Just putting this out there to see if anyone else is like me in this area.
I have a growing number of instructional videos saved in my "watch later" tab on YT, but I hardly ever get around to actually watching them, much less learning the pieces. Like many of you here, I work long hours, have a house to keep up with, a family, etc, and playing guitar seems to drift to the bottom of my priority list lots of times. I still manage to pick up my guitar for at least a few minutes most days, but not always. And when I do, I generally just play what I know, what's enjoyable and fun, and rarely get around to learning the new pieces I've saved. This is how someone plays the same stuff over and over for 30 years.
How do you all handle this?
I'm thinking of making my Sat and Sun mornings time for learning new pieces, and then spending the rest of the week sharpening them up, interspersed with my usual fun things to play.
Well, I'm retired so time isn't an issue for me. I never watch instructional videos. When I hear a piece of music that I like and want to add it to my repertoire, I purchase the music. The act of spending the money forces me to address the piece when it arrives. And it helps support the composer or arranger of the music. I usually play maybe two hours a day. I do break this down to technical exercises, learning something new, and running through pieces I already know if I'm in the mood.
I'm also retired now, here.
I have purchased a lot of music from Harold Streeter [Lewalt Publishing (https://www.lewalt.com/)] which arrives as a .pdf and a tabledit file I can hear, slow down, replay...
Also I subscribe to CHORDIFY (https://chordify.net/). Link the youtube and the chords are displayed as they occur.
I have almost 60 odd years of I'll get around to it. Sometimes I actually do. :laughin:
Quote from: Queequeg on August 20, 2023, 12:23:31 PMI'm also retired now, here.
I have purchased a lot of music from Harald Streeter [Lewalt Publishing (https://www.lewalt.com/)] which arrives as a .pdf and a tabledit file I can hear, slow down, replay...
Also I subscribe to CHORDIFY (https://chordify.net/). Link the youtube and the chords are displayed as they occur.
Thanks for the links. I will check them out. I personally like song standards and there seem to a number of them in this link you posted. I also like playing classical guitar works and in particular, things that have been composed since I left the guitar in the 1980s. You may want to check out Chris Whiteman on You Tube. His numerous videos include solos that can be purchased by the attached links. He is one of my favorite young artists. And I recently purchased a couple of guitar works by the composer Richard Charlton. Here are two pieces I have purchased and am currently working on. I love the descriptive title of the Charlton piece and the beautiful romantic melody it has. One of the things I like about the C. Whiteman solos is that they are in the song's original key. And this gives me opportunities to play music in flat keys. I play his Round Midnight which is in the key of Eb minor. And I find that these two styles of music work very well on the acoustic steel string guitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WaYtndtiyY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQhTK5rsdbk
The late, great Marcel Dadi generously included complete and accurate tab with every album. I have them all and have worked on certain pieces off and on for many years. Damn some of them are difficult and if you don't play them daily, you forget them. At least, I do.
Quote from: William2 on August 20, 2023, 11:45:23 AMWell, I'm retired so time isn't an issue for me. I never watch instructional videos. When I hear a piece of music that I like and want to add it to my repertoire, I purchase the music. The act of spending the money forces me to address the piece when it arrives. And it helps support the composer or arranger of the music. I usually play maybe two hours a day. I do break this down to technical exercises, learning something new, and running through pieces I already know if I'm in the mood.
I learn best from videos since I can watch someone playing. I'm trying to get better at learning from books but it's a struggle for me. I can't read notation and have to rely on tab.
:whistling:
I have the same problem as you when it comes to learning new music. With a 2 year old at home, I try to get up around 5:30am and get some guitar playing in, but I'm usually too groggy from sleep and time is too limited to know where to start. The only way I have been able to progress with learning songs is to pick ONE song, and dedicate myself to learning it for at least a week. I figure that with 52 weeks in a year, I can hopefully learn a few new songs in a year. But I am often overwhelmed by songs I want to learn that I easily find on youtube, and I also have a few DVDs from Stefan Grossman playing blues fingerstyle that I am desperate to learn.
I try to remember the old saying, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."
