Mike
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Posts posted by Mike
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Music Reading for Guitar
The Complete Method by David Oakes
$19.99 Amazon
a great book to learn how to read rhythms and more.
my first two songs were about “what’s the strumming pattern”. Not a problem anymore.
This book doesn’t teach you to read the notes themselves. If you’ve learned what LMG teaches about notation, this book is a great next step. Even if you don’t read the notes, the rhythms are pretty easy to learn, and you can follow tab for the notes if you prefer.
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I’m on break from the course. But will continue it. I stopped at barre chords due to tendinitis in both thumbs. I also have to limit time with chords. But hopefully they will heal soon.
In the meantime I work on songs, in the advanced speed and agility course. And studying theory. Started the scale mastery this week. I use other sources as well.
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Now that I’m confident in my ability to spell all the major keys, tonight I have begun the mastery series.
I really like Steve’s workouts. I’m still on the speed and agility workout as well. And from that I learned it’s nice to have a plan already laid out to follow. Than having to spend the time to learn how to create a plan yourself. More time practicing!
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35 minutes ago, matonanjin said:
You didn't embarrass yourself at all. That point at which, after starting to learn, you feel like you are making music is great, isn't it?! Thanks for sharing this.
Yes it is great! Last night I learned a little of Wonderful Tonight by Clapton.
decided I’d choose that as my next easy song. I work on an easy and hard one together. Of course the song in the video has been my only hard one. That has taken 2 1/2 months. Still like 3 more parts to the song.
anyway last night I made my way through the main riff of Wonderful Tonight a few times. Then just smiled as I got the rhythm decent. Fastest I’ve ever learned a riff.
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Thanks. To all of you.
The sole purpose of recording is the watch and hear it. A friend of mine watched to hear me. So I decided to let him see it. After that I decided what the heck. Let others see it as well. My wife is the only one who mostly hears me.
I practice at work during breaks and work. But it’s that electric unplugged. So they don’t hear it as much.
I’ll have to thank my 5 years experience dancing for the help in rhythm. That part I catch on to pretty quick. And it takes as long to get your feet to do what you want as it does your fingers.
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15 months ago it didn’t cross my mind I’d be playing the intro and verse to Sweet Home Alabama. Still practice and cleanup to do with it. But I’m very pleased with where I am this early in so I might as well embarrass myself.?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HqVA6OzUjIokjxUnaUgt97Y7tQwdROk9/view?usp=drivesdk
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Today I’ll begin the advanced level for speed and agility. I sit here amazed that 15 months ago I began LMG and could barely get my fingers to do that simple exercis in the beginning of the book. And now I crank them out at this speed. Thanks Steve.
i also took advantage of Steve’s sale and picked up the Scale workouts. I’ll start them once I complete my Scale studies I’m working on. Should I complete the Speed and agility course before starting the scales?
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3 hours ago, Randy120 said:
I just mean relaxing your thumb to lift it slightly off the neck when you move.
Ok. Maybe it borderline speeds that make it worse. As it is lifting the thumb messes me up without the brace it provides. But as it is. I will continue to use the glove finger I’ve cut out. Everything is just so much easier. Easoecially if I start getting sweaty. And maybe it will help relax. Who knows. But thanks for your time.
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11 hours ago, Randy120 said:
@Mike Well you are struggling at 120 bpm which isn't for light-weights. You have come a long way already. Maybe in a few more weeks or months you will cross that hill. You need to work on releasing the thumb. Practice slow, to play fast.
If you aren't having fun, you're doing it wrong.
What do you mean by releasing the thumb?
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16 minutes ago, Randy120 said:
@Mike Other than cleaning it I think you just need to adjust your attack. The other thing is the guitar neck will naturally age with just your hand moving on it. I have a Gibson Les Paul, and even with waxing it is very clear I made an impression in first position with all my practice. It is subtle, but the cherry finish is noticeably lighter in color.
