Just thought I'd share something that has helped me become a better player, I started recording myself using Garage Band. I'm Just breaking into the intermediate player level, but the biggest step I made was recording and being able to listen to myself. The thing it forced me to do was play clean and use a metronome. I'm now dabbling recording two guitar tracks, or a guitar track and a mic'd up uke. I've learned so much doing this and will have a library of my progress. Still have to figure out drum tracks and bass, but that will come in time. Also want to eventually move onto a different program. Bought some monitors and some studio headphones. I love recording its a whole other tool to help elevate my guitar playing.
Learning with Recording
Just thought I'd share something that has helped me become a better player, I started recording myself using Garage Band. I'm Just breaking into the intermediate player level, but the biggest step I made was recording and being able to listen to myself. The thing it forced me to do was play clean and use a metronome. I'm now dabbling recording two guitar tracks, or a guitar track and a mic'd up uke. I've learned so much doing this and will have a library of my progress. Still have to figure out drum tracks and bass, but that will come in time. Also want to eventually move onto a different program. Bought some monitors and some studio headphones. I love recording its a whole other tool to help elevate my guitar playing.
# 1
That is fantastic!!! Congrats on your progress!!
I'm a big proponent of recording yourself. It allows you to evaluate your playing outside of the moment and it gives you a running record of your progress. Wait until a year from now and you listen back to things you are doing today...you will be amazed at the progress!!
Something to consider is using backing tracks or collaborating with other musicians for other tracks. For jam tracks, youtube is a great resource and you can easily convert them to mp3 files that you can put into your recording software. For songs you'd like to cover, there is a website called karaoke-version.com. You can purchase tracks with the guitar parts muted and record them yourself. With a "custom version" you can mute ANY tracks, so if you want to record your own vocals also, you can do so.
It's great fun.
Happy playing and recording!!
# 2
Originally Posted by: luckotdraw
Just thought I'd share something that has helped me become a better player, I started recording myself using Garage Band. I'm Just breaking into the intermediate player level, but the biggest step I made was recording and being able to listen to myself. The thing it forced me to do was play clean and use a metronome. I'm now dabbling recording two guitar tracks, or a guitar track and a mic'd up uke. I've learned so much doing this and will have a library of my progress. Still have to figure out drum tracks and bass, but that will come in time. Also want to eventually move onto a different program. Bought some monitors and some studio headphones. I love recording its a whole other tool to help elevate my guitar playing.
I'd say don't be in a hurry to dump Garageband and spend money needlesly if you don't have to. While Garageband has limits as compared to Protools or Logic Pro. You may not have channel strips, you still have like functionality in GB. Also, it may appear that you may not be able to mix some things like drums with seperate channels for Bass Drum vs Snare vs Hi-Hat etc...But there are tricks to still allow you to do that.
There's little you couldn't do to get what you need from GB and the audio quality is the same as any other DAW. Before dishing cash for a new DAW, I decided to maximize what I can do with GB. I do follow the RecordingRevolution.com free blog posts. I learned a lot about fundementals like gain staging and other stuff.
Granted, that wasn't the point of your post. It's true, recording yourself can be very revealing. You may think you sound awesome when you're jamming away but the warts of our playing can be missed until playback.
# 3
Originally Posted by: JeffS65
Originally Posted by: luckotdraw
Just thought I'd share something that has helped me become a better player, I started recording myself using Garage Band. I'm Just breaking into the intermediate player level, but the biggest step I made was recording and being able to listen to myself. The thing it forced me to do was play clean and use a metronome. I'm now dabbling recording two guitar tracks, or a guitar track and a mic'd up uke. I've learned so much doing this and will have a library of my progress. Still have to figure out drum tracks and bass, but that will come in time. Also want to eventually move onto a different program. Bought some monitors and some studio headphones. I love recording its a whole other tool to help elevate my guitar playing.
I'd say don't be in a hurry to dump Garageband and spend money needlesly if you don't have to. While Garageband has limits as compared to Protools or Logic Pro. You may not have channel strips, you still have like functionality in GB. Also, it may appear that you may not be able to mix some things like drums with seperate channels for Bass Drum vs Snare vs Hi-Hat etc...But there are tricks to still allow you to do that.
There's little you couldn't do to get what you need from GB and the audio quality is the same as any other DAW. Before dishing cash for a new DAW, I decided to maximize what I can do with GB. I do follow the RecordingRevolution.com free blog posts. I learned a lot about fundementals like gain staging and other stuff.
Granted, that wasn't the point of your post. It's true, recording yourself can be very revealing. You may think you sound awesome when you're jamming away but the warts of our playing can be missed until playback.
The opposite may be true also...you think what you are playing when you are jamming away sounds absolutely awful, but on playback you find it's actually pretty good. That's my exeperience more often then not.
I follow Recording Revolution also...great stuff on the blog and in the free instructional youtube videos. My mixes have definitely improved since I've picked up on some of his tips.
# 4
All points are valid, I love GB but I'm hoping through continued use I will out grow it. I never thought about backing tracks or asking my buddies to come and record...oddly enough I'm sure they could do it at home on fb and email it to me...using the line 6 sonic port mic as my USB interface for the moment. May need an upgrade there. Thanks for all the thoughts and tips. Side note I listened to your sound cloud Maggior and was impressed how long you been playing?
# 5
Originally Posted by: luckotdrawAll points are valid, I love GB but I'm hoping through continued use I will out grow it. I never thought about backing tracks or asking my buddies to come and record...oddly enough I'm sure they could do it at home on fb and email it to me...using the line 6 sonic port mic as my USB interface for the moment. May need an upgrade there. Thanks for all the thoughts and tips. Side note I listened to your sound cloud Maggior and was impressed how long you been playing?
