What you are describing is perfectly normal, none of us (well mostly) are professionals, who spend their lives gigging or in recording studios. Home recording is a big challenge, especially when starting out even if you have not done it for a while. You are suffering from RBS or RLS its a condition that turns a perfectly well learnt and practice song into a pile of while your hands feel like you are playing with gloves on. What is normally possible suddenly becomes the impossible.
RBS = Record Button Syndrome
RLS = Red Light Syndrome
The symptoms are the inability to play more than a bar or two before stuffing up. We all suffer from this malaise to one degree or another. Just keep at it and it will get better and you will get used to it. The more you record yourself the easier it gets but never quite goes away, a bit like stage fright.
What method are you using to record ? Is it with a backing track ? Are you using a DAW ? Knowing your recording set up may help folks offer some advice to help you. Thereās a few ātechniquesā but no point in sharing if its not relevant to how you are recording.
Thanks for the input That time, I was recording along with a metronome. But, before recording, I successfully played through a song without the recorder being turned-on along the sound of the metronome clicking and then along a simple drum-beat track. So, yeah, RBS indeed.
It will get better, like most things with practice and repetition. I still screw up in the same way you describe. Sometimes its worth ignoring the error and trying to carry on until the end of the song. I think stopping and restarting can add to the perceived pressure, which can build the more as you make another mistake. Try and pick up from where you goofed and carry on. Check out our open mic recordings and you will find nearly all of us fluff chord changes, miss notes and even get the words wrong but the secret is to just plough on. It gets you back on track and you still delete the bad recording at the end.
Updated on 05-12-2022. Been noodling along to different power chord progression up and down the neck using strings 6-4. One day I even thought-out to replace open chords with power chords on some songs (for example, Vardunaās āMy Mother Told Meā (from the Vikings soundtrack)) to see how it goes.
Regarding songs, been practising Marilyn Manson āSweet Dreamsā, Deep Purple āSmoke on the Waterā, Howard Blakeās āWalking in the Airā (though, not a song, but maybe a solo part) and Andrius Mamontovas āGeltona, žalia, raudonaā. Though, with this song, have bit of a trouble with x07xxx x77xxx x87xxx power chords (canāt find a comfortable enough position for them).
On acoustic, been practising Metallicaās āThe Unforgiven Part Iā (with a couple of licks added and simplified solos), The Eagles āHotel Californiaā (simplified version, but on Capo 2 it sounds just right to my ears) and Rainbow āTemple of the Kingā (with a couple of licks and a solo part added for the acoustic guitar).
Maybe, I will again record something, if I am in the mood and post it. Itās been quite some time.
Itās been a couple of months since I wrote anything here. You could say for the past couple of months I was noodling along with a bunch of thought-out in my head power chord progressions and I noticed that it is significantly easier to jump from power chord to power chord (string crossing as Justin put this in one of his lessons), if I do the two finger combination instead of free finger combo. So, anyways, bunch of power chord progressions.
As for songs, only thing worth while to note is that Iāve written down RHCP Californication, simplified it a bit [riff + strumming + solo] since my target for the foreseeable future is not to play exactly how a band plays, and after a couple of days I learnt the whole song by heart. Maybe Iāll post it here, maybe I wonāt. Havenāt decided yet. Itās been quite a while since I posted something from the AVOYP section.
Or, maybe I will continue on to other modules. Havenāt really decided yet.
As a side note: kids, choose your guitars wisely and very carefully, because it may very well be that you will find out in the long run that your guitarās neck is simply a bit too narrow for some comfortable open chord formations, because your fingers are too fat and they hover over not one, but two strings at once; which, has happened on my electric āSchecterā. Well, no cowboy chords for that guitar; at least playing power chords on it with different amp settings is fun.
Hi Aurimas, I agree with you that playing a song not necessarily implies playing it like the record. That is specially true with songs of bands as one instrument cannot recreate the sound of multiple instruments (not counting editing). What is often possible with many good songs is to adapt them to be played with one instrument by one player (and singer) and still sound good.
Update on 17-04-2023: Well, just started Grade 2 Module 13. Somehow, in my mind, I thought it will be a breeze, considering that in most of these new chord you only have to add or remove a finger, but by gods, itās difficult. I couldnāt even imagineā¦ itās like Iām back to Grade 1 Module 1 again Ooh, itās going to be an interesting ride. I think I will have to do beforehand finger stretch exercises again.
Update on 20-04-2023 So, Open 7th chord changes are going on nicely; on average they are bout 50 times per second (the lowest being 42 (E7 second variation to B7), but on Monday, when I started this, it was only 29, soā¦), so decided to incorporate some of them in to meaningless chord progressions either as embellishments (you know, like going from E major to E7 and the like), so, they are kinda okey, if played this way. Now, Iām practising Dire Straits Walk of Life, but instead of B barre, I just use B7 for those transitions from E to B7. They are sloppy (but three fingers seems to automatically land on the required strings, itās just that the pink finger does not land on the first string of the second fret and sometimes the ring finger lays flat to the second open string is not ringing out), but, progress.
