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Everyone here is so wonderful ( :

Hello everyone! I just wanted to say that everyone here has been so encouraging and Rejuvenating to be around. I am so thrilled to be able to share my musical journey with you all and to part of anyone else's. You all mean so much to me and I'm so thankful to be around so many other brilliant musicians that I look up to and learn so much from.
I made this post just to tell you all that I love you and I'm so grateful for you and SYN and Papa G. Hope everyone's new years is going well! Keep going and never stop learning from each other ( :

- Ian

  • Suggestion
Making the Site More of a "Guitar Site"

It would be awesome to see more graphics on the homepage that gives everyone an awesome, inspirational reminder of the greats behind this endeavor. It just looks like a social media page at the moment. Something even like a badass photo of Syn wearing his new badass merch on the left with a text that says "Learn the exact techniques that you need to become a rockstar!" Or "The only 100% FREE online guitar school". Something like that! You could have Syn on the left and Papa on the right. Anything that just brings more color and eye appeal to the site instead of just text and buttons.
Also! I get a lot of questions about "where should I start in the school?" it would be awesome to have a feature like that RIGHT when you enter the site and create an account for the first time. It's like a thing that pops up that says "Many students are unsure where to start their lessons. Would you like to take our complimentary placement quiz for a suggestion of where to start?" And even make it a feature on the MAIN PAGE that all current students can see.

Any other northwest ladies here? Wanna play some music?

I'm still learning how these forums are formatted / broken down, so if this should go somewhere else or is not allowed, please let me know.

I, female guitarist, am joining forces with a female drummer and male multi-instrumentalist in the Seattle area. Our female vocalist is currently located in CA. We are looking for one or more other guitarists to move forward with our heavy and melodic project. I will state up front two things: we are hoping that this guitarist lives local to the northwest, for ease of collaborating. And we are preferring to spotlight a female guitarist, due to the fact that our band is already majority female.

That said, we are open to working with anyone that gives us the right vibe, so I am reaching out here. I'm not super active in posting, but I read the threads often and appreciate all of the open-mindedness and like-mindedness of this community.

The previous incarnation of our band has some recordings so you can get the idea of our direction. However, we will be restructuring the songs.

Influences: A7X, Parkway Drive, Deftones, In This Moment, In Flames and many more

We are vaccinated, and assume you are too.

🚨 Synners on display contest announcement!!! 🚨

Good day everyone!

I come to you with a little special announcement... in order to start this year on a good note and to celebrate the new merch drop, we thought it would be fun to do a little contest for y'all! And so I introduce to you the Synners on display contest!!!

Okay so what is it about? Well it's very simple, all you gotta do is take a picture of you with Synner merch BUT you gotta make it as original,funny,creative,etc... as possible. Goal is to really make it as accessible to everyone as possible! And so, we decided to add a little twist: we will allow ''DIY'' merch! So what the hell is DIY merch? Well, if you want to be creative, all you gotta do is take a piece of clothing OR an object really (who remember the Synner mug and bed sheets?) and just gotta add either the logo or Synner on it! Again, be creative!!! Don't half ass it!

How to participate:
- Take a photo of you with Synner merch (either bought or DIY)
- Submit it to this thread: https://synner.com/threads/synner-on-display-submissions.5968/
- ???
- You already won because Synners are winners
- 1 person will be selected to win

Rules:
- One entry per person. However, if you wish to change your entry, you are allowed to do so as long as it’s done before the deadline!
- Synner merch must appear on the photo and if you want to ‘’create’’ the merch, you have to make it clear that it’s Synner related with either the logo or the name. Object and clothing accepted
- No photoshop or heavy editing accepted. We will allow filters but for the moment, we want to challenge you to keep it ''raw''.
- One entry per person. Since there can only be on individual winner, we advise against team up entries.
- No offensive content. Let's remain respectful.
- No plagiarism. If anyone has any suspicions that someone else copied their photos, we invite them to DM any of the mods and we will investigate the claim.

Contest duration: The contest will start RIGHT NOW and will end on January 16th at midnight PST.

How will we choose the winner?
Ah this is the fun question but unfortunately, I only have a vague answer to give: we will know who the winner is once we see it! We gave you some rules but other than that, we give you complete freedom to be as wild and creative as possible! And so, when the contest ends, us moderators will take a look at the submission and select a winner!

And now...

The prize: Again, have you seen the new killer merch??? Well you should go check it out because if you win, you could chose 1 piece from the new OF YOUR CHOICE* / 3 months of legend+ upgrade as well as a contest winner banner on your profile. I think that this is a pretty rad prize if I may say so...

*as long as the size/item you want is available since they are limited in supply

And so may the new contest BEGIN!

