Last week I posted a lesson for the song, “Shelter From the Storm” and Niels left a comment:

For those that don't know Niels has been one of the first of my guitar students on the Coil/Cinnamon Platform. He has quite a bit of potential, there's a lot of raw talent with this one. So much talent, that I have a deep seated fear of turning my back to him if we were ever alone on a lava planet together.

Why does this eventually happen with all my guitar students...

Source

Where was I?

Ah yes, difficulty strumming the guitar! What Niels described a lot of beginners have trouble with. There's a couple of pointers I'd like to go over, that will probably help with strumming the guitar.

Holding the Pick

Step one is to make sure you are holding the pick correctly. To hold the pick, make sure you only use your thumb and index finger to hold the pick. DO NOT USE ANY OTHER FINGERS!!!

Please focus on how I'm holding the pick, and not on how masculine yet sensual my hand is... perv.

Notice how the fingers not touching the pick remain open and loose? You want to keep those fingers as relaxed as possible, that will keep your hand from tightening up. A lot of beginners will want to lock their hand and wrist, which will result in a very stiff and harsh sound when they strum their guitar which brings me to my next point.

Don't Kill the Strings!!!

This is by far the most important point when learning to strum the guitar. Many beginners will lock their wrist, make a fist, and strum as hard as they can. You want the pick to give away when it hits the strings, almost like you're dragging the pick across the stings. Also, remember this:

*Only use the tip of the pick!*

This is correct way to have the pick go across the strings.

and this is the incorrect way...

Notice how far the pick digs into the strings? It will be very difficult to produce an enjoyable or natural sound with the pick this deep in the strings.

Lastly you want to strum the strings at an angle. Try to visualize the pick giving away to the strings when they meet, like so...

It would be reversed for strumming upwards.

A Basic Warm Up

This is a not only a great beginner exercise, but also a great warm up exercise that I still do from time to time. First pick a chord, you don't want to strum the open strings over and over, that wouldn't sound too pleasant. As slow as you can, start strumming up and down. Don't go slow where it's not natural, you want the slowest tempo you can strum that still has some sort of natural rhythm. As you are strumming, focus on keeping your strumming hand relaxed. If your hand feels stiff or, you're digging too deep in the strings, SLOW DOWN!

Once you have a very relaxed and naturally sounding strum, increase the tempo or speed. Increase the speed in slow increments and focus on your strumming hand the entire time. The second you feel your hand or wrist stiffen up, you're playing faster than your skill level.

This my seem like a very simplistic exercise, but that's where the genius of it lies. So many players I know never develop proper strumming technique and therefore when they are playing something fast, will tire out extremely quickly, because they are digging too deep in the strings or have a stiff hand. They'll slowly decrease the tempo without even realize that they are doing it.

Try this exercise out and let me know if this helps Niels, and remember...

Never let your opponent get the high ground!

Now that I think of it, Niels does look like Hayden Christensen.

Source

NickelNDime Out!

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Introduction - Part 1

Three Little Birds - Part 2

Hello again, and welcome back! This week's open E chord song that I arranged is from one of my all time favorite artists, Bob Dylan. Before you say, “I can't stand his voice,” and send me into an uncontrollable rage that will make me pick up my ball and go home, I would like to point out why he's quite literally a genius. Even if you can not stand his voice, you can't deny the genius of the man's lyrics. That's not me saying that, that's the Nobel prize for literature saying that. If you don't like his lyrics, then show me another songwriter who has won the Nobel Prize for literature.

...I'll wait.

...oh, no other song writer has won the Nobel Prize for literature? Imagine that.

I've had guitar students bash Bob Dylan, and then want me to figure a song that they had no idea he had written, which recently happened when a student wanted me figure out, “Make You Feel My Love,” the Adele version. I think the exact conversation went along the lines like...

Student: I want to learn, “Make You Feel My Love” by Adele.

Me: Ahh, the Bob Dylan song. That's an amazing song.

