Any music types on here?

[blackrodd]

Must admit, I admire any musician or pen,water or oil artist.
The ultimate creative skills, as far as I am concerned.
Rodders

 

[dp341]

Just so long as this does't degenerate into a discussion on the best way of tuning your instruments ...

Me, I dabbled with the guitar for a few years but never really put the effort in to make it work and I've not touched it for ages.

 

[Kalimna]

Jacob - I was at a Tommy Emmanuel concert recently, and what a phenomenally talented chap he his on the guitar. Halfway through the gig he gave a lesson, as he figured "there'd be a few guitar nerds in the audience". Anyway, the point is that he made the same comment about skill i.e. practice, practice, practice. Don't worry about speed, just get the notes spot on, then work on speed later.

dp341 - Snark, no question. Failing that, the autotuners now being fitted

Cheers,
Adam

 

[MIGNAL]

Practice, practice, practice is perhaps a little too simplistic. There are both efficient and inefficient ways of learning things.
The type that are a bit more body aware tend to learn things relatively quickly. Playing any instrument well really is about minimising the amount of dysfunctional tension. That's the type of tension that gets in the way of fluent and playing ease. Good players always tend to make it look easy, that's because it is (with enough intelligent practice). Bad players make it look incredibly difficult, despite the fact that they may have practiced for endless hours.

 

[goldspanner]

Wow, nice to see that there are lots of music types on here

As someone who has taught guitar in the past, I would say the single best thing you can do is find what you like to play and just play it.
Don't practice, just play.

 

[devonwoody]

Being playing organs and keyboards the last 30 years, problem for me is they do not compose music any more like the 60's. :roll:

The wife lets me sing sometimes.

 

[Kalimna]

To me, playing and practicing are synonymous. But since I have tried to learn scales and chord inversions, it helps find my way around the fretboard. Which consequently helps with both improvisation and trying to work out how to play tunes.

Adam

 

[Jacob]

Practice, practice, practice is perhaps a little too simplistic. There are both efficient and inefficient ways of learning things.
The type that are a bit more body aware tend to learn things relatively quickly. Playing any instrument well really is about minimising the amount of dysfunctional tension. That's the type of tension that gets in the way of fluent and playing ease. Good players always tend to make it look easy, that's because it is (with enough intelligent practice). Bad players make it look incredibly difficult, despite the fact that they may have practiced for endless hours.

Not sure about this "tension" but I guess you might have fallen into the same trap as myself (and a lot of other people); always trying to play stuff slightly beyond one's ability. Yes you have to do this to progress but there is a risk that you end up not being able to play anything, other than badly.
I've taken to going back to basics (often, not all the time). As basic as picking out simple tunes on one string, by ear alone. Can be surprisingly difficult but is very good ear and fretboard training.
Then back to more basics - page one of the beginners book. I tracked down the first book I had 50 years ago; F Carulli "Elementary Guitar Method" and have been working through it - paying more attention this time around!
One must not be dismayed by what one can't do (there's too much of it!) but instead be pleased with what one can do, however simple, even childish. And then you might move forwards.
It's like woodwork!

PS I also discovered I was cr&p at sight reading, which is a huge handicap (depending on what you hope to play). So I've been doing a lot of simple sight reading exercises.

 

[devonwoody]

Here is one for you guitarists to practice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5KgAAeobOk

 

[Jacob]

Here is one for you guitarists to practice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5KgAAeobOk

That's nothing!

My target is this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06GVrYP6NKs

I've got the guitar, the chapel, the sheet music. I could probably rustle up a ginger wig and a black dress. :shock:

 

[MIGNAL]

Two perfect examples of what I'm referring to.
Look and closely observe their respective right hands. The Bolero guy is playing with dysfunctional tension. You can clearly see it in his right hand, especially with his little finger. It may not affect his playing in that particular piece but it almost certainly will when pieces involve the right hand annular finger - unless he does something about it.
Ryzhkova's technique is exemplary, such a relaxed hand.

Here is another fine example. Everything is done in a highly efficient manner, each and every finger movement. 'Just enough' pressure and not a drop more. It's the ultimate in economy of movement, tension but not dysfunctional tension.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H36vL3MzQDU

You may find very good players who can break the rules but they tend to be very much the exception rather than the rule. It really doesn't matter which instrument or what style. Electric Guitar shredders can play extremely fast because of the exact same economy of movement and relaxed playing.