Good luck with your recording!!
Thanks for checking out my soundcloud and your kind words...really appreciate it. I've been playing for 30 years..but it isn't as simple as that ZZSmilieZZ. The last 15 years have been the more serious years. I learned in high school from a friend that was taking lessons. We had a garage band and could play 10 maybe 15 songs. It wasn't until 2000 that I got serious...bought a strat, got a book on playing blues, started private lessons. I've been on guitar tricks here for coming up on 4 years.
Guitar tricks and playing in a band are the things that have really propelled my playing.
Get going on that recording and you can build yourself up a catalog of recordings also.
# 6
Phew! I always assume join dates coincide with when people start playing guitar, I saw your guitar tricks start date in 2013 and I was like "I quit" lol, if I can play half as well as you in five ten years I would be satisfied. I will start up a soundcloud soon so peeps can check it out offer criticism. No where near your level but it all helps.
# 7
Originally Posted by: luckotdraw
Phew! I always assume join dates coincide with when people start playing guitar, I saw your guitar tricks start date in 2013 and I was like "I quit" lol, if I can play half as well as you in five ten years I would be satisfied. I will start up a soundcloud soon so peeps can check it out offer criticism. No where near your level but it all helps.
LOL...yeah it's been a little longer than 2013 since I started ZZSmilieZZ.
Yes, it all helps. Any criticism you get should be constructive...it's a supportive bunch here.
Don't worry about how you stack up against other players. Using myself as an example, as somebody that started playing 30 years ago, I should be far more advanced than I am. But, "life" happened during that time and other priorities came up. I don't worry about it...as long as I enjoy playing and I continue to improve, I'm happy.
# 8
Being a visual artist helps being able to handle the critique given and not take everything personally. And no, not stack up but I often like to set benchmarks for myself. I find it motivates me. I'm not a natural but I work hard. Your playing is impressive and it's motivating to have members here like yourself that can show that the teaching methods work, as well as being active and helpful here in the forum section. Keep on rocking and keep posting your jams, it's inspiring.
# 9
Originally Posted by: luckotdraw
Being a visual artist helps being able to handle the critique given and not take everything personally.
If you did graphic design for hire at any point, this will probably ring true; Everyone's a graphic designer once they've seen the design but never before that.
I did freelance for some time and I wasd always amazed how people wouldn't have a clue what they wanted but when they saw a design, boy howdy did they have opinions. You needed to have a thicker skin to contend with it. I always had a check list (I did lots of CD packaging); favorite album/CD cover, favorite color, Anythung that must be displayed that is meaningful etc.....Saved alot of anguish. That, and a limit omn re-do's.
That said, it's a good thing to have been experienced in being critiqued. When someone gives constructive feedback, it is invaluable. Guitar players are notorious for being a little too harsh (ie - 'I can do it better). I remeber seeing comments on Youtube of Derek Truck's slide playing > 'Aw, he ain't that great...I can do better.' Right, so you spend your time on Youtube criticizing master players instead of becomming a great.
It's why I hang around GT even though I haven't used much lately for lessons. Positive vibe and good people.
# 10
Originally Posted by: luckotdraw
Being a visual artist helps being able to handle the critique given and not take everything personally. And no, not stack up but I often like to set benchmarks for myself. I find it motivates me. I'm not a natural but I work hard. Your playing is impressive and it's motivating to have members here like yourself that can show that the teaching methods work, as well as being active and helpful here in the forum section. Keep on rocking and keep posting your jams, it's inspiring.
Seems to me you are in the perfect mindset! Attainable goals are invaluable, so that's great that you set benchmarks for yourself.
I used to post stuff more often but it began to feel as though nobody was interested. Since there seems to be some interest again, I'll try to post more often. When I first started posting, it was hugely motivating for me to get feedback...it gave me a sense that I was on the right track and what I was doing was interesting to some people.
The last thing I did is something I feel pretty good about...you may have heard it already on my soundcloud, but in case you missed it....
https://soundcloud.com/ballistic_squid/govan-em-jam
The story here is I improvise mainly out of the pentatonic scale. Slowly I've been trying to add to that to add some flavor to my playing. I'm also trying to add legato licks and develop some speed. On this track it all came together and established a new level in my playing. I also came across a really inspiring patch on my Eleven Rack which seemed to make my guitar tone soar.
So, to go back to the original point of this thread...having this recording is motivating for me because I have documented proof of what I'm capable of for when I get down on my playing in the future ZZSmilieZZ. We all have ups and downs, it's good to have things that help you through the lows.
# 11
Much worse then a graphic designer, a tattooer. The nice thing is that I've taken a back seat as I own three shops. I play a ton of guitar (badly) and hang out with my wife and kids and make up for lost time over the last 13 years. Hours were brutal back in the biker days. So ya critique is a breeze and guitar players are exactly like tattooers, I'm better I could do that etc. Oddly enough it's a rule at my shops no rockstar bs or your gone, work hard mind your own back yard. Again thanks for all the great advice and I will get some stuff up for peeps to take a listen. Cheers
# 12
I started recording myself recently and now honestly, I can't believe I ever didn't do it.
I just grabbed a USB mic, I mainly play acoustic and found the Samson Go recommended here - honestly, its cheap as chips but the sound quality is decent, and I am able to critique my own playing now.
Well done on the progress you've made!
# 13
