# Off-Topic Discussion > Artists' Corner >  >  Oneironaut's Guitar Playing.

## Oneironaut Zero

Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name of
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irg-kYcoujo

A few fuck-ups here and there, but oh well.  :tongue2:

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## Man of Shred

> Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name of
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irg-kYcoujo
> 
> A few fuck-ups here and there, but oh well. 
> [/b]




 One as soon as i Get my pc up and running (using library for now). i will be sure to rate and comment your video. good job for having the confidence to post videos&#33;

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## Jess

Sounds good.  The blue reflection on your guitar looked like your guitar had cool lights on it or electricity was coming off it at first&#33;&#33;  ::cooler::  I guess its the music video playing opposite you?

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## Oneironaut Zero

Thanks, Jess.  ::happy:: 

Nah, it&#39;s the TV that&#39;s making the reflection on the guitar, but the sound is down. The music is coming from the computer. I didn&#39;t even notice the reflection until you mentioned it, though. It _does_ look kinda cool. Heh.

I just got this new distortion pedal so I&#39;m going to have to tweak it a bit so that it doesn&#39;t squeal when I try to mute the strings and get the "chicka-chicka-chicka" sound, cause it&#39;s annoying the hell out of me. Lol.

And thanks also, ranma. I figured I&#39;d be better off posting videos because I&#39;ll have to just deal with the fact that I&#39;m not yet as exciting to watch/listen to as a certain _SOMEBODY_ on this forum, who will remain nameless - CoughCoughYOUCough - Haha. But hey, practice makes perfect, right?  ::wink:: 

Hope ya like it, whenever you get a chance to check it out. Criticism is always welcome, of course.  ::cooler::

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## Man of Shred

well now my pc is up but the damn thing won&#39;t connect  :Sad:  .

 Oh well i move to alberta next week and when i get to my brothers&#39;s house then i will check it out&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;

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## Pelirrojo

Nice job man, keep practicing - rage is fun stuff to rock out to  :yumdumdoodledum:

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## NeAvO

Not bad  ::goodjob2::  your better then me. Keep up the good work  :smiley:

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## Oneironaut Zero

Thank you both&#33;  ::cooler::

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## Pelirrojo

Oh, a couple things that might help you on your guitar odyssey - 

Most importantly: Stop using tabs right now&#33;  You probably use tabs, everyone does because they make it so much easier haha.  However, if you keep playing, down the road a good ear is going to be priceless as you start writing your own stuff, performing with people (when you&#39;ve only had an hour to rehearse and you don&#39;t know any of the songs haha), etc etc.  A good ear is just a great thing to have, and you aren&#39;t going to build one by using tabs.  Some songs are really complicated and hard to figure out the chords for, so by all means go ahead and look those up, but for songs that are mostly power chords you should try to figure those out on your own before you go to tabzilla or whatever.  It will be really frusterating at first so don&#39;t let it discourage you, but try to figure out as much as you can before you go to a tab website and you&#39;ll slowly improve.

To help build your ear you could also try just playing songs you know.  Like, pick some random starting note, and play happy birthday, mary had a little lamb, Under the sea, whatever you want  ::-P:   Just fudge your way through and as you keep doing this you&#39;ll get better and better.

Start using your pinky now, seriously hehe.  If you aren&#39;t already using your pinky, start doing it asap.  If you learn to use your pinky while you&#39;re still starting out it will be much easier for you to develop it at the same speed as your other fingers.  For me playing bass, I didn&#39;t start using my pinky until a couple years in so my other fingers were really fast and strong, but my pinky was so weak I would avoid using it at all costs.  It&#39;s kind of a vicious cycle, the faster your other fingers get the less you want to use your pinky =/  So I guess the point is - start using your pinky now, while all your fingers are slow and weak haha.  You&#39;ll be happy later on.

Third thing - listening to prog rock will make you a better musician.  Period hehe.  Just actively listening to bands like Dream Theater, Yes, Rush, etc will help your sense of rhythm a lot (by active listening I mean try to figure out rhythms and melodies - tap your foot along and try to feel what&#39;s going on).  Most popular music is just simple 4/4, and has simple song and chord structure.  Listening to bands like these will help open you up a little bit. 

I also have a couple little rhythm related exercises I like to do - 
Tapping my pinky-ring-middle-index on one hand, and index-middle-ring on the other hand so a steady beat to imitate a 4/4 beat against a 3/4.  You could also try tapping triplets with one hand and straight eighth notes with the other.

I dunno man, seems like you&#39;re doing just fine anyways - keep playing and you&#39;ll improve =D I just hope some of that helps you improve faster :yumdumdoodledum:

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## Man of Shred

not bad at all oneiro&#33;

 you keep the timing good. most newbies have no sense of rythm. Keep it up  :smiley:  

 BTW i used to play that song a lot when i first started out&#33;.

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## CoLd BlooDed

That was pretty good, man.  Your timing was correct and the guitar sounded like it should.  I like your electric guitar too, I wish I had a better one.

How long have you been playing for?

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## Oneironaut Zero

Pelirrojo:

Thanks for all the advice&#33;  ::goodjob2:: 
Im actually using my tabs very lightly at the moment. One thing Im blessed with is that Ive been working in music for a very long time (started w/ piano lessons at about 7 yrs old) and Ive built up a _great_ ear for music. Everything from percussion timing to harmonizing. The main reason I decided to learn a few tabs is to familiarize myself with the fret board. Im getting to the point now where I can freestyle pretty well. Ill make a simple little percussion beat on Fruity Loops and, as that plays, Ill just improvise along the fret board and make some pretty impressive melodies. (I figured that, since I could do that so well with my voice, already, it shouldnt be that hard to learn to do it with the guitar..and, surprisingly, its not.  ::teeth::  )
Also, Ill let a song that I dont know play on the computer and Ill completely improvise some harmonics for that song, as it progresses, either with single strings or with the few chords I know. Im actually pretty impressed with myself for being able to do that so well at such an early (guitar) age.  ::content:: 
Youre absolutely right, though. Being able to play by ear is much better than relying on tabs (especially over the internet, because many of them are flat-out Wrong) so I will do what I can to keep working more on that.
Now I know that, when playing the guitar, there are a large number of string/chord combinations you can do to get the same sounds. My question is  How acceptable is that (I guess in the guitar community) when learning to play other peoples songs? 
In other words if I learn to play something by ear, and its a completely different format than the original composer, how often do you think Ill be met with WTF are you doing, man? Thats not how its played&#33; Or is it something that doesnt matter, as long as it sounds right? Just curious.

Pinky  You know I just got the exact same advice from a friend of mine. It feels awkward as fuck using my pinky but Ive got small hands anyway, so I guess I need all the help reaching those frets as I can. Hahaha. Ill start using my pinky a lot more. Thanks.

As far as keeping rhythm, Ive definitely gotten that down pat. Being able to rap pretty damn good, and technically, has helped me with that.  ::wink:: 

Thanks again, man. All great advice.  ::happy:: 

Ranma- Thanks&#33; Yeah, I love that song. Actually I love damn near anything by Rage.  ::cooler:: 

CB - Yeah, I love this guitar. It&#39;s even better since I got a good deal on it.  ::wink:: 
But...let&#39;s see...I had another guitar about 7 years ago (God, has it been that long??) I bought it on a whim and didn&#39;t know shit about playing the guitar. I played for a little over a year, off and on. Then I had to get rid of it ( long story  :Sad:  ) and I just got this one about four months ago so...going on two years now. I&#39;ve never taken lessons though, so I&#39;m pretty proud of that.  ::content::

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## Pelirrojo

Nice dude, just playing along with stuff on the computer is how I learned bass, although I think it&#39;s easier to do that with bass than with guitar (may just have to do with the fact that you&#39;re classically trained on the piano and  I&#39;m trained on trumpet... piano and guitar kind of go together, and trumpet and bass are similar too because piano/guitar play chords while trumpet/bass just play 1 note at a time for the most part).

It&#39;s perfectly acceptable to play something differently if it sounds the same.  You&#39;ll probably get called out by some teenage guitarist who will be like "I saw them play live and you&#39;re doing it wrong&#33;", but fuck em  ::-P:   The only thing you need to be a bit careful of is playing power chords.  I don&#39;t know much about guitar in particular, but I see a lot of people doing power/bar chords (just tonic + fifth + octave, or, for example, 2nd fret on the bottom string, and 4th fret on the second and third strings) instead of the full chords (power chords are missing that ever-important 3rd).  Some songs actually do use the power chords instead of the full chords but you do need to be careful and distinguish. 

Pinky feels awkward now, imagine how awkward it&#39;ll feel in 10 years of not using it haha =/  

 :yumdumdoodledum:  (I just like this smiley :yumdumdoodledum: )

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## Oneironaut Zero

Thanks again.  ::cooler:: 

Yeah I&#39;m pretty good at my power/bar chords. It&#39;s a bit of a bitch trying to learn the full/standard chords though. Heh. Right now I only know 3 or four of them. I know I need to, though, to get that full range of sound from lows to highs in a single cord (especially to pick the strings individually, in each, to do those harmonic melodies.)