For something completely different, yesterday I decided to tackle Beethoven's Fur Elise. Deceptively simple in theory but much harder to play with nuance and authority. But, man, what fun!
Quote from: Silence Dogood on August 21, 2023, 08:11:05 AMFor something completely different, yesterday I decided to tackle Beethoven's Fur Elise. Deceptively simple in theory but much harder to play with nuance and authority. But, man, what fun!
Fur Elise- one of my favorite Beethoven pieces. :thumb
Quote from: William2 on August 20, 2023, 03:05:50 PMThanks for the links. I will check them out. I personally like song standards and there seem to a number of them in this link you posted. I also like playing classical guitar works and in particular, things that have been composed since I left the guitar in the 1980s. You may want to check out Chris Whiteman on You Tube. His numerous videos include solos that can be purchased by the attached links. He is one of my favorite young artists. And I recently purchased a couple of guitar works by the composer Richard Charlton. Here are two pieces I have purchased and am currently working on. I love the descriptive title of the Charlton piece and the beautiful romantic melody it has. One of the things I like about the C. Whiteman solos is that they are in the song's original key. And this gives me opportunities to play music in flat keys. I play his Round Midnight which is in the key of Eb minor. And I find that these two styles of music work very well on the acoustic steel string guitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WaYtndtiyY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQhTK5rsdbk
Very good. Thanks for introducing me to these two artists/composers, William.
Rather challenging. These would keep me out of mischief for quite a while.
Quote from: Silence Dogood on August 20, 2023, 07:38:23 PMI learn best from videos since I can watch someone playing. I'm trying to get better at learning from books but it's a struggle for me. I can't read notation and have to rely on tab.
:whistling:
I guess what I see from these videos is it takes so long to get through the video and the music isn't that good. If I had the music or the tab, I could just read through it. And I find that with notes or tab, the music just sticks in my mind better. Note reading was the first thing I learned when I took up the guitar. And when I gave up guitar to play lute, that whole repertoire is in tab. Of course, there is Italian tab, French tab, and German tab. In another post, someone mention Stephan Grossman. I have one of his books which I only bought because it had an arrangement of Duck Baker's Pretty Girl Milking A Cow. It is a 17th century tune I love and used to play it on recorder. Anyway, all the tab in the book is written so badly. Instead of putting the fret number on the correct line, they put it on the space above I believe. Drove me mad!!! And Duck Baker does the same thing on his publications. Thank God things are getting better in publishing.
Quote from: William2 on August 21, 2023, 08:56:19 AMI guess what I see from these videos is it takes so long to get through the video and the music isn't that good. If I had the music or the tab, I could just read through it. And I find that with notes or tab, the music just sticks in my mind better. Note reading was the first thing I learned when I took up the guitar. And when I gave up guitar to play lute, that whole repertoire is in tab. Of course, there is Italian tab, French tab, and German tab. In another post, someone mention Stephan Grossman. I have one of his books which I only bought because it had an arrangement of Duck Baker's Pretty Girl Milking A cow. It is a 17th century tune I love and used to play it on recorder. Anyway, all the tab in the book is written so badly. Instead of putting the fret number on the correct line, they put it on the space above I believe. Drove me mad!!! And Duck Baker does the same thing on his publications. Thank God things are getting better in publishing.
If I'm lucky and if the piece is well-known enough, I'll find multiple videos and take bits from each one and end up learning a piece that way. Some people have the heart of a teacher and some just show you "where to put your fingers." Books are great, but unless I know a piece well I have to have a sound example, which is also way easier these days because of YouTube. The hard part these days isn't finding material, but deciding on it and then sticking with it till it's learned.
As a cowboy chord strum hard and sing loud player, I hesitate to call what I learn "pieces of music", but I have ended up with a few sites that have new songs I want to learn. Here's one that has a bunch: https://ozbcoz.com/Songs/ . You can select various uke tunings, guitar tunings, mandolin, etc. To some extent, the hardest part (but the part that helps me learn them so much better) is editing the tunes so they fit on one page, with chords exactly where I need them.
