Metropoulos Forum

curious how you guys feel about your grasp of the instrument. scales, modes, theory of how it all applies as well as chords formulas, key centers, understanding the neck etc.

Mark

Thankfully, jazz band in high school helped me along in a lot of theory. My problem was more a sloppy practice regimen -- I played along to my albums but didn't really stop and look at how to apply all that knowledge to the fretboard, let alone really discipline myself with it technique-wise.

The other guy in my band in high school was disciplined as hell -- give him a day and he could play it the next!!! -- but my forte was always throwing something out off the top of my head that made sense.

I always find that it is "uncomfortable" for lack of a better word, to sit in with stranger's. I sometimes jump the gun and underestimate someone, who eventually "turns on" and starts to playin'. Options are useless unless there's proper motive, thats why I strongly feel that music is more a gift than a honed skill.

wont let you pick two choices.... I would pick the middle two.


Mark I think what you explained in our pm's is starting to click. I just need to sit down with it this weekend.

"I know the chromatic scale" and I "hear things in my head", thats all I need, unless I want to sound "Schooled", which I dont. It is a fine line to draw for sure, like knowing the exact time your gonna die. Give me a fair chance, as opposed to a sure thing. Like I'm not gonna say I know everything, cause there is no teacher to teach me that, so I free my mind, and my Ass surely follows.

At one time I had a fairly good grasp on most of it.
Now, I feel like I've forgotten more than I remember.
and, I'm pretty comfortable with that.
The fullneck scale patterns are burned into my brain for life, I use them everytime I pick up a guitar.

I've been in nothing but original bands(slim pickings in my neck of the woods) since 93-94. While my technique has slipped from the days I practiced 4-6 hours a day, and my theory knowledge has dissipated, I feel like creatively, I've improved 1000% percent.
To boil it down
Im pretty comfortable/confident with my playing creatively, rust and all, and, it took at least 20 of the 24 years Ive been playing to get here.

Now my tone is another story. Ive learned an incredible amount of things about my amps/tubes/tone since I've taken up the tone hunt. 2-3 years now for me. I wish I knew this shit years ago, my tone has seriously improved, but still not there.

so I free my mind, and my Ass surely follows.

Thats half the battle, right there

Natural gifts for playing,musicality,perfect pitch,learning music by ear,these are all desirable traits to have,some of have more than others.We all have in common a love for guitar music,I have bought transcriptions of all my favorite artists and I briefly fool with them,but don't really put the time in to practice.I enjoy the feel and spirit of improvisation,it's how I started to play.I know people say you have to learn how to walk,before you can run,but it wasn't that way for me.I can not play for 3 months and still play to my,albiet not the best,but good for me,level.That has always made me wonder about practising,it takes discipline,which I always haven't had in my life.Some are musical behemoths,the reason I like Yngwie lately is that he never took a lesson in his life,has amazing musical theory knowledge,dosen't practice,or wear earplugs ,but still plays with the enthusiasm he always has,this is about my playing not his,but Jimi was and still is a major influence on my perception of the guitar.I listen to all the jazz greats,Chet Atkins,Segovia,The Beatles,Beach Boys,but when I heard Hendrix,I wanted an electric guitar,a Fender Stratocaster,and the same equipment as my hero.This was in the days when this stuff was pretty expensive,still is,but when I had the FuzzFace the Cry Baby wah and my Marshall stack,I realized there was a lot more to it,but I stuck with it and enjoy playing now,as never before!I am afraid of theoory and all this mathematical stuff,as it dosen't interest me,I would have to listen to Phyrigian and such and to be told what it was,harmonic minor,I know I enjoy!So to answer the question,definitely maybe!I am never happy with the extent of my theory knowledge.Plus I seem to write about music more than play it these days .
Good topic
yngwie308

Do these help any? I have drawn lots of this stuff. I've always wanted to do a book or poster or something.

http://putstuff.putfile.com/61162/7980664

Seems that there is quite a bit of interest in music theory here lately. Maybe a few threads of this stuff will weed out some of the holes in our understanding. I can contribute more drawings...

Im sure my fingers know more about Theory than my brain does.
I just go with feel and my fingers do the rest.

I know how to say anything I've got to say on the guitar. Guys like Mark just know how to say it in ten different dialects.
I played jazz in high school too. We actually toured six months out of the year up and down the west coast. I had a teacher who was teaching me nothing but theory. While some of it will always be with me most of it is gone like most of the brain cells of my youth .
These days though I prefer to stick to the three T's: Tone, Taste, and Tenacity.

Mike

I find that when I improvise I am always trying to get out of the 'box' as it were, those five pentatonic boxes we all know and love that we use to cover the neck's two octaves. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that if you just created based on those shapes, your playing tends to sound one-dimensional. Nowadays I challenge myself and try to 'hear' the melody in my head as I play, thus trying to become more intelligent in my phrasing, much like a sax player just blowin' great lines along with a great groove.

Of course, one summer I jammed with a local player who blew me in the weeds, and he was nice enough to do so, because that was the summer I learned all about keys, progressions, scale patterns, etc.

These days I feel good about my playing and knowledge of theory. But like someone once said, you have to learn it all, then forget about it and play from the gut.

The most rewarding moments a player can experience is when they hear themselves recorded and they really like what they hear, and want others to hear it too. Thst's what its all about.

It's rare to be able to grasp the basics without at least some fundamentals on theory. Important stuff especially early on.

I havent much of a clue. I know the pentatonics - major and minor and i was taught the natural minor scale by my music teacher. I still dont know the major scale though

I guess i just bumble along learning what i pickup. Trouble is, whenever i discover a cool sounding chord, i dont know what it is! I can hear tonalities and can pickup what key simple songs are in by ear. I think that might be a glimmer of talent more than anything else. Trouble is i'm too lazy to learn.

I'll never be a great guitarist but i just want to be good enough to enjoy the gear i have. Now being a great amp tech is something i can work to. It just science and engineering which is my major talent!

I used to be a rippin big band trumpet player. I haven't touched it in 25 years. Played all thru college and a little after. I have a minor in music but I have never been able to translate it to the fret board. took theory 1, 2 and 3 in college. Theory 3 for the final the prof played a melody line on the piano. We then had to write the melody and then write all the harmonies and chords. With no use of any instrumentation, all from the head. I can't believe I could do that shit now cause I'm stuck in the pentatonic and minor harmonic when improvising. I have to write out all my original solos from my head. That way they don't come out in the box.
I guess I need some more lessons!
RR

I used to be able to sight-read just about anything. I got tired of that stuff and wanted to ROCK, and was blessed with really good ears. So . . . I got lazy and just learned by ear. Then I was doing some jazz stuff. A friend showed me how to read charts etc. Did that for a while - but still went back to rock and blues etc.

Basically I am saying that I don't really care about theory at this point in my life and am still gigging 3-4 nights week.

BOO-YA! BRING ON THE NOIZE!

- WOT