Student: Eww, that guy can't sing. No, I like the Adele song.

Me: He wrote the song, Adele covered it.

Student: Oh.... You're so smart and all knowing, Nick.

Me: I know.

Rinse and repeat countless times.

For what it's worth, I enjoy his voice. I like the gravely, “I've seen some things in my life” kind of voice. I find that there is an honesty about the imperfection of his voice.

Blood on the Tracks

The album that this song is from, “Blood on the Tracks” is one of my all time favorite Bob Dylan albums. This was one of those, “Dylan is going to recreate himself” type of albums. My interpretation of this album is that it's an album about a relationship that has ended. There's songs about how scorned someone can be after a relationship with songs like, “Idiot Wind,” but also songs about how you still care for that lost love in songs like, “If You See Her, Say Hello.”

Shelter From the Storm

The reason I enjoy the lyrics from this song so much is because it tells a basic story of a romantic relationship but uses such great imagery, that anyone who's ever been in a relationship from begging to end could relate to it. Take a look at the first verse:

'Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood

When blackness was a virtue, the road was full of mud

I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form

Come in, she said

I'll give ya shelter from the storm

This verse perfectly paints the begging of a romantic relationship, doesn't it? The man singing the verse is saying he's completely lost, in a crazy world and it's scary out there. The women in the song offers a safe haven from that crazy.

I'm not going to analyse the entire song (although I totally could). I would suggest really paying attention to the lyrics the next time you listen to it. Here's a great version I found of it...

https://www.cinnamon.video/watch?v=373186927953708135

Although I won't analyze the entire lyrics, I will share my favorite verse. It's the second to last verse...

In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes

I bargained for salvation and she gave me a lethal dose

I offered up my innocence, I got repaid with scorn

Come in, she said

I'll give ya shelter from the storm

Every soul who has ever had their heart broken can relate to the line, “I offered up my innocence, I got repaid with scorn.” It very clearly paints that feeling of rejection after being your most vulnerable.

The Lesson

The great aspect of the song structure is just one form, and it repeats the whole song.

Intro:

|E / / / | B / / / | E / / / | B / / / | repeat 2X

Verse:

|E / / / | B / / / | A / / / | E / / / ||E / / / | B / / / | A / / / | / / / / |

|E / / / | B / / / | A / / / | / / / / |

|E / / / | B / / / | A / / / | E / / / |

However, there is a little trick after the verse. There are only three measures in between the verse.

|B / / / | A / / / | E / / / |

The strumming or rhythm:

This is the strumming pattern you would play along with the song. The actual strumming would be:

D = Strum Down

U = Strum Up

D D UDU

The count would be:

| + + 3 |

If you recall from last lesson, if this strumming pattern is too difficult to start off with, simplify it! Also, another thing to consider is that this is a folk song, meaning it doesn't have to be one hundred percent exactly like the recorded version. Once you've got a feel for the structure, take it and make it your own.

Harmonica Lesson

Just a crash course on playing the harmonica. Basically, if you have a harmonica in the key that the song is played in, then any note you play on the harmonica will sound good. For this song, you'll need a harmonica in the key of 'E.' I would strongly encourage you to get a harmonica only because it is so fun to play as you are strumming.

Let me know if you have any question or comments!

NickelNDime Out!

Below this line is more tips and tricks about learning that crazy instrument called the guitar. To look below this line you need a subscription.

Part – 1

I hope my part 1 lesson wasn't too hard, because today we are going to turn it up just a notch by using E voicing at different parts of the neck. During the last lesson, we learned that the chords we can make with the E open voicing are, 'E', 'A' and, 'B.' I did change the key to 'E,' to make this exercise work, (and, I also sing it better in the key of 'E').

