[Shulamit]

Hi John,

Firstly, good for you that you’re continuing to learn and not give up.

I, for years, played exclusively with my fingers until I discovered the Black Mountain thumb picks. (https://blackmountainpicks.com)

They are rather expensive, however they fit perfectly on the thumb and give me the possibility of strumming and finger-picking without having to do hybrid picking which I find is a pain.

After I got used to the Black Mountain thumb picks, I actually found that I could also play with a regular flat pick, especially after I put on them Monster Grips silicon grips (https://www.monstergrips.com) which keep the pick from slipping and falling off your hand. There are times that I prefer a flat pick to a thumb pick, particular if I’m playing solos over a backing track for example.

Besides that, there are different methods for holding the flat pick. I tried different ones, till I found the one that works best for me. Check them out.

I hope that helps some. Lots of luck.

[Shulamit]

I did it! Here’s a link to the video I made of this track. Excuse the quality. I don’t have very good equipment.

https://youtu.be/FZuMQ7F5C_U

[Shulamit]

Hi Jeanitta,

When you jam, you use the notes of the scale that you are jamming in but not necessarily playing the whole scale up and down, rather you vary the notes so that they express what you want to say. You use different techniques as well, such as sliding, vibration, hammer-ons and pull-offs and bends in order to give the music character. If I can, I’ll try to record an attempted improvisation to this track. Good luck.

[Shulamit]

Keep up the good work Tony! 😀 The F chord is one of the hardest to learn, but once you have it down, you’ll see how useful it is to have it. For example, if you have a chord progression of F-G-Am, all you have to do is hold the shape and move up the fretboard (Am you just have to lift the second finger). It’ll save you time and energy.

By the way, I have a tip for playing the A-shape bar chord that I’ve never seen anyone suggest. The trouble with the A-shape is that you have to make two bars, one full and one covering the D-G-B strings which can be really tough especially for people with small hands, like me. I discovered that I can bar the D and G strings with my ring finger and hold down the B string with my pinky and play the chord effectively that way.

[Shulamit]

Hi Paul,

I use Elixir strings on my steel string acoustic guitar. I’m very happy with them as they have a crisp sound and last a long time. I make sure to wipe them down with a soft silver polishing cloth every time I play and change them about every 6 months.

[Shulamit]

Jaroslav,

Good for you! It is encouraging to see that improvements do happen over time with perseverance. Keep up the good work.

All the best,

Shulamit

[Shulamit]

As far as it goes with practice time, I divide it up into 5-10 minute bits over the day. I leave the guitar out in a place that I pass by frequently and grab it and play for a few minutes. In general I start my day early and pray to God that he help me accomplish everything I want to get done.

[Author]

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