Steve Krenz
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Posts posted by Steve Krenz
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10 hours ago, tjmeyers said:
I also do all of the scales patterns and pentatonic scale patterns in one position to help stop me from linking a pattern to a certain position. Ex: G - F - D etc. all in the 3rd position.
Yes, great idea.
- Steve
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9 hours ago, tjmeyers said:
Hello Ozy and welcome.
I am one of those oddballs. I am left-handed and play right-handed.
I write left-handed, in baseball I bat right and throw left. For darts I can throw with either hand. For archery I am strongly left eye dominant.
You will just have to try and see what works best for you.
Yes, great insights. Usually it's pretty clear, after some experimentation, which hand has the dominance - and to what degree that dominance has.
I brush my teeth and eat left-handed. Throw a ball and write right-handed. Can bowl with either hand.
So, my "handed-ness" is more right handed - but not exclusively.
But with guitar (since it is a two-handed endeavor) it's a bit more complicated.
Do some in-depth experimentation and you'll start to feel how playing guitar one way feels more comfortable and natural than the other.
- Steve
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1 hour ago, The deuce said:
Thanks for your advice guys, you have helped me make a decision. I will start session 10 and experiment with picks. Finger style really does interest me and perhaps will go beyond beyond session 10. I have become more aware of guitarist playing styles. This past Sunday at church, a rhyme guitarist playing with the worship team mixed finger style in with cord playing. I realize this isn't anything new but I haven't really noticed it before, loved what I was hearing.
I see you're from San Antonio - my home town! Go Spurs Go! (Although this doesn't seem to be that great of year for them.)
I would say, yes, continue to look at Session 10. Just get a feel for it. Don't let your one finger injury hold you back - just work around it as best as you can.
Don't worry about nails. Fingerstyle is more about getting your fingers to cooperate in moving independently.
It's a great style. Let me know if you have any questions along the way.
Keep up the great work!
- Steve
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Old Jock,
Congratulations on a great Christmas gift! It looks like a cool pedal with some probably great sounds once you find them.
Yes, there's always a learning curve and a lot of experimentation when dealing with multi-effects processors. There's just lots of menus, sub-menus and tweaking involved.
The pros are you get a lot of effects bang for your buck. If you've got the time and patience to tweak it, you can find some great sounds.
The cons are it's often hard to get to that great sound quickly when you need it - particularly in a live performing environment.
Zoom makes great stuff and the MS-50G looks like a premiere unit.
Let us know what you think of it when you get to know it better. Maybe do a "gear review" here on the board for it.
- Steve
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Ozy,
First of all welcome! It looks like you're starting to meet some of the gang.
Regarding Left and Right Handed-ness - I had answered this in a post on the old forum. Here are some thoughts....
Can the course be used for a left handed person and should I play guitar left handed?
Thanks for the email. I play guitar right handed so naturally I instruct right handed. I have taught many left hand players and the material is identical. The only difference is that the left handed player has to interpret the visual elements in reverse. This sounds a little more daunting than what it actually is. Left handed players quite naturally make the distinction and capture the material with the same speed and comprehension that the right hand players do.
Actually, when the material is presented on video, to a left handed player it will be an exact mirror image of what they will be playing. So, I have not found in my private teaching that left hand students have any problem applying the concepts to their playing any more than right hand students do.
Here's another thought. I have found in my personal private teaching that whether a player is left or right handed in their playing is not as cut and dried as "All left hand players play left handed". I have actually found in the course of teaching many left handed people guitar that usually just about half of left hand players actually prefer to play the guitar left handed.
As confusing as this would seem. It seems that it has something to do with how "left handed" each individual student seems to be - the level of their handedness dominance. On a beginner, I can usually tell within about two or three weeks how their motor skill development is doing.
I generally start every brand new, never touched a guitar before, beginner (right and left handed players) playing the guitar right handed. (I do this for a variety of reasons, the largest being that left handed resources for the guitar are so limited. Almost everything for guitar is geared to playing right handed). For this new left handed beginner, if after three weeks they are still having great difficulty in getting their fingers to find the correct string when fretting a note then I would usually switch them to playing the guitar left handed. I flip the guitar and restring it in reverse or we try to locate them a left-handed instrument. We then start back at the beginning and after about a week of re-acclimating themselves to the instrument it becomes very clear which way is going to be preferable for the student to play.
Whether a left handed player should actually play guitar left handed is an issue of motor skill dominance regarding their "handedness". Often this hand dominance is not clear in the first week or two, but by week three it becomes very clear which "hand" is more dominant for these fine motor skill tasks. I wish it were as easy as "If you're left hand, you play guitar left handed" but I have not found it to be that simple.(and from another post...)
Choosing whether to play left or right handed as a left handed person depends on how dominant your handed-ness is.
