Wood shedding!

[Maggot Brain]

I know you all have been worried sick about me, I'm sure a few of you have been calling all the local hospitals, asylums and morgues... I am sorry, I've just been in the wood shed this whole time.

But really tho, I've been kinda stagnant the past like 5+ years skill wise. I also had about 5 years I didn't even really play because I was so focused on work etc. So the past few months or so I've been disciplined and have spent any and all free time working on my playing. I'm pretty happy with the progress I've made, I've been focusing on my short comings and also pushing myself to progress forward.

I have ditched tab all together and learning songs, riffs and solos only by ear and personally I feel it's a much more intimate way of learning songs, phrasing, timing and nuances. My ear has progressed and developed quite a bit which I find also helps playing, it's getting to the point I can hear a note or chord and recognize it by ear. I highly recommend anyone that spends a lot of time with tab to just step away for a bit and force yourself to learn stuff solely by ear, exercise your musical hearing.

Anyone else here woodsheding? I mean like just putting more into playing than just picking it up to play but like practice, exercises, challenges, study etc.

 

[Salty Rose]

I got a good teacher kickin my ass and then I joined a college jazz band (at 61 years young).

I believe time spent with shedding and music theory studies certainly improves my musicality. Even better, it seems there’s a real cause and effect, that goes beyond my own playing. My whole musical world expands. It’s crazy.

Synchronicity is real.

 

[10kDA]

Yes, but...
With this:

 

[Sustainium]

Is there any other way to improve?
If there is I don’t know it.

 

[Salty Rose]

Is there any other way to improve?
If there is I don’t know it.

Buying more guitars? Maybe?
At least that could explain all the guitars cluttering up my house

 

[StratoMarshall]

Yep, do it all the time! I have mostly learned by ear all my life! I find that tab and sheet music is 99% of the time not correct anyway.
Just listen carefully and you'll here what you need to do.
Good on 'ya MB!

 

[Mitchell Pearrow]

I have learned most of everything from ear.
But I mostly play my own crap now.

 

[LPMarshall hack]

I dont know how to improve too much, but I'm an expert at devolving. PM me for deets.

 

[Ps. 37]

I highly recommend anyone that spends a lot of time with tab to just step away for a bit and force yourself to learn stuff solely by ear, exercise your musical hearing.

Anyone else here woodsheding? I mean like just putting more into playing than just picking it up to play but like practice, exercises, challenges, study etc.

Glad to see you back MB!

Lately, I've been woodshedding by putting backing tracks of songs by Clapton, ABB, etc. on a TASCAM 8-track recorder and trying to make my own cover versions.

As I told my wife, when I'm just playing along to the original song, it's a lot easier to "fudge it" because if I screw up a lick, the "real guys" (Eric, Duane, Dickey, et al) already have me covered.

But it's really helpful (and extremely humbling) to play "naked" on a basically blank slate. Listening to playback, it's really stark and obvious where I need to improve (and that's pretty much everywhere ).

 

 

[fitz]

Every time I go into my woodshed, I come out with speaker cabs....

Welcome back MB.

 

[G the wildman]

Yup, I wood shed most days. But do struggle playing by ear.

Recently I have been focusing on easy ways to play songs and make them sound good.

Example would be ‘All Right Now’ but all Rythm played in open position.

No short cuts found though. Just hard work and hours.

G

 

[RCM 800]

Ive been trying to learn some grown up chords lol.

 

[Mitchell Pearrow]

I have been working on my timing.
Although I been at that aspect for a long long time now.

 

[G the wildman]

Ive been trying to learn some grown up chords lol.

For example??

 

[RCM 800]

For example??

Things beyond 3 note power chords, major minor bars and cowboy chords. Mostly jazzy/bluesy sounding shapes. Sorry I dont really know the names yet.

 

[Flag]

I know I spend a lot of time tuning, something has happened to me over the years.

 

[Maxbrothman]

I know you all have been worried sick about me, I'm sure a few of you have been calling all the local hospitals, asylums and morgues... I am sorry, I've just been in the wood shed this whole time.

But really tho, I've been kinda stagnant the past like 5+ years skill wise. I also had about 5 years I didn't even really play because I was so focused on work etc. So the past few months or so I've been disciplined and have spent any and all free time working on my playing. I'm pretty happy with the progress I've made, I've been focusing on my short comings and also pushing myself to progress forward.

I have ditched tab all together and learning songs, riffs and solos only by ear and personally I feel it's a much more intimate way of learning songs, phrasing, timing and nuances. My ear has progressed and developed quite a bit which I find also helps playing, it's getting to the point I can hear a note or chord and recognize it by ear. I highly recommend anyone that spends a lot of time with tab to just step away for a bit and force yourself to learn stuff solely by ear, exercise your musical hearing.

Anyone else here woodsheding? I mean like just putting more into playing than just picking it up to play but like practice, exercises, challenges, study etc.

There is this aural skill I once tried where you take two people and one plays a note and the other has to guess where on the guitar that note is.