For me, I guess mainly to get what I already have sounded cleaner and more confident.

Awesome, dude! Great tone, great ideas. There's a really nice confidence to most of the playing - it just sounds really solid. There are a few places where it's clear you're stretching yourself a little, and that confidence and solidity slips somewhat. I'd concentrate on getting those licks nailed too so they're at the same level as the rest.

Wow! That Gary Moore track is just spectacular. The more you learn, the more you're able to appreciate the masters.

Damon - I've been thinking some about what you said about slow bends, and I'm not sure I agree at all. When I bring to my mind some of my favorite bends in guitar solos, more often than not they're slow and dramatic bends. Very musical in my opinion. This not one of my favorite songs by any means, but a great example of what I'm saying.

Screw it - once again I can't post links. I'm referring to The Sky Is Crying by Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Thanks Ursin!

Believe it or not, I am using the neck pickup there (I actually much prefer that tone). Maybe I need to dial back the treble on the amp, or switch off the 'bright' switch.

There's a *lot* of gain, but I'm damping quite a bit to try and keep the string noise under control - maybe that's what you're hearing. The end note I fluff as often as not - a full 12-fret slide at that speed is still quite challenging for me, so often I'm not hitting it cleanly.

But thanks for listening and thanks once again for the great advice!

Been working hard on this Em sequence for the last week. This is at 144bpm. Let me know what you guys think!


Apparently I can't post links today.

Just to let you guys know, though it sounds legen.... wait for it.... dary! Legendary!

Thanks Nick. I'm also working on Twinkle Little Star - I'll post once I've got all the notes down properly.

Thanks Ursin! This is great feedback.

Yep, I was pretty disappointed with the comping: poor timing and zero feel. Definitely something to work on. I've been spending too much time on single-note stuff and no time on playing chords. (My friend jokingly described chords as 'the things someone else in the band plays while you do your solos'.)

Yep, I totally hear what you're saying about the ideas, too. Definitely something to work on.

Again, thanks for the compliments and the criticisms - very much appreciated!

Great vids and great advice. Thanks, Scott.

You know, I think until I can do that singing exercise you mention, I can't really call myself a musician. This year's *real* challenge for me....

Thanks Damon, I'll take a look.

Nick - a little physics knowledge is a dangerous thing. The important force in bending is the force you apply to counter the increased tension in the string, not the force you apply to initially bend the string.