Valentine’s Day 2022:
I’m really thrilled I figured out the intro for “under the bridge” from memory. The only hiccup seems to be I figured it out in a different key… BUT I was doing pretty much the right stuff as far as I can tell.
I’m still having issues with some of the intervals
Having a really difficult time with where the post button is located. If I try to push on a corrected word I misspelled, I post or reply… or it closes my keyboard. Annoying. Wrote a few posts I never posted due to frustration. Trying to be a little active so I can get more used to typing here on this stupid phone.
Starting to learn about drum patterns in my DAW. Had a breakthrough moment playing inside a 1 bar (16 spot) loop of a 4 on the floor that I made completely wrong the other day with the default FL sounds. Breakthrough was about timing and moving around inside the loop. I really don’t know what I was doing but something suddenly made sense. Regardless, the natural super-high feeling from musical breakthroughs is rare for me. I’ll gladly take them where I can get them. 
Been playing in standard D tuning for awhile. I was tuning lower at first to hear the difference. I can hear better in D then in E standard. That tuning snowballed into practicing bending in the first 3 frets because of the lower string tension. Also because of this tuning I stumbled over the main riff from Ghost’s Call Me Little Sunshine. I’m having trouble figuring out the last bit of it because the bass notes slide a bit while the higher notes pluck out of an A minor shaped whatever that chord is, when you’re tuned in standard D. I think) I probably single handedly raised that song in the charts to #1 trying to get that last bit of riff, lol!! Also absolutely have to learn the Bill and Ted “Excellent” style tapping lick before the vocals of CML-Sunshine. 
(If there isn’t a lot of right hand movement involved. I have never tried 2 hand tapping with any kind of seriousness.) Gotta see if anyone posted tabs for it yet, It’s been a few weeks now since they released the single.
I recently found Ceumar. She’s a singer songwriter and composer from Brazil (I think.) I can’t understand a word, but I binge listened to everything she has on YouTube. This is the first song I heard that started me on the binge.
Other then her, been listening to a bunch of Eskimo Callboy, (who I just recently discovered too.)
Glad to hear you are still working at guitar, using the DAW etc. Becky. Sorry about the phone-induced woes in posting.
Thanks for Ceumar Becky. What a treat.
What a gift, you must feel encouraged.
Hey Becky, good to see you are making progress and trying different things. And I don’t do phones unless absolutely essential but know what you mean.
Becky!
I am always happy when I see there’s a new update to your musical journey. Full of passion and there’s also always some great music recommendtations in your posts!
Thank you for discovering Ceumar. A completely new artist to me but I really enjoy her!
I started learning Never Going Back Again by Fleetwood Mac, using Mitch’s tutorial. I ended up just tuning my guitalele down and dropping the low string. (Why capo and futz with your guitar, if you have an instrument all but built to play the song already, with plenty of space up the neck for chords?)
Anyway, the right hand isn’t my problem. The rotten chords are when i’m dealing with arthritis from the recent stretch of cold wet weather. So I took a break from that. Weather is on its way up. Going to see how I feel when I’m not frozen constantly.
Because of the tremolo improvements I broke out the metronome to work on speed again. Been jotting my daily numbers semi dutifully. I’m setting the note value to triplets for tremolo, That way I’m getting a click on each finger-hit. My metronome isn’t good though, at higher speeds the click messes up and gets glitchy. I’m going to look at FL Studio’s metronome again and see if it can do note values. I only use it as a steady click, and don’t often mess with it. (I don’t expect the metronome work to last long, I really can’t handle the beep.)
Been exploring playing on the G and B strings.
Glad to hear from you, Becky. Extreme cold is such a bummer.
5-10-2022
Haven’t really practiced yet today. Looked back in the notebook. I started jotting notes on April 25th. Trem was straight 200 bpm. Didn’t do x-string.
4-27) set trem down to 60 bpm on triplet note value. X-string at 56/quadruplets note value.
5-1) trem started at 69 and finished 86. Did a late insomnia practice, got to 88. X-string started at 55 ended at 70.
5-2) wasn’t quite comfy with x-string at 76. Wasn’t quite comfortable at 94 tremolo.
Need to ask about fingers brushing problem
5-10) x-string started at 70 got to 71 because I was wiped out and didn’t want to go further, I was so beat. Trem started at 94 got to 110, but I was stumbling mostly because I physically done… ( This doesn’t count as today since it was after just after midnight. Counts as yesterday in my book lol.)
Again I have the metronome set to triplets and quadruplets respectively. I am finding certain bpm are harder to sync with. Just say I’m at like 70 in something. 80 would be do-able right after 70, but cranking the bpm by 2’s I stumble at like 74 or 76. I’ve been spending extra time in those bpm. Honestly don’t know why the beat at certain in-between numbers screws with me. Didn’t bother recording which bpm though. Just before and after.
