What Are You Working On Right Now?

[AFKAEjay(retired)]

I got a gig tommorow where this one is on the setlist, cool tune imo.
And all the guys in the lineup used the play it with this actual player…the pressure

 

[la szum]

Love Vinnie, Neo Classical at its best IMO, Challenging you say ? man I'm not even close to getting there

Neither am I.

Mostly for ear training and seeing if I can find the licks on the guitar
and then approximate them.

It's fun!

 

[TSJMajesty]

This:

 

[TSJMajesty]

Working on triplet riffs, @ dotted quarter ~ 120 atm, which is easy if it's 3 nps in a solo. But as a riff, where it's 1, 2, & 3 notes per string, it's a beast! It's like, you have to be on auto-pilot, and commit all of it to memory, because it's such a mental challenge. Add in some back-and-forth, string skipping.... shit!

Stuff like this..., which is around 150 bpm. But it's fun practice. And a great technique-builder! This is from the new Dream Theater, The Shadow Man Incident. (What else would it be? haha)

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

Working on triplet riffs, @ dotted quarter ~ 120 atm, which is easy if it's 3 nps in a solo. But as a riff, where it's 1, 2, & 3 notes per string, it's a beast! It's like, you have to be on auto-pilot, and commit all of it to memory, because it's such a mental challenge. Add in some back-and-forth, string skipping.... shit!

Stuff like this..., which is around 150 bpm. But it's fun practice. And a great technique-builder! This is from the new Dream Theater, The Shadow Man Incident. (What else would it be? haha)View attachment 38824

I used to hate them before I got my right hand sorted.
My go to for that was an old Dixie Dregs tune. Hold on I find a tab for it.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

16th triplets at 104 with all kinda messed picking patterns.

 

[Aelred]

Working on slowing the hell down – not that I’m fast as is anyway. I have seen online than slower than 50-60 bpm is bad (hard to keep time to), so Lento and Largo are out, and Adagio is borderline.

Using the Triad thread to practice inversions, but basically putting a 7th chord into a looper and learning major and minor scales string by string, sliding into notes, bends, hammer ons and offs etc. Too much and too fast causes pain in my neck and left side. Ambient noodling pedals are my best friends sometimes.

Painkillers to get to sleep are not a good sign. If I really try for a few hours on Saturday I can still barely move on Monday and still ache on Wednesday. Not good for my real job.

 

[AFKAEjay(retired)]

Working on slowing the hell down – not that I’m fast as is anyway. I have seen online than slower than 50-60 bpm is bad (hard to keep time to), so Lento and Largo are out, and Adagio is borderline.

Using the Triad thread to practice inversions, but basically putting a 7th chord into a looper and learning major and minor scales string by string, sliding into notes, bends, hammer ons and offs etc. Too much and too fast causes pain in my neck and left side. Ambient noodling pedals are my best friends sometimes.

Painkillers to get to sleep are not a good sign. If I really try for a few hours on Saturday I can still barely move on Monday and still ache on Wednesday. Not good for my real job.

Playing causes pain?

Did you do everything possible to your posture that might help?

From my perspective (non Medical person):
Look into the classical position:
If you play electric: short strap (beyond not cool looking)
Headstock at shoulder level
No angel in wrist
Thumb about halfway on the back of the neck


Scan activelly for tension in your body while you play, and get rid of it. Julian lage talks about it in some vids.

 

[Aelred]

Playing causes pain?

Did you do everything possible to your posture that might help?

From my perspective (non Medical person):
Look into the classical position:
If you play electric: short strap (beyond not cool looking)
Headstock at shoulder level
No angel in wrist
Thumb about halfway on the back of the neck


Scan activelly for tension in your body while you play, and get rid of it. Julian lage talks about it in some vids.

Thank you for the concern. I am old, and taking the guitar up again at about 50 after putting it aside for 25 years causes some issues. I know a few people younger than I who have given up entirely due to the pain. Not musicians, just people.

