Mac's learning log

[MacOneill]

Day 266 / weeks streak : 1 year + 1 ( on YS )

Played the Am pentatonic scale and the C major scale as a warm up + 1 of the pinky exercice
Trying to name out loud the notes on the neck while playing the Am pentatonic scale
Learning the Pattern 1 of the G Major Scale and the E majord scale

Yousician

Challenge of the week :
Should I stay or should I goby The Clash / level 3 / basic melody
Im not the only one by Sam Smith / Level 4 / basic melody

Legato lead : the four seasons by Vivaldi ( Winter ) / basic melody

Worked on Knowledge : roots and groove : Octaves => Practiced a song called 12 steps ==> Done

Practiced on Little lies and Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac / level 5 / cowboy chords

Working on Losing my religion level5 / cow boy chords

Practiced drills for fingerstyle forward ( Am / C and G / EM ) and backward ( Am / C and G / EM )) and forward Arpeggio up and down

grade 2 in JG :

Module 11

Practiced fingerstyle : happy Birthday riff with 2 fingers

The F barre chord : Sailing by Rod Steward

The Bm Barre chord : Practiced on Karma police , One of these nights and Tequila sunrise by the Eagles - Every you every me by Placebo

Practice Folk fingerstyle patterns part 1 ( on the JG website )

Module 12

Practiced Enter the sandman riff

Songs on the Musopia app :

Played Halleluya by Leonard Cohen fingerstyle at 91 bpm / 102 bpm

Practiced Careless Whisper by George Michael ( practice for 3 fingers Bm )

Guitar teacher :

Practice E major arpeggios
forward / backward and alternate fingering ( up and down )

Practiced ragtime

I started working on the riff for module 12 : Enter the sandman
this one is HARD
the pinky is not the problem here , its the ring finger ! It can barely move when the middle and pinky are locked in place
I can play the riff ( slowly ) but the ring finger barely lifts so sometimes the string rings

but if i lock the pinky and the index , the riff becomes easy to play ( but its not how its supposed to be played )

Are we supposed to learn all the riffs or only the first one ?

[SteveL_G99]

@MacOneill Deborah, I only learned the first riff and not particularly well, which doesn’t bother me too much since Metal is not my specialty of guitar.

Notice in the lesson that Justin admits that he played an easier version of this riff when he was younger. This also shows up in a note below the TAB for the riff in the website notes:

“For the easier version, play 3:0 instead of 4:5, and use fingers 2 and 1 to fret the notes on string 6.”, which means that you can play the open third string instead of fretting the note at the 5th fret of the fourth string. Then you can use fingers 1 and 2 to fret the notes on the low 6th string.

That should be easier and sounds just as musical to me.

[MacOneill]

@SteveL_G99

which doesn’t bother me too much since Metal is not my specialty of guitar.

well I do not intend to go the metal path so Im just like you

@SteveL_G99

That should be easier and sounds just as musical to me.

Ok thanks
The hand position on this riff looks a lot like an exercice my guitar teacher gave me some weeks back
So I thought Its maybe good to keep on practicing it
maybe Ill work a bit with the first position for the fingers and work on the finger independence ( like 1 or 2 minutes ) and try to play the riff with the easier version

thanks for your advice

Well I have lots of technical stuff to work on at the moment … I should add a couple of songs for the fun to my routine

[mattswain]

There’s too many commenters online that obsess about how original versions “are supposed to be played”, but to me this means I’ll never be able to play any of them if I follow that school of thinking. Maybe in the past I was guilty of setting that high bar for myself.

I’m now much more about capturing the general vibe of a song and working from there. So as much as I’d like to be playing lead lines from Metallica, finding a simplified rhythm and adding to it over time is more realistic at this stage in my journey with guitar. I think it’s good advice from @SteveL_G99

[MacOneill]

@mattswain

finding a simplified rhythm and adding to it over time is more realistic at this stage in my journey with guitar

its not about rythm but fingering
Its supposed to be a pinky workout but its more a ring finger workout
in hand position 1 , the ring finger is almost stuck and its normal its how the hand is made … So its basically something to work on … ( if you feel like it )

You ve never tried this riff ?

[mattswain]

Yeah although I suppose I’m thinking in terms of getting the fingers to do what I ask to be able to play the rhythm. Similar but different.

I was shown that riff many years ago during one of my aborted attempts to learn guitar. The teacher was trying to show me stuff that interested me rather than the basics of how to play guitar. I think I got to the point of being able to play version of it (can’t remember which fingers) but then I couldn’t do anything with it because I knew nothing else! It’s not a favourite song of mine so not a priority.

Thinking of simplified rhythms, I am learning a very beginner version of Back in Black from AC/DC on a platform you’re very familiar with (black Friday discount you mentioned ) - I just haven’t put a lot of time into yet, more a background task compared to my acoustic guitar

[MacOneill]

@mattswain

Similar but different.

true

@mattswain

so not a priority.

I guess it will not be a priority for me too
but I know myself and will work on it anyway
module 12 is not my cup of tea … power chords and metal …

@mattswain

black Friday discount you mentioned

Oh my I didnt expect this turn of event
Welcome in the community !!!
Can I follow you ?

