The deuce

I appreciate all your suggestions guys, certainly there is enough ideas to get started. In my mind I was making this Jamming thing too difficult. From what I'm understanding is just get together and let things evolve. Just a little background how this whole Jamming thing has progressed. I placed an add in Next Door Neighbor 41/2 months ago without any response. My home is in Texas and I summer in Colorado where I'm at presently. About 2 weeks ago I started getting response to my add, which I almost forgot about. So now I have emailed the potential "jammers" that we would get together when I return to Texas. Crazy how things in life unfold sometimes. Hope the add responders keep their interest until I return to Texas.

I have in the past read several posts concerning Guitar Jamming. This I'm told is a great way to speed up and improve your guitar playing. I've never been able to find others to play with so I put an add in our "Next Door Neighbor ". My post stated I was a beginner to intermediate player looking for players in that range. Well there have been four replies from guitar players who have interest in getting together. Now I suddenly realized I don't know beans about Guitar Jamming and not a clue where to start. Because I placed the add people will be looking to me for some type of leadership. Any ideas or help in this area will be much appreciated.

Beautiful Karl. Certainly with all your choices on woods and components it has to be a great sounding guitar. And I thought learning to play a guitar took commitment!

Appreciate the looper pedal paired with metronome idea. At this point I don't have any guitar electronics, still somewhat intimidated by everything. Seems in the journey to become a better guitar player you find yourself involved with things totally foreign to you at one time. That is part of the fun in learning guitar. Who knows what's down the road.

Thanks lan got it. While searching the apps on my iPhone/iPad I did see this app. Should have tried it but dismissed it, thinking this can't be the one. Guess I was hung up on looking for the Voice Recorder app rather than the Voice Memos app.

LAN I do have both both an iPhone and iPad. I have searched the apps on these devices but do not see a Voice Recorder app. I'm tech challenged and must be overlooking something. Both my devices are several years old, could this be the issue?

Thanks Old Guy your insight about Zoom recording options. I will certainly take a look at their website. I did down load a recording app and though it was good I found it somewhat inadequate. One thing I have found thus far is my playing is choppy. Though I use a metronomes often, I believe I'm not playing in the grove. In other words I'm not feeling the music. Hope to overcome this eventually.

Appreciate the recording practice suggestions, great to hear what others are doing. Seems like the simplest way to record would be a phone app which at present I don't have but will get. Maybe with time a person would like a higher quality recording. Just all part of the guitar learning experience.

This topic has probably been addressed numerous times in the past. To avoid searching back through all the posts, I will ask the question once again. My goal here is to merely record my practice to hear and analyze my playing. At this point I only have acoustic guitars without electronics. Hoping to make it simple and keep it inexpensive. I have recorded with my phone on video but it is too distorted to be of much help. Appreciate your ideas.

Waiting for my new Martin Acoustic to get here. It has been on order for going on two months, should get it next week. I'm getting as excited as a young kid waiting to take his new puppy home!!!

Thanks Steve for a great guitar course, I can appreciate all that went into making this the best course available. Certainly the guitar communities support has helped so many in so many ways to become the guitarist they always wanted to be. I was disappointed to miss your guitar session in San Antonio this past summer. We spend summers in Colorado. Hopefully there will be another opportunity in the future. I started session 10 today, thanks for all the encouragement from everyone.

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.

It's time for me to move on from lesson 9. Looking at lesson 10 finger style is what I believe is next for me. A couple of issues concern me at this point : 1. I will never be able to have longer finger nails 2. From an accident my index finger was cut off just past the nail. Looking on line at various finger picks has me confuse, so many options. Does any one have experience with finger picks or should I forget lesson 10 and move on to lesson 11?

Certainly with everyone's encouragement I'm going to give it a go with my buddies. This will happen in July so have a little time to work on some things. Brad, can't hardly believe there is two of us doing this guitar thing at our early age!! Guess we don't want to have a lot of "I wish I would have's" at the end of life's journey.

