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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That was better than I thought it was going to be and it sounded great! Very happy with this, got to work a little on transitioning from C to E minor but it will come
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I’m a newbie and though I am loving the finger picking, and walk backs, it’s hard to piece it all together cohesively. I feel like I need way more time on each session, but I will trust the process and keep it moving. I did feel like I was getting somewhere with the Bill Withers, but maybe I am partial to that. 🙂
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@aparker1777gmail-com yes, do trust the process. At first, I was a bit frustrated because I wanted to perfect what I was learning before moving on. Then I found that it took far too long to perfect anything. Eventually I began to see that playing each session with just some progress (small wins) there was an accumulative learning process going on. Then when going back to the sessions for the second time they came under my fingers much quicker. If you stick with it you will find that you are growing as a guitarist. Best wishes to you and welcome to The TAC fam.
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I appreciate the encouragement and the warm welcome to the TAC family, thank you!
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good exercise
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This was a good one too. The fun continues.
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These ones have been a little bit easier for me this week! Super.
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Feel like I’ve lengthened my LF! even using my Epiphone Dreadnaught feels good!
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On my C note the D strum is always a thuddddd.
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A reinforcement for something I was already doing but didn’t realize. Legitimized!
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I’m getting way better at counting time, a BIG win for me. Also getting better at chord transitions.
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The Em to walk down was difficult for me to get under my fingers. Did not feel comfortable with using my middle finger on the on the D string. It took quite awhile to get my finger to get this. FINALLY! Hurrah
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I think it’s also okay to walk ring/index/open/pinky/ring on this, if you are used to the other Em fingering.
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Boy at first I didn’t get this or like this at all. But (small win) stuck with it and now understand it. Needs work on pick accuracy though and the pinky finger to the low e and subsequent walk down was the most difficult.
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got it. Doesn’t sound pretty though
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Small win, got it down after a few runs through it. My question is, does it work best going to minor chords like in this exercise or does it work out well using only major chords? Can you name some walk down examples using these walk downs on real songs? That would be helpful
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keep the bass walks coming
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Nice to be back after a long stretch away from TAC. I’ve been playing a ton which is good. Not much in the way of study or improving really. One of my many weaknesses HA! is my picking accuracy and it seems the way I hold my pick after lo these many decades is wonky. I never really noticed that my pointer finger brushes the strings as I play. It actually gets irritated if I play too long. What the heck? So now I’m asking for any advice on pick grips. I’ve been experimenting and of course old habits die hard. I tend to slip into the old grip. Which is frustrating because my picking accuracy should be better after 30 years of playing…possibly the wrong way. Ugh. Looking forward to jumping back in do the small win strategy! Peace and love to y’all
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I was taught to use thumb/index about 2/3 on the pick, equal on both sides. Or is it your grip on the pick? I’ve seen picks advertised that have rubber or cork in the middle to make it easier to hang on to your pick. I can find the ad if you want. Haven’t ordered them myself but I’ve thought about it.
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I use the ones with rubber on it because my pick kept rotating in my grip. These rubber clad picks almost eliminate that completely. It’s a Fender grip.
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This one is hard for me.
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The dissonance with some of the walk-down notes is a bit off-putting, but that makes it such a good exercise – forcing my fingers to fret differently than my ears want me to play it.
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I like this one, too. Between this lick and Tuesday’s lick, I could play for a week!
Small win – I picked this up pretty quickly.
Have a great evening, folks! -
Pretty simple. Going from C to Am , Am to Em, or Em to C, walk it down. Fun, simple and sounds good. Thx.
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As I guess others have probably spotted, in the instruction video when Tony starts going through the walk, he says the pinky goes to the “third” fret of the A string, but he places the pinky on the fourth fret.
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Yep I had to stop and rewind that and saw it.
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are most of you using a pick with these or your fingers? I can do it much easier with my fingers but don’t want to be taking short cuts if picks are preferred. I don’t long nails on my right hand like Tony.
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I’m using a pick, but this certainly works with both pick and finger picking. Spend time with both techniques for sure!
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Got that one – cool!
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Good luck, SharonSings!
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Similar to the previous two walk lessons. Still a matter of coordinating my fingers and pick, and speeding up to eighth notes.
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Pretty straight forward. My problem is lack of expertise with the pick. I can do this at 1.5x if I use all down strokes on the pick. It will take more practice to do this with the alternating pick direction during the bass runs.
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Good fun. Todays small win,250 sessions.Yipee!
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Chord transitions felt much better on day 3. Could work well with a bit of practice.
