working on a solo blues piece

I'm working on a solo blues piece in A that will include both strumming the I IV V chords and single note leads. Kind of a call and response thing. It's one of my goals to play a complete work that doesn't require a second guitarist or a backing track. I'll youtube it when it gets better.

dunlop heavies are out

I tried the dunlop heavy picks again and the joint pain in the thumb started coming back. So I'm back to Fender mediums. I wanna try a dunlop medium; I like the grip area, but the heavy has no flex and it puts too much pressure on my thumb.

a guy like me in Japan

Here is Kerry's youtube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/KEREECHAN

He's a guy in Japan, about my age or younger, with a red 339. He plays in a band, and he's got videos of himself at home playing with backing tracks and videos of his band. I wrote a note on one video -- I hope he can read English! Yeah, he's like a Japanese version of me!

back to fender medium picks

yup, I"m back to fender medium picks. Why? I still like the Dunlop heavies, but it felt after a time that the stiffness put pressure on my joint in my thumb and it began to hurt. The fender medium pick has enough give in it that it flexes so that I don't get that joint pain. So, the switch. Who knows, someday I'll switch to something else. I'd like to try different picks and see how they work out. Cheaper than buying new guitars!

new melodies

check out a few new simple melodies I developed today;

Rob's YouTube Channel

I'm not plugged in so the guitar sounds pretty feeble, but you get the idea!

mid summer update

things are going well. practicing every day. feel better and better with the penta patterns. improvising. just more comfortable. no sudden breakthroughs, but everything is easier. playing the yamaha and epiphone; the gibson is hidden in the closet until the 3 year old has left!

pull offs -- got it!

OK, today I managed pull offs better than ever before. I don't know why, but I could do them today with much better sound. Hammer ons are easy; pulls offs are harder! My left hand is getting more bluesy! I think this will help with my need to get better swing time; to play more bluesy rhythmically. Not just eighth note after eighth note. With hammer ons and pull offs added in the mix along with bends -- I can get a bluesier sound.