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Nutty 1 you are full of surprises!!! This is one song I did not expect to see here. Thanks! Thanks for the reminder and clarification of the ding-a-ling too. I worked with a guy who used to sing this regularly and loudly while stocking yogurt. Without explanation, of course.

Thanks for the tips Diane! Simple and endless... I need to put play back in too. Lately I've been warming up by playing the frets up and down, then complete with sharps and flats, then on to session 4 practice. It's coming sloooooowwwly. I'm on my third or fourth nine volt battery for the metronome.

Hi constancr: I'm working through the material with a metronome. I'm close, but not quite there. When the song doesn't sound right I go through it carefully with the metronome. That usually clears it up. I was suddenly puzzled about the eighth note e/c in the Entertainer. I found that I had started placing the beat on the c out of habit. Eighth notes are often on the offbeat, which is no big deal from my drumming. I love off beat stuff. Well, wrong! :-P Hang in there. Way to keep going with life goings on. Me too. I quit last time, but not this time. I love playing guitar. Correction: Before walking my dog this morning I wanted to say that I listened to Steve play the Entertainer multiple times last night. I had drifted from the correct way and back again. I counted with his playing the three e/c sections and found the second beat not played between the first and second e/c pairs. That makes four beats so I am relieved. Please let me know if I am once again wrong. I am a percussionist in rehab to become a musician, so it could take awhile. (How many players in a rock and roll band? Four: Three musicians and a drummer.)

BluzCruz: Signals Music Studio made modes amazingly clear. Thank you. I'm glad I was able to watch this at the beginning of my guitar journey. At my stage "being limited to the little box" would be a big step forward. ShadowBoxer86: I wrote down your pneumonic. :-)

☺️☺️☺️ Congratulations Ian!!! You got right out there after you stated your intention. Fun how the crowd gave you a boost to get you started. We've all been nervous for one reason or another, eh? Thanks for sharing and inspiring me as I slog through the baby beginner waters.

BrianG, since you posted I decided to check the link. Glad I did. The showcase is coming to Rainbow Guitars in Tucson, AZ September 10th!!! I'll be going. Fun how things work out.

Yes Pat! May I add that growth begins when we leave our comfort zone as well. Ian, great job. It's almost as if a different person is singing when you bring it on! One thing that came to mind is something I've noticed over the years. We've all heard about our "inner child." Well, what helps to me on stage (for whatever reason) is when my "inner hot dog" comes out. It's the feeling of cutting up, joking around and most of all letting go into the flow. Related to the "inner hot dog" is a tip my West African drumming instructor gave us. He said while soloing to play to somebody. That can be a person in the audience or what works great with the lights is playing to/with a fellow performer. I'm sure somebody has mentioned this stuff, but I haven't found it so far. Rock on!

This is great Greg. I'm digging around on the site to see what I can see and wanted to give you another comment. Congrats for getting out there. Fun stuff, eh? I can't speak for your brother-in-law, but playing drums for a long time can be super fun and a huge shot in the arm for playing. Playing West African rhythms for dance class used to be so challenging. Drums are a vital ingredient, but not the main event. If anybody is off, everybody knows instantly! Visiting African dance masters took it a step up from there. I left a lot of sweat playing on the dance floors. Thanks again Greg. I'm watching guitar/Western music equivalents to dance class playing. Dance class was a sign your skills were to a certain hard-earned level. I'm looking forward to experiencing that level playing the guit'!

I've had great experiences on reverb. I bought my acoustic there, a returned Larrivee in almost mint condition. I found a tiny dent that didn't go through the finish on the bottom side. My Squire Mod '51 I also got on reverb. There was a blond model on the site. (The last one I saw for sale anywhere.) I bought it and the seller contacted me. It was already sold. BUT he had a pristine used red model just in if I was interested. Heck yeah! Red was the color I wanted. Reverb has been a convenient starting place to watch price trends and availability. I've watched PRS Starlas since I first saw and heard a core gold sparkle model 2 1/2 years ago. I knew that someday I would get one. Although I had what I needed to learn to play, I recently bought a 2010 gold sparkle starla on reverb. The case is a little banged up--I knew that--but the guitar is in great shape. (I love this guitar. It's better in all ways than I thought it would be!) When Sweetwater was blowing out their Blackstar 10th Anniversary amps I checked items for sale on Reverb. Yep. Great sale. Same with the PRS SE custom 24 on sale from Sweetwater. The vendors bent over backwards to ensure the purchasing experience went well.

