My 3 favorite Campy lessons
Hi all,
I started taking Jim’s Lessons by mail in March of this year and have seen dramatic improvement in my playing and composition skills in a very short span of time. Last weekend my roommate of 3 years (who is not a musician and who is subjected to listening to me practice on a daily basis) actually turned the volume on the TV completely off just to listen to me practice. His comment of “you are getting good” meant the world to me as he is constantly bombarded with all of my fret board noodling. My roommate is a really nice guy, but up until last weekend had never once complimented me on my playing.
Needless to say, I am more than excited with the prospect of each new lesson and the world of musicality that they bring into my life. And apparently my roommate really appreciates these lessons as well! The cool thing is that I keep going back to the older lessons to “re-incorporate” the old lesson with anything new that I am picking up along the way. I have a lot to say in this regard, but will save the details for a later post. The bottom line is that each new lesson tends to shape my playing in a new direction that is applicable to the other information that I have picked up along the way. Another writer on this forum (NealT ) who has been taking the lessons for a lot longer than me does an outstanding job summarizing his experience in this regard. Check out his post from May 30, 2011. The zen explanation is definitely worth checking out. I found his post very inspirational. Kudos to you NealT! Personally, I am always anticipating which lesson to go after next. Jim does a great job recommending lessons and for that I am very appreciative. However, I was curious as to what lessons some you other Campilongo students may have taken that you would recommend. So, if anyone out there has the time and willingness to share, how about telling us about your top 3 Campy lessons? I’ll get things started off:
1. Travis 101 – this was my first and favorite lesson. By way of background, I am 41 and have never been able to fingerpick. Prior to my Campy lessons, I was more of a Joey Ramone /Keith Richards/John Fogerty type rhythm player with very limited soloing skills. I have always loved to play but never had a real teacher and no real formal instruction regarding the guitar. Anyway, finger picking is something that I have always admired in the playing of others. My few (quite feeble) prior attempts at learning how to finger pick included picking up guitar mags and trying to learn from youtube videos. I was never successful and just kind of gave up on the whole idea. Needless to say, the Travis 101 lesson completely changed all of that! While I struggled for a few hours while getting my picking hand & fingers used to these new and strange movements, it finally started to click after about three days of practice. I learned the 3 basic patterns and worked on “the Travis Song” as well as coming up with my own chord progressions. I am getting better at this every day and have now developed decent speed and fluidity. This lesson truly added a new dimension to my playing that I simply could not have achieved on my own.
2. Progressions in C and F with Voice Leading
This lesson was another home run! Admittedly, this lesson was a little more “work” than the other lessons but offered a HUGE payoff. First, I ended up learning some great movable chords that have added a ton of variety and color to my playing. As much as I enjoy listening to a wide variety of musical styles, I have always been more of a “Rock N Roll/punk/blues based” type player. Honestly, I never thought that I had the time and/or patience to learn what I considered “jazzy” sounding chords. Much to my surprise, these new chords were relatively easy to pick up and sound really amazing when played with the right touch. And, the theory lesson that goes along with this lesson has proved to be an invaluable writing tool. Although I knew the notes on the 6th and 5th string of the neck, I often had to take a second or two to consciously think about the names/locations of the notes. However, as a result of learning the application song as part of the learning process, I now feel very fluent in finding/naming any note on the 6th & 5th strings. This certainly comes in handy when writing and jamming with others. All in all, this is great meat and potatoes type lesson. I feel that there is a lifetime of song writing that will come from having incorporated the ideas from this one.
3. Playing the Blues
Okay, there were some other contenders for the 3 spot (Twister, Sugarfoot Rag, and Over the Rainbow were all contenders!) but I have to go with Playing the Blues for its profound impact on my playing. Jim presents the pentatonic scale and the blues scale in a very practical and immediately applicable way. As is the case with most of you out there, I already knew the pentatonic and blues scale in a few different positions. HOWEVER, I always struggled moving the scale around the neck and out of the first position. I just didn’t have a good feel for “how/where” to move it around in a practical way. Anyway, Jim does an outstanding job giving some very practical and IMMEDIATELY applicable advice on what/where to play. And, I really dig playing the included bonus song “Tribute to Elmore.” The song incorporates the ideas from the “theory/practical” part of the lesson into a really fun and cool sounding blues tune. I usually play “Tribute to Elmore” as my warm up tune to kick off practice. Its another great example of using a few notes in the right spot to say the right thing. This is another lesson that I go back to time and time again for instruction, inspiration, and motivation.
I hope that the above was helpful for anyone trying to decide on a next lesson. Also, I would really like to hear what others have to say about their favorite lessons.
CJ
I started taking Jim’s Lessons by mail in March of this year and have seen dramatic improvement in my playing and composition skills in a very short span of time. Last weekend my roommate of 3 years (who is not a musician and who is subjected to listening to me practice on a daily basis) actually turned the volume on the TV completely off just to listen to me practice. His comment of “you are getting good” meant the world to me as he is constantly bombarded with all of my fret board noodling. My roommate is a really nice guy, but up until last weekend had never once complimented me on my playing.
