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Learning to play the electric guitar - Part 1: First steps and the first melody I was able to play on the electric guitar after a few hours of practice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In late summer 2024, after a long time, I fulfilled a big wish and finally bought my first electric guitar for my small home studio, a pretty versatile Ibanez Gio GRG140 in a really stylish white. At the time, I didn't have much time to learn how to play the electric guitar more intensively. But at least I was able to familiarize myself a little more closely with the electric guitar, its construction, its functions, its care, etc., and I was able to make the strings of the electric guitar sound quite official and play a few notes using the really good guitar amp plugin Vandal in my DAW Samplitude Pro X4 Suite. Since I had already worked with really good electric guitar VSTis for many years, composing with them and playing them via MIDI keyboard, I already had a good foundation of prior knowledge about electric guitars, guitar amplifiers with their wide range of settings, and various playing techniques on the electric guitar (if only to understand how to implement such playing techniques as convincingly as possible with an electric guitar VSTi based on the playing techniques on real electric guitars). And the melody I play in this video was basically the first melody I was able to play reasonably well after just a few hours of practice. It's a slightly modified melody from the soundtrack “The Price of Freedom” from one of my absolute favorite video games called Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7, or rather the remake Crisis Core - Final Fantasy 7 Reunion (the short video footage I used here is from the remake version of the game). The original song “The Price of Freedom” was written by Takeharu Ishimoto. So far, I've only been able to play this melody on the high E string. But by using various playing techniques such as hammer-ons, slides, and bends, I've already been able to achieve a smooth-sounding and quite convincing result. Well, I know. When learning to play the electric guitar, playing melodies actually comes relatively late after learning the chords. But I was somehow tempted to provisionally play a few small melodic passages. ... In the summer of 2025, I finally started learning to play the electric guitar with the help of a specialist book, which also included additional online content with illustrative video material for practicing electric guitar playing and actively playing as a solo artist or in a band. I usually only practice a few hours a month. But I feel that even as a complete beginner, I have already made some progress. For example, I have already learned a few important basics, such as theoretical principles relating to electric guitars, the different types of electric guitars, various types of guitar amplifiers, the correct posture for playing electric guitar, and how to read tablature. I've also learned some practical skills, such as tuning the strings, correctly grabbing individual strings in different frets, playing with a pick (which was also used in this video), alternate picking, the basics of playing individual notes rhythmically, and the practical use of a metronome. The first power chords are probably already on the learning plan. Of course, out of curiosity, I have already tried my hand at playing more complex chords, but so far I have failed because I am not yet very good at grabbing the chords correctly, I obviously don't hold my fingers in the optimal position, and I usually end up accidentally muting neighboring strings with my fingers. But I'm definitely not going to let that discourage me, because practice makes perfect (or at least better), as we all know. And my musical journey into the world of electric guitar playing has only just begun. ... However, I was very proud of the live result in this video, even though it took me around 50 takes or recording attempts until the electric guitar playing on my Ibanez Gio GRG140-WH was kinda flawless and the use of various playing techniques finally met my expectations to the extent that I was really satisfied with it. On this new and exciting journey, Master Mi will once again become the inquisitive student Mi and is already looking forward to his potential progress in the coming years and the many interesting opportunities that will arise for the future, especially in the field of music composition for soundtracks and remixes. I could almost say: “Yeah, I'm on fire now.” )) ... But feel free to listen for yourselves. Here's the video with the recording of my early attempts at playing the electric guitar: ... What do you think? Nothing too special - but not too bad for a bloody beginner lvl. 1, eh?

I can literally smell a human sinner here. For this incredibly grave sin, you should regularly repent and synth hard! ... Dude, 15 years? Were you in a creative coma as a musician, snoring away comfortably like a huge Flemish Giant flopped into the cozy meadow, or were you somehow on the run from the Mafia or something? I mean, hey. I'm also kind of a pro at picking up an old remix from over 10 years ago and completely remixing it or rewriting the composition (simply because I've just started getting into music, composition, mixing and mastering around this time). But if you haven't done anything musically in all these years, you've really let yourself go and metaphorically left your passion in your bum bag. ... Nevertheless, welcome back to the club. ))

