How To Play Your Own Jam Track
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The TAB for the example.This is the TAB for the example in the middle of the video
I have your blues gig in a box as well as a couple others.
I think it would have been great to have added the words to the songs in the book. I think it might have been much easier to learn.
Curtis they are posted in the member portal at https://griffhamlin.customerhub.net (or use the Member Login link on the BGU home page.)
I HAVE BEEN USING LOOPERS FOR A LONG TIME WHEN THEY FIRST CAME OUT. GREAT FOR JUST NODDLING, OR IF YOUR WRITING A SONG AND NEED TO SING TO THE CHORDS. SOME COST A LOAD OF MONEY FOR A GOOD ON. YOU WOULD BE BETTER OFF BUYING A 4 TRACK RECORDER AND RECORD YOUR SOUND AND THEN PLAY IT BACK THROUGH YOUR SPEAKERS . THEN YOU CAN ALSO HAVE A TRACK SET UP TO RECORD YOUR SOLO SO YOU CAN HEAR YOURSELF. KILL 2 BIRDS WITH ONE STONE. MY BOSS ME 70 WORKS GREAT FOR JUST A 30 SECOND LOOP.
Just bought a Ditto x2! I’m addicted!!
THANKS GRIFF. YOU LOOK SO DIFFERANT WITH YOUR HAIR BUZZED AND GLASSES. OLE AGE,LOL! BGU MEMEORIES. YOU LIKE THOSE 9TH CORDS. I HAVE A LOOPER OM MY BOSS ME70. IT’S A 60 SECOND LOOPER ONLY. IT WORKS FOR WHAT I NEED IT FOR. JUST WHAT YOU SHOWED US. IF I WAS MORE INTO MY MUSIC I WOULD BUY A LOOPER THAT LAST A HALF HOUR. $300.00 + . ALL MY GEAR IS IN MY BEDROOM WITH MY PC. I HAVE A NEW NIEGHBOR WHO SLEEPS IN THE DAY TIME. SO TRYING TO USE THE PC FOR LESSONS AND MY AMP IS A NO NO. MY IDEA WAS TO USE MY MIXER AND PLUG THE COMPUTER AUDIO INTO THE MIXER AND MY ME 70 AND USE HEAD PHONES. WHAT A HASSEL. THANKS FOR THE REVIEW.
Yeah ! It was very simple and very nice. Exceedingly useful for improvise of personal playing just like me Thanks for your effort into preparing this review. You are tireless.
and once again a very useful vid… love the way these just keep keeping on…
would love to have the time/knowledge/skill to be able to take full advantage of all you have to teach, Griff, but within my personal limitations what you have to offer is very much appreciated.
Oh and I agree with Paul G about your latest appearance. Cute!
Thanks griff, love the looper idea hadn’t thought of doing that.thankyou .
Thanks Griff, simple enough to. want to play it , challenging enough to get. something out of it, awesome!!!
Excellent, I have a looper, not looping much, but now I will. Thanks again for thse valuable tidbits!
Hi Griff, These little titbits that you post are a great inspiration. I bought your Blues Gig in a Box. Excellent course. I am working on “I Believe” and use the free audio editor, Audacity to loop just the 12 bar section I am learning. Works a treat 🙂
I have a looper and your video is missing one very important point. When to start the looper and exactly when to stop so you get a seamless loop. This could tie into keeping time. With your talent as an instructor/teacher, it would be a very useful addition to this awesome video.
i prefer to play by myself . not with myself hardy har har seriuosly this is cool . think my didgetech has a looper . this is the task i am faced with my band it lacks disapline they are not pros . i am not a pro but imtermediate . gotta take the bull by the horns and hope i dont get horned.
hey Griff, generous as always, still saving for your course(es), lose the ear bling 🙂 best regards, Robert.
Great Lesson Griff! Happy Father’s Day!
Thanks Griff-
Another great lesson.
Gotta get a looper,How much are they about? What range are we talkin? Jeff V.
Hi Griff
Thanks for that great lesson on using a looper to cover the various aspects of blues. For other followers of your videos I have a TC Electronics looper which gives 5 minutes of looping and unlimited over dubs. Great device at a reasonable price and easy to use.