Thanks Diane, Now I know too whenever I get there. I went back and looked at the book. That's what I get for looking at one example. Now I have the same question about Canon in D, but I haven't watched the video. So I will get out of heeeeere! Btw, I never used the tab while playing, so I forgot about the 0 = open string. Thanks.

I'm not there yet, but I am very curious about lesson 10, so I looked. On the first page of Session 10 there is a picture of a hand with the Thumb labeled T, the index 1, etc. Below that is a key for finger pattern 1 that shows Thumb - 1st - 2nd- 3rd . Now look down at the first exercise. There is only music notation for the fretting hand. The tab below is for the picking hand. Notice the 0, which equals the thumb. This is a little confusing if one is looking for a T like the picture of the hand or the word Thumb like in the key. It was probably easier for some reason to use a zero. Hope this helps. Now to get back to session 4 before I start messing around with this stuff.

What beauties! One friend who has played all his life (he's 60+) swears by Guilds. "Pros play Guilds." My other friend who can play well loves his budget priced Ovation. My acoustic is a Larrivee DV-05. I was looking for a D-02 or -03 at a good price but made an offer on this when I came across it on Reverb. They took my offer! Such a sweet sound, feel, smell and look. I don't need flash, but I sure enjoy it now that it's here. It's like acoustically speaking I'm "full." I look at Larrivee 12-strings now and then for someday and I'll surely get a Yamaha for beating around once I can play some songs well, but I'm acoustically sated.

Hi Constancr. I'm with you in Session 4. I read your other post about taking time off and maybe moving into the sharps and flats. Yahoo! Time off is essential! I've been at Session 4 since July 21st. It's challenging! I'm working with the metronome in the lesson book and slogging through the bonus material. Once I'm using the metronome I know it's just a matter of time. So far I don't feel the need to split the session in two. I stayed in Session 3 a long time. I don't care about a timeline. I want to learn the material. First I wanted to get my sound to where I liked it while learning the fretboard and I was worried about the chords and especially barre chords. (I've talked with a number of folks who quit playing guitar when they came upon barre chords.) So I spent many hours on warm ups followed by chord work. I expanded the exercises to using the open strings up to the fifth fret, added exercises and made sure to start from both ends. Eventually I was naming all frets including sharps and flats as I played them, when finally I decided to get on with things. A side effect was a strong pinky and the sharps and flats don't befuddle me mentally. By that time i had learned all the open chords and could with difficulty do the F barre chord in lesson 7. Now for a break I sometimes play with the F and slide it and the B major chord (the most awkward feeling chord for me so far). My "side work" was to look ahead at Steve's instruction--especially for the barre chords--and work on physical limitations and memorization, rather than studying other material. This is really paying off now, although who knows? I may take a long time anyway. This Session 4 stuff is intense. Good stuff. Just sharing in case it might help somebody. Another thing that helped me finish off Session 3 was following Steve's advice (you are a fine instructor Steve!), starting at lesson 2 and just playing everything, rippng through it 100 bpm or as fast as possible using the metronome and continuing through the new material eventually with the metronome through mistakes and oops moves. For me that gives me more "miles on the strings" and balances out my tendency to focus on one section until pristine. Rock on!

Awesome!!!

This was cool. I ran across it a month or so ago. Rick Beato has an interview with Steve Vai that goes in depth about the business of making music. I really enjoyed it. Lots of Rick's stuff is for later and much later in my case.

