albert_d
Forum Replies Created
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It was a long time in man’s history (early medieval timeframe) before mankind figured out a way to write and describe that natural thing known as music. Harmonies were especially difficult (think monastic chants to baroque harmonies). I originally thought that the sounds were the product of how we played them (major or minor or 1, 4, and 5 or 2, 3 or 6 progressions). Then I changed my paradigm. The sounds are as @jumpinjeff says… a result of how our brain interprets those vibrations. Then we just use words or labels to try to describe and communicate to others so we can teach and learn how to replicate music. So they kind of just “are” that way. I am fascinated by the difference in emotion between major and minor. I used to tell my employees or kids having a bad or sad day that they are only one half step away from a good or happy day and demonstrates it with a A and Am chord. Can they make that half step?
Great and fun question.
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Mine seems to work if you get this reply.
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Yes. Bad deal. I hate how intangible property rights have been abused to the detriment of the Public Domain. Re-mastering and other loopholes holes have thwarted the original intent of protecting creativity while also enriching a culture and destroying the intent of allowing public access after a reasonable period of time. Oh… and nice job.
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Welcome back after your little Australian Walkabout. Ease on in and don’t hurt or tire yourself out. Let the joy flow don’t try to push a rope.
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I pulled out the guitar and played along with you with a minor pentatonic scale. We had a lot of fun (or at least I did). Good job.
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The other suggestions are right on. One other thing I will do on a very unfamiliar song is just play the bass note on the lower strings until I can the feel of it. Paul McCartney did much of his composing and playing with his bass guitar. I can sometimes play along a video on Ultimate Guitar this way.
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Congratulations. It is a momentous lifestyle change because you have now really developed the habit and the rhythm. In gardening we say there are certain plants that Sleep, Creep, then Leap. That is often the way of TAC. Those benchmark songs can become back pocket playlists.
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Very nice of Natalie to let you accompany her beautiful voice. Great selection and appropriate for the new season.
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Though legitimately and regularly broken, one generally picks down on the down beat and up on the up (&) beat. Though I am a native fingerpicking speaker I have added flat picking as a second language and I’ve experienced that after a bit, it becomes intuitive.
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What a great experience to move from a wanna be dappled to a deliberate progressing player. Thanks for sharing your joy. Many of us have experienced similar feelings with out TAC journey. Have a great 2026.
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Confidence is growing and this song selection shows it. Is that a spinning wheel in the background.
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Kudos to one who goes way back in the TAC History. Lots of changes since the early days. Here is a prayer for your better health in 2026.
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There is no easy answer to this issue. I have tried to come up withz a sustainable system to keep a repertoire current. Many true performers who play for a living have the same problem. But with all this North Star analysis and some contemplation on Comparative Thinking one has to ask himself why do you care? How many songs do you need in a playlist. Perhaps you could try building a playlist each quarter by season. There is Christmas, St. Patty’s, Spring Buegrass, Summer Blues, Fall Folk. You can change it up each years cycle. Truthfully, no one really want to hear us play for hours on end. Even at a Bluegrass or Folk jam 10 songs will be more than enough. TAC can cycle through 4 benchmark songs. Norwegian Wood, Sweet Home Chicago, I Can See Clearly Now, Folsom Prison Blues, Landslide, Friend of the Devil. That’s a good start.
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Good idea. I have added more rhythm/metronome work to my quarterly goal for Winter 2026. Playing with others is great but sometimes difficult to set up, but “smoke ‘em if you got ‘em”.
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I’ve read a lot of opinions about flat picks and many swear by one or another. I assume they must be picking much faster than me as I top out between 100 and 120 BPM on a good day. I like a medium firm pick rather than a thin pick.
My kids gave me a pick punch one year to make picks for a 4th grade Ukulele class I was teaching as a service project (you don’t have to know much). Those were punched out of credit cards, motel cards, used gift cards, cruise cards or anything. I was surprised by the different tones each card would give and none of them were “professional picks”. All that said to say, I’m not a pick elite and just use whatever is close by and I leave them lying all around. If I am really going to try to pick with some bluegrass friends, I’d go find one in the pile that felt good and didn’t slow me down as I’m not that fast. So there is my non answer answer.