Thursday, June 28, 2007
Friday, June 15, 2007
Hear Me Play
The intro to Endless Sacrifice by Dream Theater - 6 June 2007
http://lolpande.googlepages.com/endlesssacrifice.mp3 (801 Kb)
The Fade To Black intro by Metallica - 7 June 2007
http://lolpande.googlepages.com/fadetoblack.mp3 (729 Kb)
The Fade To Black verse by Metallica - 7 June 2007 - I love this one. Sounded so much like the original that I blushed! :-P
http://lolpande.googlepages.com/ftbverse.mp3 (776 Kb)
http://lolpande.googlepages.com/endlesssacrifice.mp3 (801 Kb)
The Fade To Black intro by Metallica - 7 June 2007
http://lolpande.googlepages.com/fadetoblack.mp3 (729 Kb)
The Fade To Black verse by Metallica - 7 June 2007 - I love this one. Sounded so much like the original that I blushed! :-P
http://lolpande.googlepages.com/ftbverse.mp3 (776 Kb)
Lately, I...
...started learning the Stairway To Heaven solo. I think I can do this!
...have been working on my right hand technique. Because it sucks.
...am learning some super easy Death Cab For Cutie songs. For their brilliant arpeggios. I'm in love with arpeggios.
...have discovered blues music and what it can do to you. I love closing my eyes and letting my ears take over for a while. And when the bends and vibratos start, drug-induced-heaven-realization pales in comparison. (Not that I would know, but still)
...went back to a few songs I'd given up long ago because I thought they were too difficult. Now they seem like an hour's work to master. Dream On by Aerosmith, Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day, Unforgiven II by Metallica, South Of Heaven by Slayer, Californication by RHCP and Angie by The Rolling Stones. I can do all of these any day I want. And maybe I should.
...have been wanting to improve in more areas than ever before. Tells me I'm trying to learn much more than I can handle. I need to slow down.
...have been writing a lot in my blog :-) That's a good sign.
...have been working on my right hand technique. Because it sucks.
...am learning some super easy Death Cab For Cutie songs. For their brilliant arpeggios. I'm in love with arpeggios.
...have discovered blues music and what it can do to you. I love closing my eyes and letting my ears take over for a while. And when the bends and vibratos start, drug-induced-heaven-realization pales in comparison. (Not that I would know, but still)
...went back to a few songs I'd given up long ago because I thought they were too difficult. Now they seem like an hour's work to master. Dream On by Aerosmith, Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day, Unforgiven II by Metallica, South Of Heaven by Slayer, Californication by RHCP and Angie by The Rolling Stones. I can do all of these any day I want. And maybe I should.
...have been wanting to improve in more areas than ever before. Tells me I'm trying to learn much more than I can handle. I need to slow down.
...have been writing a lot in my blog :-) That's a good sign.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Vacations And Time For The Next Stage
My last exam was yesterday, so the vacations are on. One month, I think.
I think I'm ready now to say I'm past the beginner stage. I know most things there are to know about the guitar. What I mean is, I know what a scale is, what a solo is, what chord inversions are....
I want to enter a new stage. Intermediate?? Nahh... something less than that. OK, it'll have to do without a name. Its time now to start perfecting the things I know. Like, I know what tapping is. I have to start understanding it better, playing it better and using it in my playing better.
I'm done with expansion. I want consolidation. For long I've had this sort of frustration, that I know a lot of things, but I'm not any good at any of them. I want to put that right. I've never been sure of my playing. It falls apart when I play for someone. I want that to go away. Will work on it.
I think I'm ready now to say I'm past the beginner stage. I know most things there are to know about the guitar. What I mean is, I know what a scale is, what a solo is, what chord inversions are....
I want to enter a new stage. Intermediate?? Nahh... something less than that. OK, it'll have to do without a name. Its time now to start perfecting the things I know. Like, I know what tapping is. I have to start understanding it better, playing it better and using it in my playing better.
I'm done with expansion. I want consolidation. For long I've had this sort of frustration, that I know a lot of things, but I'm not any good at any of them. I want to put that right. I've never been sure of my playing. It falls apart when I play for someone. I want that to go away. Will work on it.
Monday, June 11, 2007
So A Guy Walks Into A Bar....
