Howard Roberts SuperChops - Summer 2021 Group

**fep** · 07-18-2021, 02:31 PM

Finished week 2. I think this practice method is starting to wire in. Still make mistakes which is fine.

This video from this morning, Lesson 1-B 72bpm, last minute of the progression. I recorded the chords with my keyboard. I'm learning the piano keyboard so the chords are a struggle to record, I pretty much have to learn for the first time how to play a voicing of maybe 1/2 the chords. So I'm learning keyboard from the SuperChops book if you will. Drums are EZDrummer2.

**Socraticaster** · 07-18-2021, 03:05 PM

Originally Posted by fep

Finished week 2. I think this practice method is starting to wire in. Still make mistakes which is fine.

This video from this morning, Lesson 1-B 72bpm, last minute of the progression. I recorded the chords with my keyboard. I'm learning the piano keyboard so the chords are a struggle to record, I pretty much have to learn for the first time how to play a voicing of maybe 1/2 the chords. So I'm learning keyboard from the SuperChops book if you will. Drums are EZDrummer2.

Sounding very nice. I'll try to remember to record something from 2A tomorrow so I can post.

How many of us our left in this group? Attrition level can be fairly high for Superchops, so there's that.

-Travis

**fep** · 07-20-2021, 09:22 PM

There is a lick I use that fit over the 1st two measures, so here it is. And then I continued coming up with something for the next 10 measures. This is really sharing some lines I was excited about, not improvised but rehearsed and taken at 130bpm. The last bit, not eighth notes. I like the way this sounds, a long string of eighths notes followed by some longer notes.

This was good time
Now back to the grind

**Socraticaster** · 07-22-2021, 08:32 PM

I've been on vacation for the last few days; my wife and I rented a little 1-room cottage in the woods. It was so nice and peaceful! I did bring a guitar along, of course, and managed two find an hour or so each day to keep up the practicing. I brought along one of my acoustic guitars and probably should have checked the action first - those strings were high! It was a good workout.

I managed to record a small bit yesterday.

Best,

-Travis

**fep** · 07-24-2021, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by Socraticaster

I've been on vacation for the last few days; my wife and I rented a little 1-room cottage in the woods. It was so nice and peaceful! I did bring a guitar along, of course, and managed two find an hour or so each day to keep up the practicing. I brought along one of my acoustic guitars and probably should have checked the action first - those strings were high! It was a good workout.

I managed to record a small bit yesterday.

Best,

-Travis

Sounding good Travis. Love the log cabin wall background.

By coincidence I was at a mountain cabin also. We got some rare Southern California summer rain and had a Black Bear sighting in our front yard, guessing a two year old, later we saw a really large bear perhaps a parent of the younger one.

**mauriciopcsouza** · 07-24-2021, 06:41 PM

That's my effort to review lessons 1-A through 2-B, which should be up to 3-B. Must have patience and determination. It's going to last longer than I planned, but that's okay. I can see a clear development in phrasing fluency and fretboard visualization. Maybe a little bit on timing, but not what it should sound like. Continuing towards goals.

**fep** · 07-25-2021, 12:43 PM

Originally Posted by mauriciopcsouza

That's my effort to review lessons 1-A through 2-B, which should be up to 3-B. Must have patience and determination. It's going to last longer than I planned, but that's okay. I can see a clear development in phrasing fluency and fretboard visualization. Maybe a little bit on timing, but not what it should sound like. Continuing towards goals.

Sounding good, sounding fluent.

**Socraticaster** · 07-26-2021, 10:45 PM

Week 4 is off to a good start. I have to say - I'm really enjoying my second run-through of SuperChops much more than my first time through. I'm starting to notice an improvement in both my picking technique and my facility to play through the changes and develop ideas that extend beyond a single key/tonal center. Still lots of work to do and lots of improvements to make.

-Travis

**Socraticaster** · 07-31-2021, 12:56 PM

I finished Week 4 - Lesson 2B this morning; here's a brief video of today's session. I played a few wrong notes here and there that I decided afterwards weren't wrong notes at all - I was just playing outside...., lol.

I'm looking forward to hearing what others have to share about their experiences so far.

Take care,

-Travis

**MAURICIO SOUZA** · 08-01-2021, 07:03 PM

Up to revision of Lesson 4-B, four last remaining. Then triplets, which will be quite difficult. This time, I recorded the backing track without piano, which makes the comping guitar more evident.
Cheers!

**Socraticaster** · 08-01-2021, 07:26 PM

Originally Posted by MAURICIO SOUZA

Up to revision of Lesson 4-B, four last remaining. Then triplets, which will be quite difficult. This time, I recorded the backing track without piano, which makes the comping guitar more evident.
Cheers!

Sounding very nice! Thanks for keeping up the contributions to this thread.

-Travis

**fep** · 08-02-2021, 09:39 AM

Originally Posted by Socraticaster

I finished Week 4 - Lesson 2B this morning; here's a brief video of today's session. I played a few wrong notes here and there that I decided afterwards weren't wrong notes at all - I was just playing outside...., lol.

I'm looking forward to hearing what others have to share about their experiences so far.

Take care,

-Travis

Sounds great, you make it look easy.

