My final try to play the blues from India.

S

SiddharthKarunakaran220

Blues Newbie
Hi all,
This is my final effort in trying to play blues and become a professional blues guitarist.
I have tried various other sites but wanted to try this too as all I was doing was memorizing and regurgitating solos.
I am currently going through the how to jam alone on an acoustic course.
After finishing the course I plan to buy a good acoustic.
Can someone point me to similar courses for acoustic after the how to jam alone course?
I can't really afford a Martin or a Taylor so I am planning to buy an acoustic from Hex acoustic guitars made in China from procraftIndia.com for about 20000 odd rupees.
Anyway I am off to play now. If I can muster the courage and strength to stand up.
I find it very difficult to stand up and play guitar because I lose motivation due to my schizophrenia and depression dual diagnosis.
I feel like I am fighting the devil constantly in my mind. My amygdala frequently goes into freeze/flight/fight mode.
Thanks for reading my rambling.
Blues on.
Your friend from South India,
Siddhu Boy.
 
MarkDyson

MarkDyson

Blues Hound Wannabe
Welcome! This is a great place to learn, filled with knowledgeable and friendly people.

Griff has a course called Acoustic Blues Guitar Unleashed which might be exactly what you're looking for. There is also the All Access Pass which, for a reasonable monthly subscription fee, grants you online access to his whole catalog and a free download of one course every two months. Might be cost effective for you in the long term.
 
Elio

Elio

Student Of The Blues
Welcome to the forum, where you'll find about the most supportive group around! My suggestion is to have a seat, take the pressure off yourself, and enjoy the process. The more you enjoy it, the more you will learn and at a faster pace. Depending on the level you're at, maybe consider taking a step back (if you are just starting out) and consider the Beginning Blues Guitar course first in order to get a firm foundation (it works equally well for electric or acoustic). If you already have that, the Acoustic BGU course would probably be your next logical one to work on as it is fairly comprehensive.

With respect to the guitar, a Taylor or Martin is not required. There are lots of affordable quality acoustics available, but if you haven't already done so, try to play and compare a few before settling on one.
 
CaptainMoto

CaptainMoto

Blues Voyager
Welcome!
Wowo_O,
That's quite a combination of problems you've got there.
Just coruious, does playing an instrument help your condition?

About buying a guitar,
I'm not familiar with Hex Guitars but when I did a search on the procraftIndia.com website, I see they are sold out of most other guitars in your target price range.
The only advise I would offer is.........if you can, get out to a retail store and actually hold and play as many guitars as possible.
Shopping for an instrument on line is like ordering food by looking at the menu.
It all may look good, but without tasting it, it's a hit/miss exersise.

You might find this video helpful:
www.youtube.com

Acoustic Guitars Types: Everything you must know

The Ultimate Acoustic Guitar Guide! In this video we're comparing all the acoustic guitar body shapes! Massive thanks to Eastman Guitars and Pepijn 't Hart f...
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com
 
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S

SiddharthKarunakaran220

Blues Newbie
CaptainMoto said:
Just coruious, does playing an instrument help your condition?
Click to expand...
Yes it does. But it doesn't get to that point. I procrastinate due to avoidance coping and avolition which come from my mental health issues and lack of self-discipline. I just procrastinate a lot on YouTube and other social media sites. I seldom get the courage to get off my ass and play my electric guitar.

It's all in my brain. It's a mental block. I face so much resistance. I don't know what to do about it. My doc asked me to change medication but I don't want the side effects of clopazine. I feel like my current medication has ruined my life enough and don't want more side effects. I don't know why I keep taking my current medication and have been since 2013. I think it is because deep down inside I know I am not normal.

If I had stuck to my IT job, I could have been making around one lakh rupees per month by now, but I quit because of mental health issues and also other personal problems and grandiose ideas arising from psychological warfare and am now being supported financially by my sister.

Sometimes I am filled with regret and loneliness. Other times, usually I feel like I did the right thing. I frequently read Robert Frost's poem and also I love this quote from Shakespeare "This above all else, to thine self be true." Of course if you google these things and go in depth, you won't get the personal practical subjective interpretation I got. But I really like those two pieces of literature and I find that it helps me and is a useful guide.

I went to music school but dropped out due to mental health issues and psychological warfare. I think from now on my only music school is going to be BluesGuitarUnleashed.com and my only worthy teacher Griff Hamlin. I am pinning a lot of my hopes on him because the number one thing on my bucket list is to master the guitar before I die, and I hope he doesn't disappoint.

