[GerryB56]

Interesting discussion! I can’t really advise any better than others on the humidity issue, but as a renovation carpenter, I will suggest one thing. Seems like you have planned for insulation in the walls, but what will you do on the floor? Assuming it’s a concrete slab, if there isn’t insulation underneath, or if you have any moisture issues, consider using Dricore panels (https://dricore.com/products/dricore-subfloor/) as a subfloor surface. They are not cheap, but will make the floor significantly warmer and help with any moisture problems. Otherwise, I’d agree with ChuckS that vinyl plank flooring is the best choice to go directly on concrete.

Anyway, congrats on getting such a great new space for your “music studio” – it might well inspire you to spend even more time playing😀

[GerryB56]

I will second the suggestion above to try a guitar like the GS Mini – the narrower neck and shorter scale make it easier to play for some folks. Another idea is to first try those exercises further up the neck (towards the guitar body) as the frets are closer together and your hand position is less awkward when closer to your body. Once you develop more hand flexibility and strength you can move back down the neck towards the nut. Also, sometimes I find it easier to use my pinky instead of my ring finger for those longer stretches – as Tony always says, there’s no hard and fast rule, just do what works for you.

[GerryB56]

I struggle with neck and shoulder discomfort, too, after playing for awhile. Check out Tony’s Daily Stretches course in the Skills Courses section – they do help. Some people suggest using the classical playing position, with guitar on your left leg and held at an upwards angle, but I’ve not given that a serious try so far. I’m wondering if using a shoulder strap and playing standing up might help. As for size, I avoid the dreadnought style guitars, finding them too awkward to reach my right arm over to play comfortably. I have concert hall size acoustics, and a Taylor GS Mini, which is very light and easy to handle (though it does have a narrower neck which presents other challenges!)

[GerryB56]

Not sure it makes much difference toward the issue you’re referring to, but I have definitely found that a wider nut size is better for me. My Seagull acoustics both have a 1.8″ nut, whereas my Taylor GS Mini has a 1.7″ one – that’s pretty close to an eighth of an inch difference. For fingerstyle learning especially, I find it very difficult to avoid string buzz from my fingers touching adjacent strings unintentionally (being an easily annoyed type by nature, this drives me crazy, alas!)

Regarding the G chord (and it would be the same for others like E, Em, Am), I don’t think you can avoid having one finger further back from the fret (not with my fingers, anyway). It shouldn’t cause problems if you keep a firm grip on the strings. I tend to play the G with a 3 finger position – middle on 2nd fret A, ring 3rd fret E, pinky 3rd fret e – which makes the very common transition to C much easier. The 4 finger position is also very useful, though, so it’s good to practice both of them.

Welcome to TAC and best of luck with your guitar journey! It’s great that you’re jumping into the forums, there are many very helpful and friendly folks who visit them regularly!

[GerryB56]

I have seen his courses on the True Fire site, but haven’t yet taken one up. He does look like a fascinating character, and I certainly would love to learn some of that style of music. So many roads to go down….!

[GerryB56]

Agree 100% that the daily inspiration to play guitar is probably worth the membership price all by itself. I’m still learning new things from the challenges, but I also enjoy interacting on the forums with fellow geeks. Plus, Tony’s Fretboard Wizard course has been a huge boost for my understanding of music theory, which makes me want to take the guitar journey even further than I originally thought I wanted to go!

[GerryB56]

Happy 64th! Sounds like you had some good guitar therapy for that cough. How is that new SG coming along?!

[GerryB56]

Very impressive! It’s great to know you still feel that TAC is helping you to progress after 2 years. The inspiration and encouragement from fellow members is so motivating.

[GerryB56]

That was pretty awesome! Were you just riffing here, or was this a composition you’ve been working on? Whichever, I’m impressed!

[GerryB56]

Way to go! I feel the same about Bm and barre chords in general, not fearful of them anymore but tough to get consistent clean sound and make transitions quickly. It’ll be a great day when I can get my fingers to find those barre shapes automatically the way I can do most open chords now!

[GerryB56]

I think one thing that really helped me develop pinky independence was using a 3 finger G chord – the pinky is all alone down on the high e string, which also leaves the index available for quick switch to G7 or for hammer -on embellishments. I also find my transitions from G to C are easier. Another helpful resource is Tony’s Fingerpicking Jumpstart course- I always find that learning songs is much more motivating than doing drills – though of course the drills can be quite helpful, too.

[GerryB56]

Yes, I’d have to say at this point that I doubt I will ever take up the banjo, but these roll exercises are certainly challenging. Especially that last one where we reverse directions, my brain and fingers are really struggling to nail that one down!

[GerryB56]

I have just recently started exploring open tunings, and have found there are several exciting possibilities for these. First, if you have any interest in learning blues and/or slide guitar styles, they often use open tunings. Although retuning your guitar seems like a hassle, I’ve found it does help in training my ear (which needs plenty of training 😄).

Another bonus is being able to play the I IV V chords by barring a single fret. The minor chords are a bit more of a challenge, but I’m learning ways to simplify those. I love the idea of exploring different sounds, but for sure it does mean learning a whole new set of chord shapes for each tuning. There are a ton of great instructional videos on YouTube, though.

Best of all, of course, it gives me another excuse to own several guitars so I can leave one or more tuned to an alternate tuning (even if just for a few days like this week for the daily challenges).

[GerryB56]

It’s a great feeling, isn’t it?! I’ve gained a lot of confidence on these as well lately, love being able to spice up my chords with those embellishments. That, together with studying FBW makes me feel like the progress is really happening😀

• This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by  GerryB56.

[GerryB56]

Thanks, old-coach! I look forward to your posts, as well. This community of guitar geeks is one of the best parts of TAC, no question.