Hi David, good progress. Sometimes having limited practice time just pushes to get the most of the available time. Of course it requires a little of smart planning like you did.
@dobleA
Thanks AndrĆ©s. Yeah, being short of time can focus the mind more. Although it can be the other way too, if my mind is still thinking about work, I donāt focus on guitar properly.
I suppose you could call it smart planning when I plan it to suit circumstances. I seem to be always changing plans. Itāll settle down soon.
šø David
Not an update - something Iāve been playing around with tonight when practicing.
Four years ago I broke a bone in my hand (left, fretting hand), the bone which connects the index finger to the wrist. It was a clean break and the doctor said that as the bone healed and knitted back together it would pull the knuckle back towards the wrist. It has, but it hasnāt affected anything I do so Iāve never thought too much about it.
Until now!
With practice going well and the F chord looming in the next module, I couldnāt help but have a go at it, but I donāt like the angle of my wrist when I played the chord. Wrist angle is something Iāve been mindful of over the last six months but Iāve always found a way to play without it being excessive. Itās only now that I realise my problem is linked to the injury. When I compare my hands, putting them palm to palm, my index finger appears to be 5-6mm shorter than the other hand. The finger itself isnāt shorter but, with the knuckle being pulled back, it bends from a different place making it harder to reach across the fretboard with that finger. So I started playing around with how I hold the guitar and I came up with thisā¦.
Instead of having the cut-out over my leg I have the front edge on my leg and the back edge of the guitar sits on the bench. This sits the neck up at an angle and I hold the neck away from my body by about 45 degrees with my right forearm. In this position I can play all chords including Fbarre with less wrist angle and my hand, wrist and arm feel much more comfortable.
Itās quite an unorthodox position with the guitar being further back and more round to the side, but is it ok to play like this or is it just plain wrong?
I would appreciate any feedback before I continue with it.
šø David
Iām a newbie guitarist but I would say if it works for you then what is the harm? Jimmy Hendrix learned how to play the guitar a little with his teeth. Was it necessary? No. But he figured out something he could do merely to impress his fans! So I say move it anyway you like. 
hendrix
Hi David
Have you tried playing barre chords using the thumb over the top method rather than the first finger barre? That grip totally changes the angle of the wrist. Iāve been experimenting with it recently. Iāve not mastered it yet as youāre pretty much relearning barre chords but itās something I think Iāll persevere with.
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@suzieq Hi Suzanne, as you say, if it works then what is the harm. Iām thinking along those lines and it does seem to work better.
Youāve probably already noticed, but Iām not at the Jimmy Hendrix levelā¦ā¦yet!ā¦think Iāll give playing it with my teeth a miss! 
@sairfingers Interesting, Gordon. I donāt play thumb over the top but I do play with the thumb high on the neck to prevent too much wrist angle. Iāve had minor problems with my left wrist in the past (not guitar related) so I want to protect it.
Given my job, I donāt have a problem with hand strength so a high thumb or thumb over the top could be ok for me. And if I can fret the 6th string with my thumb then I donāt have as far to reach with the index finger.
Iāll continue to practice in module8 and experiment with the new position and thumb muting to prepare for barre chords.
Thank you both for your ideas.
šø David
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Hi David,
For the barre chords you could try playing standing up that way you can angle the guitar more and reduce the angle of the wrist.
Worth checking out this lesson covering playing with the thumb over the neck as suggested by @sairfingers.
Hi James
Yeah, standing is another option that I havenāt tried yet. I see Justin has a lesson on it at the end of the grade. I do like to take the weight off the old pins at guitar time of day though!
Thanks for the link to the thumb over lesson. I havenāt seen that before. Quite surprised how the same chord looked so different played with the thumb. And the wrist angle is very different. I like it.
Cheers
šø David
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August 2022 Learning Log
These are the songs Iāve been learning in module8 along with the stuck 3&4 chords and the E minor pentatonic scale.
- Wish You Were Here - riff
- Every Rose Has Itās Thorn
- Wonderwall
I can play the songs with the 16th strum patterns but they need more practice to really nail them down. With simpler 8th strumming theyāre not bad. The riff is quite good and I like playing it.
And so Iām ready to move on.
Module8 has taken quite some time because of work but once I realised it could take a few months I felt quite relaxed about it. Whatās the hurry anyway!
Thereās been many a day when I havenāt practiced but Iāve slowly worked away at it and got there in the end. I wanted to keep guitar ticking over through the busy summer months, so Iāve achieved that goal. It would have been easy to put the guitar down altogether through this time but who knows when or if I would have picked it up again.
Iāve enjoyed it and because Iāve had to spread it out, it seems to have given me time to think about things and I feel Iāve learned much more than just new chords and new songs. Not sure exactly what but definitely something. Iāll leave it at that.
Following the suggestions (above this update) about playing with the thumb over the top, Iāve been experimenting with the thumb on top of the neck muting the 6th string where appropriate in preparation for the upcoming barre chords. Iām also experimenting with guitar position and Iāve tried playing standing and it feels more natural and my left hand and arm have more freedom to move and arenāt as tense. The only problem is I canāt see what Iām doing! Which all probably means my sitting posture is poor, hunching over the guitar. So in the last week or so Iāve jumped ahead and been looking at 3 lessons.
