First, let me take a minute to introduce myself. My name is Adam Whitney and I'm 17 years old. I have been playing guitar for about 3 years now and I write instrumental metal and acoustic guitar music. For now, I don't have a band, so I'm a solo instrumentalist. Music is my passion, and I couldn't see it any other way; Life without music would be unimaginable.

I joined this forum to come in contact with others who have similar common interests (metal, music, etc.) and to get honest opinions from the people who matter the most.

I just recently started utilizing YouTube, so I only have one electric song posted, but feel free to browse through my channel uploads and listen to my acoustic material also.

Anyway, here is the link to an electric piece I am working on. I haven't thought of a name yet, but I'm sure I will think of something. All feedback is appreciated - whether it be positive or negative.

>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKM7wRNZqKQ <<<

Enjoy

continue like this, you're in the good way!

Something I noticed: Beware with the position of the fretting hand, you tend to break the ring finger and the pinky looks kind of tense.

Now, my opinion on the music... The song is not bad per se, it just feels lacking, it's too plain and though many times the simplest stuff is the most memorable I can't say there's anything to grab my attention here, it needs more voicing, layering perhaps to make it more interesting.
It's not bad as a start though, keep working on it and it'll become much better.

I agree with the above comments. The song "Circles" was nice too, and being longer was a much more informative display of your songwriting abilities. I'd like to hear a fully completed electric piece because you definitely have a sense for composition. Keep up the good work!

Do you have any plans on joining a band, or is there a dearth of metalheads in your area?

Infernalblackflame,

Thanks for the positive feedback! I should have some new material soon because I’m getting better every day! I’ve started really practicing scales and learning theory more in depth and it’s working out very well. It’s fascinating to see how it all fits together structurally.
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Garthmargengi,

Well, take not, these are only the beginning stages of many of my songs; they are pretty much just blueprints of my creations. I know the song is not finished, but I just wanted some honest critique from people who know music the best, so thank you for your honesty.

I’ve been working on better hand posture for the past few days. I was self-taught, so it’s hard for me to relearn the right way when I’ve been doing it wrong for years. All it will take from here is practice and dedication, and I am devoted. I’m working now on adding fullness to my riffs by looping the riffs individually and harmonizing with them.

It’s interesting that you mention audience retention; it gives me more incentive to focus on creating more memorable riffs. Hopefully soon I can fulfill the elements my music lacks.
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Apteronotus,

Thanks for the compliment! It means a lot to hear someone say that I have composing skills. I have always considered that to be one of my strengths. I could be a lot more elaborate if I apply more technicality and theory to my music.
Circles is definitely one of my best pieces, in my opinion, for its structure. Even though it is simple, it is complete.

To answer your questions:
I hope to find some members for a band, but I would want to write instrumental metal. And no, there is hardly any metalheads where I live, so I haven’t played with a band before. There are very few people here that even listen to metal and appreciate what it’s all about, or even share the same feelings about music that I do.

The song you posted was pretty good, but I'm going to have to agree with garth, it could use something a little more memorable. You may not need to change the riffs that much, just adding a melodic line over it would probably do the trick. Personally I also prefer vocals, however sparse, in music outside of the atmospherically-driven. But hey, that's just me.

I also listened to Circles, and dude, that is solid. If you were to make an album like that and spice it up with a little of something else (maybe some distorted melodies in the background with a crapload of effects, or another acoustic instrument if you have a willing friend. Nothing significant, just for variety) I would totally buy it. Reminds me of October Falls and Agalloch when they go acoustic.

Oh, and a great exercise for your fingering problem is to play frets 1-4-3-4 (that would be index, pinkie, ring, pinkie) on your high E string four times, then move to the B string for four more repetitions, and so on until you get to your lowest string, keeping notes and transitions smooth and equal. Then you just work your way back up, then back down again, and try to see how long you can go back and forth across the bridge before your fingers get tired out. It helps not only with fingering, but endurance. I'm sure you know this already, but start super slow, focus on technique, and use a metronome.

I'm also curious, who are your primary inspirations for your electric and acoustic music, respectively?

ClaymanOnFire,

Well, hopefully I can produce an acoustical album on top of writing my instrumental metal, and thanks for the exercise tip, I’ll add it to my repertoire =). I hope to start adding lead parts to my metal and add more thickness to the sound, and keep it at a more interesting pace. I have a few more shells of songs, and hope to fill them out as well with time.

To answer your question, for my electric inspiration, I love the heavier side, bands like Job for a Cowboy, The Black Dahlia Murder, Woe of Tyrants, August Burns Red, Conducting From the Grave, and Archons. Several virtuoso guitarists, such as Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Angel Vivaldi. As for the acoustic, John Butler, Michael Hedges, Mark Kroos, Ewan Dobson, and even going back to Mike Oldfield. Classical and Spanish guitar influence my playing as well. Also, I love piano, and listen to classical music as well, with Bach and Vivaldi being some of my favorite.

It was pretty great, but after the 28 second mark, it was badass. Also, what kind of guitar was that?

To skull_king,

Thanks man, I hope to finish it sometime soon. The guitar is actually just a neck and body me and my dad found in a trash pile. My dad bought the hardware, and he used an old Jackson pickup he had, so that's where the sounds coming from. It took a while to build, but we finally finished it, and I've had it for about a year and a half.

The intro is ok, but when the verse comes in and onward, it gets fucking awesome. If it was a full band piece it would definitely be something I would crank up in my car on the way to work. really fucking epic. also love the riff at :54

Thanks man, I'm glad you like it. I got some new material I wrote, so expect to see something new soon. I appreciate the comment!