John Wells

I'm anxious to see the series. I saw the Ryman concert on TV and heard some of the criticism about omitting some of the CM artists. Somewhere along the line Country & Western (CW) became Country Music (CM). During my teenage years in the late forties CW music was looked down on by many people, so Eddie Arnold's "Cattle Call," Roy Acuff's "Great Speckled Bird," and even Cole Porter's "Don't Fence Me In," were ignored by all but CW fans. And don't you know, I'm sure David Alan Coe won't be mentioned. Lotsa luck.

I think vacation is a time away from all the cares of life. Even keeping up with things like music lessons are to be avoided. On the other hand, music appreciation can be a good influence no matter when we have the chance. Going to a concert or watching a good performance on TV enhances our outlook about music. If you're in Italy, maybe going to La Scala opera house is a possibility. When we return from vacation, we go at it with renewed enthusiasm. We soon catch up. Lotsa luck.

Yo do us proud and you're in good company. It's said that Kris Kristopherson was so nervous before every live performance he upchucked before he went on. Lotsa luck.

Old Guy, you ain't all that old, but you're got spunk and a marvelous attitude. Admire it. Lotsa luck.

Hey, mon, have the happiest. Lotsa luck. https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-Lkry-SF01&hsimp=yhs-SF01&hspart=Lkry&p=youtube+happy+birthday+song#id=0&vid=7e9c3c8d4d48e80420a1e8cf071835ab&action=click

Bummer! Keep us posted on your progress. Lotsa luck.

This is really a question for Steve, but protocol never stopped me from sticking my two cents in. Your objective is to learn to play the guitar, and should be foremost in your mind. Session five's one of the most important sessions of the course, and by the time you're ready to tackle session six, you'll be far more skilled in fretting and strumming chords. While overcoming difficulty builds confidence, falling short of expectations breeds disappointment. I recommend you go on to session five and periodically return to the Song Hits, and one fine day what was difficult yesterday is today's piece of cake. And always remember the "Three P's: Practice, Perseverance, and Patience." Lotsa luck.

It could be you're experiencing a memory overload. You have only 4 GB RAM, and for music programs that's not much. My thought is to install more memory--at least 8 GB. I have 16GB in my iMac and have never had a program freeze up. Lotsa luck.

Take a look at the Acoustic Chorus AC-60 made for acoustics with pups. I have a Taylor 712CE and it's a great pairing. Lotsa luck.

I didn't know where to put this, because it mostly applies to new students. Over the years I've noticed that one of the hurdles in learning to play guitar is reading music. It's essential in learning to play, because we see a note and have to identify it before we react by fretting the proper string and plucking it, then hearing that we've done it correctly. Learning is worlds easier IF we know how to read music. Fortunately, this is something that can be learned apart from playing our guitars. We learn it by rote (doing it over and over until we can do without thinking). To assist us in this, a website (free) has online drills. It's an asset we shouldn't ignore. The website address is below. Lotsa luck. https://www.musictheory.net/exercises

Don't know if you've been watching American Idol, but there's a new star by the name of Laine Hardy. Think he's something special. Here he is singing one of Elvis's hit, so you can compare. Lotsa luck.

Whether we’re learning to hit a golf ball or learning to play a guitar or other musical instrument (or even play a video game—ugh!), several things are going on in the development of our mini-brains and coordination of eyes and muscles. They’re interdependent. First we have to learn to read music, to look at a note on a musical staff and instantly recognize it. Really, this is separate learning from fretting the right string and plucking it. To master this, we drill our eyes and mini-brains in exercises, the best of which can be found at this free website: https://www.musictheory.net/exercises Once we’ve accomplished this skill, we start the process of learning to play our guitars. This is when our neural system coordinates our sight, fingers, and hearing senses. It takes time and patience. It’s what we call the “Three P’s: Practice, Perseverance, and Patience.” If that’s not enough frustration, our fretting fingertips are getting calluses, which is painfully distracting. Use rubbing alcohol on them to ease the pain and hasten the formation of calluses. Eventually, they’ll disappear, leaving the fretting fingers inured to feeling. Again, the Three P’s. You’re doing fine, and we all encourage you. We’ve been there, done that, and cheer you on as one of our Forum buddies. Let’s hear from you often. Lotsa luck. Best, John Wells

Not enough information to make a recommendation. What brand and model of guitar? Electric or acoustic? Did you buy online or from a music shop? When did you buy it? These things make a difference. I doubt it's a Taylor or equivalent. The safe thing to do is to take it to a luthier and have him adjust it. There are no simple solutions to complicated problems--especially with guitars. Lotsa luck. Best, John

