Challenge: The Pointy vs Paddle headstock Duel!
its always fun until someone puts an eye out!!
Yikes, just listened to Slayer — Raining Blood for the first time. I have zero chance ?Honestly all the songs are sooo far out of my league it ain't funny. But I'm a good sport ?
And if I get one good riff or new skill out of this, it'll be well worth it. I picked Little Wing for all the chords and embellishments. Totally out of my noodling comfort zone. And I picked Scuttle Buttin' for the tasty fast blues rhythm. I have just about never played anything fast, ever.
@V8 can we get some background on your choices?
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Peace Sells is one of my favourite tunes that I never learnt but wanted to. I think It's a really fun chuggy riffy feel with a touch of groove to it.
Raining Blood is another I always wanted to do but never did. It just sounds mad evil, especially on the live album played twice as fast as the studio version! ?
The issue with Raining Blood is, Alternate picking the triplets at that tempo takes a while to build up - It's quite a technical skill that has a surprisingly amount of subtleties. Plus I'm half-decent at it already - particularly after having to work on it for the djent band...on a BEAD tuned bass ?
V8 Peace Sells is one of my favourite tunes that I never learnt but wanted to. I think It's a really fun chuggy riffy feel with a touch of groove to it.
Nice! Love that song. I'm super keen to learn to play (and sing) - Megadeth - In Nothing We Trust.
V8 It just sounds mad evil, especially on the live album played twice as fast as the studio version! ?
Yikes! Ja no, waaaay outta my league. But if the Guitar Talkers wanna see me in pain, then I'll have to put on my big-boy panties and get on with it ?
YIKES! ?
So I pick up my guitar this arvie just before sitting down for my afternoon work session and I decide to practice some alternating picking at 120bpm. Triplets and 8th notes. Felt like I was trying to learn a new language.
THAT'S how long it's been since I've practiced properly.
Most of my "speed" practice in my teens and early twenties went into legato. I don't think I ever got a decent picking speed going at all. (And I'm still rubbish at legato. I can hammer on fairly well but my pull-offs are shyte.)
The good news (for YOU guys) is wifey got a short clip of me practicing. I'll try get it and post it here as part of the challenge updates.
Here it is, folks. I can't even pick anymore.
Ok folks, coz I messed up the newsletter, we didn't get any votes for songs so we flipped a coin. Actually it was a pick...
We actually both wanted Jimi so... I guess the universe wants us both to sukkel a bit. (I even thought, when I saw "Dunlop" that we got Little Wing ? )
So there you have it folks, 14 days begins today. Let's say entries have to be in by 23:59 Monday 28 May)
It's on!
So Norio flicked a coin and we have....
I'm gonna have to find a red hat and a pipe - hopefully there's some speed in the accessories ?
Before this challenge started, while we were thinking of what to play, Meron sent me this video. I'm gonna be focusing on just the riffage of Scuttle Buttin'. Not the solo or anything else.
You're all welcome to challenge each other or just learn the riffs too in support of your own preferred headstock ?
I'm insane for ever thinking I could do this ?
You'll notice in this video that I rush through the "fast" part so I can get to the nice 'n slow "my own damn thing" part. Both sound pretty equally awful but I'm just glad the pain is over.
I figure with another 2-4 weeks, it might sound like something. Kudos to @V8. Methinks he's won already!
Sorry for the video being out of time. I couldn't help that. I recorded the video on my phone and then added in the audio from my BR-600.
PS: I'm not all sour-puss about this terrible performance of mine ? I'm glad we did this challenge. It really got my playing again and I might just stick with Scuttle Buttin' until I can play it properly. I enjoyed most parts of the challenge. Just not so much today ?
Here's my DI'ed recordings...not that I'm exactly proud of them. But my fingers are a bit tender from today's efforts, so it'll have to do.
135 bpm. Eventually I've started to get cleanish licks, occasionally with a hint of the feel that I've been struggling to find. But only a coupla times, can't get it consistently.
DI'ed into Roland Quad Capture, a few plugin's and then did two versions. One neck pickup and one neck & middle pickup. Tonewise - I prefer the neck, but I think the neck and middle is more in the ballpark?
It's been forever since I have paid this much attention to metronomes/bpm while practicing. A rather humbling experience, thanks @NorioDS ?
Thanks man! I honestly thought your clip's lick had more feel, something I only started to find a hint of this evening.
What I learnt :
Norio's challenge's are machocistic. All of them! ?
I still don't play 16ths very well.
I don't pick consistently across strings. Particularly them teeny tiny treble strings on electrics. yuk.
I'm spending too much time jamming @ 90-110bpm. Above 120 was well outside my happy place!
Technically, I couldn't play the first four 16th notes as individually picked notes - So yesterday, I came up with a motion that Is kinda like a downward sweep and then upward rake to play these first four 16th notes of the lick.
