Relaxed Wrist Position - Fingers too long?

It's probably number one difficulty when you start out playing the guitar: how do I hold my hand? How do I prevent these strings from buzzing? Why can't I grab this chord? Why do my arms fatigue? Why does my forearm hurt?

Well, the more important question which eventually arises is: do I have to practice more and get used to it OR am I doing something wrong? These are valid questions and when you don't have a clue, it can be hard to find the right answers. Some people take a step sideways and make there own conclusion: it's just something I can't do.

Okay.. why?

My fingers are just too short. I lack hand-eye coordination. My fingers are too long. I've got amusia. My fingers are too fat. I'm tone deaf. My fingers are crooked and go in curves. And my fingers are braided together.

The chance that one of these excuses is true is less than 0.1 percent.



In my own experience everyone I met who told me one of these things was:
A) Not disciplined or motivated enough to actually practice.
B) Using wrong technique.

A while ago I made a video in which I showed the correct way to play the guitar as relaxed as possible. Once in a while somebody contacts me in response to the video. There are these rather negative responses saying: you can't always play chords like this! And that's true, you can't. But if there is the option of playing the guitar relaxed vs. playing it stressed, you should always go for relaxed! Why would you even try to argue that? What do you expect me to say?
"You're right, you can't ALWAYS prevent stress on your forearm while playing the guitar so.. you shouldn't even try prevent it ever???"

Okay, well the second type of responses are the ones I stated at the start of this post. And too bad for you, you can't play that card. Your fingers can't be too long. Your fingers can't be too short. They might be a little bit shorter than average, but not TOO short. C'mon. As long as people aren't calling you a freak, or aren't revering to you as: 'the girl or guy with the long fingers', there's nothing wrong with you. And no, your fingers aren't braided together!

I thought it was the right time to shoot another video, with more camera angels and a better description. In this vid I show the relaxed way to play open chords. It was pointed at beginners, so for now, only open chords. And you can always play these open chords without the angle in your wrist. Doesn't matter the size of your guitar's neck.

Wild Orchid Soundtrack - Harmonica Cover

Last week I watched the movie Wild Orchid. This movie was released in 1989 featuring Mickey Rourke and Carré Otis. The story isn't really interesting. There are a couple of adult scenes and the most memorable is the last one where the two main character finally give in and start making out. Here you can watch that again if you want:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/803302/carre_otis_sex_scene_from_the_movie_wild_orchid/
Okay, so during this scene there's some great trumpet and saxophone playing, I figured I'd do that with my mouthharp too. So here is it. Harmonica Cover of the Wild Orchid love making scene. Well it's half a cover and half a jam too.

16th note rhythms: the right way - the wrong way

Sixteenth note rhythms are about as fast as it gets when you're playing guitar chords. Playing a certain rhythms requires a given technique. Often I can categorize people who play 16th note rhythms in one of the following three categories. 

  1) People who don't have the slightest idea on what they're doing.
These are the ones who just started playing the guitar and without taking any lessons (or self study) they start playing their favorite tunes. The strumming goes all over the place. A down stroke here, some upstrokes there. They will have a hard time trying to sing and play the guitar at the same time. It's nearly impossible. To the trained ear the inexperience is quite noticeable, while your friends may just say: hmmm, I think it's not exactly how it's supposed to sound, but I can't lay my finger on it.

  2) People who play 16th note rhythms as if they are playing an 8th note rhythm.
Mostly these people did get a couple of guitar lessons, and maybe they have some more experience playing the guitar at home. They started playing up and down strokes and are pretty good at it when it comes to 8th note rhythms. The way you would play a Taylor Swift song for instance. But when you apply this strumming technique to a 16th note rhythms your song's gonna get all mixed up. When you are playing in a 8th note strumming rhythms, but you encounter a 16th note, you'll play that sixteenth- as if it was an eight note, and suddenly up- and down strokes are switched. Playing an half-inverted-8th-note-technique-16th-note-guitar-rhythm. Again, you yourself might say: what's the fuzz about? I'm playing guitar ain't I? But compared to a steady 16th note rhythm you're technique sounds like a crippled guy running the marathon and doing it quite fast. Yes, you did finish but it didn't look good.

   

Here we've got an example of Nick playing a 16th note rhythm the 8th note way. He doesn't do a bad job at what he's doing, but wait until you compare it to the real thing. 

