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Ahh, this is a change from the first generation auto tuner that I have. That is definitely a desired feature upgrade. Greg

I believe tuning the auto tuners manually is strongly discouraged and could damage the unit. I would review this with the manual before pursuing tuning any strings by hand. This is one of my gripes also when switching tunings and even with standard retuning sometimes. Certain strings seem to want to downtune. Changing strings is also a pain with the autotuners, in my opinion. Greg

Melissa is a regular song on my trios setlist-this chord form included. Nice review of this Diane. The complexity of these chords also hurts my brain a bit. I need to dive deeper into the pool, I guess myself. But thanks for the stimulus.... Greg

It is great that you are considering organizing a blues jam. They are a lot of fun and can be a real positive step forward in getting confidence of stretching out musically without feeling adversely scrutinized because of your shortcomings. Gerald and Six have shared great comments on how to get started. I have hosted and participated in jam sessions regularly at my place and elsewhere and the experiences vary depending on skill levels and understandings of the blues and group play. Based on these experiences, this is my advice. A basic understanding of the blues is a significant starting point. Even beginning students with mastery of basic open chords, major and minor, could participate if they understand the 12 bar, 1-4-5 concept as Gerald suggests. Also the feel of the blues relies on certain rhythm strummings-straight, triplet, swings, shuffles etc. Beginning players may only be able to play the chords without any soloing, but that is ok, as this is a building process with novice players. I often introduce a song by having players listen to the song via my PA system first if they are unfamiliar or need to get an idea of tempo and rhythm style. Having a drummer and bass player is a real benefit for getting the "feel" in a jam. Within that player group, hopefully some will also have some understanding of major and minor pentatonics and the blues scale as well, and can give some examples of soloing over the progressions. It is not necessary at first to know specific songs if you are just focused on just jamming. At some point, if a singer is introduced into the mix, specific songs can be introduced, but the emphasis is always about "the jam"-passing around the opportunity to solo over the chord progressions. As Six stated, it can be a real train wreck at times ( a friend of mine calls these a musical mashup) so getting everyone on the same rhythm pattern, in tempo on time is important and that would be the first emphasis. Also, keeping volumes under control so that the soloist or singer is not drowning in noise is important. Keep it loose and fun, make mistakes and laugh about it. Establish the common knowledge level, set up the progression- I use a white board to set up songs if progression are less common or more complex, but they can be used for basic instruction as well- listen to an example (many jam tracks are available for free), and give things a spin. If you are hosting, be the leader and teacher of your assembly. Enjoy the ride. Best of luck on this. Greg I will add that as the sessions advance, I will hand out song sheets of common songs ( there are dozens of these that I have) and ask others to bring in their choices to present/teach, so that the jam becomes less me running and more participatory . Also this allows me to learn new materials as well, that I may not have been introduced to before. Fun stuff.

Nice to hear again from you Mike. I hope life is on the upswing for you and allows you to recapture the musical enthusiasm and energy that you have had and shared in the past. I have already registered myself, for next year and hope to finally meet another founder of the current rendition-you-at the event. Best wishes. Greg

Very well done Ian. Not only the recording quality but also the production development of the song. You are becoming more than just a singer/songwriter , my friend. Superb! Greg

Absolutely stunningly beautiful Kevin. I hope you are out sharing your musical gifts with others. This performance is truly golden. Greg

Nice find Dave, congrats! Looks like a great show and a sweet catch. Greg

Congrats on the find. She's a beauty. I will be interested in what you think of the auto-tuners, G-Force. I am swapping mine out for traditional tuners. I find them to be a bit fussy at times, and frequently are unstable with the tuning.Fun to play with at first but tiresome in the long run. Greg

Congrats man! The ice is broken. Don't worry about mistakes because it will eat you up...everyone makes them. You laugh it off and play on. It happens even with the big boys. I went to a Queen cover a couple weeks ago The Brian May cover was the best I have ever seen in a Queen band and he had a hiccup on one song. No one probably noticed except die hard music fanatics like me. Practices reduce the incidence but perfection... best luck on that. The most important thing is finding the joy in sharing music with good friends for others that enjoy what you are doing. It may be just music but it is a powerful tonic for the soul. More to come for you. Greg The link to soundcloud is not active though, Cap

