Leaderboard

Any of us that spent any time over at our old home know about the very amazing repair work on guitars that PatIam is capable of. It was well documented over there. I was talking with Pat about the annual toy drive here to provide toys for underprivileged kids on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Pat very generously donated three of his guitars to go along with us to the reservation to give to kids wanting to learn to play guitar. There are some very happy kids on the reservation learning guitar as I type this and I am going to have a full post about that soon. The conversation turned to my granddaughter wanting to learn guitar. Pat said "I have just the perfect guitar for her". In fact, Pat gave me the choice of two different parlor size guitars and a very, very attractive price on it. Pat couldn't have begun to cover his time but I know, for Pat, it's not about making money. And Pat shipped it to my son's house so I didn't even need to worry about taking it on the plane to Chicago! My granddaughter's birthday is after the first of the year so at that time we went to Chicago and had a late Christmas and birthday celebration. There was one very surprised, happy 10 year old girl. And after that Papa had the great time of taking her to her second guitar lesson. And I had arranged for her lesson with a guy I had taken some lessons from on trips to Chicago. And the real treat was spending some time with my granddaughter helping her practice. My son and I and granddaughter got in the car to go to that lesson and my granddaaughter said to my son, "Daddy drive carefully! I have my new guitar back here"!!!

This is a great testimony about how powerful our guitar family is.....we have a great tool in the forum to share and converse; we establish a trust to share and value others comments and experiences; we are fortunate to share a common goal with people of with the same goals that are truly nice people. Patlam & Matonanjin story is an examples of what transpires daily here on our forum. Pat's skills of repairing damaged guitars is well know. His heart for sharing and giving is even bigger and greater. Matonanjin shares and spend a fair amount of time helping on this forum. Well done Pat and Matonanjin. Great story!

Ha, It's in the challenging things that we improve. Never shrink back from a challenge. You conquer them just like you conquered the easier things. One line at a time. One practice session at a time. Until, one day, what once looked impossible is now not so hard. You'll get it. Keep going. - Steve

Great story. My best two cents, make sure she learns basics on music SHE likes. My first guitar instructor in mid sixties was teaching me basics with Anchors Aweigh and Five Foot Two Eyes of Blue...a Rock-n-roll kid couldn’t play any that to any of his friends! Needless to say, guitar found a home in closet. ☹️ So if she likes Taylor Swift...

Mantonanjin has become a good friend over the years and it has been good to converse with him over the old site, email, and phone. I had known about his support of the Pine Ridge Christmas project and it was a natural fit to donate guitars through him. Mantonanjin is an open hearted supporter of those kids. And when he said "Grand Daughter", (I have 5) I was hooked. Nothing better in this world to be able to help and share. Nothing. By the way, Ron sent me the photo he attached to this post. It is now in my framed kids gallery of happy kids playing their guitars. They feel just like us big people when we get a new guitar. Thanks Ron for what YOU do. Pat

RKL: I started with an old Yamaha G50A, cost me 47 bucks used. Still sounds great, but those older student models sometimes did not have an adjustable truss rod so the action is pretty high even with shaving the saddle. I never really cared for the wide neck after switching to a narrower electric guitar neck. I replaced my old G50A with a new Yamaha NTX 700c while I was doing the Fingerstyle course. It is a hybrid nylon with a radiused and slightly narrower neck (and a great pickup system). It was a B-stock that I got off of ebay for about $365 including gig bag. Now my expensive guitars just sit in their cases most of the time! This one is my all time favorite and nearly the cheapest, go figure. Though as Grog said, if you get one from Sweatwater you get a bag of candy with it, plus your personal salesperson will actually pull the guitar you are interested in and play it for you to give you their opinion of that guitar. LOL

We used to have a member named Stargazer55 who owned a Yamaha nylon string guitar. Sadly he (Tom) passed, but he said many times how much he enjoyed playing it. The nice thing is many nylon string guitars tend to be a little smaller which makes them easier to hold--and possibly may allow them to be grabbed for a quickie session because of their comfortable size. I really don't think you'd go wrong with one providing it was properly set up. Good luck with whatever you choose!