- Rad Synner

January 15th Stream

Hey family!
So, I'm working on putting together a set of topics to cover in tomorrow's stream (12pm to 3ish-pm CST) and wanted to see what anyone might want to be covered?
I am definitely going to do some A7X song breakdowns...so, for that: what songs are you interested in? What parts?
I could do tips & tricks for beginners that relate to anything you're curious about, I could demonstrate any of the lessons, or etudes, in the school.
Let me know what you guys think! There will be a VOD of the stream so anybody will be able to go back and watch/rewatch it.

Cheers,
jooshellis

  • Article
SynTV coming soon! Get your own streaming channel 🔥

Hey everyone!

We're super excited to announce that streaming is officially coming soon! I know we made an announcement about streaming earlier this year because we were so excited about it, but after several months of hard work on this platform, we can finally say that it's coming to the site soon!

AND we want you all to be involved by having your own channel! By having your own channel, you'll be able to share your guitar tips with other students, host gaming events or contests, or just hang out on stream and chat to name a few things you can do, but the possibilities are endless! Let us know if you're interested in streaming and having a channel of your own by filling out the survey below 😁

If you're interesting in having your own channel fill this out -> Survey

  • Question
Help! My guitar keeps slipping out of tune!

So i just got a new Schecter Omen Elite 6 for Christmas, and i tried tuning to D# to learn some Alice in Chains songs and ill get each string to perfect tune then about 30 seconds later if i play the string again its out of tune like almost a half step... i have a floyd rose and its still slipping out of tune even with the tuning nuts. Can anyone help me figure out how to fix this? Is this something i can fix on my own or should i take it to Guitar Center to have it checked out?

How can I play easy to medium difficult songs by just hearing them one or two times?

There's a youtuber named "TheDooo" who is capable of hearing songs and reproducing them on guitar, and they are usually between easy and medium difficulty (They don't have jazz chords or stuff like that) and I'd like to learn to do that because I think it'd be helpful as a musician. How can I develop an ability like that? and how much time does it requiere to improve on that?

  • Solved
Caged; what are the modes?

I never learned the scale shapes with the Caged system, just the chord shapes but I decided to learn the belonging chord with them according to CAGED.
Basically the Caged scales shapes are Lydian, Aeolian, Locrian, Dorian, and Phrygian? I feel like it's missing the original major scale.

Edit: I'm referring to modes as the shapes, not to different scales.


CAGED-Major-Scales-1.jpg
modes-major-scale.jpg

  • Solved
App Feedback Thread

I was almost asleep when an idea struck me and i had to post it. First off, looooove the app. Its so much fun to learn how to use it (its very intuitively designed, like a better,far more streamlined, and far less genocide provoking version of FB haha)and interact with all the SYNNERS out there. Anyway back to the main subject of this thread.

Perhaps there should be a thread dedicated to community feedback on their interactions with the app, and possible upgrades/updates in the future could be discussed as well.

One such idea: What if, while using the MEDIA tab and posting riffs, we could just record a video on our mobile?

It would then be uploaded to the app as an mp4 or other local video source. in addition to what we have to do currently. Having to post to our instas or youtube or whatever online media source you like to post, and copy that link and then paste into the field desinated for that link, and waiting for the link to clear to post it.

Im sure there are justified, totally valid reasons for why this isnt a thing. just a thought.

Also, another idea. Unless this is already a thing and i just dont remember seeing it.

A tutorial for navigating the app? like a Synner clippy. haha


Okay im gonna try and sleep (Play Halo for an hour before bed and its currently 3:10 am)

Hello all!

Hey everyone, I'm really looking forward to being a part of this community and pursuing the lessons here - In a sense, I'm posting this to hold myself accountable to being active on this site. I've been playing for over 12 years and have a decent amount of technical skills (always love playing through a7x songs) but have realized I am seriously lacking in truly grasping the full depth of the guitar. I've always leaned on tabs, and have stunted bit of growth in terms of playability, especially amongst others in group sessions.

I'm looking forward to powering through the lessons here!

Who You Are VS Who They Say You Are

Hey there synners and kittens...

I had some deep thoughts that I wanted to share with all of you and maybe you'll find it comforting or helpful, or maybe you'll just have some thoughts to add to it.

