Whoooo hoooo! Listen to that guitar sing! Fine job, my friend!!!
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Well done JK! This is definitely intermediate+ song to learn so definitely no excuses accepted by calling yourself a beginner 
really quick and difficult changes in that song which you mostly pretty much nailed! Some good feedback already given, some more practice time and it will be a diamond in your collection of recordings! All the best
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Thanks for the time to write a long and well thought comment Jeremy. And welcome back to the forum. I agree with trying to find more of the feeling aspect. I think that’s because this is close to the limit of my ability - I find it a lot easier to get to feeling in simpler songs. Yep, the lead line is not as articulated as it is supposed to be - I will get there 
. The timing of the A-C note run in the chorus riff is slightly off at times as well - I think by about a 16th - especially towards the end. I can do it right while not singing, but adding the singing throws me. 
Oh, and I’ll definitely give my input, I’m not shy about that 
Hahaha… oh… hah… me and singing. I think it’s hard for natural singers (like you, also my wife and two daughters…) to understand how far back bad singers are. When I started trying to sing 18 months ago, I couldn’t even match a pitch. E.g. copy someone, or copy a note with my voice - nope. Not that I couldn’t hit it - I couldn’t even tell if I’d hit it. Or if I was higher or lower. And yeah, I had been singing all my life in the car, to myself… doing terribly. I started using a really basic app that taught some basic ear training (higher or lower), and then you had to repeat the notes to try and match, and it would give a visual indicator of higher or lower. I used Yousician for a bit for singing too, matching notes and songs. I did some of an online course. I looked for a real world singing teacher but there are none near me at times I can do.
What I found is that if I got all (well not all, most of) the notes right, I’d have to do it in a way that didn’t sound good. At least at this level of ability. But my singing sounded better if I got the general “gist” of the song (wrong pitches sometimes… or a lot) but with a better sounding tone/timbre. So that’s what I’ve leaned into for now. I’m still trying to get better at it, but find it super challenging. The harder I try the worse I sound… Weird thing is I’ve been told quite a few times I have a voice for radio or similar. But I can’t find the right pitch easily, and moving around pitches is a challenge.
I also really agree that this song is hard to sing. For me at least, if you as well. It goes down when I expect it to go up and vice versa. Not my best work, but it’s at least passable - doesn’t sound terrible 
- so that works for me!
And thank you so much for the feedback on the playing - definitely some dud notes in there etc but I’m OK with that
Thank you Nicole! Haha, I remember your feedback on Lonely Boy, it was super nice to get your messages on that. I still play it pretty often, it’s one of my repertoire songs. Helps that I absolutely love the Black Keys.
Thank you Shane! Yep I love this community, I spend way too much time on it but I’m really happy I do. Depending on how busy the rest of life is also impacts time on here… it’s been really important to my guitar journey. The only shame is so many people live so far away, would be fun to have an in-person JGC jam with beer and friends one day 
Thanks Gordon. I remember listening to the Layla lead improv tracks time and again being inspired by the improv! Didn’t participate though, I wasn’t ready yet.
I started learning Layla after Eric played it an an OM - OM 17 in July. I remember looking at it thinking - wow, that solo is cool, and I reckon I could do the rhythm bit… started learning it that day actually (given OMs are Sunday AM for me).
Thank you Mark! Yep I feel pretty comfortable with a guitar in hands these days, even though I still don’t always hit the right strings 
The Maton sounds and feels awesome, it’s so thin yet so rich. For the sound on this one I captured it through the pickup and my amp into DAW, but then the camera sounded OK too - so mix is probably 85% pickup and 15% my camera’s crappy built in mic. I couldn’t mix the camera sound higher as the tap-tap-tap of my bare foot slapping the tiles was too loud! 
Thanks also for the kudos on my singing. Maybe one day I’ll get to graduate from pencil to pen like the other kids.
Thanks for checking it out Tabitha!
What what, I thought I was still a beginner Adrian??!?! Haha, I know, I’m “early intermediate” now, the giant wasteland of intermediate with no end in sight. I think you have to get to Joe Satriani level to be “advanced” so I’ll be here for the rest of my life, slowly getting better
Really appreciate you stopping by and commenting!
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Wow JK! That was ridiculously good. Absolutely amazing performance. I loved every second of that. I have been playing twice as long as you and I am nowhere near your level. Keep going like that and the sky is the limit!
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Hi JK,
Concrets 
You have already received all the tips, all that remains is for me is to say that a lot (I really liked the strumming ) there was to like 
…
And thank you for the reminder that I have to get started with this again… it is the first song I started and learned “completely” (in my head /not fingers) with Justin after a week or two in 
…a lot of work/pain and that was a bad idea 
…
Later (one year or so) I started practicing it again and then it slowly became a song 
I just listened to the intro solo again from myself …oops…and that was a year and a half ago and I still do that sometimes and it goes a lot better than then … keep the song close to you because there you can you can get everyone involved at every party (I won’t say score anymore 
)
Greetings
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Absolutly fantastic JK! Knew you had the bar raised quite high allready. But this was amazing…
youre progress is really insane. Different planet really…
that sound from that Maton is awsome by the way… is that a clean sound??
