First day of the new calendar year. I opened at work today. Here was the rotation of music that opened the store on New Year's Day
Dedicated - Steve Cropper
Torches - Foster The People
Zaz's selftitled record
Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons
Let Them Talk - Hugh Laurie
It was, I thought, a solid set to kick off the year. Liked it so much that I played it twice.
I had vowed to do better with practicing and keeping track in 2012, and so tonight, I sat down with the electric, a sheet of essential chords and scales, and the timer that I bought last fall.
I ran pentatonics up and down the fretboard, playing the scale up and down at each fret, from the E minor pentatonic with open strings all the way up to the same scale at the 12th fret. When I got to the 12th fret, I stayed there, and then worked my way back down.
After that, I played E position barre chords up from F at the first fret to the F that sits at the 12th.
Then, I switched back to scales and ran the blues scale up from the open strings to the 12th fret. When I got there, I did exactly like I did with the pentatonics, and worked the blues scale all the way back down.
The above was intended to be just a warm-up to whatever was to come, but life interceded at that point, and I was unable to get back to the rock. Still, going slow and careful (though I confess, I forgot to use a metronome), I still played for half an hour. It wasn't enough of a warm-up, because my hand didn't feel as loose as I hoped when I finished, but then again, I forgot to stretch before I started, so that falls on me.
A bit slower start than I was hoping for in 2012, but it's a start. A place to learn from. A place to grow from.
Dedicated - Steve Cropper
Torches - Foster The People
Zaz's selftitled record
Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons
Let Them Talk - Hugh Laurie
It was, I thought, a solid set to kick off the year. Liked it so much that I played it twice.
I had vowed to do better with practicing and keeping track in 2012, and so tonight, I sat down with the electric, a sheet of essential chords and scales, and the timer that I bought last fall.
I ran pentatonics up and down the fretboard, playing the scale up and down at each fret, from the E minor pentatonic with open strings all the way up to the same scale at the 12th fret. When I got to the 12th fret, I stayed there, and then worked my way back down.
After that, I played E position barre chords up from F at the first fret to the F that sits at the 12th.
Then, I switched back to scales and ran the blues scale up from the open strings to the 12th fret. When I got there, I did exactly like I did with the pentatonics, and worked the blues scale all the way back down.
The above was intended to be just a warm-up to whatever was to come, but life interceded at that point, and I was unable to get back to the rock. Still, going slow and careful (though I confess, I forgot to use a metronome), I still played for half an hour. It wasn't enough of a warm-up, because my hand didn't feel as loose as I hoped when I finished, but then again, I forgot to stretch before I started, so that falls on me.
A bit slower start than I was hoping for in 2012, but it's a start. A place to learn from. A place to grow from.
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