[N-lightMike]

Oh my, Jackson, that looks like a beauty. I’ll bet that sounds wonderful once you get the new strings on. The top looks like it is “torrefied” naturally. That’s the best way. Have fun and share a video with us.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Hi Darren;

I responded to your post on JMG, but just thought I should give you a comment here as well. I can’t say too often how much I like the original songs you have come up with. This one is just as much fun and just as enjoyable to listen to as the first one.

And of course, I hope Lyra gets better soon.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

I really liked that song, Gere. I love the upbeat vibe and the message to stop worrying and love the people close to you. And I really like your strumming technique. It’s got a lot of variety and bouncy rhythm to it. Thanks for posting.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Now that’s what I’m talking about, Kit @Kitman . See, I have written a number of songs now and I just messed around on the guitar just like that until I found something that “felt” like the emotions behind the lyrics. For myself, I start with lyrics so I know what I’m looking for. But it is very common to come up with a riff or progression and then ask yourself what does that “feel” like to you and what words would capture that.

Now the cool thing is you had fun and we enjoyed it and it sounded good. I don’t know if that’s 3 things or maybe more (it’s all synergistic 😂 ).

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

And you don’t have to be sorry… don’t be done, ever. Keep talking, keep asking questions, keep whining if it helps. Whatever it takes to stay committed to your guitar journey. You won’t always have fun and excitement. But it can always be good. Sometimes it’s just mellow and chill, and that’s ok. But you don’t have to fall into the doldrums, as @Carol-3M-Stillhand put it as long as you can find the attitude of gratitude and appreciation. Sometimes we gotta dig for it, but it will always be there if you dig hard enough.

Choosing guitar over “crappy TV” is a win any time, all day long. I have been with TAC for 3 years now and I have been able to learn how to write songs. I have written a number of original songs now. You can get there. And maybe sooner than you might think. Yeah, it’s slow. It takes a long time to learn guitar. In fact, you never actually stop learning guitar. You will always be learning and improving, hopefully. But you can have fun and make beautiful noise right from the start. And you can start writing songs way sooner and with way less knowledge and way less skill than you can imagine. Just experiment, have fun. Start with something Tony shows you and just play around. Be a kid.

I’m truly happy for you Willy @WillyB

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

I am so happy for you @WillyB . I mean, yeah, I’m happy that you stayed, but that’s not the main thing in my mind. You have found peace with your guitar journey and so your joy will increase. That’s what was sad to me that you weren’t having joy.

But I applaud you, because you have gotten really honest with yourself here and let us in on it. I would have been happy for you if you could have gone somewhere else and found joy in your guitar journey. But, from what you are saying, you would simply have been in the same boat, bailing water out of the sinking ship. The double sadness is that eventually, you set your guitar down in a corner and don’t pick it up anymore. At least, not for several years, maybe decades.

So good for you. This is such wonderful news.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Thank you, @stevieblues . I am glad you liked this song.

And yes, I have put in a lot of time on this project over a 2 year period to finally come up with this finished song. But, I wrote a number of other songs during that time. And the efforts on just this song have resulted in 2 finished songs and several other song ideas or you might call them songs in the works. On top of all that, finally getting a song I liked out of that first song really taught me a lot about song writing. I have heard the advice to just crank out the songs and some of them will be good. I have the experience now to disagree heartily. Put the effort in to make every song you write a good one. That will make you better. I have written more than a song a month for the last 4 months. That’s amazing to me.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Hey @WillyB ;

I wanted to reiterate what @Carol-3M-Stillhand said. “It’s so easy and common for most of us to go through ‘guitar doldrums’.” There are a number of reasons, but it boils down to ordinary life taking over. But boredom and thinking we aren’t making progress are the real culprits. But that part that really stood out to me was when she said: “You are not alone”.

For me, it’s always comforting to know that my struggles are the same as what others go through. The reason that comforts me is I know that some of those other people have found ways to gain victory over those struggles. Carol has shared some of her secret strategies to keep boredom at bay and to not only have continuous improvement, but to be able to see it.

