Official Thread of Flogging the Log: A Place for Better Random Talk

[Himu]

Scales are for shemales. I've been playing for 9 years and I only know one scale. And I don't even know what it's called. I know a couple of guys who followed scale charts religiously and all they play now are covers and predetermined horse shit riffs. It really fucks with your creativity and keeps you on a set path composition-wise. I say avoid it and just go with the flow. If you have an ear for music you'll pick shit up as you go along and they stick with you much longer.

I played trombone in school band from 1997 to 2003 and I didn't know the notes. I just saw the notes on the sheet and would be all,"Oh, that's first position, third position, seventh position."

I held first seat the good amount of time in middle and high school band despite all of this.

That said, knowing scales and chords can increase enjoyment of an instrument, just don't rely on it. My first guitar lessons, the guy only taught me chords. It sucked. Balance chords with progressing musical ability. That's how you play an instrument.

[Agent Whiskers]

Scales are for shemales. I've been playing for 9 years and I only know one scale. And I don't even know what it's called. I know a couple of guys who followed scale charts religiously and all they play now are covers and predetermined horse shit riffs. It really fucks with your creativity and keeps you on a set path composition-wise. I say avoid it and just go with the flow. If you have an ear for music you'll pick shit up as you go along and they stick with you much longer.

I played trombone in school band from 1997 to 2003 and I didn't know the notes. I just saw the notes on the sheet and would be all,"Oh, that's first position, third position, seventh position."

I held first seat the good amount of time in middle and high school band despite all of this.

That said, knowing scales and chords can increase enjoyment of an instrument, just don't rely on it. My first guitar lessons, the guy only taught me chords. It sucked. Balance chords with progressing musical ability. That's how you play an instrument.

Yeah, it's obviously not bad to learn them but relying on them could get you into trouble creatively.

[Cormacaroni]

Relying on a few could certainly limit you creatively. Learning all the hundreds of variations (including the modes) can only free you creatively.

[Agent Whiskers]

Relying on a few could certainly limit you creatively. Learning all the hundreds of variations (including the modes) can only free you creatively.

Not relying on any is even more freeing imo. Leaves plenty of room for self-exploration and experimentation.

[Green Shinobi]

If all someone knows is the Am pentatonic, then of course they aren't going to be a very versatile player.

But really, what is a scale? It's just a group of notes that sounds good in a certain key or over certain chords. On the guitar, a scale pattern is just a way of arranging those notes for maximum efficiency and ease of memorization.

Unless someone has a really, really great ear, it's unlikely that he/she would naturally figure out the best notes to play in each situation. At the very least, it would require someone to know all the notes in each key and which ones sound good over the different chords in the key. And anyone who is going to take the trouble to learn all that might as well just learn the corresponding scales and save some time. Scales are shortcuts and rough guidelines. It's not as though someone playing in G pentatonic can only play G, A, B, D and E. You can always go outside the scale if it sounds good.

Also, there's the fact that just about every melody you can conceive of consists of notes that fit into some kind of scale.

[Cormacaroni]

Relying on a few could certainly limit you creatively. Learning all the hundreds of variations (including the modes) can only free you creatively.

Not relying on any is even more freeing imo. Leaves plenty of room for self-exploration and experimentation.

For your next trick, try writing a novel in a language you don't understand! So liberating!

[brawndolicious]

The wahabi's allow phone sex?

[Bildi]

Scales are for shemales. I've been playing for 9 years and I only know one scale. And I don't even know what it's called. I know a couple of guys who followed scale charts religiously and all they play now are covers and predetermined horse shit riffs. It really fucks with your creativity and keeps you on a set path composition-wise. I say avoid it and just go with the flow. If you have an ear for music you'll pick shit up as you go along and they stick with you much longer.

Sorry Agent, I don't ascribe to the "theory will stifle your creativity man" theory.  Theory and technique are a toolbox, the more you know the fewer limitations you'll run up against and the easier it is to approximate what's going on in your head.

If you learn scales and your improvising suffers as a result it's because you don't have the ability to improvise well.  Playing covers and predetermined horse shit riffs is a result of learning covers and predermined horseshit riffs, not learning scales.

