Office Hours, Q&A

This was a great set of questions!

Question 1: Rohan had a set of questions regarding guitar technique and practice method when it comes to playing scales and other exercises.

Question 2: Hiep was curious about how to get the hang of knowing where other intervals are without counting up.

I went on a rant about how much I love Mel Bay's Modern Guitar Method Grade 1. Also, fun bonus, Chet Atkins and Tommy Emmanuel also learned from that book and wrote a silly song about it.

Question 3: Page was curious about an everyday finger exercise, so I gave one!

Question 4: Kylir had a question about notes with or without sharps or flats.

Question 5: Emil had some questions about how to make drum tracks that feel human and how to figure out a way to make them interesting.

Question 6: Matt was wondering when to move to the next Music Theory for Guitar.

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Office Hours, Q&A

This was a vacation stream with a simplified setup. Hope you enjoy.

Question 1: Rohan was curious about a practice method for learning intervals

Question 2: Page Lin was curious about Hertz numbers. Turns out it IS cycles per second, which I was hazy about. But. yeah, we got into how people think they have some healing powers - I'm not convinced.

Question 3: "Skinny Bones Jones" are curious about why even bother learning Music Theory - what is it good for?

Question 4: Kevin was curious about how scales, chords, riffs, all interact. I talked about heirarchy.

Question 5: Holly was wondering how to play with people without being in person

Question 6: "John Scott Paulson" was wondering what I would have done differently if I could go back and redo things and if I've got any new lessons coming out that I'd be willing to share.

Question 7: Jun Sen asked what I think of two different fingerstyle artists. I wasn't able to look them up until after the stream while writing this, but here they are:

Sungha Jung and Kent Nishimura

They are both excellent players! And yeah, I'd practice getting to know your theory so you can pull apart the elements of a song down to their essence. We'll have to dig in more! It would certainly be a lot of work to play like them, but not impossible by any means.

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Office Hours, Q&A

Here are the questions for this week. Click the link for the timestamped answers.

Question 1: Dennis had some questions around how to think about relative major and minor and I discussed this idea of the heirachy of tonality between chords and scales.

Question 2: Rohan had some technique questions which, to me, boiled down to some practice concepts. I'm working on a "Practice Thoughts" video about this practice method, so look out for it soon. Also, check out my other "practice thoughts."

Question 3: Oliver was wondering when to move on from the first Music Theory for Guitar lesson. My answer is nuanced

Question 4: Andreu asked a fun question: why isn't guitar tuned to all 4ths? I tried it out. There are fun things and weird things about it

Question 5: Mr Krinkle asked if I could touch on some slide guitar in G or in E. I wasn't prepared for this one and I couldn't find my slide! But I talked briefly about open G tuning. I've also got this lesson about open D tuning, I have a lesson coming soon about slide guitar techniques, AND, Mr. Krinkle, if you're having a hard time accessing the community forum, I suggest checking out this video, which can be found at the bottom of the "where to start" page.

Question 6: Jeremy was curious about how to arrange your own version of a cover song. I got into some meta territory, but I hope this thought combined with all the info available on my patreon will help you start thinking about breaking things down in the ways I've mentioned in this lesson.

Question 7: "Scott John Paulson" wants to know when I'm going to do an ear training series. What I didn't mention in my answer is that I'm planning out a series!

Question 8: Andreu was curious about where I learned guitar and music theory.

Question 9: Rohan was wondering if it was OK to move on from the intervals lesson based on my assessment of his earlier video.

Question 10: Davin was curious about buying a Shure SM58 or an SM57. In the end, I think they are so similar, you can't make a wrong choice. But if you get the SM57, consider getting a pop filter, and if you want to boost the signal, you could consider getting a cloud lifter, or just get a more sensitive condesner mic, like an AT202 if you want a different, more sensitive mic for acoustic instruments. There is so much to consider with microphones though and the SM58 or SM57 might be very comfortable

Question 11: Marcus was curious about where to post lesson recommendations, so I dug up this old post that I'd love for people to add to. I've been doing this Patreon for about a year and a half now and I still have plenty of ideas for more useful content, but I'm always interested in hearing ideas!

