Guitar progress update

[Rosemary]

Thanks Bob and Mike. I'm really only at the stage of picking out the individual notes of the main tunes I've learnt so far and am not sure of the chords that go with them yet but I'll definitely practise the Barre chords. My practice sessions consist of playing tunes (with the pick) and then practising chords and progressions without the pick (a bit quieter while I'm just a beginner). So far I can only play the main chords (except for Eb and a couple of others) in the lower positions on the fret board as it looks like higher up a lot of them need Barres and my fingers aren't strong enough yet (but am slowly getting there).
Do you think when I can't practise for a week (fairly soon) that it will be easy to pick up where I left?
Thanks
Rosemary

[Paulps]

Hi
If all else fails.. CHEAT!
Put a capo on the third fret and play a "C"... Hey presto "Eb"! Alternatively, capo on first fret and play "D".
OK I know this will only work if you are playing songs in certain keys, and you do really want to play "properly", but when I started playing I couldn't manage Eb, and I got away with it for years! It was only when I returned to the guitar after a few years off that I found that I could play an Eb, and other chords, that I had never mastered before. I had also lost a lot of my bad habits, so perhaps your week off will have a beneficial effect. The main thing is KEEP PRACTISING, and DON'T GIVE UP!
It will all come together in time.
Keep on letting us know how you are getting on, as your posts take us all back to the time we started playing, and reminds us of all the problems we encountered.

[Bob Dore]

Here's a useful and worthwhile exercise you can do which doesn't hurt the fingers and you can do while watching TV with the family, it's called string walking.

The idea of string walking is that you place the fingers on the right string in the right place but DON'T press on the strings or play them. As soon as you can feel the string, move onto the next fret or string. Try to make sure you can only feel the string you're supposed to be touching. This exercise is silent - and it works.

There are two possibilities at this stage that you will find useful, first walk up and down the strings, in a position of your choice finger four adjacent frets on the first string one at a time then move to the next string and do the same. Once you've fingered all six strings, walk backwards then start all over again.

I hope this makes sense, if not let me know and I'll try to explain in more detail.

The next exercise is to walk the chords. For example you could place your middle finger on the first string, 3rd fret, then when you can feel the string, place your third finger on the second string, 4th fret, then your first finger on the third string 3rd fret and then your little finger on the fourth string 5th fret. Then walk back and start all over again. You'll find after a while this becomes easy and, hey presto, Eb is a doddle!

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

Bob.

[Rosemary]

Hi Paul and Bob
Thanks very much for your help.

Paul: I've wondered about the Capo but thought it might do my head in if I were expecting one note and heard another. I can see it would be really useful though if someone wanted to play in an unusual key. I'll keep that one up my sleeve (not that I'm likely to be accompanying anyone at this stage)

Bob: The string and chord walking sounds a great idea. I've been strumming chords while watching TV but will try your technique instead.

Despite all these problems I'm trying to think about what I can do now that I couldn't do a week ago rather than what I can't yet do.

I'll post again in another few weeks and thanks to you both and to everyone else for the advice and encouragement. I'm learning so much from these boards.

All the best
Rosemary

[Bill Bowley]

Eb in 'Sacha'? Mmmmmm.........

[Rosemary]

Hi Bill
Sorry for the confusion. I wasn't playing any Eb chords in Sacha. My practice sessions (at night after work and on weekends) consist of half a dozen Shadows tunes (no surprises there) - but just the notes - I can't do anything at all technical yet - followed by chords in songbooks now that I've learnt a lot of the basic chords. This is to try to get used to switching quickly between them (which I'm not very good at).

Eb is probably the hardest chord I've struck that is regularly used in the various songbooks here. I've tried 3 different configurations but there's always a dead note in there somewhere. It's going to need a lot of practice and I'm hoping that when I'm away for a week I won't slip too far back. Tonight I played 'Theme for young lovers' for my husband without too many wrong notes (I thought) and asked him what it was. He replied with 'Wonderful Land'. Oh well. At least he recognised it as a Shadows tune.

Best wishes
Rosemary

[Bill Bowley]

Rosemary,

If you can play 'Theme FYL' you're definitely on track for sure, there is a good selection of chords in that number alone! As for those odd 'dead' notes, I wouldn't worry too much, a lot of jazz playing involves some chords with sometimes only three strings being used, and in any case, as long as it is a 'dead' note, you won't miss it most of time anyway!

Please keep at it, I think the world is ready for a 'Lady' Shadows Tribute group in the near future, and speaking for myself I would welcome the chance to play alongside a lady guitarist any time!

[Rosemary]

Hi Bill
Thanks for the encouragement. That's a great idea but I'm a very very long way from being able to play in a band. With TFYL and other tunes I can only play the individual notes and not the chords yet. I just check what key the tunes are in and pick out the notes but haven't worked out the chords to those tunes yet. I practise chords separately though so am learning them too. Also it's an acoustic guitar but if I keep making good progress I might buy an electric one day. I hope I don't slip back too much over the next week when I'm away but there's still the iPhone pocket guitar app.
All the best
Rosemary

[Bill Bowley]

Rosemary,

Do you have any 'backing tracks' CD's to play along to? That would be a help I think, rather than playing to the records all the time............

[Rosemary]

Hi Bill
That's a great idea. Thanks. I'll get on to backing tracks soon. I'm home from holidays now and don't seem to have forgotten what I'd learnt the last couple of months so am getting back into practising again. Think I overdid it yesterday though.
All the best
Rosemary