[BarbaraM]

I’m not sure if I can really answer your question, but I’m both a picker and a thumb-strummer, and I do each for different reasons. Full disclosure, I’m 6 months into TAC, but had some brief and informal guitar instruction in my late teens/early 20s. Which was some time ago! I never used a pick back then, simply didn’t have one.

Now, I tend to follow the instructional sessions as to what tool to use if any. There is a flat-picking course in the Courses section in the sidebar to the left of the screen; you might go there, I did. During practice sessions, when not specified, I tend to do whatever I feel like, or if I’ve mislaid the pick. (It’s usually on my desk or tucked between the strings on the headstock.) Some of the lessons I think would require using a pick if it’s got mixed strumming and single notes, unless you’re really dexterous with finger-picking; that is the only place where it could possibly slow you down.

But if you’ve been playing for 3-1/2 years, I’m sure you have your own habitual way that is comfortable and easy for you. But do try the flat picking course; it might address some of your concerns. Good luck!

[BarbaraM]

I signed up for it and am already learning great stuff!

Barbara M

[BarbaraM]

Thanks for your reply, Rick, but that just generated more questions…How do we know when the root note isn’t the lowest note?

[BarbaraM]

OK, light bulb time! I did not know that the index-or-pinky-on-root-note didn’t mean to start the scale there; scales always go up (or down from the high note) in a smooth fashion. So, if I’m doing a scale in C major pentatonic, I place the pinky on a C on the low E string, but start the scale with my index finger three frets toward the headstock…? and in a C minor pentatonic, I place the index finger on that same C note and continue up the same pattern…?

Wait, no light bulb. I just tried it and it’s still wrong; it turned into an A minor scale. I don’t know what the major scale turned into! Maybe the word ‘pentatonic’ is confusing me into thinking it’s something different than plain old major and minor scales? I consider myself a reasonably intelligent person, but this is messing me up!

I did understand your next explanation of matching the tonalities of the backing track with the scale, that’s just common sense.

[BarbaraM]

OK, minor and major pentatonics are just labels for me at this point. So the red dots refer to the positions of the index or pinky fingers within their respective scales? And the direction of travel, as it were, for each is indicated by the start position/finger? There was never any explanation for this, even in the comments for the lesson.

Thanks for your explanation Loraine, it just looked like two copies of the same scale shape with 3 random red dots. But the major pentatonic scale jumps up and down, almost like a stair step?? How does it go down towards the body? Maybe I still don’t understand.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 9 months ago by  BarbaraM.

[BarbaraM]

ChuckS, If I recall, when I opened Zoom from my desktop icon there were two icons. One was a blue square with a white movie camera in it. I think that’s the older version. The other icon is a blue square with the words Zoom in white. I opened that one. In the top right corner is a little gear icon for settings. It was in there, a couple of layers in.

Hope this helps!

• This reply was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by  BarbaraM.

[BarbaraM]

It appears I have two versions of Zoom. The one I just updated does have the musician thing, but I had to hunt for it.

[BarbaraM]

OK, I just updated Zoom, and it said I already had 5.17.2, and could upgrade me to the latest version which is 5.17.21. I’m just wondering if the free version is different, but I thought it all was free.

[BarbaraM]

Tell me about it! When I can afford a new computer…

[BarbaraM]

I think I’m getting mixed up with the chord matrices, the Nashville Numbering System, the various CAGED scale shapes, the moving around 2-strings-over-2-frets-up etc to find the same note on a different octave, etc. I think I understand it on paper, but if I wanted a scale in a certain key, I’d have to know the starting point at least, then remember which scale shape and location (fret, string) fits that particular note of CAGED. Am I over-thinking this?

I’m glad we’re only learning 10% of theory! I need a cheat sheet, on one piece of paper!

[BarbaraM]

Wow, Moonhare, that was fascinating! I think Tony touched on the part where you move a certain number of strings and frets to find the same note, in Fretboard Wizard. At least it seemed familiar. Now all I need is a transcript of this so I can practice!

[BarbaraM]

Thanks, Terri. I do have it printed out, and I understand the chord matrices, Major and minor formulas, and pretty sure I understand the Nashville Numbering System. It’s if you pointed to a spot on a string, it would take me some following the alphabet up and/or cross referencing to tell you what that note is. The CAGED system is actually helping in that area; while I can’t form all the closed chords, the scales in whatever chord shape, wherever on the fretboard, are helping me to “get” where the notes are. I’ll get there!

[BarbaraM]

Brandon, Rob, I agree Tony sometimes goes too fast and tends to gloss over some of the techniques. I got very frustrated at times. But I found taking some of the Skills courses helped a lot for me to understand how a thing was done. And someone here (Moose?) recommended a book, BrainJo, written by a neurophysiologist, about how the brain learns, and how to help that process along. An interesting read!

[BarbaraM]

Thanks, I’ll try that.

[BarbaraM]

OK, I ran through it again, and I think I got that concept. Then I counted up the string to that note and saw what it was. But the first one was hard, as no note sounded right. The second and third one were easier to figure out. (Plus there’s a little cheat at the top of each telling what key it’s in.)

• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by  BarbaraM.