I wonder, does this make Dutch the opposite of French? 
I once read an anecdote about a man who went to France and was horrified to discover how they pronounced his written name, Hugh. 
1 Like
Hi Constance, regarding Sept 12 pick comparison video, it is just my opinion but I think that both of those picks are too thick for strumming an acoustic guitar, especially a Tortex pick. Notice that Justin is rarely strumming with any pick other than the Red 0.60 mm Tortex. I can strum OK with that pick and it does have a bright tone, but I have recently been recording all of my songs strumming with a 0.60 Dunlap nylon pick. I think that it gives a smoother strum at my level of experience. I would highly recommend trying some thinner picks and some medium thickness textured Dunlap nylon picks.
1 Like
take all the consonants and make a sentence! also works for Welsh
neem alle medeklinkers en maak een zin! werkt ook voor Welsh
I count a lot of vowels here 
… but because of our G sound it sometimes sounds a bit hard/abrasive 
I’m not completely crazy about it myself…just give me the Italian language to speak and listen to 
Greetings
1 Like
Hi Constance, concerning the picks - and adding to @SteveL_G99 comment, I also find the Tortex 0,6 a very useful pick for almost everything.
For songs that need a bit more substance or warmth (Like e.g. your strummed Silent Night version) I made positive experiences with the black nylon pick 1,0 or the grey 0,88.
The nylons are a little less stiff and allow me to go higher in thickness. The black one gives me a darker tone with more substance with a less “clacky” tone then the orange, I prefer that on tunes like Silent Night.
1 Like
@Helen0609 @SteveL_G99 I was steering clear of the Nylons as I didn’t like my original yellow or grey picks’ sound, but if thicker sounds good I might get some to try out. I recently bought a mixed pack (arrived today!) of the tortex flow picks, since my favourite pick to hold is my green one which was still a bit stiff for strumming. Something about the softer feel of the plastic gives a more mellow sound when it hits the strings, cuts some of the clackiness. I also like the shape of them. Who knows, I might like the yellow in these. (There’s even a red .50 in there.)
I’ve been using the .60 for strumming since it is a smoother experience, and for my silent night I turned it and used the rounded edge which made it less harsh on the ear, I thought. Not sure my webcam mic picks up too much nuance, though.
I might do some more online shopping, pick up your suggestions to have a go. Can never have too many picks, right?
3 Likes
I said that because I remembered something said by a japanese girl when I was a student at the university
She told me that she didnt like french songs cause for her it sounded not smooth to her ears
for her there were too many consonants in French so it was not pleasant when she was listening to a song
So I guess French is the same as Dutch XD
It all depends on how things sounds to the ears in the end
1 Like
“ I’ve heard the CAGED system mentioned a bunch of times but unless my memory was really bad when it was expanded upon, this is the first time I’ve really known what it meant, outside of ‘names for specific chord grips’. “
Justin also explains the capo and the CAGED Key chords (which are the 5 musical keys C, G, D, A and E with 1, 4 and 5 major chords that you can play with open chords on the guitar) in the lesson “ A CAPO FOR TWO: JAMMING FOR BEGINNERS” in Grade 3, Module 15.
1 Like
I had to mention that First Cut is from the Vintage Songbook, which is technically an intermediate guitar songbook. Even though the song lesson is listed as grade 1, that is only because of the main chord progression. It also has intermediate level techniques, so it is not surprising that the intro is more challenging. Of course, many of the grade 1, 2 and 3 song lessons that are taken from the beginner books also have intermediate level elements that are added later in the video after the beginning lesson is explained. So when you master it you can have e greater satisfaction in knowing that your playing is beyond grade 1 or 2 for this song. I liked the song enough to add it to my playing list for next year.
3 Likes
Nice job, CC! Great voice. I’m working on this one myself. I’m into grade 2 on JG. I’m enjoying a slow pick pattern vs. the strum pattern. Fairly easy to do with a slow, simple tune like Silent Night. I hope to incorporate it into a multi-track arrangement at some point. All great fun. Happy holidays, and thanks!
