Hey Everyone,
I’m encouraged to post here having plucked up the courage to do a couple of recordings for Justin’s recent posting for the songs app. Wish You Were Here, which seems to be something of a rite of passage!, and Good Riddance (time of your life).
I’ve been playing for just about a year with a 2 month gap due to a hospital trip, I’m most of the way through grade 2 and just about to move onto module 12. My third attempt at playing guitar in my life at the age of 47 and this time with Justin’s course it’s stuck, any chance to pick up the guitar I’m doing it!
Current aspirations, aside from progressing through the modules, is to get to playing and singing with decent strumming patterns for my repertoire songs, so hopefully beginning to post here will give me the extra nudge to put the practice in to get there.
Appreciate any feedback and looking forward to posting some more in due course!
PS - apologies for the lame introduction and closing “slide” in the videos, I’m no video editor
Well done Mark. A first post and a first AVoYP. A great double.
You looked confident and played along in time and with clean chords. Your picking was accurate in WYWH.
All I can add is keep your strumming arm moving up and down throughout the songs. This was particularly noticeable in the second song where your arm stopped between some of the beats.
You’re on your way. Looking forward to more from you.
Thanks Gordon, appreciate the comments. Yeah spot on point about my strumming arm, I lost the habit of doing it when I moved into grade 2 for some reason, need to get stricter with myself
Welcome to the Community, Mark. What a wonderful entrance. You are doing well, sounding good. I’d agree with Gordon, get back into the continuous strumming action. Guitar looks and sounds great.
Hi Mark, great first post and you did really good well done! I think it’s a great entry to Justin’s contest, wish you luck! In terms of your performances I was hoping you will play the first section of Good Riddance by picking individual strings as you started this way like original does start regardless I still enjoyed it so kudos!
Thanks Adrian! Yeah the full individual picking is on the aspiration list! Appreciate the comments
Keep up the good work!! Was some nice strumming there
Nice job Mark and both songs sounded good.
Really nice job .
besides to what has already being said, I’d say:
What a gorgeous guitar you have . This fuels my GAS! Now I want a Les Paul too .
I’m not sure because of the framing, so if you were already doing it, just ignore me, but tapping your foot could help to keep the arm moving, or for long pauses enter in time. It works for me
It looks/sounds like you’re really on your way!
If you’re already able to do this after less than a full year, it’s exciting to think about what you’ll be able to play this time next year.
Great debut!
I’d forgotten how much I like that Green Day track
Wow, really humbled by all of your posts and positivity, thank you!
Thanks Edgar! If only it was a genuine Les Paul but that would have been a bit much as my first guitar!!
It’s actually an Eastcoast GL, plays really nicely though and as you say looks lovely. My only slight niggle is the weight and weight distribution, it’s quite bottom heavy, I don’t know if that’s just typical of the style or just the Eastcoast itself. But it’ll always be the guitar that got me going
No problem isn’t genuine. I have a SG that isn’t a Gibson either. The important is what you said. If it plays well and looks great… who cares? .
The heaviness on the bottom comes with the shape. I think. Justin has a video in a store testing guitars and they point out there that “flaw”. Happens to my SG-ish too
Hi Mark, a couple of good sounding recordings. after a year of JG’s help that’s good going. Keep going!
I like it Mark! I’m working on that song as well, although I’m way behind—I just started. Keep playing it. May be we can share parts somehow some day.
Great job on anchoring the finger when you pick the notes in Wish You Were Here. Good habit that’s going to serve you well done the road.
As others have said just keep the rhythm going with Time of Your Life. Don’t fall off the treadmill!
Definitely two rite of passage songs. Awesome songs that are reasonably simple to play in the grand scheme of things. Thanks for sharing.