Don't think twice it's alright Bob Dylan

Hello :wave:

I have only posted once so far and had a bit of a break from posting but back on now for some feedback. I’ve been practicing this one for a few weeks, I can’t get it quite smooth and I don’t know if it’s a patience and keep going thing or if you guys have any tips that you can see :slightly_smiling_face: thank you!

11 Likes

Hi Chiara,
I am probably the wrong one to offer any advice on this one. That said, what you are doing sounds pretty good to me. For myself, to smooth things out I play to a beat. I play to drums, but a metronome would suffice. I then loop it over and over and play it till smooth. You don’t have to loop your beat source though. You could simply set it to keep playing a while. In the meantime you loop you chord progression over and over, without stopping. Maybe you are already doing this?

At any rate, keep it up as it is sounding good!

All the best,
LB

1 Like

Well done Chiara, not an easy tune with some quick changing chords. Look forward to seeing your progress. Do you have voice to accompany this Dylan classic? :+1:

1 Like

Hi Chiara, that was a good first video. Not an easy song to play correctly, I have been working on it for a long time so do know what the chord changes can be like. You did well and I look forward to seeing your progress on this. Keep up with the quick change practice.

1 Like

Ciao Chiara. Yes you’ve got the chord progression down and you had a steady strumming pattern.
The original is of course fingerpicking so you can make the strum pattern whatever you want.
I think you were playing DDUUDU. Try putting in a few DDUUD. I think missing out the last upstrum occasionally might add a dynamic and stop the pattern being too ‘samey’.
Well done.

1 Like

Hi Chiara :wave: that’s a tough song to play and thought you did great :clap: songs like this just take time and practice, you already have the chord progression pretty much sorted :+1: lots of good advice has already been offered so will just say to keep at it and you’ll soon have it sounding how you want it :v:

1 Like

Pratice is the best done in sections. Get a metronome and slow the pace down. Play to the pace of the machine at a slower timing until it is played well. Speed up a little after perfect your chord changes at the next speed. When you can play well at this speed, add your voice and keep it up. Don’t stop strumming if you make a voice mistake. At the next measure re-sing the line you messed up a couple of times until you can correct the error. Keep on going through the song. If you get frustrated, set it aside and come back later.

1 Like

Hello Chiara, I think this was really nice :slightly_smiling_face:. Your changes to the F chord are definitely faster than I’m able to do them. This needs so much practice before it sounds smooth. But you’re nearly there :grinning:.
Your strumming sounded steady and relaxed. And yes, Gordons @sairfingers tip with trying some variation of the strumming pattern is spot on. I would definitely give it a try.

All in all, lots to like, and I’m curious to see your progress on this :blush:.

Beautiful colour of your guitar, by the way :smiley:.

1 Like

Well done Chiara ! Sounds great ! I just discovered this song recently and discovered it’s a song I can work on. You motivate me to go on. I salute you’re going for the big F barre chord (I still go for the baby F…). Bravo again Chiara. Keep on strumming colleague ! Thanks for sharing ! :pray: :smiley: :+1:

1 Like

Hi LBro, thanks for the advice! I have actually never really used a metronome, its definitely a habit I think I should start after reading all the comments :slight_smile:

Thanks MadModMcd! Once I nail the smoothness I’ll maybe post a singing one, my first post recording had some singing if you want to check it out :slight_smile: , I find it really difficult not to sing exactly like Bobs accent after listening to the song so many times which doesn’t sound good on me haha.

1 Like

Hi Malz, thanks so much for your comment its much appreciated! It’s a lovely song isn’t it :smiley:

1 Like

Hello Sairfingers :slight_smile: , I’m practicing the finger picking in tandem. Good advice, I definitely see what you mean, I’ll give that a try thanks!

Hello Leecfisher :slight_smile: . That’s great advice thank you. I think I will definitely start using a metronome and perfecting sections at a time. I do often get frustrated, which is why I end up putting the guitar down for months as I don’t think I’m progressing, I’m really trying not to do this this time, I will try taking short breaks :slight_smile:

Hello NicoleKKB :slight_smile: Thanks so much that means a lot to hear as I have been struggling too, I have been really practicing, just doing one minute changes between the AM and the big F, and yes I’ll definitely give the strumming variations a try!

1 Like

Hello BigLuc :slight_smile: Thanks so much for the comment, I am really trying with the big F, its in so many songs!! Happy to hear I have given you some motivation, let me know if you post a video with this song it would be good to check it out :smiley:

The best way to learn a musical instrument is to set aside 10 minutes a day to practice. EVERY SINGLE DAY! When the 10 minutes is up, look at yourself and ask “Am I having fun right now?” If the answer is “Yes”, then play a little longer and put down the instrument before you start getting bored or frustrated. Next day, play 10 minutes, or more. In 30 days you will find yourself playing much better, keep it up and going the learning curve will advance quickly. Don’t skip any days. That leads to quitting.

I’m not familiar with the song but I enjoyed what you did Chiara.

Just one tip, when playing the F chord, make sure you land that index finger first. This is because you will hit the low E string first on the strum down and therefore need the barre down for the correct note. How you do it now was a bad habit I got in to, so try and break it now, as it’s only harder to do down the line. Practice those OMCs’