[SteveinCT]

OK, good to read comments, and I’m aware there’s 14,000 TAC members worldwide and not every one is a beginner, and some are seasoned players. I had thought Songs was valuable bc Tony took same song and showed how to play it at 3 different levels. So, it was about technique, it was about using skills, and for more advanced playing it seemed to be also about percussive fingerstyle, and alternate tuning playing as well…., and not some jive rote exercises. Maybe just the TAC mentors voted whether to keep Songs, or maybe Tony wasn’t into it. On his Acoustic Tuesday show I notice from time to time he does show how to play some riffs…including his beloved Led Zeppelin Kashmir in DADGAD tuning…..

• This reply was modified 4 years, 9 months ago by  SteveinCT.

[SteveinCT]

I sense one of the Value Added to TAC was a sense of community, which Tony fostered with this “fellow guitar geek” lingo and these TAC forums and events. But I’ll second concerns voiced in this thread. About 2 weeks ago, I asked administrators to address my “curriculum” questions and the former active Songs tab, but was told all changes were made after surveying members, so I posted my concerns in a “new discussion” moments ago. I came in after the changes and I have other ‘currriculum’ questions I’ll post later- that’s what the administrator asked me to do.

[SteveinCT]

thx @dr_dave. As I’ve mentioned, administrators are referring all questions to long time “Mentors.” What does it mean for you to be a “lifer”….are there some members who paid once, and don’t incur the annual hundreds of dollars of fees?….and they are ‘mentors’ in the sense that they’ve been committed the longest, and have some insight from Tony/ Levi into direction of the site, and are supposed to disseminate that insight on these Forums?

Tony has put the content of many Skills on YouTube for free, so in that sense he’s monetizing certain content without the paywall. (Many if not most of comments posted on Skills lessons are from years ago). But he’s such an accomplished player and singer, as a mentor do you see what I see, that new content seems to be on Acoustic Tuesday… what with recent mariachi lesson, Clawhammer Guitar brief primer, et al. Thx for taking time to answer my queries!

[SteveinCT]

Thx @was-Dan, we’re same age, I started playing during British Invasion. I have re-invigorated electric guitar playing with two London-based pay-what-you-want online teachers/sites and joined TAC to bring my acoustic playing into a more mature level with certain Skills, including slide and alternate tuning melodic fingerstyle. I always wonder if joiners in the “early years” signed up for lifetime or are paying the current rate for joining up. I don’t know how it’s done, but if you could DM and let me know if there’s something you’ve found to help continue your journey…

[SteveinCT]

Thx @rickyk76 and @jumpinjeff and @Cadgirl and @was-Dan for this thread on the ads on Acoustic Tuesday and new directions of TAC. The Acoustic Tuesday shows I’ve seen recently have more playing detail than the Skills section, and maybe there’s a business model based on YouTube as a platform—with eyeballs monetizing ads rather than just monetizing thru subscription-based Acoustic Challenge. But that’s not my primary concern.

@rickyk76,I’ve referred to myself as a newbie, but meant a newbie to this TAC site, I’ve been playing for decades and just wanted to play the ever-growing number of songs I sing and play with a jam buddy with more intricacy when we play acoustic–(my electric guitar is another instrument entirely)–and you know, we all have our guitar heroes and reasons we picked up the guitar in the first place, so we have an idea of what guitar sounds we’d like to emulate.

I don’t need to pay someone a lot of money to push me to play, which is Tony’s key observation when he promotes TAC on a long ad I came upon first in late April, after a podcast I was listening to. The other TAC goal is to create community, but it’s weird to me that the administrators don’t foster community by chiming in to questions raised in the forums. I see you have a forum for acoustic players.

You commented on how Skills are and will also be just intro courses, without any “part 2” to build further skills in those areas. Which is what I wanted to know more about. For Slide in the Skills, all I want to do is at least sound like I know what I’m doing when I’m playing slide….I would’ve liked to have some background with how slide maestro Derek Trucks goes about it(Tony shows Derek playing briefly on an Acoustic Tuesday), and some notion of where are the chord tones and minor pentatonic notes for the free fingers when you’re playing slide/open tuning.

Since I sing and play, I’m mainly creative chords and fills player, with an occasional solo during instrumental break (my jam buddy is better at that than me),,,,,but wanted to play some acoustic stuff more maturely, esp. some percussive alternate tuning melodic fingerstyling;, there are a few TAC Skills courses about fingerstyle, it’s hard stuff esp. when you’re singing too, but for those players who tend to play every song with strum and fill in standard tuning and want to expand, it would be great if TAC could meld the fingerstyle Skills with alternate tunings Skills…but there’s no one at administrative level to address this with..

Anyway, @rickyk76thx for pointing out your views on TAC’s curriculum emphasis, and your key observation that any promises made without timelines are meaningless.

[SteveinCT]

thx much @,MikeGaurnier for your detailed response. Yes, I hear your journey. At risk of TMI, based on your profile, let’s say that I started some 30 years before you, and it was songs, and certain players who inspired me (and I’m sure all of TAC ) to first pick up a guitar. And yeah, when starting out, I learned how to read music (no tabs then), played mostly electric but some acoustic, often with others, had a teacher, have continued playing a lot, but not consistently.

