Welcome, New Patrons!
Added 2022-08-31 18:40:55 +0000 UTCIt’s time for another monthly introduction for new Patrons!
If you’re new here, tell us a little about yourself: What brought you here? Where are you in your guitar journey, and what do you hope to accomplish while you’re here?
If you’re a seasoned Patron, please give our new members a warm welcome! Reply to new Patrons below if you share the same goals, or can relate to their journey. This community is made up of students of different skill levels from all around the world and interaction between students is an excellent way of learning and staying motivated.
If you missed your first welcome post, please feel free to jump on this one.
More helpful info for new patrons can be found on my Where To Start page.
Comments
Ken! Welcome! Sorry for the delay! I've been getting settled in my new office in the Pacific Northwest. May I ask what FB groups recommended me? Thats cool! I hope you enjoy your time here and I hope you learn music theory in a way that makes it click and (most importantly) usable!
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-12-12 18:43:15 +0000 UTCHi, Scott was recommended by several from a Music theory FB group that I am part of. I watched several You Tube videos and was drawn into his innate ability to break down theory in a way that I can understand it. Sadly, I have been playing guitar for a few decades but never really learned the instrument. Can I play covers songs, yeah…can I make it seem like I know what I am doing, kind of. So here I am at 50 years old, and I am taking the time to really focus on being a better musician. I am thrilled to have found Scott’s site.
Ken
2022-12-02 15:01:28 +0000 UTCHi Wayne! Welcome! Thanks for being here! I think if you work through Music Theory for Guitar, CAGED Basics, and Music Theory Monday you'll have more and more chances to explore playing musically. If you start engaging with the Community Challenges, you'll have even more opportunities to be creative, which in my opinion is the playground for learning to play more musically.
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-15 17:23:22 +0000 UTCHello! I just joined this past week after seeing some of Scott's lessons on YouTube, that proverbial rabbit hole! I've been playing guitar for about 5 years and have some basic knowledge of chords and songs, but have become somewhat stuck. Being able to play a song doesn't always mean it "sounds" great. So I'm mostly hoping to learn how to play musically instead of just playing those first position chords. Thanks Scott!
Wayne Barlow
2022-09-13 23:54:11 +0000 UTCHi Owen! Welcome! I think you'll find that my Music Theory for Guitar and Music Theory Monday series will really help you get things going.
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-09 15:45:21 +0000 UTCHowdy Ho, Excited to join! I have been playing for about 1.5 years but am yet to learn a song since I am more interested in theory and improvising, I find it difficult to sit down and try to learn a song. My father has been playing jazz guitar for many years and I would love to get to the point we could have a good jam. Currently planting trees in rural British Columbia and have nothing better to do in my off time than put some hours in!
Owen Lee
2022-09-08 21:04:22 +0000 UTCThink of it this way: The circle of fifths is a filing cabinet for each key. The real trick is thinking about HOW they are made so that when someone says "This song is in Eb" you can figure out how many flats that is without having to put your guitar down. As you get into Music Theory Monday, you'll be digging into the stuff that makes writing music and playing with others easier to do. But you gotta have the basics first!
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-08 13:51:27 +0000 UTCThe question I have is, how much of theory is rote learning and how much is it 'understanding'? Because i cant save my life if remembering the circle of 5ths was the way out
Aman Shah
2022-09-08 08:27:21 +0000 UTCHello people, I have been playing guitar 'seriously' for 2y but I get stuck with getting new ideas. Breaking down complex stuff to simplicity. Making something I can really be proud of. And of course your YouTube channel :)
Aman Shah
2022-09-08 08:26:26 +0000 UTCHi Nis! Welcome! Thanks for being here. I work hard to make this place as welcoming and encouraging as possible. Bad experiences with music SUCK and are often related to someone else gatekeeping. If you ever need encouragement, I try to make Practice Thoughts to give hope and encouragement. https://www.scottpauljohnson.com/practice-thoughts Also, check out the recommended lesson plan unless you already know what you need and want to learn. https://www.scottpauljohnson.com/scotts-recommended-lesson-plan
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-04 23:22:26 +0000 UTCHi Sean, Welcome! Let me know if you have any questions! https://www.scottpauljohnson.com/scotts-recommended-lesson-plan Is always a good place to poke around, especially if you're feeling frustrated. Practice Thoughts are great, too, for encouragement. https://www.scottpauljohnson.com/practice-thoughts
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-04 23:16:12 +0000 UTCGreetings from Germany - my name is Nis. I have just picked up playing and love it so much! Being already 41 im kind of a late bloomer: I had bad childhood experiences with piano lessons and have never tried to learn an instrument since then. Now i wish i had started earlier. I love Scotts clear but deep style of teaching. Im looking forward to be part of this community!
