Wagon Wheel

[albert_d]

Nice job. I can do this song but I’m struggling to play the verse with the exact rhythm that Tony uses. I want to get it since that rhythm takes me out of my comfort zone. You’ve got a good rendition. Way to go.

[Braden]

Thanks Albert! Always good to get out of the comfort zone for sure and your comment prompted me to do the same…so ive been working on the rhythm Tony showed us and incorporating those hammer ons and pull offs. Having another voicing is always great too and i think this sounds closer to the original. Love it! thanks again and have a great day B

[Marisa]

Nice one! Thanks for sharing! 👍🏼

[Braden]

Thanks for watching Marisa and your encouraging words. Lets keep on pickin!

[DiscostewLA]

Great job on this! I really liked your tempo – it was a lot slower than how I have been playing it and it helped me slow down a bit and enjoy the ‘country swing’ a little more. Also great picking in there. Really nice!

[Braden]

Thanks for watching and glad you liked it😀 This was one of the first songs I learned to play and have been having fun with it ever since…always polishing and trying to make it better, so was pumped when Tony profiled it. Have a great day my friend and keep on making music! Cold and wet today in Ontario…

[JTSchrock]

Spent some time today looking up versions of Wagon wheel and came across yours! Really Cool, enjoyed listening to it! Thanks!

[Braden]

Thanks John for checking it out and glad you liked it!

[Sean M]

I really enjoyed this! Hoping to get that good one of these days.

[Braden]

Thanks for tuning in and for the nice comment! Glad you liked it…its a fun song to play and one of thousands with that nice 1, 5, 6, 4 chord progression. Stick with it and it will come for sure. thanks again bro

[Aservire]

I really like your right hand technique and I’d be soooo happy if I could get to the level while singing at the same time. Just wondering how long you’ve been playing and how much of that was time with Acoustic Challenge. Thanks and great job!

[petelanger]

@Aservire

I know it’s tempting but try not to compare yourself to other players. You will have a unique guitar journey, unlike anybody else’s! We come in with different pre-learned skills and aptitude. Some are able to devote more time and some people pick things up faster than others.

[Braden]

Hi Brett @Aservire and thanks for watching and taking the time to comment…much appreciated! This is a fun song and one of the first ones I picked up but it never gets old for me:) One of my goals when I retired three years ago was to get more serious with the music, and thats when I joined TAC. I’d already been playing for ten years or so but TAC helped me to focus and has been very helpful. My advice is just keep on plugging away…always play the things you like, but stretch yourself too. And lots of repetition…over and over again…for me thats the key…but the main thing is to enjoy yourself and have fun with it. You can do it! And Pete @petelanger is right on, we all need to try hard to not compare ourselves to others who may be further along. I struggled with this alot…sometimes when I’d see a real good player Id want to throw my guitar away! Our journeys are very personal but at the same time music is meant to be shared and we’re all in this together bro so rock on!

[Aservire]

Thanks for the feedback and encouragement… I’m not looking to get discouraged watching others… I find it inspiring. I’ve been noodling around with guitar for about 50 years but never really took the time to study. I was even in a band for a couple of years playing pretty poor rhythm… fortunately I can sing pretty well so my main contribution was there.

I was just trying to get an idea as to the effectiveness of AC for others… so far I think it is the best online instruction I’ve tried and I’ve tried a few. So similar to you, I retired about 3 years ago and one of my challenges to myself was to really study guitar and reach my initial goal of being able to comfortably accompany myself when singing and get to the point where I play decent rhythm with some accidental picking thrown in here or there.

I can see AC has already helped me improve a ton and it is definitely repetition and consistency that is going to get me where I want to go… I think AC really gives us a good way to figure out what to practice on any given day and that is very valuable to me. I augment with some songs I want to pick up and those are improving slowly but surely. The comfort level is still not there but I know it will come with time! 🙂

[Braden]

Hey Brett im the same way…been inspired by watching many musicians, including on this forum, do their thing. Whether the original artist or folks doing covers…do i sometimes think, “man, i wish i could do that…if only id started sooner…”? Of course! I think many of us do. but that doesnt last long and i have no regrets and like you, im encouraged and motivated to keep plugging away and have fun trying to close the gap.

Thx for shring your story and glad youre liking TAC. I tried other programs too but liked Tonys style and philosophy/methodology. The daily challenges are a great way to pick up skills that become foundational in all your playing and no other program I saw focuses on these quite like this. Having said that, I can go for weeks without doing the challenges, and will use other learning sources, or mainly just focus on songs, learning new ones and continuously practicing ones already under my belt. Lately Ive also been taking a deeper dive into theory, which has been very helpful re song structure, etc. Its also been a lot of fun getting something ready to post on here too, and Id encourage you to do the same (and its a very supportive and kind community!)

Sounds like youre really close…playing and singing at the same time is hard but youve already got the singing part down, which is the main act…the guitar accompanies the singer…so youre well on your way! Pick one of your favourite songs with that easy 1 4 5 chord progression and where the melody follows the chord changes. Separately learn and practice both the lyrics and the guitar. Get them both down so that you can play/sing them in your sleep (repetition over an over). Then when youre ready to put them together start slow…maybe just one beat per measure and sometimes I’ll just say the lyrics or sing very softly. That helps to know where in the lyrics the chord changes happen. Get comfortable with that, then you can get your rhythm and tempo going and next thing you know youre belting it out! Some songs are more difficult than others so to get to “performance ready” can take as little as a week or two, to several months. But of course thats all relative depending on how much work youre putting in. I also think its important to mix up the easy and difficult. Anyway I hope this makes some sense and is maybe helpful. Main thing of course is to enjoy the process, be kind to yourself and keep living the dream. Take care and hope youre having a nice Easter weekend. B

[Aservire]

Thanks for taking the time for such a long and informational reply! I think getting down a song to the point of performing it is a great goal and one I’ll definitely add to my list. Great advice as to how to achieve mastery of each segment… slow at first and then add tempo once things start coming together. There is nothing that helps get you motivated than a clear goal. I wish you all the best and am glad for the great advice!

[Braden]

Good luck and enjoy the ride! Will look forward to your first post.

[Spalding-Texas]

Way to go Braden! I’m impressed with the way you kept the time well which is something I need to focus on. Good job.

[Braden]

Thanks a lot Spalding! I appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment. Keep on rockin it and your timing will get better Im sure. thanks bro have fun!