The diads on the G and B string I started looking into. I started thinking about what notes the first fretted one was last night. A and C, so yeah for all intents and purposes an F chord without the F. The Diads sounds ‘right’ in the progression. I add the F and nope. If a melody note falls on F it’s cool, but sounds flat wrong as a triad. Honestly said screw thinking around 1am and fell asleep.
I plan on seeing what I was doing as far as triads vs diad notes go, tonight. Checked the recent-ish video of Justin’s again on the easy triads up the neck video, I just gotta see what I got going on there. (Diad progression counts in fun stuff too because playing the progression is fun, I improvise melody, explore the ‘rest stops’ along the neck in each area.)
Fun stuff has been trying to play along with/pausing Tuesday’s Gone by Lynyrd Skynyrd. (Really having fun with that bendy stuff.) Since I’m doing it by ear I’m not doing super with playing along. It’s more listen/pause.
Started playing along/improvising with Vibesquad songs, and Aaron’s morning acoustic piano sessions which I love. Not sure it’s proper to jam with drum and bass, or electronic music, but he also makes some jam tracks. Fun for me to jam with all of it though. (Below is a random morning vibes jam, think most people are ok with acoustic piano jams. He does fun stop motion too.)
Figured out the beginning cello line of Quem e Ninguem by Ceumar totally randomly off the top of my head last night. Took me a while to figure out the song stuck in my head, because I don’t know how to say anything in Portuguese. 
So far arthritis is feeling better, so going to hit Never Going Back Again… Again.
Might update this with trem and x-string numbers before sleep.
Glad to hear your arthritis is feeling better, Becky. The piano vibes are playing now, pretty cool.
Hi Becky. I think whatever underlying melody or rhythm inspires you to improvise over is good. Hearing Morning Vibes I remembered another piano piece, Canto Ostinato. I heard it again yesterday, and I could see myself jumping randomly in any part of the piece and putting some fifth or sixth string notes over it. From what I see in the video, and my limited ear training distinguishes, they play within the guitar range.
…in 1970 he [Simeon Ten Holt] abandoned the complex twelve-note technique that had been the standard since the Second World War, and returned to sounds and patterns that were easier for the ear to understand. In doing so, he created a unique Dutch minimalist style, using simple triads, shifting rhythmic patterns and repetition. - Taken from a Brilliant Classics release of this piece.
May your arthritis allows you plenty of playing time.
Becky
Great to see a catch up and hear you’re doing ok. Wonderful you call this your Roadcase. Man I miss that label, logs are for the fire in winter. My recent melancholy mojo loss tells me Aaron’s piece would be great to jam over and I am sure @Digger72 and @katja could work some beautiful magic with the 2 of you. That begs for a colab for sure.
Now you need to promise me this. Once you have Tuesday nailed, please record and share. One of my all time Skynyrd favourite which I’ve dabbled with in a simplistic way but would love to hear your rendition.
Take care, be safe, keep playing.
Cheers
Toby
Woah Toby. 
I don’t think I’ve even heard of those users yet, and I’ve never even seen a collaboration. (Although that would be great if I need actual strumming sounds or other stuff I can’t do, somewhere… 
) I’m curious about the two users you think I would pair with. It’s like a Toby algorithm based on my likes.
As for Tuesday’s Gone, yeah, it’s awesome. (I love Skynyrd) Don’t be holding your breath on a solo fingerstyle arrangement anytime soon. I’m working on the vocals, and those awesome fun bendy riffs. At the moment it’s just by ear from memory, which reminds me!
The reminding thing was; I figured out bits of Alip Ba Ta’s Seper Tua. It was stuck in my head. I was pretty close at the bits from memory. I was having fun with one of the trill licks going into a change? It’s so “out of my comfort zone” with speed, on getting where you need to be on the fretboard. Fun though. I should say it’s fun “going there.” (Or pretending to at least.) It’s a fun place to “go.” The walking bass is still out of my league, but how it goes seems straight forward. The percussive part sounds bad too because I can’t figure out how to make the same sound with the stuff I can do. Nothing new there 
Was playing parts of Quem e Ninguem again. (Trying anyway.) Single note/ single voice style, as usual.
I went back to see how I’m doing with Angela. (Taxi Theme) I’ve absorbed enough intervals to hear what I’m supposed to be playing for the most part. Again single voice/note style. Although I really should try to figure out what I’m hearing and what I’m not. It finally clicked in my brain that he’s piano trilling, where I’ve been trying to put notes in… Seems like the typical kind of obvious things I miss. I don’t quite have how to do the piano sound down, but I’m closer.
