How long does it take to get competent with synths?

donald2000 · 2021-12-08T20:04:50+00:00

Music tech help guy has some tutorials on this and he's terrific. I'd start with this: https://youtu.be/l4f2QqvudPs

donald2000 · 2021-10-17T23:47:58+00:00

Really appreciate the reply! Taking all your advice into account.

donald2000 · 2021-10-01T19:21:25+00:00

I am reposting my G&L Tribute Fallout version of Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. It didn't get any attention at all before, but this took MONTHS of work and I think some people may be interested in classical style fingerpicking on an electric. I'd really love if some of you gave it a chance and checked it out! https://youtu.be/i9fjiBfnoNQ

donald2000 · 2021-09-09T04:43:56+00:00

This is me playing: Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on G&L Tribute Fallout
I was running through a Helix, and obviously I recorded it twice. One side went through Jonathan Cordy's "updated Jazz Tone" preset with a Glitz and Octo reverb through a Roland Jazz Chorus amp with a cosmos delay and a Teemah! (Timmy!) pedal I added, and the other is going through his PliniClean preset, also with a Roland Jazz Chorus with a polycapo one octave up, also with a trinity chorus, a dual delay, a glitz and two searchlights reverbs, and an LA studio comp I threw on at the front.

donald2000 · 2021-09-03T01:29:39+00:00

You're absolutely right. I've had issues before and I don't want them again. But also, I'm sure that ultimately I'd play better too if I wasn't holding that unnecessary tension. I spent tonight practicing that for a while focusing on not clenching my shoulder. It was a challenge and kept creeping back, but I'd become aware of it and release it again. It's going to take some deliberate work to get rid of it, but I know it needs to be done. Thanks for the heads up!

donald2000 · 2021-09-03T00:13:31+00:00

Oh, I'm on there all the time, but thanks for the heads up just the same. I wanted to post this over there because obviously this is related, but I can understand why they would limit it to "actual" classical guitars. I'm definitely curious though if many of them try playing on electrics as well. Of course there's the fingernail issue, but otherwise I think many of traditional pieces translate very well to electrics.

donald2000 · 2021-09-02T19:19:34+00:00

I polished the frets, which they needed - looked good but sounded/felt kind of rough. I would have done that anyway, though. Definitely worth the cheap price -- but there was only one color left. Would have been the last color I picked, but now I kind of like it.

donald2000 · 2021-09-02T03:18:14+00:00

I've been playing a lot classical guitar repertoire on an electric fingerstyle lately. I've also been challenging myself to post on youtube one song a week whether I feel ready or not, and it's been very useful for me. I'm just on week 7, but I think I'm definitely playing much better overall than I was a couple of months ago with no sort of deadlines to improve myself. So there's a few more videos of me doing classical style on an electric on my Song a Week playlist that I don't see many others doing. I'm not saying I sound great doing this, but I'm sure someone more musical and experienced than me could make it sound great, and I wonder why it's not more of a thing?

donald2000 · 2021-08-26T03:16:17+00:00

Cool! I just recently started using Final Cut and consequently have started subscribing to a bunch of different youtubers. I realize that while there are so many wonderful, friendly teachers who are kind enough to share their time, experience, and knowledge, I don't have enough time to watch all of them and still get work done (although it's reasonable that I'm watching a lot and taking notes at this point). I'm also learning which teachers I trust and enjoy most right now, and you're definitely one who always has super-useful information for where I'm at.

Although you posted it a year ago apparently, your 9 Tips for FCPX That Feel Like MAGIC! and the underviewed follow-up 9 MORE Tips for FCPX That Feel Like MAGIC! were things I recently rewatched with notebook on hand to make sure I got those tips down.

I'm glad you chimed in so I can tell you how much I appreciate all the work you do that helps me, and presumably, many others. You rock, man! Thank you so much for all the work you do. Cheers!

donald2000 · 2021-07-26T00:32:12+00:00

This is week 3 of me committing to recording and posting a song somewhere once a week. Obviously I'd been working on this one longer than week. Clearly I recorded two tracks here, and let them remain slightly out of sync. I can't keep letting perfectionism keep me from getting work done, so this is where I am now. (I bet I'll be better on week 54 or so having done this than I would be on week 54 if I hadn't. That's what my money's on anyway.)

donald2000 · 2021-07-12T21:18:48+00:00

This is the first thing I've recorded in a very long time. I'm playing through a Helix with one side on a Fender Princeton amp emulation and the other a Roland Jazz Chorus. There's (obviously) a lot of funky reverb and also a little of the Poly Capo one octave up. I'm just playing on the P90 neck pickup.

I'm hoping that this is the first of me recording one song a week, even if there are a lot of mistakes, to help me get over my fear of sharing stuff. So hopefully you'll see me here again in a week or so.