Well done Mate!!! 
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Thanks Eddie! Glad you enjoyed it. Took plenty of practice with that song to get it there.
Cheers Rogier. It is a classic song that so many people know, and was aspirational for me. I’ll come back to it again! Great that it’s a long term one in your repertoire as well.
Thanks for the kudos on the strumming. Having played it you would know about the right hand muting that has to go on during the main chorus riff to have it sound right, stop all the loose strings ringing out! That’s a key part of this one.
lol, thanks Trond, really enjoyed your comment . Nothing special about me, I just play a lot… and tackle stuff I can’t do a lot.
Yep that sound is a clean sound. It’s from its pickup, it has a combined piezo & mic pickup. Running through my amp into a simulated Fender Twin Reverb, with a bit of reverb added in my DAW. The pickup is one of the best available for any acoustic, which helps immensely! I also had a very small amount of camera sound mixed in - even though my camera has a super crappy mic.
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This was an impressive take on the song. I’m curious how long you worked on it. I think I must have song ADHD or something because I get bored of songs and don’t stick with them long enough. Someday I’ll break that habit. Thanks for posting.
Hey Jeff, thanks for checking it out. I started learning it on 9th July. Easy date for me to look up as I remember starting it the day Eric played it at an OM. I started with the rhythm parts, the lead I started learning a couple of weeks after that - which was the biggest grind, I find lead takes ages to get down.
I’ve been playing it regularly since then, but not every day. So about 4 months.
Absolutely. That would have been an appropriate way to celebrate your two year anniversary! Congratulations JK, and thanks a lot once again for the hints and feedback you shared here in the forum 
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Here’s another 2 year progress piece. The 6th Trick, the last of Justin’s solo blues piece from Grade 4. In the practice piece there is a turnaround, and it goes through again, but I abridged it to a single run through the main 12 bars.
It’s fingerstyle acoustic blues, but I felt like recording with the electric. Which is a quite a bit less forgiving on stray strings.
Again, pretty representative of my playing, warts and all.
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That was great, JK. You’ve made great progress with the piece which I think comes down to a combination of practicing effectively and enjoyment. I think you would have great fun (and are more than ready) to tackle his solo blues course.
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Could not agree more. Sounding good JK and proof all those acoustic Blues skills are transferable. You’ve sure packed a lot into those 2 years sir !
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Hi Jk,
Nice and sweet …
I also did this on electric … but I wasn’t lazy to skip half of it
I am a big proponent of shortening verses of songs with vocals that we do without vocals and only with guitar, such as Angie, but then following Justin’s arrangement … and especially with these very short songs like Yesterday and blues arrangements , especially because it is often the most difficult in those 2nd parts…My reason for needing so many takes, but I’ll never forget those songs en kan nu op elk feestje dat spontaan spelen
This first part went so smoothly that it can’t be a coincidence
Greetings
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Very sweet JK and super impressive!
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Thanks @Socio @TheMadman_tobyjenner @roger_holland and @Eddie_09
I’ve had a look at that course, and it sure is tempting for when I’ve finished Grade 4 (which is pretty close now). I’m going to take stock and figure out what I’ll do for a while.
Oy oy oy! I did that for the benefit of the listener, so they didn’t have to hear the same thing again I usually play it with the turnaround.
Thanks Eddie, Justin has a few of these pieces to learn and I find them pretty good skill builders.
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oke,
Then I dare to say on behalf of all listeners that this is too short and I may / must / want / would like to add that extra 30 or 40 seconds next time
Greetings
Hi Roger, I skipped the verse without vocals in my OM version of Angie but I replaced it with a verse of Wild World just to test the patience of the audience.
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Hey JK, great job, I dont have the knowledge or skills to give any specific tips. I know this song reasonably well, I did it at an OM couple of months ago but I never watched it back as I felt I performed it so bad compared with how I normally would. So maybe my tip for myself is to just accept poor performance as just part of progress and I should keep playing this song until mistakes are less likely. It is a great song and if you keep at it I am sure you will master it. I am not so good at navigating around the site so I have not found your performance of Sweet Child but I am interested as i am now learning this perhaps with an future OM in mind.
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Hey, thanks Eric! This is a long thread now, and I’ve said it somewhere in there, but your OM performance of this was my inspiration for learning it. I started learning it the next day So thanks for that! I enjoyed your performance of it a lot, so if you feel like you didn’t do it well - well it was good enough for me.
Here is Sweet Child: It’s just the intro though! Was a bit of a milestone for me. Sweet Child of Mine intro - JK - Oct 2023