I have a friend who has a bunch of guitars...

[László]

Cause now I have to skat.

Ding da ding ding da dang da da dang it’s getting near dawn.

Here’s maybe a different way of thinking about it...

 

[11top]

Here’s maybe a different way of thinking about it...

And I thought the Marcels version was the original. Duh.



I learn something every day.

 

[Mozzi]

If getting yourself into a band is difficult or you don't feel confident you are ready yet for being in a band, there are several ways to get a band to practise with. I know its not easy to find people that will push you forward with your musical development without kicking you out if someone better comes along or get frustrated if you mess up...

First off, there are jam/backing tracks that you can put on and practice soloing over - even if you just start practising scales and then try and do something a little more musical. These are better than just using a metronome too. Boss do a mini speaker system called eBand (Boss JS-10) that has a lot of jam tracks and also allows you to add your own music too and practice playing over - you can adjust the tempo as well if its too fast for you. It also has a LOT of Guitar effects too - a bit like having your guitar plugged into a GT-100 multi-FX pedal. It doubles up as a home practice Amp and can also plug in a second guitar or mic as well. If its good enough for John Petrucci, its certainly good enough for anyone - regardless of level.

Another option is a looper pedal. I like the Digitech Trio+ as its 'easy' to use. Its more of a 'band' in a box and will create a drum and bass backing for you based on the chords you set. You essentially create your own backing track to jam along with. Its a bit easier than some loopers in that it it starts looping when you start playing so you don't have to get the timing 'just' right with stomping on the pedal. Once you have set initial sequence, that also sets the 'end' point of the loop so you don't have to stomp to stop recording your loop either thus its quite an easy looper pedal to use.

I have both the Boss JS-10 and the Digitech Trio+ and these are great for practice. Unlike a real band, they won't mock you or let you down, won't require a venue to set-up and jam together and can keep perfect time/synchronisation - drums/bass don't speed up/slow down. Both options act as a 'metronome' so you can practice keeping time, practice scales and practice soloing using your 'scales'. I find these are so much better than just a guitar and amp and just 'practising' to a metronome. Of course you may need to research scales but even if you just know the pentatonic scale and only box 1, you can use that to practise a solo, build up some musical phases/licks etc.

Hope you (or others) find this useful and good luck on your musical journey and development.

 

[Outlier22]

i vote # 2 for 3-6 months and tell them you want to learn the blues and practice over and over what they teach you between lessons.

But if you already know that basics but want to learn to rip, I may say go with #1. if you don't know pentatonic minor (or blues scale) learn that one first. Start with position (box 1) and practice. Then learn other box's and how to transition from one to the next. Then try to copy some slower blues licks and practice, practice practice.

**edit - also +1 to the looper pedal. It's prefect for timing. (one thing I discovered I sucked at when I started playing with others was my timing when trying to solo was not there. I practiced my scales an licks all my myself with no metronome or backing track or looper pedal and it showed.)

 

[László]

And I thought the Marcels version was the original. Duh.



I learn something every day.

It was already a standard by the time Billie Holiday sang it. It’s from the ‘30s.

 

[Kiwi]

Casi, I'd second some of the suggestions made by Mozzi above:

Get some backing tracks and play along with them. Benefits:

- First, play along with the chords. Yes, be a rhythm guitarist first. You'll develop muscle memory for physically changing chords for minutes, then hours at a time. You'll develop steady timing. You can even develop some swing (playing a little behind the beat) if there's a rock-steady "drummer and bassist" on the jam track.

I hate to remind people of this, but playing rhythm is 90% of your time. There's a singer who wants to be heard, and other guitarists want to play, and even (shudder) bass and drum solos to consider.

- Next, play some solos with the backing tracks. Your fingers will learn the blues boxes and if you make mistakes, so what? Pick it up at the next chorus. Experiment with sounds and effects; distortion and gain and which pickup to use. Practice your bending to pitch, too.

- A looper pedal is a fine idea too. Be sure your timing is steady, and play with a drum track. THEN you can wail out solos.

Most importantly, if you do these, you'll get used to what you sound like in a "band" context. Then when you start playing with other people, you'll already feel comfortable with your sound and the sounds around you.

And about playing with other people: Try to play with better players than you. Make sure you can hold your own, of course, and the easiest way to be helpful in a jam is to play a LOT of rhythm guitar.

That was my path to whatever proficiency I may have now. It included a years-long stint in a classic rock cover band (60s and 70s stuff plus more modern pop and country) on rhythm guitar - which was actually a great experience, since I was locking into the drummer and bassist, and I had to really understand the song's structure and chord progressions.

Then I could stand around and spitball the lead guitarist's work (luckily he was a pro).

