Picky about.. Picks.

Hello.

So, what's one of a guitarist's worst fears in their entire guitar journey? A bad power supply unit for their pedalboard? A snapped string while on performing on stage? An amputated finger? Insufficient funds for a new guitar? A broken neck? Broken electronics?

Or.. Like me, using a specific pick for the past 9 years, finding out that your local supplier doesn't supply that specific pick anymore?

I'm telling you, that's the end of the world for me.

.. Along with whatever that has been mentioned above.

For 9 years, I've never failed to switch out from my pink/purple Ibanez Steve Vai signature series pick, because of its size and feel. Sadly, I had to look for an alternative that won't phase out in the next, what, 5000 years to be safe.

 (Although I have about 40+ spare for the Ibanez picks, but it's always good to restock..)

Anyhow, with the kind souls and service of one of the few guitar shops I (used to) go to in Hobart, Tasmania (Hobart Music Center), they informed me of this..sad news..

.. But in return, they gave me two sample picks to try out and give me time to make up my mind about what's next on the list - A Jim Dunlop John Petrucci Signature Series pick (Ultex), and an Ibanez Paul Gilbert Signature Series pick.

I'm pretty aware that Paul switched over to Tortex by Jim Dunlop, though.

And besides that, I had to get my hands on a pack of Jim Dunlop Jazz III XL's as recommended by my good friend, and a fantastic guitarist, Kelvyn Yeang.

So, time for a switch. But I want to make it a different switch. I want something that'll last rather that it losing its bits and pieces within 8 hours of guitar works.

Or worse still, I'd rather have a pick that doesn't break.

So, here comes the painful transition - from a normal sized plastic pick to a really ridiculously small sized (it's small to me.) pick.

And preferably that it's made out of nylon.

And on paper, I dislike the John Petrucci pick already - because it has a thickness of 1.5mm .. And I can't usually play anything that's more than 1.0mm.

To accommodate the above mentioned picks, I have added some photos to show what they are.. Although, they're pretty self explanatory, really.

From left to right:

• Ibanez Steve Vai pick - 1mm thickness (made out of some plastic-y material)
• Jim Dunlop Jazz III XL - 1mm thickness; nylon
• Jim Dunlop John Petrucci - 1.5mm thickness; nylon; ultex design
• Ibanez Paul Gilbert pick - feels like it's 1mm thickness - and uses the same material - and feels that there's less mass to it - than the Steve Vai pick.

So, before testing these picks, I had to cut my fingernails to show how serious I could be.

At this point, I should probably make this clear - I picked the Steve Vai pick because I felt comfortable with it back then. And back then, meaning when I was 16 years old. I knew nuts about finger tone, and tonight, I see what sort of materials would affect your tone.


Round 1: The Ibanez Paul Gilbert Pick
When I picked up the Paul Gilbert pick (I knew this was going to be scratched off my list, anyway, so might as well get it over and done with), I see what's the point of smaller sized picks. I felt a little bit closer to the strings (mainly because of the size), which means I had lesser picking motions that disallowed me to completely ruin my guitar playing by simply picking with a larger pick - always assuming that I'd hit a note 150% of the time.

Truth is, the smaller picks created a great discipline for me to be particular of what I play. There was a slight difference compared to the Steve Vai pick, but at this point, I still preferred the "grittiness" and the bite that the Steve Vai pick produced. I played this pick along with some of my own songs (Home, Debra and Losing Memories), it didn't sound right one bit (and I'm using the same patches as I did in the recording sessions).

Also, I didn't really play much with this pick. The plus point about this pick is that it has a paint coating on it. Which made me identify why I don't want this pick to be my next choice for the next few years. It was already shredding itself as it couldn't accommodate my picking style. I'm an extremely hard picker.

Goodbye, Ibanez picks.


Round 2: Jim Dunlop Jazz III XL
Because I didn't like the idea of the John Petrucci pick being a 1.5mm, I decided to not even jump into the pick. I wasn't even hyped about it. I like Dream Theater, I like his guitars with all sorts of options - including the rocket launchers and nuclear missiles, but my brain refused to comply with its 1.5mm thickness.

