who wants to join a friendly "learn an new song" challenge?
 

Hi guys,

Would anybody like to join a friendly "learn a new song" challenge? Anyone can join! Just try to learn an new song however long it takes. It's that simple. If it takes you 1 day, 1 week, 1 month or 1 year it's all good!

The only requirement is that as you learn please post your progress, triumphs and troubles here. The whole point is to support each other, talk about the learning process and have fun.

My goals:
- learn "Lonnie's Guitar" (a song in DGDGBe that we started in Woody Mann's FPR class this year) and arrange a chorus of my own
- record and post it (don't expect a masterpiece here. I find it really hard to record)

Who's in?

I would definitely be keen to do this!
Would be a great way to find song ideas from others' posts.
This is my first ever post btw.

Wow welcome! Way to jump right in there eh?

So do you know what song are you going to try?

I'm in.

Blue On Black <- Very simple version

Great! Welcome aboard.

I'll give it a go.
I fancy being able to play "After you've gone" this might give me the impetus to put the effort in.
:)

Glad you can join us!

Doug great idea. Count me in. I will try to get out of my cowboy chord comfort zone, and try to learn, maybe from youtube, and by ear (I dont read music) Dave Bromberg's version of Droon In My Own Tears.

That is a tune I have been afraid of for two years now. Its actually in your wheelhouse.

For today I've watched a few videos and have picked the chords I'll use. No problem on that. I've got what I think is the strum pattern but I'm going to go work with it to how it sounds.

Thanks a lot! Thinking of doing "You belong to me". Keen to hear what everyone else is learning. :)

Great guys! Can't wait to hear about your progress. I'm getting started tonight.

I'm in as long as you don't mind hearing some really beginner stuff ( been playing for 6 months ). I Might get out of my strumming comfort zone and try something a little more complex either fingerpicking or strumming with some single note stuff mixed in. No clue what song yet I'll have to get back to you guys on that I'm in the middle of a full house move to storage. Yuck.... I'll get started this weekend.

I am fortunate that we have some un-used space in our building so I've set my guitar up on there. A bit of trust on my part that nobody will steal it so hopefully there are no issues there.

I have the chords and a few notes to the basic strum pattern for Blue On Black and was able to practice it a bit before my time was up. Now, in addition to some other things I'm working on I'll keep working on the pattern until my hands just do them on their own. I'm using the tempo that I have in my head though once I got everything down the tempo will correct itself as I listen to the song. I may even slow the song down to 1/4 speed at first and then go from there.

Great! Let us know what song you pick.

Sat down this morning to watch the Fred Sokolow version of "After you've gone" from "The Music of Bessie Smith". I've done this before and it seemed a bit daunting but looks more manageable with fresh eyes.
Some of the chord progressions repeat so I have marked these on the score. Next I will try and break it into chunks. Intro, verse, solo, verse.
I also noticed that while I am struggling with getting the tab note for note Fred actually plays it with a much more relaxed approach. Almost a strumming pattern rather than a fingerpicking motion.