Typically, I would generally start a learner out playing right handed and see how it goes. You'll know in about a week if it is working for you. If you can't seem to do anything correctly and you are having incredible trouble just getting your hand to finger the right frets then that's usually a good indication that you probably need to try playing left-handed. But it takes a week or two of wrestling with it to really see. Because everyone is slow at the very beginning. So you really need to get past the first week or two of solid effort to get a good feel for how your fingers are doing. If by the end of a week or two and you are still struggling with getting your fingers to finger the correct fret (even though in your head you know which finger you need to play) then try switching to left handed.
After you've done this, get a left handed guitar or re-string your guitar left handed and begin back at the beginning again. You'll have to go over the early things again, but this usually goes much quicker the second time. And within a week you are back to where you were and beyond.
After this 2-3 week process it will be abundantly clear which hand you should be using to play guitar and you'll have the rest of your musical life to thank yourself for this small investment of a couple of weeks to figure this handed-ness issue on guitar once and for all.Also, I would suggest not spending more than one week on Session 1 of the Learn and Master Guitar course. The real learning starts in Session 2.
I hope this helps.
Please let me know how it turns out.- Steve
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That's good advice!
I practice....
Major Scales in One Position
Major Scales: Three Note on a String - Playing normally ascending and descending, then in 3rds with hammer-ons and Pull-offs.
Pentatonic Scales: Up and Down in Each Form, Up 4 Pattern, 3 pairs of Strings, then connecting the forms up and down the neck.
Pentatonic Scales with Added Blues Note: Up and Down in Each Form
When I change keys I like to go in a circle of Fifths rotation: C - G - D - A -- E - B - F# - Db - Ab - Eb - Bb - F or a circle of fourths rotation: C - F - Bb - Eb - Ab - Db - Gb - B - E - A - D -G
Hope this helps!
- Steve
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Tuesday December 18th, 2018
7pm Central
Topic: Fingerstyle Guitar with Collin Hill!
Our very own, Collin Hill, will be dropping by to show some of his amazing fingerstyle playing, talk about his new project and show how to do harp harmonics!
Here are the harp harmonic exercises he will reference... Harp Harmonics with Collin Hill.pdf
Here's a video of Collin teaching harp harmonics...
Great music, laughs, giveaways and more!
Here are a few videos to get you familiar with him...
Watch it live at 7pm Central tonight HERE
Great music, giveaways and more. See you there!
Make sure to subscribe to our Guitar Gathering YouTube Channel HERELearn all you can!
- Steve
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On 12/10/2018 at 11:36 AM, colder said:
Looking forward to it!
Regarding the on-campus accomodations for those who choose that route, will they be the same as last year? Will they be available for the whole conference? Just wondering if I need to book a room for any nights - hotels can get expensive in Nashville
Colder,
Yes, they will be the same as last year and they will be available the entire length of the conference.
- Steve
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Looking forward to having you all!
- Steve
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Tuesday December 4th, 2018
7pm Central
Topic: Learn a Christmas Song!
Tis the season to learn a Christmas song! I'll be teaching a classic. I'm working on getting the music together now.
Plus, I'll be giving tips on what to look for when purchasing a guitar.
Here are the songs we'll be referencing tonight. These are simple, triad-based arrangements by Bill Cooley.
Christmas Songs with Triad.pdf
Watch it live at 7pm Central tonight HERE
Great music, giveaways and more. See you there!
Make sure to subscribe to our Guitar Gathering YouTube Channel HERELearn all you can!
- Steve
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Tuesday November 20th, 2018
7pm Central
Topic: Guitar Artistry with Johnny Hiland!
"I think Johnny Hiland is the most versatile guitar player I've ever heard.
From Bill Monroe to Eddie Van Halen, he can play it all!" - Ricky Skaggs
The man, the myth, the legend - Johnny Hiland will be back with us tonight!
Nominated by Vintage Guitar Magazine as Best Country Guitarist, Johnny Hiland is a great friend and phenomenal player!
Great music, laughs, giveaways and more!
Here are a few videos to get you familiar with him...
Watch it live at 7pm Central tonight HERE
Great music, giveaways and more. See you there!
Make sure to subscribe to our Guitar Gathering YouTube Channel HERELearn all you can!
- Steve
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Yes, they were great. I didn't know quite what to expect but it ended up being fascinating.
I look forward to having them back again next semester.
- Steve
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Yes, the patterns on the guitar are endless.
If I follow you correctly, you're saying to play...
6th String: A (5th Fret) (1st finger) to C (8th Fret) (3rd or 4th finger)
5th String: E (7th Fret) (1st finger) to G (10th fret) (3rd or 4th finger)
4th String: A (7th Fret) (1st Finger) to C (10th fret) (3rd or 4th finger)
3rd String: E (9th Fret) (1st Finger) to G (12th fret) (3rd or 4th finger)
2nd String: A (10th Fret) (1st Finger) to C (13th fret) (3rd or 4th finger)
1st String: E (12th Fret) (1st Finger) to G (15th fret) (3rd or 4th finger)
You'll find patterns like this all over the guitar.
The trick is to then turn patterns like this into workable finger patterns and licks.
Keep Learning!
- Steve
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Tuesday November 13th, 2018
Topic: Classical Guitar with the Belmont Guitar Ensemble!
