NeilES335

Awesome stuff @Wim VD1 ! Both your recent recordings are great! I've heard you develop even further in such a short time. It's very encouraging... I may just look closer at that LMG Blues course thats been lurking on my computer hard drive just waiting for me...

@Nutty 1. Thats wonderful?Im very glad its working out so well for you! Have fun recording! Neil

@Jkindgren There isn't really a "better" guitar to use for the course. Provided your guitar is in decent shape with good strings and properly set up (I recommend a pro do this if you're not familiar) then, in my humble opinion, the best guitar is the one you will actually use! Some will say an electric is a bit easier to learn on, and others will say learn on an acoustic first which will make learning electric easier later. If you have a decent acoustic (it doesn't have to be fancy or expensive either... something in the $400 > $500 range would be quite sufficient) and are happy with it, then just go with it. Later in the course, there are lessons which a more dedicated to electric guitars but for now, its fine. Happy learning! Neil

@Sharont Welcome to Guitar Gathering Sharon! That's great you've started the LMG program and your own guitar learning journey! We're here to help, support and encourage you. So check in often, and let us know how you're doing. And dont forget to join us on Live Lessons on our YouTube Guitar Gathering Channel. (you'll need to create an account there to participate in the chat) All the Best! NeilES335 - Moderator

I dont know how Steve was able to pull it off, but I understand that we will be blessed with the appearance of one of the greatest Blues/Jazz/Rock guitar players of our time, on Live Lesson, March 12th/19! If you're not familiar with Robben (I guess you can tell I'm a bit of a fan) you can check out his bio on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robben_Ford , and find him on numerous YouTube Videos. As a preview of what's to come, here's a recent 1 hour video interview and teaching session with TrueFire Live, where you'll find Robben a regular contributor, teacher and all round gentleman.. outstanding!

I think you'll like the gear and Reaper @Dave. Kenny Gioia's instructional videos are very good, and they are on Reaper's website too, as well as YouTube.

Superb playing @Wim VD1 ! I really enjoy your recordings and look to you as a example ! I like clean although I'd agree with @Old Guy that a touch of reverb and maybe a little more distortion would bring out your sound even more.. "A" By the way i really liked the Jazz-Blues recording too. By the way... you likely know Robben Ford as giant in the blues - jazz guitar field... He'll be on LIve Lessons in March, so I'm sure you'll want to catch that lesson.

Thanks very much @Old Guy for the compliment and feedback?

@Dave Hi Dave; So, after working with the recording gear for a month or so, I can say that the Focusrite Scarlet 2i2 "Studio" kit (with the interface, headphones and mic) is a very good way to go. The gear is very well built, connectors, cables, switches, knobs etc. all good quality. There is basically no "latency" (lag time between input and record/monitoring) The mic is quite sensitive and gets good response,, and I like the headphones which are very clear, light and comfortable to wear. Any issues I've had (and have) have been with the DAW's. I tried ProToolsFirst, and struggled with it for about a month, downloading a load of plug ins (the free "effects" came with the Focusrite) only to find out quite a few dont work with ProTools. I found ProTools difficult to understand and work with so my buddy DougH suggested I go with Reaper. I did and found it much easier to understand and use, with learning videos much better on the Reaper website and on private YouTube channel called Reaper TV some really good videos. Reaper can be very complex too, with tons of options and customization, but you dont need to use a lot of it to do simple recording 1 track or practice with the built in metronome. I learned how to record 2 tracks and edit/produce 2 songs so far (they are on Member Recordings). One bonus was that a lot of the plug in's I downloaded from Focusrite;s "my softare" page work with Reaper. (bought separately these can cost hundreds $$$) You can get by with just a basic knowledge of Reaper and get acceptable results for a solo guitar player like most of us. Or of course you can go really deep and produce studio quality recording. Having said that, I am having some issues with Reaper... I find it freezes up on me sometimes and wont play back or record properly. I've also noticed YouTube videos dont play properly while Reaper is running.. but this could just be my machine. The program is huge and demand a lot of computing power (I think) so dont run anything else while using it. Recording has really forced me to pay close attention to my playing and I'd say overall even at this early stage I'd say it was well worth it. Just be prepared to spend quite a bit of time learning how the hardware and especially your chosen software works. If you're a computer guy then maybe less so... (I didnt try Ableton Live Lite which is free too... folks say its complicated,; You can use Garageband if you have a Mac) I havent' used my amp since... I just play through the interface mostly, so for quiet practice it's really good too. My Soundcloud channel, hear my songs ;https://soundcloud.com/search?q=neiles335 I'd say for very little money, go for the kit! (unless you have a good mic and headphones already then just the Scarlet will do fine). ( I paid $279 for the kit plus $39 for a good telescoping mic stand, (plus tax) at LMQ) Regards; Neil (thinking of my next recording project)

Thanks very much @Oldjock Henk, especially the comment about tempo. I always thought my "internal tempo" was pretty good, but using the metronome clicking in your ear while you practice/record really forces you to pay attention, apparently with good results. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