I noticed that the Jazz III XL are nylon picks, and the sides are edged. Whatever sorcery this is, I loved the idea of the edges. It doesn't stick onto the string much, really, and I could feel the pick. It's bigger than the Ibanez Paul Gilbert pick I tried out, so the size was something I could get used to.

The tone, on the other hand, sounds warmer (compared to both the Ibanez picks I use/test). It's a little bit easier to control, and it's missing of the bite I usually have. Like the case of the Paul Gilbert pick, I felt closer to the strings because of the drastic change in size. It's really hard to get used to, because I can't seem to slam my entire wrist and pick on the string on some parts when it's supposed to feel so good.

.. Which is a good thing, because I wanted to improve on my playing to have more discipline on it.

I tried this pick on one of the few songs I find tough - Neil Zaza's King of the World. It's not your generic in-your-face instrumental rock song, but expressing what Neil's songwriting requires a different approach, mindset and technique. It passed in terms of sustaining a good amount of dynamics. It was missing of the bite that I usually get out from the Steve Vai pick.

But it's something I could get used to.

Of course, the night didn't end there..


Round 3: Jim Dunlop John Petrucci
1.5mm.

That's the only thing I had issues with. The pick's thickness. I get nightmares whenever I think about the thickness because I could imagine the tone associated with that thickness.

Good thing I tested this is the very last pick I tested, because I fell in love after playing a quick lick.

This is, indeed, a shredder's pick without a doubt. Surprised? I bet not. After all, this pick was designed by John Petrucci.

If you noticed from the pictures above, it has a different colour to it on the edge. But don't let this fool you if you think it's cosmetic. It's science, actually. It's based on the size of the Jim Dunlop Jazz III picks, and the whole "Ultex" bit of picks. Ultex, apparently, is a type of picks that Jim Dunlop produces as well. From what I understand, Ultex is an additional feature on picks that has edges on the side of the pick - so it's able to slide off strings if you pick really quickly.

And Mr. Petrucci wanted more of that glide.

I found the concept interesting, and I'm telling you, it feels good.

Playing with the John Petrucci pick, apparently, is like training for runs with ankle weights. When you play with this pick, it feels like the ankle weights have been taken off.

It's unbelievably quick. And because of the smoothness of the pick, it contributes towards the tone of the guitar - in which the horrific tone provided by the 1.5mm thickness diminished by how the pick was designed. It sounds warmer to the Jazz III XL's (surprisingly)

I tested this on some shred licks, and it felt good. The effort I put into speed picking was very minimal.

Mr. Petrucci definitely knows his stuff. At that level, of course he knows his stuff. And I'm glad I understand a little bit of his madness.


So..
And to be honest, I couldn't pick a winner between both the Jazz III and the JP. They both felt good, sounded distinctive and are easy to get used to.

But if you ask me about which felt like home, that isn't the point. I was particular about how the picks sounded, and the JP wins my heart this time.

Not to say that I'll never use the Jazz III XL's, or the remaining 23 - to be honest, I'll end up switching in between the JP's and the Jazz III's in and out of recording sessions depending on .. tone.


.. And to think that I was able to fit in a MGS 3 session after the pick-testing sessions, but I guess I was wrong - just like I was wrong about how bad the John Petrucci picks were going to be.

Moreover, I'm surprised at how technical they can be when it comes to producing picks. I'm happy that they paid really close details, because it really pays off for guitarists.

Reboot: Reflections .. And Other Things!

In February 2012, it came clear to me that if I were to spend a lot of time in front of the computer with the guitar, constantly writing, recording, arranging, producing and enjoy the sonic results of stuff, I would be able to release a personal playlist consisting of songs.

But greediness isn't what life is all about.

After 10 years of guitar playing, I found the joy of songwriting, and I wrote a few tracks, which were available on YouTube for the likes of everybody to check out!