Updated on 30-05-2023. Well, open 7th chord changes are kinda alright, still the biggest ātroubleā I have is with their many finger variations, e.g., going from full E7 to letās say full A7 (022130 to x02223), but they are slowly creeping in to the 60 times per minute mark [E7 to A7 57 times; E7 to B7 56 times; A7 to B7 58 times and C7 to B7 58 times], whereas the rest are either above way above 60 mark or will soon reach 90 times per minute mark (two finger variation).
Anyways, those full sounding 7th dominant chords I only use as an embellishments for longer strumming patterns, e.g.:
E major E7
D-DDU-UD - DUDU
and the like, cause I like how those transitions sound, and they are not as boring as going all the way with the same E7 or A7 chords etc.
Anyways, regarding new music, I was going through songsterrās app, and decided to check-out what Within Temptation has with standard tuning and itās not too complex, and, well what do you know, Our Solemn Hour has a very beginner friendly power chord progression. So, maybe, in a couple of weeks Iāll record that. Just have to do something about the string buzz on my electric.
Updated on 13-06-2023 Nothing new, really, spent an hour or so with The Crow, the Owl and the Dove (by Nightwish) TAB to get to know the progressions for arpeggiations, slides etc. Some parts are kinda hard, some parts are not. On the other hand, almost by heart know the main theme song by now. Maybe tomorrow Iāll add on soundcloud how it sounds (practised today on electric without a capo and with E standard tuning (the original is in Drop C and Capo 3) with a free flow; later on, whence I know how everything connects almost by heart, Iāll go with 60 BPM, 70, 80 and then lastly 90 (the original is played in 93 BPM), if I will be able to do that). So far, at least, even without playing as they play, I like the melody, especially the slides in the verses.
Updated on 01-07-2023: Well, decided it was time to play along a recordingā¦ and decided to go with chordify site. Inputted a local bandās name and their songā¦ and voilaā¦ the site gave me chord progressions and beats wherein the chords fall (mind you, I donāt know whether the chords were correct, I mean, yeah, they did not seem out of place, but on the vid, the band in live performance plays barre chords, but whatever), and wellā¦ decided to strum along (4/4 timing, since I know some music sheet symbols, knew where to just do nothing for the segment etc.)ā¦ and wellā¦ long story short. I can play along a recording. So, yeah, thatās the only update I have
Update on 03-07-2023 Well, I think Iāve made a major breakthrough with Open 7 Dominant chord changes (i.e., changes in-between themselves), where the lowest 4 finger version is exactly one beat per second (for example E7 (022130) to C7 is 60), whereas last weak it was barely above 50 changes per minute. The two finger versions of E7, A7, G7 changes with other 7th dominant chords are way above that 60 times per minute mark and on average about 85, so, itās none-essential to practice them any longer.
Updated on 20-09-2023: Well, sort of completed Grade 2. Still, gonna stick around with percussive strumming until I get the hang of it, and with some slash chords (havenāt done them yet), and then move on to Grade 3.
Updated on 17-10-2023: So, Iām currently working on Black Sabbath āIron Manā. Its a really work in progress, because, so far Iāve been trying to memorize which riff goes where (based on Cifra Club lesson on youtube; and I guess I could have followed Mr. Tabs or Justin, butā¦), and sometimes I get a so-called brain-freeze. The most troublesome part is sliding from G5 (17 15 xxxx) to F#5 (16 14 xxxx), because, so far the unplugged sound is horrible, cause I canāt seem to find a decent way to push those two strings down way back there. Also, to remember that thereās a little lick right after the chorus part. Of course, Iāve omitted the solo part, because Iām not going to even bother at this point; itās way too fast to play single notes double-time for me, especially when they are all over the strings.
And, currently, the song āsoundsā like this (clean unplugged sound):
Updated on 19-10-2023: So, Iāve managed to polish the song more or less and unplugged it sounds like this:
Still, there are some mistakes made. Like, I think I sometimes do two slides instead of three and I mistake how many times to pluck a note during pre-chorus. Not to mention, since using a pick is so foreign to me on single notes, I momentarily freeze up and think whether Iām on correct string. That doesnāt happen with my thumb and ring finger.
while your hands feel like you are playing with gloves on. What is normally possible suddenly becomes the impossible.
That time, I was recording along with a metronome. But, before recording, I successfully played through a song without the recorder being turned-on along the sound of the metronome clicking and then along a simple drum-beat track. So, yeah, RBS indeed.
Ooh, itās going to be an interesting ride. I think I will have to do beforehand finger stretch exercises again.
