On the eve of my 51st birthday, in two days' time, my mind goes back to the day of my 49th birthday, and a present off my children, Owen and Molly. A voucher for two lessons with a guitar teacher in Leamington Spa. Had always loved guitar music - The Smiths, U2, Simple Minds as a Bridgnorth teenager. Then on to Oasis, Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics. I even had an old guitar sat gathering dust on a stand in my front room, but I'd never played it. The vouchers gave me the kick I needed. Pretty much every week since the end of August 2018, I've been having lessons with Paul. I always looked forward to my mug of tea on a Monday night in Paul's teaching room - until Covid-19 intervened. Albeit with cheat chords, I started to play Wonderwall. I could just about find my way through Don't Stop Believin' by Journey. My personal nightmare was the D chord. But we got there, eventually. Big issues for me have always been finding time to practice, and getting to grips with a metronome. But the biggest challenge (ongoing) is to improve the speed between chord changes. I know the chords, can see the chords, but struggle sometimes to land the chords. But at least I've cracked the basic strum... I've always got time for my lesson, and always enjoy it. Then life gets in the way. I need to have a better plan. I also have a camp fire dream (not that I ever sit around a camp fire!). Someone passes me a guitar and says 'play us a song John'. One day I'll get there. Maybe this blog entry is a start...
Went to the Black Country Folk Festival on Sunday at Himley Hall to combine my love of photography and guitar music. Organiser James Stevens, from The Empty Can, played Dirty Old Town and I felt inspired to work on it with Paul at this week's lesson. I've sorted the first verse but still work to do. Great fun though 😀
Trying to build the number of songs that I can play. Always loved Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. It's been my focus so far in 2023. I can play the intro in the proper style (A-E-D), but still working on when the singing starts. If I start immediately strumming, I find it easier to start singing in the right place. I've tried to use midi files (although can't find a Snow Patrol one) and also been playing around with Garage Band. But that's not proving much use. It's so complex, and it will import the midi files but doesn't show what the chords are. So I'm back to Chordify where I found a karaoke version of Chasing Cars. Duffed the intro on this but overall kept up I think!
Still trying to nail the D chord
Pattern sticking. Will aim for another video before Tuesday 👍. watching it played properly on YouTube is a a bit daunting though. Lots of movement along the fretboard
Trying to develop my finger picking from pretty much level zero 😀
Love the guitar playing in Shape of My Heart by Sting. Guitarist is Dominic Miller and I’ve found him on YouTube
Paul drew me out a grid last week to start me off. Tried capo at fret 9, but quite a tight squeeze for my fingers. Elsewhere on internet, found several examples at fret 2. Speed is clearly an issue for me so far, but Paul has always preached the importance of getting the foundations right first. So I reckon I’ve worked out the pattern. so an opening video as I start my Sting journey.
More forceful with the strumming 👍
Pushing it up to 100
Monday night practice. Straight in at 90.
E to itself. Tried at 80bpm and 100bpm
Been working on Lucky Man by The Verve. Tried it out with my acoustic. Last week's lesson with Paul was with my electric. Feeling ok with the chords and now trying to add the lyrics.
Hehe ... happens all the time! 😉
That's me in the corner, that's me in the spotlight....
Quite enjoy playing along to songs on Chordify with my headphones on, so I'm only recording my voice and guitar. Obviously there is room for improvement with both, but don't think this is hideous. And have enjoyed working on a chord progression of Dm for two beats, G for two beats and on to Am. Recording my "performances" also give my practice a sense of purpose.
So into year four! My 49th birthday present was a voucher for two lessons with Paul. Now after my 52nd birthday celebrations are over, I'm sat here on a Bank Holiday evening with Chord Pulse lite fired up on an aged laptop, trying to add lead guitar skills to my "repertoire". Have always been intimidated by the intricacy of playing individual strings, sometime at amazing speed. But it's a skill I would love to develop.
The opening to Atomic by Blondie is my first challenge. Worked on it at last week's lesson. Feeling quite confident at 90bpm. Not quite as sharp at 100bpm but was ok I think.
