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One nice thing about getting over the hump in guitar is, once you can manage a few shapes (barre chords in particular), you can play thousands of new songs with

One nice thing about getting over the hump in guitar is, once you can manage a few shapes (barre chords in particular), you can play thousands of new songs without having to learn any additional technical skills.

criddell 4y ago
I’m okay at barre chords. I can barre the Emajor, Eminor, Amajor, and Aminor shapes and move them around decently. Power chords as well. I know lots of major, minor, and 7th chords on open strings. It’s hard for me to describe, but I can do one thing at a time pretty well. I can tap my foot to a metronome. I can strum muted strings (so it’s just a percussive sound) in time to a metronome. But I struggle with tapping my foot and strumming in time to a metronome even when all I’m doing with my fretting hand is muting the strings. I can play parts of some songs and some riffs but if I try to play it along with the original track, I lose the rhythm after a bar or two. I don’t seem to be able to extend that length. I end up strumming with the rhythm of the lyrics (syllables) rather than the drum beat. Right now, I’m mostly working on trying to establish some sense of rhythm. The Justin Sandercoe’s course on this is probably the best resource I’ve found. He has some exercises that are almost meditative.
- filoleg 4y ago
  > But I struggle with tapping my foot and strumming in time to a metronome Why would you both tap your foot and use a metronome at the same time while playing a piece? I play piano, not a guitar, but foot tapping is usually for when you don't have a metronome. Sure, tapping and using a metronome at the same time is good, if you are trying to get your foot tapping to be more consistent. But actually practicing a music piece and using a metronome+tapping your foot feels weird, I cannot do it well either. For me, it is either tapping foot or using a metronome.
  - criddell 4y ago
    When I’m tapping my foot and strumming to a metronome, that’s all I’m doing. There’s no music being played. My metronome app has a timer. I set a 5 to 15 minute timer and then repeat the same strumming pattern for that entire time (usually down, down-up, up, down which corresponds to the count 1, 2-and, -and, 4 and I play it between 60 and 100 bpm). The strum is just a percussive strum on muted strings. I’m not playing chords or any kind of melody. The goal is to get the strumming and foot tapping to be automatic so that I can add the next step.

criddell 4y ago

I’m okay at barre chords. I can barre the Emajor, Eminor, Amajor, and Aminor shapes and move them around decently. Power chords as well. I know lots of major, minor, and 7th chords on open strings. It’s hard for me to describe, but I can do one thing at a time pretty well. I can tap my foot to a metronome. I can strum muted strings (so it’s just a percussive sound) in time to a metronome. But I struggle with tapping my foot and strumming in time to a metronome even when all I’m doing with my fretting hand is muting the strings. I can play parts of some songs and some riffs but if I try to play it along with the original track, I lose the rhythm after a bar or two. I don’t seem to be able to extend that length. I end up strumming with the rhythm of the lyrics (syllables) rather than the drum beat. Right now, I’m mostly working on trying to establish some sense of rhythm. The Justin Sandercoe’s course on this is probably the best resource I’ve found. He has some exercises that are almost meditative.

filoleg 4y ago
> But I struggle with tapping my foot and strumming in time to a metronome Why would you both tap your foot and use a metronome at the same time while playing a piece? I play piano, not a guitar, but foot tapping is usually for when you don't have a metronome. Sure, tapping and using a metronome at the same time is good, if you are trying to get your foot tapping to be more consistent. But actually practicing a music piece and using a metronome+tapping your foot feels weird, I cannot do it well either. For me, it is either tapping foot or using a metronome.
- criddell 4y ago
  When I’m tapping my foot and strumming to a metronome, that’s all I’m doing. There’s no music being played. My metronome app has a timer. I set a 5 to 15 minute timer and then repeat the same strumming pattern for that entire time (usually down, down-up, up, down which corresponds to the count 1, 2-and, -and, 4 and I play it between 60 and 100 bpm). The strum is just a percussive strum on muted strings. I’m not playing chords or any kind of melody. The goal is to get the strumming and foot tapping to be automatic so that I can add the next step.