fiddlesticks

Metallica: http://s23.postimg.org/x6uzncwnv/metallixa_die_my_darling_bass.png http://s12.postimg.org/g938i3iwd/metallixa_die_my_darling_lead.png Arctic Monkeys: http://s14.postimg.org/7n351surl/arctic_monkeys_lights_bass.png http://s30.postimg.org/9a3lt7n7l/arctic_monkeys_lights_lead.png Iron Maiden bass http://s27.postimg.org/l94d0rdhv/iron_maiden_running_free_bass.png Dream Theatre bass http://s9.postimg.org/km170w9hr/dream_theatre_the_looking_glass_bass.png

Could it be any closer ?! http://s10.postimg.org/qhmamjrcp/oral_cigarettes_kyouran_hey_kids_lead.png

Getting there on MC lead, should be able to get a little more improvement tomorrow. http://s16.postimg.org/6gxkog99h/oral_cigarettes_kyouran_hey_kids_lead_1.png Int Lead http://s28.postimg.org/oi3mg4azx/clutch_lead.png @@Alex360 thanks for new tab, awesome work ! One small thing I noticed, the part just before the verse is tabbed all on the G string the first time: 0-17-15, but later in the song it changes to 17d-17g-15g. I suspect it's left over from the last version and was never changed. Makes no difference really, just thought I'd let you know.

Interview went really well today, should hear back next week sometime - fingers crossed ! Nothing planned for the next few days except relaxation, finally getting time to watch the Superbowl and playing lots of guitar :) Speaking of, I got all the parts of MC lead together and had a run through SA. Plenty of improvement still possible. http://s15.postimg.org/expvbzgzf/oral_cigarettes_kyouran_hey_kids_lead.png

Very busy week for me, been travelling a lot to attend job interviews (one more tomorrow, wish me luck!), and haven't been home much. Only got started on this weeks songs last night. MC Bass http://s16.postimg.org/hyg6hguo5/oral_cigarettes_kyouran_hey_kids_bass.png Missed one note at the end of the tapping section. MC Lead No screenshot yet, still have to learn the tapping section and outro. The rest of the song is coming together nicely though :) Hopefully get a score posted tomorrow depending on what time I get home at. Great song by the way !

Final update for the week http://s14.postimg.org/gagkp5jj5/pearl_jam_even_flow_lead.png Could have done more, but I'm a little burned out on this song. Really pleased I stuck with it though, if it hadn't been a championship pick I'd probably have given up ages ago.

After a restring when you tune to normal pitch the strings need to be stretched (literally grab the string and pull it up a few time) before they settle into tune. This is perfectly normal. The only reasons I can think of for an E string being super tight at C# is either: you've accidentally put the wrong string on, like an A string - but that's pretty unlikely or you're trying to tune to octave above standard E. Have you tried using the rocksmith tuner instead ?

Have to disagree with you @@firekorn when you say if the trem isn't parallel to the body it's done wrong. There's nothing wrong with having the trem floating at an angle to the body (assuming you're doing it on purpose to allow for bigger up travel) The video linked above is a great method of doing just so, I had my strat set up using his method for a while, but in the end I went back to floating parallel to the body because I only use the bar for light vibrato.

more improvements ! http://s8.postimg.org/ehgby2fth/pearl_jam_even_flow_lead.png

http://s9.postimg.org/d23n1lkgv/pearl_jam_even_flow_lead.png finally starting to 'get' this song, there's still plenty of room for improvement but it feels doable !

Ok, here's a quick guide to doing a setup on a strat without any fancy tools 1. Check neck relief. Put a capo on the first fret (use a pencil and some elastic bands if you don't have a capo) Fret the 17th fret of the low E Measure the distance under the 7th fret using the cut off end of a 9 or 10 gauge string Adjust truss rod (1/4 turns at a time leaving to sit for 10mins between turns) until string end just fits in the gap - it should touch the fret and string without moving the string. 2. Action at Bridge. Measure distance between 17th fret and string, use plecs to measure as their width in mm is usually on the plec. Distance should be around 1.5mm. Raise the action slightly is you get fret buzz or fret out when bending. 3. Action at Nut. Use the end of a G string (9s or 10s) to measure distance from top of 1st fret to string. If the gap is too small put a little bit of tin foil (you can also use super glue, but thats a bit more permanent!) in the nut slots to raise the strings. Doing all of this should help :)

I meant that situation would indicate a nut problem, not neck relief. As for price, I wouldn't pay more than 30euro for a full basic setup (truss rod, action, intonation, nut, pickup height) I still think it's a good idea to get it done by a professional the first time, especially if they let you sit in and explain what they're doing, but I wouldn't discourage anyone from doing it themselves.