Still working on my timing…
Back to basics. First chord was E. Need to improve chord changes. E to itself at 130bpm. Need to work on other chords too, and have been practicing in the garden. But run out of excuses for not delivering a video. So uploaded with my lesson in 55 minutes 😂
You take a good pic! Will look forward to seeing the outcome tonight!
Second times the charm..
Hey John!
I hope you're well and you’re enjoying your guitars.
I thought I’d post my latest work in progress here (as I only started looking at it again because of how excited you were to get an acoustic, and it really inspired me to pick mine up again).
It’s a fingerstyle arrangement of Zombie, still have a bit to go to get it really smooth, but it’s one I’ve always wanted to play.
I’ve put a link to the tab below, for you to check out when you have some time.
Working on Fmaj7 to itself to drive up chord change speed. Went with the acoustic, even though I think my electric is an easier guitar to play. Working on the theory that if I can get better using the bigger guitar, I should reap the benefit in the long term with my thinner electric. Started with Drummer's Pulse set to 60bpm. Still felt reasonably comfortable at 120bpm, although I expect my eagle-eyed teacher may question the word comfortable when I see him later!
Finally, after nearly three years of playing, taken the acoustic plunge. My uncle has been playing for nearly 30 years, a folk musician north of the border, and he plays with a Seagull S6. He really recommended it to me, said he loved it. I watched some videos and was impressed by the sound. But the Canadian-built guitar retails at around £600, which I can't really justify at the moment. I looked around the web, and was keen to 'shop local', something that has been born out of the pandemic. In Leamington Spa is Presto Music, so I popped in today. I'd seen the Yamaha F310 on their website, and there was one in the shop. Now it's in my hands, and I'm really happy with how it all sounds. And with no need for an amp, maybe I can start having lessons in Paul's front garden :-)
Tonight Matthew, I'm going to be Dave Grohl (looking at the lyrics but not the chord sheet too!!!)
I reckon Paul should get all his students together for a version of this. I've cracked the chords, but need some work on the lyrics.
Run and tell all of the angels This could take all night Think I need a devil to help me get things right Hook me up a new revolution Cause this one is a lie We sat around laughin' and watched the last one die Now, I'm lookin' to the sky to save me Lookin' for a sign of life Lookin' for somethin' to help me burn out bright And I'm lookin' for a complication Lookin' cause I'm tired of lyin' Make my way back home when I learn to fly high I think I'm dyin' nursing patience It can wait one night I'd give it all away if you give me one last try We'll live happily ever trapped if you just save my life Run and tell the angels that everything's alright Now I'm lookin' to the sky to save me Lookin' for a sign of life Lookin' for somethin' to help me burn out bright I'm lookin' for a complication Lookin' cause I'm tired of tryin' Make my way back home when I learn to fly high Make my way back home when I learn to Fly along with me, I can't quite make it alone Try to make this life my own Fly along with me, I can't quite make it alone Try to make this life my own I'm lookin' to the sky to save me Lookin' for a sign of life Lookin' for somethin' to help me burn out bright And I'm lookin' for a complication Lookin' cause I'm tired of tryin' Make my way back home when I learn to I'm lookin' to the sky to save me Lookin' for a sign of life Lookin' for somethin' to help me burn out bright And I'm lookin' for a complication Lookin' cause I'm tired of tryin' Make my way back home when I learn to fly high Make my way back home when I learn to fly Make my way back home when I learn to
Close your eyes and it could be Bono
Love this song. Rag'n'Bone Man - All You Ever Wanted.
