Still working on learning guitar. I managed to play a big F chord twice the other day, but then the magic passed. I keep trying to figure out the precise way to configure and contort my fingers, but they aren’t long and skinny enough. Story of my life.

My friend George and I did another duet. The other day, my husband and I were drinking wine and listening one of my drunken downloads. I often download whole albums when I drink booze. They’re usually pretty good.

Anyway, this really nice song called “Open Season on My Heart” came on by Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris (an idol of mine). I know this song was also done by Tim McGraw, but Rodney Crowell co-wrote it with another guy. I tend to prefer hearing writers sing their own stuff. It was the first time I had heard the song, so I found a video on YouTube and sent it to my musical friend in Scotland who plays guitar and keyboards and also sings. Today, we collaborated. Here’s the video.

https://youtu.be/B7IaLJ74Rr0

Someday, I hope to join in on guitar.

In other, on topic news... last night, my husband’s daughter emailed to say that she and her husband and two little kids went to a big LDS wedding. While they were in the sealing room, the kids 1 and 3 years old were being watched by one of the bridesmaids, who happened to be COVID-19 positive. The kids are sick, but so far my husband’s daughter and her husband are not.

She says the bride wanted great pictures, so there were no precautions taken... and it was a big wedding. I wonder if they thought the garments would protect them. Anyway, they are going to Skype tonight. Hopefully, all will be okay...

Oh, and stepdaughter’s husband was sent home to work when someone heard about his being exposed to COVID-19, even though he wasn’t obviously sick. Somehow, they missed the memo that the disease can spread asymptomatically. They’re in Provo.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/2020 01:22PM by knotheadusc.

Not sure how you're playing the F chord, but if you are playing it as a "bar" chord, here's a tip...you may already know this......if you bar the first fret with your index finger and play an "E" chord with your other fingers in front of the bar, that's the F. Move the bar and other fingers up one fret and its F#, move another fret and its G, and so on up the neck.

Same with a B flat, bar the first fret and play an A in front, move up one fret its B, another fret its C, and so on up the neck.

Once you learn the finger positions, you can play all the chords up an down the neck while keeping your fingers in the same position.

Also, play an Em in front of the bar and all the chords are minor. Play an Am in front of the bar and all the chords are minor...same when you augment the basic cord like for a 7th.

Have fun!

I am making some progress. I couldn’t do it at all a month ago. A few days ago, I managed it twice with it sounding pretty good. But then I got tired.

I am glad I finally decided to pick up the guitar, though. I have been wanting to play for years.

Thanks for the tips. I will try again tomorrow.

The problem with bar chords is you need strength and agility in your left forefinger while it’s perfectly straight.(right handed player). We are used to using our forefinger in a pinching motion which only develops pressure on the tip of the finger. In order to develop strength in the finger while straight, take a rubber band and and wrap it around your forefinger and your middle finger. Then flex your fingers apart in every direction while keeping your fingers straight. This will develop strength in your forefinger while in the proper straight position. Also, if you’re self teaching yourself guitar learn to use YouTube, there’s hundreds of good instructional videos to help you. Good luck.

Ooh! That is an interesting tip! I will have to try that.

I have been using Fender Play mostly, but I have seen videos by Justin Guitar and a couple of other guys.

LOL... my husband is also learning and I think I will soon buy an electric. I guess this is one nice thing to come out of the pandemic.

A stated above work on making your whole finger a clamp, drop your elbow, move it close to your body. Practive the F-shape up the nehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iu9GglU5ksck at the 7th fret where it's likely much easier to make the strings ring. You only have to push down hard enough to cleaerly stop all the strings on the frets. When you get it to ring at the 7th fret, move down one fret, keep going until you can make all the strings ring a the 1rst fret.

He's a link for some useful tips ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iu9GglU5ks

Many thanks! I am getting better at it, but it's still kind of muted. Got the same problem with little F.

I keep reading that it will eventually click.

ETA: Looks like stepdaughter and family are going to be okay. The wedding was eleven days ago.

