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Tony’s Acoustic Challenge – The New Way to Learn Guitar Family Forums Play for Us! “Is There Anyone Out There” by Toad the Wet Sprocket

  • “Is There Anyone Out There” by Toad the Wet Sprocket

    Posted by Travis_B on January 12, 2023 at 12:56 pm

    As I get older, I’m starting to regret not being more serious about guitar in the past. I’m extremely introverted, but decided to push myself. I have NEVER been known for my singing voice, so I signed up for singing lessons, which happened to be the scariest thing I’ve ever done. 5 months later, here I am! I’ve been a dabbler for about 20 years, but I really started getting serious when I signed up for TAC last year with guitar. I’m going to be doing a recital in a few weeks with a cover and an original with a goal of doing an open mic night by May. While I feel like I’m about 80 percent there with some work to go, the progress I’ve made has been one of the most rewarding things in my whole life. I posted this for two reasons. First off, go do something scary. You will surprise yourself that you can do it. 2nd off, I thought I’d share some progress with you. There are a couple of mess ups, but I feel like that is sort of important to share. Here is my cover (that still needs some work) of “Is There Anyone Out There”. Hope you find some joy out of it.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCD50xeuZpA

    Travis_B replied 1 year, 9 months ago 6 Members · 11 Replies
  • 11 Replies
  • Bill_Brown

    Member
    January 12, 2023 at 5:29 pm

    Great rendition @jackietrav12gmail-com 🤩👏👏 Very nicely done, vocals, guitar playing and tempo👍🎸

    Have you heard about the “VOM’s” (Virtual Open Mics)? They used to be supported by TAC, but they’ve had to move into their own “domaine”, JustMusicGeeks.com (no longer supported or mentioned by TAC). It’s all live performances by individuals, but done on Zoom, on a regular basis. It’s the next best thing to a live “in person” open mic IMHO, and maybe something that could help you (in a way) get over any apprehension of performing (live) in front of others. It’s free to sign-up and there’s no pressure to perform, you can “sit in” and watch others give their performances and interact with them (if you want). 99.9% of the people on the site are TAC, or former TAC members, so you can be assured that everyone there is supportive and encouraging of everyone else, no matter their experience or skill level. Check it out, it can’t hurt you to look into it.

    • Travis_B

      Member
      January 12, 2023 at 5:42 pm

      I had no idea that was a thing! That sounds pretty awesome. I may look into that before I ever try anything live. It sounds like a really supportive atmosphere where people can also give you pointers, etc. Thanks so much!

  • Philb

    Member
    January 12, 2023 at 5:38 pm

    Nice job! Glad you jumped in to posting a recording.

    • Travis_B

      Member
      January 12, 2023 at 5:42 pm

      Thanks! I’ve enjoyed listening to other folks recordings too!

  • Kitman

    Member
    January 16, 2023 at 8:46 am

    Really a great performance @TravisB ! You really nailed the chord changes and the timing. Your vocals were great! I enjoyed hearing you sing and play. It made for an overall very enjoyable experience.

    I am glad @bill_brown introduced you to the VOMs. Hope to see you there one day soon!

    • Travis_B

      Member
      January 16, 2023 at 5:43 pm

      Thanks so much! I signed up for the forums, but I haven’t had time to engage with it yet. Looking forward to it when I get a chance, though!

      • Kitman

        Member
        January 16, 2023 at 7:00 pm

        😎👍👍👍👍👍

  • Nguyen

    Member
    January 17, 2023 at 6:30 pm

    👌 That’s awesome.

    • Travis_B

      Member
      January 17, 2023 at 8:35 pm

      Thank you so much!

  • Loraine

    Member
    January 17, 2023 at 8:43 pm

    Great job @Travis_B . Playing was timed really well, smooth strumming, and your vocals were spot on and very enjoyable. I can sing at the top of my lungs and in tune when it’s just me and the radio, but I completely choke when playing and singing.

    • Travis_B

      Member
      January 17, 2023 at 8:46 pm

      I appreciate that! Playing and singing is super hard work. I’ve found, though, that it takes a lot of repetition and then just singing while you play until it all sort of gels together. I am a Toad the Wet Sprocket superfan, so I know all of their songs really, really well. I found that after I learned to play and sing this, I just randomly started playing another song of theirs and I could sing along with it really well on the first try. So, I think if you take a song that is one you know really well that you have listened to for years, just jump in and go for it. It took a long time to be able to play and sing this song, but once I got it, things started lining up in other areas! Good luck! I hope you post some of your efforts in the future 🙂

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