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## Neruo

Hey cool that you play the guitar&#33;  Ahhh, rage against the machine... incredible how such technically easy/simple music can sound that good...

For a first song, it isn&#39;t that bad, actually, it is quite good. How long are you playing? 

Smells like teen spirit by nirvana is allso pretty cool to learn to play as starters.  But I think you are ready for some more complicated stuff. Some jimi hendrix perhaps?  :smiley:

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## Oneironaut Zero

> Hey cool that you play the guitar&#33;  Ahhh, rage against the machine... incredible how such technically easy/simple music can sound that good...
> 
> For a first song, it isn&#39;t that bad, actually, it is quite good. How long are you playing? 
> 
> Smells like teen spirit by nirvana is allso pretty cool to learn to play as starters.  But I think you are ready for some more complicated stuff. Some jimi hendrix perhaps? 
> [/b]



Well, I wouldn&#39;t call it a "first song," actually. So far I know:

Soundgarden - Outshined, Fell on Black Days (most of it, anyway)
Bush - Machine Head
Rage - Killing in the name of
Maroon 5 - She Will Be Loved, Harder to Breathe
Linkin Park - One Step Closer, Papercut, Lying from you
Three Doors Down - Kryptonite
and a few other riffs here and there.

I&#39;m working on Enter Sandman by Metallica, now. This one I&#39;m actually learning by ear, and not using tabs.  ::goodjob2::  @ Pelirrojo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtFbKNnpTsM
Of course there are still a couple of trainwrecks, but I&#39;m getting there. This one is tough.

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## Like A Bird Without Arms

> I&#39;m working on Enter Sandman by Metallica, now. This one I&#39;m actually learning by ear, and not using tabs.[/b]



Haha, I remember when I was JUST starting out on guitar I learned that opening riff and played it thousands of times before I stopped and asked myself, "Now what?"
Unfortunately I never did learn the rest of Enter Sandman, and I looked up the TAB for the opening riff.  ::embarrassed:: 

Keep those videos coming&#33;  ::D:

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## Pastro

Thats sounding pretty nice O

I used to play guitar in grade 5 and couldn&#39;t play worth shit, maybe Ill pick it up again....

Anyways, keep practicing and you&#39;ll only get better.

Edit: Is that your back yard? It looks nice and big&#33;

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## Tornado Joe

*O&#33;* How the hell did I miss this thread&#33;?

Anyhoo - Rage? Awesome&#33; I think you should give _"Born of a Broken Man"_ a try when you get the chance - there&#39;s a bit more of a range in technique and style, yet still easy enough for newbies.

Sandman: hey, sounding good. People don&#39;t realize that even though stuff like that sounds easy, it&#39;s mostly a matter of rhytm, plucking and strumming spaced out evenly and tight. My first attempts at playing metal were back in the "Master of Puppets" and "Garage Days Revisited" days - ahh... fun times. 

I&#39;d also recommend giving some Iron Maidden a try ("Wasted Years" and "Can I Play With Madness?")

Pretty soon you&#39;ll be ready to work on playin behind your back, plucking with your teeth and diving off tables and chairs (let me know if you need any tips on the later  ::chuckle::  )

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## Burns

> *O&#33;* How the hell did I miss this thread&#33;?[/b]



Dude&#33; Me too&#33;   ::huh::  Weird.

O, that&#39;s freaking awesome&#33; :bravo: Love the songs you&#39;re doing, too - great song choices&#33;

I can fully appreciate how hard it is to play guitar - I tried to get into it when I was about 13, but as far as I got was about 5 chords, and I couldn&#39;t even play "Skip to My Loo" properly - it was like "skip, skip, skip to my... (long pause).... LOO&#33;" I sucked hardcore - it just wasn&#39;t for me. LOL

You are very talented with your music and art - keep up the great work&#33;  ::goodjob2::  And keep posting for those of us that could never dream of playing Rage or Metallica on guitar&#33;

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## Tornado Joe

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE("the cat in the bag")</div>



> I sucked hardcore[/b]



Oh yeah, baby - you&#39;d make a great groupie&#33;  :Hi baby:

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## Oneironaut Zero

Thanks everybody.  ::teeth:: 

And yup @ Pastro. Thats my backyard now, but Im going to be moving (hopefully in January) so I may not have one as big, soon. Oh well. 

Joe:
Ill definitely check out the songs you listed. I havent heard an Iron Maiden song in years. Itd be good to go through some of their stuff again and find the songs that I used to like.
And lol @ the tricks. Yeah, I think Im going to see you do a demonstration of table/chair-diving for my own amuse-maaah, I mean, for strictly educational purposes.  ::cooler:: 

Burns:
Thanks for the kind words.  ::content:: 
LOL @ Skip to my loo&#33; Yeah, I hate that shit. Whats most frustrating is after youve practiced a song all day, you got it down, you know it, you _own_ itand then, the next time you play it, you completely suck at it. Lol. Its like there comes a time when your mind just says No bitch. You are NOT playing this song anymore. Im going on strike.
Hahah.





> Oh yeah, baby - you&#39;d make a great groupie&#33; 
> [/b]



Mwuahaha.

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## Man of Shred

good stuff&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;

 I wouldn&#39;t mind hearing Kryptonite from you&#33;

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## CoLd BlooDed

That last video&#39;s not bad for learning all that by ear.  Enter Sandman is an awesome song.  You should definately go for Master of Puppets when you&#39;re up to it.  :jk:

You know, if you want a cool trick to learn (if diving off of tables or chairs isn&#39;t your bag  :tongue2:  ), I&#39;d suggest you spin the guitar around your neck.  If done right, it can be pretty impressive.   ::D:  

Keep it up.

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## Oneironaut Zero

Ranma:
Well, I should have been more specific and said I know _most_ of Kryptonite. It&#39;s actually the hardest song I know how to play. There are only a couple of (full) chords, and I&#39;ve pretty much got them down, but it&#39;s just transitioning from chord to chord, so quickly that I haven&#39;t worked out to a science, yet. 
Basically, I stumble all over myself when I&#39;m playing that song, and it can be pretty painful to listen to, at times.   ::|:  

But, I think it may be good enough to post a vid, now that I&#39;ve got my disclaimer out of the way, haha. So maybe I&#39;ll post one soon.

CB:
Thanks, man.  ::content:: 
I&#39;m getting a little better at recognizing the chord combinations by ear. Now, if I&#39;m listening to rock on the radio or computer or whatever, I&#39;m usually going over, in my head, whether single strings, bar chords, power chords or standard chords are being played. Over time, it will become second nature. 

And, hmm. Spinning it around my neck.  ::hrm:: 

Yeah, that _would_ be pretty impressive, wouldn&#39;t it?  ::cooler::

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## Sleepless

A kindly advise for your technique; use upstrokes too instead of using all downstrokes. The way yo go play faster and sound smoother. Maybe it&#39;s not right to say that cuz you are using power chords mostly in the videos, but i&#39;m sure you know what i mean  :smiley: 

Congrats and keep working   ::goodjob::

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## FreshBrains

It doesn&#39;t sound like your kind of music, to say the least, but hearing a DV member play the Comfortably Numb outro solo would be awesome in SO many flavors.

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## CoLd BlooDed

> Now, if I&#39;m listening to rock on the radio or computer or whatever, I&#39;m usually going over, in my head, whether single strings, bar chords, power chords or standard chords are being played[/b]



That&#39;s a good way to start.  It took a while for me to develop an ear for that, mostly because there was no musical talent in my genetics - I had to establish that for myself.   :tongue2:   I&#39;m still working on it, to be honest.   ::D: 





> Yeah, that would be pretty impressive, wouldn&#39;t it?[/b]



My friends at my old school had a band called "The Relief" (they have a myspace), and there&#39;s some songs where they actually spin the guitar around their neck simultaneously, catch it, and immediately start playing right where they left off.  It&#39;s _awesome_.

If you try it, though... don&#39;t smack yourself in the face.

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## Oneironaut Zero

> If you try it, though... don&#39;t smack yourself in the face.
> [/b]



Hahaha. Knowing me, it&#39;ll happen. I once almost blacked out after hitting myself in the back of the head with a pair of nunchaku, when learning how to use them.  ::chuckle:: 

Hmm. Landed upside down against the side of a pool, while learning to backflip...

...got hit in the nutz by someone else&#39;s rifle while doing an armed exhibition drill team rehearsal...

.....yeah...I&#39;ve got a bad track record. It&#39;ll happen.  :tongue2:

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## Pastro

"And yup @ Pastro. Thats my backyard now, but Im going to be moving (hopefully in January) so I may not have one as big, soon. Oh well."

O man I love my yard so much, have a nice five acre back yard, perfect for soccer and hockey.