  3) People who play mastered it..
Steady, relaxed and easy. That's how it should be. Able to sing, able to have a conversation while playing guitar, to make a few jokes to the audience. Able to make the breaks at the right moment. To play really tight with a band. To play any kind of strumming pattern within seconds.

   

The 16th note rhythm, played with a 16th note strumming technique. Look forward to the next couple of blog posts in which I'll explain how to strum 16th note patterns the right way!

Understanding 16th note rhythms [Guitar Pro]

How to play 16th note chord rhythms on the guitar and play them using the right technique? This video will help you to understand 16th note guitar rhythms and will help you get some insight on how to play them. Next week I'll do an extended blog post on this subject. This video will also give a clear example on how to create and make sheet music of a sixteenth note beat / chord progression.

About 8th note guitar rhythms

In this post I'm giving you some general information about 8th note guitar rhythms. It al starts by knowing the fourth notes. The quarter notes are the ones your count will be on. When you got 4 quarter notes in a song you'll count 1-2-3-4 for each measure. Every count will be a downstroke.

Count 1-2-3-4
When you just started on the guitar, you might want to hit the first 3 notes only. Use that fourth count to switch to the next chord. Do count the 4. Because if you don't it will f*ck up your rhythm and you'll condition a faulty habit.

When we cut all the 1/4 notes in half, we'll get 1/8 notes. You'll need 8 1/8 notes to make one full measure. It's just basic math. In the video I give a demonstration of a measure full of 1/8 notes. When you play 1/8 notes you don't count 1 to 8. Thats for dancers. We musicians keep to the 1-2-3-4. We do this because when playing in a band you all want to have your counts together. When someone says: "on 3" it must be a 3 for everyone, weither you're playing quarter notes, eight notes or 16ths. So how do you count 1/8 notes? In between each count, you say an 'e'. 1-e-2-e-3-e-4-e Every count on a numer, 1-2-3-4 will still be a downstroke. In between these downstrokes, on the 'e' we'll play upstrokes. The upstroke is indicated by the little v on top of the tablature.

Eight notes
Playing 8 1/8 notes in a measure sounds very boring. To make it more interesting we're gonna wipe some of the 1/8 notes out. There will be a few gaps in the stream of 1/8 notes. And that will create an interesting rhythm. Here are a few examples:

Click the sound file to hear the example played on a chord
Now we got a few gaps. We do count these notes, but we'll just won't hit the strings on that count. You got to remember which ones you play, and which ones you don't play. Because counting 1-e-2-3-4-e isn't gonna work. On these gaps you're not hitting the strings, but you are moving you're strumming hand up and down. That will create the right strumming technique. If you keep your hand low, it will be very hard to keep the rhythm and you'll probably never be able to sing and play guitar simulatiously. Keep that in mind! See the demonstration in the vid.

On step further are the 16th notes. But we'll save that for some later time. Good luck on your 1/8 notes.

Musical Storage Basement: 7 Unfinished Projects [Cubase]

Creativity, to me, comes in sparks. It comes, shines, and dies quickly. And so I've got a huge unfinished cubase projects folder on my pc. I just went through all my unfinished projects from the last 3 months (and I have projects going back as far as 3 years). Most of them will probably never be a full song. But here they are. At least these songs'll get some attention on their own blogpost.

Project1: HipHop Drama [from 05-09-2011]
Project HipHop Drama by MirrorGuitar
Something I created. I often have a feeling to create something Hiphop. But I always fail. This was yet another attempt. I do like the dark organ sound. But it just won't do it. Current Creative Inspiration on this one 1/10

Project2: Trager was that guy [from 17-08-2011]
Project Trager was that guy by MirrorGuitar
During my holiday to Turkey I read this short story by George R.R. Martin. I have to look up the exact title. It was about this guy named Trager. I really felt this story and wanted to sing about it. I started out kinda jazzy. This small clip still gets me a feeling very similar to when I was reading the story. But hey, creative inspiration on this one is lost a long way.
Current Creative Inspiration on this one 1/10

Project3: Piano Zelda [from 05-09-2011]
Project Piano Zelda by MirrorGuitar
I just received my EMU Shortboard and wanted to create something Piano. It started like a mysterious Zelda tune, hence the name, and ended up like this. I'll probably never finish it.
Current Creative Inspiration on this one 1/10

