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Evark
My lexica exude confidence like cartels' Mexicans dispute dominance while this rhyme's ever-increasing prominence brings sick-flow and I to concomitance.

Age 38, Male

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UMass Amherst

Boston, MA

Joined on 10/22/03

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Alright, so I've been teaching myself guitar...

Posted by Evark - October 9th, 2009

I've made a lot of progress since I started playing in August last year, considering I couldn't even finger an open A back then.

Anyway, one of the things that I really need to work on is repertoire. It's one thing to know scales and chords and licks and all sorts of shit, but if you don't have a practical use you can't make progress.

So... I've been learning 'Rosealia' by Better than Ezra and saw fit to record it. I'll probably be butchering some more songs in the near future, so stay tuned.

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KrevZabijak

Why are Fleek and Splatter at your page minutes apart from each other?

I love Splatter, but ... Fleek being here, I dunno about that. Anyhow.

You're damned good for having played over a year. I love your voice, though! I let this play in the background a couple times while I did a bit of work.
I have a question, how long does it take you to develop finger-toughness to fret solidly, or calluses, or whatever the hell people call it? I stopped playing accoustic as much as I used to for a couple months, and now I'm back to playing a couple hours a day in preparation to record a Jose Gonzalez cover song for Lizzardis as per his request. (Teardrop is what he wants, and I want to do Crosses as well, a little bonus for him.)
I play so long and fret SO hard due to the high action on the neck of my 35-year-old Yamaha guitar that it pains me to type for a few hours after my little 'jam sessions.' I have no idea when my fingers will toughen up again. :(
I'm sure having three nylon strings and three slinky bronze round-wound strings don't help. xD

Evark

RE: fleek; splatter, dunno? One of them coincidences?

Thanks! finger-toughness was quite a project. When I started playing again, I went out and re-strung my guitar on my own (which turned out to be a huge mistake... I have a classical nylon-strung guitar) with steel strings. Sounded FUCKING awesome, but likely warped the neck. Action's higher than I'd like now that it's restrung with nylon strings again, plus the guitar repair shop dude hadda replace all the tuning heads. Anyway, the steel strings were really tough to fret, but I'd just kinda ignore the pain as long as I could until it went away. As I started to get the hang of 12-bar blues in G, I was practicing pulling off all the string and hammering on the next chord. After a month I had a decent callus on my pointer finger, but it wasn't until probably a month ago that I could even effectively move my pinky to develop the final callus.

So... do your hammer-ons? I need to get myself a steel-string acoustic, and fast. Was thinking one of the value-geared Ibanez AE... don't remember which.

Anyway, how old are the strings on that Yamaha? Sometimes old strings just plain hurt to play, I had a lot of trouble on my friend's ancient (and absolutely gorgeous) acoustic/electric before he restrung it.

KrevZabijak

I restring every 2 to 4 months, depending.. and I clean my strings pretty much at least once a week. I'm extremely OCD about string cleanliness.
I clean after every session on my Fender Strat because it's a CE edition with gold-plated hardware. Gotta treat that baby like the priceless thing it is, so I basically go over the entire guitar when I'm done jamming. <3 Don't want that gold to corrode. I don't do the same with my Telecaster though. I just clean when it gets dusty.

Evark

Ha ha, well you care for your guitars more than I do. Then again, if I had a respectable guitar I'd probably be all over keeping it in mint condition as well.

That narrows it, though. Daily practice, give it a month or so for your calluses to return.

Concocktion

I play Geetawr.

You'z be my fwend?

Evark

Sure, why not.

superthief

cookie

KrevZabijak

Yeah, it's only been four days since I started playing daily instead of once a week or so, and already my I M A fingers are rougher than my right pinky.
Using my right pinky as a control in this. How hilarious, I'm getting real technical with this.

So, hooray! Progress! :)

It's hilarious, I took classical guitar exactly 10 years ago in Vicksburg, MS to prepare for being and I forgot how to note read but I remember finger technique and the p-i-m-a-s labeling for the fingers.
Pisses me off I was shy at that age, turned down an invite to go to Southeastern Louisiana Guitar University. :(

Evark

I can read music... sorta. When I was in early grade school there was a band program and I started learning how to play the trumpet. Quit after a few years though, and then have pretty much been putting off learning guitar since then.

I really wish I'd started playing back then. That'd be... 8-9 years ago.

