For the Pony Guitarists!

[Trillionage]

I personally tend to go for non-traditional scales and just random experimenting. I'm not very good with individual chords, but i tend to do arpeggios and slide and percussive guitar (mostly because i start to get bored when i'm supposed to practice my chords). I personally like experimenting with the sound, especially with my electric and pedals.

[Trillionage]

I normally don't record i mostly just pick up my guitar and improvise and jam for a bit. When i do record, i just directly plug in through the mic jack.

I've trying to do more theoretic style stuff like breaking down scales for the guitar (my playing level is more or less amateur-intermediate). I've personally have taken a liking to the Insen/Japanese scale.

[Trillionage]

The Japanese scale (Insen seems to be something slightly different) is a pentatonic scale made of (in order) m2, M3, M2, m2 and M3. I like it because its so moody and deep. I imagine in a shamisen it would sound creepier.

Oh i feel you. I personally want to foray in genre's that aren't very frequent in the brony community like Latin and "world" music and classical and more experimental stuff, as well as rock and such. At the moment i'm working on a "native American style" song and i plan making a traditional Japanese arrangement of Art of the Dress.

[Trillionage]

Not really. I'm thinking of making one. I do have a DA, but i haven't updated it in a while and i just opened a soundcloud. Hopefully during the summer i would have both filled. I just put up my WIP in the Wip thread if you want to check it out.

[guitarfan01]

I'm not a shredder by any means. I took guitar for a couple years in college, and played in the guitar ensemble. I've played guitar for about ten years, but never really had the discipline to practice a whole lot, though if there's a song I want to know, I'll spend the time to learn it. I have a pretty good working knowledge of scales and theory.

All this to say that mostly, I do folk, rock, ambient, and postrock.

But nothing's finished or released yet. *shrug*

[MixolydianPony]

If you're looking to do something different, I'm pretty sure that there is no Brony Neoclassical music, and the instrumental rock virtuoso thing like Steve Vai... I think you might be interested in that sort of style. There's a lot of instrumental rock, but as far as I can tell, it's more focused on being catchy or hard... And you sir, have the skills to be considered a virtuoso, and make music like Vai. That would be nice to see.

As far as my style goes, I just got a brand new guitar, a Suhr Pro Series M1. It's extremely versatile in tone, and it's built for speed. I typically use Ernie Ball hybrid strings, so the 3 lowest strings are big for crazy heavy riffing, and the 3 highest strings are easy to bend and shred on. (Not that I can shred.) As far as genre, I play progressive rock, metal, and swing. I love swing. As for scales, I use the blues scale a lot. I use the modes of the major scale pretty much equally with each other, and I absolutely love the Phrygian Dominant scale. It's the 5th mode of harmonic minor, very exotic sounding.

I've just overhauled my practice routine, and now I do a variety of scale and finger exercises to a metronome for as long as I can stand.

When I record, I set up my amp and effects and such like I would live, and then I just mic the amp really close with a Shure SM 57. I typically leave out delay and reverb, and add that in my software, but choruses and flangers and stuff I'll do from my effects pedal board.

Sorry for the wall of text.

[Trillionage]

I've been considering buying an acoustic guitar so that i have something i could use at hand. While i love my electric, it just feel lacking if i don't have an amp connected. Also if i buy it, i would try to mod it so that it could play quartertones. HAs anyone ever heard of them?

[Trillionage]

I normally prefer more electric music on the guitar since you can't hear the rubbing of the strings and you can do amazing things with a few pedals. Tom Morello is essentially the reason i have so many pedals right now. But that aside i enjoy some acoustic music. I personally own a Bob Dylan LP :B

Do you know what quarter tones are?

[Trillionage]

I think. Yeah they are used a lot in middle eastern music. I want to be more experimental and increase my range. I want to become a speshul sunflower and make speshul muzac. Also i found some Arabic modes and i can't really play them since i don't have the appropriate gear.

[Trillionage]

Me too. I want to make music that stands out in itself. That's why i'm trying to do more underrated genres for pony music. I like introducing new things to people.

I actually did an open mic performance the other day. Since i really didn't know any actual songs, i just did some improv with my guitar, slide and pedals. Apparently, people liked it and they said it was pretty different. I kinda regret that i decided to jump in during the last open mic of the year, but well better late than never.

