Comments About FD
Hey folks, many of you have been awesome and have written to me about your experiences with Guitar Chord Secrets and Fretboard Domination. For that, I thank you!
But here, I'm going to ask you to go a step further, if you feel comfortable doing so.
If any of my lessons have helped you in ANY way – whether its stuff you found on Free-Guitar-Chords.com, TortoiseGuitar.com, my Tortoise Guitar YouTube channel, or Fretboard Domination, I would REALLY appreciate you writing a comment below explaining where you were BEFORE you got my info, and where you are AFTER… explaining to your heart’s content how you got there. 
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Comments on Comments About FD
Can we see same video on youtube?
I actually want to express my appreciation to the effort you put into this.. I have checked other of your wonderful videos last year on youtube, and it made things fun, easy, motivating to learn.
Al
These lessons are priceless. If anyone wants to expand their knowledge of the guitar and music in general this site is a must! From the basics to an indepth insight on how this beautiful instrument works. This site gives all the info that it would take years to learn just a generation ago. But as they say, "When the student is ready, the teacher will come. " Thank you so much for this gift!
Hi J.B.,
In response to your question about how I am coming along with FD, I think it is great and am doing rather well but at this time there is illness in the family. Haven't been able to put as much time into it as I would like. Am having trouble with melodies though, trying to remember one note after another and where they are on the fretboard. Also having trouble fingering chords quickly without errors, but I guess all this will clear up with much practice.
Thanks for being there,
Herb
Hello JB
Just wanted to give a "kudos" on the C Major Play Along video!! Take away the fact that I can't get it out of my head, it's a great warm up and if I didn't know any better (and I don't really
) I'd swear I can hear the individual notes much better by ear now that I use it daily.
This is exactly why I support your teachings!!!
Thanks again.
John, the work you have done is phenomenal and I am amazed and delighted with how you are managing to meet the needs (wants?!) of a variety of players with different abilities. I am excited about the modal jam tracks which you introduce almost immediately.
I have been watching your videos and have had your "Guitar chords secrets ecourse" for some time and go back to them often. Hats off to you…… this is a very comprehensive course that you are delivering and I am wow'ed by your ability to put it together in a way that addresses such a diverse audience.
I am a bit puzzled by your "Circle of Fourths", which in fact is just the Circle of Fifths going backwards around the wheel, but maybe it is a "down under" thing?
There are Circle of Fifth wheels and other aids that I use and wonder if the same is true for fourths or is this a JB original?
I have been playing guitar and picking up bits and pieces of theory for several years, but Fretboard Domination has been a real find for me. The knowledge I have is now falling much better into place, and new knowledge is building on this. Your course is highly motivating for me. Its hitting the spot with regards providing the tools I need to become a proficient and usefull guitarist. As I teach guitar at a beginner level, I am very happy that students of mine will be getting the advantage of a teacher who can put guitar theory into a practical and understandable system for them. FD is, as you say, the road map I need to get to where I want to go.
You have a very good site. Clean and easy to follow; however, I down loaded your free book and all the pages were blank! Is there any way I can get this book, because you said it must be read along with the course work.
Thanks
Which eBook is that, Richard?
Hi JB,
To cut a long story short, I have been needing the lessons you provide for 25 years. I started playing guitar at an early age, but got disgruntled with it in my 20's and gave it up for 12 years. I picked it about again about 4 years ago because I had a growing annoyance within me that I was squandering something I could be good at and would provide me a source of tremendous happiness and satisfcation if I could master it. I just wish I had your lessons back when I was young. 4 weeks ago I came across your site and in that 4 weeks I have learnt a huge amount already. More than I have ever learnt previoulsy with private tuition even! Your lessons are clear and concise and perfect for me. I at least now understand what key I'm playing in and I now know what scale I can use over it. Previously I just guessed on what sounded right but always had this nagging doubt that I didn't really know and sometimes it just never sounded quite right and I was unable to know how to fix it. I now have confidence in knowing that once I get through your courses entirely, I will be well on my way to playing as I always wished I could.
Hi again JB,
Just have to say the 04a-CMajor lessons are great. I have made huge progress in a week by just playing with the backing tracks to these. I always practised major scales in 3 notes per string box's. Consequently I found it difficult to see the patterns up and down the fretboard but this lesson has sorted that out in no time at all and I am playing the C major master pattern all over the fretboard to these backing tracks no problem.
Yes there is a lot you have covered in these lessons and wondering if you have any comments on using garage band as this could be a good method of recording rythumn pasaage and then trying to add the melody/john
Yes… go for it. I have Garageband on myIiMac but haven't had time to get into it.
you will know from my previous comments that my intial issues have all been related to finding a method to memorize scales to solo over chords.
i must say that this as realy been fustrating me for the past 2 years.
anyway ive downloaded the pentatonic guitar majic and studied the shapes then i played a tape with a simple 1-4-5 proggesion on it but lingering on each chord before it changed and ALALOOOOOYA for the first time i realy flowed around the neck, this within 30min of study time.
i intend to take this further and then revert back to the other lessons.
