It's just dawned on me why I still sound sh1te on pieces I know - despite far too many years trying to get better.
Discovered I can't even play two notes with the same level of technique and musicality as the really good guys. I've watched a few of the tutorials from the chap below over the years, and found him good on general tips around finger flexibility and speed. Good stuff if you aspire to be a shredder.
Came across a snippet partway through this video at the 0:50 mark, (lasts under a minute from there) where he makes the point that even if you only listen to just a couple of notes from a guitarist - the way they manage, volume, vibratro, length of the note - and the way the note decays over time, it's usually enough to tell how skilled the player is, or whether he may be one of the greats.
I spent about an hour this evening working on one and two note vibrato and sustain exercises - trying to match extracts from some classic guitar solos, and realised just how much there is in it.
I also know for sure now why nobody will ever going to mistake any of my efforts - ever - for anything by Peter Green or Angus Young, no matter how similar the notes played may be
Comments
Ironically, the vibrato from the chap in the video is...not particularly well controlled, IMO. It's kind of jerky - the bend/up part of the vibrato is faster than the release, which makes it sound kind of twitchy (to me, at least).
A good exercise is to try to play vibrato as a series of even bends in time with the music, slowly at first (so it sounds like a series of consecutive bends), then gradually raising the tempo and varying the width of it. Then do it on an already-bent note (lots of people have trouble with this, which baffles me).
Those are easy wins, which will instantly make you sound vastly more "pro" than most of the players you'll see playing in pubs and clubs on a Friday night.
I have enough finger strength to do the bend, but find when I try to add the vibrato, with whatever I'm doing the note just dies. Any tips - things I could work on to keep the note ringing ?
listen to mine or another amateur player’s note is the lack of control about timing. There’s that subconscious hesitancy that for me gives the game away.
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
Re the text in bold, not sure I fully understand: can I ask (and bear with me if this sounds a bit pretentious, but it's hard trying to describe the movement in 3 dimensions otherwise..) what are you doing to move the neck up and down, if it's not the normal movement of the string across the neck laterally being generated by the pivoting of your fretting hand round the base of your index finger ?
(Hope that makes sense..)
Have been experimenting with it (for far too long when Im supposed to be working) this morning. Compared to what Ive been trying to do before, there's a lot of subtle, nuanced differences. Feels like each has a minimal impact on their own, but taken together seem to make for a lot 'stronger' hand finger unit. Makes it much easier to control the stretch and subsequent bending of the string using my forearm more than the individual fingers.
If there's one thing that has made a bigger difference than anything else, it's this. The three fingers supporting together like that allow you to stop worrying about the ring finger, and use the wrist and forearm to control the whole thing - a huge difference.
Thanks for all your help, and patience BillDL - really very much appreciated.
Alan