Project4: Breakeven [from 16-11-2011]
Project Breakeven by MirrorGuitar
I'm doing this song for a friend. It still needs a lot of work and is currently in the unfinished projects folder. I still need a lot to do. It's far from finished. But have no clue on when I will find the motivation to work on this one. (She'll probably remind me before March 2012, because that'll be deadline). We are eventually going to do this one on stage.
Current Creative Inspiration on this one 3/10

Project5: Enlightenment [from 20-10-2011]
Project Enlightenment by MirrorGuitar
I don't feel like this blog is the right place to talk about this. I'll keep it short. Last year I feel like I've grown a lot in what I call being aware. Or maybe I can just say 'being'. I noticed how much of emotional suffering is self created by your mind. I was thinking over and over on what was lacking in my life. Always in the past, on everything I thought I missed out on when I was younger, or in the future, on what I still want to accomplish before I get too old. Being stuck in this state of mind keeps you from being present in the moment and actually live. I started reading and listening to Eckhart Tolle's 'The power of now'. I also started meditation. And I wanted to combine the two somehow. Creating a relaxing sound with Eckharts words over it. Still needs a lot of work.
Current Creative Inspiration on this one 5/10

Project6: Epicness [from 25-10-2011]
Project Epicness by MirrorGuitar I really like the Viola on this one. It just sounds epic to me. But then it gets more mellow and I need vocals. This is where it usually stops. I'm bad at vocals myself so I always need to ask people and don't always feel like asking them.
Current Creative Inspiration on this one 5/10

Project7: Evidence [from 03-12-2011]
Project Evidence by MirrorGuitar
This is the newest file in the collection of unfinished projects. And I think this one will have my attention next time I start working on music. It's a acoustic / harmonica cover on the song Evidence by the band Katatonia. I love that song and I just wanted to do something with it.
Current Creative Inspiration on this one 6/10


Will they ever get finished? Most if them probably not. Which one do you think deserves the most attention? Feel free to let me know in a comment! :)

Creation of a song [EMU Shortboard / Cubase combo]

The making of a song. Piano, bass guitar, drums and guitar. When I show this: "Whowww, you play the keyboard very well." Well now the secret gets revealed. This is how I record a piano sound! Haha In this video I show you how I came up with the sound for a new song. I was inspired by my new creative EMU shortboard. I felt like I wanted to create a piano song. After I got the basic sound the project kinda stalled. I still dug up the video's because I think it's fun to share.

How to NOT injure your wrist: Acoustic guitar players advice

If you didn't know yet. This blog was started about two years after I injured my left wrist. Been unable to play the guitar since (my favorite time-spending activity) Now I'd like to do some more posts on that subject (check out the On Injury pages too!)

I payed a brief visit to the Acoustic Guitar Forums. There I saw a post of someone asking advice. Someone who recently experienced wrist pains. I gave my advice based on my own experience. It was afterward that I started reading through the tread. Most surprised: great advice was given. Something that may not go down in a forums archive, never to be looked upon again. So I want to post those comments on my blog. Starting with the original post and my own comment. Here goes.

~My Respons~

Acoustic Cover of Jason Mraz's Wordplay [La La La La Love]

Not really related to left handed guitar playing or whatever, but still something I'd like to share. Just to show you guys I'm still alive :)

I'm currently in a mix of thought about continuing to learn left handed guitar, or do the right handed thing with my thumb. I guess I'll be doing a bit of both (so my progression will probably be slower if you look at just one of these styles). It's always been that way with me. There's so many things I like to do. Photoshopin', gaming, video editing, recording music, playing guitar, lifting weights, tricking. I guess I'm as all round as it gets. It just kinda sits in the way of being master at one.

Here's the vid.

Barre chords using your thumb

I was just recording something new, using my new toy. The EMU Shortboard 49 (if that has anything to do with the record). The sounds are from HalionOne. But, the shortboard is what gave me motivation to play. I did some nifty chords on the keys and I wanted to know how you would play them on the guitar. Especially the F#m/A.

So I grabbed my Ovation and went for it. Not wanting to hurt my wrist I figured out the most safe way to play. Using my thumb for the top two strings! Playing the chords like this I'm able to keep my wrist as straight as possible. What am I saying.. I'm bending it the other way! First thing I did was look on google, and well, it's nothing new. But it is.. new.. to me.. and I like it. So here you go, a video which is also featuring part of my new recording. I hope this will be a song I can finish. So many times it happens that I start something but can't finish it.

