Office Hours, Q&A

Ray asked if I was familiar with Chicken Pickin, and what to practice to get good at this style

Ray F asked about the advantages of knowing every note on the guitar AND asked about muting, specifically in a noisy electric guitar scenario

Ray asked "when is it ok to play out of key" and "do you ever get stage fright" and "how to build up speed

Julian asked "How do you get into a creative flowstate?" 

Ray OS asked "do you come from a musical family?" 

Ray also asked for other book recommendations 

Craig asked how to progress with Triads 

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Office Hours, Q&A

Here are the questions for this week:

Ray F asked a few questions about keys: mainly, how many keys actually are there?

Doh-Ray-Me asked what defines an intermediate and advanced guitar player - AND asked about clarification on what makes a minor chord.

Sarah May just completed my Music Theory for Guitar course and was wondering where to focus next.

Daniel asked some questions related to jamming - how to quickly figure out where to put your hand when someone tells you the key - and some related questions

Jeff had some questions about mixing - I spent a huge chunk of time on compression

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Relative Major and Minor, CAGED Diminished Chords, Tricky Chord Progressions

You missed this one! Catch the next one. Here were the questions:

Question 1: John had a question about relative major and minor.

Question 2: Alice had a series of questions about how CAGED fits with diminished and augmented chords, dorian mode, double sharps, and a few other things.

Question 3: Graeme had a fun puzzle about wether a chord progression was in B Dorian or E Mixolydian

Question 4: Holly was basically wondering about how to write melodies on guitar. My Melody Making course is about the theory behind melodies, and my CAGED Soloing series is more about applying melody concepts to the fingerboard.

Question 5: Adam had a few questions and I did a little brief lesson on modes

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James Taylor, Diminished Chords, 7 String, Singing

Hi Everyone,

The question this time:

Mason had a question about James Taylor talking about "being in A position or D position" with a capo

Ray had a question about diminished chords, and another question about fingerpicking patterns.

Markus asked if I was going to teach some 7 string lessons. I'm not.

Jeff asked for some general singing tips, but I initially mistook the question to be specifically about solfege 

Catch the next one on Thursday at 10AM

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Favorite Guitars, Loop Pedals, Recording Vocals, Ukuleles

Here were the questions this week:

Question 1: Ray was wondering what my favorite guitars are, if there are low budget versions, and what other gadgets were useful.

Question 2: Jonatan had questions about loop pedals - how to start layering and adding bass lines and melodies.

Question 3: Jeff was wondering how to set up to record vocals and how to practice singing, though I forgot the second part of your question, Jeff! Sorry about that.

Question 4: Tobias had questions about ukuleles - strings, models, tuning, chords, etc.

Catch the next one to ask your own questions!

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What To Do Now That You've Recorded Songs!

The questions for this week:

Tasha had questions about Mastering, releasing music, marketing, etc - what to do once you HAVE the recordings.

Archer had questions about microphones and how to properly record a band rehearsal with one or two mics.

Ray asked about songs with only one chord, vamping, and block chords

Andy was wondering why I always specify "half diminished" instead of "diminished triad"

David asked what is the best way to get better and how many hours should I practice?

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Polyrhythms, 12 Strings, Open Mics, Downward Slides, Pain While Playing

Ray asked about polyrhythms, vertical vs horizontal scales, and 12 string guitars.

Wayne followed up about an open mic that went really well AND asked about downward sliding vs upward sliding.

Mateus was experiencing some pain while playing guitar.

STI asked about relative minors - not fully understanding.

Jeff has chord changes and lyrics and was wondering how to get a complete song from here.

You missed this one! Look out for the next one!

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Office Hours, Q&A

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Small Hand Help, Tracking Progress, Open Mics, What To Play When People Ask

Question 1 - Jesse asked for some tips for small handed folks

Question 2 - Wayne asked two questions: How to track progress and how to start playing with other people. I'm starting a little series about playing with other people

Question 3 - Ray asked how not to panic and draw a blank when someone asks you to play something!

Question 4 - Jeffrey asked how to properly copyright a song

Question 5 - Mark asked how to visualize triads on the fingerboard

Question 6 - Jeff asked for tips on mixing vocals in a DAW

Question 7 - we just kind of hung out for a while and I asked for feedback on Patreon layout and stuff

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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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