@Zacktorial I remember modding my Super NES Mini Classic with extensions such as RetroArch a long time ago. It was quite a fiddly job, but I managed to get a lot of old games running with it. Some of them didn't run quite smoothly, though, which was probably due to the limitations of the hardware or the native emulators on the Super NES Mini Classic. On my PC, on the other hand, all retro games have run smoothly so far with emulators such as Nestopia or ZNES. But thanks for pointing that out anyway. ))

Awesome brass and wind instruments from 8Dio ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was recently browsing the 8Dio website and discovered that they also produce extremely high-quality VST instruments in other areas, some of which even outshine Native Instruments' top-of-the-line VSTis – and at very affordable prices. Take a look and listen to this powerful-sounding tenor saxophone here - it'll really get you in the mood: Among other things, it is available as a small collection called Studio Sax Trio, which includes two tenor saxophones and one baritone saxophone with over 5000 sample at least for the first saxophones, requires a total of 7 GB of hard drive space (for all three instruments), and costs just 49 bucks for the collection at full price for this high sample quality: https://8dio.com/products/studio-saxophones-for-kontakt-vst-au-aax?variant=41310025941192 For such awesome VST instruments, it's definitely worth purchasing a full version of Kontakt as the required sampler. I already have a few really good saxophones and other brass instruments in my Independence Pro Suite collection, which generally sound like this (see the two accompanying audio samples, which you can play using the play button): https://producerplanet.com/us/article/saxophone-brass-2987/ And that's why I won't be buying any more VSTis that I already have in good sample quality. But in the long run, I might buy more of these these truly captivating, extensively sampled VST instruments from 8Dio. This really seems to be the next generation of VSTis, where, with the right handling, you won't be able to tell the difference between sampled instruments and real instruments. ... The trumpets are also mighty stuff: - 26 GB (???) for the new 2.0 version - just for this trumpet (guess that's why I'm going for a 4 TB SSD) - at least 11200 samples - just for the old version (new version might have even more samples) - around 30 different articulations (!!!) - for just 28 bucks https://8dio.com/products/the-new-century-solo-brass-trumpet?variant=41310103077064 ... Since I already have some pretty good brass VSTis, I'm more interested in something I don't really have yet - for example, a whistler VSTi like this one called ‘Misfit Whistling’: - just around 1 GB - over 1500 samples - at least 5 different articulations - for just 8 dollars, considering that it's probably one of the most realistic whistling VSTis around (many other whistling VSTi cost way more and are way less realistic) https://8dio.com/products/misfit-whistling-vst-au-aax?variant=41309892542664 The only really good whistling VSTi that I once had, or possibly still have somewhere, was one from VSL (Vienna Symphonic Library): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_QkAGVNXrs However, that sounded far too professional for my taste. I was looking for a more casual whistling sound, something that sounded more like an ordinary person whistling a melody or something. In addition, despite the high-quality sampled instruments, I found it really annoying that you had to keep a USB key plugged into your computer to use the VSL VSTis. That may sound nitpicky, but for me it was a real deal breaker in terms of continuing to use VSL. I want to have all the VSTi content directly on my computer without any compromises or additional restrictions, without having to deal with any annoying procedures involving USB sticks and such. ... As far as 8Dio is concerned, it seems that you can find a lot of high-quality and sometimes really rare VSTis there (and they seem to have really taken off in recent years - I guess there's a lot more content to come). As for me, I'll probably start by getting the really awesome Studio Steel Drums, the Misfits Harmonica and Misfits Whistling once my SSD hard drive finally arrives, Windows 10 Pro and all the programmes are installed and set up, and I finally bought Kontakt 8. ))

