Topic: See me playing!: My videos

[gus30tavo]

Hello.
Please leave comments about my videos. Poor image but sound decently...
I would like to hear your critics...
Thanks a lot
LINK

[twangmeister]

Wow

Thanks for posting those, really great!

I'm a big Roy Book Binder fan too and your videos have given me some big clues about how to nail some of his stuff.

Thanks again.

TM

[Pan]

Hi Gustavo.

That's some very nice ragtimey guitar picking!

Cheers

Pan

[Parlor Picker]

Hola Gustavo,

I can only agree with the above comments.  Super picking! 

I wish I could play like that.  My right hand's fine, it's all the complicated fingering with the left hand that leaves me struggling.  I'm OK with basic chord progressions but get lost when it becomes more complicated.

Keep on playing!

[gus30tavo]

Thanks a lot...
and waht about the  moderators??? and the rest of greats guitars around here??.

thanks

[GhostRider]

Hey Gustavo:

I listened to "Travellin' Man" and "Biscuits". I liked them both. nice and smooth and you keep the beat going great. My one suggestion would be to slow down a touch on both. I think that this would make "Travellin' Man" a little bouncier and the single string work on "Biscuits" a little cleaner.

I would say that you are in the "greats guitars" catagory now.

Alex

[doctorblues]

Great Paying.  I really enjoyed it.  So far i can't get the alternating bass thing going so it was a pleasure listening and watching.  Keep on pickin.

[book]

Gustavo, Real nice pickin'........you must be listening to the coolest stuff......I really dig your choice of material.....keep up the good work!
from, "The Book"

[gus30tavo]

My one suggestion would be to slow down a touch on both.

Yes, you?re right. When I learn a tune, I always play it too fast..I don?t know why. Going to try slow down my way of playing...

Thanks anyway!

[Stuart]

Hi Gustavo:

Real nice playing. Roy's "Travelin' Man" LP has stood the test of time (I bought my copy 30+ years ago and appreciate it even more today) and contains a great selection of tunes. You can't go wrong learning from Roy--you've heard that from "The Book" himself. Keep up the good work and try to make those songs your own--just like Roy has done.

[gus30tavo]

Check this:

Black Dog Blues intro

Diddie Wa Diddie 1

Diddie Wa Diddie 2

Comments are welcome. Thanks

[waxwing]

Hey Gustavo,

I take it, "Nice job," and, "Sounds good," are not exactly what you are looking for by way of criticism that will help you to know what you need to work on to improve, eh? You've gotten lots of that here and on the Woodshed and are still asking for more, so, in spite of not having a lot of spare time for posting lately, I've looked over a few of your videos again and will try to give you some ideas.

First, tho, I want to point out how hard it is to get good criticism over the internet. If you check some of my postings on the Back Porch, you will see that I openly request criticism, even pointing out where I think I'm having trouble, yet only those who have a sense of knowing me, either in person or from long acquaintance on various forums, have the freedom to respond with "constructive" criticism. This is because it takes a certain amount of trust that the other person will understand that your criticism is meant to help and not to demoralize. It also takes understanding where the other person is in their development. It wouldn't be fair to judge a beginner as a pro, nor an intermediate as a beginner.

One thing I would recommend would be to post some works in progress as opposed to what seem to be pretty polished pieces. One thing I felt about your videos is that you are demonstrating to us how well you can play each piece. You might get more suggestive feedback if you posted some pieces that you are struggling with, but I know that takes a bit more courage on the open internet.

Anyway, what I think about your playing is that there is a difference in skill levels between your hands. Given what I seem to remember you've stated about your background, I would say that you have a very good fretting hand, but this is as I would expect from someone who has been playing for 20 years. There is not all that much difference in the left hand between flatpicking and fingerpicking and you show your facility well.

But, as the left hand is relegated to choosing the notes, it is the right hand that really sings them and your right hand is where I think you need to focus further development. In all of the videos I looked at your right hand stayed pretty much in what I think of as the "home" position, heel on the bridge, little finger resting on the pickguard. There seemed to be very little dynamic change in volume, attack, or string tone, achieved by moving more up towards (and beyond) the soundhole. I don't remember hearing any string snap, either. All of these, and others, are techniques that I think you should develop, as they will make your playing more expressive.

Of course, just as your left hand represents 20 years of fretting your right, as would be reasonable, reflects only a couple years of fingerpicking. I think this is what some of the posters that you did not understand over on the Woodshed were getting at. There is more than just playing what is there, as I think you said, it also helps to let us know how you feel about what's there and this comes mostly from the right hand. Actually, of all the videos I looked at, I think I liked the early one of Dallas Rag the most. It was before you decided to cut your head off and we can see the emotion as you struggle thru what you called a "dirty" rendition, yet the emotion made it more compelling than a lot of the "cleaner" posts.

Actually, you could say that the music you are playing, all of which I would call ragtime and not really blues (especially since you are not singing), demands that the right hand stays tight in the home position, and this may be true to some extent. Yet the expessiveness that you will get if you delve more into blues playing will greatly enhance your playing in ragtime if that is your passion.

Obviously you know you are a good player. I hope these comments will help you to become a better player. And I'm glad to see your head back in the picture.

BTW, it is next to impossible to read the white song titles against the sky blue background on your index page.

All for now.
John C.

[gus30tavo]

Hi again...

Thank you very much Waxwing. That is what I call a "COMMENT".

One thing I would recommend would be to post some works in progress as opposed to what seem to be pretty polished pieces. One thing I felt about your videos is that you are demonstrating to us how well you can play each piece. You might get more suggestive feedback if you posted some pieces that you are struggling with, but I know that takes a bit more courage on the open internet.

Good Idea...I?m going to do it!

your right hand is where I think you need to focus further development.

That?s what I?m thinking on...

It was before you decided to cut your head off

I always like to check guitarist?s fingers for "catch" some tricks (if I can). That?s the reason for "cut my head"

Obviously you know you are a good player. I hope these comments will help you to become a better player. And I'm glad to see your head back in the picture.

I know I play very good for me, for my family and friends. I know how many time I spend playing my guitars. I posted my videos here to hear some blues fanatic and ragtimers "connoisseur" comments. I?m very happy with yours...

BTW, it is next to impossible to read the white song titles against the sky blue background on your index page.

I know..I?m going to change it right now.

Thanks a lot again and sorry for my English spelling.

[Stuart]

Hi Gustavo:

I think that Waxwing--aka John C--has made many important points. I mentioned that you should be looking ahead to "make each song your own," and I also think that developing control of your right hand so that you can use it to really fully express yourself is where your focus should be. It takes time, and of course modeling yourself on someone like Roy is a great vehicle to improve your playing and no mean feat, but in the end you want to sound like Gustavo playing like Gustavo. So keep working to gain absolute control of your right hand, so that your hands can fully express yourself musically. As Waxwing points out, playing different kinds of pieces within the "Blues" classification will expand your technique. And don't hesitate to get a "beater" and learn how to thrash the livin' hell out of it, if necessary.

[gus30tavo]

Thanks again.

Just one more question:

What?s wrong with "pretty polished pieces" or "clean songs"??

Have you ever heard to Ari Eisinger???. Extremely clean a a lot of expressive.

Why the blues (or ragtime) must sound "dirty" o full of "technical mistakes"