Try this guitar challenge
STEP 1: Watch the video to learn the bite-sized piece of music
STEP 2: Click the "PLAY" tab below the video to play along with Tony until you can do it on your own.
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Responses
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Stepping Down
Responses
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A little rusty after a 5 day getaway, but get it.
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Sounds a little strange at fist, but once you get into it it’s fun and a good learn.
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This one went pretty well today after a 3-day break for family travel. This will be very handy and I like that Tony taught us the general formula so we can apply it to any chord change we make.
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Great lesson. Not easy for a beginner like me. I’ll trust the process and stay confident that this will come easier with time and practice. I can do each little step but not yet up to speed. Enjoyable at any rate! Shout out to Tony – as all these lessons are really well designed!!
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To my surpise I really having a hard time with my F chord , so all goes well until I reach the F chord
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This one went well for me. It’s not without tons of mistakes and having to take it slow, but the fretting hand is definitely getting there and I’m totally starting to trust the process. I’m a prior violin player so I’m more comfortable with this type of lesson. Not so much on the other lessons with bar chords.
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Did it well today and I really like the base walks.
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Not crazy about 6/8 time, but this does sound really nice. The most difficult transition I thought was from Em back to C, but I think I have it down.
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Feeling like I should go back and re-take the 30 day program.
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Did okay today. Packing to go on a trip. Won’t be able to play for a week!
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musch better week for me I needed it
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Win: my chords are clean
The bad: my transitions are not and I need the TAB to know what to play, especially the last transition from E m to C. For me these base walk challenges got much harder each day, although on the surface it doesn’t appear they should be. Maybe less intuitive describes it better? -
A better few days for me this week. I am not comfortable with the pick at all. The few John Denver songs I can already play are all finger picking. So I have ditched the pick and just using my fingers. Far more natural for me.
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i have the same problem , the pick and me a adventure
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This was great! Every lesson there is some progress. We don’t always see it but its there. My fretting pinky is getting way stronger and more accurate.
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Exactly..! This is Karate Kid stuff. We’re getting better, we just don’t know we’re getting better. So enjoy and just “Sand the Floor”
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Not as smooth as I would like when I speed up, but ok at slower speeds
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It’s reassuring to see others are having trouble with the pick. I am as well. It’s good on the down pick, not on the up pick though. I can’t figure out whether to cup my hand or leave my fingers loose. Seems I’m always to find a way to hang onto the pick without dragging my fingers across the strings. I use a Dava pick, which has a good grip and also some rubber on it.
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@anonymous
You might consider trying a third option. It’s called ‘planting’. You put your pinky on the face of your guitar just below the high E string (E1). Generally, the ring and middle fingers can extend out front in a natural curl. ‘Planting’ your pinky like that can give you a pivot point and stabilize your picking fingers to give you greater pick accuracy.
If you curl (or cup) your non-picking fingers they can sometimes get in the way, so letting the fingers curl forward helps avoid that.However, a lot of people find that with their fingers flailing out in front of the hand, pick accuracy becomes more difficult because (believe it or not) the weight of three fingers flapping around makes it harder to find a specific string… because you rarely start your stroke from the same starting point so you end up having to look at your picking hand to find strings.
Planting your pinky, like anything else, will take some practice to get used to, but the reduction in positional fluctuations will make it worth the effort by increasing pick accuracy.
Last thought…spend a little time during each practice just doing an up/down picking motion (it’s called alternate picking) on a single string. Don’t worry about what notes you’re playing, you can even mute the strings with your left hand, just get that up down motion going until it’s second nature on one string. Then move to a different string and do the same thing. Once you’ve gotten some fluidity and accuracy at hitting all single strings, try moving between two adjacent strings (i.e., 3rd down, 2nd up, 3rd down, 2nd up), then graduate to non-adjacent strings (3rd down, 1st up, 3rd down, 1st up — that’s called ‘string skipping’).
Do that every day for a week or so and your picking troubles will be greatly reduced.
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Thanks for this insight. I’ve just been a strummer for years, so this pick accuracy thing is all new to me and is quite challenging. I feel the melody and the beat, but my picking hand can’t find the right string(s). I intend to give our advice a try this week.