Any thoughts appreciated. But I’m out of options other than the cloth on my end. The pad of my thumb rest on the neck slightly above halfway. I can fret strings without my thumb.due to the use of my left arm against the body of the guitar. I’m left handed. I’m not squeezing. Yet the resistance at 120 8th notes per minute is to much to slide the thumb pad down or up the neck easily. Slow speeds are fine.
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1 hour ago, Randy120 said:
I use Turtle Wax Express Shine every time I change the strings. I remove all the strings, do a thorough cleaning then apply Express Shine. I can definitely tell the difference after a string change.
Beyond that it is practice and technique adjustment.
No wax for me. Can’t practice at work with it. It causes fish eyes in auto paint, and I’m applying the paint. Thanks though.
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1 hour ago, Ice9 said:
I lightly sand the neck on every guitar I get to take the shine off. I really don't like glossy necks. The amount of material you need to remove is negligible and won't change the neck shape unless you go mad.
I’ve done that to make it dull again like it was. But the pad of my thumb must have human glue on it. As light as I can place the pad it has resistance. That’s hands just washed in a cool room starting out.
bought a pair of gardeners gloves today. Cut the thumbs out and the top of the thumb off.so I just have a thumb sleeve.
Works great. Even chords are easier such as C/D where the thumb has to spin slightly. So issue solve unless the glove becomes a problem. Last night I went up 10 bpm with just the cloth on my thumb. And can go backwards as fast as forward now without the extra thumb movement.
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1 hour ago, Eracer_Team-DougH said:
Maybe it's the solvents you use at work are not coming off your hands and are conflicting with the finish of the guitar.
Probably the worst thing I did was put insect repellent on when I was in the back yard, then grabbed my Les Paul to play, I could feel my strumming arm sticking to the top of the guitar.
Btw Steve doesn't use thumb over top to grab low E,
Many players don't, many do, great music can be made both ways
Wouldn’t be solvent. I only practice at breaks and lunch. Hands washed. The solvents we use flash quickly anyway. I don’t get them on me very often. And then I’d have to pick up my guitar immediately.
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2 hours ago, Eracer_Team-DougH said:
I'm on a lot of guitar forums since about 2006..
don't think I've ever seen a problem/solution such as this.
I guess what ever works for you
I’ll keep investigating. It boils down to shine. The headstock on my Strat is dull. Looks like real wood with a slight wood grain feel. No sticking. But the neck has become shiny where my thumb is. Didn’t have the issue new. Always had the issue on the acoustic.
I’ll have to get a real solution if I ever get to the point of needing the thumb for the low E. Which from searching other forums, sanding was a solution for many. Seems it’s common mostly with cheap guitars.
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Ok, a suitable solution. Opening a cabinet I happened to notice the cloth bandage tape. Never been able to move down the neck as freely. It’s wonderful!!!
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Polish wasn’t helpful. Wax might be slicker. But not an option since it causes fish eyes in automotive paint. Can’t have it getting on my fingers at work.
may just have to learn how to walk it down the neck someway. Or reposition it. So it doesn’t drag as hard like it is going the opposite direction.
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32 minutes ago, Eracer_Team-DougH said:
you shouldn't sand the neck of the guitar unless you're trying to change the profile of the neck.. you'll remove the coating of the guitar.
with this next statement you really need to know what your guitar is made of..
guitars usually have 2 finishes..
one is Polly urethane and the other is Nitro
with Polly guitars use standard guitar polish or if you really like car polish to buff them up and make them slippery.
with Nitro guitars.. (usually found on more expensive guitars.) you use Naphtha to clean the oils off and make it slide..