I guess I decided to take it up a level, and to release a solo album.


Ah ha! The links are towards the right. Only 100 physical copies were home made, and spread amongst fans, friends, family and new faces so far.

I hope you enjoy this record as much as I did producing it.

On another note, I recently returned to Malaysia to visit friends and family - but also to distribute this album, and to gather MIDI information from a drummer I truly respect, and had the honour to work with. The reason why, is because that this record was sparked by the idea of a local guitarist by the name of Kelvyn Yeang. The underlying materials that we've worked so far, would be a surprise. It's totally different to what Ocean of Fire fans would listen to, really.

Since he's taking up on the lead guitars (obviously), what would my role be?

As an arranger/producer. So this ought to be interesting. I'll contribute very little amounts of guitar works, but the main objective of this record would be very challenging. To make instrumental music enjoyable. It took me quite a bit to realise that instrumental music - without lyrics - is probably the ultimate language to ensure that everybody understands what you're trying to communicate.

I don't need to understand Japanese to listen to Nobuo Uematsu's compositions for the Final Fantasy series, if that makes sense.

Anyhow, the links are on the right - check them if you wish!

I'm in the midst of moving places as we speak. My brother and I will get the keys to the new place, and I'm looking forward in setting up my "mobile" studio there. Will be an interesting change!

'Till then,

Rock n roll!

- JL

The Effect.

I'm a little bit late on updating my experience with the whole Steve Vai Masterclass that took place in Australia (And I went to the Melbourne one), and I must say that it's amazing.

If you play an instrument, I encourage you to go if you have the chance. It's the only time you get to learn the most valuable asset of a musician such as him, and that is intellect.

The clinic was amazing. It reminded me what life should be, and even if you face the slightest frustration that "pisses you off", you should learn to understand that it could've been worse, and others are actually facing it on a bigger degree.

I mean, you could be missing a limb, but you're born perfectly, right?

So why have all the negative energy when you're completely normal and when it's a waste of time?

Plus being angry does quite a lot of harm to your body.

Why?

There's a lot of things that you can do to achieve your goals. And the first thing you should do is to ensure that you're going to do it with passion. Ensure it excites you too.

I'm not going to call you a douche because you don't understand or if you think this post is is stupid. After all, what others say is none of my business. What I do, is my business.

Setup?

Mmhmm.

Sweet.

Cosmo Canyon (Cover)

Trust me, this is bloody spontaneous.

I hope you enjoy it.

I was testing out Omnisphere, a new plugin I got for my recording stuff, and .. My word, this application really scares the crap out of me. So many patches and stuff to pick from. It's insane!

Of course, I always have owed my open mentality to the likes of Nobuo Uematsu and Harry Gregson-Williams.. So here's a rather random product when I'm not that serious.

Do check it out when you're free!

A Dramatic Turn of Events

After several cleared issues, I managed to obtain the album.

I'm a Mike Portnoy fan, and also a Dream Theater fan. So when I say that they're missing an element off the drums, I'm saying something must've went wrong during the mixing process. If it was mixed to be a little bit heavier than "clean"-drums, I think this would've captured my attention.

And finally, after years, John Myung writes!

On another note, this whole album is a spiritual-emotional experience. It's bittersweet watching Dream Theater recording with a new drummer and all, but it sounds so good at the same time.

I must say a job well done, and it might take me a few more listens to really get used to this album's concept.

When You've Lost It; Look Back.

When you think you've clearly lost it, and the world's against you. This is what you do.

Sit back, think about the past, reanalyse yourself and understand what made you the person you are today.

Yes, I'm talking about taking a big step backwards, understanding yourself, and seeing if you can actually accept what you did before that made you the person you are today.

And if you think you've lost all sorts of beliefs, turn back, and start your metronome.

Of course, with that said, I'm not coming up with another emo blog post or something, but I'm rather happy to share that I've turned myself back to 2004, understanding how I picked up speed and endurance on the guitar in fast playing on some certain licks.

