rapsidy learning strumming Norwegian wood guitar lesson

[rapsidy]

Hi guys sorry for making another thread, i need someone to tell how i can add a video to same thread like i have seen others do i.e. Willem can u help there?

Anyhow i was just showing what i hope bear and others ment by continuous hand movement while picking out the melody. Can you tell me if this is what you mean or close as i dont want to spend anymore time practicing wrong techniques. In this video i was more focused on just trying to keep the hand going as my accuracy on the notes was a bit off.

plus i have had this guitar for 2 years nearly and they r original strings :laugh: i know some will cringe but i dont have a job, my wife supports me shes a good girl so i would be pushing the friendship asking her to buy me stings. The good news is christmas is around the corner and i start work in Feb. The reason i said that is the high B string is sounding :S yuk !!

[michelew]

By Jove, I think you've got it!

But Bear will be the test.

Great job!

[willem]

Hey Brad,,great to see you again on NW,,you got the idea of keep the hand moving and then pickout the melody/notes,so it comes more part of the chord,,i think when you let the melody notes more ringout your there,i think you achieve(ring out) that by letting your finger there(atleast on the last note of every short riff),,not gonna say more, i'm to afraid to confuse you and bIgbear can explain it very good and ofcause our Master..hope he get's you..goodluck and i'm glad you stayed on the song,,its a great one to master..

[mark]

Hi Brad

Yeah the right hand movement looks good to me.
The right hand is always going to move less when you are playing just one note.

I notice that you are playing the melody notes quite stracato.
Try and sustain the melody notes a bit longer, so that they become smoother

[tovo]

Mate it IS heaps better. In my humble opinion, think "bouncy". the pick bounces from note to note. It helps with the sustain Mark has mentioned and also helps keep a steady tempo.

But well done.

[neverfoundthetime]

Looks good to me Brad. Mark's comment is spot on. Man, those a big hands... should give you a good spread on the left hand when you have to stretch for some notes!

[buddy]

Brad,

That was a big step in the right direction. This song has been really good for you to and allowed you to learn some new things.

Bud

[jayswett]

You are obviously making progress. I would slow it down a bit, perhaps, but I don't have much more to suggest. Your right hand seems to be moving in the constant fashion Neil and others recommend. I'm sure you already know this, but you can miss some or all of the strings from time to time (during an up or a down strumming stroke) to give the song a less monotonous feel to it.

[BigBear]

tovo wrote:

Mate it IS heaps better. In my humble opinion, think "bouncy". the pick bounces from note to note. It helps with the sustain Mark has mentioned and also helps keep a steady tempo.

But well done.

YES! Absolutely true!

Brad- Much better. You're getting it!! Much smoother. Obviously, still a work in progress.

I just went out and played this song again so I could figure out what I'm tying to say. After the melody run, try to avoid the quick, three down-up-down strum. It sounds wrong.

That's not what keeping your hand moving means. By keeping your hand moving, it doesn't mean you have to play notes on every stroke, it just means that your right hand will keep the timing and not allow any "stops" in the song. And your hand doesn't have to move exactly evenly, but just in the tempo of the song, keeping that bouncy feel.

Better, try to just hit a down stroke on the first beat and maybe a very light partial up stroke. It's more of a two part strum, doo-dooooo. Pretty scientific I know! lol!

Like Tony said this song is all about the feel. You are getting much closer! Keep it up, you're doing great! This can be a really frustrating little song and then one day it will just all fall into place and you'll wonder why it was seemed so difficult.

Please post a follow up video so we can see how you're doing! :cheer:

[Hydroman52]

jayswett wrote:

I would slow it down a bit, perhaps . . . . . . .

I would agree here. It wouldn't be a crime to slow it way down, keep working on it until you have it clean, and then, very gradually, speed it up. Actually, I just reviewed Neil's lesson on this and check out Part 6 and Part 10. The answers are there.

I think you're doing really well on this tune, and you are on the right track. If you make it a little smoother and get the rest of the chords in there, then you are done. It will be complete and sound good.

On the subject of old strings, you might try cleaning them with a light mineral oil. Put a little on a cloth and then wipe each string individually down the entire length. Don't forget to do the underside of the string. Then wipe the string with a dry part of the cloth to remove the loosened crud and excess oil. You may have to do this a couple of times until most all the gunk is removed. Clean strings will give a more brilliant tone and longer sustain. I'm guessing that after 2 years, they are a bit dull and thumpy. This won't bring them back to brand new condition, but it will probably help. I use Dr. Stringfellow's String Cleaner and I have more than doubled the length of time between string changes. A really talented woodworker and guitar player that I know has told me that this stuff is mostly mineral oil.

Once you get the song down, then you'll be ready to serenade your wonderful wife. Keep us all posted.

Hydroman52