New Beginner's YouTube Channel - Going from Dreadful to (hopefully) Decent

ShawnE

https://youtu.be/W2jEm8KNRHQ

Apologies for the two months absence - super busy with life stuff!
@BillDL - I hope yourself & anyone else who's still around from last year are keeping well & have had a good start to this year!

On my front.. bad news is I didn't have time to record updates or really progress much through modules...
However.. good news is I still managed to put in circa' one hour practice pretty much every day which has just helped me further cement the early foundational stuff as well as the new things learned in the first module of grade two, which I've now completed between the start of Jan & now...

In the next module I'm about to start I (finally) start taking a first look at the F.

Edit: For some reason it doesn't look like the post is letting my embed the video... unless I've forgot how to do it right hah! Hopefully copy & pasting the YouTube link at the top is easy enough.

digitalkettle

digitalkettle

Some formatting getting in the way.

ShawnE

@digitalkettle Thank you, sir!

BillDL

Well done Shawn.  I'm glad you have persevered with practice even though you have been particularly busy with other commitments.  Even though you probably think you haven't progressed much or at all during your period of absence from YouTube, you have improved.  You never really stop learning the guitar, but as you mentioned you need to get a firm grip of the fundamentals first, and you are definitely just about there.

ShawnE

https://youtu.be/TEHF5V7BRtQ

After 8 months I've had my first go at singing while playing... it's about 2 or 3 years too soon   - but I figured it'd be good to get these early attempts recorded & documented to also look back on & laugh along with the rest of it in 10 years.

Kept it simple... simple song.. simple chords... still bloody tough! I wasn't expecting to even be able to attempt this sort of thing until around the 2/3 year mark to be honest so super stoked to be giving it a bash after 8 months.

Need to get a general update/progress video done soon as I'm nearing the end of my time on the current module I've been going through since the start of last month.

spark240

Hey bud...you are doing really well....but I feel I must point out...how is your ear for pitch recognition?

 The vocal melody is a little off key in places, but notably on pitch in others ...so I'm wondering why that is...does it sound ok in your head when singing....do you appreciate something isnt right ?

I'm not having a go...I genuinely want to understand and help you improve.


  

 

BillDL

Hi Shawn.  I missed your post when you gave the link to your latest video.

It's not easy to play and sing, is it?

I agree with @spark240 in that your vocal accompaniment drifted off-key and the pitch was out in other places.  Nobody is perfect, of course, and many very popular players/singers are famous because their voices often teetered on the edge of being in and out of tune, like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, Waylon Jennings, and countless others.  That's what makes peoples' voices unique while singing, however I'm wondering what's making you go off pitch.

A chord comprises certain notes from those in the scale of that key.  If you sing any of those notes other than the root note (i.e. the key of the chord, eg. C) you will be be creating a harmony.  This is why you can sustain a vocal note while the chords change underneath it (eg. The Lion Sleeps Tonight), or play a lead guitar note that still sounds good and tuneful against changing chords. Doing so will not always sound tuneful though and there are certain times a note will clash.  I wonder if perhaps you are hearing certain notes from the chords being emphasised more than others and your vocal is latching onto those notes and following them momentarily.  Probably the best way to hear your singing against a strummed chord progression is to hum the vocal line without words, or even whistle it if you can do so without making all the neighbourhood dogs start running around barking and howling 

Please don't feel insulted by what sounds like a criticism.  It's an observation and one intended to be helpful rather than condemning.  You have done really well to get to this stage and I really admire you for having the courage to put yourself out there (warts and all) for the public to see.  Keep persevering and it will all keep coming together.  I hope you are still actually enjoying this.

BillDL

Hi Shawn.  That's been about 11 months since you started learning the guitar.  I'll bet you are playing very fluently now if you have still been able to dedicate enough time to practice quite regularly.  How are you doing?