Lesson 4

[Russ]

I'm having a heck of a time with Lesson 4. I completed the learner's speed version and moved to the player's speed. This one sounds like it has 3 different beat counts in the first 5 measures. I can't even get them to be consistent with a metronome. I know I'm the intermediate beginner here and must not be able to keep up or hear it or something. I guess I'll just have to choose a speed and learn it.

 

[luckylarry]

Russ, which example in lesson 4?

 

[Russ]

One

 

[luckylarry]

Russ my book shows the first 5 measures as the most popular strum. then 6 is different, 7 different again, 8 is another different strum and 9 back to the most popular strum. Then at bar 14 it all gets different again. I haven't played this lesson for awhile but I remember that the strumming changes made it sound like the rhythm changed when it was the same 4/4 count. I found it really weird in places because of the change in the strum.

 

[Russ]

The only real difficulty I have is muting the D chords at full speed. Other than that, its difficult to get into the strum tempo cuz I could swear it's a different speed than Griff's lead in. That's what throws me off.

 

[Russ]

http://youtu.be/y-s8C7UiXqc
I didn't get a few of the final chords to come out clean, but we're going for rhythm so I let myself slide.

 

[luckylarry]

Really good Russ. I like that at the start you take your time, count it all out. At the end you are at full speed and play very confidently. 

 

[Russ]

This was one of those lessons I had to let soak in. I was having trouble getting the D chords to cooperate. Then I had of day at work where I got off work an hour before bed time, so I couldn't practice. That day of "going without" helped me a lot. I went at it the next day and got it right almost every time. This happens to me a lot. If I'm having trouble with something and I leave it alone for a day, I usually do at least 50% better the next day  .

 

[Thatman]

You're doing fine Russ, well done. 

 

[Russ]

http://youtu.be/pFNcHBFIph4
Lesson Example 4-2
It wasn't my best but it was the best I recorded. I couldn't get the chord to come out on the acoustic, so I used my Greg Bennett Fastback electric. I guess that's why they make more than one radius fretboard, huh.

 

[Russ]

http://youtu.be/flx9Y0h4aCU
Don't bother trying to post the full speed version on You Tube. They say its a copyright infringement.  :-X I worked hard to get it right. That's a bummer.

 

[Russ]

I'm happy to say once I figured out what to do, this lesson came quickly. Originally, I was literally stopping my hand on the strings to get to stop ringing. Then I watched Griff's DVD a couple more times trying to figure out how he was muting the strings and not missing a strum. See, I was hanging my arm over the guitar at my elbow and that was putting my hand pretty close to the bridge. I started moving my hand around to different areas of the strings and figured it out. The further away from the bridge, the easier it is to mute. Basically, if you just run the "meat" of your hand over the strings at the center of the sound hole, everything stops and you don't have to mess up your timing. Once I got that figured out, the lesson became so much easier. 

 

[Griff]

http://youtu.be/flx9Y0h4aCU
Don't bother trying to post the full speed version on You Tube. They say its a copyright infringement.  :-X I worked hard to get it right. That's a bummer.

They pulled it for copyright? That's bizarre because it's nothing but a chord progression. There is nothing that could be under copyright there. Must have been something automated that got flagged. Did you mention any song names in the description?

Griff

 

[Russ]

No, I didn't name anything except the lesson number that I only allow BGU members to view. YouTube just upgraded their system. The automated programming checks for this stuff.  It said something about sounding just like Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl and said it was flagged for copyright infringement. It even pointed me right to the beginning of my full speed version. (I usually edit the whole lesson into 1 video.) It mentioned the option of disputing, but I just deleted it instead of fighting about it.

Here's the copy of my unlisted title and description:
S&R Example Four Two Complete

Blues Guitar Unleashed Series, Strumming and Rhythm Mastery Lesson 4, Example 2. Bar Chord. Electric Greg Bennett Samick Fastback Guitar

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