@mattswain

more a background task compared to my acoustic guitar

exactly
for me its just fun
Learning on JG , fun on YS
but in the end it helped me to train on stuff , level 5 for example forces me to not look at the fretboard because its fast
I dont know if I would have done it on my own … I d probably just chose songs that are playable instead of going beyond my ability

I just wish they’d remove this red and green feature soon …

[mattswain]

@MacOneill

Oh my I didnt expect this turn of event
Welcome in the community !!!
Can I follow you ?

Sure, to be honest I hadn’t even noticed there was any following until you said! What details do need to find me?

The whole thing forces me to look up from my fretboard (although I already do this for open chords on acoustic). It is all a bit like starting again with guitar because I have mostly been playing open chord songs.

I think my measure of success or not is when my subscription runs out, have I learned anything that I can easily convert to playing alongside the original (such as this simplified Back in Black). I’ll be more than happy if I can do that

[MacOneill]

@mattswain

What details do need to find me?

just your username

Mine is Mac ( with a paw as a picture )

@mattswain

, have I learned anything that I can easily convert to playing alongside the original

I think you will
We always learn anyway even if we do not notice it
I think I gain a lot from not only playing what I like , the challenges forces me to try stuff I would no
I bought another subscription mainly to have access to the song library and do the challenges

For example I wanted to play fields of gold … but it has been removed from the JG app
I was really disappointed … but there’s a version on it on YS so in the end I can still play it
( and Yes I can learn that song from the video but its harder for someone like me with memory issues … I already have a lot on my plate at the moment so it was not the right time to add learning a song from a video )

[mattswain]

It might be easier for you to track down me - I’ve just updated my username to mattswain, same as here and there’s a picture of me with an ice cream

I think learning songs from videos isn’t easy, especially if as a solo guitarist you’ll potentially want to be able to play along with a recording. My approach so far has been to find a YouTube lesson and then use Moises to figure out how to overlay what I’ve learned onto the recording. I think it’s going to be quite some time before I’m figuring out songs for myself

[MacOneill]

Done
Lovely ice cream

I just realised that someone is following me and I dont even know who he is

@mattswain

My approach so far has been to find a YouTube lesson and then use Moises to figure out how to overlay what I’ve learned onto the recording.

yeah thats what I do too ( not the moises part ) , but first you gotta learn the chords sequence and remember it
I think thats where guitar pro might be usefull ( from what I understood )

[mattswain]

Followed back, am just a few hours behind you

I’ve not really used Guitar Pro much but I think it could be used like that. With Moises you do kind of have to know the chord sequence because even though it will suggest chords, they’re only based on what it’s hearing which isn’t always the same as what a lesson might teach you. I find it helpful in other ways though such as keeping in time with the song (which GP could also do)

[MacOneill]

For the moment Ill stick to YS ( for at least another year since I just re paid it XD )
Ill get guitar pro later in the journey
I have so many things to learn before reaching the level where Ill need Gpro …
But Ill try to play more songs from the app
I realised that I stick too much to the songs linked to the modules
There are many others to play and have fun with

In the Strumming SOS part : Strumming dynamics , Justin asks to know 5 to 10 songs , songs that you re confident with
Ill work on that from now on !

I had a look for Enter the Sandman riff on YS
and they do have it in stock !!!
Its played exactly the way Justin is teaching it

Its a level 5 so it matches my current level !
I ll practice it on YS then

@mattswain

am just a few hours behind you

Yeah just a bit
You ll catch up easily
you just need 250 hours

[MacOneill]

Day 267 / weeks streak : 1 year + 1 ( on YS )
Did the spider as a warm up + 1 of the pinky exercice

Yousician

Challenge of the week :
Should I stay or should I goby The Clash / level 3 / basic melody
Im not the only one by Sam Smith / Level 4 / basic melody

Legato lead : the four seasons by Vivaldi ( Winter ) / basic melody

Practiced on Little lies and Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac / level 5 / cowboy chords

Working on Losing my religion / level5 / cow boy chords

grade 2 in JG :

Module 11

The F barre chord : Sailing by Rod Steward / level 4 / cowboy chords

The Bm Barre chord : Practiced on Karma police - One of these nights and Tequila sunrise by the Eagles - Every you every me by Placebo

Module 12

Practiced power chords

Practiced Enter the sandman riff

Songs on the Musopia app :

Tried various songs on the app

• Rhiannon / Go you own way / Landslide by Fleetwood Mac
• More than this by Roxy music
• Peaceful easy feeling by the Eagles

Played House of the rising sun at 128 bpm

Guitar teacher :

Practiced Wish you were here Intro by Pink Floyd

[BarrhamianSteve]

Wow @MacOneill … just when you think you are working hard and then I see this … I am going to try and use this as a reference and inspiration for my willy nilly practice style… I live my life the same way …which may explain a few things. Thank you for sharing. I do find guitar goals difficult as over one or hundreds of times I may not see much if any improvement…but definitely in one session it is very frequent I see no improvement…which is ok… I enjoy the process and always feel time invested will eventually pay off.

