back on track with backing tracks

yeah, this is working out really well.  I"ve got one ipod with only backing tracks that I can connect to my amp.  38 tracks so far -- plenty to work on!  I got the vg strat on the syntesizer -- neck pickup of a humbucker strat.  great humbuckin' tone!

I'm working on a BB King song, Sweet Sixteen, from my tabs book.  Now I can read enough that I can work through the song.  And I got the backing tracks for all the songs in the book on my ipod.  so with the sheet music and the backtracks I can make some progress here.  I'm at the point where I can understand how the song works, moving in and out of major and minor pent in that bb king style.  so good!  I'm back to my original inspiration for guitar lessons -- BBK.

I feel back on track with backing tracks!  Gittar has a focus now, a goal.  forget jazz and delta blues.  I'ts back to blues lead solos!

low and slow works

low and slow works.  got the gain on very minimum.  no reverb, no effects at all!  Tone around 4 or 5.  Jazz emulation setting.  guitar tone set on 5 or so.  using various pickups with strat -- overall a good set up and no ring a ding ding.

my current form of 12 bar:  I chord is a 6th (like an A6 on the second fret -- that form - bar the 4 high strings), and IV and V chords are ninths (with root as lowest note on 5th string -- that form).  I play major pent in the I chord, and mix major and minor in the IV and V.  Mostly play major pent.  gives it that uptown feel.  trying to use chromatic chord changes, like T Bone Walker.  Like a 9th in this way: C-C#-D for the IV chord.  sliding up and down to the I IV V chords.

low and slow

OK, next experiment.... play it low and slow.  quiet slow blues.  i'm tryin' it.  seems to work OK.  call it smooth blues, whisper blues... low and slow.

ring a ding ding

So I've been playing guitar with my amp the last few days.  Been careful as usual: jazz setting, low gain, moderate tone, moderate volume.  Only a little reverb.  Still got some ringing.  Man, what's the deal?  I know it will go away, but I can't even use the amp a little without some ringing?  How am I supposed to play guitar???? I can't use my classical nylon stringed gittar -- that thing makes my ears ring!  Am I limited to unplugged electrics?

Is this another reason to move from blues to jazz?  blues tends to be loud, more percussive, more aggressive in tone.  Jazz can be more mellow -- like smooth jazz guitar.  So many more colors in jazz, too.  The pentatonic palate, even with some added scales (I've messed with mixolydian) still has its limits.  Plus the I IV V pattern 12 bar.   Yeah, there are 8 bar blues and other chord patterns, but the core is the 145.

liken' the t-pick!

yeah, the thumbpick is working well so far.  feels good -- no thumb joint pain yet.  and no new pains!  also it sounds good with the strings.  it's heavy!  maybe heavier than most jazz picks!  so a good tone emerges.  feels good that it stays on with no effort.  why don't more guitarists use them as picks? will something else come up to rain on my parade?  new pains?  weird side effects?  who knows!  for now I like it, dude!

Maybe the only downside is on an upward pick there is a chance to get the pick caught on the string, depending on the angle.  Hasn't bothered me so far.  I even did my scale triplet practice with the t-pick and had now problems like that.

got a thumbpick....

trying out a thumbpick to use as a regular pick, or plectrum...!  Also wanted it to go with my metal finger things for picking.  what do they call those things?  banjo dudes use them a lot.  anyhoo, i have some, but didn't have the thumbpick, so I got one today.  A National medium.  I'll see it works as a pick for blues.  So far I like it -- just gotta get used to a different feel.  Maybe it will eliminate the pain in my thumb joint I get after using a standard pick for too long.   ah, the aches and pains of gitar!