SandyB53

Howdy Bill, I know it gets confusing at first but just keep practicing. Eventually you will understand what Steve is saying and it will make perfect sense. Economical Picking it what it boils down to...you will get it soon. Up Down Picking will become your friend especially when you begin to play faster songs and you have to do anything you can to stay in time....THAT is Where the Up Down picking will save you, you will see what I mean soon. It makes Sense and it Absolutely Works. Just Remember, THIS is No Race....Take Your Time. Understand what you are Learning and Master it as much as you can, as you Progress you will begin to understand how these Lessons kind of Build on one another and as you Master each little Skill it will feel Great when you begin to add it to Songs that incorporate the Skills together. Don't Give Up...NEVER! If you Continue Asking Questions and Practicing, your going to wakeup One Day and Say WOW! I Did It! Nobody has truly Mastered a Guitar in a Short Period of Time so don't set your Expectations too high, just Practice as much as you can and you will see Progress. This is The Right Course with The Right Instructor and a TON of Fellow Students willing to Help You any way they can. Keep Learning and Practicing and Keep Your Fellow Students Informed as you Progress, We All Love hearing Great News....

Camping Out in a Session is No Problem. Remember, This Course is ABOUT YOU.....And Only You. Camp Out as Long as it takes, there is No Shame Here. CHORDS came very Difficult for me while others said CHORDS were Easy for them. Just goes to Show that Learning is Different for all of us, some things come easier for some than others and vice-versa. You can Rush thru this Course and at the End, still Feel like a Newbie or you can Take Your Time and relatively Master each Section and when you get to the End, you will Feel and Play like a Master. The more you Study and Practice, The Better you Get. I preferred to Camp Out in a Session until I was Playing the Material so well I began to get Bored with it.....then I would move on. When I got to Session 5 I knew I was Ready to Tackle Chords because Notes were EASY at that point for me and I was Playing Songs at Full Tempo from the Hal Leonard Song Book I had purchased (Easy Pop Melodies). I can tell you, Session 5 Swamped Me. While I felt Ready to Pursue Session 5, It was Extremely Slow. Master 1 Chord at a Time until you can nearly hit it without Looking....(Feel Your Chord Position). Then when you feel Good about that Add another Chord to the Mix. Steves Videos are Wonderful. Point being, Learn the Material ANYWAY YOU CAN.....Watch Steves Videos, Practice the Material in the Book and The Bonus Resources Book as well as the Bonus Workshop Videos, ALL Of it Helps. Then Develop a way of Practicing that Helps You, Whatever it is. If you need to, come here and ask for Advice, somebody is always willing to Help You. Just Never Give Up...No Matter. It Will Come to You Eventually and when you look back you will be so Happy You Never Gave Up. Also, Enjoy Your Learning Journey, Don't let it get you down. I am sure at This Point you are able to Play Much Better than you could when You Began this Course. Always Remember That.....Be Proud of your Progress and Keep Telling Yourself, Quitting Is Not An Option, a little every day Practice will Get You To The End in Time. You will be Proud When You Get There and also You will Realize just How Hard Everyone Here Worked to get to the level of Playing Guitar they are Today, it will make you Appreciate them Even More and Your Self Respect Will SOAR. Learning to Play Guitar is Not Easy, But You Can Learn if you Really Want To. I Wish You Well and Keep Your Head up....you can do it.

Obviously this Young Lady Spends alot of her Time Creatively, Wish we had More Young People like her.

Great! I have often thought if I ever MASTER Guitar, I might Enjoy Learning to Play a Bass Guitar also.....Sometimes I even Think playing Bass might be Easier....but I have a Feeling it is Not as Easy as it Looks. I still might try it someday.

I would Love to Read his Novel, but i would also Love to Read a Book of His Music Knowledge......Every Time he lends his Knowledge to a Question it makes me Smile. A Book based on His Collection of Replies would even be Interesting. Right After I Posted this, I read one of the Questions in this Section and WHO did I find with an ANSWER? None Other than Mr. John Wells......here is the Quote in Answer to the Question: Why are Guitars called Dreadnoughts? 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. If That didn't Make You Smile...Nothing Will.

As For Me....I am Not Admitting ANYTHING.....lol

OK, So Tell Us about The Guitar You Purchased Today......

Funkcanna, That is a Great Job. It appears you are doing very well in a short period of time, keep up the Good Work. I would say Relax and take your time, obviously you are not having any trouble Retaining the Information so just make sure you go thru the Bonus Workshop Manual and when you are comfortable with that material, move along to the next session. Keep us Updated, and Your Video Quality is Top Notch also.

