Melody Writing, Ranting, How to Start Writing Music

This week was very interesting! I ranted a lot about a few thing I'm very passionate about. I hope it helps a few people.

Question 1 was from Wayne, who asked about Melody Writing which is great because I'm working on a course for that exact topic.

Question 2 from Richard REALLY got me going! He asked if it was important to know how to play all the major and minor scales without having to think about it. My answer was a big long "it depends" that hopefully resonates with everyone wondering what to do right now.

Question 3 from Daniel was an update about a gig last weekend and a question about how to start writing music. Step 1: accept that you're not starting by writing whole songs and 2: get involved with Community Challenges.

Question 4 antcav had a question about how to practice getting into 8th and 16th notes in solos. I mentioned a philosophical concept called "Logical Positivism" which I probably didn't describe accurately, but I think it worked in my analogy!

Question 5 Jeff asked if there is basic interval to maintain between the bass and guitar - a general range for each instrument in a tune

Question 6 I accidentally switched to iPad instead of computer screen while reading Phils question : Is it important to know every basic guitar shape in every position?

Question 7 b b asked my opinion on the best digital amps

Question 8 b b asked my preferred type of reverb - plate, room, hall, spring, other?

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CAGED, Syncopation, Bending Noise, Performing, Vocal Range

Ray had questions about 1. wether I'm doing another CAGED series 2. syncopation and 3. Jimi hendrix timing and 4. the best place to do double stops

Wayne had a question about bending, specifically string noise when bending the high E string

Daniel asked for advise on performing this weekend

Mason had questions about using a capo to adjust the key of a song

Gary asked how to find our vocal range

Jeff asked how to harmonize a written melody

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Playing With Other People, Writing Music to Lyrics, Sweep Picking, Playing Musically

Ray asked if it was important to play with other people and what to do if you can't find people to play with.

Jeff provided some lyrics and asked for tips on how to put music to lyrics

Ray says "please explain the mysteries of sweep picking"

Wayne asked about how to play more musically

Daniel was looking for tips on how to use the CAGED System to solo over the song "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac

Luke asked about bluegrass flatpicking - what is it and how does it work?

Aaron asked what "playing in the pocket" means

Daniel asked if I could break down Valerie by Amy Winehouse for a solo as well.

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Office Hours, Q&A

Question 1 from Tristan boils down to this idea of mixing major and minor scales in a blues situation - I gave a basic blues lesson and explained a range of scales you might find in a blues situation, including the magical mixing of major and minor scales.

Question 2 from Jeff was about exporting (called Bouncing) a track out of Logic Pro X

Question 3 - Keith was asking about fretting hand technique to avoid unwanted string noise up by the 15th fret.

Question 4 - Mason wanted to know how I developed my thumb independence to learn songs like Windy and Warm 

There were a few other nice questions at the end - Continue the conversation on the community forum.

MY BAND has been putting out new music, and we'll continue putting out more and more this year - check it out!

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Office Hors, Q&A

I'll do my best to answer your questions and give examples of how you can practice developing skills related to your question.

Keep in mind, you can always watch later if you can't make it live! Check back a few hours after the stream for a numbered list of each question and a timestamped link to each answer.

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Office Hours, Q&A

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Office Hours, Q&A

Here are the timestamped questions:

Question 1: Ray had questions about big hands and how to hold the guitar to maximize dexterity

Question 2: Wayne and Harsh had questions about warming up - best practices and why.

Question 3: Harsh had a question about how to practice using the D shape chord - I gave some ideas using SPJ Jam Tracks 

Question 4: Tristan had some questions about movable pentatonic shapes

Question 5: Stevie was wondering about the difference between a melody and a riff. I muddied the waters more here, but it ultimately comes down to context.

Question 6: Vicenco had questions about keeping the pulse while strumming anything other than the classic patterns. I recommended my strumming course.

Question 7: Harsh had questions about how to identify the key of a song so you can play along and solo - check out my Ear Training series and my Live Song Analysis series.

Question 8: Mathias had questions about how to keep the rhythm and pulse while soloing

Question 9: Omar was curious about how my camera guitar works - I can't say yet!

ASK ME ANYTHING! I'VE NEVER MET A QUESTION I DIDN'T LIKE!

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How To Hold The Guitar, Alternate Tunings, Penta vs Full Scale, Ear Training

This was a great stream! Here are the timestamped questions:

Question 1: Ray had questions about which leg to hold the guitar and how to approach using a strap

Question 2: Tristan was wondering about alternate tunings

Question 3: Kenneth had some questions about pentatonic vs full scale

Question 4: Jeffrey was curious about the screws on the bridge of a guitar - what are they for?

Question 5: Matt had a question about learning songs by ear and how to figure out specific tricky parts.

Question 6: Tony wants to easily find every note on the fingerboard and asked if arpeggios are the right next step. We got INTO it

Question 7: Jeff had been working on bass and timing and asked if a metronome is the right place to do that. I recommended a different approach.

