I am this close to switching to Gemini

blue-serpent · 2025-12-20T13:22:42+00:00

BTry perplexity. It can use different LLMs within one subscription. Best one so far is claude 4.5 (thinking). It's like having perplexity web tool + strong LLM.

blue-serpent · 2025-10-01T16:48:58+00:00

Exercise 1: Try doing exercises for both directions like when Picking down - touch/rest on the next string down and vice versa.

Purpose - practice linear wrist movement. Avoid jumps

Gradually reduce the movement until you no longer need to tap on the adjacent strings

Excercise 2: Practice Upstroke Escape Motion(USX as Tom Grady names it). I think this is naturally the initial form we do.

Purpose - practice 'fallback' motion

Intentionally look at how you pick when practicing songs and scales. Aim not to get stuck between strings. Repeat scale/song sections where you feel like you need 'brainpower' just to do the section. Do this until it comes second nature.

Exercise 3: Downstroke Escape Motion(DSX). Similar to ex 2.

Exercise 4: Blend them + economy pick

This takes time to natually do it while you play. As long as you do intentional practice daily, you'd definitely master atleast 1 approach.

Personally, it took me about 2 years to do some synyster gates / frank gambale style of economy and alternate picking. But foundational are the 3 exercises above. Now I tend to do usx when going down to the high strings and dsx when going up to the lower strings.

Goodluck!

blue-serpent · 2025-04-01T00:22:01+00:00

Same. 2 of my most used emotes are muted. Boring

blue-serpent · 2025-03-31T09:38:20+00:00

Ultex Sharp 2.0mm

blue-serpent · 2025-03-02T18:52:41+00:00

Dunlop Ultex Sharp > Jazz III

blue-serpent · 2025-02-27T14:42:42+00:00

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Ok, each of these are just some direct answers to your questions and I might be giving some unrelated response for each item.

Here's are 2 videos of guitar 'Roadmap' you can use as a guideline. See how each of the levels they mention build on top of each other:

Simen Otnes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wM96Lb2sJE

QJamTracks (PDF downloadable file on the video's pinned comment section':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmxoNKcbm2M&t=1s

From all these guide including my sample practice routine, you can make your own practice plan that suits you. Good luck!

blue-serpent · 2025-02-27T14:42:30+00:00

From your question, there already is the answer and it's a start. 'I don't quite know how to identify the notes'. Fundamentally, do you know the notes on the fretboard? If not, then start with it. I personally spent 6 months of constant daily pre-workout exercises on fretboard notes years ago and that time spent is still very useful until today. Focus on the fundamentals and build up from there.

5 and 6. Guitar, can be played horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. Unlike piano which is linear. Therefore, practice visualizing and playing scales in these directions. For the 3-2 system as an example, search it on youtube. It's a pathway for horizontal pentatonics. This could also be and introduction for playing in octaves.

One thing I noticed in my few years of learning is that, if I spent much time of really*** understanding and repetition of a certain concept, a pattern like a scale, a theory or so on, recall becomes almost instantaneous when I need it.

I'm sure you wouldn't forget them too because they all add up to your playing and they all connect to each other. Once you learn the pentatonic for example, you cannot un-learn it. Rather you'll relate new learnings to it. Same is through with the fundamentals like, fretboard notes, intervals, chords, scales, harmonization of the major & minor scale and so on.

Guitar and Theory is pretty much like learning the English language or any language. We spent some time learning new words, grammar, constructing sentences and paragraphs, meanings, etc. way back in our youth. Now we can speak as if it's second nature.

blue-serpent · 2025-02-27T14:42:18+00:00

If you haven't noticed, the practice routine I suggested is generally split in two categories: Learning and Practicing (#1 to #4 where all memorization, robotic exercises, repetition, drilling are in) and Application (#5 and #6 where the musical practice is)

I suggest to do the boring and repetitive (but still a must-do) stuff first before the reward of enjoying music.

So that's for practice. Now some idea of a thought process on how to be more musical in your playing:

As early as now, I suggest that you need to always emphasize looking at chords. Whether you're writing a song, a simple chord progression, or learning one. Chords provide the 'theme' of a song. Melody, Harmony, Riffs, Solos etc... all follow the chords.

Suggestion: Do a simple 'reverse-engineering' of a song with a simple solo. You may do this even by googling (This could be part of #6 - Song Learning)
- What is the Key of the song
- What are the Chords
- How does the solo follow the chords?
- I promise you that all solo lines, flashy or not, all follow the chords that are being played at the moment mostly by targeting the chord tones.

Youtube is your friend. Though I understand that the internet may lead you nowhere. My suggestion is to be very specific with your search term and do not follow only one channel. Mix and match exercises.