Until today, there's a specific lick that I can play with speed. But if you slow me down and look at how I play, I'm cheating the notes I played. In fact, nothing comes out clearly sometimes (my case, all the time).

So, I decided to put "playing the guitar" one side, and take up "practicing the guitar". Sure, if you're playing a song and all that, that's really cool. But paying attention to the details on how you're playing and perfecting your mistakes - and UNDERSTANDING your mistakes, that's another different blow to yourself.

If you're a weakling, you might find that a bit demotivating. But if you're really up for a change, and improvement, I think that's the best step so far.

What pushed me to "go back to the roots?". Simple. Rhythm Knowledge by Mike Mangini. To cut things short, he and his students found a study that if you were to practice a certain technique, or part of a song, for 90 minutes per day, 4 days a week for 6 weeks, you'll sustain the ability to play that practice session for quite a bit, until you degrade.

Which is pretty interesting, because I used to play the A minor scale in reverse with quadruplets to familiarise myself with scales for the first time in 2004. Every single day without fail, I'd play that. Only because, that's the only thing I knew how to play back then. Exactly after a month of hard practice, I realised that I "shredded" on that quadruplet riff taught by my guitar instructor, and learnt the concept of scales on a guitar's neck.

But here's the magic. I never thought of "playing fast" or "shredding". I just wanted to play that A minor scale right. And playing it right and well, was my objective rather than "shredding".

If you were to ask me to play that A minor passage today, I won't be able to do it as well as I used to in 2004. My problem is that, BECAUSE I already mastered it back then (and not applying it to songs and jam tracks anyway), I am not able to play that passage at the same speed as I used to in 2004.

The common, and most saddest thing, about instrumentalists these days (drummers, guitarists, bassists, percussionists, violinists, cellists, violists, fluters (??), keyboardists, pianists), is that when they're self taught, they just want to jump into hyper speed on the first try. I'm not kidding about this. I've seen a couple of friends (and family?) of mine doing this. And it's really hard to let them know that to play quickly, you have to play slowly first. Master everything, and build up speed with patience.

Little do they know that they're actually killing their muscles to achieve what they have in mind.

I built my speed picking naturally, and I must admit that it isn't perfect. That's why I'm going through this whole "therapy" of "slowing down" (I even had issues playing clean & properly at 100bpm when I was doing a simple semiquaver [notes in 16th] practice!).

It took me a month of long hours of practice per day to realise that I was actually building up speed gradually, and naturally.

If you don't believe me, just attend Mike Mangini's next clinic and ask him about training on speed. Drummers have it as the worst when it comes to building speed without applying the right techniques and concepts. What Mike Mangini said back in 2004 when someone asked him that question, he said to never go against nature - this means never go against what your body can NOT take.

You have to build speed, gradually. The best way is to practice from slow, and eventually, it'll be quick. I did 2 repetitions of 90 minutes of the same thing with tempo variation (a few in 90, a few in 100.. a few in 120.. But didn't go more than that). And I realised that I was having fun rediscovering myself on what I did when I was a younger guitarist.

I was a guitarist back then, not a musician.

Of course, with life as it is now, since some of us might have jobs, or are attending school, or doing both at the same time (!!), all we want is to go home, and just pick up our musical instruments and start playing what we feel like playing. That's because we've already "mastered" the instrument based on our own expectations.

But we're never the master of our instruments. Even professional musicians are constantly seeking ways and methods to get better. And you can ask most professional musicians, I bet you most of them (or all of them) would say that they really missed the times when they could just sit down and practice, rather than to play, their instrument as they did when they were younger.

On another note, do not forget the most important thing. If you're not recording your 90-minute practice sessions, then pay attention to what you're playing:

- Make sure you're playing clean. Watch unethical habits that you could have applied (like mine was to string-rake when I wanted every note to sound clean).

- Make sure you're hitting the right note/notes at a time

- Make sure you're playing with the metronome.

More importantly, don't underestimate yourself. Playing the 6 same notes in a single measure for 90 minutes, you're bound to throw yourself off somewhere. So pay details to yourself.

