Good To Be With You: Intro

Hello everyone, new to the site and just finsihed a skim of Fundamentals I & II. Wasn't able to take it all in cause I'm anxious to get started with the meat and potatoes, but I'm sure I'll go back for reviews, especially on reading music (tho I didn't see any videos for that segment).

I've been playing acoustic rhythm/"hunt-peck" type picking and lead for some 30-odd years, but never did get any good (all solo lessons by ear and trial and error stuff), but I'm ready to start the actual learning-it-the-right-way process; hence my moniker: 'learninganew'.

Classic Country, some new Country, but not much. Really kinda into Bobby Howe's stuff. But I also wanna do some NEW stuff in the Country/Rock/Blues genre, ala Eagles, Clapton, Buffet, etc., so not sure where I'm gonna start.

Chris, you're pretty amazing buddy; enjoyed your lessons.

Currently using a low-end Epiphone (abt $150), and may need some tips on new strings, setup, etc.

OK, maybe let me get started with some advice. I'm not real proud, I don't think, of my rhythm (or strumming) technique. For the most part in Country, should I be using all down strokes, or a combination of up and down, or is is just song-specific - I like to play alot of Ballads, and slow mushy songs? I seem to always be going up and down, when It sounds like I shouldn't. Sometimes it just doesn't sound right to me.

For the most part, songs are usually played using alternate (up and down) strumming. But there isn't any hard and fast rule. Usually what I do is just go with the flow. Occasionally I'll mix it up and do just down strokes, or palm muting, soft strokes hitting just specific strings etc...

Have a look through the Sevenths chords series I did.

http://guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=12424

There's about 14 of them at varying BPM's and styles.

It might not be your style of music but the videos will give you a good indication of how I vary my strumming techniques as I'm playing.

Or try the minor chord series I'm working on now:

http://guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=12655
http://guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=12656
http://guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=12657
http://guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=12658

Each lesson has an MP3 as well as a Jam file to practice to as well so you can study the video and then try the techniques yourself.

Wow, looks as if I've missed some lessons. I didn't see these strumming lessons. Thanks Kevin for the tips.

On a side note, I see that some of the videos aren't streaming correctly. Is this something wrong on my end or in the video itself? For ex., Kevin, you final lesson on strumming slows down at the end and the music is faster than the video.

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I took a look and they're streaming ok for me. However I noticed that they're loading kinda slowly and glitching slightly.
Usually this means that the server is backing things up or doing maintenance.
I'm not totally sure how long it takes but I know sometimes when I'm going through videos they only partially play and have to catch up before they continue.
It used to happen in the early hours of the morning because it was assumed that was when the least amount of people were using the system.

The only thing I can think is the server might be backing up when it's doing that and you might have to wait, or just download it in it's entirety first.

If you continue having problems though send a note to tech support or call them & they'll figure things out for you.

Hey there and welcome to GT! :)

Originally Posted by: learninganew
Really kinda into Bobby Howe's stuff. But I also wanna do some NEW stuff in the Country/Rock/Blues genre, ala Eagles, Clapton, Buffet, etc., so not sure where I'm gonna start.

Chris, you're pretty amazing buddy; enjoyed your lessons.

Thanks, glad you are enjoying the site. Bobby has great stuff. Lisa has great strumming and acoustic stuff. Kevin's new HD stuff he mentioned to you is great stuff to help with strumming and playing along with actual music!

It's all great stuff! Have fun. Let us know how it goes.

Yeah, Welcome Aboard.

Originally Posted by: learninganewClassic Country, some new Country, but not much. Really kinda into Bobby Howe's stuff. But I also wanna do some NEW stuff in the Country/Rock/Blues genre, ala Eagles, Clapton, Buffet, etc., so not sure where I'm gonna start.

Hey thanks for the kind words and welcome aboard!

I have recently posted an entire tutorial on GT which concentrates on the song [U]Midnight Special[/U] which is mostly all about strumming techniques. You might find it useful. Here is the link...

http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=12570

So, where are you in Indiana? I'm "just over the line" in Illinois...Hoosier fans favorite place...near Champaign! Go Illini! :D

Bobby Howe

I'll take a look, Bobby. Thanks for the reply. I'm in SW Indiana, Evansville. Right on the KY line

Thanks for the reply, Kevin.

It's still doing it, though. "Glitching", I guess is the term. What's happening is that the video will start out with everything fine, but later, it's like some old movies, where the voice and lip movement isn't in sync.

Then, other times, the video will start redownloading in the middle (the little star in the middle of the screen showing that it's downloading).

I'm currently watching Bobby's Midnight Special, and it's doing it on there.

Please note, that I've downloaded the Player and the files, and it's glitching on the player (off-site).

Originally Posted by: Kevin TaylorI took a look and they're streaming ok for me. However I noticed that they're loading kinda slowly and glitching slightly.
Usually this means that the server is backing things up or doing maintenance.
I'm not totally sure how long it takes but I know sometimes when I'm going through videos they only partially play and have to catch up before they continue.
It used to happen in the early hours of the morning because it was assumed that was when the least amount of people were using the system.

The only thing I can think is the server might be backing up when it's doing that and you might have to wait, or just download it in it's entirety first.

If you continue having problems though send a note to tech support or call them & they'll figure things out for you.

hmm.. ok, I've forwarded this on the the tech support guys. They'll have a much better understanding of that kind of stuff than me. (especially if it's anything to do with the Windows operating system and not Mac.)

The only thing I can think is that I used to get that type of thing happening on my old computer. (a Mac G3 ... one of those small purple colored things) Mainly because of an outdated operating system and not enough processing power and ram.
I'm assuming that your computer isn't 5 - 10 years old though :)
Pretty much anything these days with at least a couple of gigs of ram should be able to handle the flash player.

Either way though, gather your system info for when the tech support guys get this message cause the first thing they'll probably want to know is what kind of computer you have etc.

I'm not the "tech support guy" but I am wondering if you right click on the video player and then click "Settings..." on the menu that pops up, then check the "Local Storage" tab on the bottom of the settings window (see attached picture). If this is set too low, it may not be allowing the video player to buffer the entire video or buffering it incorrectly or something..

Like I said, I am not the tech support guy.. just offering a suggestion. You should be able to set it to 10MB or unlimited. The setting only applies to the site you are currently connected to.

Also, make sure you have the most up to date version of Flash Player installed on your computer. You may need to completely remove the old installation and install it fresh if installing over the top of the old one doesn't work.

I wasn't aware of those settings, but I adjusted them to unlimited. They were set at 1K

Hey learninganew,
I just wanted to say hello, and welcome o the site. I think we all have some stuff on strumming techniques, and patterns. I don't know exactly what you're ready for, but I have lots of lessons covering basic techniques. Clapton is a string bender too, so learnng the bend positions could be helpful and break the monotony.

Here is the link to that tutorial http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=628

I play today's country, and the classics, classic rock, blues, a little jazz, and even swing music. If we can help you out let us know, and once again welcome to GT.

JD

question is.. did it fix the problem?

Thanks, JD. I appreciate the link, and can certainly get interested in your lessons. I'm still kinda lurking around at the moment tho.

You got a friend on MySpace :)

Terry

Originally Posted by: light487question is.. did it fix the problem?

jeeze, guess I was in a hurry when I posted that, My apologies. Yes, I think it did, and I appreciate your help.

Thanks so much

Terry