Nis-Momme Stockmann
2022-09-04 21:27:35 +0000 UTCHi all, I’m Sean. I’ve been playing guitar for about 15 years but never progressed from only playing a few songs, as I found bar chords too difficult. Recently I’ve been able to bar a lot better and now want to move forward with my development. I’ve also recently purchased a new telecaster and need to improve to justify my purchase. I also saw Scott’s lessons on YouTube and found his approach very straight forward… although still difficult :) Looking forward to learning!
Sean Finlay
2022-09-04 10:50:55 +0000 UTCHi Anton! Welcome! Thanks for joining! I'd check out my recommended lesson plan: https://www.scottpauljohnson.com/where-to-start
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-03 20:47:03 +0000 UTCHi everyone. I started playing guitar 1½ years ago, almost exclusively by playing Rocksmith. I learned a lot, but at some point I felt like I needed to know more in order to progress, and i took to YouTube. Recently I found Scott's lessons, and his lesson on the CAGED system was a complete eye opener for me. Happy to be here!
Anton Sherar
2022-09-03 20:13:18 +0000 UTCHi Radek! Welcome! Thanks for being here! The reason I film with the guitar neck the way it is: Guitar is a musical instrument. That means it's a social thing. If I switch the guitar neck, it will look like the guitar from your perspective only. That means you won't be learning how to look at another guitar player and figure out what they are doing because it will look "backwards" to you. It is much better to learn this way because you're prepared for in-person lessons, jamming with friends, trying to figure out what your favorite guitar player is doing, etc. Basically, if I make the guitar look like your perspective, I'm not teaching you to learn from anyone other than me.
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-03 15:25:29 +0000 UTCHey, my name is Radek and I am from corporate IT world, one day I was so fed up with work and responsibilities around family that I realized that I have nothing happening to myself so I decided to bought guitar and play it daily just as time dedicated to myself. I am playing like this for about a year and learning mostly from YouTube. But most of the courses there seems to be incomplete or just starts to get boring. I really enjoyed your viedoes and decided to try it out. You are my first and only patreon subscribtion and I am impressed by the tutorials. I am in the middle of music theory and feel that lots of concepts finally make sense. I will definitely stick around for longer as I like your presentation method and you personality. The only thing I would like to point out is when you presenting your guitar neck with notes it is filmed that first fret is on the left side instead of being on the right one. I wonder if you could invert this view? Still I hope I will learn a lot and now excuse me... I need to watch circle of fifth video and do homework. I am from Poland and English is not my primary so apologize for some mistakes.
Radek Tkacz
2022-09-02 20:22:20 +0000 UTCHi Lucy. Welcome! Let me know if you get stuck along the way. https://www.scottpauljohnson.com/scotts-recommended-lesson-plan
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-02 15:53:33 +0000 UTCHi Bob. Welcome! I recommending checking out my Garageband series - you should be able to transfer all of the concepts to software like Reaper if you're on a PC. If you want to get into performing, I have a few videos about that in my Practice Thoughts: https://www.scottpauljohnson.com/practice-and-technique-dashboard If you feel like you put a lot of pressure on yourself to write amazing stuff every time, the community challenges are a nice reminder to have fun and treat writing like a regular habit of practice.
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-02 15:48:41 +0000 UTCHi Gethin! Playing by ear is a completely valid way to learn! You won't get any shame from me about that. The value of learning basic theory is that you'll probably find many many familiar things and say "oh THATS what it's called?" At least, thats what happened for me when I learned theory! Tell me more about hints and tips - what do you have in mind?
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-02 15:44:28 +0000 UTCHi Mike. Welcome. Thanks for being here. Let me know if you ever get stuck along the way here.
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-02 15:42:39 +0000 UTCHey William! Welcome. If you're still working on the Circle of 5ths Practice no 1, I recommend checking out Practice no 2. It's a POWERFUL reminder that guitar shapes make things so much easier.
