Beginner feedback request

Hello,
This is my first attempt at several things and could use some feedback/critique. Up until two months ago, I'd never played anything other than a few open chords on an acoustic, and I've also never recorded anything before. I'm using Audacity to get started, and only have a basic account at Soundclick.com so i dont think its possible to hear the full hifi version...but the lowfi and mp3 download seem to work. Audacity doesnt export very well from its native format to mp3 so that doesnt help the sound quality either.
OK, disclaimers aside :) .....you will recognize this backing track as the October solo track.....I'm receptive to all comments, good bad or downright ugly!
thanks for taking the time to listen.

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6127751

Hrmm.. well.. on a positive note you played all the notes in the correct scale so that is a great start. And I can definitely hear some potential there, it's all just a little too rough at this point but then you already knew that. I think the main problem are the effects you are using, it makes the tone of the guitar sound like a dying cat..

My only real suggestion is that you keep working on that same track a little while longer. Develop a theme for the solo to centre around and don't stay within the B minor pentatonic scale.. at least that's the scale it seems like you're playing in. A good solo can take a little bit of time to develop.. so keep working on it.

yea the wah pedal was a Christmas present...i figured i was probably a bit overzealous with it :)
thanks for your comments, i'll keep at it

With the Wah-pedal you don't need to use it as much as you would think. I watch live shows where they are basically tapping the wah in time of the beat.. but they are usually not using the full range of the wah.. I tend to find a "sweet" spot and then leave it there until I need it, then I use the rocking motion during the section of the solo I am doing, then I move it back to the sweet spot again. Obviously usage of any effect is a personal choice but you generally get more with less in music.

Beginner??? ...errr....ok , if you say so :)

Really nice piece of playing, the choice of notes, the phrasing...very nice.

Improvments? Well, I think if you really put in more vibrato, your playing will sound awesome.


Thanks for sharing and looking forward to more music from you.

Happy new year!

RGX312L

Originally Posted by: light487With the Wah-pedal you don't need to use it as much as you would think. I watch live shows where they are basically tapping the wah in time of the beat.. but they are usually not using the full range of the wah.. I tend to find a "sweet" spot and then leave it there until I need it, then I use the rocking motion during the section of the solo I am doing, then I move it back to the sweet spot again. Obviously usage of any effect is a personal choice but you generally get more with less in music.

I hear ya. I find though with the wah, even if i keep it in the full up position, it still affects the tone and gives it a twangy effect which progresses as you depress the pedal...so its tough to eliminate that "dying cat" sound as you put it :) entirely, and especially with the POD model i chose. Can't remember the amp model its based on, but I was trying to emulate a Satriani type sound as much as i could.
I understand what you say about less is more and i would much rather have a plain, simple but well done piece and then build as my skill progresses. The feedback helps bring me back and regroup.

Originally Posted by: RGX312lBeginner??? ...errr....ok , if you say so :)

Really nice piece of playing, the choice of notes, the phrasing...very nice.

Improvments? Well, I think if you really put in more vibrato, your playing will sound awesome.


Thanks for sharing and looking forward to more music from you.

Happy new year!

RGX312L

Thank you RGX...your comments are appreciated.......Happy New Year to you as well! :)

PS: I checked out your page.....awesome sounds! Since im particularly interested in Satriani's syle I really liked your Satch piece especially the intensity and use of harmoniscs around the 3 min mark. Also your Jazz "Wanna B" as you put (yea right...you use that term like i used beginner, so right back at ya!) An amazing track. And your Carlos rendition...well that just speaks for itself.

Starting out on lead is difficult, seems like you are on the right track though. Got a bit of movement on a theme there. My advice would be to break out of the comfort zone of the pentatonic and experiment with some new shapes. Some of the bends could do with tidying up but its a pretty good effort for overall. Particularly like the fact that you aren't throwing in fast out of time runs (most guys do this when they start out), timing is good and you are sticking to the meter which is also important. Takes a while before you can play a really kick-ass solo but the good news is you're on the right track.

Thanks Dave!
So based on all of your collective feedback, Im going to keep practicing on this track with empasis on...