=K

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I don't know where exactly you are in terms of proficiency, but assuming you know basic bar chord shapes (major, minor, dominant 7th's)and the 5 positions of the pentatonic scale, then here is what I recommend;

Go down a parallel path - Learn how to really play blues rhythms & start working on improving your solo's. I would go 50-50 on booth topics as far as time allotment. Maybe start improving solos by mixing the major and minor pentatonic scales over a dominant 7th 12 bar blues. Your call, there a number of ways to move the ball forward with respect to soloing. Other examples, work on bends, right hand dynamics, targeting chord tones, arpeggios etc.

I have seen way too many guitar players who can do some nice blues solos, but have no idea how to play rhythm and consequently will never be in a band or really be able to jam with anyone else who knows how to play for very long.

Once you can see chord / triad shapes as well as scales when you are soloing on the fly, your solos will really improve big time. In order to see chords and triads on the fly, you have to play them a lot. Your sense of timing will improve when you play a lot of rhythm and this will in turn improve your phrasing when you are soloing.

Oh - And as have many others said, listen to a lot of the old blues masters and the guys who stole a lot of their licks (Clapton, Page, etc...) both with and without the guitar in your hands. You have to feel the blues to really be able to play it. Try to figure out some songs on your own, it will help develop your ear, which is an important part of becoming a proficient guitar player.

Good luck on your journey (which will never end )

PS - If you have not already done so, I would check out some of the guitar lesson web sites where you actually have to pay for lessons re: Blues Rhythm and Blues Solos. These lessons are much more structured than just looking at "random" free Youtube videos, of which some are OK if you just want to learn a specific song (or the hard parts to a specific song)

I would "like" this post, but I don't know what any of it means.

 

[dogrocketp]

It was already a standard by the time Billie Holiday sang it. It’s from the ‘30s.

Is that a PRS spankin four to the bar? (It’s actually the one thing I can’t get a PRS to do).

 

[László]

Is that a PRS spankin four to the bar? (It’s actually the one thing I can’t get a PRS to do).

Ha! I’ll bet Paul Smith would’ve loved to have a PRS accompany Billie Holiday, but she died when he was a toddler.

I’ve got no problem with a PRS doing that thing; the secret is to use .011s or .012s, which I hardly ever do!

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Stumbled across this. It might be of help and having a nice guitar in it helps!

 

[László]

The semi-good news about not having the greatest musical vocabulary is that you audience largely doesn’t realize it, since they don’t hear you 24/7.

 

[Rusty Chops]

The semi-good news about not having the greatest musical vocabulary is that you audience largely doesn’t realize it, since they don’t hear you 24/7.

My mother would ask to hear me play when guests were over. After the first bar she’d immediately turn to the closest person and start a conversation.

Turns out that was excellent preparation for the future.

 

[László]

My mother would ask to hear me play when guests were over. After the first bar she’d immediately turn to the closest person and start a conversation.

Turns out that was excellent preparation for the future.

Dear Rusty,

I can’t come to your pity party because my mom won’t let me to skip my accordion lesson.

Your friend,

Les

 

[Rusty Chops]

Dear Rusty,

I can’t come to your pity party...

But self pity is one of my most sincere emotions!

 

[László]

But self pity is one of my most sincere emotions!

Just imagine your mom thinking accordion lessons were a cool thing, and we’re both probably even.

 

[Boogie]

Just imagine your mom thinking accordion lessons were a cool thing, and we’re both probably even.

If she made you wear your corrective shoes and headgear, then it would be complete.

 

[László]

If she made you wear your corrective shoes and headgear, then it would be complete.

If only she had!

I did get pretty good on the accordion, though. So there’s that!

“That was probably the only musical accomplishment of your life, Les.”

“So you’re saying I should join the Excelsior Forum?”

 

[pac90]

Casi, tim pierce does a good job of explaining his approach, following song chord changes to move position on the neck. He does some of that again here, where he describes how he did play all the guitars on bon jovi runaway, its a great clip, and quite mind blowing to hear how accomplished and young they were

Nice prs too

I think i wore out the grooves of slippery when wet when i was a kid

 

[Boogie]

Casi, tim pierce does a good job of explaining his approach, following song chord changes to move position on the neck. He does some of that again here, where he describes how he did play all the guitars on bon jovi runaway, its a great clip, and quite mind blowing to hear how accomplished and young they were

Nice prs too

I think i wore out the grooves of slippery when wet when i was a kid

Wha-wha-WHAT??!!
I...HAD...NO...IDEA!
Another iconic chunk of rock attributed to Tim Pierce. Excuse me while I go pick up my jaw.

 

[90sMcCarty]

Ummm... can we be a wee bit more specific, lol.

Ranking of options? How about which one is the most important one?

Yes.