Mr. Wells I am Very Pleased to See YOU are still Here with the Group, I miss Reading your Advice to Fellow Students, It is Always Great Information, I wish You would Write a Book....What a Great Read it Would be. I Wish You Well on Your Surgery and hope you Recovery Quickly. I will Certainly Include you in my Prayers for a Successful Surgery and Speedy Recovery. I am with Dave White, I Consider YOU Mr. Wells My Guitar Hero also. Keep In Touch.

Welcome to the Guitar Gathering Forum Cliff. I made the Commitment to Learn to Play Guitar at 53 and Luckily Found Steve & The Group with the Learn & Master Guitar Course. I received my Course just Before Christmas 2013 and began My Journey. The way it is Presented my Learning Experience has felt quite Natural, I didn't say Easy. I spent quite a bit of time up thru Completion of Session 4 and in Session 4 I Purchased the Hal Leonard "Easy Guitar Song Book". While in Session 4 I was able to Relatively Master Several of the Songs from the Song Book, I can't express How Great that made me Feel, But I was Sure of One Thing....I had actually Acquired Usable Skills from the Learn & Master Guitar Course. Shortly after all of that I suffered some Health Issues and had to Stop my Progress but have recently Picked my Guitar Course back up and while a little Rusty, I rapidly was able to return Nearly to the place I left off. Here is My Advice as a Novice Student: Take Your Time and Relax. There is NO TIME FRAME for Progression. When YOU are Ready to Advance to the Next Session, Do SO and NOT Until You are Sure You are Ready to Advance. Download the Bonus Workshop Handbook and have it Printed and Bound at the Office Supply. Make sure you Complete Each Session in the Basic Course Manual AND The Bonus Workshop Manual before Advancing to the Next Session. You don't have to Perfect each Session but try to be Very Comfortable with the Material and Exercises. Simple Songs get Boring Quickly but I Assure You , It is In Your Best Interest to Master them, it will Help You in Later Sessions. If something Troubles You, Come Here to the Forum and ASK or Explain the Issue You are having Difficulty with. It doesn't Cost a Penny and you will find Many Senior Students Jump In to Help You until you Resolve your Issue and Cheering You ON to Success. Nobody has a Course Combined with a Group of Students More Willing to Help Fellow Students than This One....but I Bet you Realize that by now. I wish You Luck and Hope You keep us Posted on Your Progress or issues and Become a Part of the Guitar Gathering Family for many years to come. If you Really Want to Master your Guitar....THIS IS THE PLACE. I Wish You Well and Cheer for Your Success.

Boy, This Song Turkey in The Straw has Bit Me....I have Listened to it about 20 times in a row, Dad Gummit!

Cindy I would Love to Download a Copy Of Turkey in the Straw by Dennis C.....That is an AWESOME Track.

Great Job Six-String! If THAT is Just Practice, I can't Wait until you give us your Final Version. I know You have been at this for a while and Your Success is quite visible. Thanks for Sharing with Us. Sandy B.

More Great Information! Thanks DianeB.

Me Too Nutty 1.......

Wow Neil....You were Spot On! Congratulations on your 1st Recording. Now that you know HOW...Keep Em Comin! Thanks for Sharing with Us.

OK.....That was Chapter 1 of My Book...lol Forgive me Folks, I just say what is on My Mind and I can't Help It if I am Long Winded. Sandy B.