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Congratulations, !
Challenge complete
Come back tomorrow for your next challenge
A little rusty after a 5 day getaway, but get it.
Sounds a little strange at fist, but once you get into it it’s fun and a good learn.
This one went pretty well today after a 3-day break for family travel. This will be very handy and I like that Tony taught us the general formula so we can apply it to any chord change we make.
Great lesson. Not easy for a beginner like me. I’ll trust the process and stay confident that this will come easier with time and practice. I can do each little step but not yet up to speed. Enjoyable at any rate! Shout out to Tony – as all these lessons are really well designed!!
To my surpise I really having a hard time with my F chord , so all goes well until I reach the F chord
This one went well for me. It’s not without tons of mistakes and having to take it slow, but the fretting hand is definitely getting there and I’m totally starting to trust the process. I’m a prior violin player so I’m more comfortable with this type of lesson. Not so much on the other lessons with bar chords.
Did it well today and I really like the base walks.
Not crazy about 6/8 time, but this does sound really nice. The most difficult transition I thought was from Em back to C, but I think I have it down.
Feeling like I should go back and re-take the 30 day program.
Did okay today. Packing to go on a trip. Won’t be able to play for a week!
musch better week for me I needed it
Win: my chords are clean
The bad: my transitions are not and I need the TAB to know what to play, especially the last transition from E m to C. For me these base walk challenges got much harder each day, although on the surface it doesn’t appear they should be. Maybe less intuitive describes it better?
A better few days for me this week. I am not comfortable with the pick at all. The few John Denver songs I can already play are all finger picking. So I have ditched the pick and just using my fingers. Far more natural for me.
i have the same problem , the pick and me a adventure
This was great! Every lesson there is some progress. We don’t always see it but its there. My fretting pinky is getting way stronger and more accurate.
Exactly..! This is Karate Kid stuff. We’re getting better, we just don’t know we’re getting better. So enjoy and just “Sand the Floor”
Not as smooth as I would like when I speed up, but ok at slower speeds
It’s reassuring to see others are having trouble with the pick. I am as well. It’s good on the down pick, not on the up pick though. I can’t figure out whether to cup my hand or leave my fingers loose. Seems I’m always to find a way to hang onto the pick without dragging my fingers across the strings. I use a Dava pick, which has a good grip and also some rubber on it.
@anonymous
You might consider trying a third option. It’s called ‘planting’. You put your pinky on the face of your guitar just below the high E string (E1). Generally, the ring and middle fingers can extend out front in a natural curl. ‘Planting’ your pinky like that can give you a pivot point and stabilize your picking fingers to give you greater pick accuracy.
If you curl (or cup) your non-picking fingers they can sometimes get in the way, so letting the fingers curl forward helps avoid that.
However, a lot of people find that with their fingers flailing out in front of the hand, pick accuracy becomes more difficult because (believe it or not) the weight of three fingers flapping around makes it harder to find a specific string… because you rarely start your stroke from the same starting point so you end up having to look at your picking hand to find strings.
Planting your pinky, like anything else, will take some practice to get used to, but the reduction in positional fluctuations will make it worth the effort by increasing pick accuracy.
Last thought…spend a little time during each practice just doing an up/down picking motion (it’s called alternate picking) on a single string. Don’t worry about what notes you’re playing, you can even mute the strings with your left hand, just get that up down motion going until it’s second nature on one string. Then move to a different string and do the same thing. Once you’ve gotten some fluidity and accuracy at hitting all single strings, try moving between two adjacent strings (i.e., 3rd down, 2nd up, 3rd down, 2nd up), then graduate to non-adjacent strings (3rd down, 1st up, 3rd down, 1st up — that’s called ‘string skipping’).
Do that every day for a week or so and your picking troubles will be greatly reduced.
Thanks for this insight. I’ve just been a strummer for years, so this pick accuracy thing is all new to me and is quite challenging. I feel the melody and the beat, but my picking hand can’t find the right string(s). I intend to give our advice a try this week.