About Me

First Name

Paul

Nickname

PaulL

State

Sussex

Country

United Kingdom

My Guitar Goal

What I'm Focused On Now

My 90 day goal is currently:

  1. to try and improve my hybrid picking
  2. strumming with the pick (its always turned around in my fingers so i’ve always used my fingers to strum instead!)
  3. commit myself to learning at least the first 4 bars Cry of Achilles by Alter Bridge (heavy song, acoustic intro – requires hybrid picking!!)
  4. post something in the Play For Us forum
  5. play outside in my garden where people might hear me play! (The horror!!).

Ongoing goals are to feel like I’m actually making an improvement and feel more confident in my ability. Improve speed and accuracy. I’m looking to be able to play the songs i enjoy but have nowhere near the skills i need to do this and find them overwhelming and ultimately discouraging comparing the noise i make to the harmonious sounds the legends make.

And ultimately I’d love to have the confidence (a whole different problem!) and ability to play several acoustic covers at my wedding next year and then surprise everyone with playing lead on Nightrain by G’n’R afterwards with the band, including a face-melting solo… but I’m nowhere near good enough at the moment. Oh and shhhhhh, don’t tell my fiancee, i want it to be a surprise! 🙂

My Guitar Routine

This is How I TAC

I try to play daily, at least to complete the Daily Courses/Lessons, which i’m doing fine with at the moment. In fact i’m always disappointed when i log in on the weekend and then remember there’s no new challenges, but this is a good excuse to put the lessons in to practice and try and play and improve the songs i want to play! 😀 And there a plenty of the other non-daily courses that i’m working my way through so its all good.

I’m lucky at the moment in that i work at home and my work day allows me to work in the TAC lessons during breaks. Ultimately i want to play for at least an hour a day but between work and family commitments its sometimes a struggle. I want guitar to be how i unwind as opposed to the thing causing me the stress!

I play mostly in my office. My guitars are on the wall and my amp and things are all there so its all set up for me to be able to pick up and play. Saying that though, we’ve moved into a house this year finally and I’ve been challenging my nerves and anxieties a little lately by venturing out in to the garden a few times but i know i’m playing very quietly as i don’t want anyone to hear how bad i am and shout at me to shut up! 😀 But i’m working on it.