[gmhendersonme-com]

When I first got my guitar in the mid 80’s, I used a tuning fork and then tuned to the 5th fret. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t do that any more !

[gmhendersonme-com]

Keep practicing the mini F and it will come eventually. The full barre chord F will take a bit longer. If you really want to play songs with an F chord in it, you could switch out to an F maj7, which is just the mini F, but instead of barring the first fret of the B and E string, just finger the first fret of the B and leave the E open. Very similar sound. ( Sorry….didn’t see Pete’s reply !!! Same advice !)

• This reply was modified 7 months ago by  gmhendersonme-com. Reason: Repeating previous advice !

[gmhendersonme-com]

Sometimes we’re just not built for certain activities. Aside from technique to minimize discomfort, there are people whose wrists and elbows ( either through genetics or trauma ) just would bend certain ways without a lot of stretching or twisting of certain tendons and ligaments. If this is the case, it may be useful to hold the guitar in a more classical fashion, with the neck angled upwards. This may also require a repositioning of the body of the guitar, but it certainly puts the neck at a more favourable angle to minimize the left arm and wrist bending.

[gmhendersonme-com]

Your action may be a bit too low if you are getting buzzing….go one string and one fret at a time up the fretboard to see if you still get buzzing anywhere. You may have to adjust your truss rod to lift the strings a bit higher off the fretboard. Taking it to a professional for proper setup may be the easiest way to do this if you aren’t comfortable.

[gmhendersonme-com]

“Let it Be”

[gmhendersonme-com]

Same, although I find that I can get clean sounds by following my own advice and releasing a bit of pressure from my ring finger on the G and C chords. I think I get a little lazy with those chords since I’ve been able to quickly fret them for a long time and haven’t really had to relearn them in a technically improved way ( closer to the fret wire, less pressure, pay attention to thumb position, etc.). But lifting the ring finger along with the middle seems acceptable to my way of thinking for the reason you stated….we’re moving it anyway.

[gmhendersonme-com]

It’s a pretty good stretch…much better as you move up to the 5th and 7th frets. My advice would be to get your index finger as close as possible to the fret, and to press as lightly as you can to still have the 2 strings ring out ( we all tend to press way too hard when we “barre” more than one string ). Practice on the higher frets where they aren’t so far apart and then move back to the 3rd fret gradually. Good luck !

[gmhendersonme-com]

I still love the challenges, since I’m a process guy. But I’m going to get organized and get some songs down. Thanks for the input !

[gmhendersonme-com]

Thanks Pete. I should really come up with a list of songs I want to play. Right now, I may come across one on YouTube and think, ” Yeah, I can play that !” Then I quickly forget about it or don’t copy it out to tab. Another problem I can foresee is the Canadian weather. We have inside and out side seasons ( about 6 months of each ). We’re coming to outside weather season, so I’ll be a lot busier with other activities soon. Time to get organized !

[gmhendersonme-com]

Thanks ! I think songs are probably the key for me. I know I’m having trouble inserting some of the licks into my actual playing, so I’ll have to concentrate on that to make my playing more interesting. I have no real problems with chords or transitions, so playing songs is actually pretty easy for me, and my singing is REALLY bad ! I think I need to try playing songs and really focus on adding the embellishments.

[gmhendersonme-com]

Thanks. I’m kind of a process guy, but I think finding some songs may be helpful. I just wish I could sing !!

[gmhendersonme-com]

Love watching a lot of Rick’s stuff, but when he gets to theory, I feel like a kindergarten student listening to a PhD at university. I know what all the words are, but I just can’t follow what he’s saying !!

[gmhendersonme-com]

Every Monday I get an email which explains the week’s challenges, which includes the title of the song the lessons are based on. If you don’t get it, perhaps check your junk mail folder in case it got thrown in there.

[gmhendersonme-com]

Just remember…he’s not teaching the actual song. He’s teaching the techniques that are used in the song and certain progressions within the song. He also mentions how this progression is used in numerous other songs.

[gmhendersonme-com]

Yup…. just jump in to the current challenges.