Sorry, I just can't stand "fundamentalists" whether they are the "this song is in A flyxodidlian dominant but with a flat second for that phrygaliada flavour" group or the "theory stifles you man, play what you feel!" group.

[Agent Whiskers]

Scales are for shemales. I've been playing for 9 years and I only know one scale. And I don't even know what it's called. I know a couple of guys who followed scale charts religiously and all they play now are covers and predetermined horse shit riffs. It really fucks with your creativity and keeps you on a set path composition-wise. I say avoid it and just go with the flow. If you have an ear for music you'll pick shit up as you go along and they stick with you much longer.

Sorry Agent, I don't ascribe to the "theory will stifle your creativity man" theory.  Theory and technique are a toolbox, the more you know the fewer limitations you'll run up against and the easier it is to approximate what's going on in your head.

If you learn scales and your improvising suffers as a result it's because you don't have the ability to improvise well.  Playing covers and predetermined horse shit riffs is a result of learning covers and predermined horseshit riffs, not learning scales.

Sorry, I just can't stand "fundamentalists" whether they are the "this song is in A flyxodidlian dominant but with a flat second for that phrygaliada flavour" group or the "theory stifles you man, play what you feel!" group.

Whatever floats your boat, sailor. I've never really benefited from any of the scales some of my friends tried to shove down my throat and I believe myself to be quite good. I've also recommended this idea to many people who are now really good at what they do with successful bands. I may have gone a bit overboard in promoting the idea that it will negatively effect your creativity but based on my personal findings, I'm glad I didn't bog myself down with scale charts. It helped me out a fuckton playing grindcore that's for sure.

[Bildi]

That's fair enough.  Since I improvise with others and everyone brings different styles to the table I see the value in being able to simply improvise an interesting progression that's in key, rather than stringing eight chords together complete with eight nonsensical key changes, or playing the same tired progressions over and over again.

[Diunx]

I hate this restart your computer bullshit that start popping up after a windows update, it installed a 200kb bullshit for a daylight saving error(I don't even use daylight saving) why the fuck would I need to restart my pc for that and why does the fucking message needs to be popping up every 5 fucking minutes, taking me out of full screen and minimizing Starcraft! fucking M$$$$$.

[Groogrux]

My wife is watching the fucking View who are currently interviewing the "Octo-mom."  I couldn't find my iPod quick enough.  That shit was wearing my nerves down quick.  Stupid fucking idiot woman with a Miracle-Grow turkey baster welfare sucking whore draining my tax dollars...

To think that I actually liked Sister Act when I was younger.

[The Fake Shemp]

I kind of find the Octomom perversely hot.

[Barry Egan]

Okay Wilco.

[The Fake Shemp]

More like:

[Barry Egan]

I'll concede that she got dem DSLs.

[Groogrux]

 

[demi]

I would rather fuck her while she was pregnant. Not hot in that bikini.

[Raban]

How did she get that stomach afterwards? That's unpossible.

[The Fake Shemp]

Surgery + she works out a lot.

She's really into vanity. All the photos I have seen of her are at the gym or on dates or at a beach. I don't even know if she takes care of her actual kids.

[Raban]

Surgery + she works out a lot.

She's really into vanity. All the photos I have seen of her are at the gym or on dates or at a beach. I don't even know if she takes care of her actual kids.

that's pretty terrible.

[Groogrux]

She's the anti-Christ of maternity.

[chronovore]

Everything about OCTOMOM is horrible. Just the thought of her makes me ill.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

She's Egyptian or middle eastern, right?  Since her last name is Suleiman.

[Cormacaroni]

She's the anti-Christ of maternity.

indeed. not so much with the virgin birth.

[Green Shinobi]

That said, knowing scales and chords can increase enjoyment of an instrument, just don't rely on it. My first guitar lessons, the guy only taught me chords. It sucked. Balance chords with progressing musical ability. That's how you play an instrument.

What else would you start with?

It's useful to start by learning open chords because you can play >50% of the popular music composed in the last 50 years in some form if you know C, D, Em, G, Am, A, E, F, Dm and the four basic power chord shapes.

Obviously if you've been playing awhile and you still only know your open chords and power chords, it's time to branch out, but the open chords are a great place for a beginner to start. Teaching a beginner a few popular songs that use these chords, like Wish You Were Here or Redemption Song, is good because it keeps them interested and also helps them learn how to strum properly.

