tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75384292469099525212024-02-19T02:08:40.441-08:00American Conversation GroupAmerican Conversation Groups Program continues to be an American Language Institute standard for longer than 20 years. It is aimed at promoting English conversation between USC’s international and native English-speaking populations. This FREE resource is a wonderful way for international students to supplement their studiesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530931325253863921noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7538429246909952521.post-20005644742581225512016-10-20T00:13:00.000-07:002016-12-27T00:14:25.124-08:00Fishing Gear For Sale<h3>
15mm UV F-Up Fritz £3 </h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="http://www.totalflyfisher.com/media/k2/items/cache/4060ef056202be2c8bfb16456db28342_L.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></div>
<br />
<br />
This is a UV version of Dave’s popular 15mm
translucent Fritz. Again, very easy to tie with and
the strands are well-bonded onto the core. This
Fritz is suitable for a range of Blob sizes from 10
to 14: use close touching turns of the material for
the size 10, opens turns for the 12, and use it short
dressed (start further up the hook shank) on the 14.
Available in springwater blue, yellow peril, green
glow yellow, cat green, sunburst, bubble gum pink,
pimp pink, candy coral, biscuit, flame red, damsel
olive and black velvet.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Mini 4mm F-Up Fritz £3 </h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="http://www.ekmpowershop3.com/ekmps/shops/flyfishingworld/images/mini-f-up-fritz-4mm-new-for-2015-approx-4m-per-packet-%5B3%5D-1352-p.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></div>
<br />
<br />
Dropping right down the size range is this
smaller diameter mini 4mm Fritz that comes in a
great range of colours: springwater blue, yellow
peril, green glow yellow, cat green, sunburst, candy
coral, fire orange, flame red, pimp pink, damsel
olive and black velvet, and you get almost four
metres per pack. Perfect for mini lures, Dabblers,
wet flies and for creating thoraxes on nymphs.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Semperfli fine wires £1.99</h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="http://www.semperfli.net/user/products/large/sem-twire-black.jpg" height="233" width="320" /></div>
<br />
<br />
THESE new wires come in two diameters, a
fine wire at 0.1mm and lure wire at 0.2mm.
The 0.1mm wire is exceptionally fine and
soft, but fairly strong for its diameter and
it is perfect for ribs, butts and thoraxes
on mini lures, wet flies and nymphs.<br />
<br />
It is
especially useful for creating secondary ribs
on Crunchers and Buzzers. For instance, on
a Buzzer, after laying in a body you rib it with
your preferred tinsel and then use this lovely
fine wire to rib counter-clockwise over the
tinsel.<br />
<br />
This not only reinforces it but can also
give you another colour contrast.
Because of its light weight and fine
diameter this wire can also be used very
successfully on dry flies.<br />
<br />
The thicker 0.2mm lure wire is what I
would call a medium wire and is great for
larger patterns, especially lures, or also
when you want to create a thicker, bolder
tag, rib or thorax. It can also be used for wire
bodies or thoraxes on nymphs,<br />
<br />
Buzzers an
Crunchers. In the Brassie variant (pictured
below) I’ve tied it in close touching turns
along the body.