You guys are an inspiration! "Wave" is new for me. Very nice. I sure have listened to the rest umpteen times over the years. Love your renditions of them. But Mandy--TIMMMBERRRRR!!! The look you gave the mic scared it so much it forgot to fall. I laughed. Thanks for leaving that in. :-) Danny, you nailed that twangy hook in "Mama Tried." I haven't listened to stuff-kickin' music in many years, but now I want to play and sing some of that old stuff. From back when country was its own thing. Lots of names come to me from that time. Thanks y'all. Back to practicing... Phil

Nice review Old Guy. Thanks again for more neat info. I happen to have bought this SE Custom 24 model in spalted maple during the recent Sweetwater blowout. I love the thing! It sounds great, plays smoothly and the resonance is amazing. The body sings strongly! The neck feels smooth and easy. I am still in beginner land, but the sound and quality of this guitar were obvious the minute I held it and started playing. Mine was made in Indonesia. It stays in tune fine, but I'm not using the tremelo yet other than "Oh yeah, it has a tremelo," and trying it when I first got it. I got it for a hair over 300 dollars (Thanks Adam!!!). The only issue was a loose input jack. I screw it in whenever it loosens (my Modified '51 Squire had the same issue), but I need take the jack loose and tighten it internally.

Thanks Neil, Wow! I sure love the blues. I listened to a third video by this guy using a slide on a resonator guitar after I listened to the first two. I wanna play blues now. Now, I say. Back to practicing... Phil

Thanks for the Vaideology review, Old Guy. Great stuff! I received the materials today. The play along: it's going to be awhile! Too advanced for now, which is great for later. The music theory book I'll begin slowly integrating with L & M. The 10 and 30 hour workouts!!! What a nut for guitar Steve Vai is. It's inspiring to see how deeply, intuitively and intellectually Steve goes in his practice. He strongly emphasizes correct playing of each note/chord along with the sound you intend to make. Thanks Steve Krentz! This is great material. Now back to those guitar miles... Phil

Thanks Steve! I'll make sure everything is there and functional, then put it all away until I'm ready. Thanks for saving us the search time. Phil

Thanks for the welcome! Vim: It was didgeridoo and drums I'm experienced with. Although you did remind me of a CD I bought years ago with non-drum focused West African music. Thanks! The creators wanted people outside Africa to know that Africans play more than drums. I'll check that artist. Nutty 1: Thanks for the encouragement and I will. I like your handle. Guitarben: My first L & M attempt I usually started by playing 15 minutes of didgeridoo and 15 minutes of djembe/dunun. My chops started to return, but it was too much given guitar complexity. This time I decided to focus exclusively on guitar until I'd say, at least getting through barre chords. Hey wait. What about days off guitar playing? :-)

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.

Funkcanna: In answer to your question "What is swing?" I'm a guitar beginner like you (lesson 3), but I'm an experienced djembe and dunun drum player in the West African Mande tradition. When we use our priceless metronomes (regardless of beats per minute) and play in exact time with the beep, click or light, we are playing the music "straight" or "on the beat." We can crowd the notes by playing slightly earlier, or "ahead of the beat." This gives the music more drive, more energy. Makes you want to get up and dance. We are still in time, but there is wiggle room there. Music is a touchy feelie creation. We can slightly delay the note and play "behind the beat." This makes the music feel relaxing. Different combinations of this create "swing," a lovely feel. If we go too far either way we are early or late, provoking disapproval from fellow performers and listeners. :-) One interesting effect is when multiple instrumental parts played "straight" combine to form the feeling of swing. This happens a lot with West African polyrhythms. I look forward to exploring this effect in guitar music. I don't have formal musical training, so I don't know correct terminology. However, I can make a rhythm shwang! Hope this helps. We are early in our guitar journey for making music swing, but as Steve and the rest say, we will get there!

Yes, Columbo, I plan to investigate a twelve string when I can actually play a guitar well enough to make sure I want six more strings! Also, I have been wanting to get a prs starla since I heard one probably two years ago this summer. Now that I got that single-ended amp (with so many less options to confuse me), I realize I don't yet know enough about electrics to spend a lot on one. So same applies to electric. Thanks for the GAS enabling. :-) Great idea Fretless! I will do that. Now time to walk the dog and get to playing!

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!