[Diunx]

Went to an interview today, they said they are gonna call me for two more test, hope I get it

[Green Shinobi]

Always glad to offer advice. There are many different philosophies when it comes to any kind of study. I think the main reason for this is that not everyone learns the same way, and not everyone has the same objectives. It's best to find a method that helps you make the most improvement that you can for the style you want.

I feel that people need to learn chords because at least half of practical guitar playing is rhythm. I personally know about five guitarists who destroy me when it comes to playing lead, but who can't play rhythm to save their lives. The other day I was jamming with a guy, and I tried to show him a basic B7-D9-E9 blues progression, and he just couldn't get it down. He could play sweep arpeggios all day, but his strumming sounded like shit, and he didn't have much of a sense for chord changes.

Being able to play lead effectively is a great skill, and that's what I've been devoting pretty much all of my practice time to over the last year or so. But to be honest, you're going to get a lot more people interested and involved while playing Free Fallin' or Sweet Home Alabama (or whatever song) around a campfire than you will while trying to emulate a Slayer solo with no rhythm section to back you up. Shredding when done outside the context of a band and a song is like masturbation - it might be fun as hell for you, but no one besides your girlfriend really wants to watch you do it, at least not for very long.

So do both. You should always have a few songs, either covers or your own, that you can play all the way through. You want to be able to improvise over a chord progression while also being able to play a nice sounding chord progression for other people to improvise over. Guitar is one of the most versatile instruments out there, so you should really take advantage of all that you can do with it.

[Himu]

Octo-mom is totally hot in a lustful way.

She's got some dsl's and oh man.

[Mupepe]

Octo-mom is totally hot in a lustful way.

She's got some dsl's and oh man.

[elektrikluv]

She's Egyptian or middle eastern, right?  Since her last name is Suleiman.

Her birth name is Natalie Denise Dowd Suleman, way more of a white name. Her dad is of Iraqi descent, her mum is white.

[Madrun Badrun]

I would bang her but I would try my best not to cum, I'm afraid if I cum on her face she would start sticking it up her vag.

Not only that, but she would try and get it all up in there using both hands at once.

[demi]

She has other holes too, guys.

[Madrun Badrun]

Double fisting reminded you of your ex?

[Himu]

wrath are you still muslim?

[Phoenix Dark]

I've been studying in the library, but mainly watching the health care summit. Anyway someone from my class walked up and asked for notes from yesterday's class.

me: here's my notes, you can copy them if you want
him: thanks man, real niccaz do real things
me: ...yup

First time I've ever heard that phrase used outside of music/tv. 

[Mupepe]

... what does that even mean?

[Flannel Boy]

... what does that even mean?

I think it means black people help each other out? This is assuming that the student is black and assuming that PD is black.

[Mupepe]

Yeah I guess that makes sense.  As much sense as something that stupid can make I guess.

[Himu]

I've been studying in the library, but mainly watching the health care summit. Anyway someone from my class walked up and asked for notes from yesterday's class.

me: here's my notes, you can copy them if you want
him: thanks man, real niccaz do real things
me: ...yup

First time I've ever heard that phrase used outside of music/tv. 

 

[Himu]

Yeah but not a very good one. I suppose you left after a little taste, or at least thats what I heard.

Heard from who?

[Mupepe]

Yeah but not a very good one. I suppose you left after a little taste, or at least thats what I heard.

Heard from who?

the netz.  they speak

[Himu]

He heard it from Allah.

[Bildi]

I'm attempting to ask someone out over email.  God, how lame.  I've been working on a couple of sentences for like half an hour.

Fuck it, just sent it.

[Mupepe]

I'm attempting to ask someone out over email.  God, how lame.  I've been working on a couple of sentences for like half an hour.

Fuck it, just sent it.

Why over email? Unless the idea of hanging out comes up casually over email conversations, it's not an acceptable way to get a date! 

[tehjaybo]

DID YOU INCLUDE A SMILEY FACE?

Bitches love smiley faces.




Anyone know if medical supply stores will sell scrubs to just anyone?