@Zacktorial Thank's for the tip with Proton. This seems to be almost the best solution for using Windows programmes (perhaps even a Windows-exclusive DAW) on Linux systems. With Winboat, I was a little surprised in the beta versions that this Windows emulation software takes up about half of the available CPU cores (or at least it is recommended). And yes, it's really difficult to assess how tamed or open to the outside world the emulated Windows is unless you're a top-level programmer and know the program codes of Windows and Winboat. @Argle Yeah, unfortunately that was one of my biggest fears, that all the high-quality VSTis, for which you often have to pay a lot of money, would suddenly no longer work under Linux, or would only work with errors or not properly. Linux seems to have developed considerably over the last 5 to 10 years - not only in terms of greatly increased user-friendliness (so that even radical non-nerds should be able to find their way around relatively quickly), but also in terms of compatibility with various programmes. Nevertheless, Windows 10 still seems to be the best option for DAW users if you want to enjoy a wide variety of programmes and the ability to purchase and use a wide range of high-quality VSTis and plugins, while still having a relatively stable, powerful and potentially long-lasting and secure operating system. So for now, with an eye to the distant future, I guess it's up to us to transform Windows 10 Pro into a stable, nearly impenetrable fortress like Outer Heaven: ... I would certainly have continued with Windows 7 Pro for quite some time (simply because it still runs really well, smoothly and stably). But with Windows 10 Pro, I can also purchase the last VSTis I've been dreaming of and which I really wanted to have in my collection. @Unknown Pseudoartist I recently installed an older 32-bit Linux Mint version called ‘Faye’ on my old Samsung notebook (a really old thing from 2009 – I think it only had a 2-core processor system with 32-bit architecture and, to top it all off, that awful Windows Vista Home Premium operating system). The installation of the OS and the subsequent updates went relatively quickly – much faster than with a common Windows installation. Even browsers like Firefox and Office programmes were included right from the start. In terms of pure speed when working within the operating system or loading pages on the internet, I didn't notice any major differences between Windows Vista and Linux Mint in the respective 32-bit versions. Both ran relatively slowly and sluggishly. However, this may have been due to the old computer itself or the fact that around 40 faulty sectors were subsequently found on the hard drive (unfortunately, I was unable to format the hard drive beforehand, but only overwrote the OS by reinstalling it). But as a Linux emergency notebook, where at least the internet works and you can get to grips with the basic functions of Linux, it's not bad at all. ... Perhaps in the future, I'll get one of those modern, space-saving and kinda affordable mini PCs for playing PC games and emulated retro titles for NES, Super NES and the like on my larger screen in my gaming and movie corner, and then maybe install a modern 64-bit version of Linux Mint as the operating system. Steam shouldn't be a problem with Linux - according to what the guys here said. And I guess legendary emulators like Nestopia or ZNES should be available for Linux as well. ... A big thank you to all of you for your comprehensive feedback. )) Please keep me and the community up to date when there are the first groundbreaking developments for Linux in terms of compatibility with Windows-exclusive DAWs and VSTis, or when other major DAW developers offer their software natively for Linux.

@Uffe von Lauterbach No problem. There are said to have been people who once tried to create soundscapes with dodecaphonic music. ;) But maybe let's approach it according to the rules of conventional harmony. You wrote that the piece is in E flat minor. This means that the following notes occur: Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, Cb (B), Db. An Emaj13 chord contains the following 7 notes: E, G# (Ab), B, D# (Eb), F# (Gb), A, C# (Db). This means that only 5 of these 7 notes in the chord are part of the scale. And that obviously creates this brief dissonant interlude in the soundtrack. So you can either change the chord or the key to make this little passage sound more harmonious, although I would definitely modify the chord to match the key. I created an audio sample with 4 little piano chords for ya (everything arranged from the lower to the higher notes). Chord 1 >>> your Emaj13 chord that doesn't really fit your chosen scale (just for comparison) >>> notes: E, G# (Ab), H, D# (Eb), F# (Gb), A, C# (Db) Chord 2 >>> a highly depressing chord (but fitting your scale) >>> notes: Eb, Gb, Bb, Db, F, Ab, B Chord 3 >>> a little bit less depressing chord with a tiny spark of hope (fitting your scale) >>> notes: Eb, Gb, Bb, Db, F, Ab, Db+1 (1 octave higher than the previous D) Chord 4 >>> a rather inviting chord with a slightly eerie undertone of impending death (fitting your scale) >>> notes: F, Ab, B, Eb, Gb, Bb, D# It sounds like this: Piano Chords.mp3 Perhaps you should check whether one of these three chords would be more suitable for the critical part of your track. ... Have fun and good luck with your composing. ))

