And in related news - I'm having a Les Paul built ... http://blueguitarbirth.blogspot.com/

Taking it slow, and really trying to nail the 2 5 1  arpeggios / melodies etc.  No rush.

The deed is done, video of Satin Doll chord-melody, comping and 2 choruses of soloing - complete with clams a plenty - submitted.  Annoyed with myself due to general hamfistedness, that this is the tune I've played probably longer than anything else, and I was suffering from acute Red Light Fever - this borne about struggling with using a Mac Mini for video recoding for the first tine (actually editing was the hardest part, iMovie was more counter-intuitive than I realised).

Seemingly every time I think I've nailed it I review the Satin Doll lessons and think "Woah ! Wrong chord !" or something similar.  I am getting a bit jaded with this tune - I need to record a video and move on a bit ...

Rolling on ....

More Satin Doll in the JBGI interegnum.

Working on Melodies via arpeggios, and adding chromatic notes, especially on Dom7 chords.

Click !

Bit of an epiphany, went back and reviewed the Satin Doll lessons, and just followed the shapes.  Simples !

Motivation ...

Slipped back again (another flu-like bout isn't helping)

Need to go back do those 5 shapes in 12 keys ....

Gig tonight

Had a good workout last night, picked a few Real Book tunes and played along and solo'd.  I was pleased.

Octave toight, King's Langley ex:Serviceman's club, J20 M25 - come one come all !

Ouch !

That's 2 evenings back-to-back, and first proper playing since mid December.  My fingers hurt !

Practice, practice, prac.....

Spend a gentle hour yesterday using different pitch collections and different positions to solo over the inevitable SD.  Feels like it's finally coming together.

Well that was fun !

More so than usual.

Learned a couple of new tunes - Sidney Bechet's Petite Fleur (very similar to Autumn Leaves), and The Duke's In a Mellow Tone (interesting opening 251 -with the 2 Dominant Bb7  / Eb7 / AMaj).

Always a reason not to practice ...

I think I've now removed all Geekery distractions (finally !)  - so my Mac can now record webcams.  Now I need to knuckle down for my Satin Doll assignment !  Back to Anarchy workshop tonight - first real playing session since 2 weeks before Christmas.

Still not 100%

This is becoming a medical bulletin !

PC rebuilt, and the forecast dump of snow this evening means I'll probably not venture out and can put in some practice.

Bleurgh !

Dammit !  Flu again, seem to have finished the coughing at last.  Only thing competing with guitar is the PC re-build I've been putting off since October.

Well that was frustrating ...

Practicing for a month for a gig that gets cancelled for the weather !  **Will** get a Satin Doll video done for JBGI over the Christmas / New Year break.

Doldrums cleared

A great week.  'Flu passed, jazz anarchy workshop on Monday to loosen up, superb gig on Tuesday.  5 shapes were falling off my fingers willy nilly.  Even managed a bit of "mandolin" style picking (that just came out of nowhere).

Played the Satin Doll chord/melody, and comped using 3 finger and 4 finger chords on alternative choruses at the anarchy wokshop - sounds like a cool free form thing - it isn't - it's frequently chaotic, but the people are nice.  Don't feel I'm learning much there any more, maybe it's time ....

Bleurgh !

Well a dose of 'flu or something has put pay to all those good intentions. Let's start that again shall we.... ?

Sleeves up !

Time to knuckle down and apply myself to the Satin Doll Chord/Melody, Comping, Head and Improv videos for JBGI !

But still gigging

Off to monthly bandstand gig tonight, and actually looking forward to it.  I'm pretty sure I need to cut back on the weekly workshop as we play the same tunes over and over.  I'm not getting much, if anything out of it - need to have more focussed practice !

Drifting

I seem to be going in fits and starts, and at the moment due to that major inconvenience - life - it's proving hard to apply myself to study. Gigs haven't helped, playing once, twice or three times a week of late have left me a bit guitarded.

The excellent Jimmy Bruno Guitar Institute JBGI has really moved me forward. But I seem to have it a brick wall for now.