Neil, I had the opportunity to attend a guitar clinic Joe pass gave at U.O. P. 40 years ago. He was amazing. And I only played drums then but went to see him. Truly he was incredible. Thanks for mentioning him. Tony

Thanks everybody. I was an absolutely great time that I had with Malene, my granddaughter. As you said Cindy, quality time! Jay, Pat has migrated over here. But has not been on here since Tuesday.

Oh my gosh! You jogged my memory! When I initially read the first post, I completely forgot about Capo's Rule of Seven (Capo was an active member of LMG many years ago). I found the PDF on Mike's site which I uploaded almost 9 years ago! Major brain freeze here because I totally forgot about it! It really helps with learning the key signatures but should also help people construct scales once they learn the keys with up to 3 sharps and 3 flats. The rest is very easy. Capo's Rule of Seven.pdf

An Easy System To Memorize Every Major Scale For each major scale, memorize the altered notes (sharps or flats) only if they constitute the minority, otherwise memorize the naturals. For example, in the case of B major you would memorize that B and E are natural and that the rest are sharp. Next, simply recite the musical alphabet starting with B and make every note “sharp” except for B and E: B – C# -D# – E – F# – G# – A# Memorizing just B and E for the above, is much easier than having to memorize C#, D#, F# , G# and A#! Here is a list of the 12 major scales as they appear on the descending (counterclockwise) CIRCLE OF FIFTHS starting with C MAJOR and what to memorize: C MAJOR: All natural — C D E F G A B Major Scales With Flats: F MAJOR: memorize Bb, the rest are natural — F G A Bb C D E Bb MAJOR: memorize Bb and Eb, the rest are natural — Bb C D Eb F G A Eb MAJOR: memorize Eb, Ab and Bb, the rest are natural — Eb F G Ab Bb C D Ab MAJOR: memorize C, F and G, the rest are flat — Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Db MAJOR: memorize F and C, the rest are flat — Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Gb MAJOR: memorize F, the rest are flat — Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Major Scales With Sharps: B MAJOR: memorize B and E, the rest are sharp — B C# D# E F# G# A# E MAJOR: memorize E, A and B, the rest are sharp — E F# G# A B C# D# A MAJOR: memorize C#, F#, and G#, the rest are natural — A B C# D E F# G# D MAJOR: memorize F# and C#, the rest are natural — D E F# G A B C# G MAJOR: memorize F#, the rest are natural — G A B C D E F# For the enharmonic scales (C# or Db, F# or Gb and B or Cb) at the bottom of the Circle of Fifths, memorize: C# MAJOR: all are sharp — C# D# E# F# G# A# B# F# MAJOR: memorize B, the rest are sharp — F# G# A# B C# D# E# Cb MAJOR: all are flat - Cb Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bb

Um, the intermediate workout is hard. 84 is my current best.

I found this page useful in researching beginner nylon string guitars. I am a few months away from purchasing and would love to hear anyone's thoughts or experiences with their first nylon string instrument. Robert https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.guitarfella.com/best-classical-guitar/under-300/&ved=2ahUKEwi6tp3zmunYAhVN3WMKHYa3AFcQFjACegQIFRAB&usg=AOvVaw12LGWT_1wHZ1MaC9DuUBnb

Exactly, about music -benefits- concerning the brain. Don't understand it but have seen time and again . . . elderly that don't know my name, sometimes cannot remember theirs' or can no longer verbally communicate with others. Then — only to see many of them "sing along" to songs. Don't understand it, but it happens time and time again. Grandchildren: Yea, got two of those at six years (granddaughter) and one year old (grandson). Granddaughter been playing with my guitars since she could crawl and now doing some limited Ukulele chords with her mother as her mom has been putting together a library of tunes. Have one guitar on wall hanger close to the floor, so grandson can "strum/pluck" all he wants. Just no chewing allowed as he's currently cutting teeth. Don't want any beaver marks on any guitars.

Ron, I sincerely hope you will update this from time to time. Personally I find this thread to be one of the most fascinating on the forum for two reasons. I have my own heartwarming memories of wonderful times shared with my grandparents (who sadly have been gone for many, many years). So from both your perspective as a grandparent and from her perspective as a grandchild, you will wind up with some amazing cherished memories to look back upon. Secondly it was pointed out on the last forum about the benefits music has on the brain. Supposedly there is a 5% increase in the cerebellum due to learning music which translates to a higher IQ. Looking forward to hearing about your musical adventures with your granddaughter!

