So, what are you learning now? 2021

[JustMe123456]

Crazy this isn’t been updated! :-) seems like a very a very beneficial sub forum for people who don’t want to create a roadcase

[Sandman68]

 I'm learning "Rumble " by Link Wray and the Raymen. It is the 1st song that my lady actually recognized while I was practicing. So, I got that going for me. Fun song. A,D,E,B7

[J.W.C.]

I've been playing around with Open G tuning a lot, lately.

[DavidP]

I've been playing around with Open G tuning a lot, lately.

Good to hear from you JWC.  Open G ... my mind goes straight to The Stones.  Would love to hear you rock some of their classics in open G.

[ynot]

A different approach to how I practice / rehearse.  I felt frustrated that I'd hit a plateau and wasn't progressing as well as I had been over the years.  Now when I sit down I do 2 things different, I keep a diary and with everything I consider my intent with the practice that I'm doing or the song I'm rehearsing.

With a new song it can be a simple intent: getting familiar with the song.  But with a song I've played for a long time, Margaritaville for example, it's to focus on strumming as lightly as possible.

With a particular exercise it might be to increase my speed, or make a transition from one part to the next cleanly. 

Hope this makes sense, it's certainly helped me avoid the feeling I've plateaued.  It's an idea I got from another player.

[J.W.C.]

Learning the mandolin parts for Zeppelin's Battle of Evermore.

[close2u]

Learning the mandolin parts for Zeppelin's Battle of Evermore.

Now that I would listen to!

[ynot]

Learning the mandolin parts for Zeppelin's Battle of Evermore.

Just listened to your St Jame's infirmary blues, very nice, was that from a lesson that's shareable?

[batwoman]

Just listened to your St Jame's infirmary blues, very nice, was that from a lesson that's shareable?

Did a few searches Tony, I don't think Justin has done a lesson on this. There's a full list of the song lessons he's published on his website, plus heaps of Blues lessons and other blues songs. There's also a search function of course. You may have the skills to transcribe your own. He's a big advocate of this.

Then of course we want to hear it 

[ynot]

Thanks.  It's on my list.  :-)

[J.W.C.]

Just listened to your St Jame's infirmary blues, very nice, was that from a lesson that's shareable?

Thank you. There's no lesson that I'm aware of; that was my own arrangement of the song. However, there's a thread in AVOYP where I listed the chords I used in this arrangement, as well as other notes about the recording.

The verse chords are all open + the F barre chord, played up in first position (just listing the chords here, not the exact progression):

• Am
• E7
• Am7 (with the high G)
• C∆7/F
• E7 (with high D)
• F

The chorus ("Let her go...") chords move things up the neck and use movable shapes until you go back down to first position for the low E7 (w/high D):

• Am (Fret V)
• E7 (VII)
• F∆7 (VIII)
• F∆9 (VII)
• E7 w/high D (I)

(The ∆ symbol indicates "major," so F∆7 is shorthand for "Fmaj7", for example.)

[Lord_Gigabyte]

I'm learning 2 songs atm. Chocolate Jesus and Coffee and TV.

One is more fingerstyle and the other is all barre chords. That way i can switch between the two, when my fretting hand is getting tired. (building up muscle strength again).

The main focus of my practice is on barre chords these days. I want to get them right.

[LievenDV]

I'm studying chord progressions.
some tricks Paul Simon does when substituting chords,
spicing up some resolutions and adding V chords before chords (example, taking the V of the actual V chord etc)

[close2u]

@ Lieven

the 5th of the 5th is a great thing.

[Lord_Gigabyte]

I'm studying chord progressions.
some tricks Paul Simon does when substituting chords,
spicing up some resolutions and adding V chords before chords (example, taking the V of the actual V chord etc)

Would you care to elaborate on that? (meaning, i might have a notion of what you're talking about, but i'm not sure).

[LievenDV]

@ Lieven
the 5th of the 5th is a great thing.

