop, rather than having a teacher giving me basically the same homework I now give to myself.
My current skills are I guess so-so. An OK starting point to develope further but nothing fancy. I can do some songs, riffs, licks and solos as long as its not too complex or fast (and believe me guys, when I look at what you normally discuss here, this is probably an understatement). I know a bunch of chords (basically major, minor, 7, sus2) and for a while have been working on major/minor scale (and the pentatonics), not just the shapes but really internalising them and understanding the logic/theory behind it. All basic technique is covered I guess and I am familiar (not saying I master everything) with much of it.
My goal is to advance my guitar playing and knowlegde in such a way that I can play (popular or mainstream or common?' hardrock/metal songs including solo's and more complex riffs etc. My goal is nowhere near any stuff like Animals as Leaders or Scale the Summit (which I do like) but more like some popular stuff like Stone Sour and Slipknot (let the flaming begin!). Yes, I know they have simple songs but I am looking to master songs with solo´s. A song (2 actually) I´d really like to master is Gone Sovereign/Absolute Zero by Stone Sour. I think that those songs might be a proper description of the level op playing I am trying to reach. That´s enough for now and as much as I like the guitar nerd stuff: that´s nowhere near my league (and frankly: that´s OK for me). Some ear training is nice but not a main goal and neither is writing music for now. Connecting the dots is a goal, trying to understand how the fretboard works and improving improvisational skills. Although I know better then to think in terms om time needed, I´d like to reach this level more or less by the end of 2015 (I guess its the time of the year for new years resolutions!).
Finally my pratice regimen. First off I bought the Jim Root Sound and the Story DVD to learn from the man himself. However, the skills to really get into the faster and more complex part lack. So I have bought the Troy Stetina books. I looked in to Heavy Metal Lead Guitar vol. 1 and Heavy Metal Rhythm vol. 1 but it offered nothing really new to me (and I therefore wasnt stimulated to work through it). I do however have the vol. 2, Speed Mechanics and Fretboard Mastery. My plan is to gradually work on a daily basis work through the latter two. In weekends I really want to sit down for the vol. 2´s. By the end of 2015 I want to have gone through it all (although I of course realise that to really master it will take years).
Specifically for technique I do excersises with a metronome on a daily basis, gradually moving up speed (chromatic, spiders, legatos, complex chords, sweeps etc, basically all the regular stuff you can find online) and have also bought Chris Letchfords Guitar 360 degrees of which I try to add new exercises every week. I also gradually will expand knowlegde of chords and scales by memorizing more of them and looking into the theory behind it. I will also throw in a new excercise (from the internet, magazines whatever) to keep everything fresh now and then.
I have been working with this regimen now for a month or so and it seems to do the trick. Gradually there is more speed, better technique en more understanding. However, I´d really appreciate your feedback. Are there any things missing? Do I need to focus on other things? Have I missed any great materials? Or am I just being silly and need to start over again? Just let me know. It will be appreciated very much. Thanks!
Sorry for the long post but this way I hope to really give you a clear view of my skills, goals and means to get there.