Brian, I believe you mentioned the 12th so your Mum is now, hopefully, safely settled in and adjusted to a new home.
Thoughts are with you all, it must be strange without her.
What a grand and fitting final fling to life under your roof bringing her in to the open mic event.
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Keep on keeping on, Brian, wish you all well, the best it can be.
I can empathise, having been through these ups and downs that are so often part of this stage of life with one’s parents. I recall your post back then and again can relate to how much comfort being a part of the Community and one’s own musical efforts can be. As for your additions … always worth more than 2cs. The Community without your presence, comments and music, would be a duller place for me.
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Hey Brian just read your post and thoughts are with you and yours truly, must be very strange with mum now being away but as Richard said what a grand gesture from you to invite her over to an OM and for us to enjoy the presence.
Take as much time as you need, pop your head back in whenever you can and there will always be someone who will be glad to have a chat all the best
Never an easy decision to make but sometimes the hard ones are for the right reasons. Thoughts are with you and your family. Your Ma shone at Richard’s OM. Your contributions here are always entertaining and a welcome beacon as life throws up challenges. So keep on doing what you are doing.
Fan-bloomin’-tastic!
Nuff said.
New beginnings? 
It’ll be nearly 5 years since picking up a guitar in a couple of months but I’m embarking on a new approach.
I started off so enthusiastically with Justin’s lessons and made reasonable progress, getting to grips with open chords, simple strumming and basic theory. Then along came the old forum and I became increasingly ‘distracted’- fascinated and enthused about how much I could squeeze out of so little, shooting the breeze and sharing my (dis?)abilities with a bunch of weird guitar enthusiasts who had no qualms about egging me on 
I drifted further and further away from the lessons and spent more time hanging out on the forum. Learning to play basic A & E-shaped barre chords opened up a whole new horizon, basically allowing me to look up the chords to any obscure song I wanted to learn, simplify the chords and strum away, wailing along into my cheap camcorder or phone.
I had a ball.
And I improved 
However, my main improvement has been to become better at identifying chords/song structures and learning the phrasing of the vocals, so what used to take weeks I can now do in a day or two. That’s great but is no longer enough. Over the last couple of months I’ve been thinking I should work on improving my technique. I sort of started that in this month’s AVOYP thread, by posting a basic fingerstyle piece, as well as taking a couple of pointers from one of Justin’s lessons on The Weight. It feels good to be pushed out of my comfort zone again, fingers and hands not doing what my head wants them to, knowing that if I stick with it long enough, at some stage I’ll look back and marvel again at improvements.
Validation of my thought processes arrived yesterday via straight-talking Dutch commentary and an impressive bit of strumming by a Scottish septuagenarian.
Thanks guys
Well, what are the implications?
For starters, I plan to spend less time on hacking away at my keyboard talking about music and guitars, practicing and learning instead. (I was a bit taken aback when I had a look at the Community stats section and saw how much time I was spending here! 
)
I am typing with a pick in the corner of my mouth, which I plan on learning to use as my default (on electric).
I need to learn the theory and practice of some of those alternate chords and voicings (sus, add etc)
I am going to search the site for lessons on strumming and perhaps invest in one of the courses.
I want to learn the notes of the fretboard better and how the different scale patterns link together
I want…
Well I’m going to stop right there, because I’m also aware of my epicurean butterfly tendencies and how this ‘plan’ is likely to go up in smoke when I stumble across a really cool song that simply needs to be shared.
But as Joey famously shouted: “Hey ho, let’s go!”
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So it does look like that fingerstyle playing was the start of a new path.
What’s your plan with the techniques - to pick a grade/module in the course and start from there? Pick and choose? Leap into more complicated songs?
Kudos to you for choosing to improve your playing skill. It is probably a more frustrating path along the way, though. So while you are planning on reducing your time on the forum, hopefully you’re still around a lot. Maybe just with shorter and less posts?
Really dig your approach there Brian and fair play for trying to further improve your game! I think it’s not a case of not being able to learn new things, but a case of strong will and persistence to keep at it. With the right approach and patience I am sure your goals are more than achievable all the best and I wish you good luck!
Tjemig de Pemig… 
Where do I start…no I’m not going to name everything but somewhere in the back of my mind was what Adrian says in the other topic and when I read that I remembered it and again it was a big shock again 
…but better half turned than completely lost 
And I really just want to say … good story 
,
And definitely try out a pick for a long time … I use it every day,do not like it very much if I don’t have any difficult single notes (licks and sometimes still without a pick) to hit then I think it’s super nice to play without a pick rhythm guitar,it sounds so much softer and tighter to me the way I play it, but the more I practice something with a plectrum the more beautiful it becomes without (are you still following me???) it teaches me to hit much more subtly i know and feel now .