Needless to say, I am more than excited with the prospect of each new lesson and the world of musicality that they bring into my life. And apparently my roommate really appreciates these lessons as well! The cool thing is that I keep going back to the older lessons to “re-incorporate” the old lesson with anything new that I am picking up along the way. I have a lot to say in this regard, but will save the details for a later post. The bottom line is that each new lesson tends to shape my playing in a new direction that is applicable to the other information that I have picked up along the way. Another writer on this forum (NealT ) who has been taking the lessons for a lot longer than me does an outstanding job summarizing his experience in this regard. Check out his post from May 30, 2011. The zen explanation is definitely worth checking out. I found his post very inspirational. Kudos to you NealT! Personally, I am always anticipating which lesson to go after next. Jim does a great job recommending lessons and for that I am very appreciative. However, I was curious as to what lessons some you other Campilongo students may have taken that you would recommend. So, if anyone out there has the time and willingness to share, how about telling us about your top 3 Campy lessons? I’ll get things started off:
1. Travis 101 – this was my first and favorite lesson. By way of background, I am 41 and have never been able to fingerpick. Prior to my Campy lessons, I was more of a Joey Ramone /Keith Richards/John Fogerty type rhythm player with very limited soloing skills. I have always loved to play but never had a real teacher and no real formal instruction regarding the guitar. Anyway, finger picking is something that I have always admired in the playing of others. My few (quite feeble) prior attempts at learning how to finger pick included picking up guitar mags and trying to learn from youtube videos. I was never successful and just kind of gave up on the whole idea. Needless to say, the Travis 101 lesson completely changed all of that! While I struggled for a few hours while getting my picking hand & fingers used to these new and strange movements, it finally started to click after about three days of practice. I learned the 3 basic patterns and worked on “the Travis Song” as well as coming up with my own chord progressions. I am getting better at this every day and have now developed decent speed and fluidity. This lesson truly added a new dimension to my playing that I simply could not have achieved on my own.
2. Progressions in C and F with Voice Leading
This lesson was another home run! Admittedly, this lesson was a little more “work” than the other lessons but offered a HUGE payoff. First, I ended up learning some great movable chords that have added a ton of variety and color to my playing. As much as I enjoy listening to a wide variety of musical styles, I have always been more of a “Rock N Roll/punk/blues based” type player. Honestly, I never thought that I had the time and/or patience to learn what I considered “jazzy” sounding chords. Much to my surprise, these new chords were relatively easy to pick up and sound really amazing when played with the right touch. And, the theory lesson that goes along with this lesson has proved to be an invaluable writing tool. Although I knew the notes on the 6th and 5th string of the neck, I often had to take a second or two to consciously think about the names/locations of the notes. However, as a result of learning the application song as part of the learning process, I now feel very fluent in finding/naming any note on the 6th & 5th strings. This certainly comes in handy when writing and jamming with others. All in all, this is great meat and potatoes type lesson. I feel that there is a lifetime of song writing that will come from having incorporated the ideas from this one.
3. Playing the Blues
Okay, there were some other contenders for the 3 spot (Twister, Sugarfoot Rag, and Over the Rainbow were all contenders!) but I have to go with Playing the Blues for its profound impact on my playing. Jim presents the pentatonic scale and the blues scale in a very practical and immediately applicable way. As is the case with most of you out there, I already knew the pentatonic and blues scale in a few different positions. HOWEVER, I always struggled moving the scale around the neck and out of the first position. I just didn’t have a good feel for “how/where” to move it around in a practical way. Anyway, Jim does an outstanding job giving some very practical and IMMEDIATELY applicable advice on what/where to play. And, I really dig playing the included bonus song “Tribute to Elmore.” The song incorporates the ideas from the “theory/practical” part of the lesson into a really fun and cool sounding blues tune. I usually play “Tribute to Elmore” as my warm up tune to kick off practice. Its another great example of using a few notes in the right spot to say the right thing. This is another lesson that I go back to time and time again for instruction, inspiration, and motivation.
I hope that the above was helpful for anyone trying to decide on a next lesson. Also, I would really like to hear what others have to say about their favorite lessons.
CJ
Comments
Hey, CJG: Aren't you glad that you discovered Jim's lessons? He is a truly superb instructor. I've had a few other teachers but never took away as much from them. (And he has excellent penmanship!)
My three favorites:
1. Agree wholeheartedly 'Travis Picking' is powerful, genre-crossing stuff. During my lesson, Jim demonstrated a bunch of stylistic variations using this pattern. Get it in your hand and it's to the galaxy and beyond!
2. 'Love Me Tender' - I'm a singer and this is a beautiful melody and simple enough, technique wise, to accompany yourself even as a beginning player.
3. 'Slow Blues Rhythm Comp' for it's swinging concept.