Hi everyone and wishing you a great 2025. I am curious if anyone has set some achievable goals this year. I set some pretty unrealistic expectations for myself in 2023, but in 2024 I kept it simple. My goal was simply to develop seamless rhythm and timing with better dynamics in my playing. I worked through the most of Justin’s Strumming SOS course. 2024 was a rough year personally but I think based on my available free time I did well. Here are a few songs I did that had the best positive feedback. What do you think?
Learn to Fly- The Foo Fighters.
This was a favorite when I played it at the beach and local parks.
Wake Me Up When SeptemberEnds- Green Day
I was hesitant at first because my version sounds nothing like Billie Joe Armstrong’s, but lots of people liked it a lot.
Every Time I Look At You- KISS
Someone commented at how talented and confident I seem. That was a great feeling. I tried this before years ago and sounded awful then.
Self Esteem- The 0ffspring
This one I played to settle my nerves while preparing to go work security for the offspring that day. My coworkers gave me kudos. I often preface my workday with a quick song to relax.
Fallen Angel- Poison
I played this one at the beach in near darkness from memory, though the video was an indoor version.
Hopefully the theme of these shows balanced rhythm and at least some dynamics. Much better than 2023.
For 2025 I want to step it up a bit and challenge myself. I want to sharpen up the chords and fine tune the sound and balance. I want to challenge myself with difficult songs that could take many weeks or more to master. Thus far I started on “creep” by Radiohead. Very basic song but most play it with all barre chords. Last night my wife recognized the rhythm right away after 5 minutes total practice. I’ll keep at it as barre chords are hard for my arthritic hands when singing and playing. Another one is my arch nemesis the f# minor. Im trying something different there too. Fast paced lyrics for the song “Creatures in Heaven” by glass animals. I saw them in concert last year and fell in love with that song and the f# minor is really a must. Lastly I hope to finally hope to learn soloing. I tried that over and over and failed miserably each time. Scales and getting my fingers all working seem to give me a fresh start. As you noticed I got into the habit of not using a pick often so need to get back to that. I always dropped my pick due to my hands. If you’re still here reading, thanks for viewing my rant. Justin’s team sent an email summarizing what I missed since I’ve been MIA working so much. Take care everyone and I’d love to hear what you’re up to.
Good to hear that you’ve already set yourself some achievable goals for 2025! I’m still in “Where the heck did 2024 get to?” mode!!!
I saw that you are struggling with F# minor. I was too but started to learn Calum Scott’s You Are the Reason. It’s a slow tempo song with F# minor recurring in multiple bars. This song really help me to get that chord “under the fingers”!
Hope it helps & good luck in 2025!!!
Hey thanks Tod. I appreciate the advice. I can play the chord, but it is just doing it quickly in a song. Maybe the classic 2 minute chord change drill and batteries in a Walkman dying slowness will help. I’ll check that song out and see how it goes. Yeah I can’t believe I’m still alive and kicking in 2025. 2024 is a blur.
I keep a pick in my pocket all the time, its for fidgeting with. Practice with my fingers stashing it to my finger picking spot and then back without thinking. And you never know when you will be at a show and the guitarest needs to be replaced and the singer points at you and says. “You up for it”. You can pull our pick out of pocket and say thats right.
Great job on the songs!
Sounds like you have some great goals for 2025, looking forward to hearing more from you
Wow! That’s great! I play guitar at home to relax and settle my nerves but the thought of playing for people still makes me anxious
I haven’t set 2025 goals properly yet, but I’m thinking along the lines of learning more campfire type songs, a couple that will take a bit more time and practice, and some solo blues acoustic
You never know what could happen. A local act pulled me on stage when I requested a song they didn’t know. So I showed them how to play shallow by Lady Gaga and they asked me to perform it. Felt odd using someone else’s guitar but was a cool experience.
Thanks for the kind words Jasmine. One month to go and I’ll be back to Avalon AKA Catalina Island to play in public near the beaches. Can’t wait and hope to have some improvements in my playing soon. Take care.
Tough surfing there, are you a local local on catalina island?
Thats where tore my ligaments in my shoulder. I packed on up on beach break last year. We were way out at Shark harbor on the west side and that beach break is just so rocky. Camping at the little harbor camp ground just right there. Its so nice out there. Lots of little surf spots. Not the best surfing most of the time but when conditions are good, its nice.
Stay a bunch of nights and days its the way. also you need to be pretty cool with locals. Anyway. Nice place to be living
Ah, surfing conversations. <3 That straight away inspired my 2025 goals. Apart from spending the summer months between open mics in Melbourne coffee shops and playing guitar at the beach (sadly both more the “daydream” kind of goal due to living in Europe and having a not-that-remote job…): Learn how to write songs that sound like surfy indie pop rather than folk (think Lucksmiths), learn how to play them :D, and become comfortable with what I can do on guitar. I’ve done some rather extensive goal-setting, but will have to reevaluate how much time making music can actually take up in my day-to-day. Wave hi to the beach for me!
Thanks. We go there three times a year. It’s about 40 minutes to the port and a little over an hour boat ride to the island. It is a wonderful getaway.
I live in San Diego so it is about 40 minutes to Dana Point where I catch the boat to Avalon. My wife an I go three times a year for the past 12 years or so. I know a guy that rents apartments close to the beach so I stay there and he gives me a vip rate. Tony the owner, is a guitar player too so we jam together sometimes. He is a great artist and gifted me a picture of the island made from seashells and other things from the beach. This one is a video I did in 2023 at Descanso cove, just past the casino. As you can see my rhythm was a little less perfect and I didn’t know the song as well, but I’m sure it was partially nerves with onlookers watching.
Hopefully this year whatever song I do will sound better and my singing improves.
You’re definitely right about surfing there. The waters can be rough and unpredictable and you’re kind of remote once you get out of Avalon.
That would be a dream for me to visit Melbourne or Perth and do some feel good beach songs. I’m jealous lol. I lived in Germany years ago and Europe has a lot of good perks too. I miss it a lot. Southern California is full of good surfing, especially where I live. I spend my summers playing music on the beach when I can. Once in a while we go after dark and I play in the moonlight. It’s great practice for memorizing the fretboard without looking. As far as song writing I have written a few rather sad songs, but love the idea of writing a happy go lucky beach song. Good luck in 2025.
It was most likely my hands not fretting the notes correctly. I had a problem of pulling the notes out of tune. That video was a while back in 2023, so hopefully improved since then. Thanks for saying hello and happy 2025 Rogier.
Setting extremely lofty goals is just fine depending on your personality type. Because that way if you fail, you fail super high. Like for example, I am going to climb
Mt Everest. So I will train by climbing K2 and Lhotse couple of times. If I fail, i still climbed the 2nd and 3rd tallest and the technically most difficult ones. See its all about prospective, work it.
This is ADHD talking by the way.
It winter so snowboarding time besides im am hurt and wife will kick my rear if I hurt myself befor I am healed again.
Man you are living the good life my friend. Well done.
Edit: I had only rode down there once before but my wife love the island. So we just decided to camp there. we almost always go up the coast to where I know. We ended up just staing in hotels for the week after hospital just on this side of the AZ because the wife did not want to go home for a while still.
I always like this post card from the 70s of the casino. Not actually sure when its from but its older
I really only took my guitar once to the beach and I didnt even get a chance to take it out of the case. I bet that salty spray plays Havock on the wood and the tuning. Is that your $1200.00 USD Martin super special? I kid.
besides im am hurt and wife will kick my rear if I hurt myself befor I am healed again. 
