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GA,

The only advice I can give you on being a good guitarist is to just be yourself. Just put your emotions into your playing and let them come thru, thats what all the great players have done. Its not really about how "good" you are, its about taking a listener on a journey.

Spear's problem would be easy to fix. The same way the Sammuri trained swordsmen. Everytime she did something selfish, stupid, or lost concentration knock hell out her with a big stick. She would become very responsable. It's funny how life does that already for those who aint filthy rich.

GA,

The only advice I can give you on being a good guitarist is to just be yourself. Just put your emotions into your playing and let them come thru, thats what all the great players have done. Its not really about how "good" you are, its about taking a listener on a journey.

That is good advice, thanks, JW.

I will keep that in mind, sometimes I wonder if not knowing music theory like other guitarist makes me lack in ability, then other times I wonder if learning all this theory will take away as opposed to help. Because as I have seen in other threads, you get concerned about "breaking the rules."

In my opinion rules are meant to be broken in music, if everything was perfect then it would all sound the same.

Right now I am focusing on writing in Drop B tuning.

By the way, JW, I had a chance to listen to a couple of the songs on your profile. Great guitar playing in those songs man.

Peace out, GuitarAnatomy.

GA,

I think in order to play with other musicians you have to know basic theory. I also think the basics are just inside of you cause on the radio, tv, video games all music has structures that it holds to. If we start breaking all the rules we wind up sounding like Mars Volta. You seem to like Metallica a lot. They have a very structured 4x4 sound to me as opposed to Soundgarden who use a lot of 3x4 and 7x8 timing structures. Its hard for me right now to see what someone will do at this point in time to break the rules again and start another musical guitar revolution, but there is someone out there right now figuring it out. It could be you.

Once again dont try to play like Kirk, try to play like GA and get your own identity on the instrument.

Thanks for the compliments on my stuff, I have a few more I need to get up for everyone to tear apart.

I know basic theory, I think, lol. Metallica is very structured with a 4x4 key, I know this because I have the tab books with the standard notation in them. Whether I properly understand time signatures, I do not know, lol. I am not good at that stuff, so yeah, that is probably where I am lacking in music theory, scales and time structures. Then again, now that I think about it I guess I lack a lot in it. I understand the very basics though, so I can be taught fairly easily (I have a book my friend lent me, I am reading it, it has all of that stuff in it, so I should be able to pick it up as soon as I look at the book).

I understand what you are saying, I should be more of me than Kirk.

Thanks for the advice.

Your stuff is very good, let me know when you get the other stuff up. I would like to hear it.

Peace out, GuitarAnatomy.

I definitly agree with the play what you feel analogy. but I have a question. It is hard for me to get my fingers to do what my soul is tellin them. I am sure this will improve as my tech ,skills improve. But it seems to me that the negative emotions are easier to transmit. I mean its like sometimes when I am really tired or depressed the guitar just talks for me. Is this just me or is this common in your experience?

Sanshouheil, I have to concur with that one... I have that same question, because it seems like when I am more frustrated, depressed, or angry, that my most creative side comes out. I start writing menacing pieces.

Maybe we should cut off an ear? Naw I think I'll just take some lessons or something.

What the heck are we Van Gogh? Lmao.

Yeah, I think I will just stick to lessons. My friend is taking lessons and he says this guy he is taking them from is unbelievable. Maybe I should try lessons some time, who knows. Right now though I am content with how I am learning.

I think you'r right the best method is to keep up the lessons.But, what really help's on top of that is putting you'r self in live performensis that will push you even more to be well rounded as a seasond musican.

I wish I could get a live performance, but right now I might get tomatoes thrown at me, in fact I might get bullets as well, lmao.

There are players out their that are worse than you im sure of that!!Just find guy's that our in the same place in music ability's as you are and start jamming with them.You will be suprised how much that wiil help.

That is true. My friend and I are about at the same level in the playing department, I think. He seems a lot more fluid than me though, he has been playing for 5 years, so that could do it, lol.

Who knows, maybe I will get a lot better soon and take a shot at playing live. Worst that happens is that I get shot...

Lmao.

Peace out, GuitarAnatomy.

He leap's acrossed the stage hit's his head on a fake plant." ouch"

But misses the bullet SHEWWWWW WEEE that was close!!

GA,

I agree with the above, playing with other people turns everything up a notch. When I played clubs a lot, I always felt like one gig was worth 100 practices cause you find out what will work and what will not. If you cant play a gig just try to get with another guitarist and knock around songs.

When you play with someone else you have to play to some sort of structure to make things coherent. The more people you add the more structure you need. Otherwise you will all look at each other wondering what to do. As you develop as a player you will learn to flow more and be more fluid.

I think I told you in another thread to try playing to a metronome or a timing device of some sort. Just playing to songs is fun but I personally never thought it did a lot of good cause you can hide behind the music. Kinda like a lot of karaoke singers. Some do real well with the video screen, but put them with a live band and they are lost.

Lately Ive been writing new tunes. I start out just messing with the guitar, and then I turn on a click track on my recorder and play with that and get an established rythym. This is before I try to record anything. Then I try to figure out sonically how to put the song together. Its kinda like a jigsaw puzzle.

I guess bands are jigsaw puzzles also.