Thanks Blue Dog, I did not have the right count and strum.

Can someone give me the note count and strums for the first measure of La Bamba? I have what I think is correct but would appreciate another take on this.

I appreciate the suggestions and support from everyone. Though I use jam along tracks it is a weak area for me. After I complete session 9, will take some time to just do jam along tracks before moving on to session10. John Certainly you have been a great model for me. Every time I think my hurdles are age related I remind myself, "but look at John he did it". Will always remember the 3 p's you have often suggested.

Thanks Jerry and Diane for your encouragement. In my inexperience I thought you had to play all the music or none. Though we will only be together for a couple days and probably only play for a couple hours, I will savor the moment. Remember years ago watching these friends play and wishing I could play also. After all these years maybe it really will happen!!!

My desire is to make some sorta of sense from this post. I'm 75 years old and have been playing about 21/2 years using the L&M course. At present I'm about 2/3 the way through session 9, and must say I really enjoy the guitar. I really enjoy music but it certainly does not come easily. What I lack in ability is made up in commitment, my practice is from 1 to 1/12 hours 7 days a week. Yes I should be further along from where I'm at presently. Two of my old buddies and their wives whom once lived close but now are separated by many miles plan a reunion this summer. Both my buddies and myself play guitar and it has been suggested we jam together at our reunion. My two friends have played for years mainly gospel and spiritual music. They play with cords only over the lyrics. I believe I can play most of the cords but have never played without structured music. Without music's bpm, measures etc I'm lost. I'm disappointed that I probably won't be able to jam with my old buddies. Seems after my friends played about a year, they were able to play cords over lyrics to some familiar gospel music with ease. Knowing the L&M course eventually will take me much further along than playing cords over lyrics, disappointed for now. Also I don't sing, making things more difficult.

Matonanjin, I'm not really a tech person but understand getting all the info moved over to this site may be near impossible. However what ever postings could be moved would be a benefit. Not really sure if anything can be done. Of course the ideal would be all postings for all 20 sessions be here and available to members.

I really enjoy our new Guitar Gathering site, it is really done well. A number of our talented members have help put this site together. Thank you for your work in getting the job done. Without your efforts one day we would cease to exist. One thing I do miss is the Session Questions from the old site. There is a vast amount of information for each particular session that has been accumulated over the years. This has been an important resource for me and I still visit this area often. Really wish there was a way to rescue this information for our members before it is gone forever.

I have lost hearing in my right ear because of excess fluid in the middle ear. After steroid injections to the middle ear along with other procedures done, my hearing has not improved. I have had hearing hearing aids now for about 4 months. Something that surprised me was that my hearing loss was not a gradual loss but all happened suddenly. Because I listen to my guitar playing mostly with the right ear I do not get a true sound feedback with hearing aids. Hearing aids today are very advanced with many program options but nothing can replace natural hearing. I grew up when sun screen, eye protection, ear protection etc were seldom used therefore we experience issues today because of those wrong decisions. Though my hearing loss was not a result of not using ear protection, I would strongly urge everyone playing a music instrument to pay attention to the ears.

I grew up in South Dakota and when we go back for a visit we travel through several Indian Reservations. Going through a reservation can be depressing. I remember as a boy going to the reservations to play sports or whatever, today many years later the reservation looks about the same as it has for years. Thanks guys for giving of yourselves so generously, the poorest area of the US is much richer today because of you.

Barre cords certainly are a challenge, I have been in lessons 7&8 since May 15. Wish I could say Barre cords are done and I'm moving on. There is light at the end of the tunnel though. The support and encouragement of the community has gotten a lot of players (including me) through this difficult time. Seems barre cords are a turning point for a lot of guitar players. They quit or go on to be respectable guitarist. We must not ever forget the 3 p's. I also have dangled a carrot out for myself, a new guitar when completing session 8. Probably not any two guitar students will approach their guitar journey the same. The important thing is to one day make that wonderful music that only comes from the guitar.