Thanks for sharing your experiences. )) Since the delivery of my SSD hard drive for the planned Windows 10 Pro installation has been postponed by almost a month, I think I'll at least install and test Linux on my old notebook to find out how it works in detail, how well, fast and safe it runs compared to a Windows version, and what DAW-related possibilities it offers. I've already flashed the latest version of Linux Mint onto a USB stick so that I can install it on my older notebook later. Another interesting development in the Linux universe seems to be Winboat, which allows modern software developed for Windows to run smoothly on Linux: https://www.winboat.app/ The version is currently still in the beta development phase, but is already said to be working not too bad: Let's see what the near future will bring for developments like these. ... And once software developers realize that more and more people - perhaps 10 to 20% of operating system users - are switching to Linux (which is already a significant number), it is very likely that more and more programs and well-known software will be developed as alternatives or even natively for Linux. And then we can only hope that Linux, with its increasing market power, does not follow a similar path to Microsoft, for example by allowing large companies to overshadow, take over, displace, or even buy up the open-source software sector within Linux distributions.

I wanted to ask everyone how you plan to handle your DAW in the future. Microsoft, with its “too big to fail” mentality, seems to be becoming increasingly bold with each new Windows version, and you sometimes get the feeling that Microsoft is more and more becoming the owner of your PC, while you yourself are increasingly being relegated to the role of a fool who, in a world of increasingly powerful and opaque corporate structures, is simply allowed to agree to become an increasingly transparent citizen. Windows 11 in particular seems to be taking things to extremes, while powerful computers that may only be a few years too old are being dismissed as obsolete and, in true capitalist fashion, according to Microsoft's rules, should be scrapped today in order to buy a completely new computer with an uncertain expiration date. This is what it looks like when unelected, filthy rich billionaires with their money-is-no-object aura decide to play world politics. I'm getting increasingly fed up with how Microsoft handles our data, personal rights, and finances, and how it is developing an increasingly resource-hungry version of Windows that seems to be turning into a dysfunctional data octopus full of changes for the worse, and which is becoming less and less capable of fulfilling its function as a stable, powerful and long-lasting operating system for user applications. I'm currently still living in the happy Windows 7 Pro era with an eye on Windows 10 Pro (which most of you probably have at the moment), just for being able to get some newer VSTis. But I'm increasingly considering switching to a Linux version such as Linux Mint, as the increasing user-friendliness of Linux means that more and more musicians and DAW users are switching to this system, or at least, with Windows "The Eye of Sauron" 11 looming in the near future, more and more people are toying with the idea of cutting ties with Microsoft after Windows 10: So I would like to ask the DAW users among you in particular how you plan to handle this in the future. Are any of you already using Linux for music production - or has anyone even managed to get their DAW or DAWs (including additional VSTis and plug-ins), which were developed exclusively for Windows, to run completely on a modern version of Linux?

Yo, ho, ho... Sounds like music in my ears. :D But thank you - I'm not really keen on all the Windows security updates. I'm just coming out of the Windows 7 Pro era (and I still get occasional updates for Windows Defender). I only really need Windows 10 Pro 64-bit so that I can implement newer VSTis into my DAW and be completely satisfied for the next 10 years without having to buy a completely new computer again. I often use additional software for system security. ... Windows 10 Pro 64 recently arrived at my home. Now I'm basically just waiting for the 4 TB SATA SSD I ordered, which I will then install in my current computer and connect in place of the current 2 TB HDD (which will remain with Windows 7 Pro as an unconnected backup system without external access for possible emergencies) so that I can then install Windows 10 Pro 64-bit on the new SSD. And then I'm basically just waiting for a nice Black Friday deal on the full version of Kontakt 8 so I can finally get it along with the steel drums VSTi and harmonica VSTi from 8Dio. At least, that's the plan, which hopefully won't be thwarted by any unforeseen circumstances. ... However, if many more DAW and VSTi developers move towards Linux as an alternative operating system in the future, I might give up on Windows and Microsoft completely, because for me they symbolize rampant capitalism, data collection mania, control freakery, and a mindless throwaway society dominated by greed rather than true technological and social progress.