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-02 15:42:15 +0000 UTCHey Mark! You must best the Mark-R doing great work on the community challenges! Happy to have you here.
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-02 15:39:56 +0000 UTCHello - I still have the Tele that I bought brand new in 1972 when I was a teenager and it is about time I learned how to play it. I am a very visual learner and Scott's presentations are the best. I appreciate the amount of time and effort that Scott takes to create his content. I see that there are others that are interested in surf style.
Lucy_K
2022-09-02 15:01:14 +0000 UTCHello - I’m Bob. I’m a singer/songwriter (in my basement) and am looking to take the next step by improving upon my guitar playing to (a) record my music and (b) perform . I have zero background or experience with either. Scott, enjoy your video’s & teaching style.
Bobby A
2022-09-02 13:08:58 +0000 UTCHi Folks, I'm Gethin. 25yrs ago I used to play guitar in a metal band, but haven't really touched the guitar since. Never actually learnt properly, just played by ear, and now I've pretty much forgotten whatever it was I thought I new back then (which I'm pretty sire was very little). Regardless, have just bought a new guitar and am wanting to begin the journey again. Not at all sure where to start, pentatonics maybe, or just basic theory... the School of Scott sounded like a good place to start... hints and tips would be more than welcome!
FakeName
2022-09-02 08:20:03 +0000 UTCHello everyone, Im Mike. I’ve been learning guitar for about three years now. I’m here to trying to get better with this instrument. Scott’s expertise has really help me see different aspects of the guitar. Thank you for sharing with me your knowledge of music.
Michael Darden
2022-09-02 03:27:01 +0000 UTCHey everyone! I've been a lifelong guitar worshiper and have finally decided to actually learn to play. Original goal was to play surf instrumentals. I've been hacking around this year, watching a lot of YouTube videos and getting nowhere. Stumbled on Scott and just felt really comfortable with him. That circle of fifths really kicks my butt!
william young
2022-09-02 01:04:55 +0000 UTCHi all! im new here, and really enjoying it so far and already feeling the benefit! I joined to improve my writing, I noticed that i had hard drives, memory sticks and phones full of unfinished snippets and half decent (coughs 😊) ideas which i didnt feel like i had the know how to make something interesting from? I had a go at a couple of community challenges and found them super helpful and inspiring, this coupled with learning some of the mechanics of scales, intervals etc ive already noticed a difference in the way i approach my writing ☺️ Really enjoying it! Mark
Mark Riley
2022-09-01 16:22:21 +0000 UTCHi John! Welcome! Unlike school, you're never "done" being a musician! There is always something to learn and understand. Similar to being a person. There isn't a point where you're done learning how relationships work, learning new skills, or finding solutions to unique problems. However, I do have a fun weekly community challenge where you get the chance to compose something once a week!
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-01 14:27:07 +0000 UTCHi Alex! Welcome! Are you working through the Recommended Lesson Plan? Let me know if you have questions along the way. https://www.scottpauljohnson.com/scotts-recommended-lesson-plan
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-01 14:24:52 +0000 UTCHi Richard. Welcome back and thanks for saying hello! It's important to remember that music is inspiration-driven. I've made a lot of videos. I think it's important to set goals and focus on them! Are you interested in writing music? Playing songs? Playing solos? Set specific goals for yourself. Make sure they feel attainable. Then design a path to achieve one goal at a time. I'd check out any of my Practice Thoughts that sound interesting: https://www.scottpauljohnson.com/practice-thoughts I might made a practice thought soon called "Quit moving the goal post" about setting goals and making sure your goals of being able to play guitar don't include all the skills of 10 top level players. I'm not saying you're doing that, but it's an important thing to remember.
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-01 14:23:56 +0000 UTCHi Ashlynn! Welcome! Very exciting! Never forget that theory doesn't dictate what you ought to do, it merely gives names to things that people most typically do. Other than working through my recommended lesson plan, (https://www.scottpauljohnson.com/scotts-recommended-lesson-plan) I think you might enjoy the following series: Practice Thoughts https://www.scottpauljohnson.com/practice-thoughts Strumming Patterns https://www.scottpauljohnson.com/strumming-patterns
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-01 14:17:25 +0000 UTCWelcome Julian. Thanks for introducing yourself! I'm so happy to hear that you're learning something every day! I'd suggest trying out community challenges. You might be surprised how much more you learn by participating in a creative challenge.
