DianeB

I'm not sure I understand your question. What matters is whether what you're learning is helpful to you. Of course, learning all the notes on the fretboard is a valuable skill — in general — but even that is not necessary for playing satisfying music for yourself or with others. By the way, jams come in many variations. You might have to visit several before finding one that suits your taste. I wish you good hunting.

@randomguy Here's just a handful of what turned up.

The answer key to the lesson book is here.

One more, this one from the Newark (Delaware) Arts Alliance open mic last month. A nice audience of about twenty. Probably as good a profile picture as I'll get.

In Pat's upcoming release "MoonDial" (July 26, 2024), we'll hear Linda Manzer's new baritone guitar with nylon strings. Of course, it's not conventionally tuned, either. That's Pat. The man is always exploring.

Tonight: Elkton, again with my pal Dave — now in view!

And the Oscar goes to ,,, !

Last night, my (well-obscured) guitar partner Dave and I played an 11-song acoustic set at an open mic in Elkton, MD, to an appreciative room of patrons. We opened with "Old Time Rock and Roll" and closed with "Long May You Run," more or less taking turns with vocals and solos. There were a couple of hiccups, but we had our moments, too.

Just by chance, last night I came across a stunning documentary on ABC: “The Last Repair Shop”. As the closing credits rolled on screen, tears rolled down my cheeks. The redemptive power of music has rarely been so eloquently documented. It's justifiably nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film. Available on Hulu, Disney+ and YouTube. 40 minutes.

From The Guardian: A Höfner bass guitar bought by Paul McCartney for £30 in 1961 has been returned to the former Beatle after a global search to find the stolen instrument. The distinctively shaped guitar, bought by McCartney before his rise to stardom and reportedly his favourite, was last seen around the time the Beatles were recording their final album to be released, Let It Be. McCartney paid £30 for the bass guitar 63 years ago, equivalent to about £800 at today’s prices. A search to find the missing violin-shaped bass, a German-made Höfner 500/1, was launched by the Lost Bass Project last year, and on Tuesday a student, Ruaidhri Guest, shared a photograph on social media of the elusive instrument…

@Nancy Lawing That's a good question for Steve on the Live Lesson, Nancy. By now he's probably the only one with any video from the Ustream, or earlier, eras. The old link has long been broken, as IBM acquired Ustream years ago. But I managed to snag a screen shot from (I think) October 8, 2013. I had been watching for just a few months, the late Pete Huttlinger was his guest, and Steve picked me to win one of Pete's video courses. Pete said, "Way to go, Diane," and you know the rest of the story.