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## Tom_Peace

Oneironaut, that is great stuff. It is genius to see you on video. You are the first DV person I have seen moving&#33;

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## Oneironaut Zero

Haha. Thanks, man&#33;  ::teeth:: 
I&#39;ll get a few more up whenever I got some more time.  ::cooler:: 





> A kindly advise for your technique; use upstrokes too instead of using all downstrokes. The way yo go play faster and sound smoother. Maybe it&#39;s not right to say that cuz you are using power chords mostly in the videos, but i&#39;m sure you know what i mean 
> 
> Congrats and keep working  
> [/b]



Oops. Left you hangin on this one, Sleepless. Sorry about that.
Yeah, I completely agree though. I&#39;m still trying to get used to the upstrokes. I can alternate pretty well when I have to strum the same chord over and over, in succession, but when I&#39;m switching from chord to chord, it&#39;s kinda hard for me to get the rhythm of it. I&#39;m working on it, though&#33;  ::teeth::

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## Oneironaut Zero

Aight. Kinda proud of this one.  ::cooler:: 

(yesterday)
I&#39;ve been teaching myself to play "Animal I have Become" (I think that&#39;s the name of it) by Three Days Grace. I haven&#39;t used _any_ tabs (just learning by ear).  Started at like noon and I&#39;ve been playing all damn day. I&#39;m also playing with a lot of upstrokes now too (  ::wink::  @ Sleepless ). 

(today)
Finally got through the whole song without screwing it up.  ::cooler:: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrv1lqrPnKc

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## Burns

::goodjob::  that sounded great&#33;&#33; Nicely done.

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## Oneironaut Zero

::thanks::  Burns&#33;&#33;&#33;

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## Tom_Peace

Beautiful, man. Very cool&#33;

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## FreshBrains

I&#39;ve been screwing around with my guitar for a few years now, and for what it&#39;s worth, you&#39;re way better than me.  ::D: 
(Not like it&#39;s saying much)

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## Oneironaut Zero

Thanks, Tom&#33;

And thanks, FreshBrains......I think.  ::chuckle:: 

Aight, so check it:

Been doing mostly rock songs for a lil while now, and I really want to learn the blues, too. I&#39;ve been teaching myself one of the blues scales and have learned to improvise with it.  ::teeth:: 
I&#39;m so used to learning how to play other people&#39;s music (not to mention that I just mainly knew power chords), that improvising is hard as hell because you&#39;re just making up different shit as you go along, based on what you already know. Never done it before, and it&#39;s wild. To top it all off, if you play something you like, for the first time, you have to remember exactly the last sequence you did - in time for the next 4-count - and play it again. That shit&#39;s tough. 
Anyway, I think I&#39;m getting pretty good at it.  ::cooler:: 

I start off just going up and down the blues scale I learned, and then get into flowing into random shit, using that scale. Some parts are kind of rough (I even just stop all together, at times, cause my fingers can&#39;t keep up with my brain. Lol) but I think it sounds pretty damn tight, overall.

http://media.putfile.com/Blues-Scale-Ad-Lib-with-Beat
Not bad for a N00b, eh?  ::ninja::

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## CoLd BlooDed

Hey, that&#39;s pretty dope man.  I remember how thrilled I was when I learned my first scale and how it actually sounded good.  Have you tried improvising to another guitar riff?  That&#39;s when it gets fun.

Say, where&#39;d you get that drum beat?

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## Oneironaut Zero

Thanks, man.  ::teeth:: 

And I&#39;ve never tried improvising a _lead_ to another guitar riff, but I&#39;ve harmonized with a few, ad-libbing some chords to go along with the melody. But now that I&#39;m getting more into it, I&#39;m going to try improving over some other songs/riffs. 

And that beat is just one of the presets on this KORG drum-synth that a buddy of mine let me hold (I might buy it from him, though, cause it&#39;s pretty tight). You can make your own beats on it, from scratch, kinda like I do with Fruity Loops, but it comes with a bunch of presets that you can scroll through. It&#39;s a helluvalot better than a metronome.  ::wink::

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## Tom_Peace

Man, I just listened to that blues scale. It is sounding very cool indeed&#33;
I love using that scale in solos and all that. 12 bar blues is a favourite of mine.

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## Tornado Joe

Hey O&#33; Just checkin up on your progress (man, been away from DV too much lately, I&#39;m missing out on shit&#33 :wink2: 

Dude, sounding good&#33;  ::thumbup::  Did you record it all "live" or mix it together in the computer? Was just thinkin&#39; all you gotta do now is lay down a kickin rhythm riff and you got yourself a composition&#33;

What I used to do (pre computer days  ::rolleyes::  ) was record a rhythm track on a cassette, play along *with* the tape while recording onto yet another recording device. Then you could layer yet another track by taking that recording (of you and the rhythm) and repeating the process. This way it&#39;s like having your own virtual band&#33; (without fear of your drummer dying of spontaneous combustion  ::chuckle::  )

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## Oneironaut Zero

Thanks, Tom and Joe&#33;  ::thanks:: 

Yeah, I recorded it live. I have a program called Audacity that lets you record whatever audio is playing on/through your computer, live. I let the beat play through ACID while playing the guitar over the beat and recording them to a single file. I can then take the recorded file, play it in media player while playing another riff and then save _that_ compilation to another single file.  ::wink:: 
It&#39;s a free program, and it&#39;s dope as hell.

Actually, I just learned to play "The Red" by Chevelle and I&#39;ve taken the same blues scale, moved it up a few frets and found that I can improv a damn good lead to that song. I&#39;ll put up a vid in just a little while.  ::happy::

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## Oneironaut Zero

Ok. I&#39;m only _kind of_ happy with this one. Haha. It&#39;s the attempt I was able to make before my camera died. Why is that when the camera&#39;s off, I can rip it up, but as soon as it&#39;s on, I screw up all over the place? Lol. I even had to take it kind of easy on the improv because I was doing it really fast when the camera was off, but kept messing up when I turned it on, so I slowed down and played it safe just so I could get it recorded.  :tongue2:  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LD5VdesCKY

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## Burns

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LD5VdesCKY[/b]



the link isn&#39;t working for me - it says "This is a private video. If you have been sent this video, please make sure you accept the sender&#39;s friend request."

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## Oneironaut Zero

Whoops. :sweat1:
Alright, try it now.

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## Burns

Very cool improv, O  ::thumbup::

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## Oneironaut Zero

Thanks, Tabby&#33;  ::teeth::

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## BPolar

hot shit hot shit

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## Oneironaut Zero

Thanks, BP.

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## FreshBrains

Seriously, man. Comfortably Numb second solo.  You know you want to.

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## CoLd BlooDed

Very nice, man.  With every video I&#39;m seeing improvement.  That&#39;s a really good sign.  It took me forever to get some of those scales down (and I&#39;m STILL learning).  I&#39;m going to try and record myself playing pretty soon to give you all a show.

Good shit.

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## Oneironaut Zero

FreshBrains:
I just downloaded the song. I&#39;ll check it out and see what it sounds like. Never heard it before.  ::wink:: 

CB:
Thanks, man. Can&#39;t wait to hear your shit&#33;

And _Damn_ this one came out so tight. Heh.
http://media.putfile.com/Christina-Aguiler...k-Away-w-Improv

I&#39;ve just been sitting here freestyling the same scale (different position on the fretboard) to this song for about two hours a day, the past two days and this is what it sounds like now.  ::cooler:: 

[Edit:]
Oh...and that screw-up @ about 2:50 fuckin kills _me_ too. Shut up. :sweat2:
I was goin somewhere with that shit and it got away from me.

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## CoLd BlooDed

lmao @ that screwup, it was so sudden and long that I laughed - I used to always do that (still have the ocasional of course).  Don&#39;t worry though, it didn&#39;t detract from the rest of the improvisation.  For the first little bit I was thinking, "Where&#39;s the guitar?" and then I realized that it was _you_.  This flowed really nicely; practicing those scales can take you places.

Plus, doesn&#39;t it feel good to be playing with something that just &#39;clicks&#39;?

