Scream & Then Get On With It

This weeks posts are going to be a running theme, that's unusual for me but in this case it's such a big thing I think it's worth it to show the stages I go through.

However I've got a silly project I'm doing which depending how it turns out you may see in a couple of days.  I'm actually going to record a full day of practice (doing it now!!)  and then seriously SERIOUSLY speed it up, leaving a few bits normal so you can see what I do and upload it!  You'll get a full view of what this odd ball gets up to all day, it might be fun - If it goes well - it might be boring as hell!

Ok back to the today's post.  I'm working so hard on this and finding it so stressful I actually fell asleep at my desk for bit yesterday - I never ever do that!!!  I was exhausted :)  Doesn't slow me down though does it haha!

Right so we're still on the double stop thing!  48 hours in and I'm about ready to burst, that's normal btw, pretty much with each new challenge I come up against.  There is always a degree of banging my head - actually more like bulldozing with my head - but you know by now I get through it eventually.  Remember my post about small steps (here is a refresher if you don't) well I'm taking my own advice.  I'm doing this in batches then moving onto drums or piano or bass for a bit or practising something else on guitar.  Then I'm coming back to it as soon as I can - as soon as that pressure valve has released!

There is no quick or logical way to figure this out, I have to learn and to learn I have to practice a lot - an awful lot.  What I've noticed is that the same double stop doesn't sound good over C chords in different recordings of Toms.  Probably because he's mixing up to mess with my head (well alright not specifically to mess with my head, that's probably just an added bonus!) but it doesn't make my life easier now does it.  I can't think oh C chord, good, I'll play this..!  And then there's the rhythms in his playing which again every new one takes me ages to adjust to and I only have 3 to practice to so the danger is I'm going to get used to them and come Wednesday I'll find it too hard to keep up in the lesson.  Alas I've got to work with what I've got and do what I can, no more, no less.

The thing is I know that whatever practice I do on my own the second we start playing together it's going to nosedive 80%.  One of the reasons I think it's so crucial we stick with this is to get that 80% as low as possible (with Zak after months and months of hard work it's down to 50% still nowhere near low enough and we only have the one instrument to worry about!) but for now I'll have to accept it and do the best I can.  The more confident I am the more I'll have left when I lose that 80% so I'm pushing HARD HARD HARD.  It's very important to me that I show I have made progress, that I deserve his faith in me.  It's the main thing that drives me forward with both these great guys, I can't bear to think they might ever be disappointed.  That's a very powerful force and I'm using it to get through this struggle - and it IS a struggle.  I'm not used to the rhythm, the strumming, the double stops themselves, the way I need to use my fingers, it's a whole new way of thinking - several new ways of thinking in fact all at the same time!

I shared yesterdays god awful soloing with you to show you that we all have to start at the very bottom, we're all really crap to start with but we will get there - just stick with it, I am!

​I'll probably post another update tomorrow or more likely Monday -  Wish me luck and I'll try not to make my day too boring tomorrow for the video!  We'll see.