Done Grades 1-3, some of Grade 4 and Grade 6 (Blues guitar development )
Done some of the Music Theory grades
Done the BLIM course, still going through it againā¦
Been through numerous guitars and gear from day one, but have settled on the following selection:
Epiphone Les Paul SG - My favourite
Jet Stratocaster
Squire Starcaster
Gherson Les Paul (gifted from a friend)
Fender Acoustic
Spark 2 Amplifier and app
Use Guitar Pro for learning songs etc. and also YouTube and Justinās videos
Can do some transcribing, wrote my own blues solo and have transcribed some songsā¦with a little help
I do jamming with a good friend Peter, we normally jam every second week. Peter has been playing for 20yrs, heās taught me a lot/and still is, of which I am truly grateful.
Songs presently learning and learnt: Learnt:
Albatross - Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac) - learnt
One for Gary - Wanda Pacifica (Spotify - got permission from her to transcribe and learn the song)
The Thrill has Gone - BB King (Full song, not just intro solo.)
Learning:
Slow dancing in a Burning Room - John Mayer
Still got the Blues - Gary Moore
Blues Deluxe - Joe Bonamassa
Sunshine of my Love - Cream
Just to get the ball rollingā¦
Here is me playing a solo I created a few months ago. I used the āSweet Little BBā jam track from Justinās collection.
I want to add more phasing and pauses in my playing, hence the 30 day challenge. Iāll be uploading more videos today
Also, thank you for all the compliments and wishing me good luck.
Comments and suggestions, good or bad are welcomeā¦
Well played with plenty of variation in the melody and some subtle dynamic changes too. Some of the bends seem to be finishing slightly flat. Good start to your challenge: looking forward to the next one.
Actually, looking at the video youāre definitely not as bad in soloing as you stated above!
As you say you know those five patterns and plenty of licks Iām impressed!
I forgot most of the licks , but have to go through them again very soon too and the higher patterns.
Like Brian stated above, I think too that it would be good to include some bending training. I remember BLIM lessons on this with playing the note and after hearing it, trying the bend so your ear still has that fresh memory.
I agree with the comments above - since you asked for feedback, Iād say the bending is the first thing to look at. I think the opening phrase is great, but would benefit from a little attention to the first note which is bent. It sounds like youāre half way between two options:
Pre-bend the 7th fret G string by a whole tone from D right up to the E then release the bend
Bend the note up from the D right up to the E then drop it back again.
Iām sort of hearing the note bending up, but not quite making it to the E. Not far off, but just audible. If the full tone bends are mechanically difficult, dropping a string gauge is an option. I started off using 10s, ābecause everybody else seemed toā, but then realised - why make life difficult for myself? so I dropped to 9s
This is excellent and so inspiring, Rachel! I donāt have any feedback as this is far ahead of where Iām at, but I aspire to play some blues on day too so I will enjoy watching your progress.
Great Rachel, as other have said watch those bends and try and get some vibrato going. I am doing BLIM 3 now, I would recommend reviewing Justinās BLIM bend and vibrato lessons and the recent Seth Rosenblooms Live lesson.
Great first upload Rachel. Some very good ideas, repetitions and number of different licks. Technique improvement will come in time, you should just keep playing Blues with focus on improving bending and vibrato. As for the improvisation, the most helpful advice for me was to reduce number of licks and positions, and experiment. Narrowing lick selection and fixing a single pattern will force you to explore different things and to fully automate that lick. Than add next and so on. I find this much better than going wide with a lot of licks and trying to make something different each time on a go.
Std 12 bar Blues, I did a loop on the first 24 barsā¦
Here are two quick videoās of me playing just in Pattern 1 of A minor Pentatonic (Iāll confess, Pattern 1 is not my favourite pattern. I donāt feel there is much for D and E).
I find my problem is sometimes, I loss track of where I am or I cannot think of what to play next.
(Excuse the hat, couldnāt be bothered doing my hair today, still feeling the effects from the dentist.)
I already know, it was terrible but I find I get limited milage out of Pattern 1. I will try again tomorrow and maybe add more meaningful licks.