Jeff, I just would like to Add a little info to what everyone else here has said but I have not seen anyone mention the Bonus Workshops that go along with Each Session. Those are Advanced Lessons that coincide with the Main Workbook. You will need to Download the Bonus Workshop Book (Free). I would recommend you feel Comfortable with the Session in the Main Workbook and then go to the Bonus Workshop Book and Continue until you are fairly Comfortable with the Material in that Session before moving forward to the Next Session. I think you will find when you Advance to the Next Session it is a much Easier Transition if you were able to Complete the Material in the Bonus Workshop before Advancing, otherwise it can be a little overwhelming at times. The Bonus Workshop Workbook is Absolutely Your Friend, Utilize it ALL YOU CAN. Also be sure to Watch Both the Main Lesson Video for Each Session and when you Advance Yourself to the Bonus Workshop Workbook, there are Videos for the Bonus Workshop Sessions as well. I know this sounds like alot but do Yourself a Favor and Get Every Ounce of Learning you can from This Course. The Course was Designed to help you Become a Real Guitar Player, if you Utilize All of the Tools Steve Created, I believe you will find your Journey Much Easier. Remember....There Is NO TIME LIMIT for Completion of each Session, Main or Bonus Workshop. Take your Time and Practice until You Feel Comfortable in Moving Forward. You Don't Have to MASTER each Session but at least Feel Comfortable with the Material You Covered, I believe you will find your Journey Much More Pleasant. This is No RACE, Everybody will move along at a Different Pace......So Advance at YOUR Own Pace. What You TRULY Learn, NOBODY can Take Away from You. Should you have the Need to Take a Break from the Course, It will ALWAYS Come Back To You, typically in very short order, I say that from Experience. I am currently Back from a Break and working thru Session 4 and I Started in 2015. No Shame Here, I can Play MANY of the Songs from the Hal Leonard Easy Pop Melodies Book at Full Tempo with the Backing Track.That is WHEN You KNOW...You Have It RIGHT..... Jeff, Take Your Time and Enjoy YOUR Journey, afterall....It Is Your Journey. I Wish You ALL The Luck and Please Come here Frequently and Interact with Us and if you have an Issue that is Troubling You, Please Tell Us About it....there will be MANY Advanced Students to Your Rescue, Including Steve Krenz.

Welcome to ALL of the Newcomers to the Group. I believe you have Found the Group to be in to Either Learn to Play Guitar or Advance your Guitar Playing Skills. This is an Absolutely Amazing Group of People who enjoy Helping Others accomplish their Goal of Learning or Advancing their Guitar Skills. I find Steve Krenz to be Among the Very Best of Guitar Instructors also. The Key to Success here is Commitment. Without True Commitment you will likely never accomplish your Goal. From Personal Experience I can assure you if you are Truly Committed to learning to Play Your Guitar at Whatever Level you Desire, You Will Accomplish It. While I am Certainly NOT Professional Grade, I have accomplished Skills I never thought Possible for myself. When I would hit a Wall and Need Assistance to get me Through....there were always Many of the Advanced Students here more than willing to Happily assist, Never Any Negative Comments. I don't find that to be True of too many Groups here on the Internet. Steve and many of the Students here have worked tirelessly to provide us a Place to Meet and Learn with limited Harassment from outside troublemakers. I believe each of you will find this Group Very Unique and Pleasant to learn amongst, I do hope All of you find this to be True also. In Closing I want to THANK Steve and ALL of the Learn & Master Guitar Students at ALL Levels who helped me in My Journey to Date. I hope to be able to Help Others coming Up thru their Journey in the Future as Well. I certainly Learned ALL I Know from one of the Most Caring Groups I have Ever Been Associated With.

Beautiful Guitar Jay, Glad to see your Still Around and Hope you are Progressing Well. Sandy B.

I agree with you 100% Steve and Group. I also enjoy a Civil Place to come Visit and Share Useful Information and I certainly dislike Politics. I agree when you say This Place is a Place to Come and Learn, and that is Exactly what it is. I believe we have a Wonderful Group of people here and serious about learning to play Guitar. This Group has been Very Helpful along my short Journey and I hope to be able to become as useful as some of those who are further along in the Course and pass along some of the knowledge I have obtained. Thanks again to Steve and the Folks who Help Support this Forum to keep it Civil.

Doug, There is No Cure for a Guitaraholic, but if you need a Place to Store some of your Excess Guitars, let me be the 1st to Volunteer...?

rkl312 Don't let the Period of Time you have been working on a Session Embarrass You. This Course is Not a Competition and Some may Complete a Session Sooner than Others and I would believe that would Vary from Session to Session. This Course was Designed for an Individual to Work At Their Own Pace and that is what You need to do. No Matter How Long it takes you to Complete a Session makes you No Less Respectable than someone else who may have Completed the Session in Half or Less Time. The End Goal here is to Learn to Play your Guitar and if you Accomplish that Goal, Your a Winner...No Matter How Long it Takes. I typically spend an Extended amount of Time on each Session and want to feel as if I have Learned the Lessons and can feel Comfortable Moving to the Next Session. If You MASTER each Session (Not PERFECT), this Course will make you a Very Respectable Guitar Player, No Matter your Goal. Hold Your Head High and Enjoy Your Guitar Journey. I Wish You Well. Sandy B.

Congratulations Danny and BTW, I think You may have found your Calling....Very Nice Sir.