So its been a year already

Joined: 26 Mar 2012 Posts: 322 Location: Cambridge,UK

Thats right ive been playing for a year now and its been a freaking awesome year too!. Ive had so much fun withing this one year and its only just beginning Very Happy

. Wanna say Thanks to Dean and everyone on the Dean forums just for being awesome and stuff. My parents for having to listen to me bust out Pantera although they should be thanking me Wink

. Last but not least Dimebag for inspiring me to pick up guitar and created this burning passion for music and guitar in my soul and heart.

I would go through all the achievements ive completed but it would be too long so imma put a few solos ive learnt withing this year

Cowboys From hell
Master of Puppets
2 Friedman solos from Holy wars
Hotel California
Cemetery gates
Mouth for War
This love.

Thats about it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJZHpGXtt64

Just a vid of me doing CG mini celebration for a year playing. Recorded on my phone so its a little sucky quality. Thanks guys and Rock on!

Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 7:01 pm

Much better than I was at a year lol! You still need lots of practice, but you're well on your way. Kudos!

Joined: 06 Jul 2011 Posts: 122

hell yeah...keep it up. you gonna be drowning in poontang 'fore to long. seriously, if that is representative of your skills after 1 year, chances are you will become a really good guitarist before long. do you have talent? could be...I was not even daring such after my first year.

but don't forget the other aspects that contribute to being a good musician...among others, song writing, improvisation, harmony, ear-training, life style (both good and bad aspects)....RHYTHM guitar (I neglected it for some time to the preference of shredding).

After nearly 25+ years playing, I still have much to learn and improve upon - I realized many years ago that I would never 'make the cut' for my own dream band. But it is not always about the destination as much as the journey (which is why I still find myself banging away after so long). Practice to be the musician you want to become...literally, envision the musician you want to be then parctice in such a manner that gets you there.

I look forward to next year's report!

Joined: 29 Nov 2003 Posts: 7639 Location: Florida

that's more leads than I have learned in my whole 20 + years of playing (the number would be ZERO here)

keep on jammin!

Joined: 26 Mar 2012 Posts: 322 Location: Cambridge,UK

Heh thanks guys. In terms of improv i improv most of the time. Creating random leads and riffs, random licks just i dunno play and seeing what comes out

Joined: 28 Sep 2012 Posts: 379 Location: Kent, UK

Personally, I'd slow down. S'all very well learning Pantera songs and playing fast. But you'll miss a massive chunk of learning your instrument.

Learn some theory and get the basic pentatonic/blues scales, chords, phrases etc down to a T, then progress from there. I did the same as you, rush into pantera and megadeth and stuff. But only in the past year and a half I really sat down and went back to basics and relearned my instrument. From the basics up.

It'll help immensely and you'll understand what people say when they say "ok, riff in Dminor, then change to C major"

And metronomes help too. Timing is one of the most important things in music.

Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 13396 Location: Earth

Just play what keeps your interest. The most important thing you can do is play a lot and enjoy what you do. The first few years are crucial to development of your playing if you want to become a very well seasoned player. Lessons are good, theory helps but nothing is more important than just sitting down with your guitar every day and playing what you like. If it's Pantera or Megadeth then that's what you should play. Don't fold too much to pressure of people telling you what to do. If you get good enough and start making some real headway you'll figure out what you need to do. The only part that's important is that you look at your guitar and want to pick it up and play rather than just looking at it. Valerie Bertanelli was talking about being married to Eddie Van Halen. She said he ALWAYS had a guitar in his hands. Look what it did for him. I'm not saying learning scales and modes and all that theoretical stuff isn't important but it's not as important than just playing. There are a lot of guys who'd rather talk about playing than actually playing. Don't be one of them.

Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 3:34 am

Lanning is Killdozer wrote:

Just play what keeps your interest. The most important thing you can do is play a lot and enjoy what you do.

This. Hard.

I haven't been playing for too long (7 years overall, 4-5 years seriously) but the only thing I could say is something that I think prolonged my interest in guitar: Never make it a chore to play. I've never had a set regiment of practice and don't plan to. I play to satisfy me and no one else. I know a decent amount of scales and study theory but that's only because that interests me. If it doesn't for you, don't.

Just my opinion, I know some people's will contradict this but this is what works for me.

Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 13396 Location: Earth

ChadMang wrote:

Lanning is Killdozer wrote:

Just play what keeps your interest. The most important thing you can do is play a lot and enjoy what you do.

This. Hard.

I haven't been playing for too long (7 years overall, 4-5 years seriously) but the only thing I could say is something that I think prolonged my interest in guitar: Never make it a chore to play. I've never had a set regiment of practice and don't plan to. I play to satisfy me and no one else. I know a decent amount of scales and study theory but that's only because that interests me. If it doesn't for you, don't.

