I need help and don’t even know how to ask

pipelineaudio

pipelineaudio

Active member
I need help learning basic stuff about just jumping in and playing from a Facebook chart or whatever basic working musician stuff they use.

I have plenty of technical ability on guitar, have scales and modes burned into my brain and generally know my way around the neck or so I thought

Mixing all these open jams and Live Band Karaoke shows, I’m blown away that the same players who constantly ask me questions about guitar techniques and speed and picking are able to just look at a Facebook or ascii chart and pretty much know a song… none of the riffs or any of that but the song basics are all there. Live band karaoke has less than a minute to know the song and it still sounds great. They mostly play triads and often stay off of the low e or a string. Not so much power chords like I’d do.

How do I learn this magic? How do I know quickly what and where a major or minor triad is and which inversion to play? If I take the time to work out the key, sure I can tell you in theory but these guys just fly. What can I do?
 
It’s sounds like although you know the “words” and maybe even their meanings, actually speaking the language of music in context isn’t emergent???
 
There’s no shortcut to practicing.
You just need to practice reading charts, familiarize yourself with the chords and triads so when it says D7/F# you know what to do.

Oh and I think Freddie Green style chords are what you’re referring to when you see these guys omit the 5th and 6th strings.

https://www.freddiegreen.org/technique/cervenka_numbering.html

Good luck. And get to practicing. Start with some easy jazz songs maybe? Like Autumn Leaves. It’s a pretty simple chord progression and there are lots of videos on youtube with charts and playalongs.
 
It’s sounds like although you know the “words” and maybe even their meanings, actually speaking the language of music in context isn’t emergent???
That sounds accurate. While it is physically impossible for me to play out of key in a solo (even slight out of tune causes me serious psychological pain going on physical) this doesn't translate into chords. I might accidentally play major when it should be minor if I don't know the song, and worse, I don't know how to cluster inversions in a spot of the neck
 
That sounds accurate. While it is physically impossible for me to play out of key in a solo (even slight out of tune causes me serious psychological pain going on physical) this doesn't translate into chords. I might accidentally play major when it should be minor if I don't know the song, and worse, I don't know how to cluster inversions in a spot of the neck
It sound like you might need a therapist. Unfortunately I’ve heard this before sentiment all too often. I don’t have an easy solution, aside from keep practicing.
Steve Vai said “know the fretboard cold”. Typically when we communicate verbally it’s done without (unfortunately) much thought. Music should come forth with the same sense of flow, and that requires a lot of “talking”. It’s really is a language.
 
That pain translates very well to recording and mixing and probably where it came from. For the longest time I could only play Floyd's blocked to dive only. I finally got used to adding enough chorus or micropitch to blur the tuning enough not to seriously disturb me and now playing them fully floating, which I don;t know why, as I never pull up but just dive

Actually starting to sound like the therapist thing may be right
 
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That pain translates very well to recording and mixing and probably where it came from. or the longest time I could only play Floyd's blocked to dive only. I finally got used to adding enough chorus or micropitch to blur the tuning enough not to seriously disturb me and now playing them fully floating, which I don;t know why, as I never pull up but just dive

Actually starting to sound like the therapist thing may be right
Whammy bars are just masturbatory tools. Block that shit back up and continue
 
That pain translates very well to recording and mixing and probably where it came from. For the longest time I could only play Floyd's blocked to dive only. I finally got used to adding enough chorus or micropitch to blur the tuning enough not to seriously disturb me and now playing them fully floating, which I don;t know why, as I never pull up but just dive

Actually starting to sound like the therapist thing may be right
Ever smoke weed?
 
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