I knew I had this somewhere but couldn't find it. Thanks for the memory reboot Greg

Robert - ShadowBoxer86 makes a great point. If I was going to buy a nylon string guitar today, I would probably start by looking at crossover models - most likely something with close to a 1 3/4 inch nut width and maybe even a cutaway. Good luck with your search.

I have bought equipment from Sweetwater.com. Not only are the people great, my account manager has been Kurt Martin, he has been a real help. Found me left handed guitars, Martin and Fender and is great with advice on equipment. It is checked out, put through multiple tests and evaluations by their Luthiers before they ship to you. Prices are good as well. I am not affiliated with them either, just a good place to do business with. And you get a bag of candy in each shipment. Cheers

Robert - I wouldn't buy an older guitar that I couldn't check out in person. Those late 1970s/early 1980s Yamaha's hold up well - but I would want to see it in person before buying. I purchased one via Reverb that I ended up sending back (the owner in this case was great to work with). The guitar needed a lot of fret work (the cost to fix it would have been more than the guitar was worth).

Looking at your local shop may be your best bet, they will also do a great setup on your guitar where some online shops will not.

Great advice. Like when I bought my Yamaha steel string I just loved it. We have a Yamaha dealer here but I am unsure of his nylon string inventory. In a small town like this it's often hard to sample guitars.

I like the top 3 guitar manufacturers on the link you included rkl312. You will need to listen to the sound of each guitar as well as hold and play each guitar if you can, you could also look at a flamenco guitar, it may sound different to you but you can play both classical and flamenco on it. Find the one that feels just right. Find the one that you just can not leave behind.

The site you posted is a great place to start Robert. I would also consider an older 1980s Yamaha - like the one that Steve regularly plays (I believe Steve's is a G-245S). Those guitars came in a variety of versions (G-235S, G-245S, G-255S, etc.). They are solid guitars and pop up frequently on eBay, Reverb, and Craigslist at reasonable prices. I picked up a G-245S a couple years ago for $150.

My Yamaha is a steel string guitar, but they are well built and sound great. It is my Dread. I am looking at a nylon string guitar myself.I have been thinking of Cordoba, they do Left handed as well. Good luck. Cheers

Good day Robert, The Yamaha is definitely one to go see. I don't own a nylon string but I believe Steve has a Yamaha that he bought in college and had an electric pickup installed into. I don't remember the exact model. As I remember, he has said many times that he does most of his recording with it and were he stranded on a deserted island, it would be his guitar to have with him. Please correct me if I'm in error, folks.

Cindy- I have not tried the smart sensors. I can see some value from a convenience standpoint. It would allow you to view Humidity level without opening the guitar case. This is important if your in a real dry area and you do not want to expose the instrument and nullify your humidity packs by opening and checking the hygrometer daily. Depends if this is a guitar you are storing for periods of time. Everyday used guitars are coming out of the case and cycling air on a daily bases. When I remove my guitar from the case to play, I set the three Boveda packs back in the case and snap it shut to continue the process while I play. There are some parts of the country where the humidity levels are touchy and you need all the help you can. When I get a low humidity, reading do to a stretch of dry weather, I will watch for those days when it gets back in the 50- 60% range and open the guitar case and expose the inner case to the 55% for as long as I can to help stabilize the case again.

I forgot about Capo's Rule!!!! That also helped me greatly in remembering the signatures!!!

