N-lightMike
Forum Replies Created
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Awesome, TJ @AttyTJ . I love that you posted here. I love this song. I love the VOMs. For many of us, the VOMs are the place where we can let our “guitar geek” out.
MG 😀
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I just responded to your “belated” TACiversary, @Wendy_D . I, too, am a lifetime TAC member. There are many different dimensions to our lives, but there are also many facets to our guitar journey. After almost 3 years with TAC, I have discovered that I go through cycles. I might be focused on playing covers, or writing songs, or improving technique, or just in some kind of holding pattern. I try to do all those things of course, but I find myself giving one thing more time and the other things less time. One of the things I have found is that I can log into TAC every day and do whatever I want. I can check out the daily lesson, but then not do it. I can check out the forum and spend time reading and commenting, or not. But I can come here regularly just because it’s my guitar home. I am not committed to any certain activity or amount of time.
Once again, I said in the other thread, the most important thing Tony ever gave us is our guitar routine, or journey, or whatever you want to call it. Guitar and music is now a part of my life, it’s not just a “hobby”.
New layout to the forum. New group of regular participants. New lessons with more focus on Tony’s philosophy of learning. But it’s the same old home base. I’m happy that you are back. I’m happier that you have this home to come back to. We are in a wonderful place for guitar geeks to flourish and grow. And though we may spread our wings and fly, we can always come back for any reason what so ever.
MG 😀
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I’m very happy to hear from you @Wendy_D . A lot of things have changed, but one thing is the same: the remarkable progress we see by following TAC’s simple program. And I love your goals. They are more advanced goals. I love how I still struggle with things, but they are things I wasn’t even aware of at a previous time. “Keeping time over my mistakes”. I love that. It is the rhythm that matters, not the mistakes. As long as the rhythm is steady, we could play just about anything. And “integrating melodies”? Wow, that means hitting a specific note at a specific time during my rhythm. I couldn’t even imagine how that was possible when I started almost 3 years ago.
We keep moving forward on our guitar journey. I my mind, that’s the most valuable thing Tony ever gave us. Congratulations on your progress and happy playing.
MG 😀
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Hey Travis @jackietrav12gmail-com , welcome to TAC. We have all found it to be the place that is taking us to where we want to be. Wonderful to be here and I’m glad you’re here.
So, the pinky. Your pinky will get stronger and gain more independence with time. You can even do exercises, like lifting one finger at a time. There are Technique warm ups that focus on the pinky which also help. But, it will happen over time here on TAC because Tony gives us enough variety on a regular basis.
And then there are the subtle things that can make a huge difference. One of the really important ones you have already been told about, to move your thumb down. As time goes on, simply experiment with moving your hand and wrist and elbow around. Adjusting your fingers to find the best spot. That will become a regular part of being a guitar geek.
But more than anything else, right from the beginning, find ways you can make sounds on the guitar you love and simply enjoy making those sounds. That’s the only rule: have fun.
MG 😀
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Too much fun, Jack @Guitargeezer-Jack . The opportunity to travel through Scandinavia and have all these wonderful experiences. That is truly “epic”. I’m very happy for you. Tell us more about your “puddle jumper guitar”.
MG 😀
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It’s all good as long as you follow the rules, @Mrfredsporty . And what are the rules? Have fun. That’s it. So if you’re having fun it’s all good. 🤣
MG 😀
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Thank you so much, Matt @msd2819 , for posting your 2nd TACiversary. I love to hear how TAC has ignited someone’s guitar journey. It is so inspiring to hear about the path others are on and how things have developed. There are so many similarities, like Fretboard Wizard, but there are also differences. I love that you can play whatever comes up for church. That is the real world application that proves the effectiveness of TAC. But to hear about how you have been able to apply the mindset that Tony shares with us is both inspiring and enlightening for me.
Thanks again and I hope things continue to move forward like this for your 3rd year.
MG 😀
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It is a big thing, at least to me, @albert_d , to understand music. A G major chord, for instance is made up of the notes G, B, D. If you add the 7th, you are not talking about the F#, because that would be called a major7th, so it’s the flat 7th, or the note F. Now, you have G, B, D, F. But, a sus 4 would mean that you add the note C and remove the note B. If it has the 3rd, then it’s and “add 4” chord, not a “sus 4” chord. In fact, it would probably be called the “add 11” as it would be the C note from the next octave up.
