Old Dog, New Tricks.

[László]

I've been woodshedding HARD on orchestral music, and I'm learning things I never knew (but any college student studying composition probably knows this stuff backwards and forwards, which is a damn shame for me, but not for them!).

I might add that what I'm learning with the orchestral stuff affects all of my other work, including guitar work.

OK. You might be wondering about the point of this thread.

Maybe you've been at since the Pleistocene, like me. Maybe you knew/know a lot of things. But maybe you've been inspired to take it to the next level (whatever the level may be is irrelevant for purposes of this thread).

I've been writing music for a long time. But I'm going into deeper waters. Or you might say I'm digging deeper if you're a land person. Whatever!

I consider myself a student, not a master. I want to know what other people are doing to up their game.

Have you expanded your learning about music? If so, how?

Maybe inquiring minds want to know, or maybe I'm the only dude who wants to know. Whatever. Spill!

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I’m just tryin to get better on keys. I play keys like a trained seal, but worse.

I’ve been struggling through Freedom 90 by George Michael for the past year, at this rate I should be able to whip it out on the Hilton lobby piano at Experience 2036.

 

[László]

I’m just tryin to get better on keys. I play keys like a trained seal, but worse.

I’ve been struggling through Freedom 90 by George Michael for the past year, at this rate I should be able to whip it out on the Hilton lobby piano at Experience 2036.

I'd love to be around to hear it...

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I'd love to be around to hear it...

Lol! Me too.

 

[Tucson Thump]

I miss the Pleistocene. You can't get a decent mastadon burger anywhere these days.

I recently took an online course about making experimental music on Atlas Obscura which I found stimulating and changed my thoughts about how to approach things. A famous photographer once said that you can't say more than you see, or in this case, hear in your head as a valid path of exploration.

 

[veinbuster]

I’ve never really thought in terms of next level. I tend to think more in terms of blending in new ideas.

So...I play different stuff. Since I retired that has included:
Transcribing some of my mom’s classical piano (Beethoven, Chopin...) to guitar. It was frustrating, but also taught me a lot about phrasing, crossing lines, and cheating the nominal key.
I pulled a stack of 88-94 guitar magazines and played everything by bands I hadn’t listened to at the time. I was quite surprised in how much music there was in metal.
I tried some ragtime, but I couldn’t really make it work for me on guitar. I might break down and take piano lessons so I can at least play Maple Leaf Rag.
I kind of liked trying voodoo music - I don’t know what it’s real name is.
Right now, I’ve got a thing for Patsy Cline. I set it aside for a while, but she speaks to my soul, so I took her back. Probably the first vocalist I was really captivated by. Worth trying to capture on guitar.

I might bring a resonator home from Nashville when I go there early October. Or be really bold and get a pedal steel. I was fascinated by them when I started making decent band money, but never got around to it.

 

[jxe]

I’ve never really thought in terms of next level. I tend to think more in terms of blending in new ideas.

So...I play different stuff. Since I retired that has included:
Transcribing some of my mom’s classical piano (Beethoven, Chopin...) to guitar. It was frustrating, but also taught me a lot about phrasing, crossing lines, and cheating the nominal key.
I pulled a stack of 88-94 guitar magazines and played everything by bands I hadn’t listened to at the time. I was quite surprised in how much music there was in metal.
I tried some ragtime, but I couldn’t really make it work for me on guitar. I might break down and take piano lessons so I can at least play Maple Leaf Rag.
I kind of liked trying voodoo music - I don’t know what it’s real name is.
Right now, I’ve got a thing for Patsy Cline. I set it aside for a while, but she speaks to my soul, so I took her back. Probably the first vocalist I was really captivated by. Worth trying to capture on guitar.

I might bring a resonator home from Nashville when I go there early October. Or be really bold and get a pedal steel. I was fascinated by them when I started making decent band money, but never got around to it.

pedal steel, that sound, thou must!

 

[jak3af3r]

I was that college student of music. 5 semesters of theory, 5 semesters of piano lessons, 4 semesters of classical guitar, 4 semesters of aural skills/sight singing, etc, etc.


That was all highly informative. I could probably write a book on any of it still but what really expanded everything was the grind of playing live. A lot. There I had a playground at times to reach back and pull common practice voice leading for guitar and chord progressions. In country it makes for very pleasing solos particularly those older songs like from Patsy Cline. Eventually that led to double and triple stop voice leading and on occasion double stop bends to emulate pedal steel.

Same thing for blues. Voice lead solos or comping and you'll be a little more melodic and phrases flow a little better.


And the most important thing was not listening to guitar players for a while. It makes you approach the instrument differently which will make you sound less limited or predictable.

 

[Tony M.]

There have been different "eras" for me through the years.
During each I learned a different type of music,

I started out in an instrumental surf music band.
Then surf music with vocals a la beach boys, Jan & Dean. Etc.
Then the British invaded us. Played all that stuff (except Beatle songs).
Then the sixties arrived, played Motown and then late '60s west coast stuff.
Then biker bars, topless bars and topless biker bars.
70's, a couple of "classic rock cover bands", bars, College dances and block parties.
'80 - '91 - Eleven years of weddings, dinner dances, fund raisers, every kind of music imaginable.
Then a funk band of all things playing the R&B clubs on Manhattans upper west side.
Then many years of worship music with some bar gigs thrown in.
Did some recording along the way too.