The 0.2mm wire has the same properties
as the fine wire, being soft and malleable,
easy to work with, and good and strong.<br />
<br />
You get 20 metres of wire per spool and
they come in a huge range of colours: black,
hot green, brown, copper, ivory/white, red,
chartreuse, deep purple, light gold, baby
pink, bright gold, bright silver, hot pink,
march brown, sea green, vivid green, bright
damsel green and deep sea/opaque blue
and ice blue.<br />
<br />
There is something for both imitative tying
and for lures and attractors that require
bolder, brighter colours. All are supplied on
spools with a retaining cap on the top.<br />
<br />
For more information about hunting and fishing, visit my personal website at <a href="https://hunting-tips.net/">https://hunting-tips.net/</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530931325253863921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7538429246909952521.post-5321204676336049102016-03-11T00:03:00.000-08:002016-03-11T00:03:23.445-08:00How to Exercise Dynamic ControlA huge part of guitar mastery could be the proper utilization of dynamics. Dynamics could add a great deal to your capability to move the listeners, sometimes literally: play something soft and gentle to draw in people in, or play something loud and brash to have people jumping along in excitement.<br />
The essence of developing and playing music should be to ellicit a psychological response through the listener. As a musician and performer this needs to be the first thing in your thoughts when you play before a crowd. You want to be able to go your audience with the music, and dynamics plays a tremendous part in this particular.<br />
<br />
<ul class="posts" style="background-color: #dddddd; border-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5px; line-height: 16.2px; list-style: none none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: -15px;">
<li style="background: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: 0px; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0.25em 0px; padding: 0.25em 0px 0.25em 1.3em;"><a href="http://americanconversationgroup.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-make-guitar-scales-sound-good.html" style="color: #cc4411;">How To Make Guitar Scales Sound Good</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVcN8yCV_pJNe-dh2pZgFquQbcvssnroFljIk2yMXxQiAvKzzuztuiwDZr1OCncCNceMCrQkkF83K4LP6H3cGmGEr9APIYRKzBDHw2y8pYRpkWGkSGeMuBoodwxjlHsEXMq0w-tDz5HQs/s1600/Buy+an+acoustic+guitar+Budget+and+price.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVcN8yCV_pJNe-dh2pZgFquQbcvssnroFljIk2yMXxQiAvKzzuztuiwDZr1OCncCNceMCrQkkF83K4LP6H3cGmGEr9APIYRKzBDHw2y8pYRpkWGkSGeMuBoodwxjlHsEXMq0w-tDz5HQs/s320/Buy+an+acoustic+guitar+Budget+and+price.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I mentioned dynamics before during my post “Adding Depth To Your Playing: Dynamics”. It can be a good exercise to look at and focus on the two videos because post, and imagine whatever they would appear to be if everything was played for the same volume.<br />
<br />
Proper using dynamics — choosing which portion of a song to experiment with at which volume — is usually a matter of artistic taste and insight, even so the mechanics of computer falls into the whole world of guitar technique. It requires some practice to be capable of play something at different volumes. The emphasis, however, will lie upon some practice; promoted does not take lots of time to master the mechanics, even so the effect it offers on your music is usually many times greater.<br />
Here are two exercises you could incorporate for your regular practice (or playing) routine that will help you master dynamic control.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Exercise #1: The fade-out</b></i><br />
<br />
Pick increase your <a href="http://thebestbeginnerguitar.com/">best acoustic guitar</a>, and play something: a song or a part of a song. Start off playing it in the volume you'll usually get involved in it. Now, when you are playing, gradually soften the actual, that you are playing the end of the song that gradually fades out. Make sure that you retain time as you grow softer. It is all to an easy task to change the tempo while you fade out. Resist this temptation. Tap your foot or employ a metronome if you want to.<br />
<br />
Make an area to relax your fingers, wrists as much as possible throughout this exercise. Proper control can be a side effect of relaxation.<br />
<br />
Keep on fading out, soon you can barely hear the notes. By this point it is best to barely be strumming the strings, the truth is the sound of your respective fingers moving through the frets, or maybe your pick (or fingers) of the picking hand touching the strings must be louder compared to notes actually played.<br />
<br />
Can you are doing this?<br />
<br />
<b><i>Exercise #2: Three different volumes</i></b><br />
<br />
Again, choose a song or portion of a song and act. Start off playing it at normal volume. Do this for a few bars, then participate in it at a soft, brittle volume for few bars. Then participate in it at a LOUD VOLUME for an additional few bars. Rinse and repeat.<br />
<br />
Again, make a spot to relax hands, fingers, and wrists. Read my post “Building Finger Speed: Relaxation” in case you are having trouble on this.<br />
<br />
As with Exercise #1, make an effort to stay in rhythm, don’t slow or speed up when you play at different volumes.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530931325253863921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7538429246909952521.post-48525601429067834112016-03-03T00:08:00.002-08:002016-03-03T00:08:55.284-08:00How To Make Guitar Scales Sound Good<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">When it comes to