Also, know what you're playing. Make sure you understand what you're playing. The notes that you strike, timing, and everything else. It's all part of the learning curve.

Slight Update.

So, I got down and dirty with creating an official Facebook page for myself. It's better to diversify my music stuff than my personal life so others won't be annoyed with it, I guess?

It's a win-win situation, although I don't really like the idea of.. having that Facebook page sometimes. It's fun, and I see the numbers growing!

If you wish to follow up on a less cluttered update scheme, do head over to the right of this page, and click on "like" on Glacius!

Alternatively, you can head to this website - My Official Music Page on Facebook and click like.

Most of the songs will be featured under "videos", until further notice.

Also, I've been speaking to plenty of Malaysian (to me, local) guitarists, and one of them came up with the craziest idea after I sent him a sample of a new song I'm working on. He suggested that we should collaborate and work on a song.

Sure, who wouldn't like that?

But he's speaking to -me-, you know. I'm not going to hog the spotlight myself, so I asked him.. how about featuring the rest of the guitarists we know?

And the ball started rolling.

I can give you a hint, and if you're a Penangnite. The people involved:
Richard Leong
Jean "Glacius"
Kelvyn Yeang
Chiat
Eric Neoh
Alfred Oh

And we're still awaiting for the better musicians!

I'm really looking forward to this project, and the upcoming song that we're going to produce.

I must say, Dropbox does make transferring files a lot more easier.

Season of Heartbreaks

A song that I wrote in 2005, recorded in December 2007 as an experiment, and now with a matured mind (but still requires a lot of practice), a new rendition's released!

Enjoy!

Memories.

This is good. This is really good.

So far it's the first day of my finals that finished, and guess what I'm up to?

Here's a hint:



I'm just practising on what I can really do with what I have around me, more importantly, stuffing my mind up in every aspect to get every piece of creativity to get things up and running.

Right now, I'm redoing one of my old songs that I wrote with a cheap ass keyboard (that was worth RM10?) entitled Seasons of Heartbreaks. This time, minusing out the crap flute, and trying my best to not stuff in guitar works, because I want to see how far I get with my own creativity based on MIDI technology.

And believe it or not, I was sitting down here for about 7-8 hours staring at the screen, producing stuff and having dinner in between.

Rather progressive, I must say.










I wish I could do this all year long.

ART TubeMP Studio V3 - II

So, here are a few shots of the ART TubeMP Studio V3.

I was writing that previous blog post on my iPad before I slept, so I got a tad bit lazy to explain further.

This is my very first tube preamp, and yes, I do see the point of people arguing back and forth between solid state amplification technology and tube amplification technology (speaking from the perspective of a guitarist - although this can be use for plenty of other things).

The thing that captured my attention about this preamp is because that it has 48v phantom power, runs on 9v AC power, it's small..and has a VU meter which is very pretty!

Plus this retails for about.. USD$70 ~ AUD$100 after shipping based off the stores here. I got this via eBay.








I had few runs with this earlier on, and I had no idea regarding its potential, but, my word, it really does give your instrument .. a different character if you're running it directly without EQ. An interesting thing about this preamp is that it comes with a limiter system (called OPL in their terms), and it works pretty well.. But I'm not a fan of limiters when it comes to guitars and stuff. But if you're blasting the input up to its maximum, then the limiter will come in handy - especially if you don't want to accidentally get some tube distortion.

Sure this is a studio-equipment thing, but I doubt I'll caught not having these with me during gigs or practice sessions.

It sounds -really- good.

What an awesome step forward in my music journey!

My First YouTube Video!

Have a listen! It's a cover off a brilliant guitarist - Neil Zaza. This is one of his songs from his album, 212.



Yeah, and I was a bit nervous on the camera.

Pardon the mistakes! Enjoy!

PS - Neil Zaza mentioned this in his Twitter, and also replied to that YouTube link!

So.

I hate it when this happens.

Sometimes, you know what you're doing, but when you really look at it objectively, you know that you've got completely no clue about what you're doing.