Question 8: Sam had a question about bending more cleanly

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Alternate Tuning, How To Tell If You're Getting Better, Bad Habits

Here are the questions from this week, timestamped in order:

Question 1: Ray asked about how to get into alternate tunings and if they fit with the CAGED System

Question 2: Harsh asked how to tell if you're getting better. how to tell if you need outside help, and how to get back into it after a break.

Question 3: David showed a specific fingerpicking technique and asked if it was ok or bad. I voted "bad" and gave suggestions, including methods of muting.

Question 4: Jeffrey asked if bass and ukulele are similar to guitar. We went over similarities and differences.

Question 5: Vicenco has problems playing with a pick. I gave some tips for how to hold the thing, and some exercises to practice getting comfortable with the mechanics.

Question 6: Mateus talked about a new music nerd ability to listen to music with an ear for whats going on instead of just absorbing how it feels. We talked about ways to deliberately hang out in either camp.

Question 7: Jeff had a question about bass muting. I gave some tips

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Writing While Fingerpicking

Here are the questions:

Question 1: Ahmed asked for helping figuring out how to write to fingerpicking.

Question 2: Ray asked about my iPad app - I used GoodNotes 

Question 3: Rich shared a cool chord progression and had some trouble figuring out what key it was in.

Question 4: Ray asked what the ideal practice session looks like

Question 5: Tristan asked how to spice up transitions between chords

Question 6: Jeff asked for tips on how to add bass practice into a routine

Question 7: Joe is struggling to aim well on Folsom Prison Blues strumming pattern

Question 8: Kenneth asked some specific questions around CAGED Basics - do you play other chords within the shape or switch pentatonic shapes?

Question 9: Graeme asked a similar question!

Question 10: Paul asked if I have lessons about arpeggios - Yes! CAGED Basics 

Question 11: James asked what software I use for recording - I use Logic Pro

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The questions:

Harsh was wondering about these kinds of practice bands. Are they worth it? Useful? I gave some thoughts about these, but also about a general approach to practice that might answer these types of questions down the line.

Ray was hoping for a quick round up of guitar embellishments. This isn't the way I think about things, but I tried to give quite a few examples of the types of chord embellishments that translate to lead concepts using Music Theory Monday info.

Anthony was looking for some ways to practice timing. I gave a little talk about the sacred metronome. Happy Birthday to you and your daughter!

David asked me how I keep track of all the song ideas I've written. 

Ray F asked about loop pedals and buying pedals in general. I forgot to mention you need a power supply too. If you need info about that, ask about it in the comments or community forum.

Mateus asked about mixing major and minor scales in a Major Key song. I talked about the blues IV chord trick.

Jeff graciously helped me figure out my face-to-face chat system (still needs some work) with a question about how to handle two bends in quick succession. Right hand muting? Left hand muting? How to handle that.

Jason asked what the Rubiks Cube series is about. I gave a taste

Continue the discussion on the community forum.

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EQ, Slide Guitar, Moveable Shapes, Chet Atkins

The questions:

Mark R asked if I could walk through how to EQ a track

Ray had questions about slide guitar and the fitting context for 11th and 13th chords. Here is a slide guitar lesson I made last year 

Ethan asked about something related to notifications: Basically, I try to send an alert that the stream is starting roughly an hour beforehand, but you can also subscribe to my little Patreon YouTube channel and click the bell for notifications, I think - has anyone tried this and does it work?

Harsh had a question about what to practice on the days when it's a drag to pick up the guitar.

Roscopico had a question about movable shapes, relative keys, and dominant chord.

Andy had a question about Chet Atkins style barrel rolls and another question about thin vs thick picks.

Harsh had another question about whether I have more beginner tracks for technique and stuff. I don't. I'm trying to fill a specific niche here on my Patreon, but maybe someday I'll have a beginner track. I gave some beginner picking advise.

David asked how I switch cameras

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Bill Withers, Practice Tracks, Creativity, String Gauge

Great stream, as usual. Lots of great questions. Here they are:

Sirot had some questions about the chord progression for Bill Withers' Just the Two of Us 

D B had a question about wether I had more practice jam tracks than just C Major and A Minor

Harsh was wondering about a good approach to the creative sections of MTFG and CAGED Basics

Mateus was having issues with a guitar after switching from 10 gauge to 12 gauge strings.

Graeme wanted my take on the issue of hanging guitars. I just realized that I've only ever used "String Swing" brand guitar hangers and I've never had an issue, but I remembered there are some cheaper brands of floor stand that have caused issues for other people's guitars.

Stevie wanted advice on 1) recording guitar amps and 2) setting up a pedal board in the ideal arrangement.

D B was lookingfor good sheet music resources online. I like https://imslp.org for the classics and google image searching "*name of jazz standard* Real book" and seeing if I can find something printable.

Ahmed was feeling overwhelmed by the idea of having to learn all new riffs for each mode.

Jeffery wanted to know if it's alright to practice with a mixer, or do you need to hear the room?

