GerryB56
Forum Replies Created
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Congrats on a great win! Nice that your crowd settled down and listened to the latter part of your performance. I just recently played for the first time in front of a small group, and though I don’t feel quite ready for “primetime” yet, it was good to have the experience.
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TAC is awesome for improving your finger dexterity and technique. For learning songs one of the best sites I know is Songnotes.net – he takes you step by step through learning the chords, strumming patterns etc for beginner to advanced players. Annual memberships are very affordable and gets you access to extra material.
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Welcome to TAC! I’ve been a member for about 8 months now, faithfully logging in every day to try the challenges before working on other interests. Usually I can manage some degree of success at the exercises, sometimes only at a slow pace, but I think it’s more important to try for clean picking or strumming. When I encounter a challenge that just too tough for me, I drop it and move on to other things.
I have found the daily challenges to be a huge help for me in improving my finger dexterity. Even if I don’t see any practical application for some of them for my playing goals, I can see how much they’ve allowed me to progress with hitting the right strings, getting better at skills like hammer-ons and pull-offs, etc.
Of course it depends on what your learning priorities are, but for example if you want to learn songs, you can practice your chord changes using common 3 and 4 chord progressions (like G-D-Em-C, for example). I know my enjoyment increased big time when I finally got to the point where I could do these fairly easily and quickly.
Most of all, you’re doing the right thing by coming here to the forums – I’ve always found there are plenty of fellow TACers who are eager to offer advice and encouragement!
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I don’t use a room humidifier, my space seems to stay in the 45 – 50% range mostly. But for peace of mind I use an Oasis+ unit that perches on my guitar strings inside the sound hole, and just needs refilling with distilled water about once a week. Of course, I only have 3 acoustics so far, so if your collection is bigger then a room humidifier would be more cost efficient. If you’re on the JMG site (Just Music Geeks), there are a few threads there with folks talking about their setups.
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That is one heck of a milestone! Have to admire your determination in setting goals and being so organized in your daily practice – I have somehow not been blessed with that gene😆 But after 8 months in TAC I am benefitting greatly from that daily nudge that Tony provides.
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So, already having GAS attacks, eh!? (Guitar – or Gear – Acquisition Syndrome, just in case you haven’t come across the term yet). How many guitars do you need? “Just one more” is nearly always the right answer😆
Can’t help with the Yamaha question, but welcome to TAC and enjoy your guitar journey. Check out Tony’s Skills Courses after you’ve done the 30 days to play. It’s a great program and there’s always helpful advice and encouragement here on the forums.
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Loved it! You sure seem so natural and at ease in front of that microphone, and those chord changes look pretty darn smooth and fast to me (I’m especially envious of your F chord). I’m not quite ready for “prime time” and posting any videos, but watching yours is definitely an inspiration toward that goal – and what better time than New Year’s Day to focus in on those goals😀🎸 It’s clear why you’re loving that beautiful new guitar, too!
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That’s awesome! Was there one particular thing that finally nailed it down for you? Asking as someone who hasn’t yet conquered that challenging beast. I can sometimes manage the E shaped barres further up the neck, but that first fret position is brutal.
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Welcome to TAC! I agree that Tony’s lessons have advanced me further and faster than any private one-on-one sessions could. I think it’s probably a good idea for a pure beginner to take a few in-person lessons, but after that it’s far more cost-effective to find the best teachers on the Web to guide you in the journey, as long as you’re reasonably self-motivated.
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Some excellent advice already offered above, but I’ll try to add my 2 cents worth. I heartily agree with the strategy of learning songs you like, it’s much more motivating than doing skill exercises, though of course those are helpful, too.
Taking one-on-one lessons can definitely be a good thing, but I’ve found you need the right instructor, someone who caters their approach to what your interests are, not someone who has a “set in stone” plan for everyone. I have tried 3 different teachers, and all helped me to some degree, but I eventually found I could make more progress at what I wanted to learn by watching some of the better instructors on YouTube (and get better value for my money).
TAC is awesome for motivating you to “show up” every day and work on technique, skills etc that will improve your finger dexterity and music theory comprehension.
I also love the suggestions to play with other musicians, and make sure to have fun with your guitar every day. Those are things I need to work on, but I’m confident they’ll come along eventually😄
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Welcome to the TAC family! Joining Tony’s program is a great move for any guitar journey. If you’re just starting out, complete the 30 days to play challenge and the 5 day guitar routine challenge, as Tony suggests. Don’t necessarily plunge into the daily challenges right away, some of them can be tough for beginners.
A few of the Skills Courses are good starters as well, such as the Strumming Jumpstart and the Finger Stretch and Daily Stretch ones. I found it very helpful to print out and fill in Tony’s TAC Journal, too. It helps to keep focused and motivated.
One more thing, if you find you struggle with fretting chord positions, beginner guitars are often not well setup out of the box, so having a guitar tech lower the action (bring the strings closer to the fretboard) can be a huge difference maker. It shouldn’t be terribly costly, and it’s good to become acquainted with your local guitar dealer for picking up accessories (strings, straps, picks, capo, tuners, etc) or even enrolling for a few lessons.
Enjoy your journey and as oldcoach suggested, come back regularly to these forums for inspiration and great advice/encouragement!
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What a great picture, and wonderful family moment! Good plan – get him hooked young and maybe he’ll pick up a guitar or other instrument to join in with you someday! Or even if he just loves to sing, that alone is pretty awesome!
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Congrats to you for working through Tony’s wonderful program! I’m almost there, got to the final chapter on soloing and then got distracted to other things, guitar-wise. I definitely intend to go through a second time now that I’ve learned so much from FBW and other sources and things make so much more sense to me.
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Merry Christmas to you as well, and all our TAC fam friends! I’m very eager to see what 2023 brings us from Tony and the other amazing guitar gurus I’ve been fortunate to find.
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Mine are always hanging on the wall – I like being able to look at them and have them easily accessible. But I don’t worry much as our climate here in eastern Ontario isn’t so dry (even though we do have a wood stove as a partial heat source). The Oasis units work either in or out of the case, and are easy to slip in and out of the soundhole. It probably helps that my music room is next to a bathroom with shower that provides humidity to spare.