1 Like
I think I’ll have a crack at the fingerstyle, folks keep mentioning it, and it would be good to have something fingerstyle completely learned sooner.
2 Likes
Constance @ConstanceClaire
The one thing you very quickly find out with finger style is how accurate you are in fretting the chords!!!
Michael
2 Likes
Keep up the great work, Constance. You can start slowly with the finger picking. A song like Silent Night is perfect for that. You can use the G, B, and E strings to play 1, 2, 3 to start with until it feels comfortable and you can do it without thinking about it. Use the thumb on the G, the index on B, and the middle finger on the E string. Then add and improvise from there. You’ll love the sound it produces. I’d recommend using the full chord fingerings when you begin trying this method of playing, but if it’s easier, when you use the G, B and E strings, you can just finger the chord notes on those 3 strings.
1 Like
Your recording sounds good with consistent rhythm, clear finger strumming and chords and the vocal performance was enjoyable to listen to. You are making good progress at this point in your guitar journey.
1 Like
Been doing work on the Silent Night fingerstyle. Jazzed it up a bit, it’s within my reach but extra fiddly because why not. I hope not too fiddly. I was planning on perfecting it and maybe learning to sing along so I could post it, if not this December then next. However, this afternoon it worked out reasonably well, unexpectedly, so I’ve uploaded that for now. I have found I get to ‘relatively decent’ fairly quickly, but the time between decent and polished is, so far, unknown.
Not sure if I’ll end up singing along once I’ve got it all going. It might be a bit much on top of the tune. Might do better to hold its own.
Anyway, due to the perfecting issue, I’ve also done a fair amount of time working on the Major scale this practice, and will get back to doing it every practice, to help me get better at everything. I’m alternately focussing on keeping a relaxed fretting hand, trying to get the fingers to hit the right areas without looking at my hand (really tough; I can’t seem to get the position locked in for my muscle memory yet, despite having the pattern down. I just can’t keep track of my fingers without keeping a visual check on them.) I played while watching another video just trying to automate it a bit, and played up near the headstock to stretch my fingers out and limber up a bit. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve done scales, but it definitely contributed to my ease of movement for the fingerstyle straight away.
Also ran through Anchor for the first time in months and had to re-accustom myself to it, I’m frankly worse than I was when last I played it. But I guess that’s why even professionals will run through songs they’re going to play rather than just assuming they’ve got it nailed.
Not sure when I will get back to chord changes and strumming things. I have a few things I’m enjoying at the moment and unfortunately that means I will flit between them with periods of hyper-focus on one thing, but that’s just how I function so 
Wondering if I should opt for just clickable links for these in-between videos in the learning log? I do seem to be posting maybe too many. I think it’s 'cause I’m eager to share my progress and this is my music community. Maybe once I open up my world a little bit and venture into playing with / near other people in real life, I’ll be less of a broadcaster… 
Anyway, the original purpose of the progress videos was for my own record, so I guess don’t feel obligated to watch anything just because it’s here. Consider it decoration.
4 Likes
thats the perfect season to put decorations everywhere 
and miss the possibility of seeing you playing ? never !
I like to hear you play 
2 Likes
Completely agree with @MacOneill keep the video’s coming please!
As much as highly polished videos can be impressive, it’s more interesting to see work in progress and that really is what a learning log should be about. Certainly I shy away of posting video of anything that isn’t nearly finished. I had planned to post yesterday but my fingers had other ideas when the camera was on… it would have been a more honest video if I hadn’t deleted the footage rather than waiting for another day when it’s sounding better
2 Likes
At the end of the day it is your learning log and with the embedded videos you will probably get more views and advice which is always good when we are on this learning journey.
Playing with other will accelerate your learnings. However, it’s also very important to record and analyse our playing.
2 Likes