The rest of the lick I could mostly get, but that opening burble of notes was impossible for me to get as funky ass authentic as SRV.
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V8 But my fingers are a bit tender from today's efforts, so it'll have to do.
It's odd isn't it? I think I played better before trying to record than I did yesterday on "d-day". I have some video clips from last week that, despite an ungodly amount of distortion, actually sound quite a bit better than my entry.
V8 Tonewise - I prefer the neck, but I think the neck and middle is more in the ballpark?
Definitely prefer the neck.
V8 Norio's challenge's are machocistic. All of them! ?
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone ?
V8 I don't pick consistently across strings.
I have the same issue with my dynamics. Challenges like these might actually get us to improve. It's hard NOT to notice the "overly loud" notes as you're trying to learn something with SO many damn notes that you don't have time to do it slowly ?
V8 I'm spending too much time jamming @ 90-110bpm. Above 120 was well outside my happy place!
Totally had the same experience except my comfort zone was in the 60bpm to 90bpm range. I mostly noodle over ballads... just because that's all I could manage. In my 20s, a little speed didn't scare me but that's coz I was mostly using legato and the 3-note-per-string scale. Makes it dead-easy.
V8 Technically, I couldn't play the first four 16th notes as individually picked notes - So yesterday, I came up with a motion that Is kinda like a downward sweep and then upward rake to play these first four 16th notes of the lick.
Definitely had a similar issue. I didn't quite get the upwards rake. Hoping a few more (relaxed) practice sessions will get me there.
V8 The rest of the lick I could mostly get, but that opening burble of notes was impossible for me to get as funky ass authentic as SRV.
Actually trying to play this song really does give you tons more respect for the legend. I mean I loved him already but, good grief, the man could play. You don't really gain that appreciation for an artist until you attempt the same thing they did.
Great challenge but I'm also glad this part is over ?
If I ever improve my playing of this song, I'll hopefully remember to post it here in the Learning Scuttle Buttin thread.
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NorioDS think I played better before trying to record than I did yesterday on "d-day".
The dreaded recording "brain/finger freeze". Nothing is quite as effective as that blinking red light at testing how well you can do it under pressure.
Haha, true. Though my fingers were certainly NOT liking it yesterday after around 45m of solid playing.
NorioDS I didn't quite get the upwards rake. Hoping a few more (relaxed) practice sessions will get me there.
I got to thinking it as a staggered down & up strum, but piking strings instead of strumming them. The upwards rake was just for the open B string, tricky I often got the open high E on the way up. I like the idea, will be practicing it more - liked the sound/feel.
But relaxing at the higher bpm's was near impossible. Especially picking hand/arm/shoulder - everything got tense trying to get pick fast & clean on the strings.
NorioDS I mean I loved him already but, good grief, the man could play. You don't really gain that appreciation for an artist until you attempt the same thing they did.
2000% ? I can play a little bit of pride n joy and mary had a little lamb - but when you get deeper into his work it helps a LOT to have great chops (unlike me!). And we didn't get into his lead playing, which is next level (imho).
NorioDS Great challenge but I'm also glad this part is over
Yeah, +1 to that. I got a bit gatvol around day9/10, but coming back to it was a challenge in patience and has it's rewards - even if we don't see them immediately.
All in I spent around 4h15m (inc yesterday's recording efforts) on this challenge over 15 daze. This was 'focussed' practice on only Scuttle Buttin and not just noodle time (which I did plenty, but not on Scuttle Buttin). Not quite as successful as I hoped, but I did get some technical insights and hopefully a new technique to work into my playing.
So kimosabie, you ready for Part II or shall we take a short break to recuperate. I should probably admit that I did do some work on Peace Sells and Raining Blood...kept me from smashing stuff ?
V8 So kimosabie, you ready for Part II or shall we take a short break to recuperate. I should probably admit that I did do some work on Peace Sells and Raining Blood...kept me from smashing stuff ?
Sies! Cheat ?
I like the idea of a break so go do work on something else ? I've just installed the new poll extension for this forum software so we can start the voting today.
Ok!
Time to vote folks! Go here:
https://community.guitartalk.co.za/d/26676-pointy-vd-paddle-vote-scuttle-buttin-phase-1
(Sorry for the separate vote thread, I can't add a poll to an existing thread.)
V8 Ohhh, you got polls working - well done!
I can't take any of the credit. I just installed the extension that someone else (finally) built ?
Hehe, I'll give you one last chance to pick something else...something metal flavoured from 80/90's
Okay you asked for it ... how about the solo for Maiden — The Trooper? ? (Yep, totally serious. Mad. Off my rocker. Lost it. But serious ?)
V8 Still think running through some Metallica riff's would be fun!
Yeah it's growing on me but they're not on Rocksmith which means I'll have to go find some lessons I trust. ?