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Last year, my daughter and me played a folk song at a school concert.

Here's my neighborhood band, "Uncommon Ground", at our holiday party in December. I have a G&L Tribute Strat ("Judi" is her name). We had a blast.

A brief rundown and demonstration of the key aspects of stylistic blues guitar soloing and techniques by Griff Hamlin.

Hello colder! Over the past couple of decades, I have played guitar on a few worship teams and led at times as well. My current church is fairly large and has some very talented and professional level musicians so I have only been able to play for evening services. Because of this, I joined a little group which uses music to minister outside the walls. For the past three or four years I have been part of a group who visits assisted living facilities every month. Some of these people get zero family or other visitors so we have an impact by playing, singing, chatting, hugging, etc. They are blessed and so are we. I would like to share a true story which I witnessed in a memory care unit late last year. Nearly every time we played and sang at this place, a lady I will refer to as Jane, would come into the day room with big smiles, sometimes giggle, and occasionally hum but not a word from Jane's lips. Over a period of months, Jane became more animated and would walk around us as we played and sang. Again, just smiling, giggling, and humming. The staff occasionally would gently help her back to her seat as her sense of personal space didn't exist. She would get within inches of my face while I was seated playing guitar. One particular day, my fretting hand was hurting so I laid down my guitar and sat next to Jane. As our pianist started into the next song, I grab a song sheet and proceeded to smile back at Jane and point to the place we were at as the group sang. About mid chorus, suddenly, Jane is singing!!! She isn't even reading the lyrics. She knows the tune and the lyrics by heart. The staff and our group could barely contain ourselves. This went on for a few songs. Then, she went back to just smiling and giggling and I got back to my guitar. Later, I learned from the staff that Jane had never spoken a single word to anyone since she was brought to the facility. We had been singing and playing for about two years in this "memory care" unit. I never had a clue how God was going to impact my life when I walked in that day but I walked out about ten feet off the ground - God had blessed my socks off with what is the most miraculous event I have ever experienced. I had the most peaceful sense of being right where God wanted me, when He wanted me, and how He wanted me. If your church has a hundred or more people in attendance, there are likely other instrumentalists sitting in the pew you can connect with. If you have several hundred attendees, I guarantee you there are other singers and instrumentalists on the sidelines willing to join one who stands up and takes the lead in a new or revived music related ministry. Step 1. Pray. Step 2. Share your heart for worship with your pastor as well as other musicians. Step 3. Ask your pastor for information on other ministries where music is or could be utilized. Step 4. Ask for names of people who also enjoy playing and singing. Then initiate personal contact. Step 5. Keep practicing with ALL types of Christian music. (I never expected to be playing hymns every month versus contemporary Christian music) Step 6. Make yourself available to every opportunity. Post an advertisement on the bulletin board to start up your own group if no other opportunity presents itself. This will be a powerful learning experience whether the group thrives or dries up on the paper. Step 7. Practice resting in God and meditating on His word as His timing is perfect.

Hi all! Well, having turned into a Tele fanatic, I've really wanted a Fender Custom Shop Tele. One popped up on Reverb, and the seller needed to raise cash quickly for something, so I was able to purchase this! It's a 2015 Custom Shop '63 Journeyman Relic in "faded candy tangerine." I'm not too high on relics, but this is very lightly relic'd. I did a quick recording this morning, the first one being with my '52 RI Tele and then the new CS Tele. This one has a little bit of that Tele twang in it, whereas the first one has a little more warmer tone. Okay, no more purchases for a while, unless I sell a few Gibby's or something.

One from a couple of years ago.

Here's a picture of the guys I play with. Between the five of us, we play 6 string, 12 string, electric, mandola, bass, banjo and keyboard. After three years we have a 50 song library and we are constantly adding songs at each practice. We practice once a month combined with craft beer tasting. We have about two gigs a year (non paying). I have never had so much fun in my life. Henk

If we are going to open up a time capsule!!!! This is from about 1964. I'm the guy with the bass, far left (stage far right.) I don't remember the circumstances that I had this Hofner Bass for the photograph because I actually played a Fender Bass. I just vaguely remember borrowing it for the photo.

I have been looking for something really light for some time. After talking to a couple of the PRS owners on here, and talking with a few on other forums, I had decided that a PRS Hollowbody I or II was the guitar. I was already a huge believer in PRS guitars. I had looked at a couple on Reverb, at Chicago Music Exchange and elsewhere and made a couple offers but never ending up owning one. Last week my wife and I were in a local guitar shop and this one was hanging on the wall. Way up high where the nice ones are! The owner had to get it down! He handed it to me and my wife immediately said, "That is really pretty!" I played it and fell in love both with the way it played and the tone. My wife actually told me to make on offer on it but I didn't. I don't know why! I told her wanted to think on it. It has driven me crazy all week and I went back and brought it home tonight! It is feather light and has this gorgeous hollowbody tone. It has McCarty Humbucker Pickups. There is just no doubt at this point that this is going to be my "go to" guitar.

Cool score CapM. I share your conflict with the relic-ing thing. I don't really dig it, but at the same time love a vintage vibe, so a light relic job often stokes the GAS fires for me.

She's a beaut! Glad you decided to pick it up. I have a Roadworn Fender Strat that I bought a few years ago to take with me when I go out of town. If it gets more dings in it, I don't mind. The truth is, almost all of my guitars have some wear and tear now. Like a new car, the first ding is the most painful , from then it is not a big deal to me anymore. Kind of matches my physical aging..... Play it with joyfulness. Greg

Thank you DianeB and Plantsman13 for your help! The pdf is very instructive for learning the fretboard patterns of each scale. However, the examples are 99% of the time written only in eighth notes. In the video workouts, Steve makes double use of each fretboard pattern in the pdf. He sometimes starts the exercise counting the notes as quarter notes (slower than what is literally written in the pdf)! Then, he later reuses the pattern and counts it as written in the pdf (eighth notes - doubling the required playing speed). His reuse of each scale explains why each workout table in the pdf can have "Quarter/Eighths" in the "NOTES" column. It signals that we are to play once counting as if example was written in quarter notes and then again at double speed counting as the written eighth notes. Providing examples in both quarter and eighth notes would simply have doubled the size of the pdf without a corresponding doubling of usefulness i.e. Steve's method of integrating the video with the pdf works great! I look forward to completing this course!

Too rich for me. Doubt it will make me a better sounding player. Think I would be afraid to take it out of the case, plus I can get a decent used truck for that. Henk

For me, this was well worth watching. Thank you for posting.

Nice work of art if you have 40K to toss out! Not sure I could lay a pick to this beauty. Some collector will put it in his vault.

Barbara that's a great idea, awesome recycle project, saving our forest's, Kudos to you.

What a great idea with the desk! Love it! Will keep in mind the Blue Chip have some tackiness to them. I wasn't aware of that. I wish I could find a local store that carries them. Thanks for all the info!

I'd like to give a big shout out to Steve Krenz; thank you for all you do Steve, and I feel honored to be a part of your guitar community.

Ok, here is the link to the show we did with Greg last week...

A street party last summer, I'm the singer, my PRS Hollowbody II through a Mesa Nomad....probably too loud, and I a bit flat on a couple of vocal notes. And another Greg

Well if we are going to open up the time capsule here is one from 1985 when I was 18 years old. I am the one with the bass in the blue shirt. The others are my brother-in-law John and my ex-sister-in-law Nancy.

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