Anyway, my life has changed so much since I moved to a new place. It's hard. But in a good way. For the first time in my life, I'm not living under the umbrella of anyone else. Even when I lived on my own several times before, my family ALWAYS had their nose in my business telling me what to do. But now it's different. And that means, for the first time in my life, I can truly express myself and find out who I really am. I'm gonna try to break this down a bit. From what I learned about myself FROM OTHERS and what they told ME I was:

I am a narcissist
I am manic bipolar
I am lazy
I'm unmotivated
I'm a slacker
I have a sugar addiction
I'm terrible with my finances
I'm an impulsive spender
I have depression
I have an obsessive compulsive disorder with my weight


Listen to all of those negative things that others have made me feel believe I am. It's a huge list. Next thing I know, I'm micromanaging every task and thing in my life trying to "fix" these other things people have said about me. And it becomes overwhelming. Just because you enjoy a glass of wine or a beer after work, does not make you an alcoholic. Just because you get random bouts of energy and go on a cleaning frenzy, doesn't mean you're manic. Just because you sulk and you feel for a day or even a month, doesn't make you depressed.

I was talking with a friend a few days ago, and their therapist suggest them to change their coping mechanisms. My friend was told things like "you need to change your behavior" (I'm just paraphrasing what was said), and I told my friend, "but what if this is who you are? Is what you're doing TRULY negative and harmful to yourself and to others?"

At what point do we start changing who we actually ARE in order to be who people PERCEIVE we should be? If you ask me, this seems like this mentality continuously places the blame on OURSELVES instead of OTHERS who have done us harm. We have become a culture accustomed to "self-awareness" and "mindfulness" that we are starting to overlook that well, maybe we're just fine how we are. Maybe this is who we are. And maybe we don't have anxiety, maybe it's trauma from the horrible things people have done to us.

Have you ever noticed that people will say "I have anxiety" instead of "my parents abandoned me and I was raped when I was 12." Or how about people will say "I'm an alcoholic" instead of "my wife stresses me out and I'm really miserable about my job."
I personally feel like when we place this weight on ourselves, we carry that burden of ruminating faults within our very being. I'm not saying blame others for your problems. And if you actually DO have a problem, then it should change.

Like do you have anxiety and randomly lash out and beat your child because of it? Or are you just anxious?
The first example is clearly an issue that needs to change. But the latter is just a personality trait.

Anyway, I'm getting off on a tangent. I hope I'm making sense. What I'm trying to say, is I've learned a lot about myself and I've clarified the following...


I am a narcissist No, I just have confidence and I get upset when people view me as unworthy
I am manic bipolar No, I get motivated and have creative sparks where I realize I took on more than I could handle
I am lazy No, I just enjoy my downtime and relaxing
I'm unmotivated No, I just don't feel guilty for not being a slave to success
I'm a slacker No, I'd rather just be doing something else because the task I'm "slacking on" is of no interest to me
I have a sugar addiction No, I just enjoy sweet stuff as a part of fun things in life. I can go weeks without it if I need to.
I'm terrible with my finances No, I manage my money just fine. I just choose not open up 10 thrift savings plans or IRA accounts
I'm an impulsive spender No, I just find joy in finally being able to afford little things I like for once in my life
I have depression No, sometimes I just feel like sulking and being in thought and reflective
I have an obsessive compulsive disorder with my weight No, I'm tired of being obese my whole life and I'm on an inspired path to change that


I would like to iterate that I am not demeaning or devaluing ANYONE'S mental health or professional diagnosis. I was just truly thinking that sometimes we project our own demands of life onto others. And just because you go to someone else's house and their dishes aren't done, doesn't mean they're a slob.

So my final question is: are you being who you want to be confidently? Or do you ever find yourself changing who you truly are to fit the narrative of someone else that's been in your ear far too much?

I've let a lot of this go, and I've never been happier.

  • Question
Is this guitar related or something bigger

There have been a few issues I have been struggling with for a while and I have thought for a while that there could be a bigger reason for it.

They are mainly to do with posture, tension and rigidity.

One of the issues is to do with posture. I cant help feeling like its to do with arm strength in general because when I try and put it into position, whether it be in the classical or regular position. I find my arm gets fatigued very easily.

This does two things, makes moving my arm to create fluid movements very difficult and it also makes me anchor my arm on the edge of the body and makes it immovable whilst playing unless I take my arm off and put it back again.

One thing I have also notice is sometimes when I try and relax my picking arm, my right shoulder slumps forwards which causes pain very quickly.

the last thing that I find is that when playing lead and sometimes (but rarely rhythm) that my hand and arm can be quite rigid as more precision is needed than when strumming chords.

I was thinking maybe there is tension in my body that isn't necessarily caused by guitar related stuff and maybe it's something that needs to be looked at on a more general level.

If you guys have any ideas or advice on whether it could be down to bad technique, posture etc instead please feel free to lmk!

How long have you been playing?

