@steviepee
Hi Steve!
So great to hear that you're working on the Banjo Rolls lesson! It's a big lesson with lots of information and the level of the examples are advanced. When it comes to the bpm, and when you can move to the next example;

For me, I've always thought of it like this: If I want to learn how to play something really fast, then I need to practice it slow for a long time first until it's in my fingers and I don't have to think about it anymore. Then increase the tempo. BUT, in a lesson like this the most important thing is to keep things interesting to yourself - in other words - staying for too long on one example can be quite boring, and to be able to learn something new, we have to stay inspired. I'd definitely move on to new examples even if you don't feel like you can play an example up to speed yet. You can always come back later! And when you practice the more difficult examples, it will "level up" your technique and the more simple examples will be even easier.

In the video, I say something like this: "play slow until you're comfortable, and then move on to the next example.."
But, you don't have to master each example up to speed before you move on. Stay inspired - cause that will make you want to practice!

I don't have a certain bpm goal that you should reach before moving on. I just suggest you to keep playing and have fun! :)
Thanks for watching the lesson Stevie, and have a wonderful day! Kind regards/E

@dpmcleod
Hi Dan!
Thank you for your question!

This is a very common thing that most of us can identify with.

It definitely takes time and lots of practice to be able to hear what you want to play, like Joe said. But it's definitely not impossible to achieve.

Overthinking is something that most of us do from time to time, and I think the more I've practiced soloing over common progression the less I have to think when I play. I try to simplify things as well, for instance, the ii V I progression that happens in (almost) all jazz standards as well as in the Jazz Blues. I often times don't think too much about the ii chord. (Dm7 in your example). Joe Pass said once that he completely disregard the ii chord in a ii V I progression in the blues. He's thinking V I.. that ii chord is just "something that comes with it"... a suspended V chord, in a way. So you could use all the "tools" shown in the "Jazz Blues" lesson, and start playing the diminished (for instance) already when the ii chord comes up.. cause it goes by so quick and we actually just hear that V chord being altered in some way, we don't think about the clashes that may happen when playing altered scale over the ii V or even the diminished scale.
But that was just a side note.

The difficult part can be to learn to resolve the line on the next chord. It's important to land on a good note and I think this is very good to practice. That's when we hear the changes, when resolved in a good way. If you add some practice time where you only focus on playing simple ideas that resolve in the right place. Maybe play a line and resolve on the 3rd of the chord, 5th of the chord or something.. that helps a lot for me. So maybe play a simple line over G7 (like an ascending G7(b9) arpeggio starting on the note B, (major third) over the G7 chord and then resolving on the major third of the C chord.. for instance note choice could be: B, D, F, Ab then down a half step to G, then F, and then D, D# to E, in a chromatic way to resolve on that E.. Difficult to explain in text, but Maybe you can try a simple lick like that and really really nail the resolution and use it in different places in the jazz blues when playing on a chord that leads a 5th up like G7 --> C or E7 --> Am.. (but then resolve on the minor third of the A chord obviously)

You'll be able to hear more of the lines the more you practice and get comfortable with the changes.

Hope this helps a little and let me know if you have more questions! The "JAZZ LINES" (vol 1) lesson about the ii V I can be a good video to watch for you I think!
Kind regards/Emil

@dengqinghua_42
Hi!

When I make a pull off like that, I mute the e string with my left hand index finger. I do it without thinking about it, and it will become something you do without thinking about it if you’ve done it enough times.
Kind regards /Emil

@al_tennant Hi man! I asked a really good friend of mine who knows a LOT about this.. Here's his response.

Lots of changes.. before I tell you all the changes ,, I will say .this..is 90 percent in your hands.. but some things hold true about the construction
54 were usually one piece ash.. good tone wood.. and then sprayed or painted with a natural lacquer.. by late 60s they would chop down young "green" still moisture in it.. trees glue then to get her and spray polyurethane on them.. (plastic"
The pickups changed dramatically using inferior white and parts...any little difference to save money... shape of the neck.. even some of teh routes were different...

Through the 60s they basically left the design alone.. into the 70s ..just like cars here in the usa.. they started trying for a higher profit margin.. one way by making with cheaper components.. the general result was a heavy, non resonant shiney guitar....but having said that. Jimi Hendrix made so early 70 s guitars sound pretty good........

I'm happy to be part of ProGuitar! This will be fun!

@Fabian-Leandro Welcome Fabian!
Just saw your jazz blues take in Bb! Happy to see you here on the site!
Kind regards /Emil

@rghammond
Hi Richard! Great to see you here on the site! I'm glad you liked the rendition of Jingle Bells! It's a fun arrangement for sure! Welcome to ProGuitar! /Emil

@FlorianFaber That's awesome!! Thank you for playing it.. more fun stuff will be available as we begin to build this website more and more!

