True to my bio here’s my best attempt at Gravity by John Mayer. I know there are probably a lot of things I can work on, some I’m aware of and lots I’m unaware of. I’m excited to progress through this course and see how far I can actually go! And next time I’ll turn my phone sideways to record lol.
Get Started Playing
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Let’s go over a few basic things before we start playing:
1. Posture
It’s very important to have good posture while playing: Sit straight up, have your heels on the ground, and keep the guitar flush with your body. Also, keep your materials at eye level.
2. Holding the pick
You want to hold the pick between your index finger and your thumb at a 90 degree angle (perpendicular). Start with a medium tortex pick, and if over time you feel it’s too thin or thick, adjust accordingly.
Also, it is important to pick with your wrist, not your elbow or shoulder. Yes, a little of this is inevitable, but realize that the movement should come predominantly from your wrist.
3. Finger placement on the fretting hand
You want to place your finger directly behind the fret. Not on top of the fret, and not touching the previous fret, but directly behind the fret. Also, you want to play with the tips of your fingers, not the pads.
To do this, you want to anchor the neck with your thumb, curl your fingers in a “C” shape, and come straight down onto the strings with your fingertips. You’re essentially squeezing the guitar between your thumb and fingertips.
See you in the next lesson where we learn how to use the tuner!
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After recording this one, I realized my guitar neck is barely visible... I'll try to make sure you can see that better next time.
This is mostly explaining what I've been practicing (scales, open chords, and finger exercise). Thanks for helping me out with all of this!
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Sorry if the video is a little out of sync with the audio; I'm not sure what happened there. My wife and I have been working on "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman and performed it last night at an open mic night for the first time together (figured we'd start out with something easy and see how it goes). Tried to get a recording with her on vocals as opposed to using the backing track but it was difficult to get a full iteration in without our daughter needing attention lol (maybe next time...).
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Messing around in DADGAD
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A little bit of what I've been working on lately.
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hah! I mean to say I have more trouble with my right hand than my left hand.
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How about a little bit of Soundgarden's Fell On Black Days.
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Do we have tips already? Is there something I’m doing wrong because everyone else is playing songs and chords and melodies and I am all the way to beginner. Though I genuinely appreciate peoples desire to start fresh as much as my desire is to start now!
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The lack of tempo, intonation, and basic fine motor skills is obvious. I'm looking for improvement through picking up the skills in each lesson and practicing a lot. I hope I have the self-discipline to do that!
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First few attempts with a little CanCon thrown in. Points to those who recognize that little melody despite my butchering it.
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My thumb positioning isn't how Michael described. I tend to point it more to the side so that my wrist stays straighter. Is there something wrong with another part of my posture that forces me to compensate like this? Different hand shape maybe? Or do I just need to break this habit and force myself to put my thumb centered on the neck. Thanks for your tips!
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Resisting the (bad) habit I've developed of wrapping my thumb. I know at times it can be appropriate, but I'm working on retraining my hands!
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Wow - so nervous playing this with no one in the room! haha
Can someone please tell me what song the second (picked) intro comes from, I really want to learn the rest of this piece. (I know I'm going to be embarrassed for forgetting when I find out what it is)
Cheers, Stu
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Just a Quick vid of me holding and playing a few notes on my OrangeWood Morgan.
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This is the latest song I learned. I used this song to learn to sing and play at the same time. Didnt sing on this one because, dont have the self confidence to put me singing online just yet.
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That thumb position is going to be very hard to correct but I will try!
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Something I came up with earlier and thought it sounded nice. First video on here. Glad to join up
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