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Rock on! The Music Theory of POWER CHORDS

Being a science nerd I was excited to see the first ever image of a black hole. If you watched any news last week you couldn't help but see announcements of this. Pretty exciting stuff! Well, it is to me. But what does this have to do with music, you ask. As a moderator I'm supposed to watch to make sure only music related posts are allowed here. Well look what the astronomers found when they zoomed in! This explains a lot.

Sorry for the delay, here is this month's challenge! This month's theme is courtesy of @Nutty 1. Spring will be here soon (hopefully) so love is in the air! Theme: Love and relationships Description: "Love and relationships" Any type of love or relationship/partnership. Deadline: 11:59 PM PST April 30, 2019 1- @mark_h - Sabor a mi 2- @Wim VD1 - Whatever you want 3- @WATSON43 - Shower the people 4- @Texaspackerfan - Break up in the end ------------------< RULES >------------------------- SUBMITTING: To complete the challenge, record an eligible song and reply to this thread with your your direct-linked or embedded track (Soundcloud's great) before the end of the month. GUITAR REQUIREMENT: You must play at least one real guitar track heard in the mix. GEAR: All content must be recorded with your home studio equipment. You may use BIAS or loops as long as you play the majority of the song with your real guitar. This is a guitar playing challenge not a sampling/recording challenge so keep that in mind. TIME: A recording made at any time before the entry deadline counts, but do not enter a recording in more than one challenge. ONE ENTRY per person or collaboration. But, I doubt anybody will complain if you want to share another on-theme track too. NEXT THEME: The person to choose next month's theme will be chosen randomly from those who complete this challenge. ----------------------------------------------------- Have fun, try something new, and give us something to listen to!

That's what I like, little nuggets I can understand and learn quickly.

Hi, my name is Phil. I've posted a few times, but hadn't seen this section. I figure that more time on forum means less time playing. I can't afford that right now! :-) I've wanted to play guitar as long as I can remember. I was born in '61, so I grew up in times of musical plenty. When people have asked over the years, "What would you do if you could do it over?" I say, "I'd learn to play guitar and start a rock and roll band." I was joking, but also serious. That was my only reply at 58 years and counting. Outside of a dried out, beat up guitar I bought in a used bookstore as a kid, music came late, in my 40's. First was the didgeridoo, a wind instrument. I still love the didge, although I'm out of practice. Then came the West African Djembe and Dunun drums played in the traditional way. What an awesome, rich musical tradition. I would've been a percussionist and dancer had I known about this stuff in high school. The djembe scene fell apart locally, along with life demands, but after a number of years I found myself wanting to play guitar!!! I worked up to an advanced level in the West African drum playing, so I knew to play guitar at an advanced level I was going to have to commit to many hours, years of devoted, consistent practice. And grab myself by the scruff, get up in front of people to play and sing. Yikes. The reviews led me to L & M and I knew this was the place to learn. Steve put a course together the likes of which I have not found elsewhere. These are the bones we need to stand up strong as guitarists. Thanks Steve! I attempted two years ago, but life intervened. Now back to lesson 3 and takin' it a little easy this time. I found two like new guitars on reverb at great prices: a Larrivee DV-05 acoustic and a Squire Modified '51 electric. I love 'em both. I knew I needed to play both type guitars and wanted the reportedly more challenging, longer neck of the Squire (a telecaster neck). I got a Roland micro cube, which works well, but when Sweetwater blew out their Blackstar 10th Anniversary amps at a great price, I got an Artist, which transformed my electric playing. I so love the sound! Sweetwater is blowing out PRS SE 24 Custom Spalted Maple guitars right now. I stumbled across them and Adam gave me a great deal on a great deal. So now it's on the way. Amazing. I was fine, but OKAY! I only purchase instruments I feel in my gut are for me. Every one of them has ended up to have sound, looks, feel, etc. that I love. We spend so much time practicing, why not practice with instruments we love? Also, each of my drums, for example, has taught me different things. It's amazing! That's happening with my guitars too. Thanks for the warm, friendly guitar place y'all.

Thanks

This is brilliant, thank you very much for sharing it Randy.👍

I think the picks are covering the money spent since starting to play the guitar. Henk

Ambition achieved for you Wim, that definitely rocks! Great job!👏🏼👏🏼 I have always wanted to rock like Status Quo as well.😎🤩

Welcome back Mark, we missed you! I love hearing your recordings as they are so inspirational. We need great players like you as well the strugglers like me! 😁 What a beautiful song, thank you for sharing it with us.👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 I have been worried that the monthly recording challenge threads would die. We need people of all abilities to post, it is really a great learning experience. When people practice on their own they have no real idea of what it sounds like but once you start recording yourself you begin to step up your learning because it gives you specific things to work on and makes you practice that song much more which leads to improvement. This is a great forum, no one is going to tear anyone's recording to pices because we are all real guitar players and we have all either been there or would love to get there! 😁(Sorry folks, that was an encouragement rant aimed at the non posters).

and now I know where all my Picks went! Thanks for clearing that mystery up for me... LOL !