Now, with TAC, I came upon an ad tacked 😀onto a podcast less than 60 days ago and Tony made it sound like a cool space and a 60 day money back. Frankly I don’t understand people saying to the effect it’s ok to pay Tony just to point out a direction, you just develop it and walk the creative path alone, amidst the TAC community, or words to that effect. MG, that doesn’t cut it with some intricate stylings, such as percussive fingerstyle in both standard and alternate tunings, and some slide. You now have to know the fretboard notes in those different tunings, and there’s differences in rhythmics, finding the chord notes, you name it. It’s lile another instrument. Skills courses are spotty, and many are now free on YouTube. It’s possible that w/TAC 2.0, Tony is aware that focusing on some difficult stuff will often prompt people to discontinue playing. I don’t know. Obviously you have a contrary opinion. It’s too bad even the TAC mentors have no idea what’s going on. But good luck in songwriting, I’ve been there, it’s great to develop and hear your inner voice…..

[SteveinCT]

Thanks for the history, @dr_dave. Obviously, I’m just reacting to what is, since I have no idea “what was”, but the administrators make it clear that no answers will be forthcoming from either Tony or Levi about any of this, since there are 1,400 TAC members who potentially want to talk to them. OK, but I was told mentors could answer my TAC-newbie questions. And now I understand why that’s not so. I’ve been playing electric and acoustic with others on and off for many years, and consider myself a creative acoustic player and singer, and now is my time to flesh out these skills with some serious fretboard note playing, also using alternate tuning.. Would you know how Skills section has been diminished, in some respects I have found many Skills courses I’ve already taken are begging for a second set of lessons that carry the journey further.

I’m at a crossroads given I’m still within 60 day window, and I have no idea what’s ahead in the revamped TAC. I suspect some have lifetime deals and take whatever is given. Tony reveals more of his playing style on his Acoustic Tuesday YouTube shows than on this site, in my view. Thx for taking the time for me.

[SteveinCT]

Yes @Cadgirl I’ve completed several Skills courses, on the surface they look comprehensive and complementary to the dailies….. not so, in my view, and the Alternate Tuning course is just that—tuning. So, you have your guitar tuned in Open D, or Open G, etc., now it’s up to you to play chords and fills in that tuning. I had thought you’d been there, and then chose to go to YouTube for some ideas. I just asked if you had thought the Skills class should have incorporated that, why chase down instruction on others YouTube sites….

[SteveinCT]

@MikeGaurnier, thx for your opinions. I am an original, we all are originals–but I want to add on and be a decent player using a percussive fingerstyle in alternate tunings….and a somewhat decent slide player, also using open tunings….am I in the right place in your view? Will there be weeks ahead when the dailies focus on this……existing Skills classes on these areas are just introductory in approach…

[SteveinCT]

@JohnV Thx..I suspect you’re right. In the lengthy promo ad that tipped me off about TAC, Tony emphasized daily habits and sense of guitar community full of guitar geeks, but as I recall, no mention of what’s the curriculum. And no intake upon joining. So, I’m now in the “money back” period and asking questions about what lies ahead here in TAC, whether there’s a chance the Skills section can be amplified so maybe I can learn to be a decent slide player or play percussive fingerstyle in alternate tunings, etc….or if the that’s just not going to happen

[SteveinCT]

Thx for your comments @Cadgirl! I’m within 60 day initial window, and wonder if any member to your knowledge has asked how come you have to go to YouTube to learn how to play in Open D—i.e., shouldn’t that all be Tony teaching on TAC Skills?

[SteveinCT]

Thx for your comments, @jumpinjeff. Yes, nice principle on that Ultimate Warrior esp. if singing a song and wanting to play chords and mix in some pinch fills and perhaps running bass for dynamics in quarter note and eighth note bars. But today’s Daily, and most Fridays, are to me, oriented to beginners. And all is good with that.

i’m going to post another question next week about this, but if you have any insight into past “asks” by TAC members over the years… perhaps that’ll be helpful to my questions why Tony didn’t develop an advanced “playing in alternate tuning” Skills course to complement what’s there now, or an advanced Slide course to complement Tony Furtado’s intro course, and thereby capturing in one site the many different directions acoustic playing can take us…I mean, since the early 70s alternate tuning has been a key parcel in playing, and the most recent Acoustic Tuesday Tony showed “Clawhammer Guitar” technique, and you have to use Open G for that….and slide guitar is also all open tunings.,,,,.thx!

[SteveinCT]

Thx, but pls realize that for some seasoned TAC members who’ve been playing a long time, the daily lessons are too easy, and the Skills sections usually also fall short because they are maybe 7 videos with about a half hour of content, cumulatively. You can’t teach slide guitar that quickly! I like Tony, it was his persona and the internet ad that led me to the 60 day trial, and I like his emphasis on Guitar Journeys and finding joy in playing. But for some reason, he doesn’t want TAC to be a one-stop shop to be able to take a deep dive into alternate tunings, slide guitar, fingerstyle fills around chords not in the open position…. if that’s what the acoustic guitar geek is seeking! His own inventive playing would be reason for inspiration, and even first copying a player is often a springboard for finding expressiveness in your own playing. Everybody is taking from everybody, and making it their own, that’s how music is created, we all know that!

• This reply was modified 4 years, 9 months ago by  SteveinCT.

[SteveinCT]

I’m sure I’ll find my way on this, it’s just that i find it DISAPPOINTING (as a new member) that this basic info isn’t within the Skills “Decoding Alternate Tuning” course…maybe you feel the same way. Or maybe I’m asking too much of what is the current new TAC curriculum….

[SteveinCT]

Right, if you can see Joni play it, you can copy, but I always wonder what is that E shaped chord when in the second position of open tuning…in other words, how do you structure chords (and invent new structures) if in various alternate tunings. Some of the guitar riffing on classic Joni albums “Blue” and “For the Roses” is intricate stuff…Joni was a great player. To my surprise, the SKILLS section of TAC explains how to tune the guitar to alternate tuning….but that’s it, it leaves out new ways to structure chords, and other playing intricacies that make open tuning sound great.