I was just wondering how long most of you had been playing and what's your skill level? I've been playing for over 25 years, I feel that I'm intermediate to advanced in skill. But I've mainly focused on just playing and learning songs and have only just recently started learning about theory and why I should be playing what I'm playing. Thankfully I think I have done a good job of fooling people until now, falling back on pentatonic scales has gotten me out of a jam on more than one occasion. This school has really helped, I also started playing the piano which has made learning theory a lot easier, but I digress. How long have you been playing, what would you consider your skill level, do you have people you play with, are you in a band, does your band play out regularly (at least did you pre covid)?

Wassup SYNNERS?!

Hello one and all!
My name is Rexxavier Held-McGee.

I play both lead and rhythm guitar for SYMMETRICAL DEFIANCE, a quartet hailing from Rome NY.

Weve got almost 3k follows on FB and love
making music that we want to hear, and hope youll enjoy as well!

Weve got music on Spofity, Itunes, youtube and you can find us on most socials.

My snap: mixinmasta
Youtube: Sexy Rexxy (cringy but i love my fiance and she picked the name haha)
Insta: rexxaviermcgee

Guitar history:
Ive been playing on and off since i was 14, 13 years ago almost to the day. My lead style is very much influenced by SYN but not totally derivative, at least i like to think i put my own spin on it haha. I can 3,4,5 string sweep, im okay at alt picking and putting chords down.

GUITARS I OWN
SYN CUSTOM blk/silver pinstripe OG no sustainiac
SYN Special
Schecter Damien Platinum FR
Schecter Omen 6
MKH 7 str Epiphone
Dean acoustic/electric
And a couple shitty acoustics ive had for years. I love my SYN customs, both the Special and the OG pinstripe models, and i got em for a steal too! didnt spend more than 400 on either of em.


Ill be posting riffs and set-up tips ive picked up over the years. I love that this app exists.

Ive been an A7X fan since i was 14, and the LIVE IN THE LBC dvd was the first time i had seen these guys. That day, seeing SYN rip the second heartbeat solo lit a fire in my heart, and i picked up a guitar in school the next day and set up an Individualized Studies class with my favorite music teacher, Peter Guihan. (Peoples Academy Morrisville VT)

The most influential guitarists to my playing:

SYN
ZACKY
Ryan Knight
Brian Eschbach
Matt Heafy
Brandon Ellis
Rob Flynn
Nergal from BEHEMOTH
Alexi Laiho (RIP)
Willie and Mark from LoG


Damn this is long winded haha. I also do vocals. Clean and Growls. Ive got an accapella version of CLAIRVOYANTS DISEASE on my insta that exists... and demonstrates both if ya wanna check it out.

See ya late4 Synners!!!

ABBEY ROAD by The Beatles

:syngates:Yo family! My record of the month for November is Abbey Road by The Beatles. This is my personal fav album by my fav band(tied w Bungle of course).

I’ve always gone back and forth between Magical Mystery Tour and Abbey but as I’ve gotten older, Abbey is just so solid and clever that it continues to increase its lead to me. The medley on the back half is nothing short of pure genius and the different soundscapes, vocally and beyond that the front half procures, take me to another dimension. A dimension where all perceived “rules” of music are either summarily dismissed, or used as China for the proverbial Bull in that proverbial China shop.

This is also the only album in existence where I don’t have a favorite song. I simply can not pick one. I do however, have a least favorite and that is Come Together; a smash hit classic covered by many other legends. Also, I fucking LOVE that song with all of my heart, but it is clearly and always has been, my least favorite song on the record. As it may speak to my shoddy coding as a human program, I believe it to speak to the level of brilliance that is the entire record.

Questions I’d love answered by my beautiful family!

-Fav song
-Fav solo
-Clever chord changes that stick out(always my life pursuit)
-Insight into George Martin’s production genius and notable moments
-Interesting arrangements vocally and orchestrally

Don’t confine yourself to these if they don’t inspire thoughts, these are just ideas that stick out to me. I’m also VERY curious to hear other ideas or discoveries in hopes that a new way to listen to this masterpiece will be revealed for myself and others.

Can’t fucking wait to hang out with you!!

All my love,

Syn
:syngates:

  • Question
Economy Picking Confidence

So I've been learning Avenged Sevenfold songs for a few months now as I'm beginning to feel my guitar theory is at a good enough level that I can, however slowly, perform the techniques in these solos. But something that seems to be a problem for me recently is going into any economy picking run that starts on a note and then instantly goes to the next string (thinking Nightmare and Shepherd of Fire). I can economy pick, and once I get into it I can really pick up some speed, but I have so start slow otherwise I hesitate and play the note over and over before going into the run. If anyone has experienced this or has any sort of tips for trying to get rid of this it would be much appreciated 🤘🤘

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