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Hi there TAC family;

Just wanted to share that yesterday 2-20-21 was my 1 year TAC-aversary!

I joined a lot of clubs and online lessons but the one that I made the most progress with is TAC! 

Thank you Tony and all the members that have given me advise, answers, and support; you are all great!

Guitar Geeks Unite! 

Play On

what internet enhancement do I need for open mic?

From a grandpa of an 11 year old and a 9 year old, that was. well,,,,, awesome!

All the best to you Christopher.

I would like to start a Jam Club in Fayetteville, NC

Today's temp in Chicago... 🌡️ a whopping High of 17 degrees Fahrenheit.🥶

Let's do the time warp back to two years ago in July/August.☀️

🎵  ...Memories! 🎵

Michelle, I am not tech savvy, lol. 

Today I am mostly...  NOT a Happy Bunny...!

But hopefully we get to see the Irish Bloody the Welsh laters... 😉

Today I am Mostly....

Watching the Rugby....  😃

Come on England..... 😍

Any chance you recorded my song last night I heard the guitar sounded buzzy wanted to listen and troule shoot that

Thanks

Hoss

Hi Michelle!  I see that your rank is "chocolate and wine diviner", my aspiration!  How does one achieve this coveted rank!

Niels thanks for posting that diagram! it has helped me understand the concept much better

I can relate to the online distraction keeping me from practicing. Being new to all this I spend way too much time orienting myself on the program... computer technology is not necessarily what I signed up for, but to learn on that front too, is probably not a bad thing either and once I am more familiar, I will cut back on that distraction and focus on practice...  so much more fun!

One old song that I think sounds great on a 12 string is "Walk Right In"  which was a hit for the

Rooftop Singers back in the 60's.  You really have to dig with your pick to get the sound they had

on that.   Another good twelve string song is  "Louise",  Leo Kottke recorded a version back on on early

album he did.  It's a sad song,  but a good one.  I agree with Ian that "Mr Tambourine Man" makes a good

twelve string song.  Or "By the Rivers of Babylon"  for a reggae sound. 

Have fun

"I always wanna listen to new stuff and be learning new styles of playing and pushing myself in different directions... you just have to reach out to different people sometimes to get out of your own circle."  - Molly Tuttle

Wow,  That was a great song.  You play well. 

Trying to join yer open mic I dont see anyone there or I am doing somethin wrong.  

Hi TJ.  Your "Celtic Wannabe" caught my attention.  I'm a three-week old Guitar Geek  and interested in finding members who play Irish/Celtic music.  Let me know!

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.”
― Frederick Douglass

Thanks Niels.  Yes, It's carbon fiber.  It's  Journey Overhead guitar, which can break down to put into an overhead compartment when traveling on on airline.  A great thing about it is that it doesn't seem to be affected by humidity.  I live in Southern California, and the humidity dips into the 20% range quite often, which my wood guitars don't like.  It's also a very easy guitar to play and is becoming my favorite guitar.

Hi Brian, I am interested to find out about the Scone Vom, but can you tell me about the program?  I am new to TAC but I have been playing guitar for a while but not skilled.  

Thanks 

Because the topic is so vast, the CAGED system often gets presented on a "need to know" basis.  This results in players learning CAGED concepts in a disjointed manner, not seeing the connections between the concepts and how they build on each other.

There are smarter ways to absorb and integrate CAGED into your playing.  Here's the roadmap I'd recommend:

• Stage 1 - Learn the octave shapes.  The FBW course assumes that you already know (1) the notes of the fretboard (at minimum the notes of the low E and A strings), and (2) the octave patterns.  If you haven't done this, I would make going through the Foundations of Fretboard Navigation course a priority.  Your objective is to be able to switch between the octave shapes with fluency at a decent speed (~80 bpm)
  • Tony doesn't say this explicitly, but the octave patterns follow the CAGED order.
    • The C shape has roots on strings 2 and 5, two frets apart.
    • The A shape has roots on strings 5 and 3, two frets apart.
    • The G shape has roots on strings 3, 6, and 1, three frets apart.
    • The E shape has roots on strings 6, 1, and 4, two frets apart.
    • The D shape has roots on strings 4 and 2, three frets apart.
    • For example, here are all of the "A" notes on the fretboard.
  • 

• Stage 2 - Learn the CAGED movable chord shapes.  (This is where the FBW course starts)
  • The work you put in so that you can change fluently between octave shapes will have immediate pay offs here.
  • Practice (1) changing between CAGED shapes, and (2) changing between CAGED shapes and open chord shapes
    • Prioritize the E and A shapes (the most commonly used).
    • Learn the minor CAGED chord shapes (EDCAG system,  
  • Once you've mastered changing between the E and A shapes, you can move to Stage 3 (pentatonic shapes), but continue to practice transitioning between CAGED 
    • Highly recommended:
      • Stitch Method's YouTube playlist on CAGED
      • Move Forward Guitar's YouTube playlist on CAGED
      • Bill Edward's Fretboard Logic books. <--REQUIRED reading for all guitarists

• Stage 3 - Learn the five CAGED movable pentatonic scale shapes. These are briefly covered in the FBW course, but you'll need to look outside of TAC at this point for a more in-depth, structured approach to learning them. There is no magic bullet to mastering guitar, but the pentatonic scales get you 75% of the way there.  Put in the work and get them into your fingers!
  • Learn the minor pentatonic scales (EDGAC system) and major pentatonic scales (CAGED system). 
    • Learning the movable pentatonic shapes is the easiest way to improv your improv skills.  
      • Take each scale shape one at a time. Expect to spend at least 1-3 weeks on each shape
      • Start with the E movable scale shape.  Then add the adjacent scale shapes.
      • Master of the shapes isn't just doing them flawlessly ascending. You should be able to do them descending, skipping strings, etc.   
      • Highly recommended:
        • Pow Music's Soloing for Complete Beginners
        • Stich Method's  YouTube playlist on CAGED (covers barré chords and pentatonic scales)
    • Practice scales in a musical context.  Use backing tracks you can find on YouTube (or even on streaming services like Apple Music).  I find backing tracks using apps like Chord Bank makes practicing them fun.  
  • Learn the diagonal patterns that connects the CAGED movable scale shapes.
    • Highly recommended: Progressive Guitar Lesson's The Diagonal Pentatonic Method : Complete 
  • Learn the modifications to the CAGED chord shapes and pentatonic scale shapes
    • Blues pentatonic scale
    • dominant and 7th chord CAGED shapes
    • full major and minor scales

Most hobbyist guitarists will usually stop at Stage 3.  This represents about 6-12 months worth of sustained work.  This is plenty and enough knowledge to navigate the entire fretboard with confidence and ease. 

If you want to move into advanced guitarist territory, there's one more level: expanding your improv skills.  The CAGED system is used in combination with other skills to expand your improvisational vocabulary.

• Stage 4 - Expand your improvisation skills
  • Learn the  triad and arpeggio patterns in each CAGED position
    • Highly recommended:  Stitch Method's free masterclass CAGED Solos, Riffs & Chords 
  • Learn to use target notes, approach tones and chromatic enclosures in your improvisations
  • Integrate modes in your improv