Way to go, Stefan. Now to answer your question, while being practical: Somebody did some research and found that in thirty million songs, one-third of them are written in the four major keys of G, C, D, and A. The most common keys of songs written in minor keys are Am, Em, and Bm. It’s noted that Am is the relative minor of C, Em is the relative minor of G, and Bm is the relative minor of D. Also E#m is the relative minor of A, one of the four common keys. Add to this the fact that G is the most easy key to play on guitar. If you consider that guitarists often accompany piano, the key of C is the most common key for a piano, but not so much for a guitar. E is easy to play on guitar, but not piano. The key of G is easy to play on both piano and guitar. What does all this mean? If you memorize the keys of G, C, D, A, Am, Em, Bm, and E#m, you’ll probably be able to play just about any song solo or accompany a piano player. And memorizing eight keys is much easier than putting the entire Circle of Fifths to memory. It’s a practical answer to your question. And let's not forget that wonderful thing called a Capo. Lotsa luck. Best, John

Thanks, Neil, for all you do. It's needed. You are aware, I hope, that an organized desk is the sign of a sick mind. Just a joke. Lotsa luck. Best, John 😀

Chet Atkins version is probably the best version, but unfortunately it's not available on YouTube. One of the best guitarists is that bloke from Australia, Tommy Emanuel. And his version is. Lotsa luck. Here's the original from Libby Cotton:

David Allen Coe out there? Not that many of his songs would be acceptable on this forum. "You don't have to call me darling, darling," and "Would you lie with me in a field of stone" are two that don't contain offensive language. DAC was an outlaw in his day--outrageous outfits and language. Lotsa luck.

Thanks, all. Visited the eyelash specialist and he said the lower eyelid had sagged due to age. With sagging it turns either out or in. Mine turned in, which he said was fortunate. I don't think so. If I'd been fortunate, the darned lid wouldn't have sagged at all. So, long 'bout the end of April I have to have eyelid surgery, where he insert some suture and string it up like a hammock, so it'll be tight and not sag. Lotsa luck.

As an old sailor, I know that the HMS DreadnOught was a revolution in warship design. Nothing else could match its design and firepower from its large guns. The same can be said for the dreadnAught guitar.Lotsa luck.

Way to go, Cliff! We're proud of you. Had a similar experience when I started, and found that I was trying to learn at my instructor's pace and not my own. Ditched him and signed up for Steve's wonderful L&MG, and found better luck. Also, this Forum helped, because we have music majors and guys with talent and interest in becoming professional players, and the interface with them--and of course, Steve, who joins in frequently with us--make this course wonderfully unique. Play on, Cliff, and never forget the "Three P's: Practice, Perseverance, and Patience." Lotsa luck. Best, John

Cataract surgery in both eyes came out great. I didn't know the world was so bright and colorful. I complained that it seems as though I often feel some irritable thing in my right eye, and Lo, they looked and informed me that my lower lid has some eye lashes growing backwards. I said that's weird, and they said no, it's quite common and informed me it's some long name I can't pronounce. Still think it's wierd, but next week I go to a specialist who'll pluck them and correct my situation. Talk about medical specialists! But they still can't correct my astigmatism, which means every darn page of sheet music I use has to be enlarged. Even so, they say I don't look like I'm eighty-seven, and I reply "You ought to see the world from my side of the eyeballs!" Lotsa luck. Best, John

They're probably all Strats Lotsa luck. https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-Lkry-SF01&hsimp=yhs-SF01&hspart=Lkry&p=Youtube+David+Gilmour+active+Strat+pick-ups#id=3&vid=0bd7e00d99dcc5b2a7df55831e846d26&action=click

Interesting. Lotsa luck. https://reverb.com/news/video-gibsons-new-ceo-jc-curleigh-on-his-vision-for-the-brands-future?utm_campaign=20190125+Friday+NAMM+Videos&utm_info=&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=MarketingCloud

Oldjock, surprised to find you didn't know that Jerry Reed was one of the best pickers in Nashville. He was also a character. Here he is playing guitar with Chet. Notice that he's playing a MacPherson, one of Steve's favorite guitars. Enjoy. Lotsa luck. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3qcU3OGuHw

One of Glen Campbell's hits was Southern Nights with a picking pattern Jerry Reed taught him. Here's a video of the two of them playing it. It's a blast. Lotsa luck.