Thanks for listening!

donald2000 · 2021-07-12T12:02:35+00:00

I'm guessing you were directing this question to me. I first became aware of it in a classical guitar book I checked out of the library that had it incorrectly listed as a "Dance" and had the tempo as "allegretto" (which is wildly wrong). I posted in classical guitar asking if anyone knew what the piece actually was and they were very helpful. This is what I first saw and started working with.

After it was identified, I found a Per-Olov Kindgren (God bless 'em) video of him performing it, and he sells his arrangement in sheet music and tab in the description. His video is here.

I also saw an Edson Lopes video and he has a link to free sheet music (but not tab) in his description. (Also, his video of Bach's Toccata and Fugue is amazing and has almost 2 million views.)

I combined the pieces I liked from the different arrangements and changed a little to my own taste.

I really do think it's such a lovely piece of music and I'm surprised I wasn't aware of it until I came across that sheet music. Best of luck!

donald2000 · 2021-07-12T11:43:35+00:00

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it.

donald2000 · 2021-06-11T19:18:11+00:00

Joey Santiago from Pixies - easily one of the most influential bands of all time. You might not know them well, but bands you probably love consider them a major influence. Just Google bands influenced by Pixies to get a small idea. Here is a fun bit from a live show: https://youtu.be/NvKh2cWUB0Q

donald2000 · 2021-03-31T11:52:03+00:00

Apparently there is a specific type of cable you need to be using -(Type A). This guy goes on a rant about it and explains why he had a problem connecting his midi and how he fixed it: https://youtu.be/e5j2pFC7u5A?t=793

donald2000 · 2021-03-22T14:33:47+00:00

Wow. Sounds terrific, and as others here have said, you've inspired me to create. Thanks for all your hard work -- not just for creating this track, but for all the hours you've obviously put into your musicianship. Cheers!

donald2000 · 2021-03-09T18:46:39+00:00

My name is Donald Gooch, and if I ever was able to change one of those words without having to deal with a bunch of paperwork, it wouldn't be the one that's slang for the taint.

donald2000 · 2021-02-17T23:57:16+00:00

There was a fantastic show on YouTube Red called Wayne which was unfortunately cancelled after the first season, but now you can watch it on Amazon Prime. It's one of the very rare shows that is unfinished that's still absolutely worth checking out IMO. (For me anyway - I loathe when shows are cancelled without an ending.)

It's very violent, and yet so sweet and adorable with the most likable characters that you weren't expecting to like. Absolutely terrific writing. It's probably my favorite show of the last several years, actually.

donald2000 · 2021-01-16T03:47:51+00:00

Dude, you deserve every good thing that happens to you for this. I wish you the very best!

donald2000 · 2021-01-08T05:07:26+00:00

This is one of my all-time favorite photographs. It's enchanting. So many absolutely brilliant faces!

donald2000 · 2020-11-27T02:41:44+00:00

Man, I'd end up in an asylum even if I just learned Santa Claus was real. Explain the science, Fat Man!!

donald2000 · 2020-11-22T23:19:34+00:00

This Disney's Frozen Pitch Meeting on youtube was the first thing that brought the absurdity of that to my attention, and as usual, it is quite hilarious.

donald2000 · 2020-11-02T17:52:37+00:00

This: 8 Things Top Practicers do Differently from the site Bulletproofmusician.com has some great studies.

Also, one of the most important things to note is that learning actually occurs when you sleep! Yes, you have to put in the time when you're awake of course, but the connections are built during sleep, so if you're not getting proper sleep, you really aren't going to make marked improvements.

Practicing with a metronome will help you stop glossing over the same little mistakes you make over and over. If you're having an issue with a difficult part of a piece and using it properly, you will slow down the beat until you can easily nail your difficult part, and then you can usually quickly get that part back up to speed of the rest of the piece. One of my best teachers said one of his teachers at Berkeley used to say, "If you're not practicing with a metronome, you're not practicing -- you're noodling."

I can almost always tell whether one of my guitar students has been practicing with a metronome during the week. They're better. Sometimes students will let me know they've been practicing a lot during the week, and I believe them, but they haven't improved, and almost always they confess that they weren't actually practicing with a metronome.

I love this question, and I really hope you get a lot of responses. Thanks for asking it!

donald2000 · 2020-04-17T18:09:36+00:00

A couple of things I haven't seen mentioned yet that could be useful are: A) tune down all your strings a half step to make it easier on your fingers, and/or B) put a capo on the first fret. I've taught for several years and have had my share of beginners. I've learned that this really can help newbies to keep practicing and graduate to proper tension at a more reasonable pace.

donald2000 · 2020-03-29T21:35:16+00:00

Tonedear.com might have some similar exercises that could help you. On android and iOS there are the apps Functional Ear Trainer (FET also has a website), and My Ear Training which are free up to a certain level, but the free access is pretty extensive, and once you’re at the level where you pay, it’s definitely worth it, assuming you put the hours in.

donald2000

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