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What should I do?

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(@ibnzmusician)
Eminent Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 32
Topic starter  

Hello fellow Guitar Noisers...

It's been a while since I was last on these forums, but I've got some issues. Mainly - what should I practice? I'll start with my goals...

First and foremost, I want to be able to write and play my own music. I want to be able to communicate with notes the way I do with words (I love writing) and I want to be able to paint pictures with music. I already know the power of music - I want to know how to use it myself.

A secondary goal is to be able to improvise - but this isn't half as important to me as the first goal, although I suspect that it will be attained if I focus solely on the first one.

Now, about me - I've almost been playing for two years now, but haven't made much progress do to a very unorganized, unfocused learning system and teacher. I know the basic chords and a few scales and I know several jazz chords as well as tidbits of songs. Basically, that's the extent of my knowledge.

A word about my learning songs - I'm not that interested in playing other people's music, unless it's going to help me play mymusic. Here's the way I see it (again with the writing connection) - I can learn a lot from reading/listening/studying other people's books/songs, but recreating it exactly won't help me any more than studying it would.

Another little note - I tend to do well with structured systems, so any advice that specifically appeals to that would be fantastic, such as book recommendations and such. I'm not interested in "the quick and easy guitar book" or anything like that. Again, I'm not trying to learn "licks and tricks" or shallow music - I want to be able to write and play deep and meaningful, powerful stuff.

This is kind of a fat question, so thanks in advance for any advice,
ibnzmusician


   
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(@anonymous)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 8184
 

Playing other peoples songs is a stepping stone.
It will help you polish your technics a bit.
Playing exactly like the original? No, not at all.
I play covers in my own way and in a style I feel comfortable with. My only goal is to bring out the "feel" of the song.
In writing your own songs are you refering to musical notation?
If so then play a variety of music in standard notation so you can get a good grasp of what is going on.


   
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(@lord_ariez)
Reputable Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 311
 

I would recommend learning songs without using the tab (if thats what you've been doing), Too many people expect to learn how to improvise on the guitar when they've only ever learned other peoples songs note for note. This will help in time you will know the exact tone of each note u play and will be able to transfer the notes in your head to the ones on the guitar much easier.

I picked up a copy of How to "Write Songs on Guitar" by Ricky Rooksby a little while ago and found it very helpful. He talks about everything that has to go into a song including lyrics, rythm, lead, harmony etc... I liked the book a friend of mine has it right now and he says its helped him to.

Good Luck!

'You and I in a little toy shop, bought a bag of balloons with the money we got"

feel free to talk with me on msn at [email protected]..... no icq anymore


   
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 Mike
(@mike)
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I understand what you are saying about not wanting to learn other peoples music because it's not your own, but you can learn a lot about feeling, interpretation, and vocal to chord changes. You can learn what flows together because it is already written, tested and true (for the most part anyway).

Here is a good read from, A-J Charron about songwriting.


   
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(@ibnzmusician)
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Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 32
Topic starter  

Thanks a lot for the advice given so far. I'll definitely look into it, and I know what you mean by what I can learn from others' songs... see later in my post for a more detailed explanation of what I'm thinking.

I don't think that the notation matters - that's just a method of documenting the part that does matter, the music. I'll work in standard notation and tab... I don't care.

By "recreating exactly" I don't mean note-for-note. Again with the writing...

Say you're in an English class and you're analyzing a piece of writing. You would read it (listen to the song) and then your teacher might ask what the author means by something (the emotional stuff behind the music), or he/she might point out a particularly descriptive/interesting word (note), use of words (notes), or phrase. You might even write what you think would come after that piece of writing (song), but memorizing it and being able to recite (play) it won't make you a better writer (guitarist). Even paraphrasing it would be a pointless assignment - the only thing that it would do is make sure that you actually read (listened to) it.

And here's another note... when I say write music, I don't mean be able to throw together chords that sound good. I can already do that and it's nothing special. I also don't mean that I want to be able to write a song in the way that we usually think of it now - vocals, lead, rhythm, bass, drums, etc. I want to be able to personally, as in without accompaniment and purely solo, combine chords and single notes, melodies and harmonies - everything.

P.S. I'm currently studying Music Theory in school, but of course, that's not guitar-specific. I know I need to work on my sight-reading, though.


   
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(@anonymous)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 8184
 

Say you're in an English class and you're analyzing a piece of writing. You would read it (listen to the song) and then your teacher might ask what the author means by something (the emotional stuff behind the music), or he/she might point out a particularly descriptive/interesting word (note), use of words (notes), or phrase. You might even write what you think would come after that piece of writing (song), but memorizing it and being able to recite (play) it won't make you a better writer (guitarist). Even paraphrasing it would be a pointless assignment - the only thing that it would do is make sure that you actually read (listened to) it.
IMO you are wrong.
Understanding what you are reading (listening to) and exercising that understanding can only make you a better writer (musician)


   
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(@ibnzmusician)
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Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 32
Topic starter  

I think you misunderstood me... I'm saying that everything in that English class would be valid and useful and would make you a better writer...

...but paraphrasing the said piece wouldn't help you.


   
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(@anonymous)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 8184
 

I understood.
What I am saying is how can you learn to put any emotion or feeling into a song if you dont take specific songs that you find to have emotion and feeling and anylize them to see how that emotion or feeling is conveyed?
That is exactly what is being done with a single story in that english class.


   
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 Mike
(@mike)
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- the only thing that it would do is make sure that you actually read (listened to) it.

That is where you are wrong. If you didn't get anything out of it you were either, - not paying attention or - not interested in the first place.

When reading, writing or playing, you HAVE to get into the role, the moment, the feel, the vibe. Getting into character, if you will.

It is ALL about feeling.


   
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(@ibnzmusician)
Eminent Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 32
Topic starter  

I understood.
What I am saying is how can you learn to put any emotion or feeling into a song if you dont take specific songs that you find to have emotion and feeling and anylize them to see how that emotion or feeling is conveyed?
That is exactly what is being done with a single story in that english class.

No, you're still misunderstanding what I'm saying. I'm perfectly willing to study songs, but I don't want to just memorize notes and chords in a song.

Anyway, could we please get back to the purpose of this topic? I'm really interested in that first goal of mine - writing and playing my own music.


   
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 Mike
(@mike)
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Here is a good read from, A-J Charron about songwriting.

You read that right?

There are more. Go to the home page then songwriting.


   
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 Taso
(@taso)
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Posts: 2811
 

ibnz,
One of the important aspects of the English class analogy that you didn't mention is critically analyzing a peice of literature. Doing this will help a student learn what the author's purpose was, what he tried to do to fufull that purpose, what the effect was, and if it worked.
The same thing applies to songs. You need to analyze a song writer's methods of achieving an effect, creating a mood. THIS is what will help you become a better song writer.

http://taso.dmusic.com/music/


   
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