[Carol-3M-Stillhand]

Hi @campfire

Lots of great advice here already- I’m just offering the quick answer to your specific question here.

If you click on the Thursday lesson link on the main daily lesson screen, you will see the heart icon (favorites list) to the lower left of the play screen. Just to the right of the heart, is the little music icon where you can access the TAB/music for that exercise/lesson. When you open that, you’ll see the music above the TAB. If you check the key signature on the music, you can see what key it’s in. This will be accurate no matter what mode the piece is written in.

You can check the key signature for any TAC lesson all week- I think the intent is to use the Wednesday material to practice identifying the key by ear, then check your answer afterwards, by looking at the music notation attached to the Thursday lesson.

If you’re not sure how to read the key signature (no sharps/flats = Key of C Major, 1 sharp = Key of G Major, etc) just look up “The circle of fifths” with an image filter and most diagrams include the key signature secret decoder ring 🙂

Hope that helps!!

C

[Carol-3M-Stillhand]

Hi @reachcast just know that you are definitely NOT alone in this regard!! I think the older we get, generally the less storage capacity we retain in the ole cloud brain.

But also, we tend to remember what we access daily… What has worked for me is to concentrate on just one song. Get it under your fingers. Learn it in your sleep. Play it every day until you have it memorized and can play it without any music or notes. Now it’s considered to be a “Back Pocket Song”. You can play it anywhere there’s you and a guitar, with no warming up or practice required. Then move on to the next song. Every time you achieve another “Back Pocket Song”, put the original music/tabs/song sheet in a binder just for these songs. The trick is to PLAY THROUGH ALL BACK POCKET SONGS ONCE A WEEK. Sorry to shout but the all caps are more for me than for anyone else. If you play through all your memorized songs a few times a month (like my guitar teacher told me to so many times), you will always remember them well enough to play them in the moment. I’ve annoyed myself countless times when I put so much time and effort into learning a song, then it sits on a shelf collecting dust and 3-6 months later when I try to play it I have to rescue it from the rust bucket. (That’s where the notebook comes in handy). It is much easier to learn a song the 2nd time around but it’s still frustrating. So every week or 2, play through all of your back pocket songs!!

Right on the music print out, I pencil in my own notes of all kinds including chord diagrams with the exact left and right hand fingering I used to learn the song. Also it’s very helpful to video yourself playing the song once you’ve mastered it. Just for your own eyes, you don’t have to share it with anyone. It’s a valuable tool for you to remember how you actually mastered all the fretboard dancing and mechanics, if you have to go back and re-learn a song.

Best wishes as you begin your “Back Pocket Song” journey!! Hope this helped a little 🙂

C

[Carol-3M-Stillhand]

Is it doing that for all the strings/tuning notes? I would double check using an online tuner. Your tuner battery could be getting low if it’s wrong?

Here is an A-note 440 Hz, you can tune your 5th string to match this, and then fret your 5th fret 6th string to match the correct A-note open 5th string.

https://youtu.be/buimPG01gcs

Nothing wrong with tuning all the strings down a half tone, makes it easier to play. You can always put a capo on the first fret to match standard open tuning if you’re playing with others.

[Carol-3M-Stillhand]

Hi again @speckpgh

I went back to your original question post and also took a listen to the song on YouTube… I believe you are having problems with singing and playing only when you try to play the sus chords? These are usually ornamental and quite pretty, and frequently occur as hammer-ons or pull offs which can be on the “off beat”. I’ve tried playing the sus ornaments as actual separate notes while I am learning the timing- that might help?

And again, write down every beat of the song on paper- not just the one two threes & fours (quarter notes), but also write down every “and” (eighth notes) and even the “e,&,a’s” (16th notes) and of course all of the rests. Then at a very slow tempo, count out the song out loud. Play it on YouTube at 0.25 speed and just count out loud as you listen to them do the song. When you know your rhythm on your paper notes is correct, then write every syllable of lyric below the exact beat where it occurs. Once you have that, then try singing/playing together, but at a very very slow tempo. It just has to click in a few times to “get it” then you can start increasing the speed. You might just have to do this (every beat thing) for the sections of the song where all the sus ornaments occur, but it might help?

