Looks as if I will be painting the fence and sanding the floor for a long time. But I’m beginning to slowly learn learning slowly @TheMadman_tobyjenner
And I’m trying to work on this whenever I can. Foot tapping seems to come very easily to me with my right foot (at least when listening to music). So at the The Hu concert on Wednesday, I experimented with moving, stomping (can’t really call that tapping anymore…) my left foot and leg to the beat consciously. Very, very weird feeling
Nicole, your guitar playing on Wellenreiter sounds very good considering you have only been practicing for just over one year. You have a pleasant tone and consistent rhythm. Having a live or in person guitar teacher will enhance your progress.
Thanks, Steve. It’s too much of a compliment though I don’t know, how do you count all that on and off playing over the years before JG - sometimes a lot, sometimes not at all for years and years?
Then… Hmm… I started with JG in May last year. Around September last year work stress took over, thus yet another break. Back to practicing in January this year before at some point work stress took over in April … So actual practicing time with JG is less than one year even. Strange, I have never thought like this.
Reg. combining in person lessons with JG: Yes, I really think that this is what works for me
There hadn’t been a lesson last week. I had been ill for a few days and while I had practiced the very basic strumming of “Knockin’ on heaven’s door” over and over again, overall I had played less than I would have liked. So I was somewhat curious what would happen this time.
And it was so much fun.
We played together. Only one time unfortunately. Me the basic rhythm. Jari the melody or solo. Of course I didn’t play entirely flawlessly. But it was magic almost. I wasn’t nervous the slightest bit. Just kept the rhythm by tapping my left foot, listened to Jari playing and played.
Outcome is that my teacher is happy with me and I have apparently graduated to a bit more difficult stuff. So for this week I will work on my scales as Jari insists that they have to sound good as well (not like staccato) and on “Have you ever seen the rain” (in G). Justin has a lesson on the song (in C), but it’s the strumming that I’m after for now… so watching the video a few times will be on my list this week as well.
Good news and bad exemplified in a video of a mediocre practice session.
Good:
I did not have much to time for practicing this week, but I remember the chord progression to Have you ever seen the rain ( in G)
I had been unable to tap with my left foot, it’s getting easier though it still requires a lot of will to get my left leg moving.
I - though far from perfectly - managed to ignore mistakes and continue strumming.
Bad:
It’s foot tapping - not stamping as I’m doing in the video.
I had been ill not long ago and my voice still does not allow me to sing and play. It’s much more difficult to visualize a map of the song when I’m not singing.
Using my too big acoustic for practicing might not have been the best idea.
Though foot tapping I don’t have a clear picture of 116 BPM in my head and I’m rushing
At least your trying the foot tapping thing… to me it just seems like another thing to co-ordinate so I don’t even try (and before anyone shouts at me, I’m not saying to copy me, I know Justin says to do it). I basically always play to a backing track, so that’s what I aim to lock-on to. I couldn’t guess at what tapping 116bpm looks like either.
And as the advice goes about playing on through mistakes, they will have been a lot more obvious to you than to those of watching so you’re doing that right!
Hi Nicole. Simple answer to that one is to play along to a metronome set to whatever bpm you want.
Yes. I loved the foot stomp😃. You’re right though, try to tame it and reduce it to a foot tap.
You had a good steady beat but try to emphasise beats 2&4 and hit less hard on 1&3. That will help give you a better dynamic.
Thanks @mattswain and @sairfingers , I do hope that the foot stomping will at some point evolve into sophisticated tapping
That’s the thing Gordon. I have practiced with a metronome at 116 BPM and it works better when I can hear and see the metronome for some strange reason… Yes, clear emphasis on 2 and 4 is the goal. I will get there with more practice Luckily, there are worse songs to be stuck with for while
Thanks for your concern for my neighbours. If you listen to the video, you will not even notice audible tapping. Considerate person that I am, was wearing very soft house shoes. The “stomping” refererred to the exaggerated motion, not to the sound.
“Foot tapping” is a good skill to have, advocated by Justin, my guitar teacher and many a more knowledgable guitarist here in the community as well.
I’m happy that I’m slowly but surely getting there.
That sounded great to me - all in time and didn’t spot any glitches or missed changes. My foot tapping has become automated. I put a video up here where I forgot to turn on the amp mike and the vocal mike picked up my tapping - didn’t know I was doing it! Real bands playing their own songs live will invariably play at a slightly slower or faster tempo without knowing so I wouldn’t worry too much about being exactly at 116bpm. “Stairway To Heaven” actually speeds up…
Quite a lot of glitches really But I know exactly where at the latest it went south, so all good and really just a question of investing more time …
I’m not actually worried about the BPM just really amazed. When I’m playing and singing, I know I’m approximately in time. Maybe not the time of the original, but the time I want to be it. Those extended passages of playing just “G” had me counting trying to keep track of where I am in the song… Just a sign that it needs work.
I hope that the tapping thing will automatize with time for me as well