If you like Instrumental Shred Guitar, download my latest album for free

Started by pattiman, May 10, 2017, 10:40:00 AM

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pattiman

https://marcpattison1.bandcamp.com/album/risen-from-the-ashes-2
Since it's been downloaded on torrent sites over a million times, I figured I may as well give it away now anyway.  If you like it, I'll be releasing a new album in a couple months.
You can either stream it or if you want a physical copy just click on buy and leave the dollar amount at 0. If you wish to pay as little as a $1, that's totally up to you

I officially  endorse ESP guitars, Peavey Amps, DiMarzio Pickups, Steinberg/Yamaha software, Cool Picks, M-Audio Studio gear, Eventide, Line 6, Morley Pedals, and Overloud software.
Click on the little globe on the left for my guitar based tom foolery. Add a 2 to the end  and the second link is much more synth and sample based stuff. Download my latest album for free at:https://marcpattison1.bandcamp.com/album/risen-from-the-ashes-2

mmmmgtr

thanks!

I have to admit that when I saw the word Shred I thought about walking away. I find that there is a lot of shred out there that is more a gymnastic exercise than real music. However after listening to a few of your tracks I find your material to be pretty tasteful as well as technically impressive. I look forward to listening to the rest of it.


CodeSmart

But I got more gear than I need...and I like it!

whippinpost91850


pattiman

Thank You for the kind words!
I grew during the Shrapnel era and I was often disappointed at the lack of musicality in guitar instrumental and ended up liking Jeff Beck the best, along with Satriani and some of Yngwie, as long as he kept his mouth shut, because I believe art itself has no ego like Yngwe did. A beautiful painting doesn't say "psst, come look at me, am I not awesome? screw the other paintings, they are inferior" and so I soon realized that music is about expression and not competition.  My peers all wanted to be the fastest players on the planet, thinking they would be the most famous and the most rich.  None of them became famous or rich and all of them learned to play fast.

I've been playing 35 year now. I'm now 49 years old.  Back then in my 20s I move to San Francisco from a small town in Michigan. In Michigan I was a big fish in a little pond. My first day in the Bay Area, I quickly learned I was a little fish in a giant pond. The first day I went to a music store here, I saw 3 people in the same music store that could shred circles around me. I had never actually seen anyone with my eyes that could play like that and it was humbling to say the least.  You see, I didn't learn to play single notes and lead until I had been playing for 5 years already. Once I did start playing lead, it was discouraging to hear people who had been playing for 2 years who could play solos faster and cleaner than I could , but I just kept playing. I thought if only someone would give me the secrets to being a shredder, I too could play like them. But nobody ever did. Back then there was no youtube and REH videos cost a lot of money.

I did however buy a couple Paul Gilbert videos and I think I learned like 1 or 2 riffs before I decided I was better off coming up with my own fast riffs so I wouldn't sound like someone else.  So my strategy was to play with as many good guitarist as I could. I would hang out at my local music store a couple hours a day at least, until they knew me by name and occasionally I'd buy something. I'm glad they tolerated me.
Whenever a good guitar player would come in and play, I'd flock to them and try to get to know them and get them to come to my house and jam with me. Oddly enough that actually worked and before I knew it, I learned a bit from each one. Then one day I met a guy through a friend named Mark Abrahamian.
Mark passed away a few years ago of a heart attack right after he played a concert with Starship. You know "we built this city on rock and roll"

Mark was the kind of player that could play any style proficiently and he could play like Yngwie back when we were both in high school. Mark was 4 years older than me, so he was a senior when I was a freshman.
Mark saw something in me and I was the only person he let in his inner circle that wasn't already on his level and to watch him play was amazing and humbling to say the least. He taught me many things and never charged me a dime and I was the only one he ever did that for. I can truly say if it wasn't for him I would not be the player I am today. I played "Always with you , Always with me" by Joe Satriani at his funeral. I had to learn it in two days. If it wasn't for Mark, I'd never be able to have done that either.
So flash forward to today. 

I learned one very important lesson. Becoming a good musician is about miles. There is no special tools or secret techniques to skipping those miles. You just have to travel them to become a good musician. If you start out running and you keep running, eventually you will get faster. That's all there is to it. Some people can do that in a short period, others, like me it takes a very long time. I was the tortoise while many others were the hare. They got bored and took a nap. I kept going.  The saying, "you can't teach an old dog new tricks".....is bullshit, lol.  You just have to stay poor and hungry...haha!

So, yes, playing fast is a bit masturbatory . I will have to admit that I have two elements of music I enjoy, the soulful, grooving aspect that requires little speed to reach people, and the gymnastic element that exists more to challenge and impress myself , but the real challenge is to find a way to make the latter musical and enjoyable, to somehow make it part of your expression so that it is like a climax and then you go back down the mountain. It's like salt and pepper and you can't make a meal out of salt and pepper alone.

The truth is, I don't expect anyone other than myself to like anything I write and perform, but maybe a handful of guitarists may appreciate the work it took to get here. Ultimately one serves the music and the audience or one plays alone and nobody listens.  I do many styles , mostly with vocalists and because I have my shred stuff as an outlet to put what I've learned to song, I don't do what many guitarist do, come to the table with a musical agenda.

I don't mind playing a solo like Gilmour would, or like Angus or like Clapton.  I don't feel the need to play 100 miles an hour over music I'm asked to play on to try to impress everyone with what I can do. I have my own outlet for that, because let's face it. Most people don't want to hear Bach or Paganini. They would rather hear The Beatles or Radiohead or Kanye West or whatever is simple and pleasing to the ear, and in truth I would rather hear simple and tasty most of the time too. So in that spirit, I know that what I do is like rich chocolate. I have no illusion the masses will ever latch on. 

And so I stay humble and very much appreciate any appreciation I get. So thank you very much for sharing my journey.  At the very least, I'd like to inspire other guitarist to keep on playing like other guitarists have inspired me over the years. Music is a gift, both as a listener and as a player. I'm blessed that I get to be both audience member AND magician. Nothing makes me happier than music and I will be thankful for it until the day I die.
Click on the little globe on the left for my guitar based tom foolery. Add a 2 to the end  and the second link is much more synth and sample based stuff. Download my latest album for free at:https://marcpattison1.bandcamp.com/album/risen-from-the-ashes-2

Majiken

Take what you need, put back a bit more, leave the place behind you better than it was before :-)

www.majiken.rocks

pattiman

Quote from: Majiken on May 11, 2017, 01:25:20 AM
Wonderful, thanks ever so much for sharing!
Thank you! No problem...thanks for listening. BTW, I laughed my ass off at the  Heidi Hotmehl video you made. Where in the world does one buy a rope( world wide) web? btw, I was born in Germany. What part to do you live in? I'm fully American having lived here my whole life and I don't have an accent in either language. But I do miss German bread and meat. It makes American bread taste like cardboard and I miss the deli meats sausage. I got to visit Germany for the first time in 20 years when I was on tour there a couple years ago.
Click on the little globe on the left for my guitar based tom foolery. Add a 2 to the end  and the second link is much more synth and sample based stuff. Download my latest album for free at:https://marcpattison1.bandcamp.com/album/risen-from-the-ashes-2

Sonnec

Some nice, oozy lead tones in there. Still, all the drive tones have to fight over the ambient space with the synth tones. Nature of the beast.

chrish

Quote from: Majiken on May 11, 2017, 01:25:20 AM
Wonderful, thanks ever so much for sharing!
+1

My goal was to play fast also with a restriction of having to pick almost every note. Still not entirely there but now Melody is more important to me, as in melodic solos.

One of the songs I wanted to learn to solo over was 'last train home' by Pat Metheny. It's a very difficult thing to do so I learned the melody off the Record and copied his solo note-for-note. I actually consider his solo to be Melody. After learning the structure I was finally able to start improvising my own solo on that tune.

But in the long run it turns out I'm better at pounding nails. Try holding a guitar after doing that all day. :)

CodeSmart

But I got more gear than I need...and I like it!