18Apr2024 - I am continuing with final Grade 2 consolidation review and recordings with focus this week on the Blues lessons in module 13. I have recorded the blues progression in A with 70 bpm metronome:
I uploaded both tracks and synched in GarageBand and saved audio and uploaded to SoundCloud. This is the first time I have tried to do this and found out that I have to really expand the tracks in GarageBand to get precise synching of the two tracks. Here is the virtual duet created from the two recordings:
I got a little off rhythm in the last couple of measures ( I need to fight the impulse to rush to the finish), but otherwise I was surprised that I could get the two tracks to synch and sound like a blues duet. Now I just need to add a blues drum rhythm track and learn to play blues bass
I’m far from an expert on Garageband or any DAW for that matter, but it sounds like you did not do the standard method of recording multiple tracks for a single piece. First, record the rhythm track in Garageband and then record the lead part over it. i.e. you listen to the recorded rhythm track while you record the lead part. No need to sync anything at all.
@jjw John, you are correct. That is the normal way to create a 2 part track, but I had already recorded the two parts to a metronome and wanted to see how well they worked together. I did both recordings on my iPhone and imported into GarageBand as separate tracks, since I don’t have a permanent recording studio setup. I have just gotten a microphone recently, but haven’t started to record via a microphone with a DAW yet. I will get there eventually.
BTW, thanks for listening and for the positive review of my playing.
The palm muting needs more practice, but I will have plenty of that in the future.
I then playied my blues progression in A and recorded my first unrehearsed and untabbed blues solo on acoustic guitar. This will give a baseline to judge my improvement in the future:
It’s a little ragged, especially in the first few bars. I had copied my blues progression in A rhythm track into Transcribe software and allowed to loop 4 times. Each time I tried to create a different solo. I am always surprised that I can do anything improvised.
21Apr2024 - As I approach the end of grade 3 and transition to Grade 4 I have modified my schedule. I first used the song week to work on grade 2 final consolidation review and recording to make sure I finished before I started grade 4, then I added a third week for songs, because you can’t leave out the songs. Then I decided to also add a week to explore all the other tutorial materials I have gathered over the years for fingerstyle, blues, rock, etc. I only allow about 40 to 45 min/day for practice, so I had to break up the practice sessions anyway and I takes about 4 weeks per module in grade 3. Now I am at 16 weeks or 4 months per module. It was getting hard for me to remember what I was working on in a given week so I added a weekly focus log. Here is the list for 6 months of 2024 (I am just planning a little ahead to allow for changes):
Of course, I still use my module practice table to list the practice schedule elements and record the date completed and my daily practice log to record details.
22Apr2024 - I made recordings of my Rockschool (RSL Awards) Debut Exam book song performances with backing track in GarageBand. I played these on my Strat and the bridge pickup into my Positive Grid Spark Go mini-Amp and the 2nd channel default lead amp model preset run directly into my laptop via USB cable and into GarageBand :
If you can only listen to one and like blues, then listen to my lead guitar on Hoochie Coochie Man. This took the longest to master, since the beginning is call and response lead playing against the backing track and then lead with the backing track with a lot of syncopation in the tabbed solo.
Rockschool is not a method or tutorial. It is a series of graded exams for certification in the UK by RSL Awards Ltd. I am not trying to get credentials. I am just playing through the Rock Guitar performance exam song books for extra experience with electric guitar. The Debut grade level is the ground floor level or what I consider grade 1. I purchased the book via Amazon and use it mainly because the book comes with a link to downloadable professional backing tracks for each song. Since the RSL Performance Certificate requires playing 5 songs for an examiner, I decided to record 5 of the songs. When I record Grade 1 songs in the future, I’ll try to have improved tone from the amp and cleaner playing from the guitar.
2June2024 - I am happy to be starting Grade 3 Module 22 this week, the last module of Grade 3. In the next four months I will actually complete Grade 2 consolidation by mastering and performing a 10 song set of grade 2 songs, something i have never done before. I have recently learned that consolidation is not the review or revision of Grade 2 skills and exercises, but the actual application of those skill in songs. I have made a preliminary list of 10 songs that I will work on following Justin’s suggested steps for learning to play and sing songs. I will be working on the Rockschool Grade 1 (really grade 2 level) Electric Guitar exam songbook for my electric guitar practice and will select 5 songs to practice to record later. I will look at the beginning grade 4 lessons before I start grade 4 to prepare for starting grade 4 at the end of September.
Back in November, we discussed that we were both working on grade 3 and wanted to keep our motivation as high as possible. So, I’m really happy to see that we both successfully achieved our goals.
On a positive note, the step between grade 3 and grade 4 appears smaller than I anticipated. So, that’s a good news for us.
These are wise words and I thought it worth quoting
So many songs Steve…I wish I were half as brave as you are, because no doubt that’s when we play songs that we actually learn about music! Have a good time with your playing!
Mathieu, thanks for the encouraging words. You are well ahead of me in learning rock guitar. I will probably start learning the songs in the Rock Songbook later this year. I am further along with acoustic guitar than I am with electric guitar, since I had learned how to play the fingerpicked songs like Dust in the Wind, Landslide and Blackbird a few years ago. But like Justin says, everyone has their strengths in guitar. I do hope to get better with electric rock guitar, but with just 20 to 40 minutes of practice each day I don’t expect to ever be great. I do enjoy the blues so I will definitely enjoy Grade 4. I hope you have great progress and fun as you learn grade 4.