1. less effects if any at all
2. cleaner technique
3. more vibrato
4. trying to move out of the pentatonic boxes
5. building a theme (not entirely sure what that means or how to do it, but i suppose that will come with time

Thanks for all your input, this board is really helpful...wish i could subscribe (low bandwidth being the inhibitor)
Wonder if there are a lot of worth while lessons on here that are not necessarily video driven?

Good effort mate, just loose the wah & you'll see a difference ;)

1. Pentatonic minor box: Every note in the correct, relative pentatonic minor scale will have all the correct notes. No note used in the relative pentatonic minor scale will be wrong notes. Having said that, there are still two notes in the relative Major/minor scale that you could be using. Plus one or two more notes that are not exactly "correct" but can be used to add a bit of flavour/colour. By using the Major or minor scale in some parts of the solo, you keep things interesting. I tend to use a lot of Major scale with a splatter of pentatonic minor.. but how much or how little you use is entirely up to you.


Standard Pentatonic minor Box
|-----|--1--|-----|-----|--2--|
|-----|--4--|-----|-----|--5--|
|-----|--2--|-----|--3--|-----|
|-----|--5--|-----|--1--|-----|
|-----|--3--|-----|--4--|-----|
|-----|--1--|-----|-----|--2--|

Standard Pentatonic minor with a couple extra notes.
|-----|--1--|-----|--*--|--2--|
|-----|--4--|-----|-----|--5--|
|--*--|--2--|-----|--3--|--^--|
|-----|--5--|-----|--1--|-----|
|-----|--3--|--^--|--4--|-----|
|-----|--1--|-----|--*--|--2--|
* = Extra notes that work with basically anything that the pentatonic minor already works with.

^ = Extra colour notes. These notes sound wrong by themselves but if played quickly and followed up by the next note in series, sounds very bluesy.



2. building a theme: right.. a theme is just simply a melody that you base your entire solo around. Other words for theme, in this situation, would be hook or motif. The hook is what hooks the listener.. so you would generally play a little intro then fall back to the melody, then go off in another direction and then come back to the melody again and again. Of course every musical style does it differently but that's what people mean when they say theme. Structure is another one.. basically having a good theme and a good structure generally indicates you had a plan/goal when you began writing the piece of music, and that you, for the most part, stuck to that plan. Having a great structure is nothing without a catchy hook, or conversely, having a great melody means nothing if the overall song has little or no structure. If the most chaotic music has a basic idea of structure and theme.. even if it is intentionally to have no theme or structure.. it's still a plan that needs to be followed through from the design phase.

thanks Luke, thats helpful.
Last night i finally subscribed for full access so getting a lot of good ideas now.......

now that i have full access, i practised the bends and expression using one of the lessons from Hanspeter. Still in the penatonic scale, but i think a cleaner sound.....

thanks for listening and providing critique...the track is the one called Pop Ballad

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=789879&content=music

Originally Posted by: mpaqnow that i have full access, i practised the bends and expression using one of the lessons from Hanspeter. Still in the penatonic scale, but i think a cleaner sound.....

thanks for listening and providing critique...the track is the one called Pop Ballad

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=789879&content=music

Sounds a little 'tight' . Perhaps you were too conscious about all the comments before? Were you sufficiently warmed-up before recording this?

I know you CAN perform better, maybe a re-take?

RGX312L

Originally Posted by: RGX312lSounds a little 'tight' . Perhaps you were too conscious about all the comments before? Were you sufficiently warmed-up before recording this?

I know you CAN perform better, maybe a re-take?

RGX312L

Sure thing. I'll loosen it up and repost. Im finding one of my biggest challenges is to be patient and systematic in my skill development. I know this will take time.

Originally Posted by: mpaq.....Im finding one of my biggest challenges is to be patient and systematic in my skill development.....

hahah, you and 99% of gtr players out there...me included :) Aren't most of us guilty of this ? :)

In my opinion, you already have the feel, which no amount of technical trainnig can simulate. I think you got the hard part pretty much covered, now for the easy part of building the mechanical side of playing.

RGX312L :)