What are you working on this week?

Mark Wein

Mark Wein

Grand Poobah
Staff member
I'm getting back to work...I had over a month where I couldn't really focus on anything with the closing of the studio and a bunch of other stuff. Now my schedule is mellowing out a bit (although the new studio construction prep might eat a bunch of time this week) I'm getting back to it. One thing I started doing last week was 20 minutes of playing piano every day. I need to pass a piano proficiency test at some point in the near future and I haven't really played much since the last time was in school in the early 90's. Also focusing on sight reading and back to internalizing some tunes.

I also have my bands gig at the fair on Saturday so I need to get those tunes sharpened and I have about 40 songs to put together for an acoustic duo in a couple of weeks. Luckily I know bunch already but there are a few I've never played before that will take some work.
 
Just more tunes for a couple of upcoming gigs.

As for technique, rediscovering the use of pentatonics as I am not much of pentatonic player. Also working on West Coast Blues comping. Been listening to a lot of different WCB artist and picking up on there approach and adapting it to my own. I use the technique at the numerous jams that I attend. Also working on memorizing lyrics and building my repertoire of blues tunes.
 
We've got a wedding coming up where"In My Life" is the father of the bride dance, so I've been arranging that double speed piano break for the guitar.
 
More tunes...

I have a sub gig on Saturday and am reviewing tunes I have not played in a few years. Should be fun!!!
 
I've just started working on this lesson pack:

yng_thumb1.jpg


It's mighty challenging, some of the positioning is totally new to me, but I wanna try and learn some of it. Never been able to play any Yngwie tunes or leads, but I've always been a fan, so I figure this might possibly solve a few riddles. I already know that a lot of the reason why I've been struggling is because of Yngwie's idiosyncratic technique and how I've never understood how he played all those licks. Chris knows, and Chris goes into detail here.

This is gonna be a long journey.
 
Trying to worry less about speed and more about note choice and being conscience of what chord in playing over
 
I'be been practicing general contractor management and paintbrush control. Sadly school starts next week and I've barely touched a guitar for the two weeks leading up to my ensemble auditions.
 
Working on I Wish from Stevie Wonder. @Mark Wein , I have the walking bass line (I'm using my looper) and then all the m7th chords... Only thing that's escaping me right now is the do doot doot do breakdown. Can't tell if I should be vamping or single line.
 
Working on the new Fingerstyle Breakthrough Course from Tommy Emmanuel. Working on Only Elliot by Tommy. Trying not to get frustrated and quit playing altogether...yeah I'm going through one of those phases. It's hard to try and play music when you have no talent and no musical aptitude, hard work only gets you so far then you want to just watch M*A*S*H reruns instead

I'll get through it though I may not get the songs
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top