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  #61  
Old 02-10-2017, 07:07 PM
innocent75 innocent75 is offline
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I went back and played the alternate picking exercises. I have been working on Bryan Sutton Academy of Bluegrass and trying to build speed. I found the picking exercises are helping smooth out my playing when building speed. A few more decades I might be able to play this at a performance pace.
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  #62  
Old 03-14-2017, 06:44 AM
Clallam Clallam is offline
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I thought I'd check in. How's everyone doing?

I have exercises 8-10 sounding pretty good so I thought I'd try them with a metronome last night. I struggled a bit with one more thing to think about but I'm almost there. I'm planning on taking Dan's suggestion to practice them many times with a metronome since my muscle memory seems to kick in when I get somewhere between 100-120 bpm.

I've been simultaneously working on some of the exercises in the speed, accuracy, tone book and they are helping a lot.
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  #63  
Old 03-15-2017, 03:57 PM
LivesForever LivesForever is offline
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I just found this thread! I am also working through FE Vol. 1. I picked it up and started on it about a year ago, but I got interrupted with a new baby (Hopefully, he'll want to jam with me in a few years, right?). I'm just getting back to it.

I have been pretty slow getting through this stuff, but it's really been awesome. I never knew anything about runs, licks or fills before, so this has opened my eyes. It's also opened my ears, as I've been trying to use what I'm learning from the book to learn new songs by ear.

In fact, the most helpful thing I've found is a regular bluegrass jam session. Playing live with some good pickers, trying to learn songs on the fly by ear, applying the techniques I've learned from FE, and sometimes leading the group in a song has made a bigger difference to my playing than anything I've ever done. My rhythm and ear have improved immensely, and even my wife says I sound a lot cooler (and she hates bluegrass, sadly). Flatpicking Essentials gave me the skills to get started!

I've honestly kind of stalled out at the moment, but I'm getting back to it! In fact, I'm finally hitting the jam session tomorrow night. I'll have to do something extra nice for my wife, who will be taking care of our son...
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  #64  
Old 03-17-2017, 01:05 AM
Clallam Clallam is offline
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Hi LivesForever,

Welcome aboard. I know what a baby does to your time. I'm glad you're finding a little time to play.

Don't worry about how fast you're going. The rest of us are going slowly too. I think part of that is the nature of the instrument. It can't be learned overnight no matter what some quick money website wants to promise. I also think that people who have chosen to learn from this type of book have a willingness to work on that foundational stuff. I like knowing I'm learning the skills I will need to pick up anything else quickly like you are doing with the bluegrass.

Bluegrass moves fast and if you're keeping up and using what you've learned you're doing great. I wish I could find a regular jam near me.

Volume 2 gets into ear training. It suggests starting with children's songs due to their simplicity and familiarity. It would also be fun for someone with a baby to know some of those so you can play along with your child's first attempts at singing.
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  #65  
Old 03-21-2017, 12:47 PM
LivesForever LivesForever is offline
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Yeah, I can't wait to play for him some more! When my son was first born, he was super tiny and frightened by the sound of it. I was a little sad, because I had arranged a simple flatpicked version of a lullaby my Dad used to sing to me, and he hated it, haha... He seems more OK with it now!
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  #66  
Old 03-22-2017, 06:57 PM
Clallam Clallam is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LivesForever View Post
Yeah, I can't wait to play for him some more! When my son was first born, he was super tiny and frightened by the sound of it. I was a little sad, because I had arranged a simple flatpicked version of a lullaby my Dad used to sing to me, and he hated it, haha... He seems more OK with it now!
That's great, the two of you are going to have so much fun.
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  #67  
Old 03-22-2017, 07:26 PM
innocent75 innocent75 is offline
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In a few years your child will enjoy it as much as you do probably.