 

[Jacob]

I looked at Luciano Renans other stuff and he's a bit of an easy-listening lightweight. He's not that good.
And yes Tatyana is exemplary.
That's the biggest difference between them and I'd guess it's because she has put very many more hours than Luciano into practice and in-depth musical education. Plus whatever element natural ability contributes - not a lot in my opinion it's more down to good education/training/practice.
My point is that to get away from tension one should spend a lot of time playing stuff which is well within one's limits, so that you can relax into it.
It's working for me (I think) together with a lot of scale practice starting with minor pentatonics (easiest and most useful). It gets easier very quickly.
You also have to have a go at harder stuff of course - but not punish yourself with it. Have a go, put it away and have another go a month later.

 

[MIGNAL]

Tatyana learnt from a young age, no doubt under the guidance of a very good teacher. Somewhere on Youtube is a video of her when she was perhaps 13 years old. Li Jie was either 14 or 15 when that Paganini was recorded, again learnt from a young age under a very good teacher. But we are referring to a very high level, concert guitarist level. Not many reach those heights.
Luciano Renans is clearly an amateur Guitarist. Far from being the worst. He's certainly musical but lacks a little technique. More work, perhaps with professional guidance and he could quite easily turn into a very good amateur/semi pro guitarist. He also needs to stop recording with that disgusting amount of reverb, it only serves to cover up the mistakes and the shortcomings.

 

[devonwoody]

Jacob not my cup of tea, I would prefer Chuck Berry.

 

[Kalimna]

After those rather wonderful refined classical pieces, here's a little something to redress the balance in favour of the overdriven rock guitar. Once you get past the showmanship and sweat-ridden torso, you have one of the finest performing electric guitar players - particularly regarding economy of movement. And if that's not enough, the track was played by 'Beetoven' in Bill n Ted.
The interesting stuff starts around the 42 second mark
http://youtu.be/nDE667iYgBw


Cheers,
Adam S

 

[Scouse]

Not much cop on the playing side, but for the record I'm a maker of stringed instruments, violins, cellos etc.

Used to be refered to (incorrectly since I don't make lutes) as a luthier, but I avoid that now if I can.

 

[cutting42]

After those rather wonderful refined classical pieces, here's a little something to redress the balance in favour of the overdriven rock guitar. Once you get past the showmanship and sweat-ridden torso, you have one of the finest performing electric guitar players - particularly regarding economy of movement.

Yup, Nuno is a great player very skilled "shredder", also capable of good musicality. I grew up listening to Steve Vai and Joe Satriani as my hero guitar gods but then moved away from the hot shredding to the astonishing musicality of Michael Hedges sadly died far too soon.

If you have not heard of Michael, do yourself a massive favour and buy a CD, look at You-tube or whatever

This is his last recorded concert and the sound quality is pretty good. You just need to listen to the first track to get a great feel for what he does.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4AysS-WN0A

Oh I am an active bass player, been playing for 30 years on and off, still regularly playing and gigging, mainly Jazz, Jazz Funk Latin these days.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I was raised on folks and blues and have been playing acoustic steel strung since 12 with the occasional bout of strat but electrics not really my thing. I've been performing live in a variety of bands over the years. I once saw an Ozzy in a jazz club in Sydney called the Bass Clef....his name was Tommy Emmanuel. That was in 1987 when he was in his 20's (as was I). I must have seen him play a dozen times since, most recently at the Cambridge Corn Exchange just last month. His greatest influence was Chet Atkins and his style is quite unique. He's a major aficionado of serious, dedicated practice and in my view is easily in the top 5 acoustic players alive today.

A good party piece is his version of classical gas which will give you a flavour here but he's way more versatile than this.

I forgot to mention he's also a genuinely decent bloke....very grounded and kind to the little people. This is a fascinating insight into his technique versatility, recorded a staggering 2 whole weeks ago.

 

[Jacob]

That Tommy Emmanuel demo looks brilliant. I'll have a go at it this morning. I've been having a go at a bit of ragtime and his style just fits.


Dead and gone before I'd even heard of him - I discovered Tony Rice last week https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JFgC3Ub10E

Lots of astonishing performers - Youtube is amazing

This is one of my favourites https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE_ihoNhQ6g

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Yep Tommy is a pretty dam good teacher too Jacob. If you fish around YT, he's a prolific tourer and he always does workshop's and teach-in's and the like which inevitably someone films and posts so there are lots of resources from which to learn.