Play guitar better.

I’d better get on this quick because I have one tenant already…not everyone wants to hear their landlord banging away on his guitar in the basement…maybe some extra insulation in the office ceiling? lol!!

Hmmm maybe this goal should be “play guitar AT ALL”!!!! lol!! I guess I’ve been busy, mainly with work and the renos, not that that’s any excuse…

Have been picking it up the odd time to maintain, primarily the one song, but have been slacking…

I can play “Breaking the Law” competently now, and completely from memory. Haven’t done much else, but to pick up the guitar at least once a day just to play that one through.

Talk about a combination!! But I can play both of these songs competently now – I would have no problem getting up in front of a crowd to play them. I’m working in Linux right now, and don’t have a copy of “Breaking the Law” to use for background…so I just picked up my axe and started playing from memory. Done! :c) Some of my technique could use a little improvement, and now I need to look at the score and pick a few previously-unaddressed little details to death, but I can play all the way through from memory with no mistakes. (Well, none that anyone could hear through the distortion!! lol)

As far as Andy Kim goes…this is a simple little “bubble gum” song with anyone can play with no more than four cowboy chords: C,F,D,G. (How those relate to each other is becoming increasingly clear to me through my current theory studies!) I’ve been throwing the switch on my amp from “clean” (similar to acoustic) to “distorted” for a bit now, and playing it with bar chords just for shits and giggles. But what I’m starting to do now is to play it in different positions on the neck. Not only is this allowing me to get different acoustic feels, but it allows me to transpose the song on the fly. Yes, it’s still a transposition when you play an octave higher in the same key…isn’t it? OK, maybe technically not, but I’m still playing with harmonics and movement of chords.

I’m listening to Metallica’s “Invisible Kid” as I type this…Maybe I should start playing that one? Sounds simple enough…Teh world is my oyster now! 8cD

I was playing around with Bryan Adams’ “Summer of 69” a year or two ago…maybe I should pick that one up again. I’m now building a repertoire of complete manageable songs, instead of just the introduction to the odd piece that’s way over my head, like “Purple Haze”.

Played a little the other day after a couple of weeks leaving it alone again…

Have spent an hour or two in practice more or less daily for at least a week now. Definitely starting to turn the corner as a musician! :c)

Completed tabbing this in Guitar Pro, and am now working on doing the same with another piece that was given to me by its composer a few years ago, another church fellow. Time well wasted! :c)

Working on “Rock Me Gently” by Andy Kim. Not too much to that, since it’s really only a 3-chord song. (Playing it with both cowboy chords and moveable chords w/ distortion.) My new relationship is all about about “rock me gently, rock me slowly”...so it fits. Thank God I’ve found a reason to pick up the guitar again! :c)

Started to write the tab in Guitar Pro format, which is another new thing for me.

I haven’t done much playing (practising) with the software, but at least I’ve downloaded some songs and spent some time acquainting myself with the software.

I’ve recently moved a bunch of stuff around in the house, so now the office is more or less cleaned out, and I’ve devoted one corner of it to musical instruments. This means that I can turn on the software and reach for the guitar…

To tell the truth, the table and floor are covered in tax papers, but that will be over soon, as the tax deadline is looming…