Gary Nelson

Definitely one of the blues greats.

One of the most prolific proponents of the "caged" system is Guthrie Trapp. He came to a Guitar Gathering summer conference several years ago. He has a course available through Brett Papa that does a good job of explaining the "caged" shapes and how they relate to the triads, scales and arpeggios that relate to that particular shape. One thing that has become very clear to me is that many guitar teachers miss the boat. They present each topic as something separate. Barre chords are presented as a topic. Triads are presented as a topic. Major scales, pentatonic scales all presented as separate. When in fact, it's all related to the scale. The magic happens when you can visualize the scale and see the chord shapes and the triads that are contained within. Having said all that, I'm still working on creating that magic. Not quite there yet.

Very nice Mike. I don't have a Martin in my collection yet - maybe someday.

Hi T-Bone. Glad you have enjoyed participating in the Hymns Academy. I did as well! I have taken part in several of the academies over the years, and have archived the emails that contain the link to the video lesson. I've never tried to download the lesson video itself from Youtube - I think you have to have the premium subscription for that. For the most part, the links have remained active and I have been able to access the lesson if I needed to refresh my memory for a past lesson. If for some reason a link doesn't work, I believe you can send Steve and email and he can provide the lesson to you.

You should have just now received an email from Steve going over some of the logistics of the academy. I just did anyway.

I've lived in West Tennessee most of my life and I've never taken the time to drive the 2 hours to Clarksdale. Something tells me I have a day trip coming up!

Ok. You had me at the mention of lobster rolls!

Sean McGowan was a featured guest at Steve's Fingerstyle Retreat a couple of years ago. Most of his presentation had to do with Fingerstyle Jazz, but he did touch on some of these Holistic topics as well.

Way to go!

Very nice! I’m a bit jealous of that amp!

You know, that might make a really great pedalboard!

Awesome! Looking forward to your first song on Spotify!

After what seems like months of deliberation, I finally pulled the trigger on one "last" guitar that fills a hole in my collection. I didn't have a 14 fret, steel string with a cutaway (you know, for all that shredding I do). I also wanted some type of tonal variation other than what I already had. Last weekend while in Nashville, I stopped by Gruhn's to look at another guitar I had seen on their website. It was nice and the price was right, but it just didn't do anything for me. So with my poor wife sitting there holding guitars while I tried one after another, I checked out several Taylors, Martins, and a few others. I finally settled on this Taylor 414ce Studio. It is their Grand Auditorium size (didn't have one), is Rosewood and Torrified Spruce (didn't have that ) and it has a great balanced sound whether played finger style or with a pick (at least in my ears). Like many "studio" models these days, it has all the basics that the regular 414 has, but without the bling (no binding on the body or neck, simpler fret markers, structured bag instead of a hard case, etc). The neck is also 1/16 narrower than some other acoustics. It almost feels like the neck of an electric. So I'll let you know how I feel about that after some time with it. Anyway - I'm done buying guitars (and if you believe that let me know. I have a bridge to sell...)

Great looking guitar! Every guitar has its own voice and it's great that you are enjoying this one! But If you ever want an energetic discussion of heat treated tops vs non heat treated, ask George Gruhn his opinion. He's definitely NOT a fan!

I'll bet most of us at one time or another have asked ourselves the question " why am I doing this?". I've heard Steve comment many times that if playing guitar was easy, everyone would do it! I'll second what Fretless said - don't rush it. Another thought - are there any qualified instructors where you live? The internet can be a great learning tool (I often take online courses) but sometimes having an instructor in the room that can point out flaws in technique, etc might be the best option - at least to get you up and running again.