I shared one of my secrets. I have written a number of original songs. That gives me joy and purpose and direction. But a second secret is I attend the Virtual Open Mics on a regular basis. Not a week goes by without my listening to my fellow guitar geeks playing songs for us. And I usually play something for them. But if I don’t feel like playing, for whatever reason, I can just listen. It’s a very supportive and tolerant group.

There hasn’t been any reply by you since the very first comment by @Kitman . I do hope you are logging on and that you come see the support you have been given. The only thing any of us could want for you is that you find joy on your guitar journey.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Thank you, Kit @Kitman . I believe this is what Tony has wanted for us all along. To get us to explore and have fun doing it. There are a million ways to do that on the guitar. It’s a wonderful instrument full of magic. 😊

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

“Hey Kit. Thanks for the reply. I have reviewed my initial goals and I’m not far off from achieving them. However the last few weeks I’m definitely not growing. Perhaps that’s normal at times. I’m not sure. I do get bored with the daily challenges. In fact I’ll download the tab at work and review at lunch, so when I get home I can knock it out and do something else. Typically this will be me working a few different songs. Chords, strumming, etc.”

So, @WillyB , if you don’t mind, I’d like to take a closer look at your reply to @Kitman . You said you have reviewed your goals and your not far off from achieving them, so you have improved. But then comes that word, “however”. We can’t convince you of anything you’re unwilling to believe. The plateaus get longer and longer the farther along your guitar path you go. That’s just the way it is. Then you admit you get bored. Right there is the key. That’s a rut. That’s what TAC is supposed to get you out of. Then you tell us “when I get home I can knock it out”. I knock out the lawn when it needs mowing. I knock out the dishes when they need doing. I knock out chores. I have fun playing my guitar.

I’m truly sorry, Willy, but there is nothing we can do for you. You aren’t enjoying your guitar. There is only one rule here and you aren’t doing it. “Have Fun”. It always surprises me when I run across someone for whom TAC doesn’t work. But it’s always the same reason, their attitude. Only you can change that.

You need to be true to yourself. You need to find enjoyment on your guitar journey. You have improved. But you don’t believe that improvement was worth the cost. That’s the justification you feel you need to move on. Be honest. You don’t need any justification, you simply need to want to move on. You’re allowed. I hope you find what you’re looking for.

Before you go, there is a way to “have fun” with the lesson if you wanted to give it a try. It’s pretty simple, it’s not some big, profound solution. It is simply a “tangent’. Start with the lesson, but have an open mind, a child-like mind full of wonder. Then dig into the lesson. Can you go somewhere else with it? Can you create something new? Could it be the riff for a new song you write? Could it be the beginnings of a really cool chord progression that you’ve never heard? Use it to come up with an original song or instrumental. Record it so you can share it. So you can learn to repeat it. Nothing like playing your own music. That’s the best.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

👍

[N-lightMike]

👍

[N-lightMike]

<div>Denise @Cadgirl </div>

😊👍

[N-lightMike]

Hey Denise @Cadgirl ,

When I started singing, it was with a group of friends at karaoke. I was one of those who was so terribly off key, that the audience was embarrassed for me. I wish I were kidding, but I’m not. Other people started giving me really simple tips. Over the years I got better, but one thing I noticed. All those really simple tips are available on YouTube. I wouldn’t pay to learn how to sing. It’s like exercising. If you find a YouTube video instructor that you like, you can be taught what “exercises” to do in a 10 minute video. If you do the exercises, your voice will get better.

However you choose to approach it, good for you. I started playing guitar to support my singing. I think everyone who learns to sing will love it. I hope to “meet” you one day on a VOM. 😊

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

It sounds like this guitar was just for you, Denise @Cadgirl . I’m really happy for you. The reviews say it plays easily and is very different from other 12 string guitars. I’m sure you will have a lot of fun with it.

MG 😀