# Motivation problem..



## Gilbucci (Apr 12, 2007)

These past couple of days I've barely touched my guitar at all to practice. My motivation has seemed to have dropped a huge amount. What could I do to get back into it?


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## DelfinoPie (Apr 12, 2007)

When I'm having a slow period I usually throw on one of my music DVDs, something like Satriani's Live in San Francisco, Vai's Live at the Astoria or Dream Theater's Live at Budokan. They seem to do the trick for me


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## subatomicsatan (Apr 12, 2007)

Gilbucci said:


> These past couple of days I've barely touched my guitar at all to practice. My motivation has seemed to have dropped a huge amount. What could I do to get back into it?



Get back into it or I WILL KICK YOUR ASS!!!


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## Nik (Apr 12, 2007)

Take a break for a day or two completely away from music. Then when you come back, you'll have a fresh approach, and your newfound joy of this will serve as motivation.

Works for me 

What DelfinoPie said works great, too.


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## Leon (Apr 12, 2007)

yeah, if you're unconsciously taking a break, maybe that's what you need. myself, i haven't plugged in for two weeks. it'll come back


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## playstopause (Apr 12, 2007)

Nik said:


> Take a break for a day or two completely away from music.



That's what i was about to say.
The worst thing would be to force yourself into playing.


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## Leon (Apr 12, 2007)

^ +1. don't make playing something you HAVE to do. keep it something you WANT to do, and you'll be better off.


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## Gilbucci (Apr 12, 2007)

I feel like I HAVE to sometimes in order to get really good. I actually forced myself to tonight.


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## Nik (Apr 12, 2007)

Gilbucci said:


> I feel like I HAVE to sometimes in order to get really good. I actually forced myself to tonight.



Nope 

Remember, guitar is about having fun. You get good at guitar because you enjoy doing it. If anything, forcing yourself can only have adverse effects on your playing.

Trust me dude, taking a break can do more to improve your technique than you can imagine. I took 3 weeks off from guitar 2 summers ago. I was worried that 3 weeks was going to cripple my technique (but I had to since I was going to Europe).

When I came back, I was 100% better at guitar than when I left  Taking a break can really do wonders  

Even Petrucci doesn't play every day


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## Gilbucci (Apr 12, 2007)

If that's the case then, hell, I'll wait a while. Thanks for the awesome words. It's just really damn hard to stay motivated when I'm concentrating %100 on technique.


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## OzzyC (Apr 12, 2007)

Gilbucci said:


> If that's the case then, hell, I'll wait a while. Thanks for the awesome words. It's just really damn hard to stay motivated when I'm concentrating %100 on technique.



Dude, your better then me and have been playing half as long! Maybe try working on the creative aspect of playing fo a while, you want to be a balanced player, don't you?


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## Gilbucci (Apr 12, 2007)

I don't what made you jump to the conclusion that I was better than you, I doubt that. As for being a balanced player, of course, but, I shy away from my creative side. I have no confidence in it at all. I also don't know where to start if that makes any sense.


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## OzzyC (Apr 12, 2007)

Gilbucci said:


> I don't what made you jump to the conclusion that I was better than you, I doubt that. As for being a balanced player, of course, but, I shy away from my creative side. I have no confidence in it at all. I also don't know where to start if that makes any sense.



I heard your sweeping clip a while ago. I still can't do that!  


Don't worry about being shy with your creative side. I've been looking for mine for a year and a half and the darn thing is still hiding from me.  I'm sure there's plenty of people arounf here who could give you a starting place for this.


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## Gilbucci (Apr 12, 2007)

I don't like my sweeping  

I'm open to any suggestions for 'unleashing my creative side', haha.


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## subatomicsatan (Apr 12, 2007)

I do agree that in some cases taking a break is just what the doctor ordered.

But it all depends on from where the lack of motivation is coming; is it boredom, overload from too much playing recently, etc.

If it is boredom and feeling that you are stuck in a rut, force yourself to do something that does not allow you to fall back into your safe zone. That's what I did tonight...whenever I pick up the guitar, I find myself soloing in Em...it was the first scale I learned decades ago and it is like an old, comfortable pair of jeans to me.

So, I picked a random "weird" scale and told told myself that I would come up with some riffage and some soloing ideas from it. And you know what? I did and it realy stimulated another part of my brain and creativity.

The scale in question was the pelog scale where only the following notes are useable: C C# D# G A#

So, it's the tonal, 2m, 2+, 5, 6+

Try it!


