Well, it's been about 6 months now. Time for an update. Since last time I've greatly improved my soloing technique and accomplished several improvements on other techniques. I feel my overall solo capabillity and chord making is very good at the moment, but on the metal side, things have been slow. In early January, I quit the band I was in, due to me going off to another city to study Music this fall. This also brings me to my greatest improvement. I've learned how to read notes and how to note down things in notes(wait, what?). And it's a requirement to get into the Music study thing. I've also recently become very interessted in composition and ways to make chords more interessting and such. Overall, I'm playing a bit less now than I did a half a year ago, but that's due to the fact that I've got a job now and such. But still the burning desire to shred those strings is ever growing, waiting to explode. In other words, the passion is greater than ever and I'm looking forward to my future in music.
It's been about six months since the last one, so here's another one! I'm really pleased at my current playing and I'm beginning to see clearly what I am able to, and most important what I want to do with the instrument. Currently, I'm practicing a bit of blues techniques, working on some metal/rock solo licks, writing some pop/prog thing and working on my metal riffing.
The pop/prog song is a piece which I am currently trying get together. I have about 4-5 sections which I all find are very good, I'm trying to fit them together in the best possible way. I have about 3 minutes of material, but the song doesn't have a concrete arrangement yet. I'm going to try and record it in January and try to put a neat little solo on top too, of course I'll put it up here too
It has come to my attention that the clip up here is getting very old now. Recently, everytime I hear it I cringe, hehe!
Before summer, I used to have a pretty hectic praciticing arrangement, but recently I've only had an arrangement to my riffing practice. I feel it's best that way, and it has given me loads of freedom to work on my songs etc.
The blues thing is going really great! I've been listening to a lot of blues like B.B King, Clapton, Muddy Waters etc. and it's been helping...oh, and not to mention Z.Z Top! Lately, I've realized that Billy Gibbons has an incredible solo technique, which sounds excellent!
On the gear side of things, I'm still burning steel with my RG321MH with the incinerating power of the EMG's! I'm not planning to buy any rig at this time, don't have the budget to, but I'm at a stage in my playing where I'm really satisfied with myself, so I don't really care!
Still playing in the band, but we've haven't gotten the band filled up, so we're still in the rehearsing room stage. We've transformed our style to a more BLS kind of thing, which I really like, so we're still making new shit. Check out the band at www.myspace.com/disfigurementnorway
That's all kids! Seeya in another six months, that is, if we're all still alive by then. As always, a pleasure!
I recently got my guitar installed with EMG 81/85's. I now have a Ibanez RG 321MH with EMG 81/85, Marshall MG250 DFX and a Line 6 Pod. I get a really mean sound now, and I can really notice the difference.
Right now this is pretty good for me. The guitar is very good, and with the EMG's I get a really nice sound! But in the future, I'm looking to buy a Randall RH150 half stack to go compliment the awesomeness of my guitar. When I begin really living and breathing music, I'm going for a full ENGL Powerball stack, but that's in another 5-10 years, right now I'm aiming for a Randall.
My playing is really going forward now, the last 5 months I've been practicing downpicking, pinch harmonics, phrasing and improvisation, and I've seen great improvements, which is something that inspires me to continue.
I've recently discovered music such as King Crimson, Tom Waits and my ears have truly opend to bands I've known for a long time such as Pink Floyd and The Doors, of which I've been living of non-stop the last few months.
Right now I'm making a lot of my own music, and writing a few song lyrics too. It's something I really enjoy doing. I also play in a band, and the good thing about the band is that we're making music I love, and the people I play with are very very talented, this make rehearsing very fun, and it also inspires me to up my level of playing too.
So that's the update of what's been going on the last six months for me, and don't expect a new blog until six new months have passed by!
This monday I'm ordering the Ibanez RG321MH, and it's going to be my baby for a while, planning on putting in some wicked Bill Lawrence USA L500XL pickups in it after a while, but you know, money's tight, so gotto wait a while, but I think the guitar will kick ass, and it's about time I got a new one, been playing this ol' axe for a good two years now, and I feel I'm past the whole beginner guitar stage, this feels like a real step up, can't wait to play the real Ibanez RG neck. It's time to raise hell, yeah!