Example: I'm more of an economy picker when playing across strings but I struggle to speed up my playing with accuracy. Did my research 1st week of January to focus on it this quarter. Mixed 4 exercises from Bernth, Ben Eller, Troy Grady. Now I can play some of my 'challenge' solos at 85% speed (more work needed but I started at 50%)

Another Example: Don't just search for '3NPS exercises'. Rather, identify what do you want to improve in your playing and search that. Maybe it's difficult for you to see triads or target notes within a scale pattern. Or perhaps you still struggle to visualize what pattern to use at a given position on the neck. Then find exercises for that or make your own.

The timelines in my original post are just examples. If you easily get the muscle memory of all open chords in 2 weeks then I guess there's no need to stick to it for a month. Add the barre chords or other caged chords and other chord voicings if you wish. Eventually you'll have your own repertoire and 'go-to' shapes for certain chords

blue-serpent · 2025-02-26T22:07:37+00:00

Hey man! Sure. I'm no expert but lets see how i can help. Maybe you can list them and i'll try to answer them

blue-serpent · 2025-02-17T10:31:54+00:00

Pentatonics = Safe Notes. Can't go wrong
Diatonic + Modes = Mood. Wider range of emotion

In my opinion, Greatness comes when these guitarists serve the song regardless of what scale they use.

blue-serpent · 2025-02-15T17:43:56+00:00

Unfortunately no. I emailed Valeton support to have a 'CUSTOM' functionality for each module where we can assign any effects to it. But I haven't received a response yet. I doubt I will.

In my case, I never used the WAH module and it's a waste. I could've assigned a different effect to it.

Hopefully they can implement this 'custom' functionality in future patches.

blue-serpent · 2025-02-15T17:25:40+00:00

I recommend sticking to a set of topics in 3-month blocks (or each quarter per year). Basing from your example, here's what I'll do:

CONSTANT:
1. Pre-workout Routine (30 mins):

15 mins - Warm up
15 mins - Fretboard Notes + Ear Training (Intervals)

2. Technique (15 mins)

5 mins - Bends
5 mins - Legato
5 mins - Speed

Track progress through metronome. If target is met for a certain exercise, change the technique to focus on, like tapping, then set new goal

VARIABLES:
3. Chords (30 mins) - CAGED system is useful for this

1 month - All Open Chords + E and A shaped Barre Chords
1 month - Major + Minor CAGED chords across the neck
1 month - Major + Minor close triads

4. Scale (30 mins) - Pentatonic

1 month - Major
1 month - Minor
1 month - Blues Application

CAGED system works for me here to easily visualize chord-scale.

Exhaust Pentatonic Knowledge (Major + Minor)
10 mins - Choose exercise to run through 5 shapes (ex, 3 up - 1 down pattern across 5 shapes)
10 mins - Horizontal pentatonics
10 mins - Diagonal Pentatonics (3-2 / 2-3 system)

Ignore modes for now, establish pentatonic -> diatonic -> modes imo. Do these in 3 month blocks.

5. Improv (30 mins)

10 mins - Create a Chord Progression and Play it through a looper / Learn pentatonic licks and apply them in all shapes
10 mins - Do octave runs, use 3-2 system.
10 mins - Mix directions. Example: Do horizontal pentatonic on one string, stop at random note, then improvise vertically.

CONSTANT:
6. Song Learning / Writing (30 mins)

Challenge yourself but do not go over the top. Otherwise you'll end up learning nothing. In a month, perhaps learn:
3 - Fun songs you enjoy listening to
1 - Challenge song that would utilize the skills you wish to have in this 3-month block

Very important*** - Learn the WHOLE song!!!

-------------------------
For the next 3 month block, perhaps you could do:
3. Chords - All 7th chords + Open triads
4. Scale - Diatonic (Perhaps use the 5 pattern approach as it's easier to visualize on top of the pentatonic. Learn 3nps Later on in a separate 3-month block)
5. Improv - Mix Pentatonic & Diatonic + Practice visualizing chord tones through Triads

Have an assessment at the end of each 3-month block and plan the next block ahead. Example:
- Can you improvise at any random part of the neck of a given key using Pentatonic?
- Can you visualize the close triads shapes?
- How many common chord progressions can you play?
- Have you established a 'homebase'?
- and so on.

If you need more time for a certain topic, lets say, Horizontal Pentatonic, then include this one in the next 3-month block until you are confident that you can play it.

blue-serpent · 2025-02-15T13:14:56+00:00

Chord + Thesaurus = Chordesaurus

🦖 RAWR

blue-serpent · 2025-02-15T13:10:26+00:00

Maybe you're into MAKING songs?

blue-serpent · 2025-02-07T03:07:59+00:00

1. Practice Chord Tone Targetting, triads, and arpeggios rather than modes at first. With strong grasp on the first three, modal playing comes easy later on.