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## Gilbucci (Apr 12, 2007)

I think my problem is me wanting to be really good with technique and the realization that it's not all going to come this instant, haha, therefore, I get really discouraged. I'll definitely try your suggestion, it seems fun.


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## DDDorian (Apr 12, 2007)

My reccommendation is to start focusing on a different facet of music for a while. For instance, how much theory do you know? If you're really not confident about your creative side then getting a good grip on music theory will be just as liberating as chop-building. Knowing theory helps you analyse your favourite licks, riffs and sounds and understand why they sound so cool and how you can apply them to your own playing, and the best part is, once it all starts to click you'll realise just how useful it can really be. Alternatively, do you work on ear-training or transcribing other peoples' music at all? Just working out a song or even a lick a week can improve your ear and your ability to recognise different chords, tonalities and even notes. If you focus on building your chops on areas of music that don't even require you to pick up a guitar, when you finally do you should have the knowledge and hopefuly the confidence to expand on all the licks you know and come up with a bunch of new, cool ones. Good luck!


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## Gilbucci (Apr 12, 2007)

I know NO theory whatsoever, sadly enough, haha. I don't really understand it at all. How should I start?


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Apr 12, 2007)

i totally find that when i'm angry playing makes me feel better, i forget about everything else and just kick ass, its something that i can completly control , and well, i'm always angry, i need no motivation what so ever, i'm constantly playing , hours a day, so i dont know, maybe find some new bands to listen to that kick ass that really make you wanna learn their shit


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## distressed_romeo (Apr 12, 2007)

DDDorian said:


> My reccommendation is to start focusing on a different facet of music for a while. For instance, how much theory do you know? If you're really not confident about your creative side then getting a good grip on music theory will be just as liberating as chop-building. Knowing theory helps you analyse your favourite licks, riffs and sounds and understand why they sound so cool and how you can apply them to your own playing, and the best part is, once it all starts to click you'll realise just how useful it can really be. Alternatively, do you work on ear-training or transcribing other peoples' music at all? Just working out a song or even a lick a week can improve your ear and your ability to recognise different chords, tonalities and even notes. If you focus on building your chops on areas of music that don't even require you to pick up a guitar, when you finally do you should have the knowledge and hopefuly the confidence to expand on all the licks you know and come up with a bunch of new, cool ones. Good luck!



+100000. Agree with everything here.  

It'd do you a lot of good to just enjoy music and the guitar for its own sake for a while, and not worry about technique. If you only focus on chops you'll get depressed pretty quickly, as there'll always be some area in need of improvement (and this is the case for absolutely everyone; no-one ever masters every facet of the guitar in the course of a lifetime). Why not spend some time checking out some music that isn't guitar-orientated (or at least lead guitar orientated) for ideas?
Alternatively, step away from the guitar and read a book or watch a film. See if you can translate things you pick up from there into some music. I don't mean write an epic concept album, I just mean thinking of a particular scene or moment, and finding a melody (possibly just a couple of notes) or a chord that you emotionally relate to that. You'd be amazed how many ideas this can inspire.

Remember that music's an art, not a sport. I know how frustrating it can be when your chops aren't at the level you want, but it's important to remember that great (and not so great) music is being made at every technical level, so just make the most of what technique you have at any given time, and your relationship with the guitar will be far more fulfilling.



Gilbucci said:


> I know NO theory whatsoever, sadly enough, haha. I don't really understand it at all. How should I start?



Try a book called 'The Complete Guitarist' by Richard Chapman. It covers absolutely everything. It's the one I used when I started teaching myself theory, and 8 years on I still refer back to it.


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## subatomicsatan (Apr 12, 2007)

Gilbucci said:


> I think my problem is me wanting to be really good with technique and the realization that it's not all going to come this instant, haha, therefore, I get really discouraged. I'll definitely try your suggestion, it seems fun.



Yup, I understand what you're saying; we've ALL been there. It takes time to be able to kick ass, and it is putting that time and effort in that makes a player great. The trick is to make that learning time interesting and fun.

I want to hear what you come up with with the pelog scale. 

And, remember, don't just think linearly, like scalar runs and just riffage; also think in depth and multiple parts. For example, come up with a four note melody that you like using the pelog scale. Now, think of a bass note to play at the same time as the first melody note (while staying within the pelog scale). Let it ring under the second melody note, then when you hit the third melody note hit another bass note under it and let it ring while you play the last melody note. Repeat over and over and mix it up when you feel comfortable.

