In Your Hands

I play a fair bit of guitar. During my nine-and-a-half or so years of playing, there are a few things that I've picked up that have made me a better guitarist, and things that I've learned that just made the overall process much more enjoyable.

Here's a couple of things I've been doing recently.


1) Random Classical-Ish Arpeggio Run

This one is for learning how to arpeggio correctly. It's a pretty difficult thing to master, especially when you have runs in the middle, so this one makes you work fairly hard.

-----------------8-7-------------------------5---5\7------------
-----------8---------8---------------------6---------8----------
---------9-------------9-----------------7-------------9--------
------10-----------------10-9-7-------7-----------------10-9-7\5

---10-------------------------------5---------------------------

-8--------------------------------------------------------------


---------5---3-------------------------------------------
-------6-------5-3--------3------------------------------
-----5-------------4----4---5----------------------------
---7------------------5----------------------------------
-8-------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------

It's not insanely difficult just to play but doing it quickly and cleanly certainly is.

2) Ballin' Eurobeat Solo

Another perennial favorite of mine is....an entire solo by some Japanese session guitarist. We'll never know who, but it's smokin'.
When I was still taking lessons a few years ago, my teacher and I transcribed it out. 
This is "Spark in the Dark," by the dubiously named Man Power.

E||--10---12---10---------10---12---10---------|
B||---------------13-10----------------13-10---|
G||--------------------------------------------|
D||--------------------------------------------|
A||--------------------------------------------|
E||--------------------------------------------|


------------------------------------|
------------------------------------|
--7---9---7--------7---9---7--------|
------------10-7-------------10-7---|
------------------------------------|
------------------------------------|



--------------------------------------------------|
-----------------------12----12-13-12----------12-|
-----------12-14-12-14----14----------14-12-14----|
--14-12-14----------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------------|


--------12-------12-------19-20-19-17------|
--13-15----13-15----15----------------17---|
-------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------|



--19-20-19-17------19-20-19-17------20b----|
--------------17---------------17----------|
-------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------|



--17-19-20-19-17----19-17----19-17-15----17-15----|
-----------------20-------20----------18-------18-|
--------------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------------|

           
-----15---------------------------------|-------------------||
--17----18-17-15-18-17-15---------------|-------------------||
--------------------------17-16---------|-------------------||
----------------------------------------|-------------------||
----------------------------------------|-------------------||
----------------------------------------|-------------------||

And here's the music, so you have an idea of how it's actually supposed to be played: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1gVPJn6rWE Please ignore the slightly fruity AMV. The solo occurs twice, strangely.

I've never really gotten around to finishing transcribing the solo, sadly - I know how to play the ending bit, but I am just way too lazy. Maybe someday!

3) Obligatory Michael Schenker

Most of Schenker's stuff is pretty simple, until you hit the solos. Which, of course, is about 50% of the material (if you don't count repeat choruses and verses). I haven't even taken a crack at the real solo yet, but played 'just so,' this one is heart-rending.

This is 'Desert Song,' by the Michael Schenker Group.

----------------------|--------------------------|---------------------|
--10br----------------|-------------------8--10--|--10b----------------|
----------------------|--9~--------9--11---------|---------------------|
----------------------|--------------------------|---------------------|
----------------------|--------------------------|---------------------|
----------------------|--------------------------|---------------------|

------------------|-------------------------|--------------------|
------------------|--10br------------8--10--|---------------7----|
------------------|-------------------------|--9-----------------|
------------------|-------------------------|--------------------|
------------------|-------------------------|--------------------|
------------------|-------------------------|--------------------|

-----------------------|------------------------|-----------------------|
--7h-8~---L------------|------------7--8--10----|--10g12----------------|
-----------------------|---------9--------------|-----------------------|
-----------------------|------------------------|-----------------------|
-----------------------|------------------------|-----------------------|
-----------------------|------------------------|-----------------------|

--------------------------|-----------------------------|-------|
--12brb--------12----8----|--10br--------10b------------|-------|
--------------------------|-----------------------------|--9----|
--------------------------|-----------------------------|-------|
--------------------------|-----------------------------|-------|
--------------------------|-----------------------------|-------|
 
------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|
--------------7--8--10--|--10br-----------------|-----------8-----8-----|
-----------9------------|----------9------------|---L-------------------|
------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|
------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|
------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|

             
---------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
---------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
--9~-----------------|-------------------|-------------------|
---------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
---------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
---------------------|-------------------|-------------------|

 And here is, as Plato might say, the thing itself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWoLY5x77uk There are some changes, as it is live, but it's not fast and it should be easy to pick up on.

Aight, that's all I got for now. Enough writing about playing, I'm gonna go play!