Oops! Sorry! This post is totally unrelated to the title. I know, I'm bad!
Lately I picked up how to play dominant 7th chords. From Black Belt Guitar Academy's free lessons. I found out I'm still only a white belt :(
So, the dominant 7th contains a b7 added to the major chord. Its formula therefore is 1 3 5 b7. The following are the open positions I can play-
A7 (A C# E G) - x02223 or x02020
B7 (B D# F# A)- x21202
C7 (C E G A#) - x32310
D7 (D F# A C) - xx0212
E7 (E G# B D) - 022130 or 020100
F7 (F A C D#) - 131211 or xx1211
G7 (G B D F) - 323001 or 320001
The only barres I could think of were the second E position (020100) which has the root on the 6th string and the D position (xx0212) which has the root on the 4th string. Then in guitar.about.com, I found a 5th string barre which has the shape of the second A position (x02020). So now I know 3 barre fingerings for dominant chords- A, D and E. The C and G (320001) positions, I'm sure are really difficult to do cleanly. In fact, I can't even think of a way to barre the C.
I've also picked up the ear training lessons from BBG's White Belt Course. And it is very good stuff. I'd never thought of interval training like that before. I'm struggling to understand though, this concept of the perfect 4th and perfect 5th being complementary. I mean, it says they 'add up' to an octave, but what the hell is that supposed to mean? Is it like, if u play a perfect 4th followed by a perfect 5th, you end up an octave above where you started? But then why am I supposed to confuse these two intervals with each other? Sigh! Just one of the things that keeps me awake at nights.
I think I'll give dominant 7th chords and perfect intervals about a week to set in. Then I'll move to Yellow Belt stuff. (Oh, how I love theory!)
Lately I picked up how to play dominant 7th chords. From Black Belt Guitar Academy's free lessons. I found out I'm still only a white belt :(
So, the dominant 7th contains a b7 added to the major chord. Its formula therefore is 1 3 5 b7. The following are the open positions I can play-
A7 (A C# E G) - x02223 or x02020
B7 (B D# F# A)- x21202
C7 (C E G A#) - x32310
D7 (D F# A C) - xx0212
E7 (E G# B D) - 022130 or 020100
F7 (F A C D#) - 131211 or xx1211
G7 (G B D F) - 323001 or 320001
The only barres I could think of were the second E position (020100) which has the root on the 6th string and the D position (xx0212) which has the root on the 4th string. Then in guitar.about.com, I found a 5th string barre which has the shape of the second A position (x02020). So now I know 3 barre fingerings for dominant chords- A, D and E. The C and G (320001) positions, I'm sure are really difficult to do cleanly. In fact, I can't even think of a way to barre the C.
I've also picked up the ear training lessons from BBG's White Belt Course. And it is very good stuff. I'd never thought of interval training like that before. I'm struggling to understand though, this concept of the perfect 4th and perfect 5th being complementary. I mean, it says they 'add up' to an octave, but what the hell is that supposed to mean? Is it like, if u play a perfect 4th followed by a perfect 5th, you end up an octave above where you started? But then why am I supposed to confuse these two intervals with each other? Sigh! Just one of the things that keeps me awake at nights.
I think I'll give dominant 7th chords and perfect intervals about a week to set in. Then I'll move to Yellow Belt stuff. (Oh, how I love theory!)
Thursday, June 7, 2007
I've Got The Blues!
Blues is goooooood!!!! I was playing, like, a few bends, like to practice or something... and I closed my eyes. Then i just started soloing. Bend after bend after bend, hit the sweet spot every damn time! I FELT the music... like, my head was totally swinging to the glissandos. And I realized, THIS is what blues music is about.. Expression!!!
It Has Come To My Attention!
I went through all my 'lists' right now, and I noticed... these songs I play, or want to play, are all just so damn similar. Now isn't that sad! You gotta, like, spread out dude! Its like, there's so much more to guitar than heavy metal power chords and speed riffs and strumming.
This vacation, I explore guitar styles. There's blues, there's jazz. I should even try out some atonal music. Maybe even slide guitar. See? I've run out of options already. I don't even know what all there is that I can learn. I totally need to explore more music. That doesn't mean I'm going to start listening to Britney Spears though.
