"Phrasing is completely new to me. But it’s really fun and I’m learning a lot!"      

@bluesiline, you are working hard and I hear results.  I can hear you extending notes and finding your space in the music as the track progresses.  I'm talking about timing and feel- settling into the space where notes fit and compliment each other.  Very inspiring, keep it up!

01-11-2021 until 01-17-2021

This week I worked with Robert’s Greasy Danelectro Lick in E – YL06. A really cool and very greasy sounding lick. I like it very much. It‘s a real challenge for me because it‘s the first time I‘m focusing my practice on bendings. And there are vibratos too.

Needs a lot of attention comparing my bended notes with the notes I want to bend to. I listened very often to Robert’s solo to better grasp the sounding of the bendings and focuse on finger technique and on ear training.

And I have to learn controlling the quick moves from bendings to vibratos and vice versa.

I know that improving my bendings can’t be achieved overnight. But practicing bendings makes a lot of fun. And this recording is only the beginning of a long journey to hopefully improve a little bit over the next years.

I’ll keep it up.

You're on your way. I think bending and vibrato are like fine wine... that take time to perfect... and then... bending with vibrato!!! 😉

Keep it up!

Oh, the elusive bend vibrato. Mine sounds like a dying cat 🐈 terrible, terrible. 

Thanks for posting that Birgit! Great to hear you play that lick. 

It's getting there. One thing to keep in mind is "swinging". Try to sing the phrase before you play it, and do with a swing feel. There is a big difference between swinging 8th notes and even 8th notes. Can hear and feel the difference? I should do a video on this.

@robert

Thank you for your comments, Robert.

It’s a very cool but also very challenging lick for me. I think it would be a better idea to take an easier lick to really focus on practicing swinging 8th notes.

And yes, a video on this topic would be great 😊. 

Practice log  01-18-2021 until 01-26-2021

This week I listed all the things I’ve learned and posted here at MGA since I’ve started in August 2020, next week 6 months ago:

12 bar blues solo in A (easy)

Tenor Madness solo

Tenor Madness melody

Em pentatonic 1 phrase 5 boxes

E major blues solo

2-5-1 Jazz Lick in C

Easy Blues Solo E-01 (1st solo)

Easy Blues Solo E01 (2^nd solo)

4 Note Descending Pattern in C major

Warm-up Lick YL13

Phrasing with Minor Triads

A minor Blues Solo A01 (1st solo)

St James Infirmary Blues Solo

St James Infirmary Blues Chord Progression

St James Infirmary Arpeggios

Short Phrasing Study with 2 licks of Robert’s A minor Blues Solo A01

St James Infirmary Arpeggio with skipped 8th notes

Greasy Danelectro Lick in E – YL06

Almost every week I tried to learn something new. But now I’ve noticed that I didn’t spend time for repetition.

When I wanted to play the warm-up lick YL13 for the first time after weeks, I couldn’t play it from memory any longer, I had to use the note sheet. A very sobering observation!

So I need to change my practice for the next weeks: no new things but focus on repetition.

You have certainly been a busy girl! No doubt all that hard work was enjoyable and worthwhile.

BTW Re forgetting bits you've worked on... I too have that problem, it's likely a very common problem. I try to have 3 things going on... something new, something almost complete but still needing attention and last but not least something familiar to help keep it fresh.

Keep it going!

@jestme

Thank you Chris.

And I admit, what you are doing is the better way.

You said that you have 3 things going on:

    Something new
    Something almost complete but still needing attention
    Something familiar to help keep it fresh

You mix it up and you do not focus on one thing. You balance 3 practice tasks.

That is the right approach. I will pay attention to this.

Thanks a lot Birgit

Losing Track: The other day I watched a "how to approach Little Wing" lesson, and thought, "Oh yeah, I should pick up playing Robert's Hendrick's chord embellishment lesson.". now back in 2016 I worked on that and worked on it and came up with a fair rendition.  But alas, No, my recollection of those notes was a foggy patch on the back of my brain.  Oy, where does all that information go?

Posted by: @clayton

... But alas, No, my recollection of those notes was a foggy patch on the back of my brain.  Oy, where does all that information go?

Me thinks that info goes directly into that black hole where dropped and lost picks go! 😉

Thank you for your gentle support, fellow sufferers 😉.

At this point, I would be very interested how Robert - with more than 40 years of experience as a guitar player - keeps his broad and extensive repertoire up-to-date.

Hey bluesiline, sorry about not following up on your posting, but ... OK , you can throw some chopsticks at me. The wife does when I play the guitar at 11:30 at night.  😀 

Wow, this is a great topic! Remind me to talk about it more in the next live stream.

This is always going to be in issue in some way or another, but of course repetition is the answer. But there can be other answers too... I'll talk more about this in the next live stream.

So repetition, what you can do is take maybe 2-3 licks that you like. Do this with them - play them over:

• a track in a different key
• a faster track
• a slower track
• a tempo with a different feel (shuffle vs even)
• a track with a different chord progression than what you used before
• a combination (maybe a faster track in a different key with a different feel)

Now, do this every week for however long you like. But, continue revisiting over weeks and months. Once these licks and ideas become ingrained in your brain long term, replace them with other licks. Maybe just one at a time. This will lead to increased vocabulary over time!

I also think it's important to understand how these licks fit into a scale (or scales) so that you make sense of it. That way, you can come up with your own licks based on these "blueprint licks" - hope this makes sense. 

You can also learn these licks in different areas of the neck, or with the different fingerings. At first, it might seem dumb to play the same thing in different ways - extra work that you don't need, right? No, I don't think so. By playing the same thing in different ways, you start opening up the fretboard, and feel more confident in moving around the neck. That's because you will know what you can do in different areas on the neck - the guesswork slowly disappears over time - fewer mistakes as a result.

Hope that helps!

@robert

Robert, I am delighted that you will talk about this topic in your next live stream. It's a very important subject that affects all of our members. 

And thanks a lot for your information in advance. You have addressed so many aspects and strategies how to reinforce the material being learned, things that I had never really thought about it before.

In retrospect I have to admit that it’s so important to face these things at an early stage when learning an instrument.

Thanks a lot, Birgit