Each "stage" of all that found me in a musical situation that was new to me.
It has been and continues to be one long exploration for me and the best part of it...

It's FUN!

 

[Tony M.]

And the most important thing was not listening to guitar players for a while. It makes you approach the instrument differently which will make you sound less limited or predictable.

This.

 

[aphantomvaper]

Les have you thought this through? One of your clients may come here as a PRS fan and read this post and think "I thought he knew what he was doing?! "

I don't feel that way...in fact I'm still in the mud trying to evolve. You're an inspiration and a being of light in comparison to my skills.

 

[László]

I miss the Pleistocene. You can't get a decent mastadon burger anywhere these days.

I recently took an online course about making experimental music on Atlas Obscura which I found stimulating and changed my thoughts about how to approach things. A famous photographer once said that you can't say more than you see, or in this case, hear in your head as a valid path of exploration.

So true.

 

[László]

I couldn’t really make it work for me on guitar. I might break down and take piano lessons so I can at least play Maple Leaf Rag.

I love ragtime, and can play Scott Joplin's compositions (on piano)

If you're not already into it, Claude Debussy also wrote some ragtime pieces - they're worth checking out, too.

 

[László]

Les have you thought this through? One of your clients may come here as a PRS fan and read this post and think "I thought he knew what he was doing?! "

I don't feel that way...in fact I'm still in the mud trying to evolve. You're an inspiration and a being of light in comparison to my skills.

Oh, I'm the first to tell them that what I do is often a happy accident!

I never claim expertise. How could I? I'm still learning.

 

[László]

There have been different "eras" for me through the years.
During each I learned a different type of music,

I started out in an instrumental surf music band.
Then surf music with vocals a la beach boys, Jan & Dean. Etc.
Then the British invaded us. Played all that stuff (except Beatle songs).
Then the sixties arrived, played Motown and then late '60s west coast stuff.
Then biker bars, topless bars and topless biker bars.
70's, a couple of "classic rock cover bands", bars, College dances and block parties.
'80 - '91 - Eleven years of weddings, dinner dances, fund raisers, every kind of music imaginable.
Then a funk band of all things playing the R&B clubs on Manhattans upper west side.
Then many years of worship music with some bar gigs thrown in.
Did some recording along the way too.

Each "stage" of all that found me in a musical situation that was new to me.
It has been and continues to be one long exploration for me and the best part of it...

It's FUN!

Sounds like you've had great experiences!

I had my first piano lessons at four, and fell in love with music. Then I dropped out of nursery school to do music full-time...

 

[Steve's addiction]

I want to get out of my comfort zone. Been listening to a lot of fusion guitar lately to try and push myself to not only play better but to expand my writing skills. I always want to learn but I don't always apply myself either. When you're retired you think "I'll get back to that later". Sometimes later turns into years!

 

[Slowhands]

I'm a hack. I know it. And one nice thing about not being good at any one thing is that I can try anything and I'll be just as good at it in short order (which is to say, a hack at even more things). I'm a rock guy but I've butchered some jazz, classical, a little pop here and there if it's interesting, whatever sounds intriguing to me. I really started doing this in the '80s when I realized I would never be a super-shredder like I dreamed so I started looking for things I could do to improve myself and have my own musical identity. It never worked. But it's not hard to stay outside your comfort zone if you don't have a comfort zone to begin with, that's my secret!

But hey,I always learn some new chord voicings to mangle, a few finger picking patters to flub, and maybe some odd timings to abuse here and there but at least I learned something about the music and the structure of it even if my execution is ... well, let's end on a positive note and call it aspirational.

 

[Wyzard]

I've been trying to capture a bit more of a violin-like touch (as in Eric Johnson's playing), plus not allowing as much tension in the hands. At the same time, I've been continuing with ear training on less familiar stuff. Next stop: Horslips, De Dannan and Jethro Tull. I may never get there, but I won't let it stop me trying.

It all started with lockdown, nearly two and a half years ago (doesn't time just fly by when you're having fun?); it's an extension-set of skills I wish I'd nailed down decades ago.

 

[László]

I want to get out of my comfort zone. Been listening to a lot of fusion guitar lately to try and push myself to not only play better but to expand my writing skills. I always want to learn but I don't always apply myself either. When you're retired you think "I'll get back to that later". Sometimes later turns into years!

I get it, and I'm not even retired. I put off digging into anything more than superficial orchestral work for many years.

 

[László]

I've been trying to capture a bit more of a violin-like touch (as in Eric Johnson's playing), plus not allowing as much tension in the hands. At the same time, I've been continuing with ear training on less familiar stuff. Next stop: Horslips, De Dannan and Jethro Tull. I may never get there, but I won't let it stop me trying.

It all started with lockdown, nearly two and a half years ago (doesn't time just fly by when you're having fun?); it's an extension-set of skills I wish I'd nailed down decades ago.

Wyz, I've been working to reduce tension in my hands, too. Also we're alike in starting some new stuff during lockdown.