When Little Things Mean a Lot

[Oldhat2]

If you are wanting to learn how to jam and to be able to keep that right hand going, then here is a practice I started a year or so ago while tuning.

Time is valuable in the grand scheme of things so why not try and make that time a bit more productive?

For those that have not put in their theory and scale work here’s a tidbit - All the open strings on guitar are within the G Major scale. You can hit any one of the open strings and if you have a backing track (song) that is in G major then “musically” those notes should fit in when you hit them.

In the vid is a perfect example of how I tune my guitar every single time decide to play. I play a backing track (or metronome) and I get my right hand going in time with the music then I tune it up by staying in time with the music.

Jamming and picking are all about staying in time with the rest of band. That right hand needs to keep moving and serve as a time keeper just like your foot is tapping out the beat. Work on that skill while tuning. Always use a backing track or metronome.

Little things mean a lot if you start working on them now.

Vid is an example of me tuning up and keeping in time with the backing track.

[Oldhat2]

Now in relation to Ben’s lesson about learning to jam by simply hitting the correct note based on what chord you are in…When in G start with a G note and try to end the phrase on a G note. When you move to C start by hitting a C note, D then hit a D note.

Here’s is me attempting that. This vid is a continuation of the tuning vid. Once I got it tuned up where I was close I just started jamming based on Ben’s lesson in order to get loose for the start of practicing for the day and to check my intonation elsewhere on the guitar…was simply trying to be somewhat musical with the jamming.

Every time I decide to play for the day this is the process. Takes 5-6 minutes total and gets me ready to practice something more focused for the day.

Here’s what a hack like myself sounds like trying to “jam” based on Ben’s learning how to jam lesson. Remember, I had just gotten tuned up for the day and needed to do a bit of noodlin’ to check intonation elsewhere, practice on jamming, and get those 50 year old fingers limbered up a bit…so this was just random stuff. I do however like that melody I came up with that I pop back into before ending my warm up…may have to work on that and make something out of it. That’s what “jamming” is about - sometimes out of the randomness something musical appears and you take it and run with it.

[Oldhat2]

Jam Tracked used for anyone interested…

[Oldhat2]

@BanjoBen

What do you think I should be practicing moving forward? You know I pretty much abandoned fiddle tunes and grass for the past few years (scales, theory) and now I am coming back. I still have a lot of your licks in side this noggin’ along with 20 or so decent fiddle tunes. I am about ready to start taking them on again…any other tips or things I should really be focused on that you can advise me on at this level?

[BanjoBen]

I would love to hear you start working out solos for vocal tunes!

[Oldhat2]

Thanks. I’ll make that my next priority.

[Oldhat2]

@BanjoBen

Feedback (already!).

First time I’ve picked up the guitar in a few days, lot going on.

So I pick a song I’ve been wanting to learn (hippie grass one, lot of space… wife caught a bird in the guest house due to an open door a couple days ago. Reminded me of the song when she texted a pic to me over here in the big house of her holding it in her hand)…anyway. Once I figured out the rhythm guitar (capo’d 2 and playing out of that D shape (E) so I’d have all those notes at my finger tips with the minor shape right there at my fingertips too… that I know better than any! I said “Ok play what the lead singer is singing”.

It took about 20 mins of me trying…then the light bulb pulped on and within a “flash” I could see it all starting to come together as one (scales, positions, being able to hear every single note blending and shared among all the instruments…and especially thinking to myself "you must listen for singer and harmony parts even if they are not there (singers or even other instruments).

Oh my this is going to be fun. When you suggested this I was like “yuck more extreme discipline for the next few months”. Nope almost instantly.

Thanks Ben. If that suggestion came in a bottle with a $1K price tag I’d gladly pay for the lesson from anyone. This is going to be fun.

I’ve not had a problem working out a solid rhythm within just a few minutes on any new song in years (10 or more?). Over the past few years of scale work and such I’ve trained my ear to listen to the individual notes from a guitar. In doing this I’d lose track of what chord we were in when I started “jamming” some… but could always focus and get it back on within a measure (or so).

I kind of kicked myself around because I know I’ve never fought keeping up with chord progressions in the rhythm section…and I enjoy playing rhythm guitar. But it was missing it my lead lines, I’d get lost. Not now…Listening to the singer’s lines now lets me see (hear) the changes coming just like if I were signing and playing rhythm. When the singers not there I can “sing” it in my head now…all while taking a break and making the chord change.

This stuff is fascinating to me…my life thus far has been lived on the other side of the brain - sports, golf, business, engineering,. etc. There’s an entire world opening up for me to create within…absolutely fascinating in considering how many segments you can split that noggin’ into and just let it do the “conducting” and the part that you control directly is doing the “ah let’s show off a little bit here” or “oh that’s really melodic l’ll reconsider that” , or “Hey I know I could squeeze one of Ben’s licks in here but I am going to pass this time and see what I can come up with”…all the while the brain is keeping everything else right where it’s supposed to be - and it’s leaning hard towards occurring subconsciously.

I type long responses as documentation. At some point over the next millennia someone may very well stumble on this stuff and gain a bit of knowledge and it might help. Sorry if I get long-winded.

for the curious…

[Oldhat2]

Also for those interested in “thoughts”.

Think of how easily you recognize a 12 bar blues progression. It’s one of the most recognizable progressions in music! Well there exists a point where “most” progressions (w/nothing crazy thrown in) start sounding just as familiar as the “12 bar blues”.

Been a lot of work over the past 3 years to get back to where I was 3 years ago…but I am bringing so many more tools to the table now. Getting close.