How much I didn't know.

[Bob630]

I have been fooling around with a guitar for quite a long time.  I thought I knew something about strumming.  Boy was I wrong.
I started this course and the first thing I learned was how much I didn't know.  What an eye opener.  I just finished lesson 2 and I have come to the conclusion this course is just what I needed.  I am really enjoying it.  Thanks Griff for a great learning experience. 

 

[Annie]

I am still on BBG working on barre chords. I am looking forward to joining you. I don't want to rush through so it may be a while. Since you will have all the experience maybe you can guide me through  [smiley=happy.gif]

 

[Rick23]

I'm with you Annie, almost done with BBG, working on the barre chords. I thought I could do S & RM at the same time a while back, but while working on the first 2 lessons, I decided to concentrate on BBG til I finished. Looking forward to S&RM, hopefully soon.

 

[mountain man]

I'm with you Annie, almost done with BBG, working on the barre chords. I thought I could do S & RM at the same time a while back, but while working on the first 2 lessons, I decided to concentrate on BBG til I finished. Looking forward to S&RM, hopefully soon.

Get on it Rick!! this is a great course!  I need to refresh.  With each course I take my counting gets better and my skills improve.  I need to make time to do them all again.  You guys playing BBG?  It's all about counting.  The course is easy until you try to count it correctly!!! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

 

[Annie]

I have to say I have not been counting really :-[ That is part of the reason I bought SRM-to learn how to count better. I took some music theory and had to count out all the notes and in time. It's been so long ago now it is like starting over.

 

[mountain man]

I have to say I have not been counting really :-[ That is part of the reason I bought SRM-to learn how to count better. I took some music theory and had to count out all the notes and in time. It's been so long ago now it is like starting over.

You could also take the Pentatonic Mastery course.  It might be easier to focus on one string at a time?  Especially when you are counting triplets?  Hang in there.  Go as slow as you need too.  As my snow ski racing coach once told me, "you are skiing very well today, don't worry about the speed, the speed will come"!!!   [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

 

[Bob630]

Hi Annie, sorry about taking so long to respond.  I broke the middle finger on my left hand and haven't been able to play for awhile.  I just let everything go.  Just back to it, still a little sore but good enough to play agin.  The best guide we all have is Griff.  We all do help each other, the folks here a very knowledgable and will never steer you wrong.

 

[Annie]

Sorry about your broken finger Bob. Hope you are getting better everyday and can be back at it soon. If it hurts too much I would just take it slow.

 

[daddymac11]

I've worked through the first few lessons and have reviewed the book that came with the course. I have a question and it is one of the reasons I purchased the course.
Does the course teach how to determine what strum works best in a song other than trial and error?
In the early lessons there are rhythm changes within the exercises and the strum patterns change. Part of this is explained as where a turnaround might occur, etc. and of course the lyric pattern  might change.
In one of Griff's recent video lessons I receive through email is called something like "If you can't hum it you can't play it." It was in reference to soloing and being able to pick out notes from the pentatonic scale .
Is there some way to hum/count/or? to lay out a strum pattern or does it just come naturally after a while through feel?

Thanks DM

 

[MikeS]

I don't think you will find something like:
If the song is X type of rhythm, then use Y strum. At least no one rule that will fit every situation.

Your best bet is to get VERY familiar with allt he strums in the course so much so that you can play them with out any other music on, then:
- pick a song that you want to play
- Listen to the drummer (you can follow his rhythm)
- If there is a guitar obviously listen to what the guitarist is playing
- try to play one of your memorized strums

In the end, for me it has always been trial and error, but after so many years of playing, I don't think about what to strum any more, I just strum and it seems to fit.

probably 90% (maybe more) of the songs out there will fit into one of Griff's rhythms.

I'm sure that will happen for you too.

 

[JohnDuxbury]

I have been fooling around with a guitar for quite a long time. I thought I knew something about strumming. Boy was I wrong.I started this course and the first thing I learned was how much I didn't know. What an eye opener. I just finished lesson 2 and I have come to the conclusion this course is just what I needed. I am really enjoying it. Thanks Griff for a great learning experience.

Same as you, Bob, this course is letting me know my limits! I tried it a while ago. Got to lesson 11, where it really found me out in a big way. So I parked it for a spell and came back to it and lesson 15 got me. I've just been through to the last lessons, with varying degrees of success, so I now know where I'm trying to get to. I think I'll park it for another short spell and get back to it refreshed - and THEN I'll get all the way.

Typical of my experience with Griff's courses. Every time I go back I find things I've missed, things I didn't learn correctly the first time, things I couldn't do well (or at all) before that are now possible, things that were possible that are now easy. Definitely having fun with this one!

 

[matonanjin]

I have been fooling around with a guitar for quite a long time. I thought I knew something about strumming. Boy was I wrong.
I started this course and the first thing I learned was how much I didn't know. What an eye opener. I just finished lesson 2 and I have come to the conclusion this course is just what I needed. I am really enjoying it. Thanks Griff for a great learning experience.

Bob, my education from this course has not been about strumming. I was aware going in that I didn't know much about that. My revelation has been just how poor my chord switching is and how poorly my chord playing is. By the latter I mean getting the chords to ring clearly. You called it an "eye opener" and how accurate a description that is for me.

I put BGU on hold to work this course instead. And I am so very glad I did. I am stalled out in SARM at lesson 4. I am about done with 4-1. I hope to move on to 5 in perhaps a week.

So glad that I purchased this course and switched to it.

 

[david moon]

Bob, my education from this course has not been about strumming. I was aware going in that I didn't know much about that. My revelation has been just how poor my chord switching is and how poorly my chord playing is. By the latter I mean getting the chords to ring clearly. You called it an "eye opener" and how accurate a description that is for me.

I put BGU on hold to work this course instead. And I am so very glad I did. I am stalled out in SARM at lesson 4. I am about done with 4-1. I hope to move on to 5 in perhaps a week.

So glad that I purchased this course and switched to it.

You need to get the chord playing and switching down with no hesitations before the strumming patterns. The strumming patterns also need to be in time. The basic ones that can be played down at the nut:
G C D
C F G
E A B7
A D E

B7 is a bear for a lot of us but it will come.

Some of those chords require muting some strings by not picking or muting with either the right or left hand

 

[Peter Wynne]

Great discussion. I find myself getting to lesson 6 or 7 then going back to practice lesson 4 where Griff brings it all together and getting the timing right. I tend to move on when i can get through the examples slowly as Griff builds upon the learning in each course then go back and play lesson 4/5 a little faster. I should have started with this course before lingering on BBG for so long. But BBG, snare beats 2&4, Mike, and Jeff got me through BGU live in Allen and now i know for sure this course i have to master.