Bovida packs work in the guitar humidity bags..... two in the sound hole and one in the neck head stock compartment of the case, I use 72% 3ea per case. These keep my guitar at 50-55%. I shop sales in Amazon and order when I find these at about 2.00 - 2.50 per pack. Depending on your local humidity levels and the type of case ( My Taylor case is tighter and these last 4-5 months. My Martin case these last 2-3 months. Boveda Technology Works Two Ways Whether it’s food, cigars, cigarettes, RYO, chewing tobacco or herbal medicine, these products lose their character if the humidity isn’t right. Too much humidity is just as bad as being too dry, especially when mold enters the picture. Boveda’s patented technology adds or removes humidity as conditions require, maintaining the specific moisture content engineered into each pack. Available in three sizes and a range of RH levels, there’s a Boveda for every package, container, and personal taste. What Humidity Level Do I Need? Boveda is available in relative humidity levels of 62, 65, 69, 72, 75, and 84% (exclusively for seasoning). All Boveda are accurate to +/- 1% of the RH printed on the pack in an air-tight environment. Humidors are not air tight. Depending on humidor quality and ambient conditions, it’s not uncommon for the actual RH to be stable anywhere from 2-6 points below the Boveda RH you’ve chosen. This is why we recommend 72% for your first set after seasoning. If it’s 72 on the nose, you’re perfect. If it drops a few points, you’re still perfect. Based on how your humidor performs, you can decide whether to move to 62, 65, 69, or 75. How Do I Know When Boveda Needs To Be Replaced? All Boveda will turn into a solid wafer when they’re dead. So it’s short of that, when there aren’t many soft spots left, that you’ll want to replace them. Pronounced crystallization and hardening of the corners first is completely normal. What Makes Boveda Different? All humidification products are not created equal, and we know it’s difficult to cut through all of the misinformation out there. Below are some simple points which we believe will help consumers (and retailers) understand the important differences between the various types of humidification on the market. If you think your humidification device is "regulating" to a certain RH level because the packaging says so, it's very simple to test. Place the (filled) device in a clear air-tight container with a hygrometer and let it sit for 24 hours. Only Boveda will still be reading at the RH level it's supposed to, because it's the only true two-way humidity control. How Many Boveda Do I Need? Humidor Capacity Wood Plastic 0-50 2+ 1 50-100 2-4+ 1 100-150 4-6+ 2 150-200 6-8+ 2 200-250 8-10+ 2-3 How Do I Choose The Right Number Of Boveda? We recommend using at least one large 60 gram Boveda per 25 cigars your humidor holds, even if it isn’t full. It’s still air space and wood that needs proper humidification. Because Boveda will never over-humidify beyond the number on the pack, using more than is recommended will just work more efficiently and need to be replaced less often. Air-tight containers like plastic tupperdors and travel humidors don't need as much horsepower to keep humidified because they don't leak as much air. The Boveda Isn't Reaching The Number On The Pack - What's Wrong? This is a common question and the solution always boils down to one (or more) of these three issues: You didn't season your humidor or it needs to be re-seasoned because it's winter or you live in a very dry climate. Your hygrometer needs to be calibrated. You're not using enough or the right size Boveda. Note: Do not mix Boveda RH levels within the same humidor, and do not use Boveda in the same humidor with other humidification products. They will fight against each other and reduce the efficiency of the Boveda.

For chords I don' know. I go here https://jguitar.com/chordsearch

Learn from Berklee Prof. Tomo Fujita, who taught the man.

I find the humidity in our house dips into the high 20s or low 30s during both the winter and summer months - (during the summer because my wife runs the air conditioner 24/7) My guitars are stored in my music room/study which is approximately 10' by 15'. I use the following to maintain humidity levels between 40-50%: Room humidifier: AIRCARE MA080 - It requires regular filter changes and cleaning, but it works well and is pretty quiet. It runs 24/7 during the summer and winter. Typically, I need to fill it once a week, but with the latest cold wave, I have been refilling it twice a day! Case humidifiers: Oasis OH-6 - I use these in all my guitar cases during the winter months. They require very little maintenance and I have never had one leak. Hygrometer: Stewmac Hygrometer/Thermometer - I have used some of the small electronic models, but I like this one because it is so easy to read.

Thank you for the link. I am definitely heading this direction. Can't wait to immerse! This publication looks very interesting.

