Why Your Guitar Strumming is Awful

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Listening Homework:

The squiggly guitar video:

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[maxkelter]

Right, about strumming Sean. I have too much arm and elbow action. Wrist action is the key, or a combination thereof. Relaxing ones hand almost touching the guitar forces the wrist action more. Tnx.

[jcburger]

Thanks for the strumming tip. Loved the salty blues comment response too. I think I would have a hard time tuning the squiggly fret guitar since you need a different tuner. It sounds great though.

[markpeavy]

Ok, Sensei. You may have helped me with a problem I developed without realizing. I was using my fingers to guide my pick, prided myself on being able to hit certain strings thinking it was a strength of mine then realizing I'm thumping the pick guard with my pinkie and ring finger. The subtle difference of crossing the palm of my hand across the bridge to allow me to not hit my fingers and to mute the lower strings as I want. Working on this with your help! Keep those new California vibes coming, Sensei!

[kudgeond]

You're right, I didn't listen to your new song until you made it homework. I like it but couldn't understand most of the lyrics so it's hard to suggest a title. If you were singing "I can't wait" at the end then that's a possibility. Since I don't know what the song is about take this fwiw but at one point I was hoping you'd break the singing rhythm and surprise me a little - it had a plodding, stuck in a rut feel. Maybe that was the point but I think the song can be even better. Didn't seem to have a bridge, which is maybe what I was looking for.
Thanks for the strumming tips. I tend to chew up the edge of the sound hole and I suck at palm muting so this looks like a solution to both problems.

[nwimpney]

The problem with the squiggly frets is that they are actually using a different temperament called "Thidell Formula 1", which moves some of the bigger errors closer to just intonation in the keys that are most commonly played on guitar.
While this should make those keys sound more "in-tune", it _is_ necessarily making other keys worse, and perhaps more importantly, you'll be out of tune with other instruments in equal temperament.
They claim that the more out of tune intervals don't sound dissonant, they just add harmonic "spice".

A clear indication of this, is the tuning instructions.

To make it work, you need to tune your low E 2 cents flat, D 2 cents sharp, g 4cents sharp, b and high e 1 cent flat.

If you use this, you will be out of tune with other instruments (Not because the other instruments are wrong, but because they're making _different_ compromises).

It might still be a cool thing for solo guitar if you play in the keys that it improves, but it's not what's implied by the marketing, or even what's understood by most of the people reviewing it on youtube.

It's almost invariably talked about as if it's just correcting problems, but not mentioned that it is increasing the errors in some other intervals.

[dabidibup]

“Campfire style, it’s that’s fine, but that’s when the tapping will occur”
I think that’s the point… ifyanowadameen

[adsicks]

I am a bass player and I hate not having that fixed point like I do fingerstyle. Thank you for showing this. I am going to try this. It should solve my problem.

[ravantgarde]

I know it’s trash you don’t need to rub it in

[Npteague]

This lesson just took my playing to a whole new level. Can’t thank you enough Sean!!!

[toblue]

Hell SEAN ! Im Still working On UR last "Picking & Strumming" Video ! I haven't Got That Down Yet ! Ol West

[enonknives]

If your guitar is perfectly in tune, and your fellow guitar player's guitar is not, then won't you make each other seem to sound bad? You'll be out of tune with each other. (Not that it matters in my case, because I always sound out of tune.)

[Tiimmaaayy]

Listening Homework - How about 'Alterations of Change' ?

[danscharman]

Question— Gretsch or d’angelico electric, which do you like better and why

[TheChristafershawn]

"Good enough for rock and roll" is something I learned early on when first entering the studio as a teen when I was able to write enough songs to make an EP but still had a lot of bad habits and limited skills. Also another one I would hear a lot was ....that take was kind of then we are moving on".

[liberalsrmentallyflawed]

If you hold the guitar correctly. Against your body and not leaned back on you at an angle. That strumming position with the hand resting on the bridge really is not feasible..

[veritasgnosis]

But, now hear me out... What about the windmill?

[leechild]

One strumming technique is where along the strings you strum at will give you a variety of sounds.

[mocatz]

whoa, 39 years old. i didn't know that....

[robdyk]

I think you're looking GREAT for 39 my bro, great job, keep on with the clean vegan eating and also the no booze, great formula, well done Sean!

[pookiemoon]

you look like Luke perry to me and that's a compliment. ;)