murphy brown
Roadie
- Messages
- 106
Wow, you can play accordion notes using a guitar.
My technique. Or lack thereof. Probably won't change anytime soon and I am OK with that.
- Thread starter JiveTurkey
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Sascha Franck
Rock Star
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- 6,496
Jusrt somewhat. But in general: No.
The time when I will have to do that will rather come sooner than later anyway, so as long as I can, I try to at least sort of improve some aspects of my playing.
Eagle
Rock Star
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- 4,134
Never, I still work every day on the things I want to accomplish and that will never change. I once had a long conversation with Allan Holdsworth about this and he was never happy with his playing and was always struggling to find a better note choice. He blamed his thinking and his technique. The goal is never reached and I’m ok with that. It’s about the journey and enjoying the challenge. So onward upwards and keep moving the goalposts.
Byrdman
Shredder
- Messages
- 1,202
I'm not okay with it yet. I been playing acoustic and cowboy chords for 30+ years, and late to the show for lead playing. Made up my mind to try and learn this stuff to the best of my ability. Right now working on making the little things better like pick angle vs flat, pick hand technique, trying to tame the flailing pinky finger, etc.
It's an uphill battle and I feel like I am not getting any better most days, but month to month I can tell a little difference. Stuff I couldn't play 6 months ago is starting to come together. Not perfect by any means, but moving forward slowly.
It's an uphill battle and I feel like I am not getting any better most days, but month to month I can tell a little difference. Stuff I couldn't play 6 months ago is starting to come together. Not perfect by any means, but moving forward slowly.
Sascha Franck
Rock Star
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Just keep going. Improvements on that kinda stuff are hardly ever coming quickly. But once you keep going, you will at one point in time notice a more or less steady stream of improvements.
Boudoir Guitar
Rock Star
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I don't really have any "technique" that I want to "improve". There are some that I'd like to learn, that I haven't really attempted to learn, yet (acoustic Fingerstyle; slide). I'm totally okay if I never learn those, though.
Regarding general musicianship of course I'm always improving and happy to be doing so and as long as I have time/energy to do so challenge myself in ways that lead to improvement....but also totally content with where I am and would keep playing the same stuff even if I was told tomorrow that this was all I ever got.
Picking up a guitar and improvising three choruses of a standard blues is still good for the soul. I started doing that because it allowed me to express something, or get something inside me out, that no other outlet quite provided. It will always be that way. The folks that spend decades singing in their community choir don't do it to improve or get better, they do it because singing is good for the soul. Indeed, it becomes more important for MY soul with every passing year. And so there is less and less time for "practice" because there needs to be more and more time for just singing through the instrument.
Regarding general musicianship of course I'm always improving and happy to be doing so and as long as I have time/energy to do so challenge myself in ways that lead to improvement....but also totally content with where I am and would keep playing the same stuff even if I was told tomorrow that this was all I ever got.
Picking up a guitar and improvising three choruses of a standard blues is still good for the soul. I started doing that because it allowed me to express something, or get something inside me out, that no other outlet quite provided. It will always be that way. The folks that spend decades singing in their community choir don't do it to improve or get better, they do it because singing is good for the soul. Indeed, it becomes more important for MY soul with every passing year. And so there is less and less time for "practice" because there needs to be more and more time for just singing through the instrument.
the-trooper
Shredder
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I played Mandolin last night. Just tuning it was an humbling experience.
Not exactly a chick magnet either, I am guessing.
Fun to change it up now and then and try and play different instruments. I already
know the pentatonic scale and power chords on guitar. No use in me beating that to
death more than I already do.
Also played Harmonica to Blackfoot's "Train, Train." It's 90% of the battle just getting
the right key. After that, really no wrong notes to blow.... or suck.
Learning is fun. Not learning is fun. Getting pushed out of comfort zone can be cool.
But they do call it a "comfort" zone for a reason.
Not exactly a chick magnet either, I am guessing.
Fun to change it up now and then and try and play different instruments. I already
know the pentatonic scale and power chords on guitar. No use in me beating that to
death more than I already do.
Also played Harmonica to Blackfoot's "Train, Train." It's 90% of the battle just getting
the right key. After that, really no wrong notes to blow.... or suck.
Learning is fun. Not learning is fun. Getting pushed out of comfort zone can be cool.
But they do call it a "comfort" zone for a reason.
Boudoir Guitar
Rock Star
- Messages
- 4,244
You'd be surprised with the mandolin...traditional Irish or Appalachian fiddle tunes uptempo can be a pretty serious chick magnet. The 4ths tuning, short scale, and very close string spacing also make it an instrument that's pretty easy to get up to "holy shit!! I could never play guitar this fast!!!!" levels of technique...I played Mandolin last night. Just tuning it was an humbling experience.
Not exactly a chick magnet either, I am guessing.
Fun to change it up now and then and try and play different instruments. I already
know the pentatonic scale and power chords on guitar. No use in me beating that to
death more than I already do.
Also played Harmonica to Blackfoot's "Train, Train." It's 90% of the battle just getting
the right key. After that, really no wrong notes to blow.... or suck.
Learning is fun. Not learning is fun. Getting pushed out of comfort zone can be cool.
But they do call it a "comfort" zone for a reason.
...and then you go back to guitar and feel like there is a literal moat that your picking hand must traverse moving from one string to the next.
Bob Zaod
Rock Star
- Messages
- 2,872
I absolutely have years ago. I am a hack guitar player BUT I feel I am an above average entertainer so I go with that. I truly have no need to "expand my horizons" or try to master guitar. I am having fun learning how to play keys lately though. Again though it ties in with the entertainment aspect for me. I'd say I was about 40 when I came to terms with "this is as good as I'm gonna get and I'm cool with it". My pinnacle was being forced to work up the Bark at The Moon solos for a Halloween gig and getting it about 98% note for note. Honestly didnt think I'd get it but I did. Ask me to play it now though and it'll sound like a drunken 12 year old trying to play it.
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Bob Zaod
Rock Star
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I remember from when I worked that one up I think they used two different keys/harps for the intro and solo. I think the intro harp was a G and the solo harp A
- Messages
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Trouble is the people I am playing with..... including me.
I'd love to get more into Bluegrass/Appalachian/Irish jigs and songs.
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Yup. I was lucky enough to have both.
It's nothing we will ever play for others (as we are all officially retired and doing this for ourselves only)
but it sure is a lot of damn fun.
Need to work up my slide chops, too.
