Hello, I’m doing my first recording. I’m still on grade 1 and this is my first song. I totally messed up singing the lyrics. I got nervous recording, as I’m usually able to read and sing them just fine. This was my second take, but I liked the playing so I kept it.
The change in strumming was completely unplanned, never practiced, and something I did because it just felt right emotionally. Funny enough, this is when I had less trouble singing the lyrics.
So here it is. It’s a Feelin Alright by Joe Cocker
First recording
Hilary congratz on your first upload, that was really good! You definitely managed to automate your strumming hand which is what you aim at during early stages of your learning + your chord changes were clean, so well done. I would work on one minute changes between chords used in this song to make sure you are not fretting finger by finger but moving all shape at once. That will come with more time and practice I am sure all the best!
Thomas also congratulations on your debut! Definitely a good progress and double kudos for standing up position! Those pumping eights came out strong too so keep at it and you will gain even more comfidence while performing! All the best
Rockin’ that strat Thomas, well done for getting your first video up for us! As Adi says, good for you to be to be playing standing at this point, well worth persisting with and yes those pumping 8s really pushed things along, you noticeably gained confidence in your singing when they kicked in, bring that energy, it’s awesome!
@Tomc12
Bravo, Tom, congratulations on your first recording. You did well and are making good progress in all aspects, including singing and playing. Loved the change up in strumming, play with feeling following your instinct is excellent.
Keep at it, keep recording, and over time you will become more comfortable and things will slowly feel better and better
@southpaw6 That was great Hilary. Now your first recording is out of the way you’ll find yourself progressing in leaps and bounds. As mentioned, your fingers could do with being closer to the frets but that will improve with practice. Your rhythm is solid and your chord changes are good. There’s a lot you should be happy with. Well done!
@Tomc12 Well done Thomas on your first recording. Standing up, singing and playing is certainly going ‘all in’ for your debut. Loved the strumming change too.
Thank you, David. I’ve recently realized how helpful recording is, and your comment validates that, too. Listening to your recording is a bit like reading your own writing in a way.
I appreciate it!! It’s starting to dawn on me that even energy really matters, along with everything technical. I will keep working on it and get that confidence.
@myall_blues RE: Knocking On Heaven’s Door.
Murray … the good and the critique!
You are changing chords to land on the count of 1 consistently and playing with a constant down up down up motion.
Occasionally your 3rd finger lags behind the other two on the Am and C chords. Try to train it for simultaneous landing.
You are playing and singing - hurrah. Big kudos as it is not easily done, even on a simple open chord strummer.
Your guitar position and strumming arm position give me concerns. You drape your forearm over the top of the guitar and the guitar is pulled far out to the side of your body rather than being in front. If you watch the movement of your forearm and wrist and hand and fingers when strumming, they are not all acting together and moving in unison. Your elbow is a natural pivot point from which the entire motion of Down and Up and Down and Up should be driven. As I watch your elbow and forearm, it is pushing almost vertically up and down rather than swinging in a curved arc that then imparts up and down motion to your hand. The consequence is that your lower part of your forearm to your wrist are having to rotate significantly to move the hand and fingers in the correct strumming path across the strings. Your are creating a big gap between your wrist and the body of the guitar and your wrist is having to cock severely to aim your fingers towards the strings. This is going to cause tension in many of your muscles and prevent you from playing comfortably over longer periods. See the tension in your hand and the fingers are clenched up? Push the guitar more in front of you, hook your elbow more around the rear of the guitar - still on the upper bout but towards the back end of it.
Look at this pic of Nitsuj to see what I am suggesting you try to achieve:
The guitar sits more in front of him, his elbow is hooked around near the back, his forearm hugs the surface of the body, his forearm and wrist are aligned in one plane so the pendulum movement from the elbow automatically transmits to the wrist and no extra wrist rotation is required to strum beyond arm movement. His three fingers are relaxed and opened from the clench.
Two more critiques - sorry, I seem to be laying it on quite thick don’t I?
You are always hitting open strings on the way up on the & after 4. This is ensuring you arrive on the chord in time for the 1. However, you are hitting the up strum a bit heavy and making too many strings ring out too loud, Be gentler with that up strum or miss the strings completely so as not to make the open strings ring every time. It muddies the sound.
Finally, speaking of muddying the sound, you are hitting all six strings on your down strums even on the D and Am and C chords and the open E ringing out is not desirable at these moments. Take some time to train your hand (watch your strumming hand as part of this) to hit only the required strings. This will be much easier after you adjust your strumming arm position also.
I hope that is helpful and not too much on the feedback / critique side.
Cheers
Richard
@southpaw6 RE: Peaceful Easy Feeling
Congrats on your first AVOYP Hilary. You did it and the red button nerves is something everybody suffers from for sure.
Your strumming motion is good, down up down all the way. A few minor wobbly timing issues as you already know.
Not looking can be a great aim and you look away plenty. However, in your case I would suggest remaining more connected visually and with your ears. You would maybe see that you are strumming too many strings on the 5 or 4 string chords and muddying the sound with the unwanted open E string.
Relax the fingers in your strumming hand and allow them to uncurl and flex out.
@Tomc12 RE: Feelin’ Alright
Thomas, going alright and obviously feeling alright.
Congratulations on your first recording. It is one big step and you’ve made it.
Playing and singing together is a developed skill and you’re moving in that direction so kudos for that. Your vocal phrasing and timing seems to be this issue that is throwing your rhythm off kilter. You basically have a pattern that goes:
1 2 & 3 4
You hold it steady for most of the song but lose it sometimes when your singing doesn’t come in at the right moment.
Bravo for having the feeling to step it up and go with the flow when you switched the strumming completely. You moved to what is called pumping eighths (all down strum eighths.
It should be:
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
D D D D D D D D
Again this was going okay until you brought the vocal in and your timing and count went in its own direction. You sometimes played just three beats in a bar (1 & 2 & 3 &) and even played just two beats a few times (1 & 2 &).
I would suggest you practice these rhythm and strumming patterns in isolation, with a metronome or drum track and that you train yourself to count out loud the pattern you are strumming.
I hope you find that helpful.
Cheers
RIchard
Yes, I can hear that I’m hitting strings I don’t want to (I actually just asked for pointers on this for tomorrow’s c/o 2023 Q&A) - but I feel like when I focus on that, my rhythm (and posture) goes out the window. I know it all just takes practice, but there are so many things to focus on!!
Thanks very much Richard - your feedback is appreciated. Don’t worry about the long list of critique - it goes with the territory when you only see your ‘teacher’ once in 12 months!
Make it a dedicated and separate little slot given a few minutes in your practice routine. As with all skills that you concentrate on as stand alone (chord formation, chord changes, strum pattern etc.), over time, they coalesce and become more developed within song context.
I followed Justin’s lesson for this and there’s always an up on the & after 4 in the (2 bar) pattern. So for the G/D bar it’s 4e&a: DxDU (x for missed)
And for the Am/C bar from 3 it’s 3e&a4e&a: DUxUxUDU and he seems to put accent on the up’s after 3.
Are you saying I should strike less strings on the up, or just do them softer, or something else entirely?
Ideally, an Up that happens after the 4, when you have lifted fingers off to change chord (thus an open string strum) should hit no more than 2 or 3 strings and the softer the better. If you find that a challenge at this stage of your learning, I’m suggesting it is perfectly fine to not strum any strings on the & after 4, to play the 4, to lift away and make your chord change and not hit any strings as you do so. Even if the song actually does have that in its strum pattern you can change it to suit yourself.
all the best!