Yes, all of the above helps. I stretch first, and have one of those finger-strengthening gizmos at work instead of a stress-ball. But if I do an hour of the 5 CAGED shapes on all six strings then another of basic chord changes, especially fast (for me), that means painkillers to sleep that night. And I mentally associate CAGED practice/theory with pain. My bad. So I adjust to what I can do comfortably rather than trying to force things. If Django Reinhart could do what he did after injury...Like Django, I only use my pinkie when necessary for chords.

It's a hobby for me. I will never gig or become a musican. I just miss the sound of electric guitar in a room. No live venues here.

 

[duzie]

No pain
No gain
Is probably not what you want to be experiencing.
Are you hunched over when focusing on your playing?
Are you using a large body acoustic?
Man I hope you can sort this out

 

[la szum]

Us old guys don't like it when someone insinuates we are doing something
wrong to cause ourselves pain when it is just the 10,000 ass whoopings we
have taken over the course of our lives.

Just sayin'.






But yeah.... hunching over is something I have to constantly remind myself NOT to
do when I am playing seated---which I kind of hate---because I hunch over too much.

These days I can't do any marathon sessions. Not happening. Short bursts. 10 to 15
minutes. Get up. Move. Stretch. Rinse. Repeat.

 

[Aelred]

No pain
No gain
Is probably not what you want to be experiencing.
Are you hunched over when focusing on your playing?
Are you using a large body acoustic?
Man I hope you can sort this out

Yep, the hunch is something I am quite conscious of - and still do too much. I use a stool rather than a couch or comfy chair, regularly stand and stretch which all helps. Which is also why I need to learn the notes by feel rather than looking, and am working on slowly. Triads instead of barre chords...

It took me an hour to change strings last weekend on one of my guitars without locking tuners. I had to stop, stretch and go outside after 3 strings before completion! That PRS SE 245 is also on the heavy side.

I don't like old slabs of wood (Tele, LP) without contours, weight relief, good necks - and locking tuners! The neck on my Teleslab (Thinline semi-accoustic!) will wreck me in 15 minutes. I need to set it up for slide.

I look at an expensive Gibson LP Custom (over $10,000AUS) and think - that will hurt. Love my ESP LTD Deluxe and Fender Ultra Strat. I'm more likely to try a cigar-box 4-string or a shovel guitar than an accoustic.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Yep, the hunch is something I am quite conscious of - and still do too much. I use a stool rather than a couch or comfy chair, regularly stand and stretch which all helps. Which is also why I need to learn the notes by feel rather than looking, and am working on slowly. Triads instead of barre chords...

It took me an hour to change strings last weekend on one of my guitars without locking tuners. I had to stop, stretch and go outside after 3 strings before completion! That PRS SE 245 is also on the heavy side.

I don't like old slabs of wood (Tele, LP) without contours, weight relief, good necks - and locking tuners! The neck on my Teleslab (Thinline semi-accoustic!) will wreck me in 15 minutes. I need to set it up for slide.

I look at an expensive Gibson LP Custom (over $10,000AUS) and think - that will hurt. Love my ESP LTD Deluxe and Fender Ultra Strat. I'm more likely to try a cigar-box 4-string or a shovel guitar than an accoustic.

I know we're all different, so I suppose I'm blessed to still be playing 95% pain-free at 61, even though I too got really serious about playing at around 50. (Started around 15, but never got serious.) I practice for an average of a couple hours a day. But I also went through all the components of my technique, to make sure I wasn't ingraining any bad habits into my playing. Like tension.

Which is what yours sounds like to me. I would check to ensure you're only using just the amount of force you need on the fretboard, to sound the string, and no more. Even when I'm really focused on the notes, I will literally "talk to myself", and ask I'm I'm loose. Picking hand also.

I don't think needing to look at the notes while playing should have any connection with pain.

You also mentioned mentally thinking about caged is associated with pain. Is it possible you're simply trying too hard to get something under your fingers? Remember, it should always be fun. For me, the learning journey is the fun.

