NeilES335

Jel Button is lower right corner... Naw... of course I'll jam with you.... next time we''ll plan ahead with what to practice/play and talk less! Thanks for the vote of confidence.... finish ... well the next few Sessions maybe. Totally complete? Who knows ... just not 5 yrs I hope!

Well, after almost 2 years(?) of being "stuck" at S11, with several detours, ie; completing the Fretboard Workout Series (Major Scales, Speed and Agility, and Jazz Chords) I'm finally bidding Session 11 - Pentatonic Scales fairwell. I've moved on. After learning the 5 forms and how they link together, I worked on building up speed and accuracy. I believe Steve recommends 80 BPM. I managed to get the speed up to about 125BPM 1/4 notes... so I guess that meets the requirement. Does this mean I'm capable of blistering melodic solos ala' Joe Bonamassa or SRV.... ahhhh.... sadly no. But this is a process not an event, so on we go. Looking into S12, S13 and beyond, it looks like I already know and can play much of the material, so I'm confident it won't take another 2 yrs to complete those! LOL. When I started the LMG course about 5 yrs? ago, I thought I'd be complete in a year... was I ever mistaken about that! Unless of course I get sidetracked and actually learn some songs. As my lovely and patient wife says, " Could you please play some songs... you should be able to by now!" (I can, it's just the 3 chorders, that I find kinda boring... how about "Misty', "Blue Bosa", "Summertime", "All of Me", in chord melody arrangement... now thats interesting)

HI STEVE; MANY OF US HAVE HEARD OF, OR KNOW SOME OF THE MORE COMMON CHORD PROGRESSIONS, LIKE THE 1 - 4 - 5, THE 2 - 5 - 1, AND 1 - 6 - 2 - 5 . COULD YOU PLEASE DEMONSTRATE/EXPLAIN SOME OTHER COMMONLY (AND NOT SO COMMONLY) USED PROGRESSIONS? ALSO, PERHAPS YOU COULD SHOW SOME INTERESTING LICKS AND FILLS, TO MAKE THE PROGRESSION(S) MORE INTERESTING AND MUSICAL? Thanks! Neil E,

Great! This will merge well with the lmg course session 12 which I'm currently working on... some very cool sounding chords! For those of you who wish Ia preview I suggest you look up S12.

Dylan caused a small furor over "going electric".. The Folkies hated it and thought he'd abandoned their cause. I believe he was booed at the first concert with the Strat. Lucky pilot...

Here's a couple of the boys at Andertons UK with a very informative video discussing an demonstrating several variants of the famous Gibson ES guitars... (Bias admitted) And by the way... these guys can play.:-)

Finally got around to changing the strings on my ES137... I hesitated wondering what tone I'd get. The NYXL's did install quite easily and tuned up very well and kept their tune right away with out constant re-tuning. First impressions; Really bright!.... Not what I was after really. I was looking for something more mellow, but not quite as mellow as the DAddario Chrome Flat wounds, that I have on my Godin archtop. My wife ( who has really great hearing.) could tell the difference right away. She says there was more string noise too... And yes, they are brighter than the XL's which I have on my ES335. The NYXL's aren't bad, just not for me really. I'll leave them on a while and see if the "play in" a bit (the XL's are pretty good now their played in a few months) I was influenced by all the rave reviews I'd seen and heard on YouTube etc. But in the end it's a matter of personal preference , the style of music you play, and the instrument you install them on. As Doug says, there is no guide on the package like their other string models.. It would have helped me make a better choice for my taste.. (they cost about double of similar strings too :-( ) Live and learn...

Obviously I'm not Greg; but the short answer is yes. The course does cover truss rod adjustments.

Neck radius impotant? To me, not very.. Just pick the thing up and play it!?

Thanks for the comments. I have a set waiting to string my ES137. How do you find the tone? Bright? Medium? Mellow? How about sustain? I was looking for a Jazz tone without going as "dark" as the D'Addario Chrome Flat wounds that I have on my Godin Archtop (like them)

Congrats on a great purchase! Hope you really enjoy it??

very good Bluz? Have you tried running the whole length of the fretboard from 1st to 13th fret? or switch string sets to D and G on the way down? fun...

And here is Part 2 and 3 of this great series;

CONGRATULATIONS STEVE and fellow members on reaching the 1000 member milestone! An amazing achievement in only 2 months! As one of the "beta testers" I was very happy to contribute whatever I could. Why? Because I have received so much from this happy association, that I could hardly do otherwise! Many Thanks to you Steve, and my fellow Guitar Gathering members for providing an enriching environment and a place of positive encouragement in the learning process. Although we may have not met in person yet ( with the notable exception of DougH who has become a good friend & lives near me; we met through the original LMG Forum, ) I feel as if I know you, and count many of you as friends and fellow students of this great instrument, guitar.

For an hour long discussion on guitar care and maintenance, see this recent Live Lesson with Greg Voros;

Sam; Obviously I'm not Greg, but I can offer a comment if you dont mind... Elixir Strings are good coated strings that are designed to last longer (and feel smoother) that "regular" strings. So only a couple of months of regular playing and practice is no long at all, if they still give you the tone you're looking for. Some people are "excreters" (sweat more than most) and will have to change more often. Personally i hate a dirty fingerboard, and over time the gunk builds up an is hard to get off. Make it a habit to wipe your strings and fingerboard down with a clean soft lint free cloth each time you play, and this will help a lot.. (Sometimes I've gone a year without changes.) Hope this helps. BTW,... you're fortunate to to have a great guitar a Martin D18. I drooled over these as a kid...:-)

Just wanted to keep this topic active... your kind comments are appreciated. I'm glad to be of help. Neil

Congrats Six! I'm glad for you...I think you*ll come to love this great guitar( if you dont already?) I ve always found the ES guitars more playable and resonant that solid guitars, with a richer tone. They're very versatile too as you" ll find outexperimenting . Enjoy for years to come ??. Neil ( President, Hollow / Semi Hollow Body Fan Club?)