What's my biggest fear?
I guess that would walking into a room completely full of people, bare back and buck nakkid, right after taking a COLD shower.
Nela
827 2009-04-09 01:29:27
Re: not getting anywhere???? (12 replies, posted in Acoustic)
Paulbrady, as others have said - practice, practice, practice. Sometimes it's best to take a short break, clear your head, relax and then attack your problems. One thing that helped me was to just put the guitar down, put the song you are wanting to learn in your player, take your pick in hand and practice the strum across your chest while listening. If you need to look at the sheet music while doing this, then do so. As you strum, count in your head to the beat of the song. Listen for the bass or drums to get this tempo. Don't worry about the guitar - just practice the strum until you believe you have it right - then pick up your guitar and, again, strum as your music plays. This helped me.
Nela
828 2009-04-08 00:31:55
Re: ****LOOKING FOR CHORDS**** (18 replies, posted in Song requests)
I understand the wwhwwwh steps for the chord alphabet but I got lost when you said Key of D ...play D..C..G. This made this a 1...7...4 progression. Now, keep in mind I have only been playing a little over 4 years and I am mostly self-taught. I'm asking because I want to learn.
Nela
829 2009-04-07 23:07:09
Re: ****LOOKING FOR CHORDS**** (18 replies, posted in Song requests)
Simple math.
Good questions X Good Answers = Learning
Russ, there was nothin' needing to be forgiven. All I was trying to do was get to the logic behind that chord progression. It's gettin' sorta / kinda clear, now, but I still gotta do me some thinkin' 'bout this. What got me curious was the way you had written out the chord progression did not match what I thought I knew.
Nela
830 2009-04-07 20:21:27
Re: NIGHTMARE? (23 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Kinda sounds like someone put magical mushrooms in your spaghetti last
night.
Nela
831 2009-04-07 20:13:38
Re: Favourite chord. (23 replies, posted in Acoustic)
The E chord is great. (followed by a B7)
nela
832 2009-04-07 20:08:31
Re: ****LOOKING FOR CHORDS**** (18 replies, posted in Song requests)
Thats the reason I was askin', not because I disagreed. How does one determine a chord progression outside a basic 1...4...5 progression? Is it just by sound or some other music theory rule?
Some people, myself included, just do not have an "ear" thats developed enough to hear a flat 7 or know how / when to use it. If one is not familiar with a song and was told "it's in the key of A" wouldn't it be natural to go to a common 1..4..5 progression?
Now back to Russell's post - he said in the key of A the chords would be A..G..D and would just repeat throughout the song. This is where I got confused. If the chords had been written out as A..Gb7..D I would have known the chord formation BUT I still would not have known the reasoning for this usage. Also, should that chord (Gb7) be written as Gbdim since it is it is a 7 in the chord alphabet? Just need me some enlightenment from the Chordie Guru's.
Nela
833 2009-04-07 19:28:00
Re: Favourite chord. (23 replies, posted in Acoustic)
Hydraulic underware! And here I am just trying to get comfortable in this THONG.
Nela
834 2009-04-07 12:03:02
Re: Favourite chord. (23 replies, posted in Acoustic)
I'm really sorry but I done got me a mental imagage of KajiMa with a remote control tighting a vise on "my dangly bits" and I just don't think I'll be able to function for the rest of the day.
Nela
835 2009-04-07 11:53:50
Re: ****LOOKING FOR CHORDS**** (18 replies, posted in Song requests)
Russell, just for my own knowledge, you said that in the key of A the chords would be A, G and D - shouldn't that be A, D and E. Also, you typed that in the key D the chords would be D, C and G - shouldn't that be D, G and A. I'm just basing this on the 1st, 4th and 5th in a 3 chord progression.
NELA
836 2009-04-07 11:42:28
Re: How long? (6 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
MtM, I been where you are and understand your problems. I've only been playing around 4 years (rythem guitar) and for being mostly self taught I think I've came a long way. I've managed to have a few lessons, some good and some bad teachers, but mostly it's practice, practice, practice. I have about 60 songs that I now play and I try to learn 1 or 2 new songs each week. One of the good teachers I had told me to expect that "burned out feeling" where you just feel like you are not getting anywhere - then out of nowhere something will just snap in place and it will become easier. It happened to me.
Best advice I can give anyone is to keep practicing, read any articles you can find and find a group of musicans that will let you sit in and play. Most musicans really like to show off what they can do and don't mind helping.