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Shit, been away from here too long. Heh.
Thanks, CB&#33; And yeah, it&#39;s always great to be playing along with something that vibes just right.  ::cooler:: 

Well I&#39;ve been away from the guitar for a few days and couldn&#39;t wait to play when I got home today. I been switching back and forth between beats on this KORG synthesizer, and put together this tune. Haven&#39;t gotten it down perfect, yet, but I think it sounds pretty damn good.  ::teeth:: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awpEKI2J_GA

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

More improvising with different beats and tempos. I&#39;d say I&#39;m starting to get good at it.  ::cooler:: 

So these are all just me making shit up as I go along. I haven&#39;t really had the patience to sit down and start writing anything, so I just throw on record and see how long I can string together some patterns. One of the best was actually file #6 but, for some reason, it didn&#39;t upload before I came to work. I&#39;ll add it later.

http://media.putfile.com/Improv-over-KORG1
http://media.putfile.com/Improv-over-KORG2
http://media.putfile.com/Improv-over-KORG3
http://media.putfile.com/Improv-over-KORG4
http://media.putfile.com/Improv-over-KORG5

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

This is an original tune that I&#39;m putting together. I&#39;m still adding things to it, so it just a work in progress. I&#39;m not even able to get through it without screwing up at least once, yet. Haha. It&#39;s hard to hit the FX panel, with my foot, at just the right time, while I&#39;m playing. I&#39;m getting it, though.  :tongue2:  The beat isn&#39;t permanent, it&#39;s just a filler to play over.
http://media.putfile.com/Descent-practice-2

And a few more tunes set to random beats:
Shinedown - _Heroes_
http://media.putfile.com/Heroes-with-Back-Beat-53

311- _Love Song_ (This one is mainly practice in changing from chord to chord. I actually learned to play this one, not only by ear, but without even listening to the song, while learning to play it. I learned to do the chords and, from what I remembered of the song, was able to find which chords sounded right. Then, I downloaded the song and checked it.  ::content::  I&#39;ve still got some work to do. The transition to and from distortion is kinda rough on this one, too.)
http://media.putfile.com/311---Love-...h-Back-Beat-65

Linkin Park - _One Step Closer_ and Soundgarden - _Outshined_
http://media.putfile.com/One-Step-Closer-a...-with-back-beat

Linkin Park - _Lying From You_: (Not my best job playing it, but it&#39;s the only one I&#39;ve recorded, so far)
http://media.putfile.com/Lying-From-You-with-back-beat

----------


## Twoshadows

Hey O, I just saw that you posted this. 

I&#39;ve only listened to the first one so far and I wanted to tell you I liked it. Now that I am going to be doing this myself (guitar) it is even more meaningful.  

I&#39;m going to listen to all your stuff (both new and older) and I&#39;ll comment again.

I can see that this will help inspire me.  :smiley:

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

> Hey O, I just saw that you posted this. 
> 
> I&#39;ve only listened to the first one so far and I wanted to tell you I liked it. Now that I am going to be doing this myself (guitar) it is even more meaningful.  
> 
> I&#39;m going to listen to all your stuff (both new and older) and I&#39;ll comment again.
> 
> I can see that this will help inspire me. 
> [/b]



Thanks a lot, TS.
Can&#39;t wait to hear more of your feedback.  ::content::

----------


## CoLd BlooDed

I listened to the first one yesterday, and I liked it - but you&#39;re just gonna have to wait before I get to the next ones.   :tongue2:

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

> I listened to the first one yesterday, and I liked it - but you&#39;re just gonna have to wait before I get to the next ones.  
> [/b]



Well, that one being the first one that I&#39;ve actually started writing, myself, I&#39;m content for now.  ::content:: 
Thanks&#33;

...Don&#39;t make me wait too long, though&#33;&#33; :sweat1:

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Ugh...does anybody have any advice for hitting the F and C major bar chords? Bar chords, in general, are hard for me to hit, because my index finger doesn&#39;t seem to want to lay flat across the fretboard (maybe it&#39;s because of how I hold the guitar?) but I can hit most of them pretty well.

As far as C major, if I&#39;m going from, say, D major to C major, when I set my fingers down on C, which finger would be easier to set down first, the 5th string, 4th string or 2nd string? I usually start from the ring-finger on 5th string, middle on 4th and then index on second string, but (even if I do it the opposite way) that chord is fuckin HARD to hit fast.

With the F major chord, it&#39;s just a problem of getting my index finger to lay flat across the board. It&#39;s like I have to lean my whole body waaaay over near the machine head, to get my forearm/wrist straight enough that my index finger doesn&#39;t bend and mute the bottom few strings.  :Sad:

----------


## Gwendolyn

Hey, O. Great music. I love that style of guitar. I know that this is your thread, but it reminds me of the music my brother plays. 

This is a profile for his funny little garage band, and the first video on the site is  of my little brother damien and his guitar playing. I think he&#39;s good, for an 18 year old, and this was almost a year ago. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea...endid=153373353

----------


## CoLd BlooDed

> _Originally posted by O+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(O)</div>
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 			
> 				Bar chords, in general, are hard for me to hit, because my index finger doesn&#39;t seem to want to lay flat across the fretboard (maybe it&#39;s because of how I hold the guitar?) but I can hit most of them pretty well.[/b]
> 			
> 		
> ...



Well first you should slow down a tad and see how you fare fretting all the strings at the same time.  If that doesn&#39;t work, I&#39;d suggest the 2nd, just because it&#39;s the closet to the bottom, but that&#39;s a personal opinion and you don&#39;t have to listen to me.   :tongue2: 

You shouldn&#39;t worry too much; I&#39;m pretty sure this is what every guitar player goes through at one point.  It&#39;ll pass fairly quickly if you keep playing like you are.

I hope this helps.  

...and if it doesn&#39;t, well... press charges.

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

> Hey, O. Great music. I love that style of guitar. I know that this is your thread, but it reminds me of the music my brother plays. 
> 
> This is a profile for his funny little garage band, and the first video on the site is  of my little brother damien and his guitar playing. I think he&#39;s good, for an 18 year old, and this was almost a year ago. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea...endid=153373353
> [/b]



Impressive&#33; :bravo: Your bro&#39;s pretty damn good.
And thanks.  ::content:: 

CB:
I hear ya, man. Waiting to improve is just so damn frustrating sometimes, though. LOL. But yeah, you&#39;re right. I&#39;m sure I&#39;ll get it. I&#39;m actually not too bad at fretting them all at once, there are just a few kinks I need to work out, and it just sucks having to sit around and....work them all out. Heh.

And if it doesn&#39;t work.....we can just settle out of court for &#036;50 and call it even.  ::wink::

----------


## FreshBrains

Anyone have any idea how to get my strings to stop ringing? It&#39;s driving me insane&#33; 

I&#39;m getting better, though. Most riffs are pretty easy now. (I learned The Seeker, Baba O&#39;Riley and I Can&#39;t Explain by The Who within 5 minutes)

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Keep it up, FreshBrains.  ::goodjob2:: 
And I&#39;m not sure if I can help you too much. My strings still ring every now and then. When do yours ring? Is it when you&#39;re trying to mute strings or just strumming, in general?

Here are two more tunes I came up with while improvising and practicing chord transitions. They aren&#39;t too pretty now, because these were my first few times playing them:
http://media.putfile.com/9-15-31
http://media.putfile.com/Sway-26

----------


## CoLd BlooDed

That&#39;s awesome, man.  A couple parts are off, but that&#39;s usually expected when you&#39;re practicing something.

Now, although the distortion is pretty dope, I think you should try and tone it down a little - at parts it overpowers the backbeat, and I&#39;d like to see it blend nicely.  Of course, I know this is purely for practice, so there&#39;s no real worry.

I like your little experimentation of scales during the second clip - now _that_ fits nice.  Keep it up, man.

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Thanks, CB.
As far as the distortion; you know, I still haven&#39;t taken the time to experiment with _all_ of the settings on this FX pedal?&#33; Heh. I know it&#39;s too high in those clips but the default presets are either reeeally high and distored, or really quiet and (whatever the opposite of distorted is called  :tongue2:  ). I&#39;ll see what I can do, though.  ::content::

----------


## Tornado Joe

> (whatever the opposite of distorted is called  ).[/b]



"Clean"  :wink2:

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Haha. Yeah. That&#39;s the word.  ::wink:: 

Another tune. I adjusted the preset and volume levels so the distortion is not so overbearing (but for some reason Audacity keeps clipping some of the input sound at a certain level, whether it&#39;s the highs of the guitar or the bass of the beat. I have a lot more adjusting to do until I find the right levels) I would have tweaked it more to get the sound a little cleaner, but sometimes I just say "fuck it" and jump right into playing. Heh. I screwed up a little on some of the improv, but these are just practice runs, anyway, so  :tongue2:  .
http://media.putfile.com/Ides-51

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Learned to arpeggio, and I love the way it sounds.  ::content:: 

Practicing transitioning to and from different chords. (There are a lot of screw ups in here but it&#39;s just practice. Also, I started having some trouble with Fmajor at around 3:40. I _hate_ that chord.)
http://media.putfile.com/A-flat-and-E-major-arpeggios

With a beat:
http://media.putfile.com/Arpeggio-with-beat

Just a random idea I started coming up with, while playing.
http://media.putfile.com/Guitar-Idea-03192007

----------


## CoLd BlooDed

Since you have so many untitled songs, I&#39;m just going to quote the link so you know which one I&#39;m talking about.   :tongue2: 





> _Originally posted by O_
> *http://media.putfile.com/Ides-51*



Really liked this one - the distortion was there, but not so much that it choked the beat.  It was well done, and the screwups were almost nonexistent.