Hmmmm... just had a thought... I was like "Oh my god! There's so much you can do with guitar. How the hell are people able to get stuck in playing ruts???". And when I get stuck in a rut myself, I'm going to read that and I KNOW I wont stay that way for long. Inspiration strikes, y'all!!!
This vacation, I explore guitar styles. There's blues, there's jazz. I should even try out some atonal music. Maybe even slide guitar. See? I've run out of options already. I don't even know what all there is that I can learn. I totally need to explore more music. That doesn't mean I'm going to start listening to Britney Spears though.
Hmmmm... just had a thought... I was like "Oh my god! There's so much you can do with guitar. How the hell are people able to get stuck in playing ruts???". And when I get stuck in a rut myself, I'm going to read that and I KNOW I wont stay that way for long. Inspiration strikes, y'all!!!
Ooooh! Strings!
"One of the many differences between a beginner guitarist and a virtuoso is that the virtuoso knows when its time to replace the strings."
... which makes me a beginner of the first order. I quote: "I shouldn't need to replace my entire set of strings for at least another 2 months". Yeah, how to put it... that didn't quite work out. I take my guitar out from its case yesterday morning, and the G string is broken! The brand new G string, which I'd put on 2 days ago, is like, totally broken. I have no idea how it happened- maybe I placed the guitar the wrong way- but I took my guitar out and, dammit, the string was broken!!!
I didn't replace the broken string. I replaced them all. Now, these new strings, these are imported D'Addario strings. The pack says D'Addario 85*15 Great American Bronze Guitar Strings EZ920 MED-LIGHT. The pack also says Rs. 350. So they better be good!
First thing I noticed when I took them out was that they were already rusted. But then I noticed, that wasn't rust, it was bronze coating. Strings E, A, D and G were wound bronze-coated strings, and the B and E were the shiniest damn steel I've ever seen!
Second thing I noticed was that these strings were FAT! These are 0.012 strings. I think I usually use 0.010 strings. When I'd bought them, I'd thought it couldn't make much difference. But, a few minutes of playing on my new strings later, I knew I'd made a horrible, costly mistake! How melodramatic!
See, its like, thick strings don't like to be held down or bent or vibrato-ed, or even strummed! So my already-hurting fingertips got subject to so much more torture! Damn things don't even bend more than a semitone! However hard you try! Sad this is.
BUT! The new strings look so cool! Shiny and making noise when I slide! I totally love that! I hope they won't rust as easily, because of the bronze coating and all. Lets see if they last more than 4 months. Will that be another beginner comment? Stay tuned to find out! :-P
- LOLpande
... which makes me a beginner of the first order. I quote: "I shouldn't need to replace my entire set of strings for at least another 2 months". Yeah, how to put it... that didn't quite work out. I take my guitar out from its case yesterday morning, and the G string is broken! The brand new G string, which I'd put on 2 days ago, is like, totally broken. I have no idea how it happened- maybe I placed the guitar the wrong way- but I took my guitar out and, dammit, the string was broken!!!
I didn't replace the broken string. I replaced them all. Now, these new strings, these are imported D'Addario strings. The pack says D'Addario 85*15 Great American Bronze Guitar Strings EZ920 MED-LIGHT. The pack also says Rs. 350. So they better be good!
First thing I noticed when I took them out was that they were already rusted. But then I noticed, that wasn't rust, it was bronze coating. Strings E, A, D and G were wound bronze-coated strings, and the B and E were the shiniest damn steel I've ever seen!
Second thing I noticed was that these strings were FAT! These are 0.012 strings. I think I usually use 0.010 strings. When I'd bought them, I'd thought it couldn't make much difference. But, a few minutes of playing on my new strings later, I knew I'd made a horrible, costly mistake! How melodramatic!
See, its like, thick strings don't like to be held down or bent or vibrato-ed, or even strummed! So my already-hurting fingertips got subject to so much more torture! Damn things don't even bend more than a semitone! However hard you try! Sad this is.
BUT! The new strings look so cool! Shiny and making noise when I slide! I totally love that! I hope they won't rust as easily, because of the bronze coating and all. Lets see if they last more than 4 months. Will that be another beginner comment? Stay tuned to find out! :-P
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Aargh! Strings!