All I ever wanted was to reasonably play along with a song. This one plays at 167 beats per minute. Can't quite believe what's happened to my guitar playing in 2021. Of course it's not perfect, but I've been sent an award by the Chordify website to mark me having jammed along to more than 500 songs! It's the best £30 I have ever spent. Don't feel scared of songs that have two chord changes in one bar any more. In fact I tackle them with relish now. It's great to hear the tune change. I bought a charity shop acoustic, which wasn't a great investment. Now watching Noel Gallagher on YouTube. I think a quality acoustic is back on my shopping list. This concert is great. Love every song he plays
It‘s starting to work. 👍
Ain't No Sunshine with minor 7 chords. Bit unsure of doubling the basic strum speed though. Seems a very gentle song
And this is the chart I was working from. I ignored the 7 symbol, mainly because i didn’t know what it meant 😂
Three chords in four beats? Or four chords in five beats? Tonight I’ve gone from ‘you must be joking, no chance,’ to ‘maybe that’s not too bad for a first recorded effort’. Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers is not the fastest song but I’m feeling more confident that I can achieve faster chord changes.
That's great Paul thanks. Forgot to have my tea tonight. Have been sat here for more than 3 hours :-)
Inspired by @Warren Collinson I checked out Empire Of The Sun. Never heard of them to be honest, but then again I am ancient. Really enjoyed We Are The People. Tried playing along on Chordify. Kept up at 125bpm
I’ve found a website/app which has really transformed my enjoyment of playing guitar. I’ve always enjoyed playing and learning with Paul since August 2019, but Chordify allows me to join pretty much any band in the world. So ok, I’m still not at the level where I’d be allowed to take centre stage at Wolverhampton Civic, but I genuinely feel my chord changes are picking up speed, and it’s great to feel that I can keep up with the beat even if it’s 130/140 bpm. Getting the right strum pattern for each song remains something of a mystery but I have strum patterns that work. And I’m picking up my guitar much more regularly between my weekly lessons with Paul. And it’s fun. It makes me happy. Best £30 I ever spent for an annual subscription, and no I’m not on commission...
Nice one John! The marker is down. My ear says that only qualifies fully at 40bpm ... it starts to sound a little choppy to me once you hit 50bpm (slight disconnect between the up-strum and the chord lifting?). Have a close listen (maybe run the video at half-speed) and see if you can pick up on what I mean. We can dig a little tomorrow night!
Been working on my D chord. Feels like progress. Not so smooth after 60bpm, but certainly feels a lot better than XXX. Found plenty of songs that major on the D chord to help me, including the theme to Sky Atlantic's Boardwalk Empire where G followed by D is a regular pattern in the song.
A little bird tells me these are your speeds on the two lines (measured individually and then together):
Record speed is 174bpm as notated here in 8th notes (or half that - 87bpm - in 16th notes) so we're looking to get you to 200bpm on all three of these measurements to give a generous comfort zone. The quickest way there should be to take each line up to speed individually before bringing the two line sequence up to the mark! If you're struggling to add speed anywhere then give me a shout here!
Cheers Paul. Will go again on Sunday 😀
Good to see the familiarity/ease of playing kicking in! Just one thing that caught my ear ... and here's both the diagnosis (hopefully a clear one ... if not we'll discuss below) and the quick cure in a representative vocal loop!
First with simple down-strums ...
and then with the full basic strum!
Keep climbing! 😋
Picked up the guitar, plugged it into the amp, and didn’t bother with my blue folder full of music sheets. Just tried to play the section that had been stumping me. After a positive lesson with Paul on Tuesday, decided to freestyle Wonderwall. Might not be perfect (for others to decide) but mightily chuffed to have produced something that sounded better than I’ve ever managed before.
All looks and sounds in pretty decent shape to me! 3 different rhythms (strum, vocals and foot tap) all happening together at a speed where you can't consciously think of *any* of them! It's not that long you were marvelling at others doing the same! What happens if you have to tie it all to a metronome? I'd expect the speed might have to come down slightly but ascertaining the speed you can get it all out perfectly at would be a useful gauge.
Don't know if you'll get the chance today but how about a "warts and all" close-up video of your "D to itself" (ideally at a few different speeds from comfortable to nightmare 🙃 )? I'll predict it would act as a catalyst for some fast improvement! Re. Wonderwall, a re-do of just the verse section you previously posted (but with the timing error on the lyrics corrected) would make for a great advert of progress. Issues like that are the sort f thing that can stay with people forever but (IIRC) we had it tied down last time we looked.