> _Originally posted by O_
> *Practicing transitioning to and from different chords. (There are a lot of screw ups in here but it&#39;s just practice. Also, I started having some trouble with Fmajor at around 3:40. I hate that chord.)
> http://media.putfile.com/A-flat-and-E-major-arpeggios*



You know, I actually don&#39;t know what the literal meaning of arpeggio is... hahaha.

The clean sounds awesome - a lot like the delay on my Line 6 amp.  And don&#39;t worry&#33;  Fmajor will become no problem soon; in fact, all barre chords will be no problem in a short time.  I remember how much I hated playing songs with barre chords because my hand would start hurting and I&#39;d screw up the beat.

Good shit, man.

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

> Since you have so many untitled songs, I&#39;m just going to quote the link so you know which one I&#39;m talking about.  
> [/b]



That one&#39;s actually called "Ides," because I came up with it on March 15 - the Ides of March.  ::wink:: 
For some reason, putfile puts numbers on the end of a lot of the filenames. Bastards. And thanks, I&#39;m glad you liked it.  ::content::  I plan on developing it some more, but right now it&#39;s just a basic idea.





> You know, I actually don&#39;t know what the literal meaning of arpeggio is... hahaha.
> [/b]



Well, loosely-translated, it&#39;s "harp-like," which is where you fret a chord and pick the stricks individually and, in this case, in different orders, to make that echo-ish, multi-note sound. I&#39;m used to strumming them all at once, but I love how they sound, when you jump around on them.





> Fmajor will become no problem soon; in fact, all barre chords will be no problem in a short time.  I remember how much I hated playing songs with barre chords because my hand would start hurting and I&#39;d screw up the beat.
> 
> Good shit, man.
> [/b]



Exactly. I&#39;ve basically got my chords down, now. I have a few problems with Fmajor, Fminor, Dminor. Cmajor was messing me up, before, but I&#39;ve pretty much got that one down, now.  ::cooler:: 

And Thanks again.

----------


## bro

God damn Oneironaut, very well done, keep it up and keep practicing you sound incredible.

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Thanks, bro&#33;  ::teeth:: 
And I will. I&#39;m just getting started, with this thing.  ::evil::

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Improving to "Maria Maria" by Carlos Santana and Wyclef Jean.

Still a few bad notes, here and there, but I think it came out pretty good, for the most part.
http://media.putfile.com/Maria-Maria-with-Improv

----------


## Howie

I was going to reply with (How the hell did I miss this thread.
I see others did as well.

awesome. Rock on Big O&#33;&#33;&#33; 

It will be some time before I put any of my guitar recording on DV.
Unless there is a demand for Marry had a little lamb. 

Seriously. Good stuff. Great timing too. 
I have a hell of a time with getting that muted sound and staying in step or in time.
Any suggestions?

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

> Seriously. Good stuff. Great timing too. 
> I have a hell of a time with getting that muted sound and staying in step or in time.
> Any suggestions?[/b]



Thanks, Howie&#33;  ::cooler:: 

For the muted sound, there are a few ways you can get it. For this one, when I was muting the low E string, I was just pressing lightly on the fret, with the index finger of my left. Other times, for a deeper sound, I use a palm mute (placing the heel of my right hand, lightly, against the strings).

As far as staying in time, always practice with either a metronome or some kind of beat, playing behind you. Timing is actually something that I&#39;ve just always kinda "had", as far as I can remember. (Had piano lessons as a kid, and staying on time just kinda stuck with me, after that.) So much so, that I wouldn&#39;t even begin to know how to tell someone _what_ to do, to have good timing, if that makes any sense. Lol.

Somebody posted this link in the "Tell Me About Music Theory" thread. It&#39;s got some good information about Note Duration, Measures and Time Signature:
http://musictheory.net/

Check out the "lessons" section.

----------


## blade5x

I tried to learn a guitar once, and didn&#39;t get too far.

Even though I could learn songs from the ear, when it came to properly tuning the thing, I had no idea what I was doing heh, so I just dropped it, because I started to develope a habit where I would start playing an "off-tune" guitar through trial and error until I got _a song_ close.

It&#39;s definently something I want to learn properly though, and now that I know a few people in some bands, I&#39;ll get around to it... eventually&#33;

Good stuff, it&#39;s not perfect (and I am in no position to talk), but you are really getting there.

I also don&#39;t know how I missed this thread.

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Thanks for the feedback, blade5x.  ::cooler:: 

Yeah, when I first started playing, I didn&#39;t know a damn thing about tuning, or getting around on the fretboard. I&#39;ve found a lot of good things, online, that are helping me learn the ropes, pretty quickly. And I&#39;m in no rush, as far as working on perfection. Heh. I&#39;m getting myself into a bunch of different techniques, before working on perfecting them, ya know? So, I know I still got a lot to work on.  ::wink::

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Playing: Bush - _Come Down_

Some might say that it's hard to hear me, over the actual song, but I think my guitar stands out as the loudest. I also made a few changes, such as playing the bass guitar's part, over the verse, and threw in two solo's while playing.

It's not perfect, and there are a few screw-ups in it, (I would have ended it better but, while I was improvising, Cierra came in and would _not_ stop trying to get my attention, so I was improvising while looking at her and telling her to keep quiet.  ::|: ) but I still think it sounds good.  ::cooler::

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Updated this one with a better vid:

Alice in Chains - _The Rooster_.

This one is about 75&#37; improvisation, 25% having remembered where key parts of the song are positioned on the fretboard. I'm still not that smooth and subtle in the beginning, but I think it definitely bets better once the beat kicks in.  ::cooler::

----------


## CoLd BlooDed

Hey, I was wondering where you had gone.  Busy summer, I'm assuming?

Kick ass mix.  Sure, a bit rough in the beginning, but like you said it gets pretty grooving once the beat comes in.  Good to hear ya playing again.

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Thanks, CoLd!  ::content:: 

Yeah, I've been busy as hell, this summer. I'm trying to come around a little more often, though. Heh. 

I've been working on the beginning and have tried a few things like simply strumming along to it, softly,(playing mustly rhythm, instead of leading so much), and playing lead, but switching to and from softer effects with my FX pedal, on the parts with no distortion. I'm getting it to sound a little better, as I go on.

Thanks for checking it out. I'll post some more tunes whenever I can.  ::cooler::

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Learned to improvise all over the fretboard with the blues pentatonic scale.  ::cooler:: 

This is just me fooling around to a beat and melody on the synthesizers. There are, of course, a few screw ups, but I'm getting better!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE3-gspcDdg

----------


## Burns

> Alice in Chains - _The Rooster_.
> 
> This one is about 75% improvisation, 25% having remembered where key parts of the song are positioned on the fretboard. I'm still not that smooth and subtle in the beginning, but I think it definitely bets better once the beat kicks in.



I missed this one somehow - loved it! Alice in Chains rocks - we actually saw them in concert (with a different lead singer, of course), but yeah it was awesome. Rooster is a great song, and I also liked when you got grooving towards the middle. Great song choices!!  ::cooler::

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Thanks, Burns!

Yeah, I love that song. I just recently got into Alice in Chains, besides a few songs I've heard from them here and there. _Them Bones_ was probably the first one I heard and recognized as an Alice in Chains song, so I started looking into them a lot more. But, since then, I've DL'd a bunch of their stuff and I  love it.

Did the original lead singer break away from the band? I don't know too much about them besides the fact that they've made some awesome music in the past.

----------


## mark

I tried to learn the guitar once lol got as far as learning the solo in Hysteria by muse but that was it lol

Man im loving this thread some good stuff im well impressed  :smiley: 

I really like the rage song you done at the start and loving The Red by Chevelle thats sweet mate ::bowdown:: 

I cant view the ones on putfile.com for some reason i was wanting to listen to your improvising on the songs but I cant...sorry mate  :Sad:

----------


## Burns

> Yeah, I love that song. I just recently got into Alice in Chains, besides a few songs I've heard from them here and there. Them Bones was probably the first one I heard and recognized as an Alice in Chains song, so I started looking into them a lot more. But, since then, I've DL'd a bunch of their stuff and I love it.
> 
> Did the original lead singer break away from the band? I don't know too much about them besides the fact that they've made some awesome music in the past.



Layne Staley was the lead singer and true to being a good rock star, died from a drug overdose in 2002. William DuVall is the new official lead singer now, and he's really good. They put on a great show - I wished they would've played longer though - they have so many good songs. I liked them even better than Velvet Revolver, who they were touring with this summer.

My favorite Alice in Chains songs are: 
Angry Chair
Dam That River
Don't Follow
Down In a Hole
Get Born Again
Man In a Box
No Excuses
Nutshell
Rooster
Them Bones
Whale & Wasp

They have a lot of great songs though. You know that their song Godsmack is where the band Godsmack got their name? Pretty cool.  :smiley:

----------


## Pirate

awesome dude!

i still can't play guitar well enough to post on the internet...  :Oops: 

what kind of guitar is that?