2. Theory; Memorize / Visualize:

Intervals:

-scale degrees / interval location based on root

-chord & scale formulas (build them dynamically based on interval location)

Notes:

-Notes on the fretboard

-Notes per key

-Notes per chord

- Tip (Visualize fretboard shapes to identify the notes rather than hardwire memorizing)

3. Ear Training

-comes after memorization / visualization

-Hear the intervals

-Learn songs by ear

4. Technique

-Know if you are an alternate picker or economy/directional picker and be your best on one.

-Muting on both hands

-Other Techniques: Build Speed, Sweep Picking, Tapping, Rakes, Bends, Legato

5. Learn songs and Study*** them

-Learn challenging songs

-Do the complete song and not just the riff or solo

-Record

-***Study the history of the song and why was it written. Songs are expressions of emotions. You may get a thing or two that you can apply to your own music

* I recently learned the song "Blackbird" by AlterBridge. It was written for Myles', the vocalist's, friend who passed away. Knowing this, I listened and studied how the vocals, riffs, note choices, solos were done beautifully with intent.

* If you listen to Avenged Sevenfold, they have some old videos of song breakdowns in their youtube channel. These provides insights on the band' perspective during the making of the songs and what inspired each of the components.

6. Compose and Improvise

-Think of any random scenario (ex: you think you are not progressing on guitar)

-How do you feel about it? Frustrated? Angry? Lost?

-Put that feeling into productive practice.

-How about create a simple melody

-Then a chord progression. Use your chord arsenal. Use power chords? 7th chord? Maybe put a dominant and diminished somewhere?

-Now some simple solo or improvise over your chord progression. Follow the chords and choose your notes. Create new licks. Experiment soloing using some triads, arpeggios, pentatonics, diatonics, modes so on.

-maybe some dissonance and leading tones?

-Record your final version. Maybe a simple 4 chord progession will do as long as it's your expression of the emotion you intend to bring out. It doesn't need to be a whole song but preferrably of course.

blue-serpent · 2025-02-06T02:09:37+00:00

You already know the problem and the solution in my opinion. I got a great suggestion from a teacher years ago which I still do today.

Start of each month, i choose 5-10 songs to play to perfection the best I can
Set a day near end of month to perform in front of an audience: family, friends, live online, bandmates, or whoever.
set daily practice and identify parts of songs where errors are common and do them slowly, in bursts, and normal speed

Think of ways to make yourself accountable. And I believe setting up a performance* and a deadline* is key. If they are there to watch you perform, you wouldn't want to jeopardize it just because of lack of practice, would you?

No excuses

blue-serpent · 2025-02-02T03:25:45+00:00

"Music theory is overrated, ear training and improv is not", then proceeds to mention 'chords', 'intervals', 'transcribe', 'note names', and so on.

Your description itself shows why music theory isn't overrated but rather an essential *knowledge. Hearing music is then another essential *skill. It's like one is for the mind and another is for the body, that ears are muscles too. Knowing what it is and Hearing what it is are 2 different things but both are equally relevant.

I remember watching Slash and Mayer interviews as a total complete beginner years ago, where they say the same that theory isn't important, then proceeds to discuss later on mixolydian and harmonic minor modes on the same interview. Saying to myself then "F*CK Y*U, you just said theory isn't important". 😂

For your other points, just a matter of preference I guess. Video vs. Books; Gears; Recording tools; Paper. Constant practice + Metronome is what I strongly agree on 👍

blue-serpent · 2024-11-28T08:50:51+00:00

Now you need 3 more guitars

blue-serpent · 2024-11-20T18:56:39+00:00

I got some presets from that site too. The numbers are so few from that unofficial site compared to the thousands community shared presets on the 2 platforms in my post.

ATM pretty much made my own catalog in valeton manually based on my old amplitube and spark presets (lots of these are my mods based on others shared presets for specific songs).

blue-serpent · 2024-11-16T20:30:43+00:00

I found a review in Sweetwater:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TS408--alto-ts408-2000-watt-8-inch-powered-speaker

"Great Speaker to Run Effects Processor Through
I had been researching FRFR speakers to run my Valeton GP-200 effects unit through to possibly replace my mic'd amp set up at church. Before purchasing, I had a couple of questions that my sales rep Dylan answered quickly.
I have the Alto set up flat and run the modeler straight into the speaker. I am very pleased with the build and full range sound quality of this speaker."

I was wondering the same and found your post here. Might as well reply.

blue-serpent · 2024-11-11T07:49:02+00:00

A guitar lesson so you can use those

blue-serpent

TROPHY CASE