Graeme
Thanks Griff! I never thought of using my looper that way! This will definitely help with my jamming ability!
Thanks again for another fantastic lesson Griff …
So inspired went and bought a BOSS RC-30 Dual track looper . I like to play base as well so even more fun making tracks .cheers Griff .
Thank you so much Griff!!! Love your lessons!!! I learned so much from every one of them, simply awesome!!! Can’t wait for more!!!
One could get tired of reviewing video’s that are basic and been viewed before, BUT time and time again I find myself learning something new each time I go over your DVD’s I bought in my early studies of the blues. I also gain a lot from watching your LIVE video’s on YouTube.
As always, thank you for the freebies, the energy and all the DVD’s; most recent the 5 More Easy Blues. I’m working on #4 Solo of the 5 Easy Blues and have the 5 More set to look forward to. The important thing is that those who study not be in a rush to get through each teaching, but to gain timing, tone and capture the little licks that can be kept for later use in your Jams CD’s you made available. See you in October when we come down your way.
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Hey there Griff! This is a great way to learn. I don’t have a loop but I picked up a Tascam DR-40 4 track recorder. I record a rythem then play it back and try to play along with it. Same thing really, just different tool. It takes practice to a whole new level! Thanks for all you do for us! C ya soon.
Thanks for all your tips and encouraging words
If anyone is old enough to remember, it seemed Les Paul & Mary Ford used loopers of sorts on all their hit records.
Also you may want to alter the title of this post just a bit to say “Playing By (not with) Yourself!” The current title is a bit kinky.
Another excellent daily snippet. Good reminders for a vast subject.
Hey Griff,
Really great with the Looper so I have bought one, The Digitech Jamman (Utah) Stereo Looper Stores 35 mins in 99 internal memories was expensive can use two guitars and has a Mic input, Memory Card insert, USB Aux Input and Head Phones..Cool can’t wait to try it. Might have to wait for a Lead Gutarist friend to show me when he gets back from USA end of May 2015. Good as I am already testing out Licks so can now play a loop track.
Maybe you could do a Course on different ways to use a Looper and how to use a Daisy Chain of Pedals with the Looper.
Keep this cool stuff coming.
Michael-Sydney Australia
What a great practice idea. Can’t wait to try it out. BTW, keep the ear bling and the kinky title! 🙂
Very nice lesson and I learned quite a bit too. First of all the Looper is something I didn’t know a thing about, and I think it’s really cool. Secondly I like that little double hit on the base when you started your
chord progression, sounded really great. I have been using the pick and three fingers for quite awhile now, which is how I play “Stairway To Heaven”. Other than actually playing with a band I think doing these little jams is one of the fastest ways you can progress on your lead solos. It’s fun to do, but it can be frustrating too when you can’t figure out how to make a particular sound you are looking for. About three weeks ago I learned the Dorian mode and played against a jam track in Dm7 and that was a quite a learning experience in itself, as I was just goofing around outside of the Pentatonics that I play in, just to see how it sounds, so I do definitely believe in little jam sessions, and of course anything pertaining to counting is invaluable. Thank you, Paul
HEY GRIFF ANOTHER GREAT LESSON! MAYBE I CAN FIND A LOOPER WHEN I COME TO SEE YOU IN TACOMA. LOL CRAIG
Thanks, looper great idea!
I’m right on track with this Griff saving for a digitech looper as we speak when you combine that with a drum machine well heck that’s my idea of heaven not quite the live band but the next best thing for sure thanks as always !!
If money is tight and you can’t buy a looper just download Audacity for free and one of its many capabilities is a looper. I’ve been using it for all my recordings, looping a backtrack and then laying down solos and fills. Then make another track for vocals and you’ve got your song. I’ve never used more than 3 tracks but I’m sure you could make as many as you need. And a big shout out to Griff for finding endless things for us to learn and use. I don’t know where he finds the time.
Thanks Dude!
