Thanks for your comments and tips, Robert, always appreciated 👍.

Birgit 

I feel a bit strange when I keep my practice log like this and no other practice logger is to be seen far and wide.

But if I stopped because of this uneasy feeling, I would deprive myself of the opportunity to improve a little because the tips I get are very helpful for me. So I will keep going 😊.

I’ve been working on Robert’s „Jazz Blues Solo in C – J002“ for 4 weeks.

It’s such a beautiful solo, I’m melting away but it was really hard work for me to get the melody line under my fingers. For me there are some tricky parts and slides and sometimes I have to stretch my fingers. A challenge, but I’m up to it.

I’ve worked with the soundslice version, helped a lot. And Robert‘s breakdown video is great for understanding the music theory background. Thanks again for the explanations, Robert. I learned a lot !

Robert, I could import the Jazz tone you sent me for Amplitube 5, but I couldn’t use it, sorry, because my Amplitube 5 always breaks down. I don’t know where the error is. So I used the tone of my amp with e little bit of reverb.

I play the solo at 90 bpm (Robert‘s original tempo is 110 bpm) because I still don’t play the melody line so cleanly, especially in bar 8, where the F#dim arpeggio begins. So I need to keep practicing at 90 bpm for a longer time – but it’s incredibly fun 😊.

Birgit

Posted by: @bluesiline

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but it’s incredibly fun

And that is the goal!  Well Played, Birgit.

Thanks, @clayton, and yes, having fun is the key to staying tuned.

I have a question about string gauges on your tele.

My new strat came with 9s. On my other guitars I have 10s.

But I couldn’t get along with the 9s on my strat at all, much too shaky for me. I tried a lot but I was very dissatisfied.

So I changed the strings yesterday – back to 10s.

And what can I say: I’m more than happy, great sound, improved intonation, last longer, clearly! reduced fret buzz and also the playability is great for me 👍.

I would be interested to know what your experiences are with string gauges on your tele?

Birgit

@bluesiline I use 9's as my standard now, and even have a set of 8's on my Nashville Telecaster.  Recently I picked up my Strat (has the tremolo bridge) with 11's and WOW that was a hard adjustment.  After a few sessions I became more comfortable with the 11's but they are wayyy too much work for my meager bend vibrato skills.  My less than great bending skill is the main reason for lighter strings, since I otherwise am happy using larger strings on guitars and of course, the Bass.

Funny, yes, I play bass regularly and even the light bass strings are "cables" compared to guitar strings.  And I do a fair amount of mild vibrato on the bass strings as part of my sound pallet, along with slides, and a wee bit of percussive slap tones.  So I can manage the bass strings easily but it is a different purposes and style.

It is true, those lighter strings pull out of tune easier when playing chords.  The 8's on my Nashville Tele are there because the guitar neck has a very flat radius that is very good for big bends up and down the neck.  But yes, those 8's bend too easily when I play chords down on the first five frets near the nut.  The 9's are my happy place.  But every player is different and it really is "what fits your style and skills at a particular point in time."

As for tone- I really don't hear a difference between 8's through 11's.

Now the floating or tremolo "whammy bar" bridge is a big issue, adding to the difficulty with 8's and 9's, since the bridge reacts to string tension.  My Nashville Tele with 8's is a fixed bridge, and the guitars strung with 9's have PRS bridges with All the Springs attached to make bridge float minimal.

I like the way Billy Gibbons relates string gauge: Why work so hard with heavier strings if you don't have to?  That said, if you are dropping tuning down 1/2 step (Hendrix, SRV, tons of Blues players) then a little bigger gauge is just as easy to bend, and it helps keep the slack/relaxed detuned strings from bending out of tune easily.  Oh, yeah, and think about SRV using 13's!  

Birgit,

You didn't ask my opinion, but I will volunteer it.  Which is, I agree with the Reverend Gibbons, "Why work so hard with heavier strings if you don't have to? " 😉  But on the other hand, if you are more comfortable with 10's, use them.  I have not gone to 9's on my Strat but everything electric.  I even bought a set of Reverend Willy's 7's! to try but just haven't switched anything yet.  When I started working on bending my logic was that I was going to go to lighter strings while I was trying to train my ear to hear the full stop bends and build finger strength.  At some point then I would change back to gett the fuller tone.  I am just not convinced there is that much difference in tone.  