----------


## GODLIGHT

That was some awesome playing.  You look so intensely focused.  You think you would want to do a singing version?  :wink2:

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

> I tried to learn the guitar once lol got as far as learning the solo in Hysteria by muse but that was it lol
> 
> Man im loving this thread some good stuff im well impressed
> 
> I really like the rage song you done at the start and loving The Red by Chevelle thats sweet mate
> 
> I cant view the ones on putfile.com for some reason i was wanting to listen to your improvising on the songs but I cant...sorry mate



Thanks, man! 
Yeah, I know about the putfile thing. A lot of my links are old and I think putfile deactivates them after every so often, if they don't get any play.  :Sad: 





> Layne Staley was the lead singer and true to being a good rock star, died from a drug overdose in 2002. William DuVall is the new official lead singer now, and he's really good. They put on a great show - I wished they would've played longer though - they have so many good songs. I liked them even better than Velvet Revolver, who they were touring with this summer.
> 
> My favorite Alice in Chains songs are:
> Angry Chair
> Dam That River
> Don't Follow
> Down In a Hole
> Get Born Again
> Man In a Box
> ...



Ah. It's a damn shame how many great artists we lose to drugs, isn't it?  :Sad: 

And that's a good list. My favorite's so far, that I know by name, are:

Again
Down in a Hole
Got Me Wrong
Heaven Beside You
Here Comes the Rooster
Man in the Box
No Excuses
Nutshell
Them Bones

And I know there are a few more that I really like, I just can't think of their names. Heh.





> awesome dude!
> 
> i still can't play guitar well enough to post on the internet...
> 
> what kind of guitar is that?



Thanks! And, yeah, I was really reluctant to post some stuff online, at first, but as I started getting better (and getting this kind of positive feedback  ::wink::  ) I started getting more open to it. 

And I have an Epiphone Special II series guitar. Don't really know much about where it stands on the "good guitar / bad guitar" scale, but I love it.  :boogie: 





> That was some awesome playing. You look so intensely focused. You think you would want to do a singing version?



Thanks, man!! 
Yeah, I just got the fretboard memorized, so I really have to concentrate to make sure I stay on key. Heh. It's really hard to do that and make up the sequence at the same time...at least for now.  ::wink:: 

And sure, do you sing? If you have any ideas for a song that you'd like to put to a beat with some guitar, let me know!

Thanks again, everyone! I really appreciate the feedback!

----------


## CoLd BlooDed

Pretty good man, you're really getting to know that fret board.  Timing is off several times, and occasionally the bends don't make it to the right tone (perhaps bend it a little further) but otherwise pretty good.

Keep it up, start shredding.   :tongue2:

----------


## Adrenaline Junkie

Nice playing Oneironaut!  :smiley: 

When i started with my improvisations and stuff i found it annoying but seriously the best way to develop with improvisations is to get a few blues scales learnt in different keys and then improvise only using the notes of that particular scale. Incorporate bends, slides and fast runs of the scale, its really effective because it sounds cool, and also a good thing to note is that if you do this it will help you work well in one area and be able to come up with a good improvisation, that leaves the rest of the entire fret board for more improvisation with endless possibilities. You may already know this but this is what my guitar teacher has taught my and my improvisation is my strongest point in my playing. I'll post a recording at some point. Keep it up though, improvisation is easy and fun and when you get used to it you can pull off some killer solo's.

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Playing: Breaking Benjamin - _Until The End_

Just learned it, so there are a few screw ups. I tried to throw in a little improv at the end, but I don't usually improv in Drop-D, so it kinda threw me off and I fucked up that whole thing. Haha. Oh well.  :tongue2:

----------


## AmazeO XD

Epic Win!

Guitar playing and my 100th post.

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Thanks, AmazeO!  ::cooler:: 

And happy 100th post. Heh.

----------


## TalkingHead

nice.. you've totally got it down;  very composed

----------


## Bayside

> Playing: Breaking Benjamin - _Until The End_
> 
> Just learned it, so there are a few screw ups. I tried to throw in a little improv at the end, but I don't usually improv in Drop-D, so it kinda threw me off and I fucked up that whole thing. Haha. Oh well.



Awesome man, Breaking Benjamin are one of my all-time favourite bands, amazing song, and sounded dead on to me.

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Thanks, guys. Yeah, the 1 main screw up was when I missed a fret @ 1:01. If you weren't expecting it, though, you probably wouldn't notice.  :smiley: 

Also, the break @ 2:35 is hard as hell to play quickly. I kept having trouble with the high A sharp chord, but it's so subtle you can't really hear it.  ::content:: 

Thanks for the feedback!

----------


## Oros

no. there was no bigger mistake what i heard. sounds good. especielly in the end. you should keep playing  ::D:

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Thanks a lot, Xallie.

And I _will_.  ::D:

----------


## Valdyr

Great playing, dude! Awesome song, too.

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Thanks, man.  ::content::  Yeah, I love that song, especially the break in the middle.  ::D:

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Me Playing Disturbed's _Stricken_ for our Guitar Wars contest:


An original 30+ second composition that I made up for week 3 of Guitar Wars:
http://media.putfile.com/Guitar-Wars---30Second-Comp

Finally learned the solo for _Stricken_, also for Guitar Wars:
Stricken Solo

----------


## Oneironaut Zero

More of my past entries for our Guitar Wars contest:

*A 30-Second original composition:*
http://media.putfile.com/Guitar-Wars---30Second-Comp


*Improvisation over a Gilmore blues track:*




> Ok, here's mine. There are are a few parts that I'm just not happy with (and one around 3:17 where I just completely missed the note I was searching for - you'll hear it), but it was the best take that I recorded, so it'll have to do.
> 
> Guitar is an Epihone Les Paul run through a Zoom505II pedal and an old ART MultiVerb Alpha panel.
> 
> It wasn't until I picked up my guitar again, [the day after], that I noticed it had somehow been knocked slightly out of tune. It had been like that since before I uploaded my track, and I realized that that was why the parts in the beginning, when I was trying to harmonize two strings at once, sounded like shit.
> 
> I wish I would have caught it earlier, though, but oh well.




*Recreating an existing track in another another genre: (I did "Ain't No Sunshine" in a rock version)*
http://media.putfile.com/Guitar-Wars...n-with-Beat-23


*I provided the drum track for the next one, and we all had to compose something to go with it:*




> This is basically what I'm working with, right now. It's a practice run, because the lead guitar part is just improv, one take. The final product will be pretty much the same, except the lead guitar will be just a little different, because I don't have any really set pattern down. I just have to adjust some volume levels and whatnot, and try to make as few mistakes as I can, on my next run.
> 
> [Edit: Originally, I had planned on taking another crack at improving through it, but it turned out I really liked the arrangement, and I didn't have too much time to pick and choose which parts I wanted to try to duplicate, by playing over. I really only missed two notes (I think), and they weren't really all that bad, so I decided to keep this one as my final run.
> 
> Hope ya like it!]
> http://media.putfile.com/GW-Week-7---Practice-Run

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## Oneironaut Zero

My Rock Rendition of Fur Elise for this week's Guitar Wars (which looks like it maybe a no-go, anyway).

It's three tracks: The drum track, the lead guitar and rhythm guitar. 

It's not _exactly_ perfect, but I have to get started on an art project, so I'm going to leave it as is - at least for now. I think it turned out alright.  :smiley:

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## Oneironaut Zero

A somewhat (read: a very) drunken improv over Audioslave's _Like A Stone_:  http://media.putfile.com/Improv-to-L...-by-Audioslave

I'd give myself maybe an 80&#37; because I missed quite a few notes, but I didn't do TOO bad.  :tongue2:

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## Oneironaut Zero

Playing along with _So Cold_ by Breaking Benjamin. Most of this is improvisation. There are a few parts where I'm playing as close to the real song as I know, but that is all what I know of the song by ear. Everything else is freestyled. I missed a crucial bend at 3:17 which would have sounded so damn sweet, but oh well. The rest of it came out pretty good I think.

For some reason, adding it to youtube messed with the sound quality. My guitar is much louder on the original file, but now it's kind of hard to hear in this vid, over the background. =/

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## b12

Nice job dude! I think a few vibratos thrown in there would have sounded awesome, though

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## Oneironaut Zero

Thanks, b12! 

I still haven't gotten my vibrato technique down to a science, yet. I tried to throw a few in, but they are barely audible. I've got to learn how to do it where I can get some sharp contrast without losing tone. I'll get it, though.  :smiley:

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## b12

I say forget about the science, just do it! Just shake that string, if you're worried about losing tone IMO you shouldn't be, because it'll add flavor to your playing. It'll also sound real nice and full if you switch to your neck pickup.

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## Bayside

Nice stuff man.  I'm a novice at guitar, and I'm wondering if you can tell me where I should start to learn how to improv.  Is there any sites or anything you can recommend that helped you?  I'm not sure how to go about learning improv'ing on guitar.