Ed
Quote from: eded on August 21, 2023, 02:20:10 PMAs a cowboy chord strum hard and sing loud player, I hesitate to call what I learn "pieces of music", but I have ended up with a few sites that have new songs I want to learn. Here's one that has a bunch: https://ozbcoz.com/Songs/ . You can select various uke tunings, guitar tunings, mandolin, etc. To some extent, the hardest part (but the part that helps me learn them so much better) is editing the tunes so they fit on one page, with chords exactly where I need them.
Ed
Just as a note, My Norton Security system won't allow me access saying the is a dangerous site.
Taking The Time To Learn New Pieces Of Music On The Guitar.
Players should do more of this rather than obsessing about strings, tonewoods, picks, bridge pins and all the things that really don't matter. The guitar is for making music on. Then again, I am the master of unpopular opinions. :laughin:
Quote from: ducktrapper on August 21, 2023, 07:33:39 PMTaking The Time To Learn New Pieces Of Music On The Guitar.
Players should do more of this rather than obsessing about strings, tonewoods, picks, bridge pins and all the things that really don't matter. The guitar is for making music on. Then again, I am the master of unpopular opinions. :laughin:
No, you are absolutely correct here. I used to be a gear-head for years and then one day realized I knew all about musical equipment but still sucked at guitar. It can happen easily.
Quote from: William2 on August 21, 2023, 03:51:08 PMJust as a note, My Norton Security system won't allow me access saying the is a dangerous site.
Bummer. I've been using it for years.
Ed
Quote from: ducktrapper on August 21, 2023, 07:33:39 PMTaking The Time To Learn New Pieces Of Music On The Guitar.
Players should do more of this rather than obsessing about strings, tonewoods, picks, bridge pins and all the things that really don't matter. The guitar is for making music on. Then again, I am the master of unpopular opinions. :laughin:
That's a conclusion that takes many folks a long time to come to.
I don't mean to say you're an old fart, but...
:roll :cheers
Ed
Quote from: eded on August 21, 2023, 08:37:58 PMThat's a conclusion that takes many folks a long time to come to.
I don't mean to say you're an old fart, but...
:roll :cheers
Ed
I prefer mature fart. :laughin:
Quote from: ducktrapper on August 21, 2023, 07:33:39 PMTaking The Time To Learn New Pieces Of Music On The Guitar.
Players should do more of this rather than obsessing about strings, tonewoods, picks, bridge pins and all the things that really don't matter. The guitar is for making music on. Then again, I am the master of unpopular opinions. :laughin:
Absolutely.
You can't buy or accessorize your way to improved playing and/or performing.
Don't believe the marketing hype regarding some new string manufacturing technology.
Your guitar sounds the way it does almost entirely due to the way you're playing it.
(Yeah, I know that's harsh.)
You have to put in the time and intentional practice.
There's just no substitute.
Someone told Chet Atkins, "Man, that guitar sure sounds good!"
Chet set the guitar down on a chair and asked him, "Ok, how does it sound now?"
Quote from: Queequeg on August 22, 2023, 07:52:44 AMAbsolutely.
You can't buy or accessorize your way to improved playing and/or performing technique.
Don't believe the marketing hype regarding some new string manufacturing technology.
Your guitar sounds the way it does almost entirely due to the way you're playing it.
(Yeah, I know that's harsh.)
You have to put in the time and intentional practice.
There's just no substitute.
Someone told Chet Atkins, "Man, that guitar sure sounds good!"
Chet set the guitar down on a chair and asked him, "Ok, how does it sound now?"
Amen. A huge portion of the "gear" industry survives on the idea that the _next_ thing/gadget we get will at last make us the player we've always wanted to be. (Same goes for all the "new" instructional methods out there.) I've tried hard to get over this but am still a sucker for a new kind of strings or pick. And even then it's probably a mental thing where I try harder and mix things up since I'm using a new set, etc. When in reality, it's still just me playing.
One of the reasons I've stuck with one guitar exclusively over the years was to get over the tone-chase and just get on with playing music.
