The Hear Here Forum Section - Please Read

I know the feeling you have, I'm a bit torn myself.

I've posted one song in the beginner thread. Reason being: I can't record. I had access to some kind of small recorder someone used for class, but well, the quality isn't awesome (Neiter's my playing, but that's the point of the beginner thread!). I'd love to be able to post some more, and will probably try to record through my PC with my Digitech board when I get around to finding out how that works.

I also acknowledge the use of recording, even a few simple strum-along songs turned out very differently when being recorded and showed me some things which weren't as good-sounding as expected, and others which sounded magnificent and seemed a bit "meh" when playing. :shock:

I'm a bit guilty of the lack of comments myself. :oops: I'm normally a forum lurker by nature, so it takes quite a bit to actually get me to post. I also don't reply to the one-time posters, for some reason it leaves me a bit annoyed, maybe the idea that it's just showing off instead of actually wanting to engage in the community I suppose. It's not something I can really explain. I also feel a bit insecure on replying to others, which is why I often write a long post, then ctrl + a and "delete". Either the genre isn't my style and I'd feel fake for saying it's awesome, or I feel it's pretty stupid for a newbie to tell someone who's ten times better than me that he did a good job!

Thanks for posting this, I'll try to get myself a bit more out there in both posting myself and a bit more life in replies as it's very true what you're saying (in my opinion at least). It could be pretty awesome if we all got out there a bit more! :D

LionTable, thanks so much for your response.

I can record through my PC in many ways. I might be able to decipher how to do it with your digitech. I can download the manual and see what you might need. Perhaps others already know how to do. Audacity in the PC works out to free, so it's probably a matter of a cable. Worse comes to Worse, you can go analog. Headphones out on the digitech to mic in on the PC. One double male ended cable is cheap. I do that for playback for my guitar so that I can listen to it as one source and my already recorded tracks as another source. It lets me crank the bass up so I can hear it and keep better time.

Back to topic, there's nothing to feel insecure about replying to others. Keep everything totally civil. I saw someone once write something like "holy crap, learn how to tune your guitar" when perhaps a "it sounded like one of your strings got bent out of tune at the X:XX mark and other times" or something of that nature would have nutured a more friendly relationship. Tact is a wonderful thing. :lol:

Specific examples are nice, and also taking into account player skill level. If someone at four months just completed and recorded their very first song. it ain't gonna be EVH. Some encouragement in addition to a pointer or two about their playing that stands out more than other parts as needing work.

I'm rambling. sorry. :mrgreen:

Thats a great post there Roy - the Hear Here forum is one of the best things about this site.

Before my little un was born I remember spending one sunday a month going through the forum and trying to see what everybody had posted, as, like you, I was really interested in seeing what and how other posters play.

I have to admit, I rarely look these days but this thread has been a great reminder of what i am missing out on!

As for rarely posting videos myself, I think thats because im at a stage where i wouldnt know what feedback i wanted. I no longer consider myself a beginner, but I am by no means good enough to post a "good" video to show off with. However If i ever write something i am proud of, Hear here would be the first place I would put it.

One idea perhaps, to get usage of the forum up again, is making the next "online jam" a backing track which we could video ourselves playing along to, and posting in the hear here forum? I might see if i can route on out and post it this week.

A good point well raised Roy.

Perhaps part of it is people feeling "in between" -- not wanting to seem like they are showing off in the Beginner's thread (although I don't know what is the definition of a beginner... I still feel like one no matter how much I improve), and not feeling they are good enough to post something complete under Hear Here.

I am guilty of not posting (although I lurk an awful lot), because I tend to usually think "Hey, yeah, that's a good question: what's the answer?" :lol:

I have included recording myself as part of my development plan for my playing this year, so I will make the effort to post it up here as well, as a little "give back" to the forum that has inspired me, on occassions.

Well, I hope I'm not one of the ones not aknowleging folks with a thank you cause I certainly appreciate every comment. I enjoy watching / listening to all the submissions, although I haven't spent much time there lately. I have refrained from making any recordings or videos. I actually wiped everything off my YouTube and I think my SoundClick. Why?

Some annonymous person was so moved by my music that they sent me an E-Mail. They proceded to inform me that I can't sing nor will I ever be able to and I should be ashamed if I ever subjected any paying audience to my extremely bad vocals.

They said, "Would you ever pay to hear someone that sounds as bad as you?" I had hoped to get our band off the ground but our vocalist was an unreliable doper and our drummer proved he had yet to hit rock bottom in his addiction / self destructive endeavors. Oh, I'm still having a ball playing my guitar and jamming with my son, but I haven't felt very entertaining to say the least. Oh well .........