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## b12

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com

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## Oneironaut Zero

> I say forget about the science, just do it! Just shake that string, if you're worried about losing tone IMO you shouldn't be, because it'll add flavor to your playing. It'll also sound real nice and full if you switch to your neck pickup.



Weird...I could have sworn I replied to this already. ..but I was drinking yesterday.  :tongue2: 

I'll work on it though, b12. Thanks for the input!





> Nice stuff man.  I'm a novice at guitar, and I'm wondering if you can tell me where I should start to learn how to improv.  Is there any sites or anything you can recommend that helped you?  I'm not sure how to go about learning improv'ing on guitar.



Thanks, Bayside. Here is a thread I started with a bunch of the links I've used to learn to play. The most important, I think, are the scale applications. If you know your way around the fretboard throughout an entire scale (so far I use the blue pentatonic scale) you should be able to improvise to anything. All you have to do is find the key that the song is being played in, and work around the scale for that key. 

If you need any help, let me know.  ::cooler::

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## Bayside

> Weird...I could have sworn I replied to this already. ..but I was drinking yesterday. 
> 
> I'll work on it though, b12. Thanks for the input!
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks, Bayside. Here is a thread I started with a bunch of the links I've used to learn to play. The most important, I think, are the scale applications. If you know your way around the fretboard throughout an entire scale (so far I use the blue pentatonic scale) you should be able to improvise to anything. All you have to do is find the key that the song is being played in, and work around the scale for that key. 
> 
> If you need any help, let me know.



Wow, that's a huge assortment of guitar lessons, I can't wait to get some free time to go through them.  It's like a condensed guitar learners heaven, thanks.  Oh, and yeah, I'm already familiar with the blues scale, just not so great at making good sounding improvs with it yet.  Thanks again.

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## Oneironaut Zero

> Wow, that's a huge assortment of guitar lessons, I can't wait to get some free time to go through them.  It's like a condensed guitar learners heaven, thanks.  Oh, and yeah, I'm already familiar with the blues scale, just not so great at making good sounding improvs with it yet.  Thanks again.



You're welcome. Good luck with the practice!

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## Oneironaut Zero

Hey, thanks for the advice, b12. I've been using my ear to decide on which pick-up to play from, when doing lead, instead of actually asking someone who knew what the hell they were talking about. Haha. It seems like the rear pick up has a stronger sound, which I thought would be better to pick up lead, but I switched to the other one and I can actually hear my vibrato more. Makes a huge difference. 

Thanks again.  ::cooler::

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## Ovlov

Hey, I'm learning to play guitar also =D although, started a couple weeks ago. I practice about 2 hours every day playing chords, learn a new one about every week, and mess around a bit and learn some riffs and intros here and there. I have a pretty good ear, I've played trumpet for 4 years before I started guitar. Any advice for me? If not, am I doing anything wrong, like not practicing enough? I feel guilty if I'm doing anything other than practicing, lol.

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## CoLd BlooDed

There's no such thing as not practicing enough, as long as you pick it up at least every(other)day.  Two hours a day is fine.

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## Oneironaut Zero

> Hey, I'm learning to play guitar also =D although, started a couple weeks ago. I practice about 2 hours every day playing chords, learn a new one about every week, and mess around a bit and learn some riffs and intros here and there. I have a pretty good ear, I've played trumpet for 4 years before I started guitar. Any advice for me? If not, am I doing anything wrong, like not practicing enough? I feel guilty if I'm doing anything other than practicing, lol.



Wow. Way to neglect my own thread. Sorry about that, Ovlov.  ::?: 

CoLd is right, though. 2 hours a day is plenty. I'm lucky if I get that much practice in, consecutively. It sounds like you've pretty much got what it takes to pick it up fairly easily. Having a good ear it the most important thing, IMHO. 

Good luck, and keep us updated with your progress!

Also, I'm learning the Lydian scale, and I need some good tunes to improvise over. I know Steve Vai does a lot of Lydian work, but does anyone know any other good tunes that lydian would go good with?

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## RedDeath9

Well, I don't really know any songs, but there is a list on the wiki page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydian_mode

Apparently the intro of The Accolade (maybe the whole thing, but I doubt it) is in Lydian...   

Lydian is one of my favorite scales now  :smiley: 

Oh, Oneironaut, are you by any chance a member of ultimate-guitar?

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## -Blakren-

Nice job man, really awesome!!

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## Oneironaut Zero

> Well, I don't really know any songs, but there is a list on the wiki page:
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydian_mode
> 
> Apparently the intro of The Accolade (maybe the whole thing, but I doubt it) is in Lydian...   
> 
> Lydian is one of my favorite scales now



Thanks. Yeah, it just dawned on me to try the wiki. Haha. I don't know too many of the songs listed, but it's been interesting listening to a few of them and playing along. I'll upload a jam vid whenever I get a little more comfortable with the scale. 





> Oh, Oneironaut, are you by any chance a member of ultimate-guitar?



I am now.  ::cooler::  
I'd been going there once in a while to get some tabs, but since you mention it, I figured I might as well join up, so I just made an account under the name CoGnizant.





> Nice job man, really awesome!!



Thanks!  ::D:

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## Ovlov

It's been awhile since my last post at DV (computer broke) but now I'm back, sorta. I decided to update you guys with my guitaring progress, but text will have to do for now as I have nothing to make a video with. I can play One by Metallica up thru the intro solo (learned by ear) and of course a few riffs, intros, all that noise. I'm currently trying to learn  the Achilles Last Stand guitar solo by ear (very tough! If you haven't heard the song before listen to it. that song changed my life.) And I just joined UG, where I usually go for tabs (trying to kinda wean myself off them), and my username is Ovlov, so..yep. I usually practice all day, but not concentrated. You know, carry the guitar around, play it quietly, and I play it at night for 1-5 hours, just practicing or playing around. Thanks, guys for your support and good luck with your guitaring as well.   ::lol::

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## Oneironaut Zero

> It's been awhile since my last post at DV (computer broke) but now I'm back, sorta. I decided to update you guys with my guitaring progress, but text will have to do for now as I have nothing to make a video with. I can play One by Metallica up thru the intro solo (learned by ear) and of course a few riffs, intros, all that noise. I'm currently trying to learn  the Achilles Last Stand guitar solo by ear (very tough! If you haven't heard the song before listen to it. that song changed my life.) And I just joined UG, where I usually go for tabs (trying to kinda wean myself off them), and my username is Ovlov, so..yep. I usually practice all day, but not concentrated. You know, carry the guitar around, play it quietly, and I play it at night for 1-5 hours, just practicing or playing around. Thanks, guys for your support and good luck with your guitaring as well.



Good to hear! Gotta hurry up and get some video! Or, of course you could download Audacity and just put the audio up.  ::cooler::  
Keep it up, though!

Here's one I just did last night. It's improvising over (co-incidentally) Metallica's _Nothing Else Matters_. I'm switching between the Pentatonic Blues scale and the Lydian scale, throughout the song. There are a few sour notes in there, too, but I don't think it's _too_ bad. =/

http://media.putfile.com/Improvisati...g-Else-Matters

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## DreamVortex

Nice one. ive been playing guitar for 2 years now and i can play many tunes. if you keep practicing, youll become an expert!

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## Oneironaut Zero

> Nice one. ive been playing guitar for 2 years now and i can play many tunes. if you keep practicing, youll become an expert!



Thanks, dreamvortex. And yeah, I make sure to set aside plenty of time to practice.  ::cooler::

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## supreme

*Wow pretty damned good Oneironaut!!  Better then me thats for sure!!
Im more of a rhythm guitar player. But i can play 'dust in the wind'
and 'stairway' and 'the wizard'  and 'wish you were here'....but thats as 
fancy as i get!*  ::lol::   ::lol::  *Got one of your youtubes saved in faves
so i can check them all out tomorrow. Im just heading to bed now.*  :smiley: 
*I hope i LD!!*  ::D:

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## -Blakren-

Hey Oneironaut... I know this is off topic, but are you the guy in your avatar? The face looks similar to yours. Wait... to make this on topic, how many guitars do you own?

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## Oneironaut Zero

> *Wow pretty damned good Oneironaut!!  Better then me thats for sure!!
> Im more of a rhythm guitar player. But i can play 'dust in the wind'
> and 'stairway' and 'the wizard'  and 'wish you were here'....but thats as 
> fancy as i get!*   *Got one of your youtubes saved in faves
> so i can check them all out tomorrow. Im just heading to bed now.* 
> *I hope i LD!!*



Thanks, supreme!  ::thanks:: 

I wanna learn to play Stairway. Just haven't gotten around to it yet. Heh. And make sure you let me know what you think of my vids!

(speaking of which, you probably did already. I haven't checked it in ages. Haha. Let me go do that...)






> Hey Oneironaut... I know this is off topic, but are you the guy in your avatar? The face looks similar to yours. Wait... to make this on topic, how many guitars do you own?