Wow, amazing recordings, all. Kevin, your rendition of one of my all time favorites may be one of the best covers I have ever heard of Homeward Bound. Simply awesome instrumentally and fantastic vocals. Very professional sounding. You need to be out performing on the road.? Randy, excellent guitar playing on a very challenging instrumental piece. Again, one of my favorite songs that I wish I could play as well as you. Very well done. Mandy, love your originals, and this is a cool blues number. Nice to hear you are on the mend and now you have added another instrument to your arsenal. Sweet! Greg

Nothing wrong with simple. Here are a couple of two chord songs, popular in their genre. One an 8 bar blues, one a rocking country song. Each song has added embellishments to the focal rhythm pattern, that create a nice listening interest for me. If an object is to consider playing the original live for an audience, a looper pedal might be a nice addition to your "gas" collection. I've always considered listenability-catchiness-a desirable component to my interest in a given song. I share Cap's interest in lyrical content and structure but in truth, that may not be the primary reason why most people latch onto a song. Still, in developing one's art, I value that aspect in songwriting highly and my favorite collections usually include artists who script their verses well. Greg

Nice vocals Ian, and a nice melody line. Consider a second guitar with brief note stabs or some moving double stops in the phrasing breaks, maybe a little slide guitar to try out . As Neil said, a great start and a good foundation to build some color over. Maybe a choral vocal background later in the song. Just some ides. Greg

Wow, what a great moment for you! Congrats! I listened to those originals and they are very catchy songs, very nice. Hope this is just the launch pad for your future live play. You now understand the thrill of the moments on stage. Keep it up! Greg

Yea man! Very nice. The melody lines of the verses are very hum-along-able, which I feel is an important aspect of listener appeal. Simplicity can be a compelling aspect of music and the keys here offer the baseline for the sweet acoustic riffs. The lyrics ring clear, the message is strong and the voice is very nice for this piece. I like it. Greg

I don't know what type of guitar of neck finish you are playing on, but some necks are "stickier" to my fingers than others. I prefer satin or no finish ( have one distressed guitar with all the finish sanded off) for a smoother thumb movement up and down the neck. I don't do anything fast however, physical limitations associated with arthritic fingers. Just a possible thought here.... Greg

So cool! Great performance for you and the team. I love this video. Greg

Cool looking guitar.. Congrats! Greg

Fun stuff Henk. Still no video? Greg

Some friends and I were asked to be the "host band" for one of our BluesJam Class open jams at a local truckstop club in Portland, Ore. We intro'd with 5 songs ( we had 2 practices beforehand the week before), then the open jam began for an hour. After a break for all, we came back for 4 more songs from the "Vancouver Boys", followed by the open jam. Two of the players (one on the left and the guitar player on the right with the cap) are 2 of the instructors in the class we asked to join us for the sets. Again, iPad poor quality for recording, is a couple of our songs at the beginning of the night. Lots of fun. The drummer(my brother-in-law) played for 2 1/2 hours, no replacement, poor guy. Going to take a break for a couple weeks. I have had a bunch of practices , classes and performances over the last 3 months. Need to work on some skill building....back to the books for a spell....and the Americana trio of course. Greg

I agree. This is a nice testimony to the dedication required to advance to the professional level and the outcomes are quite evident when I listen to Mark's exquisite performances. Kudos to you Mark, and to your wife who gave you the encouragement and support to fulfill your dream. Thanks for sharing your story. Greg

FWIW, the Cube is a great knock-around amp to have around. I have several tube amps, 1 watt to 45 watts, which I play at various times, but the amp I quick grab for my jam classes is the the Cube. I have a 6o watt ( no longer made) and it is a no fuss....plug in, pick a setting and play . It is not really a choice for a performance amp for me but it is very utilitarian , sturdy and can take a beating-throw it in and go. Good choice! Greg

Awesome Mark! What a wonderful and inspiring review of your musical pursuits. Perhaps sometime you can expand on the steps of the journey you took in the last 8 years from novice dabbler to professional artist. I , for one, would find that story fascinating. Thanks for sharing. Greg

Woohoo, the best kind of band by far! This will be a fun one to watch. Love it!. I have just a granddaughter and her uke...still trying to get her to jam with me. The others are just jocks. Greg

Wow, good news! Hang in there. Greg