So, the G7sus4 would be a G, C, D, F, and you would probably make that by fretting the 1st and 2nd strings at the 1st fret, giving you an F and C notes and taking away the B. Then you would have to mute the 5th string with the ring finger while it’s fretting the 6th string at the 3rd fret. If you are fretting the 5th string at the second fret and allowing the B note to ring out, then it’s a G7 add11, not a G7sus4. These 2 chords are confused all the time. But regardless if the B note is heard, the 2 higher notes still gives it that sustained sound.
So, understanding all of this is a big deal. And then putting this into a song is an even bigger deal. So this is a great win.
MG 😀
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I totally agree with @Bill_Brown , @BobbyJ . There are a lot of options in that price range. Martin may not be the best choice in that price range. Other companies have been competing in this price range for a lot longer than Martin. The link Bill gave displays an incredible variety for you to consider. Start by the style you want and the looks that grab you, then do research and try to find something local that you can actually pick up and play. That is a big deal. The more money you pay and the more experience you have the greater the possibility of choosing a guitar online that you’ve never played but end up being happy with. But in this price range, you really need to have it in your hands. But I will say that Yamaha, Epiphone and Breedlove are very reliable in this price range.
MG 😀
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So, wait a minute, Jeff @jumpinjeff , the ocean’s NOT flat? 🤣
We do seem to spend a lot of time trying to sequence things. And it’s true that context is important. But my universe keeps expanding, so it is linear… or wait… that means it’s circular, right? Well, what if it were a straight line that came around to meet itself? Would that make it linear AND circular? 🤔
MG 😀
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That’s the heart of it, @Mrfredsporty , show up consistently and you will see growth.
MG 😀
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Hey Kevin @KevinAppel and Mark @the-old-coach
I’m very happy that my answer was something you could benefit from. We don’t “store” anything, we just play and learn and experience. We try to understand our own journey by asking questions and watching others and by paying attention to our own playing and growth. So our answers are simply coming from the experience and understanding we have at this time, but those answers are stimulated by your questions. So when you ask questions, I not only get to hear Jeff’s @jumpinjeff answer, I also get to “hear” the answer I figure out. We literally learn from each other, whether we learn from someone ahead of us on the journey or following behind us on the journey. It’s not linear, so any measurement or judgement is pretty arbitrary and artificial. We will never be anywhere but exactly where we are. At any point, we can enjoy the process, but we can never “control” the process. We’re on a ride. Have fun.
MG 😀
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Ok, my bad, Jack @Guitargeezer-Jack . That’s funny, you said it was a Journey guitar and it was a “Puddle Jumper”. I could have looked that up had I realized the Puddle Jumper was the actual model name. I have heard of Journey guitars and that they make some pretty good guitars. I really don’t know much about them.
It’s very cool that you are able to keep up your guitar routine. That’s awesome. Most people just put it on hold while they’re on a trip. You’re the true guitar geek.
MG 😀
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Brand? Model? Wood? Nut width? Scale length?
Even expensive guitars frequently have to be set up. That’s why I like Epiphones, they usually come set up. Most manufacturers use the excuse that different people like them set up differently. Not so much.
<font face=”inherit”>Anyway, I’m glad you have a guitar to use on your travels. That’s cool. And one thing that can make a “travel” guitar a travel guitar is that it’s inexpensive and you don’t mind if something happens to it. Is this that kind of travel </font>guitar<font face=”inherit”>?</font>
MG 😀
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I am working up a “music theory” video series for YouTube, @albert_d . I absolutely love music theory and it turns out it is an almost never ending rabbit hole. So much fun. I jumped on the chance to “speak music geek” when you said you understood what a G7sus4 was. How much fun is that, really understanding. It might seem so silly or boring to some, but I have spent hours and hours over the last few years slowly but surely absorbing more and more. It’s amazing how many dimensions there are to a system that is based on only 12 elements. Did you know there could be 19 or 24 notes? One of my favorite videos, “Why Are There 12 Notes” by David Bennet Piano:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvmzgVtZtUQ
I have watched this several times. There’s a lot of stuff involved in answering the question. The other cool thing is to learn about the octaves within the range of human hearing. Anyway, yes, we’ll muse later.
MG 😀