If you are using a pick, use the pick to hit the bass note while you use another finger to pluck the melody note. Just try it. Start slow and do not think in terms of bass line and melody line; think in terms of what note is played when, and what notes are played at the same time.


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## fathead (Apr 13, 2007)

Sometimes the best thing you can do is take a break. Don't let guitar playing turn into something that feels like a frustrating job, do it because you love it. I normally don't play on Friday or Saturday, so come Sunday night, I'm jonesing to play. And let's not forget that sometimes the brain needs a rest from all the things you're feeding into it.



distressed_romeo said:


> Try a book called 'The Complete Guitarist' by Richard Chapman. It covers absolutely everything. It's the one I used when I started teaching myself theory, and 8 years on I still refer back to it.



Thanks for the tip. My theory is not strong either, it's something I've been trying to work on, and recommendations like this really help.


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## lordofthesewers (Apr 13, 2007)

Gilbucci said:


> I know NO theory whatsoever, sadly enough, haha. I don't really understand it at all. How should I start?



dude, i had the same problems like you before i started lessons from steve smyth. He is my hero, so just watching him show me some arpegio for the sake of demonstration (when we talked about sweeps and shit) got me motivated. It was not just a vid, it was steve smyth shredding his ass off on webcam which made me, like omfg i want to do that. Practiced that for 20 minutes a day only sweep picking with a metronome (you know the drill here) and by the next 2 weeks my sweep picking was much better. Also doing homework for your hero is motivating. 
I was at ground 0 with theory and ear training before i started lessons ( i am 5 lessons in) and now i know the blues scales, pentatonics, major &its modes, basic chord theory, and some riffs using those scales, arpegios, and like arpegio progressions. I am so much better at theory. He showed me a way to remember the notes on the guitar and how to constantly work on ear training while listneing to your favorite songs. 
IN short take lessons from your hero be it chris broderick, steve smyth, dave wiener if they offer it. Go with steve smyth because
A) he plays in nevermoe
B) he is an awesome guy and teacher
C) I said so (jking man)


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## distressed_romeo (Apr 13, 2007)

lordofthesewers said:


> dude, i had the same problems like you before i started lessons from steve smyth. He is my hero, so just watching him show me some arpegio for the sake of demonstration (when we talked about sweeps and shit) got me motivated. It was not just a vid, it was steve smyth shredding his ass off on webcam which made me, like omfg i want to do that. Practiced that for 20 minutes a day only sweep picking with a metronome (you know the drill here) and by the next 2 weeks my sweep picking was much better. Also doing homework for your hero is motivating.
> I was at ground 0 with theory and ear training before i started lessons ( i am 5 lessons in) and now i know the blues scales, pentatonics, major &its modes, basic chord theory, and some riffs using those scales, arpegios, and like arpegio progressions. I am so much better at theory. He showed me a way to remember the notes on the guitar and how to constantly work on ear training while listneing to your favorite songs.
> IN short take lessons from your hero be it chris broderick, steve smyth, dave wiener if they offer it. Go with steve smyth because
> A) he plays in nevermoe
> ...




That reminds me of when I was studying with Max Milligan (he of GI fame) when I first got into the guitar. Just being able to watch the guy rip up-close was massively inspiring. 
However, as great as lessons are, they are extremely expensive if you want to do them regularly, and not everyone can afford that.


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## JJ Rodriguez (Apr 13, 2007)

I find I often don't pick up the guitar for a week or 2 at a time (except for lessons) because of the lack of musicians to jam with. It's really discouraging not having any like minded musicians around. In this city, there's like 3-4 death metal drummers, and they're all taken, it's a real bummer. If you can find people, jam. It's fun, and gives you a reason to practice. When I joined my first band a few years ago, my motivation went through the roof. I have an opportunity to jam with some guys around here (who have a drummer!) but I'm kind of afraid I won't be able to keep up with them creatively or chops wise since they're all really good players. I told them that and they still said to come out and jam, so I'm going to try that out. The downside? They're not 7 stringers  They tune down to C# though, so I might tune my 7 up


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## Gilbucci (Apr 13, 2007)

I'm actually going to take lessons from Chris Broderick, because, he's one of my favorite guitarists. Hopefully it'll go well.