Glad to hear that.






PS: Music is NEVER off topic.

As a former guitar player, a bit of encouragement: barre chords seem impossible until they are not. A few months after that, you will wonder what all the fuss and agony was about. It will not be hard at all. [Parallels can be drawn to the feeling when leaving Mormonism. :) ]

B flat always gave me trouble. The big barre was easy, but the second short one tended to buzz or mute a string that wasn't supposed to be muted. Fortunately, most folk music was in C or sharp keys. :)

If you get into jazz chords, an F chord will look and feel like the innocence of youth. Joni Mitchell retuned her guitar to make the jazz chords in a song easier to play partly because she had polio as a child, which weakened her grip. I suspect she also did it because open string chords sound better. Whatever the case, she is famous for using unusual tunings, and having songs that are practically impossible to play (in her style) in standard tuning.

+1 for Emmylou Harris. And besides her music, absolute best head of white hair on the planet. :)

Oops!

When you told me of your facility with Barre, I thought you were dressing up in a leotard and going to exercise classes.

I feel so embarrassed. . .

My beer gut precludes ballet class. My sister might go, though.

I was referring to BoJ. Those mathematicians are some wild and crazy guys!

What made you give up the guitar?

I recently read about Don Fogelberg going to see Joni Mitchell playing a concert. He noticed someone writing as Joni played and asked what she was doing and she told him she was copying Joni’s tunings. That opened a new world for Dan, who hadn’t known about alternative tunings.

I have discovered the dropped F tuning, but haven’t experimented with it yet.

If you figure out Joni's tuning, share it? Maybe?

Drop D is all I know.

ETA: Well whaddayah know. The holy grail https://www.jonimitchell.com/music/tuningpatterns.cfm



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/2020 12:41AM by Beth.

Today was not such a good day for guitar, although I did learn the C7 chord.

Looks like my husband’s daughter will be okay COVID-19 wise, but we did learn that her narcissistic mom medically neglected her and tried to paint my husband as a deadbeat...

Typical. Thank God she is smart enough to question.

I was gonna start guitar lessons...again...but after playing a few chords my arthritic hands were not happy so it's back on it's stand looking pretty



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/2020 11:26PM by Lethbridge Reprobate.

<3

I don't have arthritic hands, but I can't play for too long because my fingers quit responding properly and my hands start to ache.

Still, it's kind of a cool thing to be able to pick out a few tunes.

Give it some time, it comes with practice, even in fairly substantial middle age. I only started taking guitar seriously a couple of years ago when I joined a band that plays for fun every Monday night - a bunch of fairly untalented music lovers led by a genius music teacher who selects the songs and writes all the parts to match our talent level.

Great fun and you can improve and learn at any age. I'm off to tonight's session in a few minutes!

Your YouTube channel is seriously wonderful.

https://youtu.be/b5xSJJusxbA

Why thank you very much, Screen Name! That makes my day!

In honor of last night's shit show, which I missed because I was sleeping, I sang a new song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BpUgwT_UQY&t=45s

As for guitar, it's slowly coming along. I've figured out a few barre chord cheats that I will use until my fingers stretch more and become more dexterous.

Shit show indeed. Your music helps.

Well, it gives me something to focus on besides politics, pandemics, and police brutality.

We all need that.

Having enough left forefinger strength and agility is the big challenge in playing bar chords. Especially in compressing the 5th and 6th strings. It’s a matter of leverage. If you just don’t have the strength to do it, you can make them(the chords) just 4 string configurations and avoid plucking or strumming the top two strings when playing. That way you can “play around” your inability to compress 5 and 6 adequately. Guitar players cheat all the time, it just depends on what level. Mostly the audience doesn’t pick it up because they don’t know what’s happening. Heck, it’s all just a magic show anyhow. Like anything else...have fun.

If you do want to play your bar chords with all 6sttrings...don’t forget to do the rubber band exercise. Good luck.

Thanks! I love that one, especially when I am drunk and in a bad. Nowadays, I just wish I were.