My playing... again

Hi ya

I know my playing isn't up to the same standard as everyone on here, but I try

I recorded myself last night playing some songs - just goofing about, so there are mistakes... www.moose-shack.com/files/james_-_for_tigergetby.mp3 I wrote the above for someone - little sloppy in places... any ideas on what i can do to improve it?

This next one is a kinda cover of 3 Doors Down's song - but not exactly in keeping with the original www.moose-shack.com/files/james_-_be_like_that.mp3

Any tips on how to be better? God that is sooo vague My playing ALWAYS sounds sooo damn 'sad' - need lighter, more uplifting feeling

What's wrong with it? Or, more to the point, what were you trying to do? It sounds absolutely fine to me, but I don't know what your aim was. If it was me, I would have pushed those bends a little sharper and hit the target pitch more quickly... nothing wrong with going for the bluesy, slow-bend sound, but it's not something I do.

Thanks Adrian - yep the bends are outta pitch - doh

Wasn't sure if it was too slow? Maybe a faster part in the middle or near the end? Did it sound too 'samey'?

Possibly, but that didn't worry me... there's no reason why you shouldn't have a totally slow piece like that. If you were, I guess you could introduce some contrast by having a key change, or even just a totally new melody or chord sequence.

Sounds great James. I'm no expert, but I'd agree with Adrian on pushing the bends a touch harder. I always found it to be an issue of confidence as well as technique. If I stop to think about the pitch of a bend, I often screw it up... but in the middle of soloing craziness it's usually okay.

I think that the speed and 'mood' are fine (depending, as A.C. says, on what you were going for) but there's room to add some more texture if you like. Vary the intesity of your picking perhaps, try some palm muting and maybe work in some nice gentle vibrato.

Nice tone too, by the way.

Top work fella. Keep it coming.

nick

Sounds fine even if it is a bit sad

The chord progression might be the culprit, it's AABB (A: C#m Asus2; B: Bsus2 Asus2). Playing the C#m/E major scale gives a minor sound over the A sections, with the slow tempo this is going to sound sad. Things pick up in the B sections with a Lydian feel, at the end of the 2nd B section it gets rubato as if resolving somewhere happier like E major...instead we're back to the A section. You could use it as an intro to an uptempo E major tune, and I'm sure there are better ideas to get the sound you want.

'I guess you could introduce some contrast by having a key change'.

Is it just a question of changing key and staying with the same scale or would just a change of scale do it. How do you know what keys and scales to change to ?.

Cheers

Changing key has to involve changing scale.

Personal taste! You can change to whatever you want.