My daughter is closing in on two years old. She comes running yelling "pick, pick" I hand her the pick and she drags it across the strings. She says ABCDEFG and I switch chords while she "strums". She loses interest after a few minutes but it is a blast while is is "playing". Smiling ear to ear, both her and me.
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  #68  
Old 07-03-2017, 08:25 AM
WonderMonkey WonderMonkey is offline
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Hello! Back at it again. As feared, and is yearly, fastpitch softball has dominated the landscape to the point where I just had to put the guitar to the side and choose sleep. BUT ... that's over in two weeks and this is the last year for the Summer version.

Just to get my fingers back in shape I'm doing a few minutes here, a few minutes there, and will go back to Page 1 and start again. I've missed playing, and can't wait to be more consistent.
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  #69  
Old 07-03-2017, 10:12 PM
Clallam Clallam is offline
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Hi WonderMonkey,

Welcome back.

I'm still about where I was but it suddenly became much easier a month or so ago. I spent five months working on Examples 8-10 before I could play them along with a metronome on 60. I spent another few weeks playing at that speed and crashing every time I tried to go faster. Then all of a sudden, something clicked. It was just as sudden as plugging a lightbulb in. My speed shot up and everything else I was doing on the guitar became much easier. I'm working on Example 12 now. I've made more progress on Example 12 in three days than I did on Example 11 in three weeks and on Examples 8-10 in three months. I guess whatever neural connections needed to be made between my brain and my hands finally happened.

I'd always read that progress with this sort of skill is non-linear and in my case that certainly seems to be true. After so long stuck on a plateau it feels great to have the breakthrough.

I skipped ahead and am also working on the alternate picking exercises so when I get to Exercise 16 it won't be so hard. I think I'll be there sooner that I once expected.

Summertime is when my job can suddenly cosume all my time so I don't know what my practice schedule will be like this summer. I plan to just keep pounding away at it until I get somewhere, whenever that may be.
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  #70  
Old 07-05-2017, 07:42 AM
WonderMonkey WonderMonkey is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Clallam View Post
Hi WonderMonkey,
Welcome back.

I'm still about where I was but it suddenly became much easier a month or so ago. I spent five months working on Examples 8-10 before I could play them along with a metronome on 60. I spent another few weeks playing at that speed and crashing every time I tried to go faster. Then all of a sudden, something clicked. It was just as sudden as plugging a lightbulb in.
Do you think that you made the turn from not having to think about things and that's why progress shot up?
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  #71  
Old 07-05-2017, 08:11 AM
barricwiley barricwiley is offline
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I'm pretty sure this has been asked. I am just now checking this lesson set out - is there a Volume 2 that follows Vol 1? I have not been able to find one and to sorry to read each thread entry to see if it had been mentioned before. Thanks for the answer Flatpickers.
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  #72  
Old 07-05-2017, 08:24 AM
Clallam Clallam is offline
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There are volumes 1-8. They are at www.flatpick.com. It is the Flatpicking Guitar Magazine website. Lots of other good resources there for learning flatpicking.
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  #73  
Old 07-05-2017, 10:42 AM
barricwiley barricwiley is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Clallam View Post
There are volumes 1-8. They are at www.flatpick.com. It is the Flatpicking Guitar Magazine website. Lots of other good resources there for learning flatpicking.
Well, thank you very much. I shall do some reading.
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  #74  
Old 07-05-2017, 04:53 PM
WonderMonkey WonderMonkey is offline
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Zoomed through ex 1-7 and will camp on ex 8-12 for a bit. Not only to make sure I understand why the leading tones, walk-ups and walk-downs are the notes they are for the chords being used. Trying to set myself up for the lessons to follow.
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  #75  
Old 07-05-2017, 06:14 PM
WonderMonkey WonderMonkey is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pine View Post
I'm obviously not Mr. Wonder, but that must be Guitar Pro 6. It looks like he's doing what I do, using it for practice..

It's a great program by the way.
Yes! Thanks for answering this, I skimmed over his question.
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