Loraine
Forum Replies Created
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It was a fun exercise – great win and making great progress @Duane58
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@Cadgirl Me thinks you’re crazy, but then again if it works for you and is sustainable without injury, then who am I to think anything. Maybe I’m crazy for not jumping on that bandwagon. (all said in jest). In all seriousness though, I think it’s great that it is working for you, and that you’re seeing improvement. I get bored after 10 minutes of playing and put the guitar down for a short time, and then I pick it back up and do the same thing. Vicious cycle.
Question: How are you learning songs? Just by sheet music or are you taking some classes/lessons, etc.,? I’m always curious to know how others are approaching actual songs. How do you decide picking or strum patterns.
On a final note, I want to echo @albert_d and his suggestion regarding taking it easy and keeping warmed up and stretched out before and after playing. I went nearly 1 1/4 years with no injury, and then I ended up with tennis elbow and tendinitis in the forearm in my fretting arm this past November/December, and I wasn’t able to play the guitar for nearly 3 months. After a lot of frustration, pain, time and money for the acupuncturist and the orthopedic doctor, I’m finally able to try playing, but I’m extremely fearful of the tendinitis/tennis elbow symptoms again. I don’t think all the symptoms are gone, but it is better than it was. I’m more cautious now. I’m not saying this will happen to you, but just be careful.
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@cadgirl – Yay! Great big wins in posting your first video, and you did a fantastic job on the song. You’re picking and transitions were great and a good speed for the song. Good going! Can’t wait for the next one.
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Hey @johnny67 Many of us are heavy handed on the strumming/picking hand, so I can totally relate. I’ve heard others say they’ve filed down the tips on the plastic thumb picks, so that might be an option.
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Hi @DGriff and welcome to the TAC community! I remember having similar issues when going through the 30 days to play. You will build up flexibility and dexterity as you play, even though it feels otherwise right now.
You want to be careful when playing, because tendinitis from overstretching is a real thing and if you feel pain in your forearm or hands, then you should stop, stretch and rest. I’m just getting over tendinitis and tennis elbow, and it’s been a long 4 months of not really playing much.
In the Skills section there is a daily stretching course that I recommend. You should stretch before and after playing to avoid injury. Here’s the link – https://tonypolecastro.com/courses/guitar-players-daily-stretch-guide/
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Keep up the great work @Duane58 – Great wins!
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Too funny @mkjohnsons – You’re very motivated, because of how many skills courses you’ve completed. Great win!
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Hi @GJA and welcome to the TAC community. I’m sorry you’re frustrated and not having fun. I agree with @Bill_Brown that it may appear that Tony is only hitting one string, but he is actually hitting both strings together. My suggestion is to breakdown each section and practice small parts and just focus on that part until you can play it. Then focus on the next small area until you can play it, and then play just the parts you’ve just focused on. Keep working on just the small pieces. Don’t worry about playing the entire song. Also, if you’re really frustrated, then move on to the next lesson and do something new. You can revisit this lesson later.
Hang in there and just take baby steps. You can take as long as you need in the course. 30 days is just a suggestion.
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Really nicely performed @KevinZ ! Great picking and vocals.
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It’s going by quickly @stevieblues !
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Hi @OldDawg Typically on an upstroke you only strum a few strings (not all that you strum on a downstroke).
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@WAMGOC Good going!
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I agree @Cadgirl that the skills course is beneficial in understanding exactly what each daily focus is, as well as how they all build upon each other. I think it should be a prerequisite to the daily challenges.
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Well, I replied, but it disappeared on me. @ernie-boy, The shapes refer to the open chords and the shape they make on the fretboard. The 5 main open chords are C, A, G, E, D (hence the name CAGED). Those same open chord shapes can be played throughout the fretboard, but they would have different chord names based on where they’re played on the fretboard. However, the basic open chord shape is used (usually as a barre chord). So even though the name of the chord changes depending on where on the fretboard you are, you are still using the open chord “shape.” Hope this helps.
The 5 main open chord shapes (not letting me paste shapes) Try going to https://appliedguitartheory.com/lessons/caged-guitar-theory-system/
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Early, but happy anniversary @albert_d – Golden is quite a fest and worth celebrating. You can always just sign in to TAC on your electronic device & it will log you. You can always do stretches, watch the daily challenge, participate on the forums, do some theory work, etc., and you can log 10 minutes that way. I’m not sure how your bride feels about you renting a guitar on an anniversary trip, but that’s an option. You could visit a different music store each day and check out their guitars for at least 10 minutes