Skyman911
Forum Replies Created
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@JILLC, I’ve been playing about 5 years now. I understand where you are, and I didn’t start until I was 59. It can get better, and you will eventually be able to make the mini F and full F. But, only if you are diligent in your practice. The biggest thing that has helped me, and it is reiterated in this course, is to try and play everyday. Even if you’re frustrated, give it at least 10 minutes. Even if you’re not doing, or don’t want to do a particular TAC lesson, pick up your guitar and just play whatever you can. Even if you only know a couple of chords, play and get to know those chords better, and introduce new ones when you feel up to it. Just try to play everyday if possible. This is the key to getting better and having fun. I know some other members will chime in with their advice as well. There are some very helpful folks here.
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I’m not a huge fan of picks. However I’ve been pretty diligent using one for the past year or so. I just don’t want to limit myself, and do feel a pick is very useful. I still finger strum a lot. I am getting better with the pick. One thing I’ve done to improve my pick use is, try to have as little of the pick material exposed as possible. I try to have only 1/8 to 1/4 of the tip exposed. It may be difficult in the beginning, and you will hit your knuckles on the strings sometimes, but that’s OK. It will improve. The type and thickness of the pick is also important.
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Just my unprofessional opinion here as I’ve been down this road. On an inexpensive guitar, changing from a plastic to a bone nut may make very little difference. You may put in a lot of time and expense and not get the results you were expecting. Working on guitars can be very challenging, so be sure you’re up for the task. Just listening to the comments that jorgemac says, tells me he’s very experienced and confident in his knowledge and skills. I personally love doing basic work on my instruments, and do think it is a valuable skill to learn. Good luck with your repairs.
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I think it will automatically renew unless you cancel it.
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@Corina, I say do what you’re comfortable with. You won’t actually “miss” anything in TAC, as every lesson comes around again. You can even save lessons as favorites and go back to them again and again. I personally changed my focus a couple of years ago from mainly practicing, to mainly playing. Not that I don’t practice, but practice takes about 10% or less of my actual playing time. I play and work on songs. Lots of them. Am I mastering any of them? Not at all. But the point is, I’m playing songs, and the more I play, the easier it is to pick up other songs I want to play. I’ve probably forgotten more songs than I actually know. I’ll spend 15 – 20 minutes on a TAC challenge, and then spend the next hour and a half just playing songs. I’m lucky I get to play a couple of hours a day if I want.
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I would also pay attention to the different neck sizes and shapes. Since you spend so much time on the fretboard, I personally feel the neck size and shape are paramount. They are all different. V shapes, C shapes, oval shapes, thin necks, thick necks, medium necks, scale lenght. It all makes a difference. The advice given about going back many times is spot on. The “one” will eventually speak to you.
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I’m not sure what else you could do. Paint them with hard acrylic clear polish? I personally wouldn’t grow my nails out to pick, but that’s just me. I’ve tried thumb picks, and don’t prefer them. I just use the flesh of my tips.
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Your contributions will be missed. We’ll see how this year goes. If we don’t get some fresh content, I’m probably going to do the same. Love the method, the teaching style and the people. I’m getting bored doing the same challenges over and over again. One can only do Wagon Wheel so many times.
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I would suggest playing as much as you can. I take a little Martin Backpacker guitar on my trips. Fits nicely in the overhead bins. Doesn’t sound the best, but at least I have something to fret and play.
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That’s awesome. I saw her at the Targhee Bluegrass Festival. She stole the show.
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Tension between the shoulder blades could be a result of a few things. Holding the guitar too high, causing pinching in the shoulder blade area could be something caused by sitting on a couch and playing. I know it does for me. If I’m on the couch, I need to be sitting right on the edge of the couch, and not leaning back into the couch. Same reason I always use a strap. If I feel slack in the strap, it tells me I’m leaning too far forward. This puts stress on my back when I lean or bend too far. Also, doing the warm ups that Tony teaches may help relax the back as well, eliminating some tension. I personally think posture is extremely important for playing. Holding the guitar in a comfortable relaxed posture removes tension from your body and your mind.
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Oh I wish. Enjoy the show.
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There are so many choices out there for smaller guitars. I’m sure you’ll get many answers. As one who has gone through way too many guitars, I would suggest playing as many as you can. Hopefully you have access to some good guitar stores. Try not to just buy what someone else suggests as it may not work out for you. That said, some of the favorites seem to be:
Taylor GS Mini
Baby Taylor
Martin LX1 Little Martin
Martin Jr series
Gibson Humingbird
I’m sure others will chime in with their favorites.
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No, I’ve just been paying year to year.
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I was just mentioning what I do when I travel. I wasn’t suggesting they go out and buy a Martin Backpacker.