Wow JK, I’ve only just stumbled on your LL and what a mighty record of your progress it is. The years spent playing drums have surely served you well, it’s interesting that until you reviewed your strengths, the power of this fundamental element hadn’t occurred to you.
Your Maton matches you well, what a great partnership you have. The other gear you’re acquiring is surely going to build and grow you in a ways that lets you express your creativity and growing skill.
Congratulations on your first JG OM, you did a mighty fine job, sweaty palms and all.
I wish you every joy in your continuing discovery and expression of self.
@batwoman Thanks Maggie, I think I really only understood how it had helped after watching and reading others struggle with it. Turns out the hours doing rudiments on a practice pad helped!
You must be back from the rig Trond?! Haven’t seen you post in a little while, hopefully you’ve got another of your awesome AVOYP coming soon!
Thanks Adrian, I was pretty happy with the performance tbh, wasn’t quite the same as I’d practiced but quite happy with it as a first one. I think I have a habit of sounding harsher on myself than I am, it’s just my tendency for introspection and always looking for what could be improved. Actually going to edit my LL update to say I was happy with it .
So that is what an OpenMisc is… I’ve previously read people mention “OM”, but never knew what it meant. It looks like it takes nerves of steel to perform live in that. I don’t think anyone would’ve known that you were shaky or nervy if you hadn’t mentioned it. It looked like everyone had a fun time performing.
JK, you’re killing it on your short guitar journey so far. It seems as though you’re driving on a 110km/h freeway but speeding away from the cops at 250km/h, while most others are sticking to 100. Great stuff mate.
Aw shucks Sandro, I’m blushing . Thanks for the compliment. I read this pretty early on: How Long Does It Take To Learn Guitar? | Hub Guitar. Kind of set the scene for me, that it’s about hours invested not time since you started playing.
Well you may not be a regular journal-updater, JK, but when you do, you do it ever so well.
Now I am looking forward to hearing some of those ‘stonking’ tones. ARe you far enough into the programme to be into some scales and the subsequent starting to improv over a BT?
So true and along with that, not just the hours but how you spend those hours … deliberate practice blended with playing.
Excellent dedication there and looks like it is paying dividends. Sounds like you will have barre chords licked before you even get to Justin’s Intermediate course!
I find the same thing with fingerstyle, everything takes forever!
Well, I’ll be looking forward to the next entrancing Trond AVOYP when you do! And yep the amp is wicked, has a looper built in etc, and ended up getting it a lot cheaper than a Katana or the Yamaha THR, so I’m pretty happy with it.
I only know the C major scale in the open position, and A minor pentatonic at 5th fret - which really could be any key at a different fret, but only one position. My improv is pretty basic at the mo.
Funny story. I had recorded a funky 12 bar blues style progression on my looper (the new amp pedal) the other day while learning how to use a looper, and then was doing some improv over the top of it. My wife opened the door and came into the room to tell me “Hey, that sounds great!”. I stopped playing to talk to her, but the looper kept playing… you should have seen her face, “What? You’re not even playing that?!? I thought you were playing!” Then I’m explaining that it WAS me, what a looper is, etc, took a bit of convincing!
Thanks @EndlessRepetition, once learning the F and power chords, barre chords just seemed pretty logical! At least the E, Am and A shape ones.
Good insight that you have learned the scale using A but can play it in any key by shifting to a different root note. And with a little practice you can do the same with the C major, with a little practice … shift it up a fret and play notes that were open strings on the first fret.
classic. Now you are ready to start using that A minor pentatonic over your funky progression. We all start off ‘pretty basic’, so go for it. I’ve always found it to be loads of fun. But be warned, minutes become hours pretty quickly
Really interesting update JK and very good to hear what you’re focussing on, I think we’ve exchanged similar messages recently but all playing is good playing, better when done as frequently as possible!!
The new amp looks terrific, with a line out from it I look forward to hearing what you can get out of it. And hearing a bit more on the background to OM8 is obviously very relevant for me as to what I can expect to feel!