EMU Shortboard User Review

I was looking for a small midi controller. On my search for a controller I met the EMU Shortboard. I think this controller looks great. Warm white. Slick and stylish.
It's a controller with a little extra because it also has it's own soundbank with the most commonly used Proteus sounds. Seeing the $300 $120 price tag I felt a nice vibe and went for it. Did this shortboard meet my expectations? Find out in this post!

Jack Johnson Rhythmic Strum Tutorial

I tried to play a new song on my left-handed guitar. I had some troubles doing that JJ Rhythm were I used to be so fond of. It was time to take a good look at my right-playing technique.

One Room to Two Rooms

The attic that before belonged just to my brother, separated in two rooms by this soundproofed wall. Two frames, one wood, the other metal (don't ask why, long story..).
They are pressed in felt. Flying walls so to say. Extra thick drywall too. So now I can retreat to my own room and chill in silence.

Soundproofing, Insulation and Acoustics [Part 2]

Actual soundproofing is a whole different story from acoustics. Remember the egg-carton we talked about? The stuff that doesn't even work well for reducing sound reflection? Well some people even try to use that for soundproofing! Here in The Netherlands new buildings often have 25 cm thick concrete cavity walls and that doesn't even stop the sound of a neighbor's party. Compare that to the 5 mm carbon.

If you want a quite room (or a soundproofed room) there are two kinds of sounds you want to reduce. Sounds moving through the air and sounds moving through mass.
You see, if you build one solid wall to separate one room from another that wall will conduct the sound and transmit it right to the next room.

The reduce the conduction sound we build two walls next to eachother and instead of anchoring them to the floor/ ceiling you have to press them in felt.

To reduce low frequency sounds you have to add mass to the wall. Multiple layers of drywall will work. Drywall has a high resonance (own frequency) and if you make the drywall to thick the resonance will drop and might get just in the freq. of the sound you want to block. If this happens the wall will amplify that frequency. Applying viscous material between drywall will keep its on freq. high.

Soundproofing, Insulation and Acoustics [Part 1]

First off, you need to know the difference between acoustics and actual sound proofing a room. This is just like those nutrition myths and facts, it's a mistake often made. When you want good acoustics in your room, you'll need to reduce the sound reflection of the walls, ceiling and floor. You want to hear the music from your speakers the way it's meant to sound. Not with some amount of extra living room reverb. And that goes for the home studio too.

The fun thing is, as I explored this subject (my own google internet journey to acquire some sound proofing/ acoustic optimization knowledge) I found it's all so plain and straight forward, it's just that in your life especially when your younger you tend to except everything that's being shouted out by the majority of elder people around you. Wait.. I'm straying off ain't I?

Consequences when a scholarship ends

One year ago I got my bachelors degree Civil Engineering. I could be working 5 days a week right now, but I chose not to do so and study some more. The first year was hard, on my pocket. But the Dutch government still supported me with a small scholarship and a partial loan. Next year they won't. And I'll be forced to give up my own house, to move out and move in with my parents again. In their house, we'll be dividing the room at the top floor in two. One part will be my room for the coming year and probably a second year too.

With my interests in music, my home studio and the occasional jam there'll be a lot of sound coming from my room (from time to time). The other side of that top floor will become my brothers room. I have these $200,- each studio monitors. Two big speakers. My bro, on the other hand, has his home theater set. Small crappy speakers and a horrible sub-woofer. I hate these things with their loud mid-basses. My bro doesn't really have an ear for music, so he'll just turn the bass up loud, ads some treble and thinks he's got the sound of the world. This annoys me much.

What I want to say: I've been spending a lot of time figuring out how to get my room as sound proof as possible. After a lot of research, I'm close to figuring it out. So in the next couple of weeks, prepare for some nice and insightful articles on that topic.

Une Belle Histoire Harmonica Cover

How to play Bob Marley's Stir it Up? With backing track

Lately I've spend a lot of time focusing on recording, editing and mastering @ my home studio. When the summer passes I'll be moving back to my parents home. I'll be making major acoustic adjustments to that little bit of space that'll be assigned to me. So much more to tell you about the home studio part.

Today I thought it was well past time that I focus some more on my left handed guitar skills. Playing the E, A en D major chords in a 'Stir it up' tune. See 'more' to learn how I'm handling this.

What do YOU need to set-up your home studio?

Glasses on a PVC pipe? Wait.. what?