From watching the video it's not a pickup height problem in my opinion. The main reason is likely either: not enough neck relief action too low - there's always a trade off between buzz and low action. nut cut too low If it's only the open string buzzing and not any fretted notes then I'm be inclined to look at the nut. They're all simple fixes, but if you're new to setups or don't have the tools then I recommend taking it to a guitar shop/tech and having them do it for you, won't cost much or take very long. I also highly recommend you buy some basic guitar setup tools and learn how do it yourself, it's something all guitar players should know how to do - there's no such thing as a magic perfect setup, its completely dependant on the individual. Finally, while I don't agree with the notion of only letting a professional adjust your truss rod, for the love of god don't just randomly mess with it - you should know what you're trying to achieve before touching it ! Hope that helps

I keep forgetting to post updates this week, so here's a look at how the lead paths are coming along. Skunk Anansie - made a bit of a hash of the solo on this run, but other than that it's fine. http://s7.postimg.org/6mbhm7zsr/skunk_anansie_weak_as_i_am_lead.png Charlie Christian - several interesting things about this song make it difficult for me to get it sounding just right. Apart from the fact that it's quite fast, the swing rhythm is tricky to nail and the lack of any gain in the tone punishes any sloppiness in my picking technique. There's two sections I'm still struggling with improving from 90 to 100% speed. Rubbish score below because I realised I didn't have a screenshot already so I just ran through it once quickly. http://s11.postimg.org/46p71steb/charlie_christian_seven_come_eleven_lead.png Pearl Jam - spending a lot of time with this one, I have everything except the main solo fairly well sorted. http://s16.postimg.org/nb8nivxj9/pearl_jam_even_flow_lead.png

Pigs have flown, hell has frozen over, various other unlikely events have surely taken place because I finished top on a MC Lead song for the first time ever !!! Genuinely pleased with that :) Joining the championship has been one of the best decisions I've made ! Anywho, started the new week today with a run through of all the bass parts http://s22.postimg.org/fym45rr6p/depeche_mode_heaven_bass.png http://s17.postimg.org/iekmgi1tr/skunk_anansie_weak_as_i_am_bass.png I haven't heard this song since the time it was released - was it really 20 years ago ??? I feel old. http://s29.postimg.org/xzau9k1zr/charlie_christian_seven_come_eleven_bass.png Cool little jazz number, pity it's so short. http://s10.postimg.org/4t2a0w1ll/kid_creole_the_coconuts_endicott_bass.png http://s13.postimg.org/k7t03n9rr/pearl_jam_even_flow_bass.png Yep, I picked a song with a slide to the 20th fret when I only have 19 ! If anyone's doing some tweaking maybe they'd consider making those slides unpitched ?

Here's a clue from yesterdays crossword: The violin is adhesive? Nonsense! (12) I'll spoiler the answer in case anyone wants to figure it out, answer: Made me laugh anyway! On to more important matters, I'm getting real close to my skill limit on MC lead: http://s29.postimg.org/vnywp0dhz/alestorm_surf_squid_warfare_lead.png Might be able to get another few tenths of a percent tomorrow when I'm fresh.

