[Maydog]

Hi @Tony P, just wanted to say that I am honored to be featured in today’s TAC Family Holler e-mail. A couple of decades back, I had to get rid of a very troublesome habit. It had cost me a lot financially, physically, and emotionally over the previous two decades. Once I finally got sick and tired of being sick and tired, I knew I couldn’t keep going down the same path. It occurred to me that I had been trying to do everything my way. I decided that just maybe I wasn’t the smartest guy in the room, and maybe I should listen for a change. Turned out to be the best realization and decision I had made. I’ve been sober for 20 years now, thank God.

It occurred to me this morning that my progress on guitar can be attributed to the same mindset: Maybe I need to listen to someone who knows more than me. My method wasn’t helping me improve, and I needed a new plan/method or else I ran the risk of just giving up on guitar. That’s why I decided to give TAC a try two years ago. The lessons are structured in such a way to give a well-rounded practice experience, and that has helped me improve and given me confidence to try things on guitar that I never would have attempted two years ago.

One more thing before I close. I think I came to this realization on my own, or maybe I heard it somewhere. There is a difference between playing and practicing. Both are good, but practice almost always requires the use of a metronome, especially when I’m the only one in the room and my guitar teacher can’t see me or correct me. I consider playing along with the daily lesson video to be essentially the same as using a metronome, in that I have to keep up. Maybe it boils down to having someone or something else set the standard. In other words, not just playing things my way. Seems to be a pattern here…

Thanks.

[Maydog]

@Steve P and @Fletch, that was really good. The BGVs added a really nice layer, and the &2& &4& picking really underpinned the melody. Thanks for sharing.

[Maydog]

Probably the advice that has helped me the most in my guitar journey came from @jumpinjeff, and that is to reduce tension. I have been working on a certain guitar piece for months now and at one point in the piece I have to play 8 notes in rapid succession (all triplets and eighth notes). If my mindset is to try really hard to get it right, I flub it almost every time. If my mindset is to relax, I play it correctly at least twice as often.

p.s. I need a Hot Tuna cap like that one.

[Maydog]

I know it’s a lot more fun to leave your guitars hanging on the wall, but keeping guitars in their case when not in use helps prevent some problems, mainly sun fading, and drying out. While it can still get dry in the case, it will do so more slowly. This is what I use to keep my acoustics hydrated: https://www.amazon.com/MN300-Humitar-Acoustic-Guitar-Humidifier/dp/B00DKAQGTG

[Maydog]

I love my mid-afternoon coffee followed by a nap usually.

[Maydog]

Wow, thanks for posting. I’m interested to hear you feedback about completing the 100 day challenge when you finish.

[Maydog]

Wow, what a great song. You did a great job, David.

[Maydog]

@MoochasPoochas and @StevenB, thanks for the encouragement.

p.s. Just spent 15 minutes on a picking hand drill with my eyes closed. Hitting the right bass note is so foundational that I really need to start getting that right.

[Maydog]

In about 1.5 years, I went from having sore fingertips to filing down my calluses with an emery board once every 7-10 days. Keep on keepin’ on, it just gets better. Remember that over the coming months and years, you’ll have periods where you think you aren’t progressing. Just keep doing your daily lesson, and when you have some extra time, spend 10-15 minutes working on something that you’re struggling with. At some point, that’s bar chords for just about everyone. Could be hammer-ons, scales, theory, etc. But if you keep practicing consistently, you’ll eventually cruise past the “stuckness” and realize that you’re no longer having trouble (or as much trouble) with the things you’ve been working on.

[Maydog]

Not only does this sound wonderful @Michelle_in_PSL , I have to say that I admire your dedication and motivation to the 100 day challenge.

[Maydog]

Thanks, @Michelle-PSL. I’m glad to be in this community with cool people like you.

[Maydog]

@Mike-Gaurnier, staying focused on the guitar (or on something else worthwhile) definitely is a help in staying sober. I remember in my first year or so of sobriety, thinking, “I know what I shouldn’t do, I’m just not sure what I should do.” I kind of had to reinvent myself, which is liberating and terrifying at the same time. Anyway, keep racking up those one days brother.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by  Maydog.

[Maydog]

👍 to Jorma. This is a really amazing acoustic bluesgrass [sic] album of his that I love:

[Maydog]

I agree with that @ccebell. Thanks to YouTube and my love of buying even more tools, I’ve learned to do my own setups. I actually checked the string height at the 12th fret on my Gibson acoustic today and it was right on the money. I think one of my main problems with bar chords is my skinny index finger…needs a little more meat on it so I can get all the strings fretted more easily.

[Maydog]

This is great. Thanks for doing this. Now I have all of them in one “VOM” bookmark folder.