TOPIC: Timing and chord changes.

Fretmentor says "listen for the chord changes". I hear what he is saying but I do not necessarily "hear" the chords change. Any tips on this? Also keeping rythym during a chord change. I would love to hear any feedback!!!

Lesliek, I think that it just takes time....at the beginning we are concentrating so hard in what we are doing that we just can't hear the changes...as you start to feel more comfortable with your playing then you also start to hear what's going on outside of your "bubble"...at least that's how it worked with me.... as my mom would say: "PATIENCE"!

Tigerpaws how long have you been playing? When did you start, and what do you enjoy the most?

I would also counsel patience. At least on the rhythm side I have had a recent breakthrough where I seem to be able to maintain the rhythm chords better than before and I am not always hitting the wrong bass strings. This is after a long time of frustration with these issues. One thing I have learned is that repetition is good for me even though I don't always enjoy the repetitive exercises that the Fretmentor prescribes for me. Repeating the chord exercises, repeating the scales, and repeating the chord changes has really helped me though. Now if I can work on an exercise for my stage fright, that would be great.

Lesliek, I started with the guitar in 2008 when I retired from teaching...I started the mandolin in 2009 when my sister in law was so very ill and told me that that was her favorite instrument....so I picked it up to give her a little joy...and I picked up the fiddle about 4 weeks ago when I had a mental lapse . However I did take piano lessons for 5 years as a little girl....at my dad's insistence.... Think banjo will be next.
Ispencerini...I've heard that if you envision your audience in their skivvies that the stage fright goes away...it DOES NOT work for me...and I really don't care for that mental picture .

I joined this class to try to get over a lifelong stage fright that had me quit piano as a teenager because I couldn't play rrecitals. I have given scientific lectures to large audiences without too much trouble. But music, no. The class has helped tremendously.

A psychologist friend of mine with 30 years practice experience, lots of artists, told me this past weekend that if you tell yourself that you are playing to please only yourself, and not playing to please the audience, it helps a lot. I will try that next time.