Bit of a Guitar Player rant

[canon_mutant]

Pretty hard to just ignore the greats. I think everything decent I've done myself has had some influence in it or in some cases a mixture of several. Then I find myself playing something I think is totally mine but then after awhile I realize that the basic rhythm is kinda sort like Skynard's Simple Man slightly improvised.

[dem00n]

Shut up man. :-

[DAS44]

Shut up man. :-

You dug your own grave man

 

's all good though.

[GIANTRobOT420]

Shut up man. :-

[YOUTUBE]

[/YOUTUBE]

[Shnate McDuanus]

First of all, I kind of understand where dem00n was coming from way back in that other thread. Lots of contemporary metal leads are chromatic in nature--meaning they arise from the chromatic scale, a twelve-note scale consisting entirely of semitones. Ergo, that's not to say that the solos "weren't on scales," but that they weren't necessarily on diatonic scales. Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman both play a lot of chromatic leads, and so does Zakk Wylde. The jury's still out on whether or not the solos dem00n was referring to were the best ever, but I at least think that a lot of them have very redeeming qualities.

 

Second of all, I will, during any night where I pick up my guitar, do one thing that I have done since I started playing. I will spend some time improvising around the pentatonic scales. It's fun and it usually sounds good. Then sometimes I'll pick a key and try improvising a chord progression and attaching a rhythm pattern to it. Sometimes I'll play a really nice phrase, and I'll start working off of that. Most of these improvised parts of songs will never be played again, but my theory is that thinking about music in this way will help me to develop my skills as a musician and a songwriter. I think that it will help as much as the other parts of my playing time. One part is studying music theory in practical application, which usually involves practicing scales around the cycle of fourths, analyzing melodies and practicing sight reading. The other part, the part that I've lately been enjoying more and more as my skills have improved, is covering other people's songs. Tonight I worked on Megadeth's "Sweating Bullets" (a very fun tune to play,) and Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Going Nowhere" (also a very fun tune to play.) On the former, I worked on a pretty tight and accurate arrangement, which was a lot of fun, and on the latter, I worked on a very loose interpretation of the Byrds' recording of it on Sweetheart Of The Rodeo. When there's a solo that I really like (like on "Sweating Bullets,") I'll try to learn it note for note. That doesn't mean that, the next time I play it, I'll play the solo note for note. On a tune like "You Ain't Going Nowhere," I'll stick in my own improvised fills and I'll improvise a solo on the spot. It all depends on what I'm really in the mood for. The main thing, like what FirstMeasure said, is to be flexible. Oh, and also to have fun! To do what's fun for you. That's really what matters, if you ask me.

[milod]

XDemonknight

 

+1 on doing what's fun to you.

 

OTOH, I think when you're playing for money you've gotta figure, too, what sorta things will be fun for the folks paying the bill. If you don't enjoy that, you should consider a different sort of venue to play in for money or for your own well being, quit playing for money.

 

As for the "You ain't goin' nowhere," yupper. That's a fun one to do any sort of way from Bluegrass to jazz - at least if you can keep that neat dance beat going so it almost forces players and audience to sway along with it.

 

m