Nice playing Florian! Welcome to this forum, looking forward to hang out! /Emil

WELCOME! :) /Emil

@kenneth
Thanks for your question Kenneth!
Would you mind posting a picture of the left hand grabbing a chord that makes your pinky want to go on its side? This would help me in understanding what the problem might be.
Kind regards/Emil

@kenneth
Hi Kenneth!
Really happy you're here at our forum! We're all here to learn! Let me know if you ever have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them right here on the forum. Kind regards/Emil Ernebro

@brock-sirko No problem! :)

@brock-sirko
Hi there!
Emil here, thanks so much for your post!

I do play an EBG 808 Artist from 2007, and it is my main live performance guitars. It's definitely a great fingerstyle guitar. I have other high end instruments that produce more volume acoustically, but for live performance (when plugged into the amp/PA), the Artist is my choice. Very even in sound from lows to highs, and super easy to play. I do setup my instruments with help from a guy here in Sweden that really knows that stuff. Almost no instrument I've tried have had the right setup for me when coming from the factory so that's something that everyone should think about when trying guitars. The guitars can always (well.. almost always) be setup in a way that you like.

It's really difficult for me to say that you should or shouldn't buy a guitar without trying it. I've done that a couple of times, and it actually worked because I really knew what I was after, and I already tried the same models earlier. However, I have friends that have done that (from different guitar brands) and unfortunately some of them are not satisfied with the instruments.
I love Maton guitars so I'm pretty sure you'd like the guitars.. but you never know until you've tried an instrument.
I've had a Maton 808 Michael Fix model (with cutaway) in the past, and it was great too but I sold it to buy a Maton Custom Shop (beautiful 808 model as well), with my own specs that I use mostly for recording. I didn't need the cutaway really. For me, cutaway is cool, but not necessary for my solo live gigs. People say there's difference in sound with or with our a cutaway, but I'd say that's not a big difference.. it's really about the woods, and how the guitar is put together that makes it sound a certain way. And cutaway is a "look"-thing too.. some people like the look of a cutaway more, and some people prefer the standard model.

Hope this helps and good luck finding your new high end instrument!
Kind regards/Emil, ProGuitar team

@redmanx999
Hi!
Thanks for asking and I'm really glad you're working on the lesson and that it has helped you to reach another level! Great work!!
As of now, I don't have that recorded in a slower speed - sorry! Half speed should sound OK when changing the tempo in the player at our site, but I get what you mean when we change to 1/4 of the speed it's difficult to hear what's actually happening. Sometimes it helps to just practice using the metronome for awhile and then go back to the backing track. Try it in a slower speed using only metronome and then see how you do when going back to the lesson backing track. Kind regards/Emil

@bogn
Hej Björn!

Det är verkligen en smaksak med gitarrer, men personligen tycker jag om mindre gitarrer med OM (eller liknande)-kropp för just fingerspel. Det finns en tydlighet i fingerspel som jag upplever kommer fram på ett fint sätt med den typen av gitarr, om man jämför med större gitarrer eller Dreadnaught etc. Jag har faktiskt inte koll på hur Furch GC SR är, men en snabb googling så verkar det som en väldigt fin gitarr, och en av deras mer exklusiva instrument. Jag tycker Furch är ett väldigt bra val. Mycket gitarr för pengarna också!
Min som sagt, min smak för fingerspel är OM-kropp eller liknande. Det är viktigt att testa testa testa! :)
Ha en fin dag Björn!
MVH/E

@doug744
Haha exactly!
Most people know him from the films, but he is one of the greatest songwriters for the guitar in history! Incredibly talented, funny and musical. He saw himself more as a "guitar writer" than "guitar player".. he said.. "I wrote it, now YOU play it!" :) But man,.. could he play... amazing!

@doug744
Great to hear that you're working on those tunes! The Squirrel Chase Rag is one of the most difficult songs that I've written, and it takes a lot of practice to be able to execute that melody. You'll find a lot of similar techniques used by the great Jerry Reed. And if you want to keep digging in that style of playing, check out songs like "Jerrys Breakdown", "The Mad Russian", "Funky Junk" etc. Also, check out Jerry Reeds solo on "Cannonball Rag" with Chet Atkins (from the album "Me and Jerry". Awesome solo!

@jim-0
Hi Jim!

I use acrylic on my nails, and that's my solution and my way to get a good tone. The thicker the nail is, the better - and they never break. Go to a nail-saloon and put on acrylic on your nails, then tell them you shape it yourself, and it will be so much easier. Most saloons are used to guitarists coming in to do "guitar nails". (Usually classical guitar players), so they kinda know what you're after. I do this maybe 7 times/year and I couldn't play without the acrylic nails.
Kind regards/Emil

@doug744
Hi Doug!
Sorry for the late reply! I'm in the middle of moving to a new place so I haven't been able to catch up with the forum the past few days.

Thanks for your question!
The way that some notes and open strings react when playing certain parts using open strings all depends on the strings, action of the strings and the guitar. Just out of curiosity, did you try the same lick on another instrument to see if it might be a guitar "set up" thing, or try changing strings? Sometimes when I get weird overtones etc from open strings, I've changed strings and it solves the problem.
Let me know if this works, but try with another instrument first to see if this happens.

Have a wonderful day Doug, keep pickin' that tune! :)
Kind regards/Emil