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## lordofthesewers (Apr 13, 2007)

Gilbucci said:


> I'm actually going to take lessons from Chris Broderick, because, he's one of my favorite guitarists. Hopefully it'll go well.



great to hear that, being able to study with them is fun. The only thing i don't like about his lessons is that the lesosns are only half an hour long. Half an hour goes by really fast when you are studying with your hero. 
For me taking lessons from steve on the internet are like passing out from the outside world and getting into an acid trip into guitar. When the lesson is over i realized how many things we covered and I have to do.
Good luck and have fun with your lessons.
Also going on youtube and watching your heroes rip solos, riffs, whatever floats your boat seems motivating for me too


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## distressed_romeo (Apr 13, 2007)

Gilbucci said:


> I'm actually going to take lessons from Chris Broderick, because, he's one of my favorite guitarists. Hopefully it'll go well.



Wow! I'm jealous now! Are those going to be webcam, or one-on-one lessons?



lordofthesewers said:


> great to hear that, being able to study with them is fun. The only thing i don't like about his lessons is that the lesosns are only half an hour long. Half an hour goes by really fast when you are studying with your hero.



That was exactly the reason for me only doing hour long slots when I used to teach guitar lessons. I don't really think half-an-hour is enough time to go into things in enough detail.


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## Ciprian (Apr 13, 2007)

I also have/had motivation problems , guitar playing nowadays is rarely fun for me. In fact, sometimes I just want to pick up a hammer and smash my guitars to pieces. I keep playing hoping that some day, I'll be good enough to actually enjoy playing guitar.  Yes, it's sad. My technique seems horrible to me and I don't seem to make any progress. To make matters worse, recently, my left wrist has started to hurt.


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## distressed_romeo (Apr 13, 2007)

Ciprian said:


> I also have/had motivation problems , guitar playing nowadays is rarely fun for me. In fact, sometimes I just want to pick up a hammer and smash my guitars to pieces. I keep playing hoping that some day, I'll be good enough to actually enjoy playing guitar.  Yes, it's sad.



It's really sad that you feel that way.

Whenever I feel that way about my own playing I think of a discussion Brian May apparently had with Frank Zappa (paraphrased from an interview with Brian in a UK guitar mag)...

Brian: _Don't you get scared improvising your solos onstage every night?_
Frank: _ No. Do you?_
Brian: _I'm worried I'll screw them up._
Frank: _How can you mess up? It's your solo. It's your moment. Everything you play is right._

A very very good attitude.


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## Ciprian (Apr 13, 2007)

distressed_romeo said:


> It's really sad that you feel that way.
> 
> Whenever I feel that way about my own playing I think of a discussion Brian May apparently had with Frank Zappa (paraphrased from an interview with Brian in a UK guitar mag)...
> 
> ...



Thanks for trying to cheer me up, I appreciate it. Usually I start to feel better when I take lessons, and I have a lesson tomorrow (first lesson in a while). I'll let you know how it went (if I'm not bothering you, of course).


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## distressed_romeo (Apr 13, 2007)

Ciprian said:


> Thanks for trying to cheer me up, I appreciate it. Usually I start to feel better when I take lessons, and I have a lesson tomorrow (first lesson in a while). I'll let you know how it went (if I'm not bothering you, of course).



Good luck dude. Sounds like you just need a shot of inspiration. Let us all know how you get on.


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## lordofthesewers (Apr 13, 2007)

hey ciprian i hope you don't have/getting tendonitis cause that willl fuck your playing badly in the long run and force you to take breaks.
I see that you are romanian (sunt roman si eu, dar prin state) and my experiences with guitar teachers was pretty bad, how is the teacher you are with now?
also youtube can provide a good shot of inpiration as romeo is sayin here


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## Aghorasilat (Apr 13, 2007)

Watch Jon Maclaughlin play better on acoustic then we all on this board play electric guitar! That will easily get you to want to work on chops and especially picking.


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## Gilbucci (Apr 14, 2007)

It's gonna be his webcam lessons. I'm really looking forward to it. I want to ask so many things, but, I'm going to try to stay away from too many technique questions and focus on things that are more important (for example, theory)


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## Aghorasilat (Apr 14, 2007)

distressed_romeo said:


> It's really sad that you feel that way.
> 
> Whenever I feel that way about my own playing I think of a discussion Brian May apparently had with Frank Zappa (paraphrased from an interview with Brian in a UK guitar mag)...
> 
> ...




ZAPPA was a real Genious on Guitar.