Quote from: Silence Dogood on August 22, 2023, 08:13:39 AMAmen. A huge portion of the "gear" industry survives on the idea that the _next_ thing/gadget we get will at last make us the player we've always wanted to be. (Same goes for all the "new" instructional methods out there.) I've tried hard to get over this but am still a sucker for a new kind of strings or pick. And even then it's probably a mental thing where I try harder and mix things up since I'm using a new set, etc. When in reality, it's still just me playing.
One of the reasons I've stuck with one guitar exclusively over the years was to get over the tone-chase and just get on with playing music.
For me, I have already picked my tone wood preference and I have a 12 fret and 14 fret versions with a spruce top. There are all these subtle sound differences between rosewood and mahogany but not worth replacing these two for me. And once the music starts, it is the music not the materials that I'm listening to. I'm so turned off by the major companies like Martin and Taylor that come out with new models all the time and their ridiculous prices. This is a different topic, and I don't want to get started on this.
Quote from: William2 on August 22, 2023, 10:38:21 AMFor me, I have already picked my tone wood preference and I have a 12 fret and 14 fret versions with a spruce top. There are all these subtle sound differences between rosewood and mahogany but not worth replacing these two for me. And once the music starts, it is the music not the materials that I'm listening to. I'm so turned off by the major companies like Martin and Taylor that come out with new models all the time and their ridiculous prices. This is a different topic, and I don't want to get started on this.
I don't begrudge any of these companies trying to make a buck and I don't know if young people are buying guitars any more so maybe their only marketing strategy is trying to talk me into buying another guitar with some magic wood. By they way, I think you just did. :winkin:
Martin, Taylor, et al, coming out with _new_ models all the time makes sense to me (though I get that it can be off-putting to some): but what is a genuine mystery to me is how Fender and Gibson can put out the _very same_ Strats and LPs, though sold under different names, for decades and people still like up yo buy them.
Quote from: ducktrapper on August 22, 2023, 11:18:01 AMI don't begrudge any of these companies trying to make a buck and I don't know if young people are buying guitars any more so maybe their only marketing strategy is trying to talk me into buying another guitar with some magic wood. By they way, I think you just did. :winkin:
LOL! Well, if you are talking about the Martin D-15 Street Master I just bought, I think the 15 series is part of the main Martin line. And while I am a rosewood tone wood person, I occasionally do like a mahogany sound hence the D-15. I'm just saying Martin has some standard instruments, the real Martins (15, 18, 28, 35, 41, 45) and the rest is something they put out and then discontinue with something else for a while. You should see their discontinued tab on their site, it is pages long. Martin can make a great guitar, but it comes from their custom shop. I just never liked the Taylor sound and I feel they are way overpriced for what you get. And as far as Martin's go, I only liked the 15 series, the 17 series, and the 28 series. And of those series, I only liked their dreadnoughts.
Back to the original subject, sort of, or not really.
On AGF the "show and tell" and "play and write" sections are good. High density with relative beginners and accomplished players. Lots of video and sound cloud stuff all in one place. Lots of original works. One can follow certain people and become familiar with their improvement over time as well as pick up stuff from the better players. Many "technique" you tube videos are recommended there. Useful also cause in addition to the "record" section, one can learn about how to make basic recordings or videos.
The reason I like those AGF sections is because I can learn "how" to do stuff from a number of sources. Tabs and notations are sometimes offered.
Mike
No one so far has mentioned the obvious: Get off the online guitar forums and play your guitar!!! :humour:
As far as taking the time to learn new pieces goes, I bought a songbook recently for the first time in a very, very long time. It's a book of Enya songs arranged for fingerstyle guitar. Should be a lot of fun. I'm a huge Enya fan and find her melodies beautiful and captivating. Here is a link to the book in case you're interested:
https://www.amazon.com/Fingerpicking-Enya-Arranged-Standard-Notation-ebook/dp/B00GQZOG44/ref=sr_1_3?crid=15V522LDK562H&keywords=fingerpicking+enya+book+guitar&qid=1694945973&sprefix=fingerpicking+enya+book+guitar%2Caps%2C221&sr=8-3
If you're interested in fingerstyle blues, try this: https://www.fretboardconfidential.com/
The material is great. I try to learn one song per month which usually consists of the melody, vamp, solo or two and shout chorus. Then I play around with the arrangement. The biggest benefit is when I sit down to practice, I know what I want to work on and can focus on it.
