Electric guitar...

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My Brother (a great player) recently passed down his old working rig, Rivera. Much more hi-tech than my 45 yr old Peavey Mace (which has been dead reliable and cranks), so been figuring it out. Definitely a much more versatile than the old Mace. Really enjoying it so far!

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Crazy Train is "busy" and uses a significant stretch on the ring and pinky fingers.

Real easy to get rusty on that one if you don't play it often.

Same goes for the acoustic intro to Fade to Black. They are mechanically similar.
Oh yeah that's another one I work on that I just remembered when you said fade to black. Not fade to Black but for whom the bells toll entry... Also the fast way say what you will riff.
 
I don't have a electric but I like the technology. I have been watching Rhett Shull videos and he has some good ones. He often talks about technology compared to the old tube type stuff. He does some fun comparisons.

 
Interestingly for me Say What You Will works on muscle memory.
I actually find that one easier to play if don't think about it.

That era Metallica (and live Judas Priest) taught me pick inflection.
There are people that still don't know that's a thing.

You actually "play" the angle of the pick on the strings by changing it and it sounds different.

Metallica changes their pick angle and drags it more on the stings for the "Jaws" part in the begging of FWTBT and it makes that part sound heavier.

The most extreme example is the circa 1983-86 ish live JP version of Green Manalishi.
They change pick angle on the shuck and it sounds like the drag across the strings is going up in pitch although the note on the string is the same.
 
I'm still going through the different sounds for different song's phase, always chasing that tone.:lol:

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That’s great to hear JPar! Lessons really helped me out, but I think either way unlocks some cool stuff for anyone. I needed a roadmap, but I’m so ADD that it’s easy to go off and noodle to discover things as well.
I can tell by you poking me on another thread you may have wanted an update on this one... Yes I have all my bar chords pretty down pack... Major and minor flat and sharp.. seven scales backwards and forwards... I'm feeling very confident and where I'm at for being in my mid fifties and picking up the instrument for the first time 7 months ago...
Thank you for asking that was very kind of you...
 
Glad to see that j par! Any plans to play with other guys or just with headphones for now?
I don't have any plans to play with anybody right now I still am working on fingering and gaining a lot of theory and knowledge... I don't use headphones I made a music room out of a spare bedroom so I can just plug in and make the neighbors hold their hands over their ears LOL. Right now I'm still just trying to master finger movement and picking movement and getting it to try and become a little bit more natural... And six or seven months at a half hour a day I can feel the muscle memory just starting... About 80% of my fat fingering is going away to where when I touch a string it just touches that string and not meeting another one... i.e. my notes are bringing out more clear...
I think I'm right on target for my year and a half goal of being a beginner... My three-year-old of being able to play a small number of songs completely and my 5-year goal of being semi-competent with the guitar... And I'm a short 9 and 1/2 years to my 10-year goal of really being able to play fairly well... So when I'm 65 look out LOL...
 
I should add I rarely plug my guitar and I'm more just playing it with it unplugged and repetitively going up and down all of the scales and all of the notes and playing the few little riffs that I know and just trying to get comfortable. Maybe once a week I'll plug it in and remind myself how terrible I am LOL...
 
Just keep in mind (and I may have said it before, but it's worth repeating) that learning any song 100% is really difficult because the leads are usually VERY complex and written/played by exceptionally talented and/or gifted musicians.

If "everyone" could play leads like Van Halen, wouldn't they all be doing it already?
 
Well, I’m going to use your post as some inspiration then! While I play fairly consistently, it’s always good to review and work on new exercises. I’ve not been a huge theory guy, when I do apply and work with an instructor, I find that it really accelerates everything for me. I need the structure when I’m learning and should probably seek out some help again as I’ve been and felt stagnant. Thanks man!
 
Just keep in mind (and I may have said it before, but it's worth repeating) that learning any song 100% is really difficult because the leads are usually VERY complex and written/played by exceptionally talented and/or gifted musicians.

If "everyone" could play leads like Van Halen, wouldn't they all be doing it already?
You may or may not know and it's maybe worth repeating LOL but I help people restore their nostalgic cars like what we're here on the forum for and I'm constantly telling them if it was easy everybody would have one...
LOL you stole my favorite line LOL...
 