Feeling the frets
Playing without looking
Stand up
I feel that the playing without looking lesson is going to be a game changer. I always look at my fretting hand. I struggled with the lesson at first but itās improving now.
Whatās the guitar Justin is playing in the lesson? Nice.
Iāll spend a bit more time with these lessons plus some F chord practice to try to determine which barre chord method to go with - thumb over or regular - then continue with module9 lessons and songs.
šø David
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Thanks for the update. Good to read that youāve kept plucking away during those busy summer months.
Try playing standing in front of a mirror 
Thanks James.
The bloke in the mirror plays it the wrong way round but heās doing okay. The bloke this side of the mirror is learning to feel his way around the guitar.
Fascinating what Justin says about building a mental map of the fretboard. Itās difficult to say if thatās happening yet as Iām only using the first three frets but Iām starting to get a āpicture ā of sound, vision and feel all rolled into one.
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I can pretty much play without looking until it comes to barre chords up the neck. F, F#,G are ok but after that I have to look to make sure Iām in the right place. Triads up the neck, same problem!
Good luck.
When it comes to barre chords is it not a case of you donāt look at your fretting hand, you look at where you want it to go?
Yes, but once you place the chord youāre looking at your fretting hand. Same thing!
I can imagine, Gordon. Youāre much further along the road than me so youāll be moving around the neck more.
From Justinās lesson heās not saying never look. Itās okay to glance now and then and, as James is saying, donāt follow your hand along the neck but look at the fret youāre moving to. I would think once youāre there you donāt need to keep looking at it.
But what do I know! With you two, this is a bit like teaching grandma to suck eggs! šø
Finding a Way September 2022
Grade 2 Module 9
Itās been a good guitar month. The contracting work was all finished by the end of August and Iāve been able to get back to more regular practice.
Following on from the end of last monthās experimenting, Iāve continued practicing āplaying without lookingā. Iām keen to develop a mental map of the fretboard. Itās very early stages but itās part of my routine.
F chord
Iāve decided to learn F barre the normal way. I can play it thumb-over but my thumb is a tad too short. I can fret the 6th string note but it pulls my palm under the neck making my fingers too flat and risking muting strings.
Playing it the normal way with first finger barre also has its problems because of the changed anatomy of my first finger but I have to live with it and I can play it cleanly so itās a case of slow deliberate practice to keep it right.
Iām not using it in songs yet and I havenāt pushed for speed with changes. F - C is only in the 20ās
I play the alternatives in songs and those are fine.
Californication riff
Iām not a fan of this song but itās a good practice riff. Am to F. The Am part is easy but the F part is trickier having to avoid muting the third string. Getting there but it needs more practice.
Songs
- Dreams - Fleetwood Mac
- House of the Rising Sun - The Animals
Iāve always loved hearing Stevie Nicks singing Dreams so itās good to be able to learn it.
F and G all the way and a bar of Am in the chorus but the F variations and a switch to G7 make the progression more interesting.
Slowly building the tempo up.
House of the Rising Sun is my first 6:8 song. Itās all known chords so itās been about getting the rhythm.
Itās a good song for working on strumming because it improves control. I started with all downs then strumming pairs of strings, working across the strings and back again to make it sound like the song. Sounds good! Next up will be flat picking of single notes.
Leaving the finger style till the lesson comes up.
Module 9
Itās about the C Major scale and the key of C. Iāve known the C Major scale since I was knee high to a mushroom, playing Recorder a lifetime ago and learned the open scale position when I first started guitar years ago so Iāve jumped to the improvisation lesson in the next module and playing around with that.
I already knew about the chords in C Major and how they are built but the module is helping me put it all together on guitar in a way that Iāll be able to use going forward.
Rhythm Maestro
Iāve recently started the rhythm maestro module working with the patterns in the first lesson. The patterns are easy enough to tap along to and Iām working slowly through them on guitar before looking at the next rhythm lesson.
Itās all going well but Iāll probably need most of next month to practice the songs.
šø David
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Sounds like you are making good progress, David, keep at it!
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Hey David, itās good to read that youāve now got some more time to enjoy the guitar and making good progress.
I particularly liked this statement. We all have different tastes in music. Iāve seen a few posts where people say do I really need to learn thisā¦ itās not my cup of teaā¦ good on you for sticking with it as you can learn a lot from the techniques being used.
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Fantastic David, well done in your progress and study.
Iāll echo Jamesā comment on persisting with the Californication riff even if itās not your cup of tea.
I found the same when I got to the C major scale and the improvisation, fantastic y feeling to piece it all together.
Good luck as the journey goes on!
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@DavidP
Thanks David
Good to see you getting out and about around the community again, youāre recovery must be going well.
Yeah, Iām happy with progress.
I donāt know why this is - when I was going through Grade1, half an hourās practice and Iād had enough. Through summer, whenever I picked the guitar up, half an hour was enough. But now I can easily do an hour - and more if tea wasnāt burnt to a cinder!
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