[Trillionage]

I personally wouldn't mind doing more pop type of music, as long as i could still have fun with it. After all the Beatles were technically pop in their day (what's funny is that before the mop tops, they were practically punk).

The only problems i have with modern pop is that its too homogenized and that the radio has by far the smallest selection of tracks ever. Seriously imagine working somewhere where you have the radio set to a station throughout an 8 hour shift. You'll go insane before the end of the week.

[Warbalist]

I just wanna see what kinds of things most of the guitarists are doing these days in their pieces.
If you could answer these simple questions I would very much appreciate it, especially since I'm still trying to figure out which style(s) I should be playing in my pieces.
ok.
---When you are practicing, what kinds of music(scales, songs, improv, what have you) do you usually do?
---What is your favorite music style to play on the guitar
---What kind of strings do you have on your guitar
---What system/strategy do you use to record your guitar (microphone to amp, USB plug-in, etc.)

---What kind of tricks and formations do you tend to practice (aka: Shredding, Solo comp, Arpeggiation, blues fill, hybrid harmonic/melodic sliding, etc.)

That's about it. Just my little attempt to know everypony better. Especially the guitarists.

thank you!

First thing I do is run through my Petrucci hand warmups, then on to anything awkward. Marty Friedman's 99 Secret Lead Guitar Phrases, his Exotic Metal Guitar, Rusty Cooley's Art of Picking, etc. Then, if I have time, I work on improvising, which I think is vital to being a good musician, even though I kinda suck at it, compared to composition. There are a lot of backing tracks on YouTube in various styles. It's great!

Of course, I usually have to learn a bunch of songs for my...um...day?...job? I play guitar, so it usually happens at night. But, the songs are usually so easy, it doesn't matter. Learning a bajillion songs in a bunch of different styles WILL, however, give you many different perspectives when it comes to accompanying or soloing. Always good to do.

Another fun thing is to learn a bunch of melodies which you think are great. Ask yourself why they're so good, then play the crud out of them all! It'll help get your fingers used to more melodic soloing instead of sounding like you're just playing scales.

My favorite style to play is thrash, even though it's not my favorite to listen to. It's just so fun! After that, I'd have to say anything shredderific, then old-school country, like Merle Travis or Chet Atkins.

On my electrics I use DR Black Beauties, .10's. I play a lot of gigs and they don't rust. Yay!

I record guitars in many ways. My acoustic Variax goes right into my tube mic pre, my electrics either go direct into the POD X3 and record dry or I set up my amp at my bassist's location (he has NIIIIICE recording gear) and shred it up there. I use this mic technique: http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/prod ... sound.html

Tricks and formations? 1/2 step bends from outside of the scale to inside the scale, random chromaticism, using the weird notes of the blues scale and bend vibrato, which so many people suck at! It's an easy fix, though! Just play a crud-load of Zakk Wylde!!!

[Warbalist]

That's actually really cool.
your setup's ALOT more complicated than mine. XD

how long have you been playing?

Since January 25, 1995. My mom got me my first guitar. It was my third instrument, and the most delicious.

[Warbalist]

Lol delicious.
I listened to Vicious Lies on your youtube, and that's an awesome solo.
great job btw, and you certainly had a way of making that sound easy.

Fantastic! and it's good to see another brony with similar tastes in music as I do.
Again, fantastic work!

Thanks! The trick is: lie to yourself and tell yourself that it IS easy, then it ends up BECOMING easy. At least, that's what I tell myself when I'm working on Rusty Cooley stuff... /ohokay.jpg

Shred it up, brother!

[Trillionage]

Have any of you ever thought about building a pedal or an instrument?

[Trillionage]

I just hate the fact that all the music is gone from it.
I can't stand it now, especially since people find it acceptable to make braindead music that only speaks to the least educated of people.

Even dubstep does this and i'm disappointed in it...

doesn't matter though, real musicians will prevail, even if they aren't popular, they'll still prevail.
All those musicians who play a musical instrument. All those musicians that can actually sing. They'll survive.
Electro and Autotune will eventually die, but metal and Neoclassical will go on forever.

Just like the Crazy Horse said: "Rock and Roll will never die". But to an extent yeah, Radio music has the tendency to not have much "spirit" put into it. Personally i feel what ruins most radio music is over exposure. You could have a really good song on the radio that you will end up hearing over again...and again...and again...and again. Eventually you just become fed up with it. An influential and good act ends up being copied by other people with...fluctuating success. And then you get the obnoxious fanatics.