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Office Hours, Q&A

Ok, on to the questions:
Question 1: DeDé said I should write some music if no one asks any questions. People asked a lot of questions though!
Question 2: Page Lin was curious about how to pick picks
Question 3: Page also wondered about the 5 way switch and three knobs on a Fender Stratocaster
Question 4: Davin had questions about how to set your amp levels when playing live. I talked about three situations and how to deal with them
Question 5: Rohan had questions about wether or not to practice descending intervals
Question 6: Carlos had a question about how to organize two hours of practice time every day
Question 7: vlb asked about a song that is in the key of C and contains chords outside the key. VLB - would you mind posting a link to the song in the community forum so we can look a little closer?
Question 8: Matt has some questions about modes and how they related to the major scale
Question 9: Frederic had some questions about how to get starting writing music! My advise is basically to lower lower lower your expectations and write a LOT. Eventually you'll have a lot of fun. Possibly immediately.
Question 10: James had some questions about guitar FX software and Audio Interfaces, and DAWs
Question 11: Jeff was curious about loop pedals. This RC-20 is the one that I grew up with that solves your problem.
Question 12: Lorelai had a question about Hemiolas and how they relate to a strumming issue. My suggestion without hearing the exact issue is to practice to a drum beat!
Question 13: Lorelai had a further question about pick technique and how your wrist interacts with strumming technique.

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Office Hours, Q&A

Great questions this week!

Question 1: Rohan had a followup about right hand technique as well as a few questions about memorizing note names and intervals.

Question 2: Leo needed some clarification about how movable the caged really system is

Question 3: Russ was wondering about this tricky chuck berry riff - I'm hoping I got the riff right but I gave a few examples of how to build up the foundational skills around the riff.

Question 4: Mateus had a question about what key this Pearl Jam song is in. I forgot to listen to it beforehand (I'm not a perfect person) but I speculated and gave some suggestions.

Question 5: Frederic was wondering when the final video in my CAGED Basics Series was coming out! Soon! Also, Frederic reminded me to update the Recommended Lesson Plan

Question 6: Zapprio asked about how to practice fingering exercises without lifting your fingers off the fingerboard.

Question 7: Rohan was wondering whether it's worth it to practice specific ear training exercises. It always is.

Question 8: Mr K wanted some help differentiating between bass and guitar technique. I gave some tips, but also recommended watching my Bass Crash Course. If people need more bass help, let me know and I'll make more bass videos. Also, use my SPJ Jam Tracks for Bass practice.

Question 9: Andy asked if I sometimes jam with my girlfriend.

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Office Hours, Q&A

Question 1: Rohan had questions about technique for Major Scale practice and I talked a bit about left and right hand placement.

Question 2: Taco was curious about the Roman Numeral System. Essentially, my Music Theory Mondaycourse is ALL about that.

Question 3: Wong Rowena was wondering about transposition by labeling notes in a scale 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 - I talk about how useful this is as well as how it related to the Roman Numeral system.

Question 4: Rohan had some further questions about playing scales - I introduced some practice ideas for stretching and training fingers.

Question 5: Wong had another question about wether to focus on scales or chord tones while soloing.

Question 6: Debrath was wondering if someone could sing something in the key of C while playing guitar chords in the key of G. Basically no, but a nuanced no.

Question 7: ChampC had some songwriting questions like - how to I make a verse to fit a chorus idea. I gave a few strategies!

Chat questions

Question 8: Steve (CR-NAT-N) was curious about quickly transposing things down a whole step. I gave a few suggestions. Including The Moveable Chords in a Key Finder lesson

Question 9: James is working on the CAGED Soloing I -ii series and wondering if I could solo over the I-ii jam track to help get some ideas for new phrases. I also recommended MTM lessons 17, 18 and 19. From there things kind of went off the rails (in a fun way) as I brought my bin of pedals out to explore some tones and goof around.

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Office Hours, Q&A

This was a great stream! Here are the questions

Question 1: Mateus was curious about pick harmonics

Question 2: Dennis wanted to know about blues turnarounds. Here is a jam track and here is another

Question 3: Dennis also had a question about the chord progression Emajor G major Amajor.

Question 4: Rohan was wondering wether or not to learn note names on the guitar while learning the scales. My answer is complicated!

Question 5: Mr K was curious about converting Twinkle Twinkle to Lydian. Among other things, I recommended checking out MTM Reharmonization lessons

Question 6: Rohan had a question about how to practice scales and I dove deep on practice methods

Question 7: C.H. Barron had a question about wether the root notes in the CAGED system stay put or move around. I used the camera guitar to explain a few things.

Question 8: Rohan was wondering when to move on from MTFG 01, AND where to watch this stream later. It will always be available after the stream AND you can check out previous streams in the Lesson Archive.

