VIRTUAL BUSKING aka "so you think you can play guitar"

Here's a little noodling basic on PF's 'shine on you crazy diamond'. Errors galore, so bring plenty of tomatoes. :oops: I'll be commentating on these vids later tonight, I like to say something when I say something.

http://bands.soundclick.com/share/38822
I wish I could play as well as that....
Could I ask what scale the first half of the video is based on? I'm still struggling to learn to improvise using the a minor pentatonic

Cheers,
Simon

Stellabloo: Thanks, really happy to hear that! 8)

Simon: It's all in Am. The first part is in the A-minor scale (A B C D E F G) en the rest in A-minor pentatonic (A C D E G) so it's only two extra notes. In truth I don't really use the F much so just it's basically just pentatonic with an extra B. When I play in fifth position I usually only use the 4th fret 3rd string to get the B. I play it with the index finger, do some hammers and then usually slide back to fifth position, going to either the E (9th fret 3rd string) or the A (6th fret 4th string). It's a pretty lazy way but it works.

A nice little Gilmour trick (the only one I can, so it's gotta be easy!) is the 'double bend'. If you want to bend to a note you now bend it up a bit and immediately down again and without re-picking the string bend it up again to the target note, which you sustain for a bit (and if you play a strat, use that vibrato bar!). By varying the speed of the second bend you can make it sound like everything you'd like, from schizyfrizy to sorrowfull. If you'd like you can download the backing on http://www.guitarbt.com for free.

Hooray I have a couple of new videos! I was starting to worry and then terribly surprised at the initial stage fright in front of my little camera! - the 'I have learned nothing and can play nothing' mode but here it is anyway:

Comfortably Numb
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iYwvLcSEmQ

on which I made some notes in the beginner video thred as it really is a simple song, and impressive to play something people recognize lol 8)

and a rather 'raw' version of Jingle Bell Rock - which I have been obsessed with :roll: cuz it starts with a D - then a Dmaj7 thing which is xoo222 (barre it with the index finger) and D6 (xo202) 2 fingers ...repeat Dmaj7 and D6 two more times .... and then Em followed by A three times....
For whatever reason that is a lot of fun :wink:
although cursing my stubby fingers on the one B. ... anyway I can't explain sometimes why I end up playing the songs I do lol but thought I would throw that one up in case anyone wants to take a whack. BTW my children do like this song and that can be important, especially when one is trying to get in some relatively uninterrupted practice time!

JIngle Bell Rock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71wNRXgYx7A

BTW it is somewhat humbling that the 2nd most watched song on my youtube channel is 'Hush Little Baby' the 2 chord wonder :roll: .
I am rather hoping Comfortably Numb inspires a few people too 8)

I don't see "Shine on you Crazy Diamond" :?:

stellabloo: I suggest, if i may, that you find yourself an electric guitar...something easy to play like a telecaster. you can already play based on the videos, but you'll get a lot more sound out of an electric with less work.

Nice to see you back Stella! 8)

Dan

Ken: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=361288&content=videos&vidID=38822

Happy New Year! ... hope everyone had a Merry Christmas as well and that Santa was good to you :wink:

The whole youtube thing has been a completely new experience to me - I have some ski photos from a while back that still get 100 views a week but youtube gets that many a DAY :shock: and mostly that 2 chord wonder :oops: which makes me think that people have a) even more time on their hands than I do sometimes and b) seems like most of them are trying to learn how to play guitar on youtube.

So I yanked Jingle Bell Rock and bring you TIn Man instead, America's three chord sequel to Horse wIth No Name:

Tin Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXR0xLRwmE8

... and some instructions on playing TIn Man (which I'm sure no one here needs :wink: but, as I said, posted for the benefit of those lost souls still trying to learn guitar on youtube) but just want to add that it was a CHALLENGE not saying 'um' 10x while talking about a straighforward 3 chord song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uPNpdqWhTA

:D I got my first real request! (meaning from a total stranger and not my teenager wanting to know if I can play ____ )
- which would be Eleanor Rigby - I'm telling you, some of those 'easy' songs are actually tough, not so much to learn as to play in time :evil: and ER would be one of those.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LMX9isH4CQ

.... threw in some extra notes lol so hopefully will get a chance to explain those in the ER thred elsewhere, other than that - thank you very much, all you very patient longtimers for encouraging us nooBeez :wink:

EARMUFFS OPTIONAL :wink: yes, I am singing and songwriting now, God forbid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0caqNqXgH4

..... OK I didn't really PLAN it that way, which makes it more fun. I actually wrote another song but am faced with the irony of having to learn how to play my own song (!) - and then play and sing at the same time - well! that singing AND playing thing is more difficult that it looks.
Plus I do not particularly like my own voice. Especially after 5 - 10 min :roll: But my teenager has been bugging me to post this first effort and so it went to the top of the heap, hope you like :wink:

Hey Stella, I think you have a great voice! If I could sing like that (while playing guitar and filming myself!) I'd be a happy fellow. hope you'll continue writing your own songs. Kinda reminded me a bit of the early works of Suzanne Vega, and that's a good thing in my book. 8)

:shock: Great song! Keep writing! And Arjen is absolutely right..You have a great voice.

:oops: :oops: :oops: Thank you!

But that singing/playing thing is still harder than it looks! I can't imagine throwing a harmonica into the mix lol
Actually I was hoping to learn to play the guitar first before singing along too :roll:

I can't even begin to explain the songwriting process. I spent 6 years planting trees and that's a lot of time to spend alone with yourself ... so I'm usually playing music in my head. I pod at will (haha).
... this helps enormously with playing the guitar - the band is usually playing along and they're quite patient with my timing (roflmao).
Sometimes a new tune pops up in the rotation - like bad radio reception, very fuzzy at first. Zero conscious thought there BUT the last couple of times the songs just HAPPENED to work out in terms of a few basic chords - meaning some part of my brain has learned to 'think' in guitar. Very cool 8) but nothing I have control over!

So in case anybody still cares :roll: , another beginner's song, “Bitterblue” (NO not the Bonnie Tyler song :roll: ):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0MMiZeM5Yk

–this one also a few months in the works although technically a very easy song. Actually I found this good practice for the dreaded F chord, being that it comes right after C. And why else Bitterblue? Because I adore Cat Stevens (except for Wild World – it has been WAY overplayed IMHO and with deepest apologies to David Hodge). Call me a sentimental fool - I fell in love with Tea for the Tillerman when I was 8.

The goal today (as always :? ) was to plop down in front of the camera and produce SOMETHING on a first take with no rehearsal (so as to simulate a real live performance? :roll: ) . Potential crisis averted halfway through (whew!). Ran out of batteries on “Look Out for My Love” so maybe better luck next time lol :wink:

The goal today (as always :? ) was to plop down in front of the camera and produce SOMETHING on a first take with no rehearsal (so as to simulate a real live performance? :roll: ) .

Please tell me that have practiced this for a couple of hours first though? :cry:

Rock on!

D 8)