Nela
837 2009-04-07 02:38:54
Re: Favourite chord. (23 replies, posted in Acoustic)
Gotta agree with the G chord and the capo. But I do like to hear a D7 leading back to the G. or the G7 leading back to C. or an A7 leading back to a D. So I guess for me my favorite would be a 7th chord.
Wait, I also like a G chord followed by a Em, or a C chord followed by a Am. So I guess for me my favorite chord would be a minor chord.
Wait, I also like a .....aw, shucks.
Nela
838 2009-04-07 02:26:50
Re: in the garden (33 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Got 4 rows of G-90 sweet corn already in the ground and I am waiting until Good Friday to plant the rest. As the old sayin' goes "if it thunders in Febuary there will be a cold snap around that date in April". Well it thundered on Febuary 10th and we are lookin' for a frost the next 2 nights. I already got my rows made up and when the weather gets right I'll get to planting. 4 more rows of Texas Cream Peas, 4 rows of speckled butter beans, about 12 hills of straight neck squash, 6 hills of straight 8 cukes, 36 tomato plants (plus 12 more planted in homemade buckets) a few pepper plants some okra and maybe a few other things. Then, up goes the "hot fence" to keep the deer out.
Nela
839 2009-03-26 23:08:59
Re: Potentially The Greatest Movie of ALL TIME!!! ( Nuk, nuk) (21 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
I gotta agree about Sean Penn, although he might be a good Shemp. He was never as good as Curly, anyway. It will be very difficult to outdo the original "Stoogies".
Now how many of ya'll remember the original - uncut - movie
"FRITZ THE CAT"? Now that was a classic.
Nela
840 2009-03-26 11:44:54
Re: Dropping the pick - AAARRGGHH! Help is here! (7 replies, posted in Acoustic)
Picks come in all shapes, sizes and thickness'. Experiment until you find something that you like. Your "self-stick" sandpaper sounds like a good idea. You can also apply tape, punch holes in the picks, rough up the surface or for the really brave - superglue the pick to your fingers. (not a real good option). Remember a thinner, flexible pick is easier to hold than a heavy thick still pick. Use a thinner pick for rythem guitar strumming for a sweet soft sound - a heavier pick for your driving lead guitar picking.
nela
841 2009-03-20 13:31:42
Re: any fisherfolk out there? (29 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Zurf, if you are going to spend some time in the Alaskan Wilderness keep in mind that it is a WILD place to be. If you are going to be away from the wife and family you sometimes decide to take a few chances that you normally would not take, especially if you are around a bunch of males and get into a few of them adult beverages. Since everything is gonna look look good in Alaska you will want to have a little "personal protection" ready for the unexpected. When you need to take care of bidness you need to take care of bidness. It's also a good idea to have a good partner along with you to watch your back - just in case. Now, the best advise I can give you in picking out partner to help out if you get in a situation you can't get out of is to pick out the toughest one in the bunch. As you walk the riverbanks, streams and lakefronts you never can tell when you will walk upon a bear - thats when you need a tough partner. It'll take the bear longer to eat him, rather than a partner thats young and tender, allowing you to get farther away. Remember that you DO NOT need to outrun the bear BUT you do need to be able to outrun your PARTNER!
Nela
842 2009-03-19 12:52:55
Re: any fisherfolk out there? (29 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Several years ago I had the opportunity to fish in Alaska for salmon and halibut. All I can say is "get ready to be impressed". This is one perty place. Be sure to carry a camera and plenty of film. We were a couple of weeks early for salmon but everyone limited out on the halibut (3 days fishing). We flew into Anchorage, rented a van (4 wheel drive) and drove to Homer. BE SURE TO WATCH OUT FOR THE MOOSE, dey everywhere, dey everywhere.
If you have time get, at least some, of your catch smoked (or kippered). The rest can be flash froze and shipped home. Nothing tastes better than fresh smoked fish. This is a trip you will always remember.
Nela
843 2009-03-18 02:27:38
Re: any fisherfolk out there? (29 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
I've done a little fishing, myself. Chased after them bass tournaments for several years. Won some money - spent way more money than I won. Caught a whole lotta fish and had a whole lotta fun. Got started fishing for catfish a few years back - all with rod n reel. Learned me some stuff about catching the big-uns and I do quite well. Usually catch at least a half dozen over 50 pounds a year. YES - that's what I typed. Our best was a 1 day total of 4 blue catfish that weighed 229 pounds. Now I'm sitting home 'cause my boat has a blown engine.