I suppose you always get those kind of people. I personally like to think that if even the most popular bands in the world get so much hate from people it'd be rather odd if I didn't. I've been on stage since I was 12, I'm used to it by now. The only way to really rate it, is by yourself. For me it's easy to just assume it's not someone's style when they bash for no reason, and sharing with others is a way for me to improve. I've only shared in real life though, so the reactions aren't as harsh as over the anonymous internet. Success shouldn't be measured by the skill you have, but by the progress you've made, and I'm sure that's something to be very proud of.

Also, I don't really know but it might a fun suggestion:

Creating 2 fun/challenge threads, one for beginners and one for intermediate/advanced players. Every month a new challenge is posted, and the other posters record themselves trying to complete it. For example "use no bends", "play only 3 notes", "Use the whammy for X times", "play with delay", "wah pedal madness", something like that. I'd get 2 topics because it allows for a larger variety in challenges (I don't see myself completing a sweep picking one!). Giving selfmade tabs would also be a great challenge, asking people to play them, but they still have to invent a rhythm, and can fill it up with extra notes/technique.

I think it'd be great fun to see all the posts, and amazing for improving because you really have to work on some things to get them right. You get more changes and styles than you normally play, and I believe this improves you as a guitarist as a whole. It also circumvents the shyness a bit I think. Reason being that you're playing with a handicap which is sometimes extremely goofy. You get some things you excel at, and some things you'll, hopefully hilariously, fail to do as successfully as you'd like. It's less judging and easier for those who don't know what to post because they think we've already seen "Smoke on the Water" a million times.

It's just an idea of course, and I don't know if many people would be up for it. I'd set the time frame over 1 week due to people not having enough time maybe, so you get more than 3 posters every week, but perhaps 10 every 2 weeks.

Thanks for the post!! Ive been hammering away at this guitar thing for about 5 years now. Ive spent most of my time doing theary, exersizes, and stuff, a few starts, and stops with songs but thats it. Just needed a song that realy hit me, and made me spend the time to learn it... Well I learned, and recorded my first song a few weeks ago. Ya recording thing..... WOW that was a eyeopener!!!! Spent another week at it, and rerecorded it. Still pretty bad... but I see the improvement, so Im happy. I was going to post it here, but I cant figure out how to post a sound file. As for video?... well my time to play is normaly at night when the kids are in bed... after a long day..jamies on.... ya... nothing you all need to see. :D...

Hey all-

Don't really know why- I have actually never visited the hear here forum. Here's why: I discovered guitar noise while I lived in Ecuador. My internet was so slow it too half an hour to get to watch a video, and I have no way to put one up... so I just got in the habit of never going there.

It's silly, though- I'm in Korea, now. Land of high tech and broadband. And I have been for a while- still never went there, though. Just habit.

How about this- as reparation for my inattention, I'll put up our demo album as soon as it's done. (Couple of weeks.)

Best,
Ande

Oh Cool, ande. I can't wait to hear it.

TR, what happened to you was a classless act by a walking-d**k-with-ears who has to put down others to make himself feel better. What kind of mind thnks he's doing someone a favor to tell them that a possible weakness or shortcoming is a reason to stop and be ashmed of what you're doing. You've been doing this for 30 years, play a mean guitar and are not afraid to sing the song. You've helped to inspire me to grow more in Rock and singing. Tell him to cram it up his back side and just release your stuff using that private thing whee you gotta have a link to get to it, or just do a nameless entry on Soundclick or something. I've heard a ton of your stuff. I'd have no problem paying a cover of an extra buck a beer due to live entertainment (you) and watch you and TF rock out.

Back to this whole Hear Here section, we'd all be foolish to not use it. Heck, we tlk about guitar playing, ger, mixing and all that goe with it until we're blue in the face. Nothng can replace listening to a song or an excerpt and reading various - and serious - tips and suggestions from people we know and trust. In any kind of work, an extra set of ears or eyes or hands is almost always a good thing when you're trying to grow. Doesn't even have to be your song. You can learn by listening to other's work and other's comments regarding that work and iscover something you'd never even thought of.

We got some great resources here. We've got successful teachers chiming in everywhere. We've got a web site chock full of information and we have a user community of all skill levels trying to do the same thing. Just get a little bit better that what were were yesterday. Some show and tell and resulting comments is so good a tool to use that it's almost a luxury item.

I don't care if your just showing off some footage from your last gig, These videos are so inspireing in many ways. Not just to "get that good" or anything like that, but to see a song being played and have it click an idea to do that or another song that it reminded you of. We get to hear real life mixes my real life people we know and can ask questions of if we can't discern something from watching.

And of course, the casual "nice job, keep it up" kind of comments just add up to more and more inspiration and support. There's no shame in admitting that it's nice to have an ego stroked every now and again.