Yeah, that's me in the avatar.  ::D: 

And I have 2 guitars - an electric Epiphone Les Paul and some cheap, blue acoustic.

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## Pastulio_

> Thanks, supreme! 
> 
> I wanna learn to play Stairway. Just haven't gotten around to it yet. Heh. And make sure you let me know what you think of my vids!
> 
> (speaking of which, you probably did already. I haven't checked it in ages. Haha. Let me go do that...)



You don't know how to play Stairway? That's one of the few songs I can play all the way. Get to it, dude!

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## Oneironaut Zero

> You don't know how to play Stairway? That's one of the few songs I can play all the way. Get to it, dude!



Haha. I know, I know! Hmm...I may just put that next on my list of things to learn.  ::D:

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## Oneironaut Zero

Improvising over Seven Nation Army by White Stripes, with just a bit of the song's main riff thrown in there.  ::cooler:: 

A little sloppy at some points. I wish I would have gone around the fretboard a bit more. But I wasn't exactly sober either. Heh.

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## Dizko

Luvin It O.

Nice hat aswell. XD

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## Oneironaut Zero

> Luvin It O.
> 
> Nice hat aswell. XD



Thanks, Dizko-man!

And that is my favorite hat. It's got a big silver A (Atlanta Braves) on it.  ::cooler::

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## Man of Shred

nice job dude you didn't hit too many out of key notes. 4 out of 5!

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## Oneironaut Zero

> nice job dude you didn't hit too many out of key notes. 4 out of 5!



Thanks, Ranma. I didn't hit too many, but a missed a crucial one or two. Heh. I'm pretty proud of it though, overall.  ::coolspot:: 

I still have to get caught up on some of your vids. It's been a while since I've been over to your thread.

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## Man of Shred

> Thanks, Ranma. I didn't hit too many, but a missed a crucial one or two. Heh. I'm pretty proud of it though, overall. 
> 
> I still have to get caught up on some of your vids. It's been a while since I've been over to your thread.




thanks dude. and quite frankly my thread needs a little attention! ::banana::

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## Oneironaut Zero

Improvising to _Dream On_, by Aerosmith

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## Oneironaut Zero

Getting back into some music making. Quick stream of improv on the guitar, to a beat on the KORG synthesizers. Not without it's faults, but I'm getting it back.  :vicious: 

Guitar KORG session 09-08-2011 by Cognizant1 on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

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## Darkmatters

Damn O, you're a modern renaissance man!! So many talents!! I used to play the guitar a little, but I was never very good. I especially dug the Dream On improv. Heh, that guy who walked by must have been freaking out!!

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## Oneironaut Zero

> Damn O, you're a modern renaissance man!! So many talents!! I used to play the guitar a little, but I was never very good. I especially dug the Dream On improv. Heh, that guy who walked by must have been freaking out!!



Thanks, Darkmatters!  :vicious: 

I've had people stop by just to hang out and listen for a while, which is awesome. I've never really played for crowds, except at a couple of parties. So it's always nice to get feedback from passers-by. Hehe.

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## Xei

I think the backing track and guitar are using different tunings...

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## Oneironaut Zero

Possibly. Sometimes it's hard to guess when tunings the synthesizers are in (still learning how to use them), because I have to find their key and scale by ear, and I usually play the blues scale, myself, which is what I'm most used to. Most of the melodies I play to are in standard tuning, so the bluesier notes do stand out a bit more. (Also, there are a few that are just plain sour notes that I missed. I think you can tell where those are without question, though...)

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## Xei

I was more talking about the actual pitch; most tunings are based on A being 440Hz, but sometimes songs can actually have different tunings, so it could end up so that playing one note is half a semitone below the note you're trying to match, but the next note up is half a semitone above it.

You can buy little electronic tuners really cheap. I got one for free with my cheap acoustic guitar. It has little lights that flash if the note you're playing is too sharp or flat, and uses standard tuning; once you've established one note you can do all the others.

There's probably apps for that now, but I doubt they're very accurate, because really you're going to need special hardware.

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## Oneironaut Zero

> I was more talking about the actual pitch; most tunings are based on A being 440Hz, but sometimes songs can actually have different tunings, so it could end up so that playing one note is half a semitone below the note you're trying to match, but the next note up is half a semitone above it.
> 
> You can buy little electronic tuners really cheap. I got one for free with my cheap acoustic guitar. It has little lights that flash if the note you're playing is too sharp or flat, and uses standard tuning; once you've established one note you can do all the others.
> 
> There's probably apps for that now, but I doubt they're very accurate, because really you're going to need special hardware.



As far as the guitar is concerned, my FX pedal has a built in tuner. The guitar is tuned perfectly. (However, there are a lot of bends in my improv, and those are much harder to get right, because a bend steps outside of the tuning, and goes by how much or little you actually bend the string with your finger. So there are probably a couple of bends that didn't quite hit the note, but that just denotes lack of mastery on my part, not out of tune equipment.)

With the synths, though, it is electronic, so it keeps itself in the correct intervals - as far as I know. Even if the overall pitch might be a little dodgy, I don't believe that it actually _fluctuates_ the way you are perceiving it to. It's hard to say, though, because I usually tweak the synth a little from its original value, using various knobs and levels. It might cause the pitch to do some pretty funky things. I dunno. I just try to find something that sounds decent to play to. You see, it's not really a backing 'track' that I'm using. They are two different synthesizers that I tweak by ear to make a rhythm and melody that I can play to. One for the percussion, and another that does the digital melody. They each have their own setting, but are pretty consistent in their own setting, so they don't really get 'out of tune' like a guitar does, I don't think. I'm not quite sure I hear what you're hearing, outside of a few sour notes on the guitar and _possibly_ a discrepancy between what I found to be the key the melody synth is playing in, and the one I'm playing in on the guitar. As far as tuning, though, the guitar is tuned to EADGBE, which is standard.

However I do most of my playing by ear, and I'm not too familiar with the numerical values (in Hz) of most of the notes. So there is probably going to be some level of human error in there.

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## Xei

I'm not saying it fluctuates. If your FX pedal tunes your guitar to standard tuning, I imagine the main synth is out of whack, probably due to some knob or other like you say. I'd use an electronic tuner to determine what frequency middle A is playing at; or you can maybe get the info straight out of the synth somehow.

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## Oneironaut Zero

Just another improvisation exercise, over a Skyrim-inspired beat that I'm in the process of making. It takes me a second to get warmed up, and it's not perfect (nearly train-wrecks in a spot or two  :tongue2: ), but I'm satisfied with it. 

Skyrim with Guitar Improv by Cognizant1 on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

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## tommo

> I think the backing track and guitar are using different tunings...



 I was going to say the same thing.  In the two videos I watched it seemed out.  It could just be the guitar, is it a cheap one?

Also, in the Aerosmith one, your left leg looks comically long lol

Good playing though.

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## Oneironaut Zero

> I was going to say the same thing.  In the two videos I watched it seemed out.  It could just be the guitar, is it a cheap one?
> 
> Also, in the Aerosmith one, your left leg looks comically long lol
> 
> Good playing though.



Nah, it's a decent guitar. I believe it was just the backing track. It wasn't really so much a track, as it was

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## tommo

Fair enough.

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## Oneironaut Zero

> Fair enough.



Lmao. Sorry. I'm at work, and I hit "send" in the middle of my post. Lol. What I meant to say was "Nah, it's a decent guitar. I believe it was just the backing track. It wasn't really so much a track, as it was two seperate synthesizers playing together, to produce a groove and drum percussion set. I had tweaked the pitch on the melodic synth, which probably threw it out of whack. There are a lot of different knobs that I can mess with, to distort the wavelength, but I'm no pro at it, so it probably bent it a little too much, to where it wouldn't keep pitch."

Unfortunately, I got a phone call in the middle of typing all that out. LOL. Sorry.

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## Oneironaut Zero

A little more improv practice:

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## Oneironaut Zero

Still doin' the damn thang.

Evanescence - Call Me When You're Sober (cover)


Improv:


Improv:

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## Oneironaut Zero

My three-man (so far) band, with a 2-part, improvised jam for yo ass!

https://soundcloud.com/cognizant1/ja...1-13-2013-best

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## Oneironaut Zero



----------


## Oneironaut Zero

Playing: Pearl Jam - _Jeremy_

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## Oneironaut Zero

Preview of one of the tracks off the demo I'm working on. Sorry about the A/V sync problem. Had to use the old desktop for this one. The audio's straight, though!

Beat By Sinima Beats!
SoundClick artist: SINIMA BEATS - Rap Beats, Instrumentals, Free Downloads, SINIMA

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## Oneironaut Zero

Here's another one. Played around with the effects a bit, to try to hide the lag/latency editing. It's still in there a bit, but not nearly as much. Enjoy.

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## Oneironaut Zero

My Demo!

https://soundcloud.com/cognizant1/g-...emo-full-album

----------

