Hello, just introducing. My name is Mat and I’ve been learning guitar for a year. I knew a bit about music from singing, and reading music so progress has been quick. I started with justinguitar courses for the fundamentals of learning and techniques chords and decided to jump into barre chords to get it over with too. I admit I haven’t been following the program as is, preferring to use different sources based on my objectives for the moment.
I’m loving Scotty West’s course right now as well. Between these two I’m starting to know what I’m doing on the instrument.
Right now my objectives are learning to press less hard (developed a bad habit causing pain) and the technical side of building tones with amp simulators, plugins, and recording+mixing with Ableton and my new Scarlett interface. I’m having lots of fun (with just a little bit of swearing mixed in!)
I think participating in the community might help me and I might have something to contribute too some day!
Welcome in! 2nd year for me and sounds like you got my whipped on lead guitar (I just started getting into that now). Sounds like you are making good progress and enjoying it.
I haven’t contributed much myself in 2 years, so no worries there! Welcome in and cheers!
That is clutch, do you download them and run them through an amp , or just listen to the over speakers?
I just got a looper and when I get a lot better at playing solo stuff, I plan on sinking hours and hours into playing with the looper i can already tell. Just started the solo to wish you were here and am starting to really start learning the notes on the fretboard to help connect scales up and down the neck. Exciting stuff and I will look into those backing tracks for sure!
I just play them and monitor the guitar through ableton live. I record the loopback (what I hear in the headphones) when I want to criticize and see what I need to work on.
I like to have a diagram of the notes of the scale I’m using in front of me too. Start with fundamental notes and avoid the notes that aren’t in the scale and it should almost always sound OK if you mind the rhythm.
It’s more of an improvisation and composing exercise but I think it helps learn how the solos we enjoy listening to were made by the artists. Certainly makes practicing techniques like slides, bends and vibratos more fun. Certainly helps understand how the music was made.
See that is exactly where I am struggling currently! I slide just fine on one string, but give me more than one string to slide on and I am lost. I am doing the solo now, trying to learn and it is a real headache. Hopefully I can get there soon and start jamming to stuff and see what works. I think that is the fun of backing tracks and loopers.
