TerriG
Forum Replies Created
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Hi Stilltrying,
First, welcome to this amazing community and I see you’ve received the advice from of the most knowledgeable TAC members here. I will say “heed their wisdom”.
Second, I equate playing guitar to earning a “black belt” and I will say that seven weeks is not enough time and you will be doing yourself a disservice if you quit now. It does get frustrating and you will get bored. But right now you are in the process for creating the necessary brain neural networks, calluses in your fingers, and the hand/eye/finger muscle memory required to move forward. That takes time.
In other words, you’re going to suck at this for awhile. And that is okay….honor it – you are a “White belt”. White belts will not play like Neil Young, George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix or any of the great guitar artists out there. And reading their stories, you’ll find that they sucked at it too in the beginning. But eventually one day as Lorraine mentioned, “a miracle” will happen. It will be subtle like playing the chords cleanly, or you get the rhythm right with the tempo, or you memorized the TAB and can play it. Whatever, then you know you moved up to maybe a “yellow” belt”. And the process will repeat itself again to move up to the next rank.
So, become the “Black Belt” and I do hope you do stick with it. This is a great program and can open up so many guitar playing doors for you. All the best!
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This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by TerriG.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by
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I like that you are keeping a positive attitude on this whole situation. You’re a bedrock here so for this to happened to you is such disappointing news.
One thing that you can do while waiting for surgery and during recovery is to mentally play the songs you know in your mind. Even though your fingers might not be moving, your mind (especially your subconscious) will keep active those neural networks you’ve created open and operating.
Wishing you well in the coming days ahead and sending positive vibes your way. Looking forward in hearing from you soon telling everyone that you are playing again. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
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Hi Rob,
Sorry this is happening to you. I’ve found life cycles are the hardest when you want to do something in the mind, but the body is saying otherwise. Definitely pick up your guitar and play, but also realize the results might not be up to your standards and that is okay.
What will improve your guitar playing while waiting for the surgery and you can start tomorrow is to listen to music. When I say listen, I mean really listen. Pick an artist you like and your favorite song by him/her and be a detective. Try to determine the following: Key of the song, chorus & verse, chords being played, the tempo/timing, pitch, etc. Tear that song apart that you know it front and back. Why does it work? Is it the key? What makes the song tick? Why did the artist pick a certain chord sequence? What instruments are being used? Analyze it and use your ears to recognize the subtle changes that are happening.
For example, tomorrow is the Wagon Wheel benchmark – listen to the original song, listen to what Bob Dylan wrote, and then go back to the techniques Tony are teaching. See how everything fits in. Also keep listening to the rhythm of the song over and over and over again, so the brain will tell your hands what to do subconsciously. I suspect even though you might be rusty and your eyesight is weak, just by listening will expand guitar skills as well as your music knowledge in general. Good luck with the surgery and definitely heal up quickly!
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You’re welcome. I know the strings at EADGBE as well, so just remember when you’re looking at the TAB they are going from Bottom to Top if you use this and you’re set. It’s hard because we like to read things from top to bottom and gets confusing. I’m still lost when someone mentions String #’s instead of String E,A…until I make those mental connections. Good luck and again welcome to a wonderful group of musicians…you’ll enjoy it here.
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Hi Novelette,
Welcome! I have a feeling if you know how to read the Treble portion of the music, the TAB portion will come quite quickly to you once you get the hang of it. Like you, I could read the Treble portion since I played the keyboard now and then. However, the TAB was foreign to me.
Some tips that helped me:
(1) Write the letters of the strings on the TAB (EBGDAE Top->Bottom) so you know what number corresponds to what string. You have no idea how many times I reversed the strings I was playing.
(2) As you learn new chords, keep notes of the number sequence – (232000 – D Chord, 330023 – G Chord, 01220x – Am Chord, 000220 – Em Chord, etc.). When you see them then you automatically know you’re playing a chord.
(3) If you see X on the TAB, it means to mute the string.
(4) Start learning the relationship between the Treble notes, TAB number sequence to the actual Fretboard. For example, playing 3 on an E string is a G note. And then try to find the same note on other places on the Fretboard with the same pitch or different octaves.
(5) I believe Tony has a video on how to read the TAB, so definitely check it out. I’m unsure where it is located, but I do remember watching it when I first started.
As you dive deeper into the guitar, eventually you might want to consider the Fretboard Wizard or some other type of guitar music theory. You’ll get a lot of “A-Ha” moments especially learning various power chords, CAGED system and how everything relates to each other.
Since you already know how to read the rhythm portion which to me is the hardest, you’ll pick up the TAB portion pretty fast…you’re already in good hands when you have some of the best TAC people respond to you already. Good luck!
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Hi Brandon,
As you progress through the FW, you’ll find there are various patterns based on shapes which is the CAGED system. It is revolutionary and you’ll learn more in Week 3. Enjoy the FW journey.
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Congratulations on completing both the 30 Days to Play and 5 Day Guitar Challenge. Time to move up with the Daily Challenges and you’ll have a blast. Take it slowly since it can be intimidating in the beginning, but in time you’ll get the hang of it. Do what you can and it will come over time.