So this week's challenge set by Paul was to post a video of me singing Wonderwall, and work on D to itself to improve my chord changes. As you can hopefully see from the attached image, I've given it my best shot. But just need some help with the chorus. I know the words, but can't quite fit them to the tune. I run out of words before the end of the bar. It really feels within my grasp now, and hopefully my lesson on Tuesday (the last face to face one before returning to four weeks, at least, of Skype) will tip me over the edge in terms of posting a video. As for improving D to itself, it's improving but I think that will become a lifetime's work...
Was good to have you back in the hot-seat again! Shame the recording engineer couldn't get his act together. 🤣🤣🤣 Listenable nonetheless!
Since March, I've missed two things massively. Wolves obviously, but also my weekly guitar sessions with Paul. For seven months we've been doing Skype lessons, meaning we can't play guitar together. Tonight, we got the old band back together. I had the best time... 🎸
It's all closer than you probably think ... just got to keep it right! One fellow I met on a guitar teachers' forum some years back tried to compare my approach to this:
He'd missed the big point that 5 minutes of good investigation, analysis and problem-solving can beat 5 years of mindless marching!
Congrats on your first live vocal and it holds up pretty well under camera pressure however I reckon you were doing it better on Tuesday (albeit a little slower). Time to nail it down using principles 1,2 & 3! Watch your version back (at half speed if easier) and you'll see that the syllables "is go-" are no longer where they're shown below (on the "and" of beat 4 and beat 1 of line 2). The same with "you should" in the next line. Instead they've been pulled forward half a beat to begin on beat 4 of line 1. My take is that this relates to beat 1 of line 2 being a ghost strum ("KNEE and"). How about recording a run-through of just the first two bars looping at the speed you know it's perfect? (and then maybe pushing the speed incrementally until it starts to fall apart, to stress-test it)
The same approach to the "I don't believe that anybody ..." line should also pay off handsomely.
Once all the building blocks are strong, so will the whole be!
Had a run through with dirty fingers after finishing off a new garden path. A few timing issues to pick up on but nothing major as I can hear you comfortably pulling the train back onto the rails if it starts to tilt.
Those mild timing issues should be cured as the chord changes get easier. All that's needed is some focus on the mechanics. Try practising the G to itself (lifting and firing fingers 1 & 2 while 3 & 4 stay down) as well as all the other chords "to themselves". Here I've drawn out the G changing to itself. Strumming all 6 strings in both directions will allow you to hear fingers 1 & 2 lifting and firing.
The usual question: What speed can you do it that you *know* fingers 1 & 2 are moving fully together as a single unit? *That* is the speed we want to improve! Once the chords to themselves (in particular the G) are moving nicely it should be a *very* short jump to get the changes between chords tightened up too. The only other thing I'd pick up on is when watching the 50bpm playthrough it's notable that your arm isn't ticking in time with the count on the 2 strums where the strings aren't being hit (the "and" of beat 1 and beat 3). Remember that even though you're not "playing" on those parts, the movement of the arm shouldn't be overlooked ... we want you going up and down like a robot throughout! Spotting that (and strengthening it) should have a knock-on effect at the higher speeds and the practice required at the slow speeds to correct that issue could well be the catalyst to take you to the elusive higher top speed (120bpm) ... and beyond!
If Wonderwall isn't my favourite song, then Dakota is. But it's probably Wonderwall. To pretty much be able to play a version of it, albeit with a basic strum and cheat chords, gives me such a thrill. So challenge this week was to play a couple of verses at varying speeds. Went for 50bpm, 80bpm and 100bpm with my trusty Drummers Pulse man for vocal company. Tried 120, but not polished enough. I could keep up with 120 but then found myself ahead of the count. The strumming and my left foot weren't a unit. So stopped recording at 120. Definitely something to work on - along with all the other things, like landing my fingers in unison rather than one finger fractionally ahead of the other two.
Hotel California (with metronome set to 80). Felt I was waiting for the metronome during the strum. And I REALLY need to look like I'm enjoying myself...
Hotel California, without a metronome, and without a smile (until the very end)