Cupatay wrote:

Update on my progress below.....


Still enjoying learning this one. Think I could put it all together now and sing along abit but I won't subject you to that ha!

I'm realy keen on learning a version of that preacher and the bear from the billy strings video above with a few nice walking baselines and turn arounds in but can't find a single tutorial anywhere. Best I could do was chordify but I don't have the ability to realy add stuff in. If anyone else fancies a crack at it I'd love to see someone do a version.

Cracking stuff, you've got all those bits down and link them together well, just keep playing 'em and it'll get smoother and smoother.

Please do sing along btw, I hate my singing and am proper shy about it but I just figure fuck it, who gives af. Just commit and own it. Plus singing whilst playing is hard and really makes you learn the song wrt muscle memory. But, on the other hand, fuck it, don't sing if you don't want to.

Cheers Nick, I can't put the guitar down at the minute. This songs really pushed me to start picking alot cleaner.

Yeah it's realy hard to sing and play. I'll get some parts ok but other bits need extra practice (not specifically this song, any song really). I find I either sing to the rythem of the playing or completely mess up trying to get the singing right. I have a terrible voice by the way but that won't stop me from trying once I get comfortable playing.

Heard it though the grape vine has helped me start to get my head around singing and playing a little. That opening groove sounds great on acoustic if you haven't heard it by the way.

nice. i'm still struggling on with the basics, but managing to get a few mins practice in most days still, which is extreme dedication for me really!

I can play more than 4 chords now (though still only cheat versions of F and B and even they're still a struggle) and quite often get them right, and most pop songs are only 4 chords so the songwriting dream is now alive.

i can also play a version of the main riff from 'love will tear us apart' and the main bit of the indiana jones theme, which really is probably all you ever need

It's the C shape barred that I still cannot do. I also cannot bar 2/3 strings with one finger, which would make life much, much easier in some settings.

For barre chords, I use the thumb wrap for everything I can, I don't really like full finger barre, but I'm also not great at getting a clean sound out of it, so I probably should use it more.

I play the chord like this if no melody picking required (so ring + little finger down):



...and the chord like this if there's melody to be picked out over it (i.e. an extra finger free to handle extra stuff):




...both have you wrapping your thumb over the top to catch the bass string, the second pic you aren't holding the A string at all but you just kinda ignore that one. It was very difficult to get used to but now is my go to and well easier than traditional barre for me, and less restrictive. This probably all depends on the kind of music you're playing too tho I expect.

In the past I'd also just use 'lazy F' which is the C shape with two fingers one string down, like this:



...but even in that pic, that guy's barring the bottom two strings by the looks of it, you don't even need to do that, just be aware to not hit the last string (or the top two, obviously - means less full sound as no bass strings, but it deffo works as an entry point F imo).

I also probably substituted B7 for B back in the day when I could get away with it. Both lazy F and B7-sub are probs well bad habits tho so don't listen to me

I deffo need to do exercises like that. I can pick semi alright over chords down the first fret positions but once I move any higher up it's a smudgy bollocks.

I should get my classical restrung too, love the sound of nylon strings. I played mine exclusively for about a decade but totally lost the feel for steel strings, so switched back.

After the usual ones I just start going 'a C with with other finger down, you know on the second twangy string' or 'the E but it's higher up with the middle finger off or something, I don't know'

Armitage_Shankburn wrote:

It's the C shape barred that I still cannot do.

It's a tricky one. I avoided it for ages, but through sheer practise time, it now feels a little more natural.

There is a beautiful progression you can play anywhere on the neck without hardly moving your fingers using this chord. Basically involves taking the open C, A minor and E chords and moving them anywhere on the neck to transpose. The move from C to A minor involves moving just one finger to another string, then from A minor to E is basically the same shape but every finger moves a string down (in pitch).

It's the basis for this piece of music I think.

Kin hell, that translation. "Commence with your storytelling"

It's just how stories start in the Arabian Nights book. That formula. I dont know how it starts in English. "Il y était une fois" in French. In English I think the better translation would be "there was once upon a time" or whatever the 1001 nights version of a "a long long time ago, in a galaxy far far away" is in English

That's the one

I figure I can make most chords with just thumb and ring finger. It's the blues death grip.

krs wrote:

When I took classical guitar lessons one barre chord exercise I was taught was to barre with first finger only at each fret up to the tenth and arpeggiate with each string playing cleanly but without the thumb touching the neck at all; this on a classical guitar with its super-high action and non-radiused fingerboard.

I watched a lesson recently about angling the guitar in such a way that you can use gravity to your advantage and not have to squeeze the back of the neck with your thumb. Couldn't get it to work for me, even on my electric.

If you want to play classical/flamenco/trad/folk etc, especially on acoustic, then you'll be able to play with your thumb lightly on the bottom part of the neck. If you want to play anything with bends, heavy vibrato, double string runs - ie blues based stuff, you'll need to get your thumb right up around the neck in a vice or you won't have the strength and leverage to do it with any level of control or precision.

That's as much a part of learning as calluses on your fingers. It goes away.

Armitage_Shankburn wrote:

I never have been able to use my thumb on the bass fret, on classical guitar it feels too big. Narrower guitars seems doable, but too late for me to learn I think

You don't need to apply much pressure at all, fwiw. It's more like just get your thumb over to touch the string mostly, seems that's enough. That's on my steel string anyway, haven't had my classical strung for a couple of years now but don't remember it being vastly different. Give it go, chief.