Ray had some questions about fingerstyle technique - pinky plant or not?

Graeme and Ray had questions about more fingerpicking lessons AND using a THUMB PICK. 

D B asked about private lessons - do I do them anymore? 

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Chord Substitution, Stronger Melodies, Switching Chords

Here were the questions, linked to the appropriate timestamp:

Sirot was wondering about two things: chord substitution and secondary dominants.

Mark was looking for tips on how to pick up the rhythm of a song AND how to create stronger melodies.

Ray was looking for practice advise about switching chords, especially the tricky ones. Ray, you had another question I missed about how much you should be looking at the neck when you play guitar. My answer: A LOT. ENOUGH TO HAVE A CLEAR CLEAR MENTAL PICTURE OF WHAT YOUR HANDS ARE DOING! Then, you can practice gradually looking away as long as you know that your hands are doing what you want them to do.

Jeff wanted to know how I craft my guitar tones

Graeme liked my recommendation of listening to Leo Kottke and asked for more music to listen to.

BazLightyear wanted to know what to move on to the next lesson in MTFG

Alo asked for some basic daily exercises

Got followup questions? Want to have a related discussion? Come hang out on the community forum.

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7th vs add9 Chords, CAGED Chords, Backing Tracks

Graeme had a question about 7th vs add9 chords

Tony had a question about playing full six-string CAGED Shapes

Jeff was wondering what kinds of things to focus on while playing with a backing track

Harsh asked if it is necessary to know exactly what notes you're playing all the time.

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Motivation, Practice Technique

This one was very nice and very short! Here are the questions:

Ray was looking for some ways to stay motivated.

Stevie had a concern about regressing back to simpler technique

Harsh had a question about when to move on from the Intervals section of MTFG

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12 Strings, Motivation, Right Hand Technique, Finding Your Path, Used Guitars

I was a little under-slept and over-caffeinated for this one but it went pretty well and I was very excited to show off a new feature: I was finally able to offer an easy way to have Patrons ask questions via video live on stream! I'll do more of that in the future. I was only testing this feature for this stream. Thanks Jeff and Tyler for helping me out!

Question 1 was from Thijs looking for 12 string guitar tips

Question 2 - Brian was looking for tips on how to stay motivated while learning music theory.

Question 3 from Jeffery was about right hand relaxation while strumming (and fingerpicking, but I focused on the strumming part)

Question 4 - Jason was wondering how to find the clear path forward after the initial music theory lessons. My advise is always this: Make the most specific goals for yourself - what do you like? What excites you? What challenges sound fun and which ones make you want to quit guitar? Move toward the fun challenges and don't worry about the others. The more specific you get with goals, the easier it is to see the path forward.

Question 5 - Liam had questions about buying a new or used guitar. When to buy? What to buy? Red flags for used guitars? Liam was also looking for ergonomic tips when playing guitar standing up with a shoulder strap.

Question 6 - Joe had a question about looking at the neck while playing - are you supposed to practice without looking? Can you look? It is OK to look! It's also ok to memorize so you don't need the sheet music. It's also ok not to play it PERFECTLY before moving on.

Question 7 - Tyler (Surfdad83) was asking about the chord progression Fm Eb Bb - what key is it in? Is it modal? I concluded that it was in Dorian Mode, but if it was part of a bigger section, it might not be.

Question 8 - Kevin was wondering about the tonality of the song Killing an Arab by the Cure. Wow! There is a LOT going on here. We dove into it and considered some big music composition implications.

From there, I invited my Patrons to help me test out an easy video chat system that requires no downloading an app, no creating a login or password, easy peasy. You just type your name and join. I'm very excited.

Feel free to continue the discussion on the community forum or in the comments below.

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Motivation, Playing Over Chords, Remembering Ideas, Strings

These were the questions:

Question 1: Jeffery was wondering how to practice when you lose motivation - I also recommend checking out Practice Thoughts 

Question 2: Richard had questions about soloing over specific chord progressions. I strongly recommend MTM lessons 17 18 19 for melody making and CAGED Soloing for applying that information specifically to the CAGED system.

Question 3: Jeffery was wondering how I write my ideas down when I don't have access to my recording equipment

Question 4: David was asking if there is an app for quickly tabbing ideas

Question 5: BB was asking about ear training advise. I recommend spotify roulette plus my course on Ear Training.

Got more questions? Come hang out on the community forum.

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Percussive Guitar, Switching Guitars Mid-Show, Chord Identification, Tuning with Harmonics

Great questions this week. 

Question 1: Ray wanted my opinion of percussive guitar playing.

Question 2: Mateus was curious about how/why guitar players switch guitars in a show.

Question 3: Graeme wanted help identifying a specific chord.

Question 4: There are a variety of questions from chat at this point ranging from how to tune using harmonics, where my music will release, how to write a lot of ideas, and how to release music.

If you'd like to continue the conversation, do so in the comments or on the community forum.

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