But if it consoles you, feel happy that some of the things on the radio (if not most) will eventually fade away in time and our children will look back and say, "what the hell were you guys thinking?". All of the classic acts we associate with an era in reality were just a handful. Hell one of the most popular acts in the past was freaking Archie (as in the one from the comics that seem to be simultaneously stuck in the 60s while including concepts from the present).

[Warbalist]

Have any of you ever thought about building a pedal or an instrument?

Thought about it many times. Sounds fun. I'd probably start with stuff from Build Your Own Clone.

[Trillionage]

Have any of you ever thought about building a pedal or an instrument?

Thought about it many times. Sounds fun. I'd probably start with stuff from Build Your Own Clone.

I bought a DDS to try to build some kind of wave generator pedal but unfortunately, i have no idea how the hell to use the damn thing. But i've always considered it an awesome project to tyr. That and trying to build an odd guitar.

[Glitchhog]

---When you are practicing, what kinds of music(scales, songs, improv, what have you) do you [b]usually do?[/b]
I never really 'practice', I just play and improvise. I mainly play Djent, Jazz, Discordant stuff.

---What is your favorite music style to play on the guitar?
Jazz and Djent. One is groovy and chuggy, the other is beautiful and technical.

---What kind of strings do you have on your guitar?
Light guage strings, D'Addario. I can't remember the exact details. I'm usually tuned to either standard/drop D (when playing Jazz) and drop B when playing Djent.

---What system/strategy do you use to record your guitar (microphone to amp, USB plug-in, etc.)
USB-to-PC interface, although I always bury my guitar in effects during recording, so it's very difficult to pick out when I'm using it in my music.

---What kind of tricks and formations do you tend to practice (aka: Shredding, Solo comp, Arpeggiation, blues fill, hybrid harmonic/melodic sliding, etc.)
I used to be crazy about shredding, but nowadays I favour melody and flow when I play jazz, and complex polyrythms and grooves when playing Djent.

[MasterOfRegret]

---When you are practicing, what kinds of music(scales, songs, improv, what have you) do you usually do?

I usually start off with some scales for a few minutes, and the I play whatever song I want to play for practice.

---What is your favorite music style to play on the guitar?

I don't know if this counts, but fingerstyle. I never play with a pick. Anything with some nice melodies that I can play is great. Especially the ones that challenge my finger coordination.

---What kind of strings do you have on your guitar?

Some run of the mill D'Addario bronze.

---What system/strategy do you use to record your guitar (microphone to amp, USB plug-in, etc.)

USB plugin, and through my mic at the same time. The USB alone sounds too unnatural. Although I don't record often.

---What kind of tricks and formations do you tend to practice (aka: Shredding, Solo comp, Arpeggiation, blues fill, hybrid harmonic/melodic sliding, etc.)

Nothing in particular.

One of my favorite songs to play, because it's awesome and slightly challenging, (I've practiced away most of the challenge by now) Classical Gas -Mason Williams
I find it astounding how fast my fingers move when I play.

[Versilaryan]

---When you are practicing, what kinds of music(scales, songs, improv, what have you) do you usually do?
To warm up, I go up and down all the modes of a major scale. Standard three-notes-per-string stuff, going up, and then going back down, and then I'll shift up a position and play the next mode of that major scale. Sometimes I'll just do that for fun.

Practicing-wise, I play through something. Then I play through it again. And again. And again. Five times in a row perfect, either move on to the next section or speed it up a little and repeat the process. Very classical style of practicing -- it ensures that I'll never play it wrong. Ever.

---What is your favorite music style to play on the guitar
I like jazz improv. I can't improv metal or most rock for crap, but I know my jazz style.

Otherwise, whatever fits my fancy. Jazz, blues, mostly hard rock and some metal. Especially if it's prog.

---What kind of strings do you have on your guitar
Elixir 11's. I'm thinking about dropping down to Elixir 10's, though, because you have to bend REALLY far to get the note anywhere with thicker strings. It makes your tone so deep and delicious, though...

---What system/strategy do you use to record your guitar (microphone to amp, USB plug-in, etc.)
Mic and amp. I don't do enough recording to warrant a POD 2 or something similar.

