Can’t believe I missed your Sultans of Swing update when you first posted it Shane. An awesome dreamer song, and you’re definitely getting there on it. I’m sure those solos will be quite a bit to remember, but master it you will - I’ve seen enough of your playing to know you can do it. Looking forward to the completed version.
I’m also interested in learning to hybrid pick. I’ve only really done it on one song so far, but that style of playing really interests me.
That was very impressive Shane and big thanks to JK’s reply and the bump as this skated past me as well.
You certainly have a good plan laid out for this one and the approach should work well. Really enjoyed this section of the song which you have got down pretty damn well to my ears.
Ironically, having just got the Knopfler style solo recorded recently I have been thinking about this one but like you said, I find it intimidating. Just started dabbling with some basic hybrid picking a few months back but not very focused practice. Maybe one to look at next year, once my fingerstyle itch has been satisfied.
Looking forward to see this grow !
What can I say?
You certainly ain’t no Guitar George…
You made it ‘cry and sing’ 
This has the feeling of a ‘graduation piece’ for me. You’ve been making loads of progress on your lead playing in all your shares, but there was a much more relaxed feeling to this, as if you were really enjoying just jamming along to the track and filling in naturally.
Bravo!
Have some good old-fashioned vibes
Much appreciated Roy. Thanks for the lusten, andcthe kind words.
Cheers, Shane
Hi Shane, just wanted to say that I’m totally impressed by your relaxed playing. Sultans of Swing is one of my all times favourites, and you played it soooo well. Can’t wait to hear the full version 
. Great job so far 
.
@jk @TheMadman_tobyjenner @brianlarsen
Very much appreciated guys. Given this songs significance to me, I was a little disappointed it got buried pretty quickly. Seems to be happening with quite a few videos here. @DavidP and @roger_holland caught it, and left some kind words, but that was about it.
I suppose it was the one song I wanted to share with friends, so I really appreciate treasured friends like yourself stopping by to have a listen as well , along with David and Roger previously.
Of course, its a work in progress, and needs much refinement, but very pleased at the progress thus far.
You’re right Brian, it is a graduation of sorts. This tune is about much more than just a great song, or even about guitar. And @TheMadman_tobyjenner, get onto it mate. It is actually easier than it appears ( so far 
… solos to come yet).
@jkahn Have the first shorter solo pretty much down now. The outro solo, well, I’m getting to it 
Thanks again guys.
Cheers, Shane
Shane, in this case I assume the item buried would be the reply on your Learning Log which included the video? I have a notification set for replies and new topics in the Learning Logs category, and still volume is such that I don’t read every reply.
No doubt volume and rate of posting makes it near impossible to read every post. The downside of the Community become integrated with the website and become so much more active than the old Forum.
I think it would be OK for you to post your SoS WIP in AVOYP. It would probably be viewed more widely like that and receive more feedback. I am not a fan of the ‘I learned this song today, still needs a lot of practice’ posts. Your SoS project is a different kettle of fish and certainly reflects effort and progress in performance where it would be appropriate in AVOYP as a WIP.
Hey Shane, I think @DavidP makes a good point. I watched your video when you posted it, gave it a well deserved 
and was going to post a comment telling you that I was super impressed later on in the day after I had finished work and had a second listen. However, as I was working my way down the AVoYP list I never found it.
I agree completely with @DavidP this would sit better as an AVoYP. I also think by placing it in your learning log that you’re missing out on some valuable tips from some of the more experienced players on how to take your playing up even further.
Just caught this this morning Shane. You’ve defiantly put in the time it takes that was great. Really enjoyed that. 
Mark Knopfler is one of the masters to steal as much from as you can.
Not spending much time on Community lately unfortunately but how can I pass Shane playing SoS without comment?! Awesome job my man, honestly you should feel proud as so far you have learnt it pretty well! If I may be honest I think you might find it a real challenge to play last solo with hybrid picking. Obviously entirely possible for someone with your skill to learn it that way, but when I think about learning it with a pick snd hybrid picking - no way! 
