Lame 10 seconds of Serrana.

[Jacksons Shred]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANAwn2SbJTM

Recorded with a cell phone.. I'm actually buying recording equipment soon *gasp*. Uh, this was a little test, hit me with some criticism (Constructive criticism is beyond welcomed) .

[Ben...]

Very smooth. And by very I mean insanely smooth.

[Jacksons Shred]

Thank you..Looking at it still, I can see I need to improve it, speed wise, and cleanliness.

Anyone else have any comments to add? (Even if you think it sucks, comment, tell me how to improve!)

[<-Mitch->]

Sounded good to me.

[Super_shredder]

very nice man and as Ben said :very very smooth

[Endrik]

constructive criticism... ok here it goes.... I don't get why people post material which they aren't satisfied with... much more better if a person would work on something until he gets the desired results which the available equipment allows of course, then the feedback would be more rewarding and the poster him/herself would be a lot prouder of his/her work too. If a person posts his/her work which he/she isn't satisfied with and with comments like "I know it sucks, but..." or something like that... then that person wouldn't really need any feedback if he/she already knows it sucks and besides negative remarks from the music poster him/herself may stop many people listening to the musical piece at all. And that goes for everyone.
The criticism for this particular thread is that it should be "10 seconds of Serrana" not "LAME 10 seconds of Serrana"... there's a hint that the posted music may be crap already in the posted title. We all are our biggest critics but coming out to present something to the other people we should show confidence, that's how musicians make it in this world.
The other part of criticism is that there's nothing really wrong with the playing in that video but instead of wasting time for all that it would be much cooler to hear some original material.

[Matt_B]

constructive criticism... ok here it goes.... I don't get why people post material which they aren't satisfied with... much more better if a person would work on something until he gets the desired results which the available equipment allows of course, then the feedback would be more rewarding and the poster him/herself would be a lot prouder of his/her work too. If a person posts his/her work which he/she isn't satisfied with and with comments like "I know it sucks, but..." or something like that... then that person wouldn't really need any feedback if he/she already knows it sucks and besides negative remarks from the music poster him/herself may stop many people listening to the musical piece at all. And that goes for everyone.

I normally don't post in threads like this but I agree with your post and I believe I understand why some folks will denigrate their work.

If you preface your work with a derogatory word then if others agree with your assessment (e.g. Why yes, that was very lame) than you won't feel the need to defend your work. After all, you did issue a disclaimer regarding its quality. There is also the element of self-preservation. If you immediately place your work on the lowest rung of the ladder, nothing anyone can say will knock you lower.

One last thing. If you proclaim your work is lame and others agree, does that make them a-holes? Seriously. They way I look at it, if you openly prejudge your work, others will too.

[Jacksons Shred]

constructive criticism... ok here it goes.... I don't get why people post material which they aren't satisfied with... much more better if a person would work on something until he gets the desired results which the available equipment allows of course, then the feedback would be more rewarding and the poster him/herself would be a lot prouder of his/her work too. If a person posts his/her work which he/she isn't satisfied with and with comments like "I know it sucks, but..." or something like that... then that person wouldn't really need any feedback if he/she already knows it sucks and besides negative remarks from the music poster him/herself may stop many people listening to the musical piece at all. And that goes for everyone.
The criticism for this particular thread is that it should be "10 seconds of Serrana" not "LAME 10 seconds of Serrana"... there's a hint that the posted music may be crap already in the posted title. We all are our biggest critics but coming out to present something to the other people we should show confidence, that's how musicians make it in this world.
The other part of criticism is that there's nothing really wrong with the playing in that video but instead of wasting time for all that it would be much cooler to hear some original material.

I normally don't post in threads like this but I agree with your post and I believe I understand why some folks will denigrate their work.

If you preface your work with a derogatory word then if others agree with your assessment (e.g. Why yes, that was very lame) than you won't feel the need to defend your work. After all, you did issue a disclaimer regarding its quality. There is also the element of self-preservation. If you immediately place your work on the lowest rung of the ladder, nothing anyone can say will knock you lower.

One last thing. If you proclaim your work is lame and others agree, does that make them a-holes? Seriously. They way I look at it, if you openly prejudge your work, others will too.

So understanding that you need to improve, and are looking for other ways to improve is a waste of time?... Hmm. I would personally, rather have someone saying "That fucking sucks", rather then sugar coat it and say "Not too shabby", or something like that. What good will someone saying "not too shabby" help me? So I can think I don't need to improve as drastically as if someone were to say "it fucking sucks, work on _ _ _ _". I'm looking to be a better musician, and whenever someone/anyone can offer and advice, I'll listen. I don't mind if someone gives a asshole comment to this thread, especially if it helps me in the long run.

[Matt_B]

So understanding that you need to improve, and are looking for other ways to improve is a waste of time?

No not all. I would say that is the never-ending quest for every guitar player.

... Hmm. I would personally, rather have someone saying "That fucking sucks", rather then sugar coat it and say "Not too shabby", or something like that.

IMHO, both comments are useless. The first has no constructive value, expect to initiate a dialog ("Ok, what about it do you think that fucking sucks?").

What good will someone saying "not too shabby" help me?

I agree. There is not such thing as a perfect performance, especially from the perspective of the artist. There is always room for improvement or at the very least, varied ways of playing something.

The whole point of my post and the one preceding it is if you really want constructive and useful criticism, you're better off presenting your work in the most objective manner possible. Don't proclaim your work to be lame or the most amazing thing every played by a human being. Just let it be what it is so others can judge it more fairly.

[Endrik]

So understanding that you need to improve, and are looking for other ways to improve is a waste of time?... Hmm. I would personally, rather have someone saying "That fucking sucks", rather then sugar coat it and say "Not too shabby", or something like that. What good will someone saying "not too shabby" help me? So I can think I don't need to improve as drastically as if someone were to say "it fucking sucks, work on _ _ _ _". I'm looking to be a better musician, and whenever someone/anyone can offer and advice, I'll listen. I don't mind if someone gives a asshole comment to this thread, especially if it helps me in the long run.

you don't get it, it's a rarity when someone posts "asshole comments" here about other's music, people prefer to not post at all if they don't like it...
you said that constructive criticism is beyond welcome, now that you got some you don't agree with it and want "asshole" comments instead

[Spivonious]

Sounded great to me. Also, nice hair.

[Matt_B]

you don't get it, it's a rarity when someone posts "asshole comments" here about other's music, people prefer to not post at all if they don't like it...

Agreed. I haven't seen a thread here that is anything but a love fest and as much as I'm fond of the whole love thing, what's the point? The only thing that improves is who people feel about themselves. Also, in order to give useful, constructive feedback one needs to spend adequate time evaluating the material. I work in an environment that involves a lot of constructive criticism so that's my frame of reference.

All that being said, I will break tradition and offer some advice to the OP - get a good quality recording. It doesn't have to be great, just good and clear. At the point, I for one would be willing to listen to (I mean REALLY listen) and offer some useful constructive criticism. The sub-par quality of the recording itself makes it very difficult to truly discern the quality of what you're playing.

And next time you post something, don't label it as good or bad. Let us, the reviewers, decide for ourselves.

[Endrik]

btw. JS... a good way to improve is to observe how some of the local pros work... how they get all the gigs, the best sessions and all the pussy for that matter... it's all confidence... I don't mean you have to act like a cocky asshole but be positive and secure about yourself, that way you can get more respect and to hook up with amazing players more easily and playing with people like that would help you improve tremendously... that's the key of improvement... playing with other people and specially people who are better than yourself but if you present yourself to them as someone who isn't really that good then they probably wont look forward to jam with you.

a very good friend of mine posted a clip of Serrana here http://www.jcfonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47164 years ago, also with self disqualifying remarks, he had a wrong attitude in internet, and when it came to negative stuff he took it too seriously... I mean he doesn't even really care about the tune or about Jason Becker but he had to really do it because some jackasses who couldn't play a power chord in some other forum didn't believe he could, so he had to prove himself by quickly learning this in a few days and hurting his hand because of it.
Now of course he has a much better attitude when it comes to the internet and of course plays fucking awesome guitar... in fact he is my fav. player in the country