And otherwise if it do not work… just playing Jeff beck and Mark Knopfler
And speaking of your time on the forum…I’m glad they didn’t keep track of the time I spend looking into Justin’s head during song lessons 
I greatly look forward to your progress and will do my best to distract you as much as possible 
Greetings… 
And you have lost your right to be tagged if I want to talk of you with others 
…
but that clashes with my desire to distract you…mmm your"luck"
Sounds like a cunning plan Mr Larsen and that of which you speak will take you to new heights. Just try your hardest to avoid the 
and all will be fine. But it takes a lot of discipline to stay on a steady course, especially when there is fun to have and music to make. I have taken a similar approach this year and reduced my forum profile, being selective on what I respond to and making more guitar time. Its beginning to pay off, so I would advocate that your intended approach is a good one.
The only question is and as JK intimated are you jumping back on the rails and following the homepride moto of graded g(r)ains or cherry picking modules to meet your needs?
Whichever it is write them down in some way, so you keep them in mind and stay focused.
Bonne chance !
Best of luck on this new path Brian and don’t let yourself get distracted by the many shiny things that you will inevitably encounter along the way .
Good on you Brian, a change of direction indeed but one that, imo (not that that counts for anything!), will bring you a lot of value and fun.
Some nice clear goals, I look forward to seeing the fruits of your focus
Hi Brian, good luck on this new stage of guitar learning. A lot can be achieved, but of course the only way to happen is spending some time with the guitar. Anyway, whenever you can pop up and show us your progress will be appreciated 
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Thank you all, my luvvies! 
Not so much a change of direction, rather than emphasis (hence inclusive responses rather than tailored individual ) I have every intention of continuing my daily community fix, including the occasional over-indulgence 
‘Pressure’, Roger? Have we met?!? This is what I do for fun
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Probably needless to say, but for the readers here…“we” are trying to ramp up the pressure with so many responses about the change that may be coming but of course I know you don’t feel pressured with something like this 
…although,for a live( om) everyone wants to be able to prepare a bit and you are too busy in the period before and almost no preparation or having something ready on the shelf…so playing the guitar can cause a sort of pressure…urgency to haste 
Or having a JK on your neck about something with green sleeves 
…(ssst hopefully he doesn’t read this )
So, you are now making your own distraction now you fxxl, and I’m bored with a broken string, tools upstairs no need for a heavier guitar around my neck today and having to look up exactly how that weird bridge works on my Ibanez…so watch out… 
Greetings
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Sneaky sneaky 
. I’m still waiting for your one Rogier…
I’d never pressure Brian for Greensleeves… he’d end up singing the words 
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Good on you Brian. I think you just have to roll with it in all honesty… I find that my focus and commitment on hobbies ebbs and flows. Nothing wrong with that as long as you don’t let it go forever…there is always something to come back to. I don’t think I’ve seriously committed to “learning” more on the guitar for a number of years…but I dabble occasionally, make a little forward step and that’s good enough for now. I’m more enjoying playing and performing than necessarily improving significantly.
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This all sounds like a plan Brian. Remember however that the bottom line is enjoyment and engaging in the forum brings you a lot of enjoyment.
I too am horrified when I look at the stats which show how much time I’ve spent here. They can’t possibly be correct. I never log off the site, I just close the tab so I suspect my time clock keeps ticking for a set time even when I’m not actually on the site. How else can you explain someone like @Richard_close2u (I’ve tagged you Richard so can correct me if I’m wrong😄) who is clearly on a lot and also spends time with maintenance having a lower time spent on the forum count?
It’s not so much the time spent reading stuff, it’s the time spent replying. I feel if people take time to listen and comment then they are due a reply. Similarly if someone posts a song then they deserve more than a “that was great”.
However there are a lot of people who post but don’t contribute in any other way. Time can be saved by not reading/replying/engaging with them.
You say you’re going to be more focussed on lessons. Good on you. It is difficult to know what direction to take after completing the beginner course where each lesson led to the next in a fairly logical fashion. The intermediate course is more open to individual interpretation. I no longer follow a set lesson program from Justin. I cherry pick lessons on whatever takes my fancy at the time. Probably not a recommended method.
I think you’re doing yourself a disservice regarding your guitar progress. You’ve come huge way. In addition to straight forward AVoYPs you’ve posted original songs, a video of yourself playing at a birthday party I think it was. You collaborated in that circus song thing. You’ve posted collaborations with your son and other friends. Performed at Community OMs singly and with others. These are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
Of course try to learn some new techniques but the key word is ENJOY.
Scottish septuagenarian. How very dare you! That’s not until next year. 
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