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