Jim
HAPPY MOTHER-OF-ALL-LESSONS DAY! Wow! I think Griff covered about a dozen guitar lessons on this one. The looper is what caught my attention…been looking at the Ditto for about 2 years! (I’m slow to commit!) But, the guitar playing was outstanding! A Beginner could take this video and master everything you just covered and have at least 3-6 months of material!
I picked up a TC Electronics Ditto Looper for $100. It’s a simple 1 button looper with True Bypass and a playback volume knob. Look it up via Internet search and compare to other loop pedals, read comments… I have a blast with it. It can record a 5 minute loop. Believe me a 5 minute loop is an eternity. I typically record one or two bars = less than 30 seconds for sure and then let it play over and over and over… Sometimes I add a Bass overdub. The Ditto Looper allows unlimited overdubs. I can and do play for 20, 30… 60 minutes at a time. After laying down a loop, I sometimes have the loop play through my Fender amp and plug my strat into my Marshall amp = a bit of stereo. Lots of fun. Highly recommend checking this small pedal out.
I certainly enjoyed this this time, especially that I am now trying to play my own solo. Sounds quite simple….Thank you
I have a looper , and have been using it as a supplemental tool with your lessons . Very useful and has made me even more mindful of timing for rhythm and lead which is useful for me since I haven’t yet stepped “into the ring” with other musicians, but the confidence is slowly building . The new Digitech Trio ,( soon to be available ), is another pedal that I’m hoping to use with your courses since it will create a bass and drum track automatically from reading chords that are played into it as one would record into a looper. Again , as a “closet musician”, the use of a looper and hopefully the Trio, will help make what I have learned with your courses more real, which is the best I can do until I step out in public. I do have all your backing tracks which are great tools to exercise the lessons and improvise over. So it seems all this might be the best way to play solo for me. Ultimately , hope to get on the stage some day !
Very useful info as usual. I like the idea of the looper very much indeed. Enough that I am now going shopping for one
Griff, what up with the double barreled earrings — a phase perhaps?
You used the phrase “opening the door” & that is why I like your stuff. Today it was comping, a little lead, & a stomp box. I’ve been thinking about effects & today you helped make up my mind – Line6 M13 it is. Thanks.
Great,wonderful,really cool lesson. You explain things so well,that truly helps me thru it all.
is there any chance you put one of your gig tapes? so we may see you in action! thanks
I have had a Boomerang for twenty years. It has been most helpful for songwriting and keeping me honest. They don’t lie. You have to hit it right the first time in a live performance for it to be useful on gigs. If solo, no problem. If with a band; Well let’s say everyone has to absolutely be on the beat, especially the operator. If the beat is off, everything else is off. The best use is personal writing or practicing.
I don’t use it live anymore, but I miss the stares of wonderment people would give me as they thought I was producing rhythm and lead by skill rather than the looper allowing me to produce one recorded and one live track at the same time. I always explained later to the incredulous what had actually happened.
yeh very helpful thnks
Thanks Griff! I really enjoy the lessons. No fuss, no rush. I enjoy them but I don’t need them. I have been playing since 1962 but I like going through your stuff. I’ve been in a number of bands over the years playing everything but “The Blues”. I have tons of time and enjoy them so I will follow along and enjoy getting into the blues…Tnx
Too much fun! Thanks. A looper really helps out and is much simpler than firing up the PC or searching for that CD. Thanks Griff!
Hello Griff, thanks for the useful lesson. I’m in the early stages of learning to use a Ditto looper and I’m having a problem getting a smooth loop going. Do you press record on the “one” of the phrase you are storing or on the “and” just before the “one”? Hope that makes sense!
I just brought a looper and then you have this lesson how to use it.
Your way better than the instruction booklet! ??
Enjoy every minute of your emails.
Hi Griff,Please tell me where I can get a list of little chords. I have a few but it would be awesome to have a full inventory of them. I play mainly in our church music team which use a whole lot of sun,add and diminished chords. Hard to make chord changes using standard chords.
Cheers
Chris
Quick question…does a looper hook into an amp or does it have its own sound capability? And what were some of the brands you recommended? Thanks.
I own a boss rc1 basic looper & I’ve got my own little band. Loopers are great fun, Glad you brought this up.