Challenge with Windy and Warm

[Smilemaker]

Most of my experience so far (last 2 years) has been strumming folk tunes and basic fingerstyle, none with alternating bass. I have seen posts by teachers on the forum that Windy and Warm is a good intro. song to learn with alternating bass. I decided to attack it since I also love the tune. I have been attempting the first two bars for about a week and am having trouble with a steady bass beat with that characteristic "thump." I decided to back off the song for now and work with my Mark Hanson "Contemporary Travis Picking" book. My rational was to get the hang of alternating bass by working on some patterns, then go back to W and W when I feel more in the groove with alternating bass. Does anyone have other ideas on this? Thanks.

[Blueser100]

I am working on Windy and Warm too. It's not a beginner fingerstyle song. There's a lot of syncopation with the melody. The Hanson book is very good and that was the first book I worked out of to develop a foundation for Travis style, alt picking bass. If you are having trouble with that you might try practicing with a metronome or practicing while watching TV. Good luck.

[Smilemaker]

Thanks Blueser100. So far the Hanson book is helpful

[jthorpe]

I think the trick is to think of the bass and melody notes as a single part of the song - not separate! Just play each note as it comes (use a metronome to space the thumb out equally) and you'll get there in no time! The trickiest part (In my experience) is the pinky bend then slide in the intro!

Good luck!

J

[T1mothy]

I was tempted to respond yesterday as windy and warm was one of my first songs that I started with but only then I realized I didnt have much to say. Its a great song to practise your pinky dexterity. The only non-song practice I ever did before I started learning songs was wherever I was (in a bus for instance) I just placed my hand on my leg and started moving my thumb steadily. Thinking of lets say a minor chord at that moment and plucking the A-C-E triad in different places of the beat. On beat right in the middle of the beat. Trying to figure out some sort of accents. You do it alot, learn various songs and your brain starts to remember the spot in the beat where you hit the melody. So it gets comfortable and lets your thumb have its way as you encounter a note with the same timing that you have practised before. Keep at it. Wish you best of luck.

[deltoid]

I think you're going to have to allow more than one week. It might take a month or so to solidify the technique. The "Art of Contemporary Travis Picking" is where I got my start into fingerstyle as well.

[Smilemaker]

I appreciate all of your help. Thanks.

[jersey]

Slow the song way down and be deliberate about what you want your fingers to do. Focus on small sections at a time. It really just takes time for the motor skills to fully develop. Work on it everyday and you'll see clear progress in a few weeks.

[YamaYairi]

You need to get your thumb moving automatically. Sit and watch tv and just thumb pick on a chord, alternating the notes. After you think you have it automatically, pick the high E occasionally with your 3rd finger, keeping the beat with your thumb going. If it helps, think of pinching the thumb and third finger together when you do that.

[Cypress Knee]

Just for kicks, when you are just a little bored working on that second section, just change the rhythm a bit and play the intro to "Rhiannon".

CK

[Blueser100]

I'm making progress on the song but am having a struggle with section 2, after you slide up to barred Am chord and play the melody with the pinky. I can do that ok but I can't cleanly fit both my ring finger and pinky on fret 7 without some poor positioning and buzzing. It takes a lot of strength for me to keep that finger planted solid! Any suggestions?

[Luke_]

I played Amaj for a while to get thru the part to begin with. The center of my hand collapses a bit when I remove the middle (m) finger. I think it has to do with the bar across the 1st and 2nd strings. I'm assuming the ring finger is the one that won't stay put? I find tackling 2 obstacles at the same time gets extra frustrating. Although I know practicing the wrong chord isn't a good idea it may help you transition the two parts and and the more you get to put the parts together the better you will play the rest. Once it becomes automatic then go back thru and work out the "minor" details. Lots of the chord shapes have been challenging especially the G part when your stretch to the 5th fret then have to come back in and alternate the bass.

Today's mantra, even tho the shape or stretch is uncomfortable it's impurities you relax your hands the best you can. You may find that the buzz is a fretting issue and more pressure only amplifies the issue.

[Blueser100]

It's getting little easier. I do that riff over and over and now I shift the ring finger slightly and try to maintain same pressure when I grab the note with the pinky.

But boy I have added callouses to my callouses!

[Netti]

i am learning windy and warm taught by Dave Morgan on youtube. i think with his type of play you dont have to always bend the 3rd fret B string. you can pull of to the 3rd fret from the 4th. and it makes it easier for me. so my pinky doesnt have to bend and it sounds good too.. i begun learning windy and warm like 3 days ago. and i would say i have got the first part solid. also this is like a first boom chick song for me.. so its kinda difficult. but i somtimes sit down like hours just altenating bases and trying to get my mind far from it. i heard somewhere that if you are good in altenating the bases any boom chick song would be far easier for you, because usally they are melody and the altenating bases
. anyway i am mixing the versions of all of them. i just play anyones part which i like.
when i am done with windy and warm i would come back here.

[Luke_]

Originally Posted by Blueser100

It's getting little easier. I do that riff over and over and now I shift the ring finger slightly and try to maintain same pressure when I grab the note with the pinky.

But boy I have added callouses to my callouses!

Are you capo'd on the second fret?