[albert_d]

I am one of those TAC players several years in. I, too, came to TAC knowing some songs, chords, barre chords to strum along and accompany myself. But TAC, as others have said, doesn’t teach you songs but rather how to play the guitar. And having added Fretboard Wizard it has taught me music and a broader understanding of how wonderful Music is. I still learn new songs but it is much faster and more enriched. (My goal was to,play guitar like a Lounge Piano Player can just play requests from the crowd.)

And I have broadened my joy from mostly fingerpicking into other genres including flat picking, Delta Blues, and alternate tunings. I have also transitioned these skills into Ukulele and taught some 4th graders how to play the Ukulele. So the daily challenges (and I’m not much more than 10 minutes daily on TAC) do seriously add up to a lot of fun if you are consistent and let the process work. I’ve experienced it myself and witnessed it with others who have a few TAC-iversaries behind them.

[albert_d]

Welcome back. And such a classic. Rolling across the Great American Desert in a Conestoga picking as you go.

[albert_d]

You are off to a great start with the 30 Days et al. Don’t panic! This is what is supposed to happen. The Daily Challenges are…well a challenge. You aren’t expected to Master them… at least at first. Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly at first and your guitar journey is worth doing, especially for lifetime and emotional growth. The challenges come around again. You will be amazed at how incrementally better you are. In the present however; find yourself a two chord song you like. Play and have some fun with it. My first was 16 Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford (yes, I’m old). Followed by Eleanor Rigby and Red River Valley. But now… it’s the harder variations of Hotel California and other benchmark songs. The key is to avoid comparative thinking where fun goes to die and just pursue the fun. Last week I realized I had fallen into the trap of only practicing. I stopped and just pulled up Get Up and Go by Pete Seeger and played it just for some enjoyment. So be calm. Everything will be all right.

[albert_d]

@bill_brown explains this well, I think.

In todays chord progression we are playing 2nd inversion triads (of the C master shape) on the loE, A & D string set. The open G string is being used as a drone and isn’t part of the chord. Every note played on the loE string is a 5th, every note played on the A string is a root, and every note played on the D string is a 3rd – some will be major 3rds and some will be minor 3rds – it’s the 3rd that makes a chord major or minor.
The chord triad names are as follows;
C = 332XXX, Dm = 553XXX, F = 887XXX, Em = 775XXX, Am = 12 12 10 XXX, and G = 10 10 9 XXX.
Can you see the difference between the major and minor 3rds played on the D string?

[albert_d]

Nice sound. When you said GarageBand I thought you would have added a drop m track. You didn’t and the sound was clean and crisp. I am trying to explore into these recording options myself with Reaper and OBS. It a whole other thing!

[albert_d]

Watched a Master Class by Reba M who went into great depth about how important it is to warm up and exercise the “muscles” that are our vocal cords. Liked Bread. You continue to improve.

[albert_d]

I like the idea of “ one of my favorite artist”. I don’t think I will ever have a favorite. That is too restrictive for Music. So peace out. Great thoughts.

[albert_d]

Good effort at putting those lyrics in. That’s what I’m working on now… memorizing all those lyrics.

[albert_d]

Hey Omar! It is good to see you again. I had noted you were missing. Great benchmark with Lyrics and all (lots of lyrics). Your experience shows. Welcome back.

[albert_d]

That a pretty piece of craftsmanship. Happy you can enjoy it.

[albert_d]

I like this discussion. The techniques we have picked up and are truly new to us have come from discomfort. A friend of mine often says “Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly at first.” Your point is about a nudge to practical application via familiar songs. We can all be more diligent in encouraging others by posting examples as they occur to us. And, by the way, Golden Brown Perfection is a continuing challenge for me too.

[albert_d]

You are off to a great start. Do you have a favorite song(s) you want to play as part of your quarterly goal for the end of September assessment?

[albert_d]

I was recently thinking I hadn’t seen a post of Roma you lately so happy to hear you do a little Dylan. Good job as usual.

[albert_d]

I am using No Bull the Caged System for Guitar book by James Shipway as a tool to go beyond TAC’s introduction to the concepts.

[albert_d]

I have been to the Aran Islands. What a wonderful and unique place. Welcome to TAC and your guitar journey. You are in the best place for relaxing and enjoying to learn to play through consistency and structure. I have found great joy in my slow but steady progress. You will too.