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## lordofthesewers (Apr 14, 2007)

Gilbucci said:


> It's gonna be his webcam lessons. I'm really looking forward to it. I want to ask so many things, but, I'm going to try to stay away from too many technique questions and focus on things that are more important (for example, theory)



ask him about technique too, cause you might have a bad technique and not know it, and it would be good to get that out of the way and have it corrected if necessary then focus on theory, ear training, music writting, you name it.
my 2 cents
i also agree with aghoralist, zappa was very inovative, influenced many players of today's generation and not only


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## Ciprian (Apr 14, 2007)

lordofthesewers said:


> hey ciprian i hope you don't have/getting tendonitis cause that willl fuck your playing badly in the long run and force you to take breaks.
> I see that you are romanian (sunt roman si eu, dar prin state) and my experiences with guitar teachers was pretty bad, how is the teacher you are with now?
> also youtube can provide a good shot of inpiration as romeo is sayin here



Frankly, I'm afraid that I'm in the process of getting tendinitis (but the pain may be due to the fact that I've hurt one of my wrists pretty badly in childhood, can't remember which wrist though). I was lucky finding my current teacher, he's from Italy, but he moved to Romania. He studied at GIT & BIT in Japan & the USA, with Frank Gambale, Paul Gilbert etc., so it's all good.

P.S. Salut, de cand ai plecat in SUA? E mai bine acolo?


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## lordofthesewers (Apr 14, 2007)

Ciprian said:


> Frankly, I'm afraid that I'm in the process of getting tendonitis (but the pain may be due to the fact that I've hurt one of my wrists pretty badly in childhood, can't remember which wrist though). I was lucky finding my current teacher, he's from Italy, but he moved to Romania. He studied at GIT & BIT in Japan & the USA, with Frank Gambale, Paul Gilbert etc., so it's all good.
> 
> P.S. Salut, de cand ai plecat in SUA? E mai bine acolo?



well, strech a lot and take a break, go to the doctor to avoid tendonitis. you don't want tendonitis, and always warm up.
apropos cat iti cere pe lectie?


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## Gilbucci (Apr 14, 2007)

I find myself only warming up when my hands are cold. I dont really have a warmup.


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## Ciprian (Apr 14, 2007)

lordofthesewers said:


> well, strech a lot and take a break, go to the doctor to avoid tendonitis. you don't want tendonitis, and always warm up.
> apropos cat iti cere pe lectie?



I try to have a warm-up routine, but sometimes it's hard to stick to it. (Imi cere 50 lei noi - adica 500.000 lei vechi, pe o sedinta de 90 de minute)


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## distressed_romeo (Apr 14, 2007)

Gilbucci said:


> I find myself only warming up when my hands are cold. I dont really have a warmup.



It's worth doing, even if it doesn't feel like your hands need it, as it'll really help with conditioning them to play for long stretches at a time. Just some simple stretches (I use some I picked up from my brief period studying Aikido) should do the trick.



Gilbucci said:


> It's gonna be his webcam lessons. I'm really looking forward to it. I want to ask so many things, but, I'm going to try to stay away from too many technique questions and focus on things that are more important (for example, theory)



I suspect he'll give you a combination of theory and technique. He seems like a really good teacher and a nice guy, so once he knows what level you're at, he'll probably know exactly what you need.


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## Gilbucci (Apr 14, 2007)

Im really excited. It's going to be in a week or two, I'll let you guys know how it went.


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## leatherface2 (Apr 14, 2007)

take everyones advice here is what i would say.also for me i always find insperation in a movie of somekind.also just kick back and enjoy some tunes from your fav cds.like everyone says here, music is fun and an awesome form of entertainment


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## Gilbucci (Apr 14, 2007)

I've actually found a bit of motivation to start learning theory. Tom(distressed_romeo) sent me some awesome theory lessons. What I'm currently working on is learning intervals (singing them and playing them) and the major scale (also singing the notes and playing it)


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## distressed_romeo (Apr 14, 2007)

Gilbucci said:


> I've actually found a bit of motivation to start learning theory. Tom(distressed_romeo) sent me some awesome theory lessons. What I'm currently working on is learning intervals (singing them and playing them) and the major scale (also singing the notes and playing it)



Keep us up to date with your progress!