Yeah, the really good soundtracks in Dissidia alone would be reason enough to buy it. And as far as I remember, you could also use or unlock a kind of jukebox in the game, as well as additional music tracks. But basically, the soundtrack is just the icing on the cake of the game, which is partly a modern beat 'em up with interactive, destructible arenas and partly a very complex, extensive RPG with an atmospheric story - in other words, a really successful combination of game genres. ... Here you can get a tiny glimpse of how music, gameplay, and story come together in the second Dissidia game, Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, for the PSP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKtTPeUk0yA And that's just the beginning of the game, which can offer over 500 hours of gameplay until you've unlocked all story parts, game modes, characters, music tracks, equipment, summons, items, and other secrets. ... Given the huge potential of this game, which is far superior even to the legendary Super Smash Bros. series, I'm already expecting a really big next-gen title for the Dissidia series, even if it's just a remake of the first two PSP games for now.

Yes, there are some really extensively sampled VST instruments that you can't tell apart from their original instrument models. And some of them, such as the 8Dio Steel Drums or the Misfit Harmonica, are also incredibly cheap, although the developers may be able to offer the VSTis at lower prices because they obviously develop their VSTis exclusively for the full version of Kontakt (which is probably why the VSTis in the free Kontakt Player “only” run in demo mode) and therefore don't have to pay any additional fees to Native Instruments. I guess that you already have a full version of Kontakt that isn't too old. ... I, on the other hand, really have to figure out how to achieve my desired goal. Because I'm actually reluctant to upgrade my still reliable and fast system with a really powerful computer running the still excellent Windows 7 Pro 64-bit operating system (especially since I dread having to reinstall all the DAW-related stuff, third-party VSTis, and other programs - because there was always a lot to keep in mind, which I probably should have made a note of at the time). And I didn't want to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro yet, because I would probably have to upgrade a few rather expensive hardware components and then probably have to get one of those giant PC cases that wouldn't even fit in the PC niche of my desk, and I would have to buy a new desk and build a new desk attachment for the monitor, studio monitor speakers, audio interface, and headphone amplifier - it would be a never-ending chain of events if I went down that route. I really racked my brains over this, but in the end I came up with a reasonably satisfactory solution to gain access to more up-to-date VSTis by taking the following steps: 1) Purchase of a 4 TB SSD (currently 2 TB HDD) or a 4 TB (or larger) HDD ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Does anyone have extensive experience with how reliably SSDs work on newer Windows systems? I once read that Windows 11 or certain Windows updates have occasionally caused SSDs from certain manufacturers to crash or the SSDs were even destroyed. 2) Purchase of Windows 10 Pro 64-bit ------------------------------------------------------------------- The system will then be considered “insecure” for the next few years. But hey, I'm just coming out of the Windows 7 era and, apart from reliable external security programs, I would at least have the option of purchasing the latest VSTis if I like one (including the full version of Kontakt 8). No more annoying Windows updates (as I was already used to with the late Windows 7) and, in theory, Windows 10 Pro 64-bit should be able to utilize hardware resources such as my 32 GB DDR4 RAM even more efficiently than my good ol' Windows 7 Pro 64-bit. 3) Purchase of Kontakt 8 ------------------------------------------- ... so that I can finally make full use of excellent VSTis such as those from 8Dio. Maybe I should take advantage of any Black Friday special deals in November before the next version of Kontakt is released, which may only support Windows 11. ... But overall, the investment will definitely cost another 700 to 800 euros if I consider the 4 TB SSD version. Music production can be a really expensive hobby if you want to keep up with the times (I hope I won't have to worry about annoying hardware upgrades for the next 10 years). But that's still cheaper and much more enjoyable than having a maintenance-intensive piece of car in the city. If you have any other good tips, please let me know. ))