I'm sorry you're having pain doing something you love! Getting old sucks in so many ways, and I certainly don't look forward to when my arthritis in my knees ends up in my hands, and forces me to stop playing guitar. I hope you find the cause, and it can be fixed, or at least greatly reduced!

 

[Aelred]

I don't think needing to look at the notes while playing should have any connection with pain.

It leads to hunching over and my neck needs to be turning the other way. I am very conscious of tension, position, posture, breathing etc etc.

Thank you everyone for the concern, but really... it's just something I have to learn to live with so I can enjoy my gear/pathetic attempts at playing.

I am enjoying myself. When I don't push too hard. Triads and learing sting by string is more fun for me than CAGED shapes and chords, which I know cause me pain after a few years of trying it.

So I need to slow the hell down and noodle away.

YMMV

 

[AFKAEjay(retired)]

Thank you for the concern. I am old, and taking the guitar up again at about 50 after putting it aside for 25 years causes some issues. I know a few people younger than I who have given up entirely due to the pain. Not musicians, just people.

Yes, all of the above helps. I stretch first, and have one of those finger-strengthening gizmos at work instead of a stress-ball. But if I do an hour of the 5 CAGED shapes on all six strings then another of basic chord changes, especially fast (for me), that means painkillers to sleep that night. And I mentally associate CAGED practice/theory with pain. My bad. So I adjust to what I can do comfortably rather than trying to force things. If Django Reinhart could do what he did after injury...Like Django, I only use my pinkie when necessary for chords.

It's a hobby for me. I will never gig or become a musican. I just miss the sound of electric guitar in a room. No live venues here.

I hate it when people call 50 old! (Guess my age )
Maybe that mostly shows i should be more thankfull that I don’t experience limitations/pain atm,

Anyway..just don’t rule out technique/posture as a possible rootcause to easilly…happens to youngest of the bunch also.

 

[Mikael Dez]

I'm working on learning Autumn Leaves, on top of reading sheet music and getting down with 7th chords. Started guitar lessons cuz I'm sick of being so limited to metal music. Anyway, it's very relaxing and therapeutic working with MuseScore (it's free!) and it's helping me piece together sheet music and the guitar. I "built" all these chords based on where I thought they fit best based on the melody:

 

[Mikael Dez]

Aaand this was my homework getting all the chords sorted lol (on my Mesa manual )

 

[la szum]

Man, I have my fave genres.... but I do think if you want to be a well-rounded
musician, then diversifying your portfolio and repertoire is essential. It can lead
to more opportunities to play with others, as well as building a broader and more
tasteful selection of music and musical ideas to pull from.

I applaud it.

I also applaud those who just want to Chug and can't be bothered with
anything else---even if I personally would find that boring and uninspiring at
some point.

I mean, why only eat one kind of cuisine al the time, or only end up in the missionary
position like no other options are worth even attempting??

 

[maguchi]

Man, I have my fave genres.... but I do think if you want to be a well-rounded
musician, then diversifying your portfolio and repertoire is essential. It can lead
to more opportunities to play with others, as well as building a broader and more
tasteful selection of music and musical ideas to pull from.

I applaud it.

I also applaud those who just want to Chug and can't be bothered with
anything else---even if I personally would find that boring and uninspiring at
some point.

I mean, why only eat one kind of cuisine al the time, or only end up in the missionary
position like no other options are worth even attempting??

Doggy style!

 

[Mikael Dez]

Man, I have my fave genres.... but I do think if you want to be a well-rounded
musician, then diversifying your portfolio and repertoire is essential. It can lead
to more opportunities to play with others, as well as building a broader and more
tasteful selection of music and musical ideas to pull from.

I applaud it.

I also applaud those who just want to Chug and can't be bothered with
anything else---even if I personally would find that boring and uninspiring at
some point.

I mean, why only eat one kind of cuisine al the time, or only end up in the missionary
position like no other options are worth even attempting??

Exactly. And I really don't like when someone says "you play guitar? Show me something?" and I'm like "Do you know Opeth? Mastodon?"