sbs-solo6

bluesmadd

Funk the Blues
Well, another 'hot mess' (credit OG_Blues for that terminology, but I like it.) At least a benchmark for now. Speed (~75%) may improve over time if my fingers and brain are up to the challenge (maybe not). Griff's speed is 'ridiculous' on this one (along with smoothness, timing etc. etc.)

I must say that this solo has everything including the kitchen sink in it. It incorporates many of the lessons from many courses into one solo (major pentatonic, minor, composite, every chord is chord one, and lots of riffs from BGU, SBS and other courses.) I highly recommend this solo, but be prepared to do a deep dive. I will probably spend the next (few) years trying to get even close to Griff. Might even have it memorized by then.:LOL:

sbs-solo6

Note: had to take some liberties with measure 32.

Thanks for listening.
 

OG_Blues

Guitar Geezer
Congratulations Bluesmadd - you've got it! Just like me, it will take a "few" more passes through it to smooth it out, improve the timing, etc.
You're right - this solo has so much in it to work on, it will make all of your other playing just that much better.
When I get to this point in learning a solo, I find it very helpful, rather than try to speed it up more, is to go back and actually slow it down more and play along with Griff, looping small sections of it. I find that this really helps me improve my timing and get closer to the same "feel" as Griff played it.
One thing I noticed is that you seem to choke off most of the last notes in each phrase, i.e. don't hold their full time value or duration as written. Is that a "stylisitic" thing? Just a suggestion - I think that holding the notes out will go a long way towards smoothing everything out - just my opinion. YMMV of course.
You done good!!
Tom
 

bluesmadd

Funk the Blues
Thank you Tom, appreciate the feedback. I agree with you on playing along with Griff, small sections to really get his feel and the timing. This one has a long ways to go for me. Your are correct with your observation about choking off last notes, probably because I'm so focused on just getting through the measure, I have no mental real estate left for things like proper timing, feel etc. At this point, my timing is more focused on the beginning of the measure, getting it right. Hopefully this will come as I focus, as you are, on this amazing solo. I think once it's memorized, I can relax much more, and free up some neurons for the elements that will take it to the next level.
Best,
Warren
 

OG_Blues

Guitar Geezer
.............. I have no mental real estate left for things like proper timing, feel etc. At this point, my timing is more focused on the beginning of the measure, getting it right. Hopefully this will come as I focus, as you are, on this amazing solo. I think once it's memorized, I can relax much more, and free up some neurons for the elements that will take it to the next level.
Best,
Warren
Warren - I hear you - you are exactly right. Getting it memorized will allow you to focus on different aspects of the piece and progress in different ways. Early on, there are SO MANY things a person is thinking about and trying to simultaneously concentrate on, remember, and make your muscles do - it's total overload - and in reality, you forget, you screw up, you miss different techniques, etc. It's all part of the process.
Your comments reminded me that recently I was thinking about articulating and writing down the different stages that one goes through when learning new material. I also believe that there are distinct "signs" or "clues" that a person can notice that will indicate your level of mastery of a piece. I think that might be an interesting discussion for a different thread. What do you think?
Tom
 

bluesmadd

Funk the Blues
That's a great idea Tom, one that many other members could benefit from. To know that the stages of learning has many similarities for a lot of people is a great thread worth sharing. And also examining what works for some and not others, i.e. exploring differences in the learning process. And looking for signposts etc. along the way to help determine where you are in the process is worth documenting. One of my key signposts is easily described by the word 'playing', i.e. when I get the feeling that I am actually playing with the music, timing, feel, slurs etc. then I really know I'm at a new level.
 

jmin

Student Of The Blues
Nice playing bluesmadd!!! Didn't you just do Solo #5 YESTERDAY?! One day per solo?! Wow!
And these aren't easy - that's some mighty fine picking' !!! Keep up the good work!
 

bluesmadd

Funk the Blues
My wife is away visiting family, so I have unlimited practice time :LOL: But you are right jmin, not enough time to memorize. I recorded this in manageable sections. This has been a good strategy for me as it makes the difficult parts less daunting much earlier in the process. Now I will focus on memorizing the entire piece.
 
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bluesmadd

Funk the Blues
Warren - I hear you - you are exactly right. Getting it memorized will allow you to focus on different aspects of the piece and progress in different ways. Early on, there are SO MANY things a person is thinking about and trying to simultaneously concentrate on, remember, and make your muscles do - it's total overload - and in reality, you forget, you screw up, you miss different techniques, etc. It's all part of the process.
Your comments reminded me that recently I was thinking about articulating and writing down the different stages that one goes through when learning new material. I also believe that there are distinct "signs" or "clues" that a person can notice that will indicate your level of mastery of a piece. I think that might be an interesting discussion for a different thread. What do you think?
Tom

In a short 48 hours, I'm very excited to have this almost memorized. (I would estimate that my total actual practice/playing time is around 4 hours, I think like many things, special secret stuff is happening in the brain in the resting phase) It's amazing Tom, the difference. I can play end-to-end and no longer feel like I'm rushing, it's like time has expanded and now I can focus on holding notes, relaxing my hands, relax my picking and in some cases, especially on some of the difficult measures, I'm ending too soon, which tells me I'll soon be ready to speed it up a little. Amazing what a little focus (and of course a little motivation) can do! Thanks for your inspiration. (Still struggling with measure 32 at current speed. Any tips? I find if I skip the notes in the first beat I've got it exactly as Griff has tab'd it out).

I hope to be able to post a better version in the next week or two.

wb
 

OG_Blues

Guitar Geezer
Warren - isn't it exciting and rewarding when that kind of progress comes from all the effort??
What you are saying about time expanding is one of those signposts of progress I was alluding to.
You hear athletes talk about this all the time - often college kids that have just turned pro. They talk about how much faster the pro game is, but how after time, it "slows down". Of course it hasn't actually slowed down - it's just that with more experience, the mind is processing everything that is going around them faster so it seems like it has slowed down. In reality, it is them that has sped up - mentally, which facilitates a physical speed improvement. They can see the field better, take in and process more detail faster, anticipate what's going to happen next, etc.
Guitar (or any instrument) playing is the same thing.
As far as the fast passages, it's not magic for me - same stuff I always mention - slow it way down (~50%+/- speed usually for me, regardless of how fast I can actually play it), work on small sections, alternately play along with Griff and then along with the backing track, repeat, repeat, repeat........................repeat (forever).
Of course, what works for you may be different - that's the key - finding the method that you respond to best.
I'm giving this one a rest for a while - working on some other stuff, but I'll come back to it soon to try to move it up to the next level. I find that sometimes a little time away from something helps when you come back to it.
Good luck!
Tom
 

bluesmadd

Funk the Blues
Tom, totally agree with your analysis of 'time expanding'. Sports is a great analogy. I've read some refer to this (particularly in music performance) as the 'white moment' and for some it's an out-of-body experience. I recall (vaguely) an article about Stevie Ray Vaughan describing such moments during performances where he feels he's playing beyond his ability, a 'state of grace' that's unexplainable. I'm sure many althetes can attest to this (think Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky etc. etc.). SRV would describe looking down on himself wondering who was doing the 'playing'?

Being on this journey, if only to feel that for a second, is totally worth the hard work and effort in my opinion.

Also, agree on the 'time away' strategy, it has worked for me many times.
 
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