GerryB56
Forum Replies Created
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Good to hear that! I really struggled with this one, not the actual finger coordination, but trying not to mute the high e string after the hammer-ons to the b string. Very frustrating! Guess I just need to keep on plugging (or plucking, rather😄)
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That was very nicely done! Great strumming and lovely vocals! And now I understand why Tony raves about Jeffrey Foucault – I really need to check out his music.
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Mighty fine number, I’d say! Glad you mention having fun, as you and others here on the forums (and Tony, of course) are inspiring me to focus on that and not the inevitable frustrations of learning to play this wonderful instrument.
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Awesome! I keep promising myself to try playing in the standing up position, with strap, but so far the few times I’ve tried have not been very successful. I find it hard to control the neck from swinging away from me. But I wonder if my posture would improve doing it that way, not being so hunched over watching the fingers?
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Agreed – that’s a BIG win! Way to go, I’ll be pretty impressed with myself when I get to 600 sessions, even if not consecutive.
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That’s really intriguing! Like you, I credit TAC with helping me improve so much with my guitar skills, including those frustrating barre chords. But I have several guitars and can’t say the struggle is significantly easier on any one of them. (Barre chords are easier on the electrics, but my main focus has been on acoustic so far).
Have to agree with jumpinjeff about the thrill of hunting for that next guitar! I used to feel a little guilty about adding to my guitarsenal when my playing skills are not that advanced yet. But lots of people collect things that are way less useful or beautiful than guitars! Enjoy your search if you decide to add another one, but no doubt a good setup job will make a difference with your Ibanez.
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As always, Mike, I enjoy reading your insights on this ol’ guitar geek journey we are all on. I did read to the end, though like Coach I will admit to losing focus here and there😆 My routine also includes at least an attempt at Tony’s daily challenge, and most often I get through them with some degree of success, if not even close to full speed. I thought I’d relish the 5 day blues challenge since I’m currently trying to learn some blues technique – but I guess I’m not there yet, and I definitely threw in the towel on yesterday’s lesson fairly early on. The mini barres are tough but doable, however adding in the string muting and that partial upstroke put me out of this game.
Also like you, I usually end up working on other stuff if I don’t complete the challenge – there are so many directions I want to head off in! One of them now is working through FBW for the first time – I’m just starting into the last section on soloing. I was already a big fan of Tony’s system before, but FBW has boosted that a few degrees more! I’m going to face a big decision next May when my membership comes up for renewal. I would love to stay with TAC, but not sure if I want to spring for the lifetime option (it’s almost $800 in our Canadian dollars).
Anyway, thanks for posting your contemplations.
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Fantastic! And indeed inspirational for those of us who still hesitate to play in front of other people. Pretty cool that the open mic organizers recommended you.
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Congrats on the win! I am about to start the final section on learning to solo, which is bound to help me tremendously as I’ve struggled to convince myself I can do that. Totally agree with you that FBW is worth the investment many times over! Tony has a great way of making music theory comprehensible – no easy feat!
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That’s a very interesting question! I’m kind of divided on it – on the one hand, it makes sense to get each part down correctly before moving on, or you risk ingraining the wrong pattern. But on the other hand, sometimes if a particular sequence is just not working, maybe it helps to move on to stuff that comes a little easier? Otherwise frustration sets in for me. I’d far rather play 5 songs 90% correctly than play one 100%. With all the knowledge I’m gaining from FBW these days, I’m hoping to be able to improvise my way through the hard parts on occasion😁
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Welcome to TAC! You are going to love Tony’s system, and isn’t it great to have a whole community of guitar geeks to share the journey with?!
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Welcome to TAC! I joined back in May, and in the early going I also wondered about the daily challenges and how much I was gaining from them. But over time I’ve found them immensely helpful for improving my finger dexterity and fretboard knowledge. If you haven’t already done so I would recommend checking out some of the skills courses – the Jumpstart series and the Foundations of Fretboard Navigation are good for starters. TAC doesn’t teach songs generally, but you will learn a basic fingerstyle and flatpicking tune in the Jumpstart courses. Whenever I find one of the daily challenges to be too frustrating for me, I skip it and work on something else that’s a bit easier. The forums are a great resource, too – I’m sure a few of the more veteran members will chime in with more advice.
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Thank you, BethL! TAC sure is a marvelous community, I find great encouragement in reading of other members’ progress and success stories. The finger style stuff can be maddeningly frustrating, but I intend to keep plugging away. Maybe part of the trouble is I get overambitious and tackle pieces that are probably a little too advanced for me, but sometimes you just want to push yourself a bit, right!?
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Thanks, stevieblues! Yes, I very much enjoy being a part of these forums, so many great guitar geeks to share stories and advice with.
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Thanks, Marty! I agree, sometimes it helps to walk away and distract myself with something else for awhile. Hope your recovery is going smoothly.