[OptimoPeach]

We sold scrubs at my old store and it was just a shitty discount clothing chain, so I'd think so

[Himu]

He heard it from the people that are going to fucking kill you for renouncing Islam.  The punishment for apostasy is death, Himuro. 

DO YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME?

I'M NOT SCARED

[Bildi]

Why over email? Unless the idea of hanging out comes up casually over email conversations, it's not an acceptable way to get a date!

Yeah, that's essentially what happened - she was talking about being bored so I took the opportunity to stick my foot in the door.  I hate it, but yeah.  We were out having casual drinks the other night and she mentioned boredom then too but like a dumb bastard I didn't twig.  Later I realised maybe it was a subtle cue.

We've already been out to dinner a couple of times (I did those by phone) but we've also know each other for few years so it's in that odd middle-ground phase where neither is sure what the other is thinking (at least, I'm not sure, which is nothing new to me).

What did it say?

She talked about being bored and painting her nails for something to do so I said "if you run out of nails, I'd enjoy doing something with you (by which I mean climb a mountain or go go-karting or chuck laps around wineries.  As you know I don't mean clubbing, I'm old and decrepit after all).  So if you reach new levels of boredom keep it in mind!"

So yeah, it took me half an hour to attempt to write something that doesn't look like it took half an hour.  Talking to people might take more nerve, but it also only takes 30 seconds.

And I didn't include a smiley face!  

[Mupepe]

Why over email? Unless the idea of hanging out comes up casually over email conversations, it's not an acceptable way to get a date!

Yeah, that's essentially what happened - she was talking about being bored so I took the opportunity to stick my foot in the door.  I hate it, but yeah.  We were out having casual drinks the other night and she mentioned boredom then too but like a dumb bastard I didn't twig.  Later I realised maybe it was a subtle cue.

We've already been out to dinner a couple of times (I did those by phone) but we've also know each other for few years so it's in that odd middle-ground phase where neither is sure what the other is thinking (at least, I'm not sure, which is nothing new to me).

What did it say?

She talked about being bored and painting her nails for something to do so I said "if you run out of nails, I'd enjoy doing something with you (by which I mean climb a mountain or go go-karting or chuck laps around wineries.  As you know I don't mean clubbing, I'm old and decrepit after all).  So if you reach new levels of boredom keep it in mind!"

So yeah, it took me half an hour to attempt to write something that doesn't look like it took half an hour.  Talking to people might take more nerve, but it also only takes 30 seconds.

And I didn't include a smiley face!  

I think the "keep it in mind!" thing was a bit too passive.  But you know this chick better than I do, although I do know the middle ground area you're talking about.  IMO, it should have been more like "well since you only have so many nails, let me take you out and entertain you sometime!"

[Chinner]

DID YOU INCLUDE A SMILEY FACE?

should be a winking face so they know you're being playful

[Bildi]

Dammit mups, that IS a better line!  While I try hard not to, I unfortunately err on the side of being too passive and tend to give the other person an "out", worrying that I'm putting them on the spot.  But how can you put someone on the spot over email?!

Thanks dude.

[Flannel Boy]

Once you're done with your nails, you can paint my penis. The large surface area will keep you busy for hours.

[Bildi]

I don't want to start a relationship with a lie.

[Don Flamenco]

bowl of pasta with some sockarooni sauce with ground beef and a fuck ton of minced garlic. but it's a day old...need to spice it up. no cheese. what to do. 

bildi you dork, you should've asked her in person. 

[Bildi]

bildi you dork, you should've asked her in person.

I'll get a chance next time we meet up for drinks at least.  And I'll just keep thinking to myself "what would the great Don Flamenco do in my shoes?".

[Groogrux]

Anyone know if medical supply stores will sell scrubs to just anyone?

Even though I'm talking to you on the phone, I'll tell you on here anyway.  You can buy scrubs at a lot of different places.  Walmart even sells them.

[Moran]

Oporto

[Madrun Badrun]

just discovered Adiemus.  So awesome.

[Groogrux]

I'm about to go work for free from 1p-5p through my hospital at some health fair out in the sticks.  I expect either (A) Full-Time job offer, (B) Pay Raise, (C) Large Christmas bonus, (D) Free Healthcare, or something else in return for my services.