Naphtha will take the coating of a Polly guitar off.. so you really need to know what your guitar is made of..
both my Les Paul and my MIA strat are Nitro guitars... Naphtha is known as liter fluid.
now that you've sanded it.. you may be dealing with the coating removed.
find out what was covering your guitars and try a guitar polish
Looks like my Strat is Poly. I haven’t taken time to learn must about the finish’s on them. All different than what I use. I have my Strat at work so I’m headed for the polish to try it. It’s a satin finish and I barely grazed it with 800. So never went through. I’m a painter in auto repair.
what little I’ve hard was to never use car polish on any guitar. The net is full of things though. But I definitely need to solve it. Not like it cost $2000.
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28 minutes ago, Eracer_Team-DougH said:
My pinky still doesn't behave walking backwards 4 3 2 1,
Only thing I can think of is you start tensing up fast you go.
Try to concentrate on relaxed
Not it. My thumb wo was slide up the neck when I get to these speeds because it’s to sticky on the neck.
however I can go faster forward. No doubt.
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15 minutes ago, gotto said:
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
One is satin, squire Strat. The other has a shine, Fender acoustic. Tried sanding the Strat since it was dull. Didn’t help.
poweder on my thumb solves it, but messy and does last long. Maybe my skin just gets sweaty and oily to fast.
Thanks
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On the exercise starting at the 5th fret on B and E to the 12th fret. I have an issue with my thumb sticking to the neck that started when I reacted 90 8th notes. I literally have to pick the thumb up to make it move, then it throws me off on my fingers. What are solutions?
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Thanks Neil. Actually that is how I done it going through level one.
Going back through the video last night, I was amazed with the difference from last time. I hadn’t realized it until I went through it.
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After completing level one a while back I’ve played with easy songs to keep interest while working on chords. That chapter slammed me.
3 we ago I decided to take a challenge and learn the intro to Sweet Home Alabama. To my surprise I succeeded. Expect I can’t get past 83 bpm. The song is 98 bpm.
then I remembers the workout. I kept up with level 2 until about 90 bpm. Go figure the numbers nearly match!
this time I need to complete it. It has been very helpful.
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I haven’t posted since the old forum. Come here on occasion to see what’s going on. But what can I say, I’m busy practicing. Monday will be one year since I bought a used Fender acoustic from a coworker. When you are left handed, and your coworker is as well, that’s a sign you need to start playing! What are the odds when you work with 8 people??Then ordered Steve’s lesson material.
Starting again at 48 I wasn’t expecting a lot. I learned a little as a kid, yet never lost the desire to play. I completed session 6 in the book and have deserted it since. Single notes are fairly easy. Chords have been hard. Even though I average two hours a day practicing. But I’m finally breaking through on many of them with descent speed. It also didn’t help that I practiced so much I reinjured an old thumb tendinitis issue.
What I would give for calluses. Seems a D would be so much easier!!?
At this point I’ve learned A Horse With No Name, that one is easy. And the rhythm Tom Petty plays for Free Fallin’. Haven’t learned the lead yet. One chord took a couple of months. The first part of The Joker by Steve Miller, (the arpegiated chords) and I just started Sweet Home Alabama. Being a huge fan, I was like a child yesterday when I got the first few notes down, went through the rhythm a few times, and heard the opening riff come from my Strat.
I’ve also been working on the A minor scale. And will pick up the book again soon to work on fingerpicking and see how that goes. I’ve been doing a simple exercise for it. Which I started with the thumb issue having to limit fretting due to pain.
Thanks to everyone here for the support and to Steve for teaching and creating this place to share and ask questions. Even with the frustrations it’s been a great ride. I’m thinking in another year, I should be able to play many of the songs I like.
Mike
Right Handed or Left Handed
in Guitar Open Talk
Posted
I fully agree with lefty54. As a left hander myself. I also bat right handed. My older brother taught me simply because he was right handed. I a only 7 or 8. O shoot right handed because dad made me due to his WWII experience. But I throw and shoot a pistol left handed. Right handed wasn’t as natural to me. So I went left handed. You will be more limited in choices of guitars. That’s the only negative I can think of.
if I remember correctly, Paul McCartney started right handed. And switched when he discovered there were left handed guitars.