Well, it’s true that it’s hard to focus on many genres at the same time. So, I understand your dilemma between your acoustic and electric guitars.
Wow ! Blackbird, Dust in the Wind. That’s iconic classics for fingerpicking. You have some great achievement on the acoustic ! Last time I had time to work on acoustic fingerstyle was in December. Justin has some nice Christmas songs arrangements.
With your interest for the blues and your start of grade 4, you will be ready when there will be a next cohort of Blues Immersion. Today, I signed up to the first cohort of the course, so I’ll let you know how it goes.
I may have to pause my rock guitar project for the duration of the course. But I will come back to it after. I won’t give up as I know @SILVIA would be disappointed of me
Yes, I would be disappointed because you’re very good at that stuff! And I do enjoy the rock videos from you and the other guys such as Jk!
aww … I wish you a lot of fun with the Blues Immersion…who wants to play the Blues is so very lucky at the moment as we know Justin has been putting so much effort in the course and since it’s something he definetely loves I believe it’s going to be amazing stuff all the way through!
Let us know how it goes…sure you’ll do great!
@SteveL_G99 Yes, please let us know here how it goes as I would be interested to see feedback. I have this as a goal for me for next year to have completed Grade 3 and be in a position to do Blues Immersion at some point. Would be interested to know how hard you think it would be for a Grade 3 player + some consolidation time to complete the course.
Also not sure how the live classes would work in future years. Will the course be run in full each year with new live sessions for those of us that weren’t ready this year? Perhaps the mods or other teachers (@Richard_close2u) might be able to answer if this has been considered or is the full experience a ‘one off’ just for this year?
@ziggysden Hi Stuart, it was @math07 who was going to take the blues immersion course. I am interested to see how that goes also. Grade 4 has a lot of blues lessons already and I have a wealth of blues specific and artist specific DVD tutorials to look at so I will probably wait to take the blues immersion course later.
As an example of all the blues related lessons on DVD I have collected over the years:
I have some of this available online but I just wanted to feel like I am finally getting some use for all of this stuff I have collected over the years.
Hi Silvia, I decided not to do the blues immersion course since I am still working on transitioning to intermediate level and more importantly I can’t immerse if I am interested in too many styles of guitar. I am slowly working on the Werner classical course and I continue to be inspired by others playing classical guitar. I mentioned that Guitar Techniques has a column on classical guitar and this month the piece was especially inspiring - J. S. Bach - Sleepers Awake. Perhaps many years from now I can attempt just the intro part since it is considered moderately advanced:
This is very beautiful Steve, thanks for @ me!
I’m happy to read you’re keeping going on the Classical Guitar Method…it doesn’t matter how slow or fast, what counts is that you’re enjoying it! Now…I’m curious: what are you working on the Classical Guitar?
@SILVIA Silvia, I am happy that you enjoyed the link. I am currently practicing the song lessons (Jazz Cat and Au Clair de la lune) on pages 30 - 34 of Werner Classical Guitar Method book 1. Since I have much experience with sight reading in the first position, my focus is on my right hand tone. I have decided that I must allow my fingernails to grow out a little. When I recorded “Morning Has Broken” I plucked the strings with my finger tips and no fingernails. But modern classical guitar tone requires the use of the finger nails. I found the lesson on maintaining the fingernails in the Werner website, outside of the book lessons.
I confess that for reasons of nostalgia, I have also played through the corresponding lessons (notes on the first 3 strings) in my old Solo Guitar book 1 by Frederick Noad. I discovered in Wikipedia that F. Noad had some televised lessons in the 1960s that were released in color in the 1980s. I found a lesson for Greensleeves on YouTube, which has a chord melody version Frederick Noad Greensleeves classical guitar lesson. It is interesting to me to see the lesson, but I like the version in his Solo Guitar book 1 better, since it uses 2 note chords.
There are differences in approaches (for instance, the Noad book emphasizes the rest stroke at first) so I will mostly follow the Werner books. I bought 2 intro books and also the techniques book and the grade 1 and 2 repertoire book. I don’t play classical guitar every day (I do play guitar every day) but every 4th week I focus on classical guitar and play every day. On the other weeks, I play just a few (1 or 2 times) per week. It is not optimal, but I will very slowly make progress. Of course, seeing what I have written, I think I should practice the right hand exercises for 5 minutes every day until I am satisfied with my tone. I have moved my guitar case from the closet to next to my music stand.
Hi Steve I’m glad to read you’re progressing well! I think growing a little bit of fingernails is a good idea, I feel comfortable to have them not too long…but I know someone can do without fingernails as well.
Have you checked Justin’s arrangement of Greensleeves? I learnt so much from it! And it sounds pretty sweet on the Classical Guitar too, only you need to adapt a little bit the fretting hand technique. Also Werner has a nice lesson on it. I checked your link but my poor ear is getting confused as that doesn’t sound like the Greensleeves I know
aww … I wish you a lot of fun with the Blues Immersion…who wants to play the Blues is so very lucky at the moment as we know Justin has been putting so much effort in the course and since it’s something he definetely loves I believe it’s going to be amazing stuff all the way through!
I’m glad to read you’re progressing well! I think growing a little bit of fingernails is a good idea, I feel comfortable to have them not too long…but I know someone can do without fingernails as well.