Cm and Gm Oh man there must be something I am missing. What is the secret to making that stretch for Cm, and why is my Gm sounding like a G5 power chord.

Sweet!  Now that the guitar is set up and with online guidance from Rick I am learning to read TAB and found some Van Halen Tabs on the Web that now make sense. I am figuring out " Ice Cream Man"  and I want to maybe see if I can find D.L.R. "California Girls"  looks like it might be  fun.  some strummin chord changes.

 I learnedhow to tune down a 1/2 step, and things are really making sense.

My daughter and I used The "make it up Blues" lesson to get a clue on how to read Tabs.  She is trying really hard to make her fingers tougher and stronger so she can get the notes to sing.

 

We are still doing the open chords lessons and adding in the blues or VH to keep it fun.

To be continued.......

WOW!  what a difference.    I no longer have to strangle the neck to get the right sounds.

Money well spent.

I am not sure if you can have someone set-up an electric the same way but I would think you can.

I would tell all newbies like me to at least have ther guitars checked and set-up if needed. A lot less frustration and maybe more folks would not give up if it was easier to play.

After practicing for the last few days my fingers are Raw. I felt something was wrong and I was having pleny of trouble with buzzing and deadened notes.  I had a Firefighter friend that plays look at my Guitar and he showed me how high the action was and that the neck bowed in a valley shape. I got home and checked my daughters out and found hers was not bad but did have a hill shape to theneck. 

My friend suggested I go see KING BEE GUITARS in Franklin,TN.

WOW! what a great, off the beaten path, Guitar shop

There were old, new, refurbs, classic fender amps, sitars, banjos, steel guitars and a stage. there were autographed pictures of the musicians. Brad Paisley, Heart, "Goober",   My daughter got a kick out of it.

Gary Gilert looked at and played our guitars. He said that my daughters could use a setup and that mine was a real "cheese grater". He said it hurt his fingers and he has played for over 25 years.

I am paying $55 per guitar and $7 for strings to have them both set up properly.( It will take him a week to do it.) I hope this will make learning more enjoyable and easier.

I will keep you posted as to the end results. 

I quit my corporate job and took my 18 years of Volunteer Firefighting and moved to Nashville to be a paid firefighter at the age of 40. (I should have moved here sooner). Now I love country music and have decided to learn to play guitar. (I did have an electric when i was 15, but i wasn't serious then- I think my dad bought it at a Sam Ash store around 1981.)

My 12 y/o Daughter wantsto play also. I bought 2 acoustics and some picks and books(extra strings and a tuner).  I am 2 days into it here at SAMI and I like what I have been able to learn so far. It is alot more fun than the method book.

I really liked the Intro to" iron man" lesson.

my fingertips feel raw and reading music seems impossible, but I can already see that this is going to be a great stress reliever, and a more productive hobby than XBOX 360.

Now if I could just get my daughter to practice more...

I am in day 3 and am starting to feel like I am accomplishing something. I guess the old adage Practice - Practice - Practice works. 

I hope every had a chance to check out the SAMI Chord Progressions map.  If not, it is right on the front of the home page.

 To those maybe a bit unfamiliar with chord progressions I can offer a simple idea for you.  Open up the chord progression map to the key of C.  Take the C chord and another random chord and start strumming those two chords back to back.  Getfamiliar with the sound.  Do the same thing with all of the chords.  The point is to use to your ear and begin to recognize what the chord changes can sound like.  

This is a great chance to experiment with different chord combinations and they are spelled out right in front of you.

 

Jeremy

Have moments where you feel like you just keep playing the same thing?  Here are some tips to help you to break the monotony:

•  Break your typical scale patterns.  Many of us can get stuck in certain scale patterns that seem to lead us to dead ends.  Change them.  Try changing your scale patterns. 
  

• 1 note per string scale
• 2 notes per strin
• 3 notes per string
• 4 notes per sting

• Change your chords.  Do you always play the same barre chords or open chords?  Add more colorful notes.  Instead of a C Major open chord try using a C Maj9 chord or any other embellished major chord.  Don't use that same old chord any more if you don't have to. 
  
• When soloing try one note per string, or skip strings.  Take yourself out of your normal soloing habits into something that you really have to work at.  Make yourself think.  A habit is something that you don't have to think about.  You have to think to move ahead. 
  
• When you pick your guitar up for the first time tommorow don't play the same chord or lick that you always play.  Many guitarists pick up their guitar and unknowingly strum an E Major open chord.  This is the perfect opportunity to get into a new sound by strumming a new chord that you are trying to put into your playing.  Make the first chord you play tommorow the new chord that you learn today. 
  
• Don't practice what you already know.  If you truly feel you are in a rut then why would you continue to play what is already habit?  The point is push forward into new sounds.  Find those new sounds and make them the first things you play when you pick up your guitar.
• Next time you are in a rut read this again.  20 years from now read this again.  All of your new sounds will eventually become your habits and you will want to move forward again.  Eventually you will begin to sense when you need to try new things sooner and your playing will begin to evolve daily.

     There are too many different things we could try to list here.  Remember that if you are in a rut all you have to do is look at your guitar differently and many new things will appear.  There is no all knowing guitarist who has tried and mastered every trick with his or her guitar.  There is only trying to move forward when things become familiar.

     As a guitar teacher I am faced with many guitar-only issues but when it comes to rhythm I can offer a broader perspective. 

Rhythm is just as important to a guitar player or a horn player as it is to a drummer. 

     A drummer must use his sticks or hands to beat a drum in rhythm.  A guitar player uses picks or fingers and hands to strike the guitar strings in rhythm.  I sax player has to press the pads or use their tongues in rhythm. 

     A great exercise to this would be to play with a drummer.  As the drummer plays, mute all of your strings and strum.  You are a drummer.  A flute player is a drummer.  A harmonica player is a drummer. 

     With this said realize that developing a strong sense of rhythm is crucial.  if a drummer can play a measure of 16th notes very smooth, then you should be able to do the same on your guitar.  This is one reasons why some solo acoustic guitar players can make you dance and others leave you lost.  Listen to some solo Dave Matthews or John Mayer and you can hear the rhythm clearly.   

     Buy a metronome and practice playing with it.  Your drumming should be as smooth as the drummer in your band. 

Whether you are a newbie or a veteran, there is always a trick to be learned with your guitar.  With this blog I want to touch upon a songwriting trick.  

To get acquainted with songwriting I would like you to take a few steps.

 1.  Pick out a song that you really like.  For the purpose of this exercise pick an easy one.  Listen to it a lot.  Get itstuck in your head.  You should be able to play this song in your head while you are away from your stereo.

2.  Make a leadsheet of this song.  A leadsheet is going to have the intro, the verse, chorus, etc...  Make sure it is exact to the song that you picked.  

3.  Find that part of the song that you remember the most.  Often it can be the chorus.  It may be whatever though.  

4.  There is a catch with this step.  Play your favorite part of the song, but play it slightly different.  That is the catch.  Play it different.  Make sure it is pleasing to your ear and you can hear the whole part in your head.

This is actually a very common exercise for aspiring songwriters.  It is a great way to learn song form and how to piece parts together to form a whole.  

I would love to hear your results on this exercise.  Keep me posted.