Song creation and doomy goodness

I am working on a doom riff to turn into a song provided I can either come up with lyrics or get a lyrical collaborator, I'm looking at you Atraxas. I will be posting the you tube link to the riff below and how to play it. I have spent a good deal of time working with a metronome on my picking and right hand skills. I can down pick steadily at 200bpm and alternate pick at 160bpm. I'm also working on galloping and have a little lead I'm playing that let's me work on the first part of a sweep pick. I've been playing roughly two to three hours a day. This time is usually broken into two play sessions since my wrist isn't strong yet. Guitar wise this is all the news there is.

I'd also like to mention that my grandmother passed away this past week. She will be missed by all of her family. We love you gradnma.

Organization

I am working on organizing my time and practice sessions in chess and most importantly guitar. I want to organize it so I'm working on new stuff and learning, especially on the guitar i.e. new songs getting solos to current songs down, without hitting a roadblock or getting bored. I would like any suggestions, especially from you guitarists out there, on how to do this.

I've started working with a metronome to help with my timing and boy do I hate it! Currently it throws me off most likely because I am paying to much attention to it than what I'm playing. I started with a rhythm passage that is only ten measures long. I usually get the timing right on the third run through. The first two run through I am either too fast or too slow. I started at 40bpms and the measure is a mixture of whole notes and half notes. I'm sure I could play it faster, but this exercise is about timing and staying clean while in time. I'll naturally move it up in speed, but need suggestions on how often. I'm thinking once a week I gradually increase it until I can't keep up or it isn't clean by the third run through. Once I hit that maximum bpm I knock it back a bit and practice there for a week and then rinse and repeat the speed test. I need to know when to change riffs and/or songs on this test as well.

My alternate picking is getting cleaner and faster. I attribute this partly to working on Blitzkreig Bop by the Ramones. The alternate power chord stumming is strenghtening my picking wrist quicker and getting it more familiar with the upstrokes. It has allowed me to add the upstrokes to Back n Black instead of always using downstrokes. It definitely feels like progress is being made on my guitar playing and I am quite happy about it.

So, to paraphrase, I'd like any organizational ideas that anyone has, especially when it comes to structuring my guitar practices without becoming to rigid. Fluidity is today's keyword. To not be tied down to a rigid schedule yet maintain a semblance of order so I don't become caught up in the complacency of familiarity.

Guitar and chess. Aren't you just thrilled!

My practice sessions with the guitar are getting longer and I'm usually playing two sessions a day. I also added a Ramone's song, ok just the intro at the moment, to the list. I realize it's only a three chord song, but it lets me practice my upstroke on power chords which is quite a different feel than alternate picking, although it is based on the same premise.  While I was mucking around the other day I found a really evil sound. I kept playing with it and thought to myslelf "hmmmm, this seems familiar." I looked up what I thought it sounded like and lo' and behold it was the opening to Black Sabbath 'Black Sabbath'. I was both elated and disappointed. Elated that I discovered it just by goofing around with different things and disappointed because when I first stumbled upon it I thought I had found something original and truly haunting sounding. I was going to embed a video of me practicing, but although youtube says it uploaded correctly and everything it has yet to show up. I don't know if it has to be approved or what not so it may have to wait until my next blog.

On the chess front I think I'm getting worse. I'm not sure if it is a lack of concentration or perhaps my opponents are getting better. Paul has been crushing me, like he should, and my other games are also very very close. I did have a nice win in 5 minute chess against a 1761, hell it was more of I crushed him, but he did not seem very familiar with 1. d4. In all reality everything is probably status quo on that front, but sometimes I feel like I've hit a plateau. Either way it is still enjoyable to play and that is all that really matters.

Tuesday Oct. 9th I'll be at the Nightwish Kamelot concert :) A huge shout out to my friend Rob Frick for buying tickets. I didn't even know about it until he said he got us tickets for the concert. I'm sure it will be an awesome show.


Finally got it to upload.

More guitar

Still playing guitar. Finger and hand strength slowly returning and re familiarizing myself with other songs that I had down before my force hiatus from playing. Started working on "Stairway To Heaven" as well. Yes I know it's a sin for any guitarist to play it, but it is a good way to work on barre chords and finger picking. Re-familiarized myself with the solo to "Sweet Leaf" which means I can play it in full solo and all. The solo isn't up to speed, but will get there as I practice. Will be attempting to learn the solo parts to "Iron Man" in the very near future. It is a bit harder and more technical than the solo in "Sweet Leaf", but I'm sure I can eventually get it down as it is still based around the pentatonic scale.  Started learning the opening basic riff to "Symphony of Destruction" as well.

Playing the guitar really makes me happy and content. I just wish I could learn it faster or was able to play eight hours a day. I'm currently getting in one and a half to two hours in each day. I'm hoping as my arm and wrist endurance increases I can increase it to about three hours a day, which is what I was playing, chopped up into two practice sessions each day, each day. I posted a small audio upload to facebook of me playing during practice. I'm thinking of doing it again and as I get the songs to full speed actually uploading video of me playing songs. What do you think of that? "Sweet Leaf" will most likely be the first one I do when I do it.

Hopefully things in the real world will come down and allow me the luxury of fully delving into my guitar play. Until next time keep it real and keep it metal \m/

FTW, not I don't mean for the win.

The last two days have been utter shit. I played some guitar but everything else just keeps getting worse. To start off with my dad is in the hospital. It's only for an observation but it has me worried a bit. Car is once again unavailable and I think we may need to replace the flooring in the bathroom sooner than later. Naturally we have no money to do that with. There is a reason I've lost weight and it has nothing to do with whether I want to or not. Not that losing weight is a bad thing mind you.

I'm tired and would just like a break long enough just to get things to finally even out. It sucks when hot water is a luxury you cannot afford. Maybe it's finally time for me to snap and really go psychotic like everyone thinks I am anyways. Fuck this world anyway leave it for the sanctimonious christians and the belief in a dead god. Give me three sheets of acid and I'll go out flying high. The next person that says everything happens for a reason is going to get stabbed in the face with a rusty nail. Just fuck it all.

Calluses forming on my fingers again from playing guitar which is good. My hand is loosening up as well and my touch is getting slightly lighter. Ran through the opening of Metallica's "One", Sleep's "Dragonaut" in full, and other songs that I had down when I was able to play. I attempted to work on "Symphony of Destruction" by Megadeth, but the tablature I have for it seems to be incorrect. All is coming back together on the guitar front.

I'm only playing two games of chess currently and there really isn't much to say about them just yet. Well the game against Paul, I don't like my pawn structure in it just yet. He is keeping some pressure on me, which is disallowing me to advance a certain pawn to gain space with. He is quite evil that way.

Really not much else to write about, so I'll leave you with a random thought. Be sane inside insanity. That is all I have.

Resurrection cemetary

I'm going to ressurect this blog, however it will no longer be strictly about chess. Chess as been going well. I seem to do well at correspondence chess, but haven't played any quick games to see if my knowledge has transposed over to those games.

I finally got to play my guitar again after a long drought of not being able to play due to certain unsavory individuals I had to live with. I have my own place and am back playing guitar. My hand cramped up in 45 minutes on the first day and my fingers are sporting some nice blisters that will eventually turn back into calluses. It's quite remarkable how much I remember or figure back out with just a little bit of play without having to look at any tabs. In another week after I've re-familiarized myself with "Lucille" I can start working on the rhythm pieces and syncopated strums I was working on before my forced hiatus.

Hopefully this blog will get some followers and I can continue writing in it. Even if it ends up being a place just for me to rant. Fair well until next time.