Can't Help Falling in Love - ELVIS (Cover) Fingerstyle

You say you get it “close.” You are so good, on a complete other level. I can sing pretty good, but my playing is really basic still. In time, I enjoy watching you guys though.

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You did great sandy don’t be so hard on yourself!! All that matters is having fun with it. I mean I feel like I could do better than how I play also it’s just a learning experience and a way to express yourself and you did just that!! Think happy thoughts not negative! And who cares what people think anyways just as long as you have fun.

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Lovely! You didn’t look at the fretboard once and that is a major step for any guitarist. This was my first finger style song as well, although I play it in the key of C. It was so hard getting those fingers to just do their thing. Although I play electric guitar I have a couple of finger style songs I like. Doing a 4/4 pattern after the 6/8 of Can’t Help was a real struggle, but you just have to sit there and do it. The 4/4 one I did was Make You Feel My Love. If I might suggest you could try playing to a backing track. I don’t know why but it somehow forces one’s brain to just get on with it and not hesitate. One day you may have the opportunity of performing this with a drummer and bass player and this can be really helpful. I speak from experience here. The bass player I performed with even sang a harmony and it was all very moving.

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That’s very nice Sandy.

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Hi Sandy,
That is well played and sung… :clap: :sunglasses: :bouquet:
I can well imagine that at some point you get tired of a song…I reach that point with Angie,…and then I only play guitar and I don’t sing,…so I take take off my proverbial hat to you and bow deeply… :clap:
Greetings,Rogier

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I shall revisit it in the future, cos right now I am positively sick of it.

I can relate to this very much. Skills need time to develop and this is very good for being your first fingerstyle, you’re getting many things right in this one…changing song to get back on this one later on is a very good idea. You can further develop the same skills that this one requires on another tune. If you like it and haven’t yet you could try Hallelujah (6/8) in the key of C, the chords are easier and it would allow to focus more on the fingerpicking and singing. Btw I enjoyed much your singing! :blush:

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thanks for the comments… I’m practicing a fingerstyle 4/4 right now, a Sir Rod Stewart song, well, he wasn’t a SIR back then, but anyway. I find it easier than the 6/8, weird, I know.

10 months of practicing this… I’m kinda of slow when learning new things… plus I’m not relaxed while playing it… I’m all tense and stuff, I figure it’s a confidence problem. Gotta fix that.

Thanks Sylvia, good advice

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That was really good Sandy, I think you are being a bit harsh on yourself. Sure there were few bumps but really nothing major, during live performance no one can scroll back to relisten to it bear that in mind so these would go unnoticed on live stage. I think you did great and what I noticed by myself is that once you learn something challenging like a fingerstyle song, the next one which will be similar to the one you learnt is going to be a bit easier to learn. So put this one on the shelf for now, try something new and you should see it’s not going to be as difficult as 10 months ago to start off with. :slight_smile: All the best Sandy!

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So kind Adi… You’re right, and very observant. All my firsts are long and arduous, then it gets easier. I’m too much of a perfectionist. My other problem is I get very anxious when I play for recording. To help capture some good performances, I will be recording all my practice sessions from now on. I’ll see what comes out of that. Thanks and congratulations on your award. Saw it from Justin’s newsletter, but didn’t see any posts.

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I think you did very well, Sandy. As stated by others, don’t be too hard on yourself - a statement I need to remember for myself also. You have such lovely vocals and you don’t have to look at the fretboard. So impressive. Anyway, I love the song. It’s still on my Setlist.

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That is interesting. The 6/8 is rather sequential for me, whereas the 4/4 was a bit lumpy to start with. I find it great to not focus on one thing for too long though. A little bit goes a long way. After doing the 4/4 for a while I lost the 6/8. Now I do them intermixed and have no issues.

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Hi Sandy,
I think you are really a bit too hard on yourself … luckily I read your comment to Adrian, that reassures me a bit :smiley:… (I have been practicing Angie regularly since the beginning (2 years now) and after 20+ failed video recordings I now have a mediocre piece on the looper, because driving back and forth was a lot of hassle, on the looper I needed 5/6 tries before I could show it to a friend ,…but not to you yet :blush:)…
All the best and looking foreward to hear more of you :sunglasses:
Greetings,…

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Thanks Pamela. It’s worth learning. I prefer the sound of fingerstyle, so I will keep practicing other songs.

I’m fine … don’t worry about it. These negative periods of mine don’t last long. It’s all part of the learning process. I just saw a lesson Justin put on on NEUROPLASTICITY. I will give that a try. Can stand on one leg for long stretches at a time. It might just help. A suivre…

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Hi Sandy,

You did a fine job. Finger picking and singing at the same time are not easy. I’m working on Sitting Here in Limbo, got a pretty good arrangement, tried to add the vocals and the whole thing fell apart. It’s still lying in a mess on the floor. It just takes patience. Work on it at a simmer, move on to a few other things, come back to it now and then and you’ll amaze yourself one day.

Richard

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THanks for the laugh… can picture everything on the floor.

Well done Sandy - making the move to singing over finger style is a big step and opens up a whole new world. You mention that you know you have some wobbly-wibbly flubs and you know that conscious practice will help improve that. Bravo.
One thing I see that may help is to do with angles. Your guitar neck is almost horizontal. The way your forearm reaches down means you are having to cock your wrist at an angle that may be causing strain and inhibiting easy, smooth finger work.

Perhaps try angling your guitar neck up by a few degrees. Attaching a suede backed strap either to the upper bout of the body or around the headstock may help achieve this and keep it in position. By doing that, your hand and wrist can relax into a more natural position more in line with the direction of your forearm.
:slight_smile:

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I loved it :grinning: