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Location: Fort Worth, TX | If you go to Youtube and search Stan Nowlin, I was surprised to see he has posted an excellent explanation of how learning scales can make you a better guitarist. I realize this is a topic that has been done to death on virtually every guitar forum. I will say this however, just this morning while listening to Stan's explanation I experienced an epiphany from one comment he made which melted away every struggle I've had trying to figure this stuff out. Suddenly I GET IT!!! When I see him tomorrow morning to have him film a video demonstrating a new Dr. Conant parlor guitar I have for sale I'm gonna give him a big hug! (And come on BobG, you have to admit it's been an awfully long time since I've mentioned Stan in here). BTW, I suggested to him a year ago he should do an instructional series, and as recently as a few months ago offered to help him by transcribing to tab his playing if he'd record an instructional Southern Gospel DVD, something he plays better than any other living guitarist in my estimation. If ya don't believe me, come to Ft. Worth and I'll take ya over to his place and let ya try and jam with him. |
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Location: Fort Worth, TX | One interesting thing he dwells on in two videos is how learning "hot licks" will cripple you as a player. He said guys who only learn a bunch of licks are rarely capable of sitting in and playing with experienced pickers. Instead, he goes into how to get these notes "into your heart" and be able to throw out immediately whatever you are hearing in your head. I know some of you advanced guys are saying "well duh, YEAH!". I have had the experience of trying to learn a bunch of licks and waiting for the right chord to come along in a jam where I can dazzle everyone with it and have always flopped! I'm amazed I've known this guy for years and always thought he didn't have the gift of teaching. Man was I ever wrong. |
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Location: Flahdaw | When I was younger I learned to play the lead guitar parts in Black Magic Woman really good. To this day it's the only lead lick I know.
(you wouldn't believe how seldom the opportunity to use those licks come up when I'm playing James Taylor songs with someone...) |
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| That's a problem that I'm facing now in the acoustic duo I'm rehearsing with. Up until this point I had always played original tunes (with some modest success... playing a label showcase at the Whiskey a go go was a career highlight), so I hadn't really thought about scales too much, beyond just basic blues and pentatonic scales. So now I find myself playing all of these cover tunes. I can play lightning fast speed runs, but I end up needing to learn the tab inside and out, which has left me some problem areas when it comes time to improvise. I end up hitting a lot more dissonant notes than I need to be. Guess I should have paid more attention in music theory class instead of nursing a hangover! |
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Location: Fort Worth, TX | darkbarguitar - 2013-03-21 2:07 PM
When I was younger I learned to play the lead guitar parts in Black Magic Woman really good. To this day it's the only lead lick I know.
(you wouldn't believe how seldom the opportunity to use those licks come up when I'm playing James Taylor songs with someone...)
Only lead I know is Fogerty's solo break in Proud Mary. Had it down note for note at one time but without THAT guitar and amp combo he played it's amazing how many people never recognize it. You really nailed a Santana solo? As for JT... I only recently learned after all these years how simple his playing really is. Of course, when I was in my 20's I had yet to be exposed to a capo.
Edited by DaveKell 2013-03-22 5:41 AM
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Location: Texas | "when I was in my 20's I had yet to be exposed to a capo" Greg Allman didn't pull one out? ...I thought I saw a picture where he was using a capo as a roach clip for a Chong doob.
Edited by jay 2013-03-22 6:24 AM
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Location: Fort Worth, TX | amosmoses - 2013-03-22 6:23 AM
"when I was in my 20's I had yet to be exposed to a capo" Greg Allman didn't pull one out? ...I thought I saw a picture where he was using a capo as a roach clip for a Chong doob.
Nope. Day n night I spent with him he was only consuming massive OD doses of meth he was snorting off bathroom sinks. |
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Location: Fort Worth, TX | If anyone has viewed these videos and would like a copy to print out of the scale chart Stan is demonstrating, PM me your email addy with the request and I'll send you a PDF. I just spent an hour laying it out in a graphic design program. |
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Location: Visalia, CA | Thanks Dave --- PM sent.
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Location: Bristol England | Many thanks Dave ---PM sent.
James |
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Location: Fort Worth, TX | I'm going to stray a bit OT from my own post here rather than start a new thread. Most of you will recall the pics I posted of how I fixed the crack that happened in transit on my 20 year ols Elite 1768C, the two different paint jobs I did to it to hide the crack lines. Since sanding the top down to bare wood, painting on the epaulets and the additional epaulet shapes over the cracks in the lower bout, I've come to appreciate the look of my guitar now. I think it almost looks like something that could have been a factory design as the lower fake epis balance out the look of the top. The refinishing I did actually improved the mellow sound of the cedar top for fingerstyle play. I play it every day now. I am certain that even after my luthier built OM arrives next month the Elite will remain my go to guitar. I have thoroughly bonded with it and am infinitely glad I did not let UPS take it back to evaluate it for the insurance settlement with the seller. I like it the best of the previous three O's I've owned and love the progress I'm making with fingerstyle learning on it. It's funny how my initial disappointment has so thoroughly been reversed and I feel fortunate to have found it and was able to buy it because of a financial gift from an anonymous OFC'r. I also feel fortunate to have found this community of like minded people who realize the uniqueness of these guitars that remains all this time since their introduction in the 60's. I'd sure like to see the collections someday some of you have posted in your signatures. |
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Location: Fort Worth, TX | Stan's fourth video is up in the scales series. It's a bit repetitive, but I could be seeing it that way because I got an in person preview of it. It might mean more to those of you who have checked out the videos because of this post. He presents an interesting take on his version of the numbering system which is completely something he devised that goes against the conventional approach, much like his assertion there are only 3 types of chords. All I can say is Stan is as awesome as a picker can get and if these ideas are what got him to this level they must be worth considering. I wish he'd post up a video of him playing his Nashville picking on that Samick where he uses the B bender a lot. It's some pretty hot stuff. There is supposed to be another video in the works. So far I have sent out four of the scale charts he uses I duplicated and will send out in PDF form so they can be printed out for your use. |
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PSA: Excellent explanation of scales approach