Question 9: James was wondering about the usefulness of the circle of fifths. I talked about it a bit and also pointed James toward my Music Theory for Guitar (MTFG) series.

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Office Hours, Q&A

Question 1: Jeff had some questions about hybrid picking related to my CAGED Basics Series so I did some close up detailed stuff related to holding a pick, which fingers to use, ideal hand position, etc.

Question 2: Mr K had a question about how to memorize the circle of fifths in minor keys

Question 3: Frederic's question was similar to Mr K's. He wanted to know if there was a quick way to memorize the circle of fifths without having to write everything down.

Question 4: Emil was wondering about how to take a song idea and turn it into a full fledged song! I gave a few considerations AND recommended Ten Turds I & II and Songwriting process dump.

Question 5: Mateus had questions about mixing - specifically about what to use on the master bus. I talked a bit about how it works in the industry and why it will take a LOT of practice to get the hang of mixing

Question 6: Colin had a question in the chat about Dorian mode and how to tell if something is "in Dorian"

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Office Hours, Q&A

Question 1 Mr K wanted some ideas to help a friend stick with her guitar practice goals

Question 2 Leo from Florida was curious about a practice routine centered around a goal of playing with others in any key

Question 3 Jacko1014 wants to be able to play any chord. I recommend my Rubik's Cube series, but also Music Theory Mondayseries to help put that information in the right context

Question 4 Justplayandhavefun had some questions about Logic Pro and how to comp takes on guitar parts so they don't sound obvious

Question 5 Mateus had questions about string noise while recording. I offer some solutions

Question 6 Kylir was wondering how to play chords up the neck. I recommend Rubik's Cube AND CAGED Basics Series.

Question 7 Jeff had a question about why I labelled scales with CAGED shapes in my Music Theory for Guitar series. I gave some brief answers, but I'm going to have to go deeper as my CAGED videos get deeper and deeper.

Question 8 Frederic asked about MTFG 04 | Circle of Fifths, questions 3 and 4. I could work on the wording a little to be more clear, but we talk about it a bit.

Question 9 Aku wanted some specific ideas for how to make melodies over a specific chord progression and I gave a lot of suggestion for how to break down things.

Question 10 Mr K wanted a recommendation on practicing modes and I gave a fun exercise

Question 11 Frederic has some questions about how to write basic songs. I recommend MTM so you can get into writing chord progressions and writing melodies

Questions 12 Mateus had questions about some cool guitar pedals in the background

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Office Hours, Q&A

This was a chill stream with some funky mishaps. Mainly, Ernie (our dog) is terrified of the very occasional fireworks so I had to take care of her a bit. Also, I took the sound absorption down in my room so it sounds echoey in here. Also, I just realized I spelled absorption as "absorbtion" during the stream. Whatever! Sometimes you have days like that.

Anyways, question 1 was from Mateus, who was wondering about some modal chord progression stuff. Apparently I already answered his question in Progressions that feel in Key

Question 2 was from Honiken. He wanted to have a better sense of how soloing over chords actually works. I recommended watching MTM 17, 18, and 19 about melody making, as well as my CAGED Soloing Series (I - ii, I - iii, I - VI) I also talked about the hierarchy of things to consider when soloing: chord tones, pentatonic, major/minor, chromatic. Check out the attached PDF of my notes for a little reference.

Honkinen also asked about wether or not you HAVE to learn other people's songs. No, you don't. But it's a nuanced "no."

Then I launched into a little discussion about the difference between sound proofing, sound absorption, and sound diffusion. This might be useful for those of you trying to get into recording or even just trying to make your cell phone voice memos sound a little better.

After that, Leo had a question about practice routine and we had some technical difficulties with chat (so sorry Leo!) but we got through it!

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Office Hours, Q&A

This was a great Q&A Session. Here is what happened:

Question 1: Honkinen was wondering how to get the most out of a 2 hour break every day ay work. We talked about how to set goals and how to practice around them.

Question 2: Bill wanted to know how to practice singing and playing difficult parts simultaneously. I recommended a few things and gave a practice exercise that uses the "Eighth Note Strum Scratch Paper" - just ignore the instructions on the paper (or make your own scratch paper.)

Question 3: Dennis had some great questions about bending.

Question 4: Tasha had concerns about left hand discomfort and also muting with left hand during fingerpicking. Tasha, please post a video to the community forum when you can.

Question 5: Rene Lorelai posted some lovely reharmonization homework from MTM | 24 - Sounded lovely! Also, do you prefer to be called Rene or Lolelai or Rene Lorelai?

