Hello
2nd AVOYP here, marking the end of Grade 1 consolidation. Happy with progress so far.
I’d like to thank everyone for the very constructive comments on my last recording. It helped immensely. This has got to be one of my favorite online places ever.
Feedback’s very welcome.
On another note, this is a bit of “dreamer” pet project of mine.
No pick strumming, pull-offs, sliding, picking the bass note,… all in one song, way above my level for now but had to have a go. Been working on it for almost 2 months i think. Has an F chord so it’s definitely in for Grade 2.
Also, I’ve been wondering about starting a learning log vs creating AVOYP topics, thoughts?
Welcome to Grade 2, Norhan. I’d say you passed Grade 1 consolidation with flying colours
The beginning of the Kaleo song sounds really good already. Keep working on it I’m looking forward to hearing what it will sound like after some time.
It depends mainly on your preferences… In general, people tend to upload more or less polished versions of songs they have worked on to AVOYP. Often other community members give positive feedback and support to videos published there.
Your Learning Log is your personal learning space in the community. You can use it however you like. You could for instance use it to document your progress with the Kaleo song in videos. You could make plans how you want to learn, what you want to learn, what succeeded and what didn’t succeed. You could ask for advice and feedback … etc., etc… Some Learning Logs are very structured, others are less structured, then there are those (like mine) that are mostly a bit chaotic and intuitive. The choice is yours.
In short: Learning Logs are great tools and can include as many unpolished and not perfect videos documenting learning songs, struggles with certain practice items, etc. as you ever want. AVOYP is perhaps more for showcasing something that is finished (for the moment).
Great songs Norhan, you did really well. Welcome to grade 2. Your strumming looked excellent and you only had few slightly late chord changes throughout. Really well done!
Your picking hand position in the fingerstyle looks little odd to me. I thought thumb should be more in front and hand angle a bit diagonal, like in the picture below. I don’t play fingerstyle guitar, but saw this comment few times. Interested to see what others think.
Well done Norhan, Yellow was excellent - your groove, confidence, strumming and even your body language told me the story that you own this song. Excellent playing, you should be really proud of yourself. Good dynamics as well, nice strumming pattern changes, I would only maybe be a bit more aggressive when section before the bridge starts, to build up the momentum.
As for other song clearly a work in progress but definitely in a good direction. Good suggestion from Boris about thumb placement, it’s good to work on it from the start as it will pay it dividends later on. With some time good flow will kick in and you’ll be sounding like on a record
I suggest AVOYP for more feedback and LL for more of a blog and personal journal. That’s my preference at least
Hi Norhan, nice work on the Coldplay song! And dreamer songs always help with the guitar progress so keep dreaming!
Unlike Boris I do fingerpick (a lot) and so I would confirm his recommendation to review your hand position. I noticed that you are angling your hand at your wrist when switching from strumming to fingerstyle and that angle does not look good to me and could turn painful in the future. Your hand should be at an extension of your arm not at an angle - when you are strumming with pick, without pick and for playing fingerstyle as well. No different hand position required. @Boris1565’s picture shows a good position and you see the hand is not at an angle. Once you stop changing the angle of your hand betweeen strumming and fingerpicking sections you’ll find it much easier to transition between the two.
These were great! Can’t wait to see your progress with the Kaleo song.
To second another comment, a learning log is a great place to store your progress videos. I use mine that way, as otherwise any video I take to review will get buried in a folder full of number-named videos that all have similar thumbnails. This way, I can look back when I’m having a tough time with my guitar sessions and see the progress it didn’t feel like I was making. It’s a great, no-stress way to get accustomed to having videos of yourself playing, and it helped me not stress too much when I did post an AVOYP.
It has also helped me get really specific feedback, and I’ve found folks whose logs I really enjoy and some have decided they enjoy mine, and it’s been a great way to get to know community members and feel more connected. Highly recommend.
It sounds great, Norhan, especially for the short amount of time you have been playing. Quite impressive, actually.
I think you have a real solid foundation to build on, musically. Your playing is generally in time and grooving, accentuating the beats just right. It makes it enjoyable to listen to, even if everything is not “perfect” yet.
Do I remember correctly that you have played another instrument in the past? I think it shows in how musically you play.
well done.