Guitar 508: My Plans For Guitar During Senior Year
Modify, Learn, Produce. That’s the outline for Guitar 508, a high-level course offered at Griffith University - The least respected for-profit university in the Southeast. This course starts out explaining the basics of the guitar and how to best set the instrument up to conform to one’s playstyle. We then take a deep dive into expanding playing ability by copying the greats and learning solos and songs that challenge our ability. This allows us to draw from new sources later in the course. Finally, in this course, we will produce an EP and through the process, the students will not only learn soloing techniques but also how to mix and master best for their intended audience.
Setup
The fake course description above encapsulates my goals for the year. I’ve already completed the first part: setting up the instrument. I finally gave my guitar some love and took it to get professionally setup. There I learned about action relief and how different genres often require a lower or higher action relief. I’ve also started to increase the general care of my instrument and try to wipe it down with a microfiber cloth after use.
Building my Repository
This is where I am, slowly making my way through solos. I’m currently learning the Sweet Child O’ Mine song from the beginning to the end. I also expanded this section to include learning about various music production aspects such as mixing and mastering. The best resource I have found so far for Mixing and Mastering is the Logic Pro X: Mixing and Mastering course on Lynda.
Creating Magic (and Music)
I have a few rough song ideas and drafts for the EP (or album). Mika and I have decided to collaborate on the album and feature on some of the other’s tracks. The general feel for this EP to have a variety of genres including Rap, Indie, and Rock. A lot of the songs have a relaxed message but we plan to add more serious stuff. The plan is to release the EP on major streaming services or Soundcloud depending on licensing.
Moving Foward
While above it may seem like I have a solid path set in stone, I can ensure you, I don’t. I expect my experiences and newly obtained knowledge to influence and shape my musical experience for the remainder of this year.