Back in the guitar rock prime days I guess all the guitar gods used 8 or so:

Posted by: @matonanjin

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I even bought a set of Reverend Willy's 7's! to try

@matonanjin, I tried the Reverend Willys 7 and loved the ease but wow the mere pressure of my meaty hands bent them out of tune.  (Yes, I do play heavy handed). For solos they were great and no noticable tone compromise.

I also enjoyed Beato's string exploration.

@clayton and @matonanjin, thanks for taking your time to report your experiences. You both brought  many details and I learned a lot.

And Ron, you don’t need an invitation, your feedback is always appreciated 😊. Also your reasoning makes a lot of sense to me too : «When I started working on bending my logic was that I was going to go to lighter strings while I was trying to train my ear to hear the full stop bends and build finger strength.»

This would certainly be a reason to come back to 9’s again !

I also watched Beato’s video with great interest. Thanks for sharing. The span between 7’s and 13’s is simply unbelievable.

But for now I’ll stay with the 10’s and I would like to explain it with a - perhaps somewhat far-fetched comparison. Since Clayton is also an avid cyclist, and my husband and I also enjoy cycling in a moderate mass, we noticed that we both have a very different style: While I need to feel the resistance of the pedals, my husband rides his bike with more revolutions than me.

Maybe it’s the same with the guitar strings? I just need a little bit of pressure on the strings. This might be a bit confusing, sorry, it’s just an attempt to explain.

Birgit

Posted by: @matonanjin

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That’s me when I started playing acoustic guitar with 12’s.

Birgit

@bluesiline I certainly like the bike analogy!   And you are very right, spin your wheels vs mash the pedals.

And to this I say, vive la difference!  I am always amazed at the different ways people see and play instruments.  It's the same when I'm arguing in court and my opposition takes an alternate view and approach to the same issue.  

I believe PRS SE guitars come from the factory strung with 9's.

Oh, my, acoustic strings do affect tone.  Those 12's are tough!  A lot more slides than bends.

That was well played! You got it, just keep playing it over and over and it'll get tighter. What do you use to slow down the jam track? I can provide it in several tempos too. Sometimes I forget to do that.

Did you try sing along with the solo? If not, try singing along with the solo and see if you can get the timing right. It doesn't have to be in pitch - it's just for rhythmic phrasing - which is so important! 

String gauges is a matter of preference, I think. If I use light strings, I have to change my playing style. Otherwise I'll sound out of tune. Sometimes I want to dig in hard (especially in blues) and then it wouldn't sound right with lighter strings. If the strings are heavy, then I get sore and feel like I'm always trying to climb mount everest... so 10s are the perfect comprise for me, no matter what style I play.

Thanks, Robert, for your comments!

And I still want to answer your questions:

Yes, I sing along and try to get the melody in my head before I grab my guitar. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to play the solo on the guitar, just because of the rhythmic phrasing. Learned everything slowly but surely from you!

After having the melody in my head, I start to practice the solo step by step, without a metronome, then with the metronome, then with your Soundslice version.

When working with your Soundslice version I get the best practice results!

Also a good exercise is to let Soundslice run and I just start the solo somewhere in between. Helps a lot!

After all that practice I start playing the solo to the backing track.

If your backing track is, for example, too fast for me, then I slow it down in Song Surgeon.

Birgit

Robert’s solo « Phrasing with minor triads » is such a touching solo and the first that I’m practicing right now on my new strat. As always, this is hard work for me and I play it at 110 bpm instead of 120 bpm in Robert’s original version.

Playing on my strat is wonderful, still needs some practice, but I don’t want to be without it anymore 😊.

Birgit

@bluesiline Seems like you found Your instrument in the Strat!  

Triads are big big medicine.  Now this may seem too much but... Try that same exercise at 60 or 80 BPM and make every note count.  Let it sing, bend it, slide it try anything that you want to find the sounds that live in each note.