Guitarists Anyone else use/like Truefire

Subject: RE: Guitarists Anyone else use/like Truefire
From: leeneia
Date: 17 Sep 19 - 03:12 PM

Thanks Nick. I have put that page on my Favorites so I won't lose it. It looks promising. I also listened to "You Belong to Me" on your channel. You play well.

Subject: RE: Guitarists Anyone else use/like Truefire
From: Nick
Date: 16 Sep 19 - 03:35 PM

The page I would got to is this - I have logged out and checked I can access it.

Acoustic learning paths

Within that are a series of Core skills which I am sure you have many of. Outside of the core at every level are other examples if you want to expand more at a level. No electric guitars on that page and a LOT of tutorials. There are I think ten Core skills to go through I have played through 4 or so far.

The idea - and it works for me - is you play through the things you know and skim and complete them - to find the level where you start to learn

I'll give you an example of a course I find hard - on this particular thing he happens to be playing an electric guitar but it works on acoustic. It is classed as intermediate and I class myself as being a competent guitarist. Ande I have some off so far but I have a found a level competence where I can learn. I learned loads - this is single note stuff in quite a lot of styles but applicable to many. 30 licks for country, jazz, bluegrass, blues etc. It is more there as an example of the teaching method and quality of explanation etc

I have no interest in this other than I thought I might be useful to people as most people I have asked have never heard of it

Not as a plug but I have a Youtube channel with various stuff on which shows you the level I'm at. Many are better of course - it's not to go you play well. Neither is to start a discussion whether I'm good bad or indifferent. Youtube for Nick Some of them are playing live with friends. Some are just practice or sharing odds and sods of thoughts with friends. None of the solo acoustic guitar is of performance standard.

Subject: RE: Guitarists Anyone else use/like Truefire
From: leeneia
Date: 16 Sep 19 - 10:25 AM

I just spent 11 minutes there, but it seems longer.

Perhaps Mudcatters can help me translate from all the guy talk. The site is loaded with guitarists I never heard of and terms I don't understand. Though my female intuition tells me I will probably never want to shred my guitar.

I thought "Acoustic" would be a good term, and I saw that Alex Skolnik is down for that. So I looked up Alex Skolnik on YouTube and heard him playing loud, whining, fast electric guitar. (music also completely indistinguishable from any rock riff I have ever heard) So he's not the answer.

Basically I play folk guitar with a thumbpick. I meet with my friends who play recorder, flute and harp, and I look at the chords and improvise an accompaniment. But I wish my accompaniment could be richer, with more notes and strums in it.

Also, I have a bad time playing C and F.

Any suggestions?

Subject: RE: Guitarists Anyone else use/like Truefire
From: leeneia
Date: 16 Sep 19 - 10:05 AM

Thanks for the info, Nick. I'll take a look.

Subject: RE: Guitarists Anyone else use/like Truefire
From: Nick
Date: 15 Sep 19 - 11:47 AM

I did look at Peghead after a thread on here and a Tony McManus thing and decided not to. Still get the emails.

I probably still have that jazz vibe in me

Subject: RE: Guitarists Anyone else use/like Truefire
From: gillymor
Date: 15 Sep 19 - 08:31 AM

I saw it Nick and I'll probably give it a try when I hit a rut, as I always do, but for now I'm sticking with BGU because I've come so far so fast and want to retain my focus. I'm certainly not arguing that it's better only that it's worked for me. I also have a one year subscription to Peghead Nation which covers most of the common (in the Western World) acoustic stringed instruments within various genres, and has some really excellent teachers like Scott Nygaard, Tony MacManus, Evi Ladin etc. You can get free sample lessons for their courses as well.

Subject: RE: Guitarists Anyone else use/like Truefire
From: Nick
Date: 15 Sep 19 - 08:00 AM

Also be interested if this seeable? Or only because I have a login

Some blues

This is a blues site as well isn't it? I forget sometimes. My life was brought up on blues - acoustic first but over time more electric

And one of funnest thing was watching a Clapton, Vaughan, Kray, Guy concert and then Albert Collins came on... for me moved it up a lot of levels the first time I heard him

Doing more typing than learning which is silly. Too lazy and not disciplined enough to get better

Subject: RE: Guitarists Anyone else use/like Truefire
From: Nick
Date: 15 Sep 19 - 07:44 AM

I had a look on Blues Guitar Unleashed. I have no axe to grind but if you like that you might very much like Matt Schofield's stuff on truefire and it's rather differently put together. It has Intro - Show and Explain - break it down - with the added benfits of being able to slow it down to your pace and the tabs etc are there - and then play along and trade solos etc.