I tried long time ago now playing it with fingers only and personally I think it is so much easier to do it this way. But again, if not you then who else will prove me wrong?! All the best Shane
YEARLY REVIEW
Well, its that time of year again; not just for festive celebrations, but more importantly, reviewing my guitar year, and planning for the next one.
Looking back, my stated, overarching broad goals for this year were very much consolidatory ones;
1.Playing with less tension
2. Playing with more accuracy and clarity
3. Laughing at myself a bit more.
Well, I’m giving myself a tick here on all 3. I feel I’ve made solid progress here, and the metrics I’ve used/recorded over the year bear this out. I’ve done, and continue to do, some intensive practice in the areas of one; 2 hand synchronisation, and two; specific picking techniques, particularly alternate picking and hybrid picking.
Again, my metrics show some considerable progress, and I feel I also just sound a lot better, more accurate, and more ‘connected’ to the guitar. Of course, continual work, and ongoing assessment is necessary to keep improving, but the pathway is now pretty solid I feel.
The 3rd broad goal, “laughing at myself a bit more”, has, despite its somewhat humourous intent, affected my playing in a very positive way. Comparing myself to others, looking back into the past, not being able to get that lick/ phrase/ chord change, rhythm section etc down perfect today. All these types of thoughts haven’t rented nearly as much space in my head as in the previous year. This mindset change has definitely fed into both playing with less tension, making fewer errors, and importantly, being able to identify tension sooner when it does pop up in my playing.
One of my primary more specific goals this year was to really get into the Blues in a structured way. I’d taken a strong liking to it last year, and wanted to really focus on it. Well, overall, its been enormous fun, and feel I’ve made some significant progress. I went through pretty much all the blues lessons on Justin Guitar, but, in all honesty, felt I needed something that was more structured and cohesive from a foundational level. Not being critical here, just calling it as I see it. ( I am guessing Justin’s soon to be released Blues Course is a reflection of this, and its likely to be a brilliant course).
Anyway, I’ve been following 2 reputable Blues coursebooks this year in some detail, taking my time to both attempt to absorb all the foundational concepts, techniques, etc, and to progressively improve practical competency. Its been a truly enthralling and engaging experience thus far, and I’m really still at the relative foundational phase. I’ve spent alot of time on particular study pieces, as well as pieces from the older masters like T-Bone Walker, BB King etc, to later legends like Peter Green, SRV, Gary Moore etc., which I’ve found both entirely absorbing and highly educational. I’ve watched a lot of documentaries on different Blues players, which also has been an enlightening experience. And of course I’ve listened to ALOT of Blues this last year. It’s now become pretty much ingrained in my daily life now. Of course, improvising, and finding my own way with my learning has been a big part of all this.
Back a couple of years ago, I often pondered how I could eventually start to concentrate on one area, while at the same time, not allowing other areas to suffer. Well, I’ve realised this is not really a problem at all. Many skills, knowledge areas, competencies, techniques are very interrelated, so the competencies, knowledge etc you may be developing in one genre for example, are directly applicable to general guitar knowledge and competency. With the Blues in particular being the basis of so much music, I think this is even more so the case.
On the song front, I’ve added quite a few this year; a lot of blues, but also various others. I’m finding that learning songs is becoming a much quicker process.
So, a very successful and enjoyable guitar year all up. Now, if only the rest of my life were this way. 
Again, thank you to all in the community for your encouragement, your advice, your wisdom; and simply for being a good friend. It is much cherished and appreciated. Now onward and upward this year, before the zombie apocalypse comes for us all. .
Cheers, Shane
Shane. A few comments come to mind:
Hi Shane, a great comprehension of last year’s journey and progress and it shows in everything you’ve posted here! You are a great example that dedicated practice and focussing leads to reasonable progress over the years. I think you got the hang of it…and you are earning the outcome of hard work to improve your skills.
