So ive noticed, no more wrist pain. When i played, i would always push too hard with my left hand and put strain on my tendons ad joints. I have finally learned to relax enough and not have this problem, it feels great and helps tremendously of course.
I also noticed, this may sound obvious, that just playing makes you a better player. I was unsure of what to practice, so i was kinda just playing notes and improvising over nothing, and low and behold i felt some improvement.
Another thing, i am taking more frequent breaks when i play. Its harder for me to concentrate on exercises for a long time. Distractions end up doing some good.
I have been practicing 3-4 hours a day, besides today and one other day. I have noticed great improvement and my songs are coming together a lot quicker.
A great way to learn scales...scale ladder technique. Basically its where you play the scale on the top string. Then start it on the top string but then switch to the next string, etc. Doing this and going back and forth in different positions helps put all the missing links together, its what ive been needing to do. Practicising ascending and descending scales in one pattern wont do too much good. Right now ill be woking with a major, relative minor, and a mode. I will choose one key and do it till it feels comfortable then move on.
Of course, ive been working more with the blues scale. I also just learned a 12 bar blues, but i kinda suck at improvising over it. Thats just because i dont listen to much blues, but thats going to change. Im working on using the blues scale in differet positions right now.
So ive got this idea. I like how in jazz, they have alternate takes of the same songs. Im going to pretty much make variations of m songs and have music written for more instruments. Ive already begun experimenting with one song, but i need to get to know the others more first. This will be an eventual goal of mine. Theres so much you can do with one song and most musicians never touch upon this aspect. Its always one song, played this way, with the exception of some live performances but they usually dont deviate from the actual composed piece.
Another thing id like to do is write liner notes in my demo, ep, cd whatever. I think its very fascinating to get into the mind of a musician, and thats what i want to write about. I want to tell people what i was thinking when i wrote a song, or how i wrote it, what the recording process was like, what i imagine when i hear the song, etc etc. With that being said ill start with one song of mind.It started late at night, i dont remember the time, but i should have been in bed. I just started playing this short melody with A as a bass note. I thought it sounded good and then continued from there. After that, nearly every other note was done in one take. I just played and naturally, the first thing i played sounded good. The song came about naturally. I then had the song go into this dark, augmented seciton which i am currently writing now. When im playing the song it reminds me of blue colors, as if the strings turn blue and engage my mind completely. Its hard to explain and i will expand on this idea further.
Another thing, I need to learn how to transition from one topic to the next lol.
I started to learn a bit about jazz song structures, mostly from listening. Jazz is becoming much more familiar with me and doesnt sound like such a blur. That realization made me want to analyze the structures of my songs thus far. I noticed that each song is like a collage of multiple songs, but they are strng together in a smooth manner. Its a really cool concept, and knowing this will give me more creative control when i write another song. I will be able to decide if i should deviate from that strucuture or change it up in some way.
LASTLY, heres a poem i wroteI need all of you,but outwardly wont admit it.A stonw structure and stoic sculptureatared with acidity, through my broken eyes.
I never knew how to feel,but i have learned.Love for something nullifieswhat you had always thought to search for
