jumpinjeff
Forum Replies Created
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Hi @OhWowMan , a little analysis may help. Lets dive into the B major chord. When you pluck each string low to high identify which string/s is not sounding how you would like. That is step one. Step two: slowly and I mean slowly, strum or pluck each individual string in the chord and try to use as little pressure as possible to get each string to ring out individually while holding the chord shape. Pay special attention to the ones you identified as muted sounds. Take your time with this. Step three: move your hand on and off the chord (set your metronome for 40 bpm). See if you can give your hand a shake while off. On with the first beat off with the second beat etc. Focus your energy on the string or strings giving you the trouble. I found it was usually only one or two strings thudding up the clarity of the chord. Before I identified the trouble makers I was using a ton of energy to try and squeeze out desired clarity and that made my hand tired in two changes. Once the thudders were identified I was able to target them and ease up on on the rest. This made the chord oh so much easier to execute. It was a big light bulb moment when I realize my bar was only influencing two strings and when I focused pressure on the bar to those two stings it was like magic. Be patient. Take time to stretch out your hand, push a few beats past the burn and stretch it out then hit it again. Step four: add an E chord and go slowly back and forth between the two. Do all of that and your B chord will be clear as a bell. Have fun. Stay thirsty.
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Hi @Danny75 check out the 30 days to play course in the Skill Courses. The first lesson is what the strings are and how to tune them. 30 days to play is a great place to start. Click on the calendar icon (6th one down) and the primer is the first set of lessons or I put the link below; click some of those icons on the left and look around. Also if you only see icons on the left click on the three lines at the top and it will expand to include descriptions.
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Hi @IMPBW , I was touched and saddened by your story. My sincere condolences. You have raised several issues about your process of learning to play. You are not alone in your early experience, in fact much of my early journey was just as you describe. The most important is not to give up ever. EVER. No matter what. Let go of what you believe is your timeline. Time is not as important as effort. When you find the joy in the effort, time disappears. Punder nailed it talking about “Don’t think” just do. Spend the time, enjoy the time spent and try (and it is try) to let go of outcomes for now. You will be able to play that song Jealous Of The Angels but you may not be physically or mentally ready to do it yet. The big word is YET. If you are picking up guitar for the first time you have some prep to attend to. When I began, my expectations exceeded my ability and caused me many months of sucky days. I discounted the time and effort of the people who had spent years learning how to play (Tony P. is one of those people) thinking I could get it just because I thought I could. In the process I learned I was only gifted with slightly below average musical abilities. Fortunately I was at the front of the line when they were handing out determination. It was my gift and without it I would have stopped long ago. Carol Stillhand also nailed it when she said “Try not to be so hard on yourself and/or rush the process… It’s a journey and sometimes we don’t notice the progress we are making until we look back and see how far we’ve come”. Every bit my experience and she taught me much here. This is long, may have been better in conversation but here we are. I wish you peace and close contact with the things that motivate you and connect you to your inner determination. Play for joy, find the joy in play.
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Hi @Dirk_R , I have a single O slope shoulder and a double O slope shoulder both 12 fret guitars. Great guitars for easing up on the shoulder. My shoulder problems were with my left (fretting) hand. Sounds like yours is the Right? Many of my problems where associated with the supraspinatis muscle. It is one of those muscles that connects to the rotator cuff. Simple stretches targeting this are part of my routine now. Talk to your PT and see if that would be helpful for you.
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you are playing 240 notes in a minute but your bpm is still 120, each time you strike a string it is not necessarily a beat and as you rightly observed when playing 1/8th notes you strike a sting on the beat (Down beat) and also on the back/up beat (the space between the beats. Set your metronome for 120. One note on the click, one note between the clicks. (= 1/8ths)
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Many have said it and I wholeheartedly agree: gotta get down and try many, many out. Hang out in some guitar stores and play everything. And when you find the right one, don’t let anyone take it out of your hands even the insistent sales person. Always be on the hunt for the surprise…makes the hunt more fun.
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@deagle said: “<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>3 years- where did the time go?”
It’s the same story the crow told me. The first days are the hardest days. Now after three years you get to come along or go alone. Was good to have you along for the time without a doubt. Music world is a small world and hopefully we connect live in the offing. Never alone with a guitar!!!
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@VictoriaTACTeam , right back at you. Holiday wishes for Tony and Levi too. Say, when are we gonna all get together?
And any resemblance I have to that picture is purely coincidental. No died in the wool acoustisnob would be caught dead with an electric guitar. Bahhhahahaha🦃 gobble.
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@anamalom@gmail.com said: “I’m unable to see the strings and play both strings with the pick. At the end I’m unable to keep my posture, see the frets and play the first exercise.”
That is a tough one Ana. I had a teacher suggest playing while looking in a mirror but my brain was overly confused by the whole right left reverse so it was not helpful. I guess you could try to play with your computer camera on…maybe that would help you see your fingers without craning your neck around (which is what I did until I didn’t need to anymore. Loraine said it well, we do what we need to do to learn. Take it as slow as you need, to find success in the doing. It will get better fast but consistency, daily playing, setting reasonable goals, these practices will accelerate your progress hopefully making your playing more fun. Focusing on a single chord played in time can be its own small win, or playing a bass note in time cleanly and consistently is another small win. While the goal is to get to speed and play like Tony demonstrates many of us had to start with smaller pieces of a demonstrated lesson. The key is finding the success, making a sound you like and doing it again. If you do that you are winning, your progress will come. Socal Ian covered the pick subject perfectly. Welcome to TAC!
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@OhWowMan Yep, use it all the time. This is one of 6 G chord go to shapes that make playing easier for me.
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I love this one too @Mcdonnell.jacqueline@gmail.com , it opened many doors in practical playing, more than I expected. It keeps yielding results so I keep coming back to it frequently.
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@Dirk_R See a doc and keep your supraspinatus muscle loose.
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Hi @Kim-Fitz , this is basic physics and design spec. Your guitar 0028 (standard) is shorter scale 24.9 and designed for light strings. The tension these strings create on your guitar in standard tuning are 170lbs +or- depending on your brand. When you tune to open E you will add 15 to 20 lbs of tension or additional 10% or so. If you put some Extra lights on and tune to Open E you will have 160 lbs tension, well below what light strings in Standard tuning exert. As Martin stated, tune up and then tune back down if you want to keep Lights on. If you want to stay in Open E or if you don’t want to worry about it, use Extra Lights. You will lose a little volume but you will find them easier to play due to their lower tension.
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@va601m , If keeping your pinky anchored is working for you now keep the practice going. If later you find it gives you difficulties…pick it up.
My experience is similar, I anchored until it was clear to me the practice of anchoring was slowing me down and hampering my tone choices. Then I picked up the anchor, adjusted and move on. No harm no foul.
The beauty of our journeys is we CAN do what works when we need it to work. As we develop today, we open endless doors of possibility for tomorrow. The key is to keep developing today so that tomorrow can come.
Keep it light, keep it fun.
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And best of all @Guy_H , Toni Lindgren is putting out a how to video later this week on her arrangement. Best cover song I have seen in a good long while!!!