Oldjock

Good job Dan! Good tempo, keep at it and you will notice the doors opening in front of you. Henk

Very nice Neil, a beautiful song, well played, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you all for the great list of books. If I may add another book to the list, one which I have read a few years ago and seems to remain in my mind. Brain Rules for Aging Well: 10 Principles for Staying Vital, Happy and Sharp by John Medina. Brain Rules for Aging Well I can recall how the author characterizes the changes in the brain as we age and how to become self aware of those changes. This in turn helps us to better understand how we can improve our behaviour in social settings.

Preetam, exactly what Diane and TJ said. Plus I would add that the required finger pressure is greater for an acoustic guitar. Switching to an electric I always tend to push a bit too hard causing some notes to go sharp. Practice will help you find a comfortable finger pressure that sounds good. Henk

Agreed, I'm in. Henk

Thanks for posting Mandy. This was an excellent article for me to learn from. I found it very interesting that out of the ten points or steps to take when learning a song, the author does not pick up the instrument till step eight. Thus highlighting the requirements to plan, prepare and to anticipate difficult parts of the song. Perhaps my greatest downfall in learning a song is grabbing the guitar and immediately diving into playing, just to hear the sound. I suppose the point of the article is to be patient, using, ".... the fear of being unprepared" as motivation to be a better player. Henk

Very nice Neil, you kept the same tempo throughout the song and the notes were clear. Well done, I enjoyed listening. Henk

So are locking tuners worth it or not? I can only add my experience. I have a PRS SE Santana which seemed to have problems staying in tune. The strings were installed and stretched properly but after a few songs tuning would go flat. I installed the Schaller Locking Tuners and have never had a problem since. For me this was a $200. upgrade, was it worth it? Yes, less hassle stringing and no more worries about staying in tune. Possibly the size and angle of the post on PRS tuners may contribute to going out of tune quickly. The PRS forum lists the installation of locking tuners as a first priority when upgrading. What do you think Ron? Any issues with yours? Here is an attachment from Sweetwater, " 6 hacks for keeping your guitar in tune". https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/6-hacks-for-keeping-your-guitar-in-tune/ Henk

Neil, I think that word for word you have expressed my feelings. The only thing that I could add is, at the beginning (66 years old, 5 years ago) I had the luck of joining the Guitar Gathering (L & M). As Steve guides my journey, I am constantly helped and encouraged by a group of devoted and really nice members. Thank you all. Henk

Right Neil, so much technology. I could envision using this unit through the Aux In on the MX-80. The idea of practice songs with background track and visual chord diagrams reminds me of the old RIFF station site which was purchased by Fender. For me the main draw back is that this is a monthly subscription based service. So it’s a no go. Henk

Yes and no. As you are learning a song you must watch your left hand to make sure the fingertips are going where they should. Once you become more confident that the chords or riff sound good , that’s the time to shift your eyes. Practice will help smooth it out. It is very difficult to ski while watching your feet, yet the movement of the feet control the path. After a few falls it becomes second nature to trust your feet to make the right moves. Playing guitar is much the same, trust your fingers.

Thank you for posting these exercises Neil. The fretboard becomes very tight for my fingertips after the 12th fret.

I have never been one to make resolutions but continue on my path and go with the flow. The L&M course has never had a deadline for me, so I keep plugging along, learning and loving this wonderful instrument. I have been sidetracked with learning to play songs. Jamming with my group gives me an opportunity to learn from more experienced guitarists. I constantly find myself drawn back to the course to increase my knowledge and understanding of a song I may wish to learn. A sort of resolution this year will be staying on Chapter 13 Playing the Blues for a bit, because this genre of music tugs at my heart. Henk

@revster congratulations, that beauty will give you much pleasure to play. Now it's time to start thinking about playing some Gordon Lightfoot songs. "The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down ............" Henk

Like you Doug, my ring finger and pinky curve towards my thumb. Seems no amount of finger exercises can over come the broken fingers resulting from sports injuries. The ring finger seems to be trying but the pinky has a mind of its own. I try to adapt as much as I can but muting a string or two in the overall song is no big deal. Henk

Interesting topic, for what it's worth my ring size is 16 1/2 and the string indent, which is very slight, is 1/4" from the nail. I have always had to concentrate fretting on the fingertips. Henk

Marty, you deserve a medal for perseverance. A terrific positive attitude is what most people hope to achieve when the medical issues hit. Kudos for grabbing the guitar as soon as you could. Merry Christmas Henk

@Ning, glad to see you found your way home. Henk

Thanks for sharing Ron. Very timely for me as I am learning Harvest Moon. Henk

Dan, I'm getting into this conversation a bit late but I installed Schaller locking tuners on my PRS Santana. I did not encounter any problems swapping them in. They work as advertised but still need to be tweaked which should be normal. Henk

Excellent, excellent Diane, your chosen words have expressed the feelings of most of the guitar world. Well written. I can associate with what you are saying and as you say, " a soul-stirring vista worth every step of the trip ". 100% bang on, thank you. Henk

I constantly find the jazz genre trying to pull me away from country rock. I love the sound and how learning to play the scales brings me closer to becoming a jazz player. Here is another video which shows how to use the Am penatonic scale to play a nice jazz lick. Henk

I like the idea and advantages of using an iPad with OnSong but my problem is being able to get the font large enough to view while playing. My binder uses a 14 pt. font on an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet. Can the font on the OnSong pages be increased without losing the ability to "see" the song being played?

Apparently that's not the case Neil. A check of most guitar forums will show that this is a common problem with the Lb Mini. It is a terrific acoustic amp with little competition in the marketplace. I love it for the sound, so I look past the appearance. Henk