Please help LOL
Each lick is full of meaning in the right context in the right fingers ā¦ and remember āless is moreā. I often make the mistake of putting as many licks as possible in one piece and too often forget to take a nice break/rest between , you are doing that fine ā¦ and play/make the same licks sound slightly different and keep the most out is a big thing for us to learn ā¦
of course there are a lot of licks that are not fun and after a certain time they just bump and maybe they will come back laterā¦ there are so so so many
PS: I see in the first video that you push your fingers up with the finger bends instead of a smooth wrist movement and used as a pivot point at the height of the index fingerā¦ check the various lessons on āhow to string bendā
Also be careful that with such āchallengesā you donāt rush yourself or put too much pressure on yourself, especially because everyone here is in such a good mood and is not really critical,then that can easely happen ā¦I say this with a big smile as you seem to do fine ,just a thought ā¦ good luck and
I think you did really well!
Clean tones, nice slides, sounds good to me.
The bends still need practice (mine too).
I donāt know if this would help you, but I try to approach a thing I want to learn often from different angles. For example, like Justin recommended: learning licks - but uh - oh - I forgot most of them quickly
Then, some other time, soloing and trying to hit the root note of the actual chord on some accented beat. (someone told me it sounds a bit boring or previsible, but I think itās good to practice and also do it at times.
And then, sounds like you didnāt try itā¦ more or less hitting random notes (still in the scale) and then, let my brain/fingers make something out of the note. Often, they know where to escape when the hit note didnāt sound as good. (I remember Justin had a lesson where he mentioned in case of hitting a bad note, nearly all of the time a halftone up or down will resolve the problem, probably that was back in the first lesson on soloing). But to be honest, Iām not always aware where my fingers go. They have a life of their own
Bravo Rachel.
True to your word youāve done #1.
Hooray. Bravo.
RE: Pattern 1.
And minor blues.
Slow minor blues has some glorious opportunities for expressive playing. And some desperate pitfalls to avoid.
Whatever you do, do not play the blues curl on the b5 of the A minor pentatonic scale. That is pushing it to C#, the major 3rd. And that note, or even the suggestion of that note, over an Am chord is dreadful.
Equally dreadful is fret 7 of the B string (the 6 in the extra notes of the pentatonic framework) over the Dm chord. Yuck.
But you have two absolutely delightful notes to use.
Fret 6 of the B string over the Dm chord.
Yummy heaven smooth silk chocolate.
Fret 7 of the E string over the Em chord.
Aww. Blissful relaxing massage comfort warm bath.
Iām using the same backing track as yesterday and have taking on board the comments from yesterday and decided to do something a little different. Iāve only tried to use slides and vibrato and incorporating the extra notes as suggested over certain chords.
I found by adding the extra notes I got more milage out of some of the chords, especially Em and Dm. (Thank you @Richard_close2u )
Tomorrow Iāll add bends (Iāll make them better) into the mix and see how we get on.
Just one bit of general ā mindsetā info that has been a cornerstone of my Blues improv journey so far. It may be helpful to you. Hereās what I do, and have done for some time.
I put on a backing track, and listen to it very closely, over 3 or 4 x 12 Bar etc repeats at least.
Hands off my guitar. I close my eyes, and come up with a simple melody or two in my mind. Then I try to play that over the backing track.
Its super beneficial. In my view, its essential. It gives you a starting point, a structure, a direction. Modify it here and there in the progression.
It would be 30 days well spent. And Iād stay in 1-2 patterns at most.
Youāve almost certainly heard Justin talk about ones āmusical imaginationā. This is it, in practice.
It gives you a musical focus, rather than just thinking about which notes to hit, or what bend or slide to do. Keep it simple, and get very good at the basics. āSimpleā can sound amazingly good.
What this process also does is it continually trains your ear, which has a cumulative effect over time. And that is gold.
As you get better, both technically and musically, so the melodies will become more fluid and numerous.
But it takes time. Be kind to yourself.
Hey Shane,
I never tried it yet. Only tried to make up something on the spot (which has been a good excercise too) but Iāll definitely try what you suggested.
Rachel, I liked yesterdayās video and now think even more that your challenge and posting it here was a great idea!
)
, but have to go through them again very soon too and the higher patterns.
ā¦ and play/make the same licks sound slightly different and keep the most out is a big thing for us to learn ā¦
ā¦I say this with a big smile as you seem to do fine ,just a thought 
ā¦ good luck and