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Fantastic – Good luck. I have yet to get the guts up to do that.
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Good lesson, working on accuracy and being more consistent, am making some small wins.
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Well this little exercise proved to be a little harder than I first thought. My fingers want to fly off in all directions when I do the eighth note walk downs. Plus I am trying to learn to play it without looking at my fingers or the fretboard which may be a bridge too far at this point. Oh well, keep practicing but later since my fingers are sore right now.
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Best wishes Sharon! Make sure you have fun while playing and singing.
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that is fun, the walk down from Em to C is trickiest for me
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Good time today
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Great! as I’m sure the experience will be.
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@SharonSings we’re excited for you and rooting for you. Be sure to give us a full report tomorrow. I know you will do well.
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enjoying this week, its alittle easier for me on the walk ups than the walk downs. The best to you Sharon!
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Another good lesson ,my finger dexterity is getting better,Its a win for me
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Good job Sharon, we are rooting for you!!!
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Lots of fun love the 1/8th note walk downs, got to know what chord is coming nexrt!
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Best of luck to you SharonSings, I hope it is an enjoyable experience for you.
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I am enjoying these bass walk challenges, great lesson for both hands.
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This was fun. I went from mechanically learnt to musical in about 10 minutes. That was fun! Thank you.
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It was easier than I first imagined. need to practice more to pick up speed.
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I’m using a walk-up for the Em to C transition – seems more logical and sounds better too IMHO.
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Fun and easy to remember and figure out for any chord changes.
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Fun and sounds great!
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Incorporated some of the elements from ‘Long Journey Home’ from the song vault into this one and it became far too much fun!
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Is the song vault you are referring to …. your vault or one that is available on the TAC site. Thought I had heard that was a song vault on TAC but I can’t locate it
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Sounds good too!
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Good Morning TAC community. What a great day this is, starting with seeing @BobMallord, and finally after all my lessons getting this lesson. I am using my metronome, but finally have this down pat. “A man never steps in the same river twice” has true meaning to me. I hope everyone is doing fine and I can’t wait to grow further by reading comments, I can’t wait.
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How is this possible? Where is @HowardM ?
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Sorry @BobMallord, I had to make my coffee first. LOL, you sure beat me this time. Great Job.
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@HowardM and @BobMallord the interchange between you two cracks me up 🙂
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Congratulations, !
Challenge complete
Come back tomorrow for your next challenge
That was better than I thought it was going to be and it sounded great! Very happy with this, got to work a little on transitioning from C to E minor but it will come
I’m a newbie and though I am loving the finger picking, and walk backs, it’s hard to piece it all together cohesively. I feel like I need way more time on each session, but I will trust the process and keep it moving. I did feel like I was getting somewhere with the Bill Withers, but maybe I am partial to that. 🙂
@aparker1777gmail-com yes, do trust the process. At first, I was a bit frustrated because I wanted to perfect what I was learning before moving on. Then I found that it took far too long to perfect anything. Eventually I began to see that playing each session with just some progress (small wins) there was an accumulative learning process going on. Then when going back to the sessions for the second time they came under my fingers much quicker. If you stick with it you will find that you are growing as a guitarist. Best wishes to you and welcome to The TAC fam.
I appreciate the encouragement and the warm welcome to the TAC family, thank you!
good exercise
This was a good one too. The fun continues.
These ones have been a little bit easier for me this week! Super.
Feel like I’ve lengthened my LF! even using my Epiphone Dreadnaught feels good!
On my C note the D strum is always a thuddddd.
A reinforcement for something I was already doing but didn’t realize. Legitimized!
I’m getting way better at counting time, a BIG win for me. Also getting better at chord transitions.
The Em to walk down was difficult for me to get under my fingers. Did not feel comfortable with using my middle finger on the on the D string. It took quite awhile to get my finger to get this. FINALLY! Hurrah
I think it’s also okay to walk ring/index/open/pinky/ring on this, if you are used to the other Em fingering.