I also found a section of the music/strumming pattern for the chorus that might help. (Attached)

Good luck with the song, and I hope you will post a video of you playing it on the forums!!! C

• This reply was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by  Carol-3M-Stillhand.

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[Carol-3M-Stillhand]

@speckpgh one thing I have found to be very helpful is to write out the guitar part/rhythm on a piece of paper/TAB, and make sure to write the rhythm count above the TAB/music line. Then write down the lyrics below the music line, making sure each word/partial word (syllable) matches up with the beat where you would be singing it. This makes it much easier to match up the vocals/words with what you are playing on guitar. Hope all this made some sense? And hope it helps too. Best wishes and can’t wait to hear you play this song!! C

[Carol-3M-Stillhand]

@KayMesser first of all, give yourself a “big win” for not giving up!! Perseverence is a great attribute to have. Secondly, another “big win” for reaching out for advice.

I would say to look at the definition of what makes a good goal. Goals need to be SMART, that is, Small, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and T?? I forgot what the T is for but if you get discouraged about not making your goals, then make some new goals that are more achievable. It sounds like you already did that, so nicely done!! Also a change of focus can provide a fresh perspective. I think you are already doing a great job of re-focusing and moving forward. And I believe that one day you WILL be able to play that song!!!

[Carol-3M-Stillhand]

@briplaysjovie have you tried playing with a capo on fret 3 or 4? It makes everything easier by improving the action as well as eliminating those first few extra large frets, so that your fingers don’t have to stretch as far to fret the notes. Another tip is to tune your guitar lower by 1 full step. (Instead of EADGBE, tune it to DGCFAD). This will reduce the tension on your strings and make it easier to fret your notes. And if you tune lower by 1 full step AND put your capo on the 2nd fret, you will be back in standard tuning and still have your reduced string tension. Also check out the world of open tunings. (You might wind up playing slide guitar or dobro, which would be awesome! There are more open strings in the chords in open tunings, so less issues with fretting notes as well. And as everyone should, try to be aware of posture and ergonomics and play as relaxed as possible to avoid excess wear and tear on your joints and muscles. Best wishes, Carol

• This reply was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by  Carol-3M-Stillhand.

[Carol-3M-Stillhand]

Hi @powel1018yahoo-com the short answer is that Tony’s chord matrix in Fretboard Wiz is a matrix of 3 note chords. So you are correct, the FW chord matrix does not have a G7 chord.

The 7 chords are 4-note chords. (3 is the minimum number of notes you need to have a chord). To make a 7 chord, all you have to do is take the 3 note chord and add a 4th note. So grab any chord from the chord matrix and add one more note to the end of it to get the 7 chord. (You start with the root note and include every other note)

GBD (G-major) becomes GBDF (G7).

CEG (C-major) becomes CEGB (C7)

[Carol-3M-Stillhand]

I think we’ve all encountered some humidity issues with our guitars… I’ve had cracks in the top, as well as sharp fret edges sticking out the side of the neck. All resolved with some good proper hydration…

Winter season is very hard on our delicate guitars as indoor heating makes the relative humidity plummet. A hygrometer is a must especially in the winter. Target range is 40-60%. If it’s lower than that, it’s time to hydrate.

The cheapest way is to store in a hard case with a “Dampit”. (Same thing would be a homemade damp sponge inside a ziplock bag with a few air holes) The drawbacks of that are it needs frequent checking, to re-moisturize the dampit/sponge, and having your guitar in the case all the time can discourage you from practicing/playing.

I prefer using the D’Addario Humidipaks, just chuck one or two inside the case with your guitar and it will keep the humidity within a set range. They need to be replaced periodically tho and they are not cheap, but if you don’t open your case often they last a long time and don’t need much maintenance.