Also, you’ll find that majority of the people hang out at the Daily Challenges, so if you get stuck – there’s always someone there to give a helping hand! Again, kudos on completing the first step of your guitar journey and on to the next…
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Is this the one you’re looking for?
https://tonypolecastro.com/exercise/xpick-chord-transitions-seventh-heaven/
tonypolecastro.com
Day 5 – Seventh Heaven – 5 Day Crosspicking Challenge – Tony's Acoustic Challenge
Day 5 – Seventh Heaven – 5 Day Crosspicking Challenge – Tony's Acoustic Challenge
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Here’s a Youtube of Tony’s old review between Martin LX1 vs. Taylor GS Mini. You can search his page to see other reviews. Also, I believe there might be links on this site as well with guitar reviews, but I forgot how to access them too. Good luck!
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Congratulations on your 5th anniversary and it seems you’ve been on a musical journey with ups and downs.
Reading your post, I can relate to what you’re saying but in terms of photography instead of music. I used to do daily challenges in photography and each challenge enhances your knowledge in terms of composition, lighting, depth of field, spacing, texture, etc. Over time, your eye (or ear) finely tunes in what is working and why it is working. To answer the “why” is a huge discovery and not should be taken lightly.
I’m finding, guitar does the same thing but in the auditory realm instead of the visual. Once the pieces are put together, the creative magic happens. It is a journey to discover this and it seems base on your post – that you found that path. Kudos! So here to more music coming from your guitar and now you have the knowledge to know why it works great things will happen! Again congratulations!
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Great accomplishment and definitely a huge win during the summer months. You are on the fantastic path to finish a 365 on October 11th strong. Kudos and definitely record a celebratory video on your 1st year anniversary. Congratulations!
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Thanks for the update Loraine and it seems you passed the first hurdle – completing the surgery and removing the cast. Also, ouch on the cast being so tight – yikes!
Now, your body needs to do the rest. I was going to suggest homeopathic arnica (pellets) to help with the swelling/bruising, but you might be beyond the time period where they are effective. Healing herbs, green juices, Vit D and rest might be the ticket for a quick recovery. Also, let your subconscious direct you to the next plateau in the healing process – the mind/brain/body is very knowledgeable if we don’t get in our own way.
So best wishes forward and keep that guitar on your lap to soak up its healing vibes!
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Hi Novelette,
Great question…As you progress through Tony’s challenges, each week he’ll reference a certain types of chords especially during the rhythm challenges. After a while, when you see the number sequence in the TAB – you’ll know which chord he is playing. I’ve been writing them down as I come across them as a quick reference. The most popular chords you’ll come across are: G, C, A, A minor, E, F, D and D minor. I gave you the number sequence reading from top-to-bottom on the TAB. There are others, but if you can get these under your fingers – you pretty much know how to play majority of the songs and makes it easier to read the TAB.
Also, if you print out today’s daily challenge “Punch It”, you’ll observe various symbols above the TAB. To help you if you’re at this point – they mean the following: “M” or something that looks like a bridge means to strum down, “V” it means strum upwards, “sl” means slide, “H” means hammer-on, and “P” means pull off. You might not be here yet in your journey, but this will come in handy soon.
The CAGED system is something else and is taught in Tony’s Fretboard Wizard course (which is extra). CAGED allows you to move around the fretboard in various types of finger positioning – “C”, “A”, “G”, “E” and “D” – kinda like power chords. It is vary powerful but it also requires the ability to use Barre chords which as a beginner is hard until you can get the finger strength and dexterity. Also Fretboard Wizard goes into how the Nashville Number system works which is necessity if you want to jam later on.
I don’t know if I answered your initial question, but as you move along the course just ask. In the Daily Challenge, the forum is very active and many will come to your aid if you need assistance. It’s a lot to take in first, but once you get comfortable – it becomes easier in time. Good luck!!
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I did too and no regrets. Also, if you want to enhance your musical talents I would recommend reading “The Music Lesson” by Victor Wooten. I’m only 1/4 way through, but I’m learning to identify the various musical elements in song creation such as observing the various chords, transitions, tone, feel, dynamics, etc. One lesson is not enough. I’m happy for the benchmark weeks since I can dive more deeply in a song. It seems to me, you’re a person who loves music so I believe this book will not disappoint. Find it in the library first, read it and maybe you’ll be like me and purchase it for your permanent shelf. Good luck!
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Hi Brandon,
After reading your response, I believe what might help you once you understand the overall theory is the “Circle of 5th’s”. The Circle will tell you all the relationships between the Key notes & Chords (Major/Minor) and their relationship to each other. It also helps with the Nashville Number System (Week 2) and just a handy tool to have on hand to put everything in perspective along with the pattern recognition you’re looking for.
As I progress in the Daily Challenges, it is eye-opening to see how Tony’s lessons fall in the Circle of 5th’s sectors. Then, to incorporate the CAGED system with the Circle is definitely a game changer. It brings you up to the next level in music theory. Definitely check it out. Amazon has a Circle of 5th’s wheel, but you probably can make your own. Good luck!