[ChromaticChaosPony]

---When you are practicing, what kinds of music(scales, songs, improv, what have you) do you usually do?
I play every chromatic scale possible to warm up and stretch out. I even invnted an exercise that ascends chromatically and diagonally at the same time, playing every string.

For practice, I learn to play (nearly impossible) riffs from song I listen to. Usually progressive metal, some other genres don't provide enough of a challenge for me to improve my technical skills. I also enjoy messing with uncommon chord voicings and arpeggios. I also practice playing djent in odd time signatures. I got fairly decent at playing djent in 11/8 and 13/8. I like to accent notes by adding pinch harmonics or full chord voicings. It adds to the music and helps me keep the timing. One thing I've been doing recently is practicing diminished scale runs, sometimes with tapping.

---What is your favorite music style to play on the guitar
I like any kind of metal, and alot of classical and jazz. My favorite is progressive metal. It really forces you to improve your playing style.

---What kind of strings do you have on your guitar
On my 8 string, I haven't had the guitar that long, so it has the stock strings. My Jackson Rhoads has Ernie Ball 11s. They are great, and perfect for all of the low tunings I use (I often tune to drop A).

---What system/strategy do you use to record your guitar (microphone to amp, USB plug-in, etc.)
Mic to amp recording. I'm working on improving on this skill. My last recording was apparentl broken, and had bad sound quality (not a problem earlier).

[MatthewMosierMusic]

---When you are practicing, what kinds of music(scales, songs, improv, what have you) do you usually do?

I mostly just sit down, pick a random key and capo, and start improvising. Also kinda therapeutic, but it really helps me write the music for my songs quicker.

---What is your favorite music style to play on the guitar

My favorite to play is (what I call) textural acoustic improv, which is basically Andy Mckee and Trace Bundy stuff, though I am terrible at it.

---What kind of strings do you have on your guitar

I use Elixir 12 gauge Nano-webs on my Takamine acoustic, Martin 12-gauge steel strings on my Bently acoustic, and Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkys on my Gretsch electric guitar.

---What system/strategy do you use to record your guitar (microphone to amp, USB plug-in, etc.)

Most of the time I just use my Snowball USB condenser mic directly into the laptop, but if I'm doing electric guitars, I'll run everything in through a mixer board to the amp and Snowball from there. Not as great though, cause my apartment is grounded terribly and I get insane buzz if in plugged into the wall.

[Pickslide1992]

Mainly I just noddle around and do some simple riffs and licks. I practice some of my favorite songs and such and if I have a song idea, do a riff similar to another one.

As for favorite genre to play/record, it's anywhere from classic rock to thrash metal. Basically any form of rock popular from the late 60s to the 90s. I've also been practicing with jazz and reggae/ska.

I record using either my Pod XT Live or through Pod Farm/Gearbox into either Audacity (For solos) or Riffworks (For the rhythm track)

I use Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings on my Gibson. They are like a match made in heaven and they last a while without having to be restrung.

I am not a shredder, but I like to think of myself as more of a bluesy, medium speed soloist sometimes. I like shredders and such, but really it's just playing fast and sometimes the notes slur into each other. There's some articulate players out there and there will always be an exception to the rule, no matter what, but I don't see the point of shredding.

That said, I wish I had a Floyd equip guitar, so I can divebomb and horse (Or pony) whinny until the cows come home. xD

[Pickslide1992]

Mainly I just noddle around and do some simple riffs and licks. I practice some of my favorite songs and such and if I have a song idea, do a riff similar to another one.

As for favorite genre to play/record, it's anywhere from classic rock to thrash metal. Basically any form of rock popular from the late 60s to the 90s. I've also been practicing with jazz and reggae/ska.

I record using either my Pod XT Live or through Pod Farm/Gearbox into either Audacity (For solos) or Riffworks (For the rhythm track)

I use Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings on my Gibson. They are like a match made in heaven and they last a while without having to be restrung.

I am not a shredder, but I like to think of myself as more of a bluesy, medium speed soloist sometimes. I like shredders and such, but really it's just playing fast and sometimes the notes slur into each other. There's some articulate players out there and there will always be an exception to the rule, no matter what, but I don't see the point of shredding.

That said, I wish I had a Floyd equip guitar, so I can divebomb and horse (Or pony) whinny until the cows come home. xD

did you ever consider learning how to shred?

I would if I had a live teacher, not a bunch of useless videos and lessons online. I don't have the patience. xD