**fep** · 08-02-2021, 09:41 AM

Originally Posted by MAURICIO SOUZA

Up to revision of Lesson 4-B, four last remaining. Then triplets, which will be quite difficult. This time, I recorded the backing track without piano, which makes the comping guitar more evident.
Cheers!

Impressive! Nice to hear at a faster tempo.

**fep** · 08-02-2021, 09:50 AM

Confession... I knew I was breaking a rule and doing pull-offs and slides but I wasn't aware how much I was doing it until I paid more attention.

Here's a bit and I've notated the first part, too many pull-offs and slides. If I'm going to improve my picking I think I need to stop doing that. It's really ingrained in my playing and requires a conscious effort to not do it.

**Socraticaster** · 08-02-2021, 09:55 AM

Originally Posted by fep

Confession... I knew I was breaking a rule and doing pull-offs and slides but I wasn't aware how much I was doing it until I paid more attention.

Here's a bit and I've notated the first part, too many pull-offs and slides. If I'm going to improve my picking I think I need to stop doing that. It's really ingrained in my playing and requires a conscious effort to not do it.

Irrespective of the hammer-ons and pulls-offs (which sound very nice to my ears, btw), that was some fine playing through those changes.

**MAURICIO SOUZA** · 08-07-2021, 09:42 PM

Last review on straight eight notes at 136bpm. Next to triplets at 136bpm. Quite challenging. Next week, for personal reason, I`ll not take the guitar, so will keep going on the next.

**Socraticaster** · 08-14-2021, 03:39 PM

Sorry I haven't been posting regularly for the past week or so - the new semester starts in a little over a week and I've been doing a ton of course prep. I have, however, been keeping up with the Superchops routine, and I'll try to find a little time tonight or tomorrow to post more than this brief note. Hopefully I can also find the time to record and post a video.

For anyone still doing this with me - keep up the good work and feel free to share your experiences.

-Travis

**fep** · 08-21-2021, 06:11 PM

I've stalled out a bit and am just finishing week 6. Week 6, the B section, in particular, is giving me trouble. I don't remember if I mentioned it but I haven't been relying on key centers and have been addressing each chord individually, that's the way I'm thinking when playing. This is a very odd chord progression that just jumps to chords without typical chord movements like Gb9 to Am7 or Am7 to Fm9 to F#m9 or F#m9 to Cm7 or F9 to G#m7 or Eb13 to Bm11. It's choke-full of weird movements that don't sit easily in my ear and don't flow well for me on the guitar solo.

That and there are a lot of chords where I want to play the altered scale, or the harmonic minor scale, or the melodic minor scale, lydian dominant, and I'm not fluent across the whole neck in these. I'm reverse-engineering those scales as I'm figuring out what sounds good to me and then seeing what scale those notes are coming from.

For example the last chord, C/Bb (with the next chord being Am), I'm just thinking the chord is Bb7b5 mixed with a C triad and the notes from Bb lydian dominant sounds like it works.

Something I discovered, thinking E7 or Ealt7 works over the Am(Maj7) chords, I don't always use it but it sounds good thrown in here and there.

Regardless, I'm moving on even though I only got to 110bpm.

**fep** · 08-21-2021, 06:49 PM

This is an example of what I'm going for when I say addressing the chords. I played this out and then notated, surprised how arpeggio-oriented this is. It sounds pretty good by itself without backing track, imo.

**fep** · 08-22-2021, 01:05 PM

Does anyone know what Project Lessons 3-A and 3-B are, that is what tune is it?

Edit: I see it now, it's Angel Eyes. I was confused as HR has it in double time and the chord changes are different from the Real Book. But, I can sing the melody (in my feeble way) of Angel Eyes to HR's changes.

**MAURICIO SOUZA** · 08-29-2021, 03:56 PM

That's a combination of eight and triplets at 136bm. Must be done after making triplets at 144 bpm. But for me it wasn't possible, even only triplets at 132. It's hard to keep time on straight notes for more than one minute on up tempos. Maybe Frank Gambale, Pat Metheny or Yngwie Malmsteen

, could do. So when you can do something, do it as best you can... Still, I'm going to 20 weeks, so I decided to go through the last reviews doing these combos, as best I can.

**Socraticaster** · 09-04-2021, 11:09 AM

I finished up Week 9 today at 104 bpm for triplets. It was a nice challenge - I can go for a minute or two with no problems, but going for 10 minutes straight at that tempo with no breaks or pauses is definitely a workout - both mentally and physically.

I'm definitely noticing an improvement in my playing, though. I'm noticing a little more ease at staying in the pocket rhythmically, and my ability to musically switch from one tonal center to the next with no pauses, regardless of the key or neck location, is really coming together. Finally - and this is the most profound benefit I've noticed so far - I'm starting to be able to 'hear faster,' if that makes any sense. In other words, when I hear a really fast line, either in my head or being played by someone, it's no longer just a smear of notes: I can hear each note and interval - or at least I'm getting better at it. I think there's a deep relationship between the ability to hear fast and the ability to play fast; one that transcends the mere physical aspect of technique.

-Travis

**MAURICIO SOUZA** · 09-05-2021, 04:40 PM

**YomGuitar** · 09-09-2021, 04:52 PM

Might give this a go if I can. I tried it for a while last year but I'll try committing to it longer this time around. Definitely found it helpful before I fell off.