I didn’t read your learning log until now, so I hope you don’t mind that I start commenting from the beginning, because I found some interesting things in your journey, and right now I’m on a car trip to Portugal and have 2 spare hours
I relate a lot with this. I’m playing every day too, but the days I’m vacationing far from home (like now ). I have the rule of at least 5 min every day. A rule that occasionally gets my girlfriend angry when she has to wait those 5 min at the door before we are going out for the day .
I’m thinking of a travel guitar , but not sure if that will cost me the divorce before even getting married . But ey! Better that she knows I’m kind of mad now than in 10 years.
Oh, killing in the name of, great song! I would love an AVOYP of this one.
I’m thinking about a new guitar too. For now I only have my Gibson-like SG, so an acoustic when I finish grade 2 sounds reasonable However I’m not sure of what budget fix for my first acoustic. I went to a shop and the more expensive guitar they had was a 400€ Takamine (never heard of that brand before). And to be honest I found the price quite cheap. And as I didn’t played an acoustic before, it felt hard and weird to play.So, I don’t know what to do
Wow, you have a lot of songs learned. And you’re just one grade above me. Clearly I’ll work in a lot of songs for my grade 2 consolidation
Congratulations! I’ll add it to my watch later playlist. I’m convinced, thought, that you did great even with those nerves
And with that I’m up to date with your learning log
Looking forward the next update, and think about that Killing in the Name of AVOYP
@Rumil Hey Edgar, glad you could check out my LL, and hopefully it helped with the boredom on the car trip .
My cheapie starter Yamaha is the travel guitar. I don’t travel much by plane (just the occasional overnight business trip), and it wouldn’t come on the plane, but goes in the back of the car for any road trips. It’s great you also have the same rule of playing every day.
Killing in the name of is fun to play, I saw your Enter Sandman video, it’s much easier than that! It was one of those songs that it turns out isn’t that fun to play by myself, goes much better with the backing track. I haven’t checked the community rules on swearing so I’m not sure how the cussing repeated x100 would be received!
Acoustics are awesome, and they are all so different. I probably play mine more than the electric even though most music I listen to is electric, because I think they sound better than electrics when they’re by themselves. I tested probably 20 different acoustics, maybe more. Including a Takamine (its a Japanese brand). I tried a lot of guitars before setting a budget tbh to see what each price range would get me.
Is it a lot? I have a whole bunch of other ones I learned and then stopped playing too. But those are all reasonably simple songs, some of them just 4 chords. So they’re pretty easy to learn. I like learning new songs, learn a bit from each them.
I kind of feel the same when using a backing track! But hey, it’s all playing right?!?
Hoping to record some ampy goodness soon. I got it a couple of weeks back and had an idea of a video of a few things it does… but that sounded all too hard with my limited video editing skill (and motivation ). You’ll love the OM Mark, maybe you won’t have any nerves, maybe you will, but it is a great experience.
JK, we frown upon bad language in our Community discussions, be it explicit or implied. When it comes to songs, it’s OK; though if you replaced it with another suitable word that would be fine too.
I generally suggest letting people know in the post that the song includes strong language.
That said, I’ve heard songs that I think perhaps would not be the best choice to learn and share in the Community. For example, a couple of GnR songs come to mind, like Get In The Ring or One In A Million. And there are so many songs out there, that I am sure one can find many that would be more suitable.
Ah Parental Guidance required. I use that for all of mine just in case
Great write up JK and happy NAD. Nothing like new gear to make you smile. Sterling performance at the Open Mic despite it being stoopid o’clock ! Great rule, pick up at least once a day !!
Oops, should have been more self aware about that one, I went and edited my post! . Sorry!
Well, I am Australian, you’re not allowed to live here unless you swear regularly . Thanks for the kudos Toby, I reckon that if I keep picking the guitar up one day I’ll be one of the old-timer experts like you .
As to the swearing, yep I am sure I saw a check for that in the immigration details, when I found out I was well passed the sell by date for access. And I’d be swearing at the price of houses there these days!
So, old timer maybe. Expert a stretch to far I think. I just wing it when ever I can.
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). I have the rule of at least 5 min every day. A rule that occasionally gets my girlfriend angry when she has to wait those 5 min at the door before we are going out for the day 
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. But ey! Better that she knows I’m kind of mad now than in 10 years.
. Sorry!
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