As for getting a good acoustic guitar, yes, your analogy is very helpful. I will surely visit a couple of my local music stores and try some acoustics but only after finishing "how to jam alone on your acoustic guitar" course. Yes looking at the map or the menu can only take you so far. The map is not the territory and the menu is only an indication of the food that's going to be served and its quality.

Elio said:
the Acoustic BGU course would probably be your next logical one to work on as it is fairly comprehensive.
Click to expand...
I will definitely look into this course next. I wouldn't consider myself a beginner. Perhaps an intermediate/ advanced but as I said sick of memorizing and regurgitating solos.

MikeS said:
Be sure to check out his theory course too.
Click to expand...
Can you tell me the name?

To be honest though with this website, the content is worth it but the presentation (read website design and css) could be improved a lot. It seems like a really old site. Just as long as the content is good, I have only mild complaints.

Also 20 bucks seemed like a much more reasonable amount for the all access pass instead of 30 as the site seems old and aging, at least in terms of presentation. Perhaps it's time to hire a front-end developer and improve the css or something. That's my only quip about this site so far.

Thanks for reading my rambling.
It's nothing more than another form of avoidance coping.
But I am speaking with honesty from my heart.
Your friend from South India,
Siddhu Boy.
 
Elio

Elio

Student Of The Blues
SiddharthKarunakaran220 said:
Yes it does. But it doesn't get to that point. I procrastinate due to avoidance coping and avolition which come from my mental health issues and lack of self-discipline. I just procrastinate a lot on YouTube and other social media sites. I seldom get the courage to get off my ass and play my electric guitar.

It's all in my brain. It's a mental block. I face so much resistance. I don't know what to do about it. My doc asked me to change medication but I don't want the side effects of clopazine. I feel like my current medication has ruined my life enough and don't want more side effects. I don't know why I keep taking my current medication and have been since 2013. I think it is because deep down inside I know I am not normal.

If I had stuck to my IT job, I could have been making around one lakh rupees per month by now, but I quit because of mental health issues and also other personal problems and grandiose ideas arising from psychological warfare and am now being supported financially by my sister.

Sometimes I am filled with regret and loneliness. Other times, usually I feel like I did the right thing. I frequently read Robert Frost's poem and also I love this quote from Shakespeare "This above all else, to thine self be true." Of course if you google these things and go in depth, you won't get the personal practical subjective interpretation I got. But I really like those two pieces of literature and I find that it helps me and is a useful guide.

I went to music school but dropped out due to mental health issues and psychological warfare. I think from now on my only music school is going to be BluesGuitarUnleashed.com and my only worthy teacher Griff Hamlin. I am pinning a lot of my hopes on him because the number one thing on my bucket list is to master the guitar before I die, and I hope he doesn't disappoint.

As for getting a good acoustic guitar, yes, your analogy is very helpful. I will surely visit a couple of my local music stores and try some acoustics but only after finishing "how to jam alone on your acoustic guitar" course. Yes looking at the map or the menu can only take you so far. The map is not the territory and the menu is only an indication of the food that's going to be served and its quality.


I will definitely look into this course next. I wouldn't consider myself a beginner. Perhaps an intermediate/ advanced but as I said sick of memorizing and regurgitating solos.


Can you tell me the name?

To be honest though with this website, the content is worth it but the presentation (read website design and css) could be improved a lot. It seems like a really old site. Just as long as the content is good, I have only mild complaints.

Also 20 bucks seemed like a much more reasonable amount for the all access pass instead of 30 as the site seems old and aging, at least in terms of presentation. Perhaps it's time to hire a front-end developer and improve the css or something. That's my only quip about this site so far.

Thanks for reading my rambling.
It's nothing more than another form of avoidance coping.
But I am speaking with honesty from my heart.
Your friend from South India,
Siddhu Boy.
Click to expand...

The member's page is essentially just a collection of courses you can access, but Griff is generally open to suggestions when possible, so feel free to make them.

Believe me when I say that "procrastinating on YouTube and social media" is something that we all deal with! Doing so is a passive activity that is easy to gravitate to when the going gets tough, while learning something new requires active effort, but is ultimately much more rewarding. The bottom line is that we all practice avoidance at various times.

My suggestion is to give yourself an ongoing concrete goal. While going through the BGU course, my goal for each lesson was to get it to the point that I could record my attempt and then post it to the forum in the lessons area for feedback. Every time I posted one, it gave me a tangible sense of completion that then motivated me to continue on to the next lesson.

In addition to having access to all the courses, the All Access pass also gives you access to Griff's live webinars each week, which are excellent. The last webinar of each month is typically a "Fix-it" session, where members can contribute recordings that Griff critiques. The recordings can be anything at all that you are working on, regardless of genre, and do not need to be related to any of the courses. The feedback is always very constructive and extremely supportive, so preparing something to submit to a Fix-it session may also be something to consider.