Nela
844 2009-03-13 12:31:22
Topic: Lets talk about hand problems (2 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
About 5 years ago I had to have surgery on my left hand (chord hand) due to a problem called "trigger finger". This problem is caused by the tendons in your hand being damaged and developing a bulge. When this bulge passes through a knuckle while closing your hand it will "lock" the finger(s) in place and not allow them to open easily. There can be quite a bit of pain associated with this, as well. After the surgery my hand got back to normal and I had no problems.
Last year I had to have surgery on my right hand due to the same issue. A week after the surgury, I had to have a 2nd operation due to a staf infection. Since then my hand has always felt like it was swelled and I could not make a tight fist.
Back to the left hand. For the past couple of months I have been having a lotta pain when closing my left hand (middle finger). My finger(s) do not lock up but hurts like hell. When I first pick up my guitar I cannot make a open D chord due to the pain in my middle finger. After a few minutes it will loosen up and I'll be ok. If I play for extended periods of time I really pay for it the next day. I have been putting off going to a doctor, thinking this will soon go away. Doesn't seem to be the case.
Has anyone else had these problems? If so, how did you get passed it? I DON'T want to have another surgery on my hand but if things don't get better real quick I'm headed back to the doctor.
Nela
845 2009-03-12 00:38:28
Re: Girl Scout Cookies (22 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Adult Cookie!!!!!!!!!
nela
846 2009-03-12 00:12:34
Re: Girl Scout Cookies (22 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Have you ever taken some fig newtons, sprinkled on a little Tennessee Sippin' Whiskey and placed into the 'fridge to kinda chill? Adds a whole new meaning to "wanna cookie".
nela
847 2009-03-11 13:05:28
Re: Girl Scout Cookies (22 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Got milk?
Nela
848 2009-03-10 12:28:15
Re: How to play a G chord - or re-learning chords after lots of years (26 replies, posted in Acoustic)
Another chord to think about is the open E. Formed with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th fingers developes muscle memory and then makes the E formed barre chords much easier.
nela
849 2009-02-26 13:42:30
Re: frustrated...strum site (10 replies, posted in Acoustic)
There are several song books out there that list the strum and pick patterns for various songs. Learning strum patterns can be very difficult if you don't know how / what to listen to. Every song has it's own tempo, rythem and beat. Have you ever listened to a song and caught yourself keeping time by tapping your toe on the floor, or your finger on a table top? If so, you can learn that strum pattern. Do your homework and learn how to listen first.
Most songs will be in a 3/4 or a 4/4 timing (to me a 4/4 song is much easier)
so you need to know how to count the beats. The count can be as simple as
1...2...3...4...1...2....3...4...1... This strum would be D - D - D - D -
or
1...2...&...3...&...4...&...1... This strum would be D - D - u - D - u - D - u - D
or
1..&..2..&..3..&..4..&..1... This strun would be D - u - D - u - D - & - D - u - D
and so on.
One simple way to listen to a song and learn the strum pattern is to tune everything out but the bass - listen for the bass beat. Or listen for the drums. Tune out all the guitar licks and riffs for the time being along with the lead guitar work. You got to concentrate on the rythem!!!
nela
850 2009-02-24 13:31:27
Re: Don't stop believin' (3 replies, posted in Acoustic)
Right or wrong this works for me. Listen to the song thru your CD player or what ever you have. Tap your finger on the table top, tap your foot on the floor, strum across your shirt with a pick - as you listen. You want to hear the BEAT of the song. Hear the bass? Hear the rythem of the song? That's what you want to hear. The "boom" of the bass will be the downsttrum - what you don't hear between the bass "boom" will be the upstrum. Here is some strum patterns you can use. These are all 4/4 timing.
D = down
U = UP
D - D - D - D.............count 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 1....
D - D - U - D - U - D - U..count 1 - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & - 1 - repeat
D - U - D - U - D - U - D - U...count 1 - & - 2 - & - 3 - & - 4 - & 1 - repeat
(the above patterns are just a few that you can use)
These should get you started BUT you have to be able to hear the song in order to understand the strum pattern. Print out the song showing the chords. Look at where the chord changes are and pay attention to the WORDS that the chords change on. Feel the beat of the song - get that foot going as you keep time to the music and count in your head. Try this and let us know if it helps.
Nela