Had a concerning family emergency since all that, that made me practice less. I’ve mainly been playing the bit of Angela I figured out. I’ve started to move it around a bit. I’m having problems finding where the next part’s note starts. I don’t have a part right still. It’s mildly funny that Justin pounds in practice things perfectly, but when you’re trying to figure stuff out, that’s impossible unless you know what you’re supposed to be doing.
Had a think about the music I like, based on Justin’s Meet The Musician In You. Video.
First. Every song and artist I like has something I love and want. It was the kindred spirit feeling that amused me.
Ana Vidovic- She has a great feel to all her songs. When I first heard her play, I distinctly remember thinking “She sings like me.” (Which in context, was me maybe feeling the kindred spirit aspect. And by sing, I’m referencing Andrew’s favorite music catch phrase over at rockclass101. “If you can sing it, you can play it.” She has a lot of elements in her playing my musical imagination has.
Ann and Nancy Wilson- Nancy especially was an influence on playing. Heart cemented that women can be frontmen in a band for me. There were other women, fronting bands but it wasn’t the same. I wanted the sister bond. Nancy had/has great stage presence. As far as a kid dream, I wanted what they had. Ann’s voice too. I so! can’t sing. I’m even worse these days, but as far as a type of voice I wish I had. Ann Wilson is in my top 5.
As always, love to read your updates, Becky. All that is missing is the embedded link to some recordings. I love listening to you play … dare I say that I may enjoy it more than you do, which is probably true for many who share their recordings here 
I must go and take in that new Justin video, sounds good.
Heart and the Wilson sisters … first reminds me of @Mari63 who I know is a fan, secondly, I was SO into Barracuda when I was 11, that song and John Paul Young’s Yesterday’s Hero.
Take care, stay well
Was “practicing”. (I was just screwing around.) Anyway, I just started to mess with ‘Just a Gigolo’ (David’s cover of course with the video, lol. Someone please find me the dynamite guy btw. Wanted one of those since I saw it.)
Anyway had one of those moments where you about jump up and go woo! Anything I type sounds nuts, but two handed piano just made sense in my head.
Before anyone goes record what I got, I don’t “Have” anything but the bass line with one other note, which kind of qualifies as walking? I can totally see why people cover that song. It’s really fun. I don’t know how I’m going to go blodoolooloop though on guitar. I can’t say it slow, so when I get there, it’s going to be a hot mess of trying stuff lol.
I’m excited enough I want to blow off everything I got going on today. Wish I could. Going to give myself another hour though. 
Your excitement and enthusiasm is always so infectious, Becky.
Hope you are keeping well.
I always enjoy reading your updates Becky and I fully agree with David, your enthusiasm is so infectious I got hyped to record something now and it’s late evening/early night here already!
Keep enjoying your journey!
So. The other day, I sat down grabbed my guitalele, and started playing the beginning of Quem e Ninguem. I was trying to make it smoother because I play it across the 6 strings, and it’s jumpy… Anyway I played it 4 times.
I think to myself “Oh. (disappointed feeling.) It’s just probably an A arpeggio.” And I sat there messing around with right hand junk for 3 seconds or so, really feeling quite disappointed in myself for being so happy about being able to figure out the notes to something that’s elementary shit with theory. Something I should know by now. Etc. I go on in my thoughts berating myself.
Then I think "Wait! Wtf is wrong with me??!!! I just played that thing. I was able to ID it, correctly, mind you. (I double checked with a tuner to be sure) And I totally dismiss the fact I just did something amazing by just knowing that.
I seriously don’t know what my problem is. I thought of the Louis CK bit about cell phones.
I got to play in a home built dome btw. I was gatekeeper and keymaster of the nuthouse for a few weeks. I wrote 2 LONG drafts I deleted, because it was just me tripping out about playing in the dome. It’s like you’re inside your instrument. Any sound you have heard yourself make, is high definition. You can hear everything about your instrument, Every bit of sound. It’s so beautiful. I sat with my chair back about 6" to 2 feet from the wall, (like I was a mic… I was sitting in front of a glass door too,) and then play into the center, and it amplifies and bounces back the sound, like a cathedral echo, plus you can hear the triangle panels reflecting, so you have a stacatto delay/repeat sound that hangs out inside the echo for a sec like a pre and post thing. I completely tripped out over the acoustics, and didn’t accomplish much there. The other thing is, it amplifies all sound. That electricity sound behind everything all the time is way more annoying, (because it’s louder and in your face) People outside talking, banging outside, AIR CONDITIONERS, REFRIGERATORS, PRINTERS RECEIVING STUFF!!!
Anyway, sorry to post half. It was an accident due to where the buttons are on this phone.