SDKissFan - April 2022 - Elvis, Linkin Park, Velvet Revolver, Cinderella, Bob Dylan, Bon Jovi

The strumming was a lot better on this one Jeff.

For me your guitar drowns out your vocals, maybe something to look at as your journey progresses?

Hey Jeff, good going. It’d make for a better video if you could bring the vocal up. Nice rhythm again.

Hi,

I am taking everyone’s strumming feedback to heart. This does not match the recording, but hopefully it is somewhat decent. I have about 7 or eight guitars but my favorite is this Martin guitar-best acoustic.

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I prefer the sound of this guitar when you thumb strum rather than using the pick, Jeff, like the tone of it. Strumming action looked good. I shan’t comment on vocal phrasing and timing (above my play-grade and don’t know the song).

Strumming was much better, seemed consistent to me your arm moving all the while.

Hi everyone:

This week I am trying to play at an even tempo with a 1&2&3&4& pattern. I am working towards playing in tempo to the original song, but I’m not there yet. The goal for now is keeping my arm moving evenly. I see I missed one person’s suggestion not to slouch and hold guitar more vertically. After I master this I will move to the old faithful pattern, break up patterns between verse and chorus, and work towards playing in time. For now, here’s a Cinderella song played at lower vocal range than Tom K. Lol

Let me know what you think.

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Nice effort! The arm movement is keeping time nicely.

I know Justin recommends tapping a foot too

Nice chord changes without looking.

Can’t tell if it’s because of the video angle, but the body of the guitar looks a bit loose. Are you holding the guitar in place with your left hand too? If you are try to work on wedging it in place with your strumming arm.

If not just ignore me and keep playing!

I think that’s the best one so far I saw from you while keeping a rhythm, very nice improvement! Keep at it :slight_smile:

Hey Jeff,

You’ve been doing some work haven’t you :+1:. Good stuff. Much improved strummin there mate - cruisy, in the groove, and good rhythm. When you move on to ‘old faithful’, remember its the same mechanics - you’re just not hitting the strings on every strum.
As an aside, my mate and I were big KISS fans in our teen years ( early 80’s). Played those records to death. My mate went on to become a bit if a collector of KISS memorabilia. Great times.

All the best.
Cheers, Shane

Hi Shane:

That’s pretty cool. I’m still a fan since the 1980s . I just saw them for the end of the road tour last year. Took some good videos. I had great seats and when Paul Stanley flew across the crowd to the middle he was a foot away from my seat. Will send a video sometime.
!(upload://sa3ywT9VjwaFLEu

That sounded good, Jeff. Focus was on the strumming, keeping it simple, and you achieved a smooth steady groove. Keep working that until you have that on autopilot, no need to think and concentrate on keeping the arm moving. That will make starting to skip down strums easier when you start that.

I think it has been mentioned before and I can’t recall your response, Justin’s Strumming Techniques course is helpful to improve strumming. It is one of those that you have to purchase but well worth it and affordable.

I noticed your index finger popping out and standing apart from the other fingers when you were making the chords with the other three fingers. No idea why this happens but it is common. Justin calls it a flying finger. A good idea to do some chord change work, at a slow tempo, and really concentrate on trying to keep the index finger tucked in closer to the middle finger.

Almost makes me sweat when I work on this, trying to get that finger under my control, it’s a battle of wills that I will win in the end.

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A definite steady improvement there Jeff. Much better from a strumming hand perspective. Again I’d urge you to make sure you practice against a metronome/backing track so you know you’re staying in time. Also as someone mentioned look at the positioning of the guitar and whereabouts your hand is when strumming. It’s very forward of the soundhole and probably needs to be slightly further back. Try moving the guitar slightly across the body making sure you support the guitar with your body not the left hand/arm which needs to be free to move along the fretboard. Good progress though.

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As other have said already Jeff, a great improvement. Things are coming along nicely. Nice and steady on the strumming.

Good job Jeff!! You’re improving quickly. I do think that you would benefit alot by how you hold your guitar.

Maybe its working for you, but i could never have played in that «tilted position» i would have struggled with the chords, chord changes, and strumming and picking.
Might be worth too look at, just my two cents :grin:

Keep up the good work :+1:

Hi Jeff, that’s a decent effort. I like the tone of your voice quite a bit and I think having that helps carry your guitar playing along. All in all I think you will progress nicely with all this guitar playing malarkey!

Since your main goal was to keep a steady beat I would call this a win. Good Job!

I think what it is with the tilt thing, I picked up the bad habit of tilting the guitar towards me to see the fret board while I was first learning. I am working on improving that. Thanks.

Thanks for the compliment.

Thanks. I am keeping in mind working on the mechanics and playing with a metronome. Baby steps for me this week.