@Vmadera00: Great job, you really nailed the basics of that solo, and those hammer-on runs were clean
As far as discouragement goes, I feel you there, though I admit that this challenge has done quite a bit to keep me accountable to practice even just a little bit (just having my guitar out and on a stand ready to pick up and play made a huge difference for me). I'm my own worst critic, and if this challenge means anything it's turning my criticisms of my own playing (by my own standards and/or the feedback of others) into a goal that can be broken down into a series of attainable sub-goals. Our only comparison is with the musician we were yesterday, and I see improvement from every participant so far.
@JiM-Xtreme, excellent as always, your tone is great, and that's as much your technique as your gear. That section (and the one it leads to) is one of my favorite parts of Octavarium.
Like JiM-Xtreme, I also tightened up a song I mostly knew but was sloppy (still am in parts) and haven't played in a while (haven't pulled my 7-string out of its case for over a year!), so this was a great opportunity to brush up on my technique as well as develop more calloused fingertips in areas never touched on a 6-string
.
I screwed up a bit in the chorus (wasn't originally planning to record that far) but I was really happy with how the rest came out so here's my intro (plus some) to
Bridges in The Sky.