It’s good to read, that working on Blues techniques has positive impact on other ares too. The more I learn, the harder it is for me to pick out only one or two areas to work on…so good to see, one can’t go wrong with the Blues…
What course books did you use apart from the lessons here?
Glad for you, that you could bring 2023 to a successful guitar year and I’m sure you will be starting into '24 sucessfully too…all the best and keep on doing what you are doing!
You have made such outstanding progress in this year, Shane, whether it is playing the blues or playing and singing songs. The rewards for all the disciplined, deliberate learning and practice is there for all to see and for you to enjoy, reflect on with great satisfaction.
Look forward to all that is to come as you venture onwards.
Hey Stuart,
My ‘metrics’ are based pretty much on 3 things; speed, error rates, accuracy. They are just my own way of quantifying things.
So bpm would be one obvious metric, utilised in a few ways. Number of errors, in a given timeframe, in a given piece etc, would be another. In improv etc, length of time before I hit a ‘wrong’ is another I’ve used. Some of these metrics are used in little ‘tests’ I give myself, filmed. Others, I utilise daily. Together, over a period, they can give me indications of progress. Sounds like alot of work maybe, but its actually not.
I’m presently not fully engaged in the workforce, so my schedule is somewhat fluid. Structured practice is now about 90 minutes/ day. Some days I can devote more time to particular projects, health permitting.
I follow some simple principles/ techniques I learnt some time ago from Mark Philippov - Guitar Practice Expert - you can find him on Youtube. Its really just about being aware of what’s happening in your body. Like anything, the more you do it the better you get at it.
I can feel it in my shoulders at times, in my forearm, and certainly in my hands. Sometimes, it’s a physical cause where I’ve managed to get my posture out of whack. Often it can be mental though, when I get frustrated or impatient when learning/ performing something. I’ve found, particularly over the last year, significant positive effects by following this practice.
Cheers, Shane
Hi Shane
What a pleasure to read your year end assessment and comments. I think you have had a great year and your development is reflected in your many recordings this year. You have a wider vocabulary and you are more fluid, maybe that’s being more relaxed. I hear tenseness and rigidity in my playing, so I have something to learn from you. I get where you are coming from with regards to the BL modules that I went through a few years back. I found better traction through a couple of TrueFire “Educators” (as they like to call them). I don’t think there is anything wrong with that and I recall a lesson/discussion in one of Justin’s modules where he talks about finding a teacher that meets your own requirements. Clearly when you get to that intermediate level, he is encouraging you to search beyond his own boundaries. I feel that has been beneficial to me on a Blues front, both acoustic/Delta style and more electric/Blues Rock. This is certainly working for you.
Always appreciate your recordings and look forward to what you have to offer in the new year.
Thanks @TheMadman_tobyjenner for taking the time to drop in, and have a read.
I’m really enjoying where I’m at presently; and it’s people like yourself that form part of the building blocks of my progress over the last 3 years
All the best mate, guitar and life-wise, for the year.
Cheers, Shane
Great log update Shane. You’ve become an accomplished player, quite aspirational to those of us earlier in our journey (eg me). It’s been great to see your progress the last couple of years and I’m sure the next one will be good for you.
It sounds a bit too analytical too me but if it works for you. To be honest I’ve never gone to that level of details. Perhaps that where I’m going wrong 
If I can’t get things I just keep going until they sound better, although, at the moment, I need to be able to go from G to B7 for a songs and it’s driving me mad! Just can’t hit the B7 with any consistancy.
Luxury I might get 20-30mins during the week (sometimes less) with more at the weekends.
I have issues with my hands but that’s age and arthritis. A number of years ago I met (at the gym) & was friends with Steve Mac the guitarist with The Australian Pink Floyd Show who told me that he had/has back problems due to posture. I believe that he had to seek treatment for this.
Shane, not sure how I missed your last few updates. This shows the great progress and dedication you have. Really liked Sultans of swing, you are one of the beacons I look up to of where this journey can take me. All the best for the upcoming year, cant wait to see your progress.