Hey Graham… congratulations. Seems something has clicked.
That's really good news. Now all you need is find a way to add the extra 2 notes to the 5 pentatonic patterns to make a complete major/minor scale.
Hi JB, after log on, It keeps asking me to sign up for FD1, I have done this previously. I can't re-register as it says my name is in use.
I can't mail you on support as there is no form to fill in nor will it allow me to write to you.
cheers
Keith
Keith, contact Form is now working. Please email your username and password so I can check things out.
And do you mean the login problems are here – not the new FD wesbite?
what a pleasant surprise to get these fantastic lessons sent free. i've been scratching my guitar for many years without really understanding how to find notes on the fret, and just one video made things so much clearer. i look forward to working towards getting more proficient on the guitar with the help of your great videos. thanks heaps.
Hello JB – I feel a bit guilty getting all this fantastic encouragement. Been a bit busy on the farm but getting back to it now. I am a slow learner I've decided as I still do not have instant recognition to all the notes on the fretboard and I can see this is essential. I am also a bit confused with all the scales to learn major , minor, pentatonic. harmonic minors all in five positions. Have I been hit with a scatter gun?
john
But that's the whole point… you DON'T have to learn all those scales! You only need the ONE 'Master Pattern' scale. The pentatonics live inside them.
You need to master this one first, and your understanding of it. Harmonic minor scales, melodic minor scales, diminished scales, whole tone scales etc are very advanced and usually apply to jazz. But for most of the music you love (pop, rock, country, blues etc), the Master Pattern scale is all you need.
Sure, there are ways to organize the Master Pattern into 'smaller' patterns that are played in certain positions on the neck. But you learn them by using them to make music with the provided backing tracks. In the end, it's all about making music. That's what's important. Practicing scale patterns for the sake of practicing scale patterns is a waste of time. It's an integration thing… the Master Pattern is your BIG PICTURE that you zoom-in on for the smaller nuggets inside: such as triads, chord tones, pentatonic patterns etc. But it is ALL related to the chords you are soloing over. You need to visualize the chords you are soloing over. So the scale patterns, for example, need to be attached to a chord picture in your mind.
Hello Still hanging in there on a great package. John I suspect you have a leaning towards rock and jazz and wondering if the pentatonic scales are just as relevant to folk and contemporary music. I am trying to get to grips with a steel acoustic but find I don't really get together with it and am returning to my nylon guitar with is a lot easier to play. In this regard I find the 'caged' chords hard to pay especialy the G and d shapes so what does one to get use of these. I suspect use only two notes like n leave the
bottome 'g' note to allow the fingers to stretch. I am also struggling a bit with the mode video and the selected chords yu mentions for the various mode shapes but I keep wrking I think it will come eventuallly.
john
Rock and blues and a tiny, tiny bit of jazz style.
But the point is, ALL styles use the same tools… same scales, chords, pentatonics etc. It's just the way they are applied that's slightly different. Different guitars and amps and effects pedals create different sounds. Heavy metal distortion is not really used for traditional jazz or blues stuff, for example.
So there's a ton of variables… but ALL styles use the same 'musical' tools – same scales, chords etc. What distinguishes different styles apart from guitar and amps and pedals, is common chord progressions used more in some styles than others, different picking and muting ideas, different rhythmic ideas etc.
Your steel string may be set up wrongly. Maybe the action is too high. Maybe the strings are very heavy gauge. There are all sorts of things to look at. But then maybe you just need to persevere until your fingers toughen up and get used to it. It does take some time. But you should have no problem switching between acoustic steel or nylon to electric.
As far as getting used to playing a chord. The answer is just more practice. And them some more. Watch the muscle-memory videos again. Figure out how your fingers are working. Relax and try to not press too hard. Practice, practice practice.
Is it that you can't even play the basic G chord by itself? Or is the problem when you switch chords? Going from the G, or to the G? What chords can you play going from and to the G? Narrow it down and find the exact moment or specific situation where you have the problem. Then practice that specific thing until you got it down cold.
Very hard without being able to watch what you're doing. I think I need to find a way you can put up a video of yourself playing so I can help figure out what your difficulty really is.
JB
John,
Yes practice is probably 90% but what I mean is that the open g,a,g,e,d chords are easy at the open string position but playing the g chord at the 2nd fret for instance is difficult. I guess if it is possible to play all the 'cadged' shapes on the 2nd fret than a mayor hurdle has been overcome. Generally it seems the e and a shapes are the easiest to use. When you think about it only a very few can pull off a reasonable preformance just using the open string positions. You really have to have a pretty good voice to carry it off. Joan baaz probably sounded good with a empenty baked bean can but for most of us you need a bit of colour to carry you through.
regards
john
See my reply to your other comment here:
http://www.tortoiseguitar.com/fdlessons/members/questions/guitar-chord-secrets-theory-questions/#comment-772