"There's only two things common between a beginner guitarist and a virtuoso. One is the guitar and the other is strings breaking."
-LOLpande
OK, maybe there's more things, but then it wouldn't be such a quip, would it? Lets get straight to the complaining... I broke 2 strings in 2 days :((
June 1, I break an E string at the 12th fret. My second broken E string. I had an old one, so I installed that. But its been giving me a lot of problems. It just doesn't stay in tune.
June 2, I break my sixth G string. This one at the 4th fret. Count them, 6 broken G strings. Man! I'm not built for lingerie! I have 2 extra Gs just for situations like this. So I guess I shouldn't need to replace my entire set of strings for at least another 2 months. Unless this E breaks too :(
Wotever! We'll see...
OK, maybe there's more things, but then it wouldn't be such a quip, would it? Lets get straight to the complaining... I broke 2 strings in 2 days :((
June 1, I break an E string at the 12th fret. My second broken E string. I had an old one, so I installed that. But its been giving me a lot of problems. It just doesn't stay in tune.
June 2, I break my sixth G string. This one at the 4th fret. Count them, 6 broken G strings. Man! I'm not built for lingerie! I have 2 extra Gs just for situations like this. So I guess I shouldn't need to replace my entire set of strings for at least another 2 months. Unless this E breaks too :(
Wotever! We'll see...
Lyrics Are Here!!! (Kind Of)
OK, So Much Rage Inside finally has lyrics! They were inspired by conversations with Sunayana and Pragati, and of course, with the voices in my head (old joke, I know).
Now, the problem is, the two verses I have are like, not even related - they don't sound similar, they're played over different chord progressions, they don't even seem to belong to the same song, except for being in the same key. I guess I'm OK with that, though, because I'm really not after making conventional, by-the-rules music anyway. Here's the lyrics...
Chorus
So much rage inside
So much rage inside
So much hate inside
So much rage inside
Chord progression -
B5 B5 C5 B5
(Yeah, its dumb, I know)
Verse 1
Anger, anger, anger
Close your eyes
Anger, anger, anger
Count to five
...La Di Dah Di Dah...
Spare the man's life
Chord progression -
B5 B5 B5 A5
B5 G5 G5
B5 B5 B5 A5
A5 A5 B5
(Dumber, yes)
Verse 2
A moment of sanity
In the dark of night
Take a look outside, man
Take a look outside
Such a lonely place (It is lonely, not lovely)
Such a beautiful sight
All the stars are out
And the sky so bright
Chord progression -
Bmin F#min Amaj Emaj
(Hmm, I'm kinda proud of that one)
Now, there's more tweaking left to do with these lyrics. Both the verses will get more lines. I might also add another verse someplace.
Oh, BTW, I think I haven't mentioned it yet, but SMRI also has a solo. Has had one for quite some time. It sounds OK, but I dunno, there's something about it that doesn't sound so good. Anyway, here it is-
Now, the problem is, the two verses I have are like, not even related - they don't sound similar, they're played over different chord progressions, they don't even seem to belong to the same song, except for being in the same key. I guess I'm OK with that, though, because I'm really not after making conventional, by-the-rules music anyway. Here's the lyrics...
Chorus
So much rage inside
So much rage inside
So much hate inside
So much rage inside
Chord progression -
B5 B5 C5 B5
(Yeah, its dumb, I know)
Verse 1
Anger, anger, anger
Close your eyes
Anger, anger, anger
Count to five
...La Di Dah Di Dah...
Spare the man's life
Chord progression -
B5 B5 B5 A5
B5 G5 G5
B5 B5 B5 A5
A5 A5 B5
(Dumber, yes)
Verse 2
A moment of sanity
In the dark of night
Take a look outside, man
Take a look outside
Such a lonely place (It is lonely, not lovely)
Such a beautiful sight
All the stars are out
And the sky so bright
Chord progression -
Bmin F#min Amaj Emaj
(Hmm, I'm kinda proud of that one)
Now, there's more tweaking left to do with these lyrics. Both the verses will get more lines. I might also add another verse someplace.
Oh, BTW, I think I haven't mentioned it yet, but SMRI also has a solo. Has had one for quite some time. It sounds OK, but I dunno, there's something about it that doesn't sound so good. Anyway, here it is-
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