Welcome back Mark! Rock on Wim!

Super cover Wim! That’s some serious playing, well done. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

And now something completely different... I always wanted to rock like Status Quo. The intro was tricky to count, and the speed of the short solo was a challenge. But so much fun to learn. Wim.

Hi all, I hope you are well and feeling some spring in the air. Nothing posted for a while as it seemed some people were feeling the standard of the submissions was a bit intimidating and they wouldn’t give it a go. However, last months submissions were awesome, so now I’m feeling left out. 😭 this is a loose arrangement of a beautiful Mexican love song originally titled “Sabor a mi”, it was recorded in English by Doris Day retitled “True to me”. It’s played on a nylon string Godin Multiac into a Roland GR20 to add some strings. I just can’t get this guitar to sound the way it should so this is the last recording with it. It’s now on eBay. The clicks and buzzes are the guitars fault, the clipping is entirely mine. “You can always make a recording louder, but if it clips you’re screwed “. Enjoy!,

Hi All, It's been two years since my first attempt stopped at the session 4 "wall." It was overload trying to learn all the positions at once. This time I set guitar practice as a top priority and after tuning my guitar I do all the exercises in Session 1 as a warm up. It has taken 20 plus minutes and has been tedious at times. As my speed increased, I added new requirements, constantly working on my sound: finger placement, picking and fret/pick timing. Now I am comfortable with the sounds and the corresponding feel of my hand and finger position. I usually do all this with my eyes closed now to help focus on the sound and feeling. The difference in my course work is amazing. Now I'm having a lot of fun, although (I'm thinking of the chords right now) some things have improved at a glacial pace. When I got to lesson 3 the fretting and picking was a non-issue. Of course I'm fumbling a bit, but I know where each sound is by feel. It's a matter of matching labels with sound/feeling, rather than the "lost in space" experience of my first attempt. I have pitched a tent at Session 3, investigating chords and bringing them up more--thanks for the barre chord Steve, the "F". I laughed when I noticed that. I'm checking ahead to make sure I'm not practicing bad habits before I get to new material. This time I noticed Steve's off hand comment about if you want to work on the chords, great. This time I took that to mean: If you'd like to avoid another wall, play over here a bit. From the sound of it, I may have to rent an apartment in Session 4!

I think it is great that you have tried a different material and heard which you prefer. I would call that success.

Welcome to the Guitar Gathering Forum Cliff. I made the Commitment to Learn to Play Guitar at 53 and Luckily Found Steve & The Group with the Learn & Master Guitar Course. I received my Course just Before Christmas 2013 and began My Journey. The way it is Presented my Learning Experience has felt quite Natural, I didn't say Easy. I spent quite a bit of time up thru Completion of Session 4 and in Session 4 I Purchased the Hal Leonard "Easy Guitar Song Book". While in Session 4 I was able to Relatively Master Several of the Songs from the Song Book, I can't express How Great that made me Feel, But I was Sure of One Thing....I had actually Acquired Usable Skills from the Learn & Master Guitar Course. Shortly after all of that I suffered some Health Issues and had to Stop my Progress but have recently Picked my Guitar Course back up and while a little Rusty, I rapidly was able to return Nearly to the place I left off. Here is My Advice as a Novice Student: Take Your Time and Relax. There is NO TIME FRAME for Progression. When YOU are Ready to Advance to the Next Session, Do SO and NOT Until You are Sure You are Ready to Advance. Download the Bonus Workshop Handbook and have it Printed and Bound at the Office Supply. Make sure you Complete Each Session in the Basic Course Manual AND The Bonus Workshop Manual before Advancing to the Next Session. You don't have to Perfect each Session but try to be Very Comfortable with the Material and Exercises. Simple Songs get Boring Quickly but I Assure You , It is In Your Best Interest to Master them, it will Help You in Later Sessions. If something Troubles You, Come Here to the Forum and ASK or Explain the Issue You are having Difficulty with. It doesn't Cost a Penny and you will find Many Senior Students Jump In to Help You until you Resolve your Issue and Cheering You ON to Success. Nobody has a Course Combined with a Group of Students More Willing to Help Fellow Students than This One....but I Bet you Realize that by now. I wish You Luck and Hope You keep us Posted on Your Progress or issues and Become a Part of the Guitar Gathering Family for many years to come. If you Really Want to Master your Guitar....THIS IS THE PLACE. I Wish You Well and Cheer for Your Success.

Thanks for all replying to my questions, I do really really appreciate it. Finally, I find a very very nice place where can get useful information, I can feel the warmth from here. You guys are fantastic. yes! yes! yes! Everybody knows that as a self-learner for any project, they usually feel lonely, spent too much time on useless things and easy to give up. but, now I believe that I could learn the guitar well by the assistance from your guys. one more time, thanks to all. According to the feedback from you guys, I make a learning plan below. 1 learning learn & master guitar (1-10) unit 2 Add "A Modern Method for Guitar - Volumes 1" as long as I finish unit 6. 3 Begin to learn "learn & master fingerstyle " guitar program. 4 I will create a youtube channel to record my learning process.