Watch it live at 7pm Central tonight HEREGreat music, giveaways and more. See you there!
Make sure to subscribe to our Guitar Gathering YouTube Channel HERELearn all you can!
- Steve
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Tuesday October 2nd, 2018
Topic: Cosmic Country with Daniel Donato!
Watch it live at 7pm Central tonight HERE
Great music, giveaways and more. See you there!
Make sure to subscribe to our Guitar Gathering YouTube Channel HERELearn all you can!
- Steve
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Shadowboxer,
Wow! So sorry to hear about all that you've had to go through. I hope your home was OK.
Glad you're safe.
- Steve
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Tuesday September 25th, 2018
Topic: Capo Madness!
Watch it live at 7pm Central tonight HERE
Great music, giveaways and more. See you there!
Make sure to subscribe to our Guitar Gathering YouTube Channel HERELearn all you can!
- Steve
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Tuesday September 11th, 2018
Topic: The Best Sounding Chords for Guitar
Certain chord shapes make the guitar really sound it's best. We'll cover some of these tonight.
Download the PDF for the lesson... The Best Sounding Chords - G.pdf
Watch it live at 7pm Central tonight HERE
Great music, giveaways and more. See you there!
Make sure to subscribe to our Guitar Gathering YouTube Channel HERELearn all you can!
- Steve
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Hey gang,
Getting ready to release the next fretboard workout on Money Chords!!
But needing a few testimonials for the webpage. Any fretboard workout success stories out there?
I'd love to hear about your progress with them!
Hope all is well.
- Steve
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Bryan,
Yes, I'm so glad that our musical worlds have crossed paths and look forward to having him involved in the future.
- Steve
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Tuesday August 28th, 2018
Topic: Guitar Artistry with Bill Cooley
"... one of Nashville's most respected sidemen." - Guitar Player Magazine
We are honored to have with us, the legendary Bill Cooley. www.billcooleymusic.com/
Bill has toured and recorded with Merle Haggard, Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, Hal Ketchum, Kathy Matea and countless others.
Bill's beautiful touch and signature acoustic guitar sound have made him the soundtrack to countless songs.
A wonderful kind man and brilliant educator.
Here are a few videos of Bill...
It should be an amazing time of music, laughs, giveaways and more!
Make sure to subscribe to our Guitar Gathering YouTube Channel HERE
Learn all you can!
- Steve
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Fantastic question!
The answer is YES and NO!
Let me explain.
YES, when building 4 note chords (triad plus the seventh), the chord built on the seventh step of the scale would be a m7b5. (For example, in C, the chord on the seventh step would be a Bm7b5.)
and...
NO, these particular chord shapes used for that exercise, just happen to NOT include the 5th of each chord. So, you'll notice that each of those chord shapes used in that exercise don't include the 5th of each of those chords.
So, back to your question. "Shouldn't the last one be a Bm7b5 instead of a Bm7?" Yes, the chord built on the seventh step of the scale has the b5 in it, but these particular voicings don't include the 5th.
So, I had a choice when writing it out, should I write the chord name as a "Bm7b5" but show the form that doesn't include the 5th? I decided that would be confusing. So, I just wrote it as what it truly was, a Bm7.
Hope this helps!
- Steve
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Tuesday August 7th, 2018
Topic: A Great Jazz Guitar Trick: Patterns and the Power of 3!
You can watch the lesson HERE.
Ready to learn a great jazz guitar trick?
The ear recognizes patterns - patterns in chords, patterns in notes. You can use patterns to create incredible sounding progressions just by moving identical chord shapes to different parts of the neck - particularly three frets apart.
Here's a great lesson on a wonderful concept of patterns and their use in threes. I know it sounds odd but, trust me, it's a handy tool to use. With some incredible musical results from just a bit of guitar sleight of hand.
Here's a simple PDF of some of the concepts we'll be covering...
Watch on our Guitar Gathering YouTube Channel HERE- Steve
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Randy,
So sorry to hear about this setback. Hopefully there won't be any permanent damage.
Here are a few thoughts.
Relax. You may not have chosen this but now you're strapped into this ride and there's little that worrying can do about it. Worrying won't make it better or shorter - just more miserable.
Do what you're told. Do what the doc says. If he says "no use for a month" then don't sneak a quick play in here and there. In this big world of ours there's short term damage and long-term damage. A finger fracture is painful and a hassle but it is short term damage. BUT, not letting it heal properly can easily take it into long term damage and it will be something you'll be wrestling with 3 years from now.
Keep thinking about guitar. There's tons that you can do without having to actually play. Work on theory stuff, song-writing or chord knowledge. The main thing is to keep your mind still in the guitar and learning game. Your mind is the real organ that affects your playing. Keep it engaged during these off weeks.
You'll be back playing soon enough.
- Steve
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Session 4 - Eight Notes
in Gibson's Learn & Master Guitar
Posted
Here are some tips for Session Four as you begin it...
And, here are some tips for Session Four after you've been in it for a while...