@Lord_Gigabyte
If you play in the key of C major, the I chord is C and the V chord is G (5th chord in a sequence of 7 "diatonic" chords).
If you're playing in the key of C and you play a G chords, you have a strong feeling it needs to "resolve" to the I chord-> to C. It brings peace to the galaxy.

But, you can spice up your progression by taking the V chord of that G in your progression and "resolve" to it. This is what Close2U meant with "fifth of the fifth"; you can take the V chord of the V chord in the progression.
Because doing the V-I move  really sounds like the "right thing to do" , it will work almost every time.

If you're not into diatonic chords, tihs might sound a bit complex but this is one of the many tools to turn your regular 4-chord popsong in something more interesting

[Lord_Gigabyte]

@Lord_Gigabyte
If you play in the key of C major, the I chord is C and the V chord is G (5th chord in a sequence of 7 "diatonic" chords).
If you're playing in the key of C and you play a G chords, you have a strong feeling it needs to "resolve" to the I chord-> to C. It brings peace to the galaxy.

*So far, i'm with you. I understand this*

But, you can spice up your progression by taking the V chord of that G in your progression and "resolve" to it. This is what Close2U meant with "fifth of the fifth"; you can take the V chord of the V chord in the progression.
Because doing the V-I move  really sounds like the "right thing to do" , it will work almost every time.

*You've lost me here. How can you take a fifth chord out of a fifth chord? Or would it be to take the fifth chord of the G major scale and put that into your C major progression?*

If you're not into diatonic chords, tihs might sound a bit complex but this is one of the many tools to turn your regular 4-chord popsong in something more interesting

*I'm learning theory, but i still have lots to learn. :-) *

[J.W.C.]

Now that [Battle of Evermore mandolin] I would listen to!

Well, I'm still working on it, but sure. Here's a quick recording I just did. It's not the full song, just different parts I'm learning kind of stitched together as an example.

Battle of Evermore (mandolin) screwing around [Dropbox/WAV]
Battle of Evermore (mandolin) screwing around [Dropbox/MP3]

Recorded it with a Shure PGA27 and threw on a little of reverb.

One cool note: my father built the mandolin I'm playing. My mom had wanted to learn mandolin, so he ordered a kit, then built and finished it for her. After she passed away the mandolin came to me.

[ynot]

Great looking Mando, thanks for the back story

[brianlarsen]

the 5th of the 5th is a great thing.

... Presumably if you keep adding more 5ths, it's 'turtles all the way down' 😉

[tobyjenner]

the 5th of the 5th is a great thing.

So an educated stab in the dark.

I V in C is C n G
5th of the 5th is the 5th of G maj scale ?
So V of V of G is D

Ergo C G D

So stabbing deeper and likely wrong(er)

C G D G C would work as D wants to resolve to G the G wants to resolve to C wash rinse repeat

Or that theory could be complete and utter tosh and something I just mad(e) up. Simples (nooooo) 

[stitch101]

An easy song to hear how the V of V  sounds is Hey Joe.
The chords are
C G D A E. G is the V of C  D is the V of G  A is the V of D and E is the V of A.
Looks like the circle of Fifths doesn't it.

Richard (close2u) did a lesson on the circle of fifths a few weeks if any one
hasn't seen it yet.
https://justinguitarcommunity.com/index.php?topic=49150.0

[DavidP]

Here's a quick recording I just did. ...

Loved the story, loved the picture, loved the warts and all (of course beyond me to spot the warts, so will take your word for it) recording.

Thanks for the share and look forward to the AVOYP production when you get there, JWC

[brianlarsen]

@stitch101
Our mods have opened another can of worms in my head and I'm not sure this is the right place to ask.
My understanding of what Lieven and Richard were talking about was the way the V wants to resolve to the 1.
The Hey Joe progression above is simply going up in fifths.
I would have thought a preceding fifths sequence would be E A D G C? (or going up in 4ths?)
Is if back to the drawing board for me? 

[tobyjenner]

Brian you need the extended Experience addition (17 minutes) where Jimi doesn't stop at the E he keeps going round the circle until he hits C again.

It was on the album "Where Are The Mushrooms (and where did Joe go)"