I know they now make little humidity sensors you can keep inside the guitar case and it will bluetooth the humidity level to your phone app or your computer. If you like to keep your guitars out of the case for display or convenience, then a room humidifier is pretty much a necessity. We pay alot of moolah when we first purchase our lovely beautiful guitars, and it doesn’t stop there… But it’s all worth it 🙂

[Carol-3M-Stillhand]

@KenV Sorry to hear of your pinky issues… I’m wondering if the doctor might want to send you to a neurologist or for some PT? But anywayz, glad you are healthy now!!

Have you tried a nylon string/classical guitar? The nylon strings are much easier to fret cleanly, and most classical guitars have wide nut widths so there’s extra room to land your notes… Maybe try one out at the store and see if it makes a difference? Also I know we aren’t supposed to keep our eyes on the fretboard, but in your case if it helps you to play then I’d say to try it out. Keep trying to find ways to make it work!! (Open Tunings are your friend!!!)

Best wishes, C

[Carol-3M-Stillhand]

@Loraine I am so sorry you are dealing with another bout of tendinitis. It’s painful and frustrating as it steals many days from our guitar journey. It is treatable and it will resolve but the weeks and months of not being able to play seem to drag on and on.

Tendinitis, once you get it, likes to come back to visit frequently. You are doing all the right things to treat it, and once it has subsided, need to continue to baby yourself as you go back to your guitar playing. As the others have said, it’s important to always warm up, stretch, be mindful of good posture and ergonomics, and play as relaxed as you can.

I have found that if I am having any difficulty in playing/learning a new piece that the best thing for me is to just immediately put it away on the back burner and go play something easier and more relaxing.

Sending guitar love and healing prayers!!

[Carol-3M-Stillhand]

@Tapley_Tinsmith string selection can be a pretty subjective preference… It really comes down to what your ears prefer to hear. It depends on the guitar, the player and the genre of music as well. Learning your string preferences is a journey for sure. My best advice is to start out with the same strings that the manufacturer placed when the guitar was first made. You can usually find that in the specs for any specific guitar. Play those for a while, then definetely experiment with other types of strings. Coated, uncoated, PB, 80/20, lights, mediums, etc. I think different guitars are more suited for certain strings. So try out a few different kinds on each guitar you own and let your ears lead you to your favorite ones!! (I lean towards D’Addario J16)

[Carol-3M-Stillhand]

Hi @trevor_finally_learns_guitar it’s a great question, fretting thumb position. It’s a good thing to be able to use your thumb to fret a note, like in the D/F# chord (D major with F# in the bass, fretted with thumb). This is probably the preferred way especially on narrow neck/nut guitars. If that’s the playing position that suits you and the type of guitar you play, and you’re not getting tendonitis- it’s all up to each person.

But keeping the thumb in the center of the neck (opposing the middle finger-they would touch if there were no fretboard in between them) helps your hand position be more favorable when trying to cleanly fret the more difficult/stretchy formations.

This is a really good example of the benefits of a 1:1 in person teacher- they can help you play in the most ergonomic way that suits your abilities and playing styles. That’s another decision/factor that is also quite unique to each individual. 🤩

[Carol-3M-Stillhand]

@That_Guy I’m not really sure the technical definition of tension management. I consider it to be sort of a combination of good ergonomics, economy of motion, and to be honest? Laziness. haha, yes I try play guitar using as little effort as possible.

For example how much pressure do you really need to use to fret a note? Most people waste alot of muscle energy by clamping down on those strings with excessive pressure… All this tends to slow you down and make things more difficult. There are drills you can do to discover the minimum amount of effort you actually need to fret a note cleanly.

Also when I had tendonitis in my fretting thumb I learned that you can actually fret notes cleanly without even touching your thumb to the back of the neck.

All the ergonomic/economy moves put together adds up to easier more effortless and relaxed playing. And thanks for the mention, @jumpinjeff you have been just as inspirational to me, so thanks Buddy!!

[Carol-3M-Stillhand]

@Marisa I’m copying Fletch and adding a comment to keep your post from scrolling off the page… I enjoyed listening to your “Both Sides Now” video. It’s one of my favorites too, from “the old days” and you did a nice job with it!!!