Just my opinion, I know some people's will contradict this but this is what works for me.

The first bunch of years I played I did the same thing. I learned to cover the songs of the bands I love the most and learned a lot of style from emulating what other guitarist's have already done. They laid the bricks for my foundation. I played with a lot of guys better than me too and learned a lot from them. It wasn't until the last few years that I actually started to go back in and learn the "Why" of what I'm playing rather than just going from feel. I started in 1989 and then stopped playing in 95... I got back into if for a year in 96' and then quit playing until 2004. Since I started again in 2004 I have been very serious about playing and have started to look deeper into more than just personal enjoyment but as long as I'm playing I'm happy. That's all you have to do. Play and be happy. Don't worry about people's opinions.

Joined: 26 Mar 2012 Posts: 322 Location: Cambridge,UK

Lanning is Killdozer wrote:

ChadMang wrote:

Lanning is Killdozer wrote:

Just play what keeps your interest. The most important thing you can do is play a lot and enjoy what you do.

This. Hard.

I haven't been playing for too long (7 years overall, 4-5 years seriously) but the only thing I could say is something that I think prolonged my interest in guitar: Never make it a chore to play. I've never had a set regiment of practice and don't plan to. I play to satisfy me and no one else. I know a decent amount of scales and study theory but that's only because that interests me. If it doesn't for you, don't.

Just my opinion, I know some people's will contradict this but this is what works for me.

The first bunch of years I played I did the same thing. I learned to cover the songs of the bands I love the most and learned a lot of style from emulating what other guitarist's have already done. They laid the bricks for my foundation. I played with a lot of guys better than me too and learned a lot from them. It wasn't until the last few years that I actually started to go back in and learn the "Why" of what I'm playing rather than just going from feel. I started in 1989 and then stopped playing in 95... I got back into if for a year in 96' and then quit playing until 2004. Since I started again in 2004 I have been very serious about playing and have started to look deeper into more than just personal enjoyment but as long as I'm playing I'm happy. That's all you have to do. Play and be happy. Don't worry about people's opinions.

Yeah that's pretty much been my attitude with guitar. I get up and Jam and do what i love to do. Guitar for me isnt a thing i set myself to practice to and have like set learning times. Some days i spend 8 hours playing and others 1 hour playing its down to how i feel. I know some major/minor and pentatonic scales and know what someone means when they ask for say a major scale in the key of F, i know he means a major scale starting from the 2nd fret on the E string and so on. My thought on Theory is well %$#@! theory Razz

. Never been interested in it. Ive had a few opportunites to learn theory but never took them cus its not what i like. In terms of blue chords well a guitar tutor i go and see (not a teacher by any means we just sort of talk and he gives me stuff he thinks i should learn) says my play style is very bluesy and yeah. I just do what i feel like doing and nothing else. Some days ive felt like busting out Pantera allll day so i do then others i feel like playing some Metallica. Its all a joy to me.I love playing and learning so i enjoy every moment i have with my guitar. Also its in my hands alot haha so many times i just look at it and pick it up and improvise some leads or licks for ages then put it down for 10 seconds then do it again haha. That might be something to do with my attention disorder tho Razz

Joined: 28 May 2008 Posts: 80

I agree with Lanning on playing with other people. You can learn a lot from other players. Also listen to other styles it'll help with your development as a player.

Joined: 17 Oct 2012 Posts: 21 Location: Scotland, UK

Impressive stuff Smile

I have not long left on the road of learning to play myself, have you got any useful websites or books that helped you?

Would be great to see if there was any specific 'thing' that helped the most. But I am presumming a lot of lessons were involved?

Anyway, well done and I hope to be anywhere as good as you are in a years time Exclamation

Joined: 26 Mar 2012 Posts: 322 Location: Cambridge,UK

DPaterson89 wrote:

Impressive stuff Smile

I have not long left on the road of learning to play myself, have you got any useful websites or books that helped you?

Would be great to see if there was any specific 'thing' that helped the most. But I am presumming a lot of lessons were involved?

Anyway, well done and I hope to be anywhere as good as you are in a years time Exclamation

Nah i taught myself. There wasn't really anything specific that helped me. I watched videos of my idols and saw what they did and kinda learnt from it or it just came naturally. I am looking at a few different styles. Flamenco playing seems pretty cool.Very into the slow melodic slow songs aswell as fast kick you in the nuts metal Razz

.Im always excited to play and learn new styles. The ones that i get interested in ill end up learning the s#%t out of it. Tommorows the big day!. NNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 13396 Location: Earth

The only thing I will suggest is to practice with a metronome. There is NOTHING worse that a guitarist that can't keep time and doesn't understand how time works in playing Laughing

You don't even have to buy one because there are all sorts of free ones on line. I always use a click when I practice.