Joe Pass is one of my all time favorites in the Jazz genre. The solo album "Virtuoso" is simply astonishing. Any guitarist who gives it a good listen, whether they like jazz or not, will sit there in awe. Chord melody, lightning fast runs, bass lines, beautiful interpretation, the album has it all. I've listened to it many times, and never tire of it. You should too. Another great artist gone too soon. Here's the album uploaded to YouTube; "He weaves his own fast-moving chords and filigree work so nimbly that it is hard to believe fingers can physically shift so quickly. Slight moustached, fairly balding, he frowns over his fretwork like a worried head waiter with more guests than tables but the sound that comes out could only be the confident product of years of devotion to the instrument... But it is when he plays completely solo, which he does for half of each set, that he comes into his own, because without hindrance of the rhythm section he can completely orchestrate each number. Sometimes it is by contrasting out of tempo sections with fast-moving interludes, sometimes by switching mood from wistful to lightly swinging, sometimes by alternating single-note lines with chords or simultaneous bass line and melody-the possibilities seem endless. Luckily, there is a new L.P. by him which captures all this on vinyl, as someone has had the unusual good sense to record him all alone. It is calledVirtuoso and rightly so." - Miles Kington on Pass in an October 1974 article in The Times.[6]

Hi UncleHammy. I've been listening to Tuesday night Live Lessons for years, but I only recently joined the forum. Here's my entry -- an old favorite from the Beatles "Revolver" album. I recorded it using Presonus Studio One. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed recording it. https://soundcloud.com/user-198649149/kg-and-your-bird-can-sing-3-2-17-key-of-c-with-drums

You are a good friend! My thoughts and prayers are with you and your friend.

I hope we don't see you any time soon Grog.

Speed kills for sure. But I find I start eighth notes at 72 bpm when I practice because 60 bpm is like running in wet concrete and drives me crazy! I occasionally start at 60 bpm and force myself to work through it. It's like switching to an exaggerated swing tempo on a scale you've only done in eighth notes...finger and/or brain lock follows soon after.

I'm on the Advanced workout. I can get to sixteenth notes at 80 BPM but really struggle above that. The more I try at the higher speeds, the easier the lower speeds seem to be. Another one that I just need to stick with. Has anyone conquered the Advanced workout yet?

Thank you guys for all of your kindness and encouragement. ? I am finding it hard to play guitar at the moment due to the stage of osteoarthritis that I am in at the moment (thank you guys for the tip about glucosamine in the chatbox the other day). My fingers no longer bend as easily and quickly as they once did and the grating bones in my wrists make Barre chirds and many other chords extremely painful to play. ? I actually recorded the rhythm guitar at 60bpm and sped the project up to 72 where I was able to do the pentatonic scale fills using the high strings and a limited number of notes. ? I have learnt a lot more about Garageband doing this and hopefully more about the blues. This was also my first go at doing fills something that I tended to shy away from in the past and could not do much of because my songwriting tended to be very lyric heavy, not leaving time for fills.? I am still continuing with my guitar learning although I can not do things up to the required speed. I am consolidating my position with the Barre chords etc by doing a small amount slowly each day so that my wrist will still be able to bend into that position when the glorious day of less pain comes!?☀️

Here is my offering. I fancied having a go at 12 Bar Blues. It is daft and not all that good but I had heaps of fun doing it and I learnt a lot.? As Country Lou Watson once said "The Blues Is a Good Woman Feeling Bad" Well, this is a bad singer and guitar player feeling good, thanks to this new forum! https://soundcloud.com/user-581560130/cheesy-blues By the way, the warning notice you will see is only a photograph of a message I was getting, it is not a warning about soundcloud or the link above.

Thanks BluzCruz for the link to Justin’s suggestions. I have been working on Steve’s agility practice and am slowly making progress but noticed a few of my fingers started flying at the faster speeds. I will do major scales and Steve’s agility exercise super slow with fingers in control. Tom

Last year's Fingerstyle Retreat was one of the nicest events I have ever attended. Below are some words of wisdom taken from the song arranging session with John Knowles (CGP). Every time you learn to do something, learn how to do it somewhere else on the fretboard. Your best work happens when you are working in areas where you 60% know and 40% can’t do yet (this is where adventure happens). Each one of us has a different tolerance for being confused. When I’m working too hard, I put it down and play something I know how to play. When you are learning, there is exploration, new technique, musicality, tempo, and expression (you can’t think of all these things at once - work on one at a time). It never has bothered me that I can’t do it YET! Tomorrow I will be closer – don’t be discouraged by the barriers. There is no destination, only so far – so far – so far – so far – then they write your obituary. Set modest goals and celebrate. You need patience, you need to love it, and you need curiosity. Chet Atkins: (in response to someone saying ‘that looked easy’). 'It didn’t use to be.' I play what I love – and work on what I can’t do yet.