Well, I’m going to use your post as some inspiration then! While I play fairly consistently, it’s always good to review and work on new exercises. I’ve not been a huge theory guy, when I do apply and work with an instructor, I find that it really accelerates everything for me. I need the structure when I’m learning and should probably seek out some help again as I’ve been and felt stagnant. Thanks man!
My instructor is 15 years younger than me and was playing regular gigs up until the beginning of the pandemic. I go to a small one-man music shop actually to man he's the other man and he learned from the owner 30 years ago... I think he is into studying classical right now and laughs at how close it is to heavy metal and stuff like that and how the two don't like each other but laughs at how similar they are... He says he has many of friends who can play the guitar very well but have no idea what they're playing.. as in their music theory and things like that..
I asked to be brought from the ground up and knowing what I'm playing and why I'm playing it... That way by the time I do gain some familiarity with the guitar I should kind of know what I'm playing and why... I see lots of people on YouTube that play really really well but I wonder if they actually know what they're doing or just going through the motions that they practiced...
 
Already seeing people with guitars in their hands on commercials makes me furious LOL... I know for a fact they're not playing it... Then I remind myself that they are just actors and try and calm down LOL.. that crap takes a lot of practice!...
 
That’s where my musical journey started and took me. Limited amounts of theory, but we were kids that wanted to jam and play in a band. I was off and on with it and when I decided to take lessons, it was ground breaking. Time to go back to the woodshed.
 
Truth-

You do not need to know any theory to be a platinum selling musician.
 
I believe I can actually play 100% about 5 songs.

Breaking The Law (no lead)
Heading Out To The Highway (no lead)
Living After Midnight (incredibly simple lead)
Barracuda (reasonably simple lead, and a high point in my journey learning it)
For Whom The Bell Tolls (reasonably simple lead, and not even in a "proper" lead break)
For a while I could play Love Bites (JP) (simple lead, but some "interesting" rhythm fingerings). I'd have to practice to get that back, though.

The list is MUCH longer of songs I can ply 100% excluding the lead, and even longer at 90% (or enough to be comfortable playing in a band) excluding the lead.
 
Well I'm playing my Pandora on my wife's car stereo and hear krokus "our love" opening riff and I'm desperate to get home to look it up on you boob and try it myself... I get home yesterday you boob it up and it takes me about 10 minutes to kind of get it. I have a little trouble switching over to the second sound in the third chord..
Little over 9 months and still practicing everyday I can. Missed a few days for the swap meet and a couple days here and there but most everyday... Still doing lessons on Tuesdays but last Tuesday my instructor called in sick..
Still hoping to get a new guitar for my one year anniversary but we'll see... More so looking to see where I'm at after 2 years and really hoping to be able to kind of somewhat play it in three and a half...
 
So you're not playing at your 40th high school reunion? 50th?
Which one of them play the drums. lol
 
So you're not playing at your 40th high school reunion? 50th?
Which one of them play the drums. lol
I was just telling a couple friends the other day as we were hanging out about playing the guitar. I told them it takes probably about 10 years to actually play pretty damn well and that's practicing almost every day. I told them when I'm 65 look out! Lol...
 
I like that progression, too.

Pretty easy but kind of "dead end".

I still like to play it, though.

Simple as it is, you really need two guitars as one starts the riff before the other stops ringing.

"Midnight Maniac" on the same album is a good finger workout with kind of an odd fingering.
 
I like that progression, too.

Pretty easy but kind of "dead end".

I still like to play it, though.

Simple as it is, you really need two guitars as one starts the riff before the other stops ringing.

"Midnight Maniac" on the same album is a good finger workout with kind of an odd fingering.
I have a customer who plays bass and he said that my playing would really pick up if I was to play with other people...
I know when I go for my guitar lesson sometimes my teacher will play the other guitar like crazy train I'll do the harder fingering and he'll just kind of do the four four chords in the background and it sounds kind of cool...
 
Just got done listening to an Audiobook called Rock and Roll Children. I know Amazon has it, but I got it through Audible. Pretty fun story if you grew up listening to metal in the early-mid 80’s. Like to hear if anyone checks it out.
 
@j par

Have you tried "Stayed Awake All Night"?

I can get about 2/3 of the lead on that one.

It's a fun one to play with 2 guitars, and you can ad lib a LOT over that rhythm.

One of my theme songs from my youth.
 
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