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## leatherface2 (Apr 14, 2007)

theres a vid on guitarworld.com with andy aledort and he gave an example of singin intervals.im gonna give it a try see whats happens i do know i will drive my family crazy though


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## distressed_romeo (Apr 14, 2007)

leatherface2 said:


> theres a vid on guitarworld.com with andy aledort and he gave an example of singin intervals.im gonna give it a try see whats happens i do know i will drive my family crazy though



I've seen that. That was a good interview.

It feels really really gay at first, especially if you're like me and have a crappy singing voice, but it's worth the effort.


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## Luvuvibanez (Apr 14, 2007)

distressed_romeo said:


> It's really sad that you feel that way.
> 
> Whenever I feel that way about my own playing I think of a discussion Brian May apparently had with Frank Zappa (paraphrased from an interview with Brian in a UK guitar mag)...
> 
> ...




Hey Romeo could you possibly fill me in on which exact mag that was so I can properly quote it?

As for motivation Subatomicsatan playing any instrument is about expressing emotion through that instrument, if your arent feeling much of anything at that perticular moment then just relax and wait until you do. Just my 2 cents.


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## distressed_romeo (Apr 14, 2007)

Luvuvibanez said:


> Hey Romeo could you possibly fill me in on which exact mag that was so I can properly quote it?



It was Total Guitar, although I don't have the issue anymore, so I can't tell you the date unfortunately.



Luvuvibanez said:


> As for motivation Subatomicsatan playing any instrument is about expressing emotion through that instrument, if your arent feeling much of anything at that perticular moment then just relax and wait until you do. Just my 2 cents.



Exploring new sounds is almost like meditation though...it can make you emotions take wierd turns...


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## Gilbucci (Apr 15, 2007)

I've finally figured out to create triads by using the major scale by using the Root, Third, and Perfect Fifth, and i've also learned how to invert them. It's pretty cool and i've got the rest of the day to learn more


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## OzzyC (Apr 15, 2007)

Gilbucci said:


> I've finally figured out to create triads by using the major scale by using the Root, Third, and Perfect Fifth, and i've also learned how to invert them. It's pretty cool and i've got the rest of the day to learn more



 
The basics aare always the hardest part.


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## Gilbucci (Apr 18, 2007)

I just got off cam with Broderick. It wasn't exactly a lesson, but, it sure was awesome! He's a really nice guy, makes you feel right at home. We went over some stuff that I could do for my motivation, and he sent me a powertab file with all the GMajor Modes. Just thought I'd keep you updated!


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## distressed_romeo (Apr 18, 2007)

Good stuff. If it was the first lesson, I'm guessing he wanted to gauge what sort of level you were at so as not to run the risk of either shooting over your head, or boring you with stuff you already know inside out.


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## Gilbucci (Apr 18, 2007)

Yeah, it was pretty cool! He basically said that I should set some goals for myself, long term, and short term. I think that's awesome advice.

He also said some stuff about modes, which I'm not totally %100 on, I think he said that the modes are basically one scale being split into different shapes, did I hear it right?


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## distressed_romeo (Apr 18, 2007)

Gilbucci said:


> Yeah, it was pretty cool! He basically said that I should set some goals for myself, long term, and short term. I think that's awesome advice.
> 
> He also said some stuff about modes, which I'm not totally %100 on, I think he said that the modes are basically one scale being split into different shapes, did I hear it right?



You did. Modes are derived from a parent scale that's been 'flipped on its head', making a different note the tonic. For example, the fifth mode of the major scale would be exactly the same notes as a regular major scale, on the fifth note would now be the tonic.


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## OzzyC (Apr 18, 2007)

Gilbucci said:


> Yeah, it was pretty cool! He basically said that I should set some goals for myself, long term, and short term. I think that's awesome advice.
> 
> He also said some stuff about modes, which I'm not totally %100 on, I think he said that the modes are basically one scale being split into different shapes, did I hear it right?



Yeah, it just means what note of the scale you start on.

For example, 
the major scale consists of these intervals:
W-W-H-W-W-W-H

one of the modes would be this:
H-W-W-W-H-W-W
Can you see that the second example is the same, but starting on the third not of the first scale? 
That makes it Phrygian.


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## Gilbucci (Apr 20, 2007)

I've got some of my motivation back! Finally..it's been too long. I just popped Rusty Cooley's Basic Training in and it got me working on my picking, and legato chops. Hopefully it wont go away any time soon.


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## Gilbucci (May 2, 2007)

I thought I'd bump this and tell you all how my first lesson with Broderick went. 