Question 6: Tyler had some questions about ear training! He uses this online quiz for solfege scale degrees and this one for intervals. I also touched on this website if you want songs to think of when trying to remember intervals.

Question 7: Justplayandhavefun was curious about the importance of learning to read sheet music. I went into the situations where you're likely to need to read music and where you're not. I recommend Mel Bay Modern Guitar Method Grade 1 for those who are interested in learning to read music.

Question 8: Mateus had some melody making homework to share from MTM | 19

Question 9: Riccardo had a chat question about Logic Pro fade tool. I suggested using automation and I showed how to use it!

Question 10: Davin had a question about the III chord in harmonic minor - does it have to be augmented? Can it be augmented? What do you do with it?

From there the Q&A turned into a little more of a hangout (fun!) and there were a few questions in there.

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Office Hours, Q&A

This was an interesting stream! I didn't get a lot of question this time, so I decided to write some music and that sparked some more discussion and questions.

Question 1: Leah Nicole asked about the difference between a Jazz Bass and a Precision Bass. This sparked some discussion of other related topics

Question 2: Mr K asked about Ear Training resources online and I somehow missed it! Sorry about that. I recommend checking out this website. https://www.musictheory.net/exercises There are others out there but this one looks good for:

a) listening to and identifying intervals (scroll down to "interval ear training")

b) listening to and identifying scales

c) listening to and identifying chords (they call a fully diminished chord a "diminished 7th")

d) other cool stuff! Explore and check it out - tell me what you think in the comments.

Question 3: Mr K asked in the chat about how tone woods affect guitar tone in both acoustic and electric guitars.

Thing: There were no more prepared questions so I started writing some music

Question 4: Brian had a question about GarageBand but I interpreted it as a question about the variety of inputs on an audio interface: hi-z guitar input, mic input, and line level inputs. Then I answered Brians actual question about GarageBand track types.

Question 5: I used the camera guitar to talk about the chords in my progression, which are Em and F. I figured out some interesting voicings of an Em7 and Fmaj7 to play on my track.

I record guitar harmonies. This track ended up being a fun adventure with guitar harmonies and there were a few questions about it, but I basically just went for it and wrote out some guitar choir. The first set of harmonies were a simple choir of notes that harmonize, then I tried to get fancy and harmonize the bass line which proved to be difficult but super fun.

I wrote out my harmonies on my notes AND attached the little jam below.

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Office Hours, Q&A

Question 1. Mr K wanted to know if there is a way to figure out the key of a song using just the melody instead of using the chords. There totally is a way!

Questions 2 & 3 Ray and Andrew had some questions about playing with other people. I launch into some tips for band management, how to organize your group, how to prepare for playing with others, and a handful of other ideas.

Question 4. Dennis was wondering why it's easier to play strumming patterns to a metronome or foot tap than it is to play with a jam track. We get into it, but I recommend watching questions 2 & 3 first!

Question 5. Kevin Z was wondering about some of my daily warm ups.

Question 6. Brandon had some follow up questions about ear training and how to go about practicing and training your ear.

I also issued a challenge related to the 1st question. I want to see if you can figure out the key of songs using the WWHWWWH method and I'm devoting this community forum thread to it. Try it out! I'll attach some scratch paper.

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Office Hours, Q&A

Question 1: Leah Nicole was wondering if there were anything to consider or watch out for when writing a melody over a walking bass line.

Question 2: Taco s wanted to know about jamming with someone and if there was a quick way to figure out the chords in a minor key, like A Minor. I gave a little demonstration of the concepts I laid out in Moveable Chords-in-a-key finder.

Question 3: Rene was wondering about the pros and cons of a particular fingerpicking technique AND about the minor iv chord that ends up in a major key like in Creep by Radiohead.

I paused to give a book recommendation. For those of you feeling timid, scared, or unworthy of being an "artist" or calling yourself a "musician," I highly recommend you check out this book, The Artists Way.

Question 4: Leo was wondering - can you just use ANY voicing you want anywhere on the neck for any song (essentially) - the answer is fun and complicated. Check out SPJ Rhythm Jam Tracks for practicing.

Question 5: Kevin wants to know when we can use 7th, 9th, 11th, and 13th chords - and we also end up talking about sus chords.

Question 6: Andy would like to know how to practice Rubik's Cube stuff. I also recommend SPJ Jam Tracks.

I start writing a little music. Just something simple to jam out on for a bit.

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