The only thing I know what I'm really doing is that when I pick up the guitar.

On the studies side, on the other hand, is a pain in the ass. On one matter, everything seems clear. But apparently, I've got short memory issues, so I tend to forget everything that I know of.

Which is clearly a bitch.










It's been a few times I've hit rock bottom. I am truly depressed.

Virgil Donati in Hobart

Been quite a while since I felt like this. I'm actually looking forward to this!!

Oh yeah!



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Ah.

I always waited for my Fender Standard Ash Stratocaster to arrive in Australia, but it never got assembled (or bothered to be looked at) in the first place by Fender USA. Due to several reasons that I am truly disappointed about, I will not state it here, as I've already mentioned some of it in my Facebook.

But nevertheless, I spoke to my dealer and I understood their situation, hence I switched from a Fender Standard Ash Stratocaster to a Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster. Degrading from an ash body to an alder body. They had a few of these in stock - only available in amber or olympic pearl.

And since my JEM JR is already white, and the pickguard looked weird on a white surface, I went for amber.

And boy, does it look ebtter than I expected!









I gave it a test run with and without my effects, and I enjoy the tone of this guitar with AND without my effects!

I'm really satisfied. Now I need a better amp and a few more pedals to make my quest for tone complete.

Oh boy.











I am really happy.

This is my first guitar that I fully paid for.

I Just Had To..

I know December is when Santa Claus comes.

This year, he's coming earlier.

But too bad, he's not fat and red.

He looks more like Virgil Donati.



I will see if he's any good like Virgil Donati. And take a couple of pictures too.

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Sad News.

I was happily procrastinating until I read something disturbing in Facebook.

Mike Portnoy, the backbone of Dream Theater, left the band because he needed a break.

Of course the stunning news early this year was that he was drumming for Avenged Sevenfold due to a personal request of their late drummer.

That's fine, but Portnoy found out that he had more fun in the other projects - and found out that DT was work to him.

I clearly understood that, but I'm truly shaken by his decision - and the decision of the band to continue on without him.

Sure Portnoy, not the best drummer in the world as others are catching up, but for those who CAN play DT's songs smoothly, were obviously inspired by Mike Portnoy.

So, Mike, have a good rest.

I wish to see you back in action as your life story motivates me to carry out my Quest for Tone.


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This is Nice.

There she is, having her fun with her friends, and having a different timezone just to see her for a short while.

Sounds familar, though.

I wonder if I'm the idiot doing something like that?

I am an idiot, only if I believe it.

Well, that doesn't matter anyway.

I came home from uni today, sat down and played the guitar. I actually slept while playing the guitar, so I decided to get some rest.

And I woke up at 6.45, plugged my guitar in without checking Facebook or playing around with Nemesis Prime.

And it's 2.14am as I'm writing this, and I've got the guitar with me still.











Even if I were to be alone, and that would suck. But that's alright..

"I still got my guitar!"

:)

The Quest for Tone IV

+ Good news.

I always planned to get one pedal at a time.

And worse comes to worse, I would've made the Blues Driver the last thing that I would purchase.

Instead, the bill amounted to AUD$ 926.

I can pay for that amount though. Only in a given period of time. One step at a time I guess.

And no news about the guitar yet, but they ARE expecting the stock to come by pretty soon.

I'm just being optimistic, but for the love of that thing, I would wait.











I could've gotten the iPhone 4 32GBs with that amount of money lol

900th Post

I was about to post up that I was rather confused about to bring my Ibanez JEM JR down to Hobart by the end of this year.

Apparently, my parents won't ship it over because frieght is too bloody expensive.

I don't blame them. I blame Malaysia's weak currency.

Things are cheap there for foreigners, but it's not cheap for locals. And that's a bloody fact which I truly hate.

Anyways, since it IS the 900th post, I guess I won't be confused much. I'll just figure out what the hell am I supposed to do to ensure that my guitar arrives here safely via flight.











Boy is my brother going to be unhappy about this issue. lol