@moopapa Welcome to Guitar Gathering! Thanks for checking in an introducing yourself! You will find lots of friendly encouragement, help and advice here, to assist you with your guitar learning journey. As someone coming from the classical music arena, you likely know the basics (at least) of music, so this will help you considerably. Regarding your questions; 1. You have purchased some beautiful guitars from 2 quality manufacturers, Eastman and Yamaha, which will serve you very well 2. As my colleague DougH has pointed out, I recommend you start with the Learn and Master Guitar program, and wait for the 2nd half of these lessons to start on the Fingerstyle course. 3. No - one (including many professionals ) knows ALL the chords, but the chords Steve Krenz teaches you are the ones you will actually use, so focus on those. 4. Classical guitar is a beautiful genre' , with it's own learning discipline, with which you could be more familiar having studied Cello. (I did a bit in school too) If you're interested in other styles, as most player are, then you have the tools already for almost any style, including classical (with a steel string, you could buy a nylon string later) that you need. Happy tunes; Neil

Lest you may think that I only like jazz... I offer you, for my 2nd recording, something completely different; "Crazy", written by Willie Nelson, A "country" classic, most closely associated with the great Patsy Cline, (who incidentally hated the song at first), recorded in 1961. Continuing with the "Song Hits" theme, I decided to go for a "old time" feel on this song, as it might have been played in a smokey dance hall/ jukebox joint, somewhere, in the 1960's . While basically following Steve K's chart, in Key of Cmaj, I recorded the rhythm using a mic (a first for me) in one magical take, played twice through with only a slight bobble here or there for " authenticity ? " The melody track was another matter, requiring countless takes. The chart shows the lead in the first position, but I chose to play the lead in C at the 8th position, (which required me to transpose the chart and fingering) to more closely mimic a vocalists register, with a few "jazzy" touches of course! I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for listening. All the Best! Neil

This classic country song by Hank Williams, has been recorded by virtually every good singer since it was written in 1951. Although it's position in the list of Songs Hit's leaves me wondering, it's a song you can pull out to play anywhere, anytime, and almost everyone (at least the baby boomers and the previous generation) . I think this song is a study in rhythm, as much as melody. You can also embellish the song with alternating bass lines, walk up's and walk down's. Well worth knowing. https://www.google.com/search?q=hank+williams+cold+cold+heart+other+recordings+of+this+song&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLRT9c3LDTNMsqwzMtSQuFpaWUnW-nnlhZnJusXpSbnF6Vk5qXHJ-eUFpekFlnll2SkFimUpRYVZ-bnFS9itc5IzMtWKM_MyclMzC1WSM7PSYEQGamJRSUKEOVwY4oV8tMUSjIyixWK8_PSAfdummCIAAAA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi11u-Vz8bgAhVDpoMKHesHAU0QMTAIegQICRAq&biw=1366&bih=625 I'm partial to the version by Canadian country singer Hank Snow.

Ditto on @IanD Ian's remarks...What is it about the human psyche that allows us to perform a song perfectly in practice, but allows us to fall apart when we press "record" ? A great? mystery!

Good for you @gmills. Im not expert in this area (yet ?) but 3 words come to mind; scales, arpeggios, practice. If you dont already have it, get Steves' Fretboard Workout Major Scalr Mastery and learn that inside out. Bluegras (i think) is mostly major scale so that should do micely. When I think of a tune I thi nk about what scale its in, and it becomes much easier to play when you know the scale. Happy performing ? Neil

@Dave Congratulations on a superb job ! A beautiful custom piece to be very proud of. So let's hear it too??.

I guess I should have said ' you're as young as you feel' (? well... Maybe not !)

@Dave Yeah... @old guy is just a young pup... lol. (you're as old as you feel you are)

Great project @Dave ! We' d love to see the finished product! Perhaps you'd like to connect with @Old Guy who is also building a guitar from a kit which he is documenting on his video blog. Regards; Neil

@roofman What a terrific "re-introduction" into our Guitar Gathering family! I hope you do "pick it up again " and resume your learning on the LMG program, participate with us here, and on Live Lessons. (ps I know what you mean about S17. Not a lot of people get there, and the course is much more "self directed" at this level ) Regards ; Neil (pps.. good to have another fellow Canadian GTA member on board ?

Hi @Slug Peter; Welcome back too... I am curious (as moderator) about your statement "couldn't find the Forum etc. " There are plenty of references on the "old" Learn and Master Guitar (Legacy Learning Systems) Student Forum about our move here in Jan 2018. Did you not look there first or was their site down or ? Of course we'd love to have all our "old " members back, so any way we can facilitate that would be a help. You can send me a Personal Message if you prefer. Regards; NeilES335 - Moderator

If you look on the music notation page for each of the songs in Song Hits, the tempo (bpm ) is noted there, top left over the treble clef. Steve K was careful to transcribe and play the songs at their original tempo. Some song are abbreviated, ie; one or more verses are not present. But the content of the song is quite accurate in 99% of the songs presented. If the tempo suggested is too quick for you at first, I suggest you learn it at a slower tempo first, then gradually increase it to the level written. In some cases I play them quicker because it feels more natural to me, or I like the sound better. I check the tempo with a metronome from recording or on YouTube.

Just nail some strings on it and you can make believe you're Les Paul...??

Thanks very much @Fretless and @matonanjin I appreciate the comments very much. Sadly my singing voice is no Andy Williams and certainly not Audrey Hepburn, but I'm glad you enjoyed it! ( I had posted this under Member Recordings as well, (not fishing for compliments ? ) but my thought was to complete my earlier post about learning this song from Song Hits. )