[MacOneill]

@BarrhamianSteve

I am going to try and use this as a reference

As long as it does suit you
we re all different so whats good for me may not be good for someone else
Just keep it fun

@BarrhamianSteve

I do find guitar goals difficult as over one or hundreds of times I may not see much if any improvement

Learning guitar is a lifetime journey
there s no rush !
its normal to not see improvement in a session , thats the accumulation of sessions ( and hours ) that will bring the improvement
dont try to analysis the journey , just live it !

[BarrhamianSteve]

Such great advice @MacOneill ! and inspirational as well. … .thank you

[MacOneill]

Yesterday , before taking the bus to do my grocery shopping for the week , I took my guitar and played various song from the country music selection in the app for 1h30 !
It was a total blast
Loved it !

Day 268 / weeks streak : 1 year + 1 ( on YS )

Played the Am pentatonic scale and the C major scale as a warm up + 1 of the pinky exercice
Trying to name out loud the notes on the neck while playing the Am pentatonic scale
Learning the Pattern 1 of the G Major Scale and the E majord scale

Yousician

Challenge of the week :
Should I stay or should I goby The Clash / level 3 / basic melody
Im not the only one by Sam Smith / Level 4 / basic melody

Legato lead : the four seasons by Vivaldi ( Winter ) / basic melody
Part 1 done

Practiced on Little lies and Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac / level 5 / cowboy chords

Working on Losing my religion level5 / cow boy chords

Practiced drills for fingerstyle forward ( Am / C and G / EM ) and backward ( Am / C and G / EM )) and forward Arpeggio up and down

grade 2 in JG :

Module 11

Practiced fingerstyle : happy Birthday riff with 2 fingers ==> DONE

The F barre chord : Sailing by Rod Steward

The Bm Barre chord : Practiced on Karma police , One of these nights and Tequila sunrise by the Eagles - Every you every me by Placebo

Practice Folk fingerstyle patterns part 1 ( on the JG website )

Module 12

Practiced Enter the sandman riff ( easy and hard version )

Songs on the Musopia app :

Played Halleluya by Leonard Cohen fingerstyle at 91 bpm / 102 bpm

Practiced Go your own way by Fleetwood Mac
The long way around by the Chicks at 91 bpm
One’s on the way by Loretta Lynn

Guitar teacher :

Practice E major arpeggios
forward / backward and alternate fingering ( up and down )

Practiced ragtime

[MacOneill]

Day 269 / weeks streak : 1 year + 1 ( on YS )
Did the spider as a warm up + 1 of the pinky exercice

Yousician

Challenge of the week :
Midnight special / level 2 / basic melody
Man of constant sorrow / Level 4 / cowboy chords

Legato lead : the four seasons by Vivaldi ( Winter ) / basic melody part 2

Practiced on Little lies and Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac / level 5 / cowboy chords

Working on Losing my religion / level5 / cow boy chords

grade 2 in JG :

Barre chords

The F barre chord : Sailing by Rod Steward / level 4 / cowboy chords

The Bm Barre chord : Practiced on Karma police - One of these nights and Tequila sunrise by the Eagles - Every you every me by Placebo

Module 12

Practiced power chords
Im re doing all the power chord training songs on YS ( level 4 )

Practiced Enter the sandman riff

Songs on the Musopia app :

Practiced :

• Rhiannon / Go you own way / Landslide by Fleetwood Mac
• More than this by Roxy music
• Peaceful easy feeling by the Eagles

Guitar teacher :

Practiced Wish you were here Intro by Pink Floyd

I will explain why I mute topics since is not appreciated
Its related to my health condition after the head trauma I had years ago when I had an accident at my workplace

I suffer from all the different types of migraine existing , and I discovered some that I didnt even know existed
2 are violent and the pain extreme ( thats why I ve been declared handicaped )

first is : Cluster headaches ( wiki : Cluster headache - Wikipedia )
Second is : Thunderclap headache ( wiki : Thunderclap headache - Wikipedia )

For both I must avoid being stressed , angry , tired , hungry , etc etc
my life must be monitorised all the time , thats why I live like a hermit

I dont think that cluster headaches can be triggered by the forum by I do know that thunderclap headache does and I sincerely do not wish that anybody experience it
to describe it its like being suddenly and violently punched in the head , like an uppercut
I become dizzy , everythings turns and I almost faint , I can t stand on my legs , im shaking …
really horrible

So to avoid triggering thunderclap headaches , I just mute the topics that I know will anger or stress me even a little bit .
But its not because my ( stupid ) body cant let me debate that I cant say what I have to say at least once otherwise I can never speak and it would be like being a living ghost
( and thats why I ve been declared inapt for work cause Im the perfect victim … I cant defend myself in front of others if Im bullied )

Its not my fault …

[ConstanceClaire]

That sounds awful Deborah. I used to work with someone who suffered from terrible migraines and sometimes she would come into work with them as they were ‘easing up’ and I honestly was surprised she didn’t just fall down where she stood. She went through hell and it was easy to see.

I didn’t know a thunderclap headache could be anything other than an emergency room situation, honestly. I always heard it was a sign of stroke or aneurysm or some other terrible emergency situation. I hope you managed to avoid the headaches this time!