The monthly fee is really reasonable for what you get.
For you singer/strummers you just can't beat Chordify.
Listen as you play along.
You can even drop a song from YouTube in there and it shows you all the chords and fingerings.
Quote from: Queequeg on March 05, 2024, 11:47:41 PMFor you singer/strummers you just can't beat Chordify.
Listen as you play along.
You can even drop a song from YouTube in there and it shows you all the chords and fingerings.
Wow, I was unaware of this. I'll have to check it out.
Quote from: Queequeg on March 05, 2024, 11:47:41 PMFor you singer/strummers you just can't beat Chordify.
Listen as you play along.
You can even drop a song from YouTube in there and it shows you all the chords and fingerings.
Is it fairly basic? I'm wanting to learn some more advanced jazz and transcriptions for the complex stuff are too expensive when I'm just trying to dabble.
Quote from: B0WIE on March 06, 2024, 06:05:40 PMIs it fairly basic? I'm wanting to learn some more advanced jazz and transcriptions for the complex stuff are too expensive when I'm just trying to dabble.
Try it for free and see if it is what you're looking for.
As Chordify detects the chords to songs using an algorithm, there are occasions where the chords may not always be accurate.
If you're a visitor to Chordify, you can view up to 3 songs and play 1 song per day. If you create a Free account, you can view up to 4 songs on the website/iOS app and play up to 3 songs per day
I've been doing lessons lately with Active Melody. Nothing too fast or flashy, and all very doable. I recommend checking it out if you're interesting in blues, country, rockabilly, swing, etc. Most of it is blues-based and all the lessons are made up of original music, many times playing "in the style of" so-and-so. The guy that runs the site (Brian) is a really great player/teacher.
I've always played along with records or CDs or the radio etc. I guess I'm pretty good at figuring out chord changes. I used to tune my guitars to that long A chord that begins Neil Young's Last Trip to Tulsa. Back in the early days of the internet, I printed out binders full of songs with lyrics and chord changes. Back then, someone was always threatening to make it illegal. I especially liked Ace 60's tabs from Andrew Rogers. He was very generous (and accurate) with this transcriptions. :beer
I suppose everyone is different, but I have always found I learn a new piece of music better using notes as opposed to tablature. And I played lute for over 20 years and its music is all in tablature. In my head I can just see the score but not with tab. Lastly, I was going to order some sheet music of John Renbourn but have decided to hold off for now. I just can't get into these tuning various strings for a piece of music. I have now issue with a lowered 6th or 5th, but I'm just not going to change the top strings. There is too much good stuff out there in standard guitar tuning.
I can read music but greatly prefer tabs. Particularly because you have multiples of a note on a fret board and they all have a different tonality.
If I'm writing though, I might notate in standard so I can convey the timing correctly. That's the big shortcoming of tabs. Not a problem in music that's familiar but a big issue if you don't know the phrasing and rhythm.
Quote from: B0WIE on March 09, 2024, 02:44:57 PMI can read music but greatly prefer tabs. Particularly because you have multiples of a note on a fret board and they all have a different tonality.
If I'm writing though, I might notate in standard so I can convey the timing correctly. That's the big shortcoming of tabs. Not a problem in music that's familiar but a big issue if you don't know the phrasing and rhythm.
The rule in the old lute instruction books was to hold each note as long as possible for voicing and timing. I did buy a couple of books from Stefan Grossman and Mel Bay that included tabs. It was so annoying as they put the fret markings not on lines indicating the strings, but in-between the lines. I like the Duck Baker arrangements of tunes gospel arrangements and carols. They are well written, and he avoids for the most part the DADGAD tuning. I have a book called Irish Guitar by Pat Kirtley. At least the tabs are on the lines, but most is in DADGAD or some other tuning variant. And when I look at it, I ask why? It is sight reading material in guitar friendly keys. It has to be for sound you get in that tuning which wears on me after about 5 minutes.
I would go crazy printing out tabbed songs around 2002. I still have some of them and need to look at them again.