Boy at first I didn’t get this or like this at all. But (small win) stuck with it and now understand it. Needs work on pick accuracy though and the pinky finger to the low e and subsequent walk down was the most difficult.
got it. Doesn’t sound pretty though
Small win, got it down after a few runs through it. My question is, does it work best going to minor chords like in this exercise or does it work out well using only major chords? Can you name some walk down examples using these walk downs on real songs? That would be helpful
keep the bass walks coming
Nice to be back after a long stretch away from TAC. I’ve been playing a ton which is good. Not much in the way of study or improving really. One of my many weaknesses HA! is my picking accuracy and it seems the way I hold my pick after lo these many decades is wonky. I never really noticed that my pointer finger brushes the strings as I play. It actually gets irritated if I play too long. What the heck? So now I’m asking for any advice on pick grips. I’ve been experimenting and of course old habits die hard. I tend to slip into the old grip. Which is frustrating because my picking accuracy should be better after 30 years of playing…possibly the wrong way. Ugh. Looking forward to jumping back in do the small win strategy! Peace and love to y’all
I was taught to use thumb/index about 2/3 on the pick, equal on both sides. Or is it your grip on the pick? I’ve seen picks advertised that have rubber or cork in the middle to make it easier to hang on to your pick. I can find the ad if you want. Haven’t ordered them myself but I’ve thought about it.
I use the ones with rubber on it because my pick kept rotating in my grip. These rubber clad picks almost eliminate that completely. It’s a Fender grip.
This one is hard for me.
The dissonance with some of the walk-down notes is a bit off-putting, but that makes it such a good exercise – forcing my fingers to fret differently than my ears want me to play it.
I like this one, too. Between this lick and Tuesday’s lick, I could play for a week!
Small win – I picked this up pretty quickly.
Have a great evening, folks!
Pretty simple. Going from C to Am , Am to Em, or Em to C, walk it down. Fun, simple and sounds good. Thx.
As I guess others have probably spotted, in the instruction video when Tony starts going through the walk, he says the pinky goes to the “third” fret of the A string, but he places the pinky on the fourth fret.
Yep I had to stop and rewind that and saw it.
are most of you using a pick with these or your fingers? I can do it much easier with my fingers but don’t want to be taking short cuts if picks are preferred. I don’t long nails on my right hand like Tony.
I’m using a pick, but this certainly works with both pick and finger picking. Spend time with both techniques for sure!
Got that one – cool!
Good luck, SharonSings!
Similar to the previous two walk lessons. Still a matter of coordinating my fingers and pick, and speeding up to eighth notes.
Pretty straight forward. My problem is lack of expertise with the pick. I can do this at 1.5x if I use all down strokes on the pick. It will take more practice to do this with the alternating pick direction during the bass runs.
Good fun. Todays small win,250 sessions.Yipee!
Chord transitions felt much better on day 3. Could work well with a bit of practice.
Fantastic – Good luck. I have yet to get the guts up to do that.
Good lesson, working on accuracy and being more consistent, am making some small wins.
Well this little exercise proved to be a little harder than I first thought. My fingers want to fly off in all directions when I do the eighth note walk downs. Plus I am trying to learn to play it without looking at my fingers or the fretboard which may be a bridge too far at this point. Oh well, keep practicing but later since my fingers are sore right now.
Best wishes Sharon! Make sure you have fun while playing and singing.
that is fun, the walk down from Em to C is trickiest for me
Good time today
Great! as I’m sure the experience will be.
@SharonSings we’re excited for you and rooting for you. Be sure to give us a full report tomorrow. I know you will do well.
enjoying this week, its alittle easier for me on the walk ups than the walk downs. The best to you Sharon!
Another good lesson ,my finger dexterity is getting better,Its a win for me
Good job Sharon, we are rooting for you!!!
Lots of fun love the 1/8th note walk downs, got to know what chord is coming nexrt!
Best of luck to you SharonSings, I hope it is an enjoyable experience for you.
I am enjoying these bass walk challenges, great lesson for both hands.
This was fun. I went from mechanically learnt to musical in about 10 minutes. That was fun! Thank you.
It was easier than I first imagined. need to practice more to pick up speed.
I’m using a walk-up for the Em to C transition – seems more logical and sounds better too IMHO.
Fun and easy to remember and figure out for any chord changes.
Fun and sounds great!
Incorporated some of the elements from ‘Long Journey Home’ from the song vault into this one and it became far too much fun!
Is the song vault you are referring to …. your vault or one that is available on the TAC site. Thought I had heard that was a song vault on TAC but I can’t locate it
Sounds good too!
Good Morning TAC community. What a great day this is, starting with seeing @BobMallord, and finally after all my lessons getting this lesson. I am using my metronome, but finally have this down pat. “A man never steps in the same river twice” has true meaning to me. I hope everyone is doing fine and I can’t wait to grow further by reading comments, I can’t wait.
How is this possible? Where is @HowardM ?
Sorry @BobMallord, I had to make my coffee first. LOL, you sure beat me this time. Great Job.
@HowardM and @BobMallord the interchange between you two cracks me up 🙂