These VST instruments might be some of the most extensively sampled instruments I've ever experienced: https://8dio.com/ 8Dio - with its free instrument technology called "Soundpaint" - also provides some completely free VSTis as full version, such as a 1928 Vintage Grand Steinway (around 8 GB and over 4800 samples) or an old music box (nearly 2 GB and over 260 samples): https://soundpaint.com/collections/free-instruments I would describe the the VSTis from 8Dio with the following words: - extremely high sample quality (also many GB of content with lots of articulations and samples per instrument) - some highly affordable VSTis (check out the 2 VSTis below) - lots of VSTis that still work with earlier Kontakt versions (like Kontakt 5) supported by Windows 7 (damn, I just saw that it seems to support only the full version of Kontakt - guess that was the reason why I didn't go for it earlier) ... I recently came across 8Dio again because I've been really keen on a steel drum VSTi for quite some time now, and I'd like to briefly introduce it here along with another VSTi. 1) 8Dio - Studio Steel Drums -------------------------------------------------- These are really high-quality sounding steel drums (probably the most elaborately sampled ones I've ever found in VSTis) for more exotic music: https://8dio.com/products/steel-drum-for-kontakt-vst-au-aax-samples?variant=41309986717896 It's a whopping 12 GB of content, but it's extremely high-quality with over 55,000 samples (lots of different velocities and playing techniques possible) for particularly realistic playing. The VSTi sounds something like this: Really might sound, huh? And all that for just $17, which would be extremely cheap even without the price reduction from $28. It's perfect for exotic Caribbean sounds, which would not only be great for future Star Tropics remixes, but which I had always wanted to use for my own composition “Paradise,” which I had already started working on. As a reminder, this is what the first short version of the composition sounded like a good seven years ago: And I really wanted to turn it into a truly dreamlike, feel-good holiday and relaxation composition, not only to make a name for myself as a remixer, but also as a composer in my own right in the near future, and to be able to present at least one major composition of my own. 2) 8Dio - Misfits Harmonica ------------------------------------------------ This is a similarly high-quality sampled harmonica, a VST instrument that I don't yet have in my VSTi collection and which apparently enables all conceivable playing techniques of a real harmonica: https://8dio.com/products/misfit-harmonica-vst-au-aax?variant=41309893918920 The VSTi has just under 2 GB, over 8000 samples with all possible playing techniques and a pretty convincing, realistic sound: When it comes to music genres, a harmonica may be somewhat limited (it's usually only suitable for certain soundtracks, such as Western music or perhaps ambient music), but for a reduced price of $11 (originally $18), you really can't go wrong. Unfortunately, it's a shame that the VSTis are apparently only fully compatible with the full version of Kontakt, and you can't buy Kontakt 5 anymore to use it with Windows 7. I guess I'll have to get a new operating system in the future (and with it, new computer hardware for Windows 11 and the like), which really annoys me and, especially with Windows, is always a bit of a journey into the unknown. Or I could just use the VSTis in demo mode with a time limit of 15 minutes (Is that the maximum project length for any number of music projects, or will the VSTi stop producing sound in new music projects once the 15 minutes of total usage time have elapsed - and can the VSTi be used to its full extent in Kontakt Player?). ... What do you think of 8Dio's VSTis? And what is your experience with VSTis that only run in demo mode in the free Kontakt Player? Is it worth it if you want to compose properly?

A new Dissidia Final Fantasy game has been officially confirmed and announced with a trailer ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A new Dissidia game was recently announced. Unfortunately, it's only a mobile game - but at least it's interesting that Square Enix hasn't completely abandoned such a promising series as Dissidia. So maybe we can still hope for a really good next-gen title for the Dissidia series at some point, which might continue at the high level of the first or second Dissidia for PSP in enthanced audiovisual PS5 or PS6 standards someday. The title is called “Dissidia Duellum” and is apparently even set in the Japanese metropolis of Tokyo: And for a mobile game, it seems to be quite well staged. What's particularly interesting here is that, apart from the usual protagonists, villains, and summoned monsters, you can apparently also fight ordinary enemies from the Final Fantasy universe. I could imagine that the game developers at Square Enix are using this concept in this mobile game as a test phase so that they can exploit, expand, and implement it more intensively in a larger next-gen sequel in the Dissidia series.

I recently listened to a really beautiful remix of the NES game The Guardian Legend: I think I've seen one of the remixers, Souperion, here on OC Remix somewhere before.

Take your time, dude (I personally wouldn't redo the whole soundtrack because it already sounds like a really good approach - rather fix the bigger "problems" and then extend 'n' expand the core version with some unique composition elements and passages). But no matter what you do, I'm lookin' forward to the results someday. ))