Unfortunately this weeks it's going to be neither, spending all my time trying to nail the solo from Alestorm! Speaking of, small improvement in the rhythm part: http://s15.postimg.org/ynvjh2rp7/alestorm_surf_squid_warfare_rhythm.png And the lead - hit my own goal of 97%, so far I can only play the solo accurately at 90% speed so with a bit more practice I should be able to eek out a slightly better score. New goal is 99%. http://s29.postimg.org/ja2s27azr/alestorm_surf_squid_warfare_lead.png

MC bass: http://s30.postimg.org/iuqohe5v5/muse_new_born_bass.png

Sounds like a pickup height issue to me, I had something similar with my strat. I had the pickups nicely setup using an amp, but the note recognition in rocksmith was atrocious, I had to adjust them quite a lot to get good in game performance. To do this I riff repeated a section of a song I knew I could nail every time and adjusted the pickup height until I wasn't getting any random misses in game. I actually did a test where I played Along Came Mary by The Bloodhound Gang (an easy song I can play perfectly every time) - using the properly adjusted middle pickup I got 100% as expected, using the badly adjusted bridge pickup I failed score attack in less than half the song !

I'm pretty sure that if you go back a few years you'll find they all had long hair - until they realised that it's a not a great look on men over a certain age, especially if you're starting to go a bit grey and/or bald ! Except for Scott Ian who just headbanged so much that all his hair slipped down and now hangs from his chin.

MC bass - One miss right at the end, so frustrating! I'll try again tomorrow. http://s27.postimg.org/69ta7dyz7/muse_new_born_bass.png

Scores from last night: Int lead - great song, much easier than muse http://s12.postimg.org/946utsorx/arctic_monkeys_leave_before_the_lights_come_on.png MC bass - so close! http://s16.postimg.org/ihn0rb7it/muse_new_born_bass.png

Int Lead: Tough song for intermediate level, haven't nailed the odd chord shapes or the solo yet http://s21.postimg.org/7m2aix6qv/muse_new_born_lead.png Adv Rhythm: small improvement, personally I think this is harder than the MC song. http://s10.postimg.org/z69r96v3t/alestorm_surf_squid_warfare_rhythm.png MC Lead: kind of a meaningless score from a sight read of the lead part, just putting it up as a baseline to measure my progress for the week. I think if I can hit 97% I'd be happy. http://s10.postimg.org/n886varcp/alestorm_surf_squid_warfare_lead.png

Had a great day in the mountains yesterday, although my arms are quite stiff today from climbing. Still managed to have a bash at all this weeks songs. Moloko - I only know this band from the god awful 'Sing it Back' song that was all over the radio in the late 90s (99 maybe? can't remember for sure). I was pleasantly surprised by how good this track is. http://s12.postimg.org/5d56nyprh/moloko_flipside_lead.png http://s8.postimg.org/l31n1gvf9/moloko_flipside_bass.png Muse - this one's been on my Must Learn list for ages, tried a few times in the past but never really got anywhere. Some tricky chord shapes and the solo to be learned. http://s22.postimg.org/hdeldix6p/muse_new_born_lead.png Gloryhammer - what could be more metal than undead unicorns ?!? http://s30.postimg.org/ccwfg6v8x/gloryhammer_unicorn_lead.png http://s15.postimg.org/bevyg7duj/gloryhammer_unicorn_rhythm.png http://s30.postimg.org/9282gb5bl/gloryhammer_unicorn_bass.png Alestorm - another new song, but a definite highlight of the week for me. I'll be spending more of my time on this, but no bass due to the low tuning. http://s12.postimg.org/sbabwfdgt/alestorm_surf_squid_warfare_rhythm.png

Crazy busy all week, only getting time to play this weeks songs tonight. http://s22.postimg.org/hk0p42bv5/breeders_cannonball_lead.png Played this a bunch of times before. Difficult but fun beginners song. http://s16.postimg.org/5q05tx5ed/the_fratellis_henrietta_lead.png Used to be able to play this in the pre-rocksmith days, still remember most of it. Sync is out a bit. http://s22.postimg.org/8sy9njhxt/free_mr_big_lead.png Suprisingly difficult to keep the appargios accurate. http://s2.postimg.org/happnj961/prince_of_persia_rhythm.png http://s30.postimg.org/nw369l5oh/prince_of_persia_bass.png Easy but cool http://s27.postimg.org/saiwkkbwj/the_fratellis_henrietta_bass.png Some charting issues to go along with the sync problem here, cool bassline though http://s24.postimg.org/dd6c6hg9x/free_mr_big_bass.png Failed out the first time, scraped through on the second attempt. May or may not get more time tomorrow and I'm off hiking Saturday so this could be my only update for the week.