improvising using scales many guitarists get into the habit of playing in a
linear and predictable fashion. This is mainly because of how we initially
learn scales, using sequential patterns on the neck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A question I often get
asked is how to make scale movements sound more musical. In the first lesson on
major pentatonic, we learned the importance of using target notes to give our
scale movements more purpose and keep them connected to the backing music. But
how we approach these target notes is also a key factor in melodic soloing. If
you listen closely to some of the best loved solos out there you'll notice that
they often mimic vocal dynamics in terms of moving from one note to the next.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DOB6slZ6Jzo/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DOB6slZ6Jzo?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The most memorable
melodies, whether vocal or instrumental tend to avoid prelonged linear
movements through a scale. So how do we escape the trap of simply running
through a scale in straight, predictable runs? Once you've learned a pattern,
you'll know how to get from one note to the next in the scale's natural
sequence. But you'll also know how to skip notes in the sequence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">For example, in this
major pentatonic pattern we could start on the 5 on the second string, and
instead of moving down to the 3, we could skip the 3 and move to the 2 before
targeting the 1. We could of course reverse this movement and skip a note
moving UP the scale. Or we could play from 5 to 3, but skip the 2 before
landing on 1.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">These are two simple
examples of how skipping notes in the scale sequence can create more
melodically interesting phrases. Now, when fingering these note skips,
especially with pentatonic scales we'll often have to use a technique called
"rolling". This is where we consecutively play two adjacent strings
on the same fret, using the same finger for both. Using just one finger keeps
our fingering economical especially when playing at speed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCNQrsJaxA4eSh2qufANg3FlOx6d9ORQMW6RYZQ2BkIoSG4CxOuT9bgvGv7jpLhHsAnrM1CtH9q38GGf094Aw72rCOBRSFmBiC-eYjkgocGDYq-KF1MWiJCh_UFY4LByhXfwhj9rifIw/s1600/beginner+guitar+player.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCNQrsJaxA4eSh2qufANg3FlOx6d9ORQMW6RYZQ2BkIoSG4CxOuT9bgvGv7jpLhHsAnrM1CtH9q38GGf094Aw72rCOBRSFmBiC-eYjkgocGDYq-KF1MWiJCh_UFY4LByhXfwhj9rifIw/s320/beginner+guitar+player.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">In the previous example,
we'd fret the second string with the flat part or pad of our finger, just below
the tip and then "roll" it to a more vertical position so the tip
frets the third string below. This technique is quite subtle and takes some
practice. But being able to roll will allow you to skip certain notes in a
scale seamlessly. The rolling technique is also essential for many arpeggio
patterns, especially for sweep picking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We can create exercises
covering the entire pattern that use this roll technique. Such as this one... Once
you can play through the entire pattern like this break it down, isolating
parts of the sequence as a lead up to your target note. Try also skipping two
notes in the scale sequence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">For example... We can
then experiment with combining the different sequences with linear movements. You
can find more skipped note sequence ideas, with tabs, on the lesson page. We
can make linear runs sound more interesting by staggering them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">For example, here I play
three notes down from the top... Now I take one step back in the sequence and
play another three notes down... Repeat this sequence and you get the
following... Simply reverse the sequence to move up the scale. Just like the
skipped note sequences, we can break down this full exercise into small phrases
that resolve to a target note.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Pedal sequences involve
playing one static note and alternating between that static note and a sequence
of other notes. It's quite difficult to explain in words, but here I identify
the pedal note, or pedal point, marked in red. I then alternate this note
between other notes in the scale. Again, the idea is not to play through an
entire pattern using these sequences rather isolate small phrases that lead to
your target note.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Already we have
countless combinations of skipped, staggered and pedal sequences to create
melodic phrases. Once you've practiced each type of sequence individually, it's
time to practice combining them seamlessly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Of course, you don't
want to completely crowd your solo with drawn out sequences so be sure to also
include simpler phrases, that give your solo some breathing space. If you like,
you can try out what you've learned in this lesson over my guided jam tracks. Try
applying different sequence techniques over other patterns across the neck. There
are other ways to bring your scale phrases to life, including techniques such
as bending, slides and legato </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">but we'll look at adding those to our repertoire at a
later time.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> For more help with the
techniques covered here, including tabs, visit <a href="http://americanconversationgroup.blogspot.com/">the lesson page</a>. Cheers!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530931325253863921noreply@blogger.com0