KrevZabijak

Uh, I was typing while listening to an audiobook. Disregard the 'to prepare for being.'
What the fuck was that?! xDD

Evark (Updated )

A poetic way to say guitar is life?

... in freudian slip form?

7IsUnlucky

That guy in the background. Hawt.

Evark

My brother. If you listen close, you can hear us bickering just before I start playing.

naronic

just learn from a book

thats how i got kickass

Evark

I learn from everywhere. I've got a book, several great sites that I've gleaned some tips and tricks from, and a few friends who play that I've been picking things up from.

Unless you mean songs. In which case, books cost money whereas online tabs are free.

tigerkitty

Am I the only one who was completely distracted at first by the person walking around in the background?

Besides that, quite well done. I'm not sure if perhaps it's just my ears failing me, but it all sounds slightly flat.

The playing and singing was great! Your voice sort of reminds me of Garfunkel for some reason. You have a knack for both it seems. Keep it up :)

Evark

Ha ha, that was his intention, no doubt.

It isn't your ears: DEFINITELY flat, moreso at some parts than others. I only tune my guitar once every week or so, and I've got a program on my iPhone to do it: funinculus 0.6 (only works on jailbroken iPhones). So it tunes well... but not like a REAL tuner.

Further: I've listened to it a few times since and I'm REALLY flat at some points. Like, painfully so (to me, anyway). I've got several excuses (bad mic, only had coffee that morning, had a sore throat past few days, etc.) but I feel like giving them is just deflecting poor performance. I'll be practicing, that's for sure.

Garfunkel, eh? Too kind. I want to learn 'I am a rock', but that slow trill on the guitar, though it seems simple, is not.

Sinitech

I was actually surprised by the lack of horrible. Concerning the playing, at least.

Good luck with all that, I guess.

Evark

Ha ha ha, thanks yo. What about the singing though? I'm really not adverse to unkind words, I can extract useful criticism regardless and it helps me improve.

Sinitech

The singing sounded kind of flat, or like you were trying to be quiet or something.

Lol, also, your voice doesn't really match your face, to me. I had a similar reaction of "What the Hell?" when I first heard Rick Astley's voice and saw his face at the same time.

Evark

Ah... well to be fair I was recording the audio on a Dell Laptop's built in mic from a solid 3-4 feet away. But, yea... definitely not my most 'in-tune' rendition.

Anyway, I can easily sing deeper, my natural range is right around when I'm singing the word "cape" during the chorus. But, I much prefer the challenge of a higher pitch. So if think I'm ear-raping now, wait 'til I've finished learning 'Al Genina' by Our Lady Peace and start busting out the falsetto. ; )

Thanks for the advice.

Tancrisism

Very good stuff man. I remember some other stuff you posted not long back, and you are really coming along! I'm impressed.

Evark

Hah, thanks.

MetallixTheKnight

You're better than me, and I've been learning for almost a year now. You're pretty good; way better than me. I'm so bad infact that I'm picking up bass just for the sake of sounding decent. ;(
Probably has something to do with the fact I tried to learn with an electric, but whatever. Damage done.

Evark

Hah, thanks. Don't give up, man just keep practicing. Search sites that give you free tips and tricks on the guitar.

It doesn't matter if you're learning on electric or acoustic. Acoustic is good to start because you can hear far more easily the difference between a well-struck note and a poorly struck one.

Aksumka

Make things interesting, miss a deposit!

Evark

Ha ha ha, I will inevitably... but not in the near future. : b

Football4Life13

What were you to bickering about? And what was he doing in the beginning as you started?

Evark

He was complaining about playing and singing in the living room, something I'd basically been doing all morning before he finally woke up and came downstairs. As for what he was doing... I dunno, something with cards. Your guess is as good as mine.

mrTOASTee

you are talented and keep it up dont let these haters put you down wanna be friends

Evark

That depends entirely on whether or not you're genuine.

Sensationalism

Your brother is a jerk lol.

Evark

He's alright. Muyburrito.newgrounds.com

Baranar

Cool man. Keep on learning, sounds like you're doing well. Drums are harder to learn, but aren't as smooth in sound as a guitar, so you chose something nice to learn, especially on your own. I just wish I could watch the video on my iPhone :(.

Evark

I don't know about drums being necessarily more difficult to learn than anything else. It's all a matter of level of play, dedication, and style.

You could probably watch the video on youtube on your phone, right? Search 'Evarq' on youtube, should be the only one on there. In fact, it's probably the only Rosealia cover on youtube as well.

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