"If You Could Read My Mind"..A continuting TwoCat effort.......
What everyone else has said. But also, forget the camera is there. No need to add additional pressure on yourself. And relax. Instead of racing through the song, try to play more thoughtfully with more feeling (I know that comes with time). Sing the song in your head with all the emotion you can muster - this is a sad song. Looking forward to seeing your next upload. Keep at it.
Hi Sam,
It’s great to see you pursuing your goal. The first thing I noticed while watching your video was exactly what Ness pointed out … You are doing really well with the fingerpicking part of this. Being more of a flat picker myself I struggle with my right hand when it’s nekkid. I’m impressed. I can only agree with how important hand position is, in particular, at least from this clip, your finger placement. You seem to be too far away from the frets often and too on top of them at other times. The dead or buzzing notes that will create is far more apparent when fingerpicking and even worse when arpeggio picking. As was mentioned, you may get away with it when strumming but slowing it down to the point where you can get each note to ring cleanly is often the key to success.
To be honest Sam you are further along with this than I imagined when you announced this as your goal. I applaud your enthusiasm and determination in that regard. I have no doubt that with that attitude and the help of some of the “far more knowledgeable than I” folks here you’ll have this song where you want it sooner than you think.
Keep up the great work and I look forward to your next installment.
♫ Ken ♫
It’s great to see you pursuing your goal. The first thing I noticed while watching your video was exactly what Ness pointed out … You are doing really well with the fingerpicking part of this. Being more of a flat picker myself I struggle with my right hand when it’s nekkid. I’m impressed. I can only agree with how important hand position is, in particular, at least from this clip, your finger placement. You seem to be too far away from the frets often and too on top of them at other times. The dead or buzzing notes that will create is far more apparent when fingerpicking and even worse when arpeggio picking. As was mentioned, you may get away with it when strumming but slowing it down to the point where you can get each note to ring cleanly is often the key to success.
To be honest Sam you are further along with this than I imagined when you announced this as your goal. I applaud your enthusiasm and determination in that regard. I have no doubt that with that attitude and the help of some of the “far more knowledgeable than I” folks here you’ll have this song where you want it sooner than you think.
Keep up the great work and I look forward to your next installment.
♫ Ken ♫
you are off to a great start. I don't have anything to add to what has already been said, but I will say that I look forward to seeing you play the solo/bridge when you have that down. Keep working on this. It is such a great song, and you will be very happy to have it in your repertoire.
TwoCatSam wrote:
I find recording practice sessions to be an enormously helpful tool. And I don't mean just for uploading videos for feedback. I allows you to see what you're doing from another perspective and I have found that quite often I can see things that wouldn't have occurred to me otherwise. I try to have a camera handy and record my progress as often as is practical. Shortly after I started to do this I noticed that I have a bad habit of allowing my index finger to bend when playing barre chords. I had no idea I was doing that. Now that I've focused on improving that barre chords sound a helluva lot better. Having a camera "rolling" often also helps with "camera nerves" because you become more accustomed to it and tend to forget its running. That doesn't seem to be a problem at all for you
♫ Ken ♫
Oh, I forgot to comment on this remark....... Just watching this misery, I saw I'm bending strings. I had no idea I was doing this ......
I find recording practice sessions to be an enormously helpful tool. And I don't mean just for uploading videos for feedback. I allows you to see what you're doing from another perspective and I have found that quite often I can see things that wouldn't have occurred to me otherwise. I try to have a camera handy and record my progress as often as is practical. Shortly after I started to do this I noticed that I have a bad habit of allowing my index finger to bend when playing barre chords. I had no idea I was doing that. Now that I've focused on improving that barre chords sound a helluva lot better. Having a camera "rolling" often also helps with "camera nerves" because you become more accustomed to it and tend to forget its running. That doesn't seem to be a problem at all for you
♫ Ken ♫
haoli25 wrote:
[quote]Move your thumb to the middle of the back of the neck and try to keep it there most of the time. Try lowering your wrist too. That will help you strike the strings with a better angle. If your wrist is too far back, you tend to hit the strings at a sharp angle that causes muted notes and 'bends' on the strings.
I FIND THIS SUCH A GREAT TIP,,I STARTED ALSO FOR A GOAL IN 2012 A TEARING INSTRUMENTAL AND FIND OUT THAT I HAVE MANY MUTED AND SOMETIMES A BEND NOTE
AND THAT COMES BY NOT HAVE A STRAIGHT ANGLE ON THE STRINGS WITH MY FINGER TIP,,NOW CONCENTRADE MORE ON MY THUMB AT THE BACK IT GOES BETTER,,
THANKS BILL... :laugh:
[quote]Move your thumb to the middle of the back of the neck and try to keep it there most of the time. Try lowering your wrist too. That will help you strike the strings with a better angle. If your wrist is too far back, you tend to hit the strings at a sharp angle that causes muted notes and 'bends' on the strings.
I FIND THIS SUCH A GREAT TIP,,I STARTED ALSO FOR A GOAL IN 2012 A TEARING INSTRUMENTAL AND FIND OUT THAT I HAVE MANY MUTED AND SOMETIMES A BEND NOTE
AND THAT COMES BY NOT HAVE A STRAIGHT ANGLE ON THE STRINGS WITH MY FINGER TIP,,NOW CONCENTRADE MORE ON MY THUMB AT THE BACK IT GOES BETTER,,
THANKS BILL... :laugh:
Sam, I think everyone else has picked up the major points, but I have a suggestion not yet mentioned. If you have difficulty spreading your fingers far enough to easily reach the frets, try warming up and stretching your hand before you play. Congratulations on posting a video. Those first few are definitely not easy. Later today, I'll hoist a pint in your honor.
wrench wrote:
hope you don't mind i put a link Dan
OH YEAH DAN NOW YOU MENSIOND STRETCHING I REMEMBER A VIDEO WERE YOU SHOWED HOW YOU DO THAT(WITH A BALL),,I THINK SAM WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT.Sam, I think everyone else has picked up the major points, but I have a suggestion not yet mentioned. If you have difficulty spreading your fingers far enough to easily reach the frets, try warming up and stretching your hand before you play. Congratulations on posting a video. Those first few are definitely not easy. Later today, I'll hoist a pint in your honor.
hope you don't mind i put a link Dan