TR, getting back to you, I'm glad your still making music in you mancavestudiobar. I am sorry that your stuff has been removed and the gutless circumstances surrounding it. Perhaps if you used that private setting someone in the beginner's video section did where no one could see your work unless they happened a link to it here. We do expose ourselves a lot and youtube has the worst community on the 'net (as a whole) I've seen some nasty crap up there in comment land. I learn by just watching you and asking questions. They are screwing us out of a learning tool. That should not be allowed to happen.

My other thought is to ask the mods for their advice and support to at least think about getting ride of the "look at me" types who use GN only as free advertising to their song links. You ask a question or two and get ignored - I know who you are, rude people get to me - and it's just more traffic for them and maybe a name to sell inline lessons eventually or something. who cares? Maybe we can have a rule about minimum of XX posts in other parts before you can treat us like crap in the form of using.

I owe Joe hemple about 5 comments probably i the last month. I don't mean to be rude myself. I'm sure there are others as well.

I've rambled enough. Thanks everyone for listening. If I've skipped ast anypne, I apoligize. I have spme really good modern medicine making quality of life a bit better, but my filters keep needing adjusting. :lol: :lol:

Yeah, I'm, gonna toughen up and start posting some new stuff. I do like the private link idea as well. I am ashamed I let something like that bother me but at the time we were getting ready to launch our band and I was riding high on the reviews we were recieving from local peers ....... (I wasn't singing) :roll: It made me feel real bad real fast.

Things aren't looking so good for our drummer being reliable so it might be time to seek a replacement. He is hospitalized again and I think we already saw his best behavior and from there it got worse. It's our friends son (he's 31) so I had to give it a try but he is even not on good terms with her now so ....... addiction is a bad thing. I still got 2 drum kits and the singer's amp head and cab at my house. Do you suppose they even remember where they left them? Haven't played with the drummer since early December and haven't seen the singer since before halloween.

Anyhow ...... my next days off, Hear Here can expect a visit from the Man Cave! I can show everyone how my new amp rig rocks!

Ok I here's my two cents. For the most part I don't comment although on occasion I do. All of my comments are actually just my personal point of view since I wouldn't consider myself any kind of expert and I surely don't want to give someone the wrong information because I don't know.

As for my personal recording the main reason is I'm lazy and I don't have the desire to start doing it but there are also a couple of other reasons. For the most part I know what I sux at and I don't really need anyone to tell me that and I'm not really looking for "atta boy" comments from anyone either. Not that it's a bad thing it's just not my thing.

So by not posting anything there's always the feeling that if I comment on someone else's music they will have a bit of an attitude since you won't see anything from me. But it just comes down to different strokes for different folks I guess.

Plus there is a fair amount of songs posted here and I can't comment on them all.

So by not posting anything there's always the feeling that if I comment on someone else's music they will have a bit of an attitude since you won't see anything from me. But it just comes down to different strokes for different folks I guess.

Plus there is a fair amount of songs posted here and I can't comment on them all.
cnev, I understand. I feel that way too. I personally keep it to people I've seen out and about on the rest of the forum, but even then it can get busy. I've got the spare time, albeit inconsistent, so no biggie. Lots of folks can't listen until they get home. If I was in those shoes, I'd not comment on nearly as many as I'd want to.

You're right, too, in that people can take stuff personally. I do it myself. If I ask someone something or otherwise try to engage in conversation about a song posted and don't get a response more than once, I consider that a sign of rudeness or a hint or both. Color me gone, eh? Not everyone can handle a dose of The Roy. (hee hee, I just referred to myself in the third. Always wanted to do that. )

One thing I would consider, though, is that sometime you get on a tone quest. (If I am mistaken, please forgive me) It's hard to internalize a tone based on description. In such a case, a small snippet in Hear Here might be a valuable tool. But the price of paying it back (or forward) may not be something you're comfortable with and so be it. Even posting a snippet in the From Here To There section gets the same concept and is a smaller audience. a couple "thanks" and you're done. :D

I got nothing wrong with you, anything you do or don't do or any of the reasons you do or don't do something. I just wanted to make that clear.
Things aren't looking so good for our drummer being reliable........
I hate to hear that, even though it's not a surprise. Hopefully one will fall in your lap soon. Maybe some hottie intern with an incredible voice and sense of timing on the drums will surface. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Roy your right I have been on a tone quest for ages but I'm not totally sure anyone can help me that much listening over the internet.

I mostly come on here when I work, mainly because I'm in IT and I have an internet connection open all day and pop in and out of here during the day. A minute here a minute there.

You'll notice I rarely if ever post at night or on weekends. If I didn't work in IT or had a computer for work not sure I'd be on the internet much though.

There are a couple videos I have of one of our practices. Nothing special on there but me screwing up a couple endings ha. I'd be more embarassed of the way I look more then how I'm playing. For some reason that day I was staring at the guitar all night.
I don't have a way to post any video though.

Plus these aren't the best video's to poat as they aren't my best playing and actually the few songs I have weren't songs I did much on anyway so there's nothing really to see.