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Old 02-12-2010, 02:31 PM
cb56 cb56 is offline
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Red face I have to admit I've been humbled by Mel Bay!

I'm 53. Guitar is my third instrument. Started on trombone played through school and part time pro. Picked up bass and gigged weekends solidly for decades. Kind of stabbed at guitar over the past few years but was too busy to stay with it.

Over the last year having retired from bar bands, decided to give guitar a go again and dedicated myself to practicing every day. Boned up on the most common open and barre chords. Got halfway decent at strumming and even a little fingerpicking. So I've seen some improvement in the last year to the point of playing some easy songs once a month at a nursing home with our family "band" and also a couple times in church.

A few weeks ago I decided to kick it into gear abit more. So since I already knew how to read music (albeit bass clef) I decided to buy the first two books in the Mel Bay Modern guitar method (expanded version). I figured since I considered myself an early intermediate level player, I'd breeze through the first book and maybe start to get challenged in the second book. WRONG!!!

I got to about page 40 in book one and hit a brick wall! These three and four note chords they want you to strum on the middle strings of the guitar seem pretty impossible to me. Well maybe impossible is too strong of a word. The left hand fingering is no problem but having never used a pick before I find myself strumming the wrong strings constantly. I find myself thinking this was a more advanced technique but when i look further back in the book I see stuff i already know how to do.

So am I missing something? Besides hours of practice that is. Are all you folks proficient at only strumming strings 5,4,3 on one beat then strings 4,3,2 on the next without any adjacent strings sounding? And usually sounding bad since they are not fingered with the left hand and not a chord tone?

I know I wanted a challenge, but I didn't expect it to discourage me by being humbled by book one!

Any advice other than practice,practice,practice? Oh, yeah words of encouragement will be accepted also.

Oh yeah one more thing. When I am able to strum the right notes it sounds more like a fast arpeggio than a strummed chord because I am concentrating so hard on strumming only the correct strings.
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Old 02-12-2010, 03:11 PM
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Bern Bern is offline
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Nothing wrong with being humbled...keeps one on his toes. Never think you have it all figured out, because you have not. Keep on practicing...
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Old 02-12-2010, 03:21 PM
TomHB TomHB is offline
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If you haven't already, try having just a tiny bit of the pick being exposed. I see beginners often holding the pick with way too much exposed, and it flops around and gets hung up on the strings. Here's how I hold mine, and I use the index finger to help push through the strings. Very easy to control this way.



BTW, you also can find many ways to mute the strings you don't want to hear, in the way you hold your chording fingers.
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Old 02-12-2010, 04:13 PM
cb56 cb56 is offline
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Cool, thanks for the tip on less pick. I'll give that a try. I've also caught myself muting strings but wasn't sure if that was legit or cheating.
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Old 02-12-2010, 04:59 PM
Broadus Broadus is offline
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I feel your pain, CB! I'm at about the same place, but I am starting (!) to strum the right strings. I'm hoping that the more I do it the better the right hand will "know" where those strings are.

Bill
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Old 02-13-2010, 03:58 PM
daleyfolk daleyfolk is offline
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Those chord-melody solos are actually easier without a pick, but Mel Bay is a plectrum method.

Yes your chords will sound more arpeggiated, because you'll be moving your pick slower in order to be accurate. You'll really improve if you take the time to do it right. Drag your pick over the strings you need to hit and let it come to rest on the next string. Some of those Mel Bay pieces are hard! If you're getting the 'Blue Bells of Scotland", you're doing well!

I think working through the Mel Bay (or any of several method books) is a really good way to learn your notes on the guitar. And even if you don't like the pick, it's really good practice.

You can start doing some classical music too, which doesn't involve that pesky plectrum!
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Old 02-13-2010, 04:08 PM
Broadus Broadus is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daleyfolk View Post
I think working through the Mel Bay (or any of several method books) is a really good way to learn your notes on the guitar. And even if you don't like the pick, it's really good practice.
That's one of the primary reasons I'm working through Mel Bay.

Bill
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Old 02-13-2010, 04:32 PM
Laird_Williams Laird_Williams is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TomHB View Post
If you haven't already, try having just a tiny bit of the pick being exposed. I see beginners often holding the pick with way too much exposed, and it flops around and gets hung up on the strings. Here's how I hold mine, and I use the index finger to help push through the strings. Very easy to control this way.



BTW, you also can find many ways to mute the strings you don't want to hear, in the way you hold your chording fingers.
I would add to this that SMALL motions of the right hand are important. Most people start with WAAAAAAY too much movement in their picking and strumming motions. Make the motions as large as they need to be and NO larger.

Last edited by Laird_Williams; 02-13-2010 at 04:39 PM.
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Old 02-13-2010, 05:31 PM
cb56 cb56 is offline
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All good advice, thanks. Spent a good amount of time practicing today and I have to admit to myself I'm seeing and hearing improvement! At times it was almost sounding like I was playing music instead of a bunch of notes. I'll just keep at it.
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  #10  
Old 02-13-2010, 05:42 PM
cb56 cb56 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daleyfolk View Post
.... If you're getting the 'Blue Bells of Scotland", you're doing well!
Ha! I'm about 2 pages away from that one. I now have a short term goal to shoot for!

Quote:
Originally Posted by daleyfolk View Post
You can start doing some classical music too, which doesn't involve that pesky plectrum!
Well I kind of like the plectrum, but I am working on some blues fingerstyle. But it's not classical hand position. I've got a stephan Grossman DVD and book (kind of hard) and another blues book which is easier by Kenny Sultan.
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