It's rather well resourced. By all means if there's better then I'm happy. This current will keep me going for a year.

It's a bit like this with Automated tab which is not very folky but it is rooted in blues :) And sometimes my eyes, ears and fingers don't always pick up the nuances of what people do. And sometimes to be able to see AND have a tab until you get over the next hill is useful. Well it is to me. Too many plateaus and too few hills climbed - the definition of middle/old aged angst

Subject: RE: Guitarists Anyone else use/like Truefire
From: gillymor
Date: 15 Sep 19 - 07:11 AM

Was it Beethoven who said, I stood on the shoulders of giants.

I recently discovered a guy on youtube, the name escapes me but his channel is Blues Guitar Unleashed, who's taught me more about electric blues improvising in a few months than I've learned in decades of jamming and picking up stuff by ear. It's a free site though you can go premium and get notation for a fee but he makes it easy to learn by watching and listening.

Subject: RE: Guitarists Anyone else use/like Truefire
From: Nick
Date: 15 Sep 19 - 06:25 AM

Perhaps you can't see it outside of the site

>>I would only want to play like me though, not like anyone else, however much better they are

That's a very interesting comment. My experience of learning is more about assimilating what I learn rather than being the other person. Aside from own stuff, I play other people's songs but I don't do exact note for note imitations because they have been done already. So I'll watch Tommy Emmanuel (in awe) playing Moon River. But he plays in C and I play it in G and our versions are very different - he is much more competent and able than I am. But I may assimilate some of his bits.

Everyone I have ever watched and everyone I have played with has influenced my playing. And there are elements of lots of things.

For me it was going back to basics to be a better player. Not to be someone else

Subject: RE: Guitarists Anyone else use/like Truefire
From: Nick
Date: 15 Sep 19 - 06:00 AM

It might have been the wrong link

https://truefire.com/

Subject: RE: Guitarists Anyone else use/like Truefire
From: JHW
Date: 15 Sep 19 - 05:46 AM

I shouldn't have looked as I'm not a Guitarist, rather a singer who sometimes uses the guitar for accompaniment. The link took me to a pay-up screen so I guess its on-line courses. I would only want to play like me though, not like anyone else, however much better they are.

Subject: RE: Guitarists Anyone else use/like Truefire
From: Nick
Date: 15 Sep 19 - 05:21 AM

I realise that I must have bought it on an offer as it's more expensive now. I'd guess they will offer it again. But the 30 days FREE to try it is still available. The All Access gives access to EVERY course across all the genres. Today is Frank Vignola and jazz or Matt Schofield and blues for me - not sure which. Just got to be careful to do neither..!

Subject: Guitarists Anyone else use/like Truefire
From: Nick
Date: 15 Sep 19 - 05:16 AM

I came across this site a while back and am something of a convert. To the extent that I now subscribe to it. Usually I am rather wary of internet offerings but I do think this is rather good. I have recommended it to quite a lot of people and none of them have heard it. I think I have a recommendation link but this is not something where I am trying to make a few pennies. For me it's worth the £10ish a month

It is called Truefire - you may already know it already

I play the guitar to a reasonable level and love it but there is a review here that gives a balance - Another review

I'm about quarter through my first (acoustic) learning path and have whizzed through the beginning stuff quickly - though I thought I wouldn't ignore it.

Hours of stuff there and I end up being to play acoustic like Tommy Emmanuel, jazz like Frank Vignola and blues like Matt Schofield I will be very happy (and surprised)! But if I don't then I will learn a lot there is a lot of quality in it. The only similar resource that I really like (for it's quality and clarity) is Jazz Piano School but that is less relevant here

For me it does have a structure to it and encourages you to play through the Core stuff until you get to the bits you find hard and then start working harder and that works better for me than (say) the way I have used Youtube to learn specific songs or licks or things. A bit like learning a language rather than learning a lot of phrases and struggling to put them all together.