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-01 14:14:15 +0000 UTCI Robert. I think it's about time I add to and update the recommended lesson plan. I'll look into it this week.
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-01 14:13:15 +0000 UTCWelcome Pete. You build guitars? Very cool! I used to build guitars. Feel free to post a link.
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-01 14:12:39 +0000 UTCHi Ben! Welcome! It's exciting to have another teacher around! If you're already familiar with theory, I'd recommend checking out CAGED Basics. You can find it in the guitar theory section on the lesson archive: https://www.scottpauljohnson.com/patreon-lesson-archive The fingerboard is weird and if you're used to thinking in single notes, it can be quite an adventure to start thinking chordally.
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-01 14:11:48 +0000 UTCWelcome, dpeters! Thanks for joining. I think you'll have a lot of fun expressing yourself with the weekly community challenge! If you need some theory background first, I recommend Music Theory for Guitar, then Music Theory Monday. If you're struggling to "see" this stuff on the guitar, I recommend CAGED Basics and CAGED Basics II. You can find all of that on the lesson archive: https://www.scottpauljohnson.com/patreon-lesson-archive
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-01 14:10:39 +0000 UTCHey Tim. You look familiar!
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-09-01 14:08:47 +0000 UTCScotty I think you should impliment this to all patron... lol What do you think ?
John Brodett
2022-09-01 13:40:37 +0000 UTCTo anyone I'm new here Are we to have at the end(If there's an end) of this school year ....or how ever this is called ....should come up with our very own composition and do some kind of a recital in order to graduate ?....lol Man should have asked Professor Scotty Later
John Brodett
2022-09-01 13:37:30 +0000 UTCHello! I've only been here for a week or so but i'm trying to find time to practice and watch at least one lesson each day. There's something about Scotts teaching style, personality and the way he explains things that is just a perfect fit for me. I've been playing for around 23 years and have never had any lessons until now. Scotts explanation of the CAGED system was a total revelation to me and i'm looking forward to learning more :) I want to increase my theory knowledge and get better at improvising with scales.
Alex Lawson
2022-09-01 10:41:23 +0000 UTCHey all, and welcome all! I've been here on and off over the last year or two but never said hello. I have been working through older videos and lessons mostly. I play fingerstyle generally, and only acoustic. I don't get on with a pick very well, and fingers come much more naturally to me (plus I always have them "handy"- badoom cha!). Most other teachers seem to just read out from tablature, and Scott offers something that I haven't found anywhere else - I think if I can only catch up and watch all of his videos (and absorb them), I might one day be able to "play guitar".
Richard Stapleton
2022-09-01 08:31:24 +0000 UTChello all m a singer/songwriter who doesn't know any theory behind guitar besides knowing what sounds good when i put my fingers somewhere. very excited to change that and become a better rhythm guitarist :-)
Ashlynn
2022-09-01 04:02:59 +0000 UTCHello from Argentina, I joined at start of year but never introduced myself. I’ve been playing guitar for 10 years but never understanded the theory behind. All changed after a CAGED video that I saw on your channel and now here I am learning something everyday.
Julian Aira
2022-08-31 23:27:38 +0000 UTCI’m tired to try on my own. Been consistent is not enough if you don’t have guidance. I tried another online class from Udemy and after 30h the instructions videos was completely out of sequence jumping everywhere. I see there are this recommendation sequence by Scott which so far I LOVED IT. I’m just wondering what’s next after the recommendation list. Houston TX
Robert Barros
2022-08-31 19:32:16 +0000 UTCHi Folks, just passing time till I turn into a ghost, better than crosswords! I mmake the occasional electric and acoustic so should know how to play one hey.
Pete Rasmussen
2022-08-31 19:25:44 +0000 UTCHello all! Woodwind teacher and Musical Director, looking to improve as a guitarist and to understand the fretboard more
Ben Light
2022-08-31 19:13:38 +0000 UTCHello all, I’d like to call myself an advanced beginner. Just trying to get more knowledge about the guitar so I can try to express myself more through music.
dpeters
2022-08-31 19:08:11 +0000 UTCI'm a trumpet player just starting out on guitar.
Timothy Johnson
2022-08-31 18:48:04 +0000 UTC
