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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Final Stream Before Seattle Studio!

This was my final stream in Southern California before moving back up to the Seattle area.

Question 1: Ray asked about the fundamentals of muting - see also Question 11 below

Question 2: Jeff was wondering about positions in the CAGED System. I cleared up some confusion about terms.

Question 3: Wayne wanted to work through the CAGED system in a particular way. I like it, BUT had a few key things to keep in mind.

Question 4: Ray was curious about how the 3NPS (3 notes per string) method compares to CAGED

Question 5: Mark was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of things to keep track of. I gave some advise on how to simplify and divide up practice time.

Question 6: Holly was wondering where to sell gear

Question 7: Tamara had questions about developing a personal style.

Question 8: Patrick was considering buying a loop pedal. I talked about workflow.

Question 9: Dede was wondering how capacitors affect your tone. I don't know!

Question 10: Stevie was asking wether to get into GarageBand or go straight to Logic Pro

Question 11: Patrick had a more specific question about muting that I didn't address in Question 1

Question 12: cblulu asked about making practice more fun and musical

Question 13: Patrick asked if it's best to buy the nicest or cheapest equipment AND asked if gear depreciates like computers do - NO. Also, check out JHS channel - always good advise

Question 14: David asked for advise transitioning from D to D7

Follow up on the community forum if you have more to say.

Silly Hat, Modes and I IV V, Mixer, Major Blues with Minor Penta

This week started with my ridiculous radish hat and a little talk about what kind of videos are coming out soon.

Question 1: Frank had some questions about Mixolydian mode and Dom7 chords

Question 2: Halo Hat was wondering about my mixer (Tascam Model 12)

Question 3: Nis-Momme also had a question about Dom7 chords, but this question was more about the blues.

Question 4: Halo Hat asked: do I see the fingerboard horizontal or veritcal?

Question 5: Halo Hat had a question about inversions

Logic Pro X, MIDI Controllers, Chord Tones

Question 1: Stevie was wondering if and when to upgrade from GarageBand to Logic Pro. My computer was ridiculous and messed up my audio for a minute or two, but I got it fixed by this point.

Question 2: Julian was wondering which MIDI controller keyboard to buy of the two I own: The Korg MicroKey 25 or the Akai LPK 25 - I weight the pros and cons. Also, it looks like there is an Akai LPK 25 MkII that looks really nice.

Question 3: Ray had a great question about chord tones and voice leading. I mentioned MTM 17 18 19 for melody making and CAGED Soloing.

Question 4: StratMan WannaBe was worried about learning to fast on paper without applying to the fingerboard. I went in depth on how to practice by setting goals and how to practice by focusing on one thing and letting other things fall apart.

Question 5: Dan was wondering where to start on the fingerboard when starting a solo

Question 6: Ahmed was wondering about the cons of playing with low action

Question 7: Kevin was curious about truss rod adjustment. I explain with the ipad

An intonation question was related, so I went into a bit of explanation about how intonation works.

I did challenge people (as per Stratman's question) to share their goals as specifically as possible on the community forum.

I also invited Tim to share how the jam session went!

Analysis, Bach, Logic Pro, Ear Training, Nerves, Gear

Question 1: Ahmed asked for an analysis of my melody in my latest Community Challenge

Question 2: Jeff was working on a cool piece by Bach and had questions about practice

Question 3: Tasha wants a comprehensive course on Logic Pro X.

Question 4: Ray wanted some tips on how to learn a song by ear - we took Ledbetter by Pearl Jam and spent a few minutes with it.

Question 5: Tim is meeting with a friend to record and jam - maybe write music together and maybe work on one of Tim's song. Tim is a bit nervous and wants tips on a) how to prepare/what to expect and b) how to deal with nerves.

Question 6: Halo Hat was looking for good drum software - I recommended something like Native Instruments Drums but I'm sure there are other good ones on the market. Halo Hat was also wondering how I like my M1 Ultra

Question 7: Kevin was looking for speakers for an FX unit. As a community, we discussed the pros and cons of switching to an audio interface, using an amp as a speaker, using a studio monitor as a speaker, or other options!

Got follow up questions? Want to rehash a topic? Come hang out on the community forum.