We went over the GMajor modes and how to visualize the fretboard by ascending one mode then descending another. He also told me how to include the B string in the scales..which I haven't grasped at all  

My homework is to transpose all the modes into A Major, which is pretty damn easy, haha, and to get good at a thirds sequence he sent me within the scale. It was pretty scary at first, but, after a while, I felt right at home.


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## distressed_romeo (May 2, 2007)




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## Gilbucci (May 2, 2007)

How would I add the low b string into my scales?


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## JJ Rodriguez (May 2, 2007)

Just play the notes in that scale that fall in that position on the low B. Or alternately, play whatever you played on the high B. Or start your scale starting on the low B, and figure out the new scale shape.


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## Gilbucci (May 2, 2007)

I hope these are correct. I just used the notes that fell in G Major on the B string.

And yes, I know, the names of the modes change as the B string is added..he told me, haha. He just wanted me to know how to include the low b.


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## 7 Dying Trees (May 2, 2007)

Hell, instead of just practising, try putting on a good CD, and just rocking out over it improvising all the way. If you make a mistake, and hear it, don't worry, it's ear training, plus if you play over a variety of stuff it'll ghet your feel up and allow you to have fun.

Also, it'll allow you to try and "use" all the techniques you know, learn how to place them and how to interlink passages all to build what is a good solo, one with a few melody lines, a few hooks and some cool technique to blitz people with.

Plus, this way, you get to have a backing band and play for hours 

So I'd practice for 30-60mins or untill bored/warmed up, then go off and be creative with your newfound skills!


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## distressed_romeo (May 2, 2007)

^What he said.


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## Gilbucci (May 2, 2007)

I've definitely gotten my motivation back. I appreciate the advice though  

Did I add the low B correctly? the powertab file is a few posts up.


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## DDDorian (May 2, 2007)

^^Looks fine to me. Another way to include the low B with G major and its modes would be to simply reconfigure all your fingerings to start fro the G note on the low B (eigth fret). For every lick, scale and mode you learn you should learn it in at least two or three positions on the neck, so you don't have to jump all over the neck to play what you know and also because playing higher up on the neck gives a different, fatter tone and can make fingerings easier. Basically, more positions = more options.

The powertab file Chris gave you is good for relating each mode to the major scale, but as far as actually letting you hear the different qualities of each mode, it's not so great (man, it feels weird to dispute the teachings of Chris Broderick). I'd recommend something like the file I've attached. It shows the seven modes played in the key of D, based on the third fret of the low B, in one-octave, three-note-per-string shapes. The major modes are grouped together, as are the minor modes, as playing them like that makes hearing the qualities of each mode a bit easier. You should practice them together as they are grouped, over a D powerchord or just a D bass note, and pay attention to the different colours of each mode. Once you think you've got that down, you can change the fingering to two or four notes per string, move them to different areas of the neck, add more octaves and change keys.

I think I might be jumping ahead of you a bit (I'm kinda weird about the way I learn, on occasion I tend to find a lot of things really obvious that others don't seem to) but I hope this makes sense.


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## Ciprian (May 3, 2007)

Dunno why, but I've never been able to set goals for my guitar playing. Maybe that's why I feel like I'm not making improvements... What would a goal sound like? Something like "learn to ascend/descend all pentatonic patterns in thirds"?


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## Wiz (May 3, 2007)

Well, listen to some good music that you like, and musicians you'd like to sound like. Get some private lessons with a teacher who can inspire you


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## Gilbucci (May 3, 2007)

Ciprian said:


> Dunno why, but I've never been able to set goals for my guitar playing. Maybe that's why I feel like I'm not making improvements... What would a goal sound like? Something like "learn to ascend/descend all pentatonic patterns in thirds"?


A teacher would really help in this department.

What usually stops someone from achieving their goal is the hard work that they have to do to accomplish it. You've really got to dig down deep and ask yourself ''Do I _really_ want this?'' I don't mean to sound like Dr. Phil  but, I hope that helps.


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## jem_legacy (May 4, 2007)

Same thing happened to me, I didn't want to play for like a week cause I was discouraged. I got stressed out cause I felt I wasn't getting anywhere with my practice. Then I bought a copy of Arch Enemys DVD, seeing those guys live got me pumped


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## OzzyC (May 4, 2007)

I've been depressed on and off and didn't really play much for a few weeks. Then, I decided to pick up my 7 and learned the solo to Overture 1928 in full.


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