Best of luck to you. Reach out on the forum whenever you have questions.
 
T

TimothyDavies220

Blues Newbie
SiddharthKarunakaran220 said:
I have tried various other sites but wanted to try this too as all I was doing was memorizing and regurgitating solos.
Click to expand...

This what help me. When I learn a lick (or even a solo), I'll play around with it, making variations, or it adding to other licks that I have learned to make a solo, but always adding my own improvisations. Memorization is good, but that's just the beginning. You need to make it your own.
The other thing is patience. It might take months or even years to get a piece where you want it to be.
 
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Elwood

Elwood

Blues
SiddharthKarunakaran220 said:
trying to play blues and become a professional blues guitarist.
Click to expand...
Pardon my sense of humor but that phrase I quoted reminds me of Clark Griswold's cousin ("Christmas Vacation") when his wife explains he has been unemployed because he is holding out for a management job.

Like others have suggested (some good words up there!), break it down into manageable pieces. Set some achievable interim goals. "Trying to play blues" and "becoming a professional blues guitarist", two way different things right? (sometimes I don't even know what is a professional, a great player, one that gets paid? Some great players are not good at getting paid for it. Some lousy players make good money. I guess the pro would be the great player, that gets paid, and enjoys what he/ she is doing, like Griff :thumbup:)

My feedback from what I read would be set a goal to learn a few songs that you would like to hear yourself play. Then keep in mind that they will sound like you playing, not the record. Then learn to let go of unrealistic expectations and enjoy what you are playing. Get to be friends with the guitar.

My viewpoint differs from many on this site because I want to play the whole song. Learning some tough lead lines is fine, but sitting around the house playing even fantastic lead lines will never bring me the simple joy of just playing the dog gone song. Enter the acoustic. A very nice tool for playing, sitting and playing, and playing the whole song.

I don't know what "being a professional blues guitarist" means to you. Consider working nights, weekends, holidays. No compensation for equipment expenses or time spent learning and/or preparing for a performance. Working to sort out flakey people that would waste your time while you struggle to establish a working band, or hoping to fall in with an established band. And then either self promoting or having someone "help" with that too. And after all that, if you want to get called back to play, your set list will contain many songs that you would never consider playing otherwise.

Get a nice guitar, learn a few things, and "play". Sure you will have to work to learn, but that is some satisfying work right there. Let the guitar become your "personal space", your friend. The learning will be lots more fun and the time will go by easier. When you can't play something today just keep what you learned and let go of the frustration. The day will fast approach when you can play that piece and you will feel good about it. Play for your heart and it will calm your mind. Striving (too early, if at all) to be a pro will certainly frustrate you which will not calm the mind. We all would like some of that calm mind thing!

All the best, welcome, and let us know how you are doing!
 
artyman

artyman

Fareham UK
Hi and welcome from one of the UK mob, great bunch of folk on here with plenty of advice and encouragement. You might also like to take a wander down to the basement and join some of us in the Virtual Jam Room, there you can join in and try your new skills in a safe environment, you have to bring your own beer though :)
 
tommytubetone

tommytubetone

Great Lakes
Elwood said:
Like others have suggested (some good words up there!), break it down into manageable pieces. Set some achievable interim goals. "Trying to play blues" and "becoming a professional blues guitarist", two way different things right
Click to expand...
"the number one thing on my bucket list is to master the guitar before I die."

I've heard it said that no-one masters the guitar, but everyone can continue to get better. I think Elwood nailed it above. Good luck in your guitar journey and with your health issues.
 
TexBill

TexBill

Blues in Texas
Welcome Sid. This is a very good group of individuals willing to share and answer questions.

I like so many of the others at or near retirement do not belong to the "Boomers" group. I am slightly before that classification.

And yes, I am retired. Also, a late bloomer, as some may say. I went back to college after a very long absence and got my degree after age 60. And then stayed on at the university until retirement at age 74.

While at the university, I was in the IT dept. My main responsibility was support of the college of engineering, which included all faculty, student labs and staff. That involved all engineering software installation and updates/upgrades. Additionally, I also supported the Chemistry and Math depts. until just prior to my retirement. Those tasks were then turned over to a slightly larger team as the student population grew.

I noticed you have aspirations of becoming a blues guitar player. That is an excellent choice. Wish you the best possible outcome in reaching for a lofty goal. Speaking of goals, keep the end in sight and at the same time keep it manageable. Don't attempt to do everything all at once.
 
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