Rode exercise bike for 1/2 hour. Worked on piano last night. Bass clef!

Rode exercise bike for an hour.

CREED

Rode exercise bike for 1/2 hour / restarted piano stuff.

Saw the movie CREED and just loved it. Stallone was great, and I hope he gets an Oscar. 

- A NEW BUT OLD DIRECTION -

IWell, I started this blog with the idea of tracking my progress learning the piano. It has since gone some other directions, most recently highlighting my learning of the guitar.

Here we are, on Black Friday, 2015, and I've gone full circle back to attempting to learn the piano. I'm using the Piano With Willie website to learn. Must admit to some trepidation; wondering if I'm too old, etc., but we'll see!

There's a Martin guitar at a local music store that I just might have to purchase.

Recently went back to reading the Keith Richards biography, and it's enjoyable. Interesting to see how he utilized the open G tuning and his thinking that went along with that. An innovator!!! Great riffs!!

Rode exercise bike for 1/2 hour.

Thanksgiving Eve, 2015

Walked in different time intervals, adding to a total of about an hour.

Trying to figure out where I stand spiritually. 

Worked more on the Howard book.

Rode exercise bike for 1/2 hour.

Ended up recording "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" last night.

Rode exercise bike for 1/2 hour.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Rode exercise bike for 1/2 hour. Finally finished a solo arrangement of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" for guitar, and worked on playing it. Needs some time before it's ready to record.

Rode exercise bike for 1/2 hour.

Rode exercise bike for 1/2 hour.

Rode exercise bike for 1/2 hour.

Guitar

Rode exercise bike for 1/2 hour. I don't think that fingerpicking style is something for me. Focused on Howard's stuff tonight. Interested again in chord melody.

Ride exercise bike for 1/2 hour.

Howard and Hanson

Using two methods:

1) "Guitar Roots: Swing / The Roots of Great Guitar Playing" by Paul Howard.

I fast forwarded to Chapter 5 in this book in order to work on soloing. I'm on page 34.

2) "The Art of Solo Fingerpicking" by Mark Hanson. I'm on page 7.

Merry Early Christmas

Ride exercise bike for 1/2 hour. Played our first Christmas gig of the season and it went ok. 

Decided again to try fingerpicking. Looking into acoustic guitars. 

Ride exercise bike for 1/2 hour. Our band will play our first Christmas show of the season tomorrow.

Ride exercise bike for 1/2 hour. Yesterday, I ordered a swing jazz guitar book.

Ride exercise bike for 1/2 hour. Moving away from Gypsy Jazz. Listened to some Charlie Christian last night and thought it was cool. Not quite where to go in my learning at this point.

Gypsy Revisted

Rode exercise bike for 1/2 hour.  Started new diet.

Looks like I just might get into Gypsy guitar again; specifically, the book "How I Learned" Vol. 1 by Gonzalo Bergara.

Herb Ellis Books

Well I think I'm going to give up learning fingerpicking guitar. It's too much to learn and I just don't like it enough.

Will try the Herb Ellis books again, starting with "The Herb Ellis Jazz Guitar Method: Swing Blues."

A New Focus

I think that instead of getting a new electric guitar, I'd like to get a Martin acoustic. My Epiphone Casino can handle just about everything I want to do electrically. I think I want to put learning improvising on hold for now. Not that I won't do it, but I find myself moving in a direction: Acoustic guitar in general, and specifically, fingerpicking.

Now I'm finding that there are generally two kinds of styles in this genre (and of course there are probably more but I'll focus on the two most prominent to me): acoustic fingerpicking blues, and acoustic fingerpicking in general. I'd like to focus on the latter.

I dug out a book that I had in my collection and I'm going to take a shot at it: "The Art of Solo Fingerpicking" by Mark Hanson.

- Getting interested again in fingerpicking acoustic guitar. Sort of like jazz chord melody, but less jazzy and more acoustic. Relatedly, thinking of giving up my search for an electric guitar (my Casino is fine), and looking for a Martin.

- Trying to learn that it's ok to just not like and/or trust everyone. That not everyone is s good person, and that attempting to please everyone isn't the way to go. Self-respect in the face of others not being respectful. 

Happy November

Continued practice on how to improvise over a minor chord. Learning to use the Dorian scale and the minor arpeggio in many places on the fretboard. 

There's a lot to learn and I worry about the potential for confusion as I add more scales and arpeggios to my knowledge bass. I also worry about the potential for confusion and frustration as I try to hit certain target notes (the 3rd, etc). 

Just need to keep the self criticism to the level of healthy feedback rather than unhealthy harshness which can lead to quitting!