This song only has two sections. I really benefit from looking at the form before playing. Here are the two sections:

Chorus: Don't worry 'bout a thing...

|E / / / | / / / / | / / / / | / / / / |

|A / / / | / / / / | E / / / | / / / / |

and the Verse:

|E / / / | / / / / | B / / / | / / / / |

|A / / / | / / / / | E / / / | / / / / |

How Should You Practice This?

I thought of a great way for you to practice this song at your own individual skill level rhythm wise. What you'll need is:

• The chord chart above
• My video playing it
• Patience

First, before you even try to play along, I want you to look at the chord progressions I've written out and follow along with the video. Get a feel for where the measures and chord changes are. A measure is a section of music. Each box in my diagram represents a measure. In the verse, the 'E' chord is played for four measures. That means you should be able to count to four, four times before the progression moves to the 'A' chord. Watch the video and follow along on the chord progression. When you feel comfortable following along it's onward to the next step: playing along.

Now, before your anxiety gets the best of you, I don't want you playing the exact strumming pattern that I am playing. We're going to ease into that in stages. The first step is playing only on the first beat of the first and third measures. For a visual representation of what I mean...

Chorus: Don't worry 'bout a thing...

| / / / | / / / / | / / / | / / / / |

| / / / | / / / / | / / / | / / / / |

and the Verse:

| / / / | / / / / | / / / | / / / / |

| / / / | / / / / | / / / | / / / / |

It is important that you count out loud to help develop your own sense of rhythm. This entire strumming pattern is based around a two measure pattern. Once you can play that pattern, you've got the strumming for the whole song down! When you can play that pattern along with my recording, try this one...

Chorus: Don't worry 'bout a thing...

| / / | / / / / | / / | / / / / |

| / / | / / / / | / / | / / / / |

and the Verse:

| / / | / / / / | / / | / / / / |

| / / | / / / / | / / | / / / / |

Now, I'm going to give you the final strum pattern. If it's too hard, just use the concept I posted above, take a couple strums out and try to play it. For sanity's sake, strum down on the down beat, and strum up on the up beat.

| + 2 + + 4 | 1 + |

Once you can play that strum pattern along with the chord progression, you've got it!

Hope this helps!

NickelNDime out!

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A question gets asked of me all the time from young and old guitar students alike. They'll ask...

Nick, I would like to be able to play a song, but not put a lot of effort into practicing or learning. Do you have a magical wand that you could wave over me and make me a better player? – My most dedicated student

Well, I don't have a wand, but I do have a magical chord that can play three songs. Would you like me to show you?

Okay... Brace yourselves.

Ta Da!!!! It's the E chord!

This is the E chord in all its glory! If you've never read a chord box before let me explain how to read one. The vertical lines represent the strings. The thickest string is on the far left, and the thinnest string is on the far right. The horizontal lines represent the frets. The circles are where your fingers go. For example, In this chord, your 2nd finger would go on the 5th string, 2nd fret.

When you play the 'E' chord like this, you are playing what is known as an open chord. Open chords are chords that have open strings as part of the chord. As we can see, the 6th, 2nd, and 1st string are played when you play an 'E'. The other type of chord is known as a bar chord, or movable chord. This is when the player's hand holds down a note on every string, thus making it movable. Beginners typically have a lot of trouble playing bar chords.

One Chord Becomes Three!

This idea came to me one night as I was doing my nightly meditation routines...

It is scary how many parallels I could draw between the Dude and I.

I though about this magical 'E' chord. Theoretically, you could move the 'E' chord to the 6th fret and it would work as in 'A' chord. It would technically be called an, “Aadd9” but that is beside the point. All the player would have to do is move the open 'E' down to the 6th fret like so...

The same could be done with the 'B' chord. Just move the chord down to the 8th fret...

I had to test this theory out for myself! I picked up my guitar and tried the two new positions I had thought of, and they worked! Wow, I thought to myself, a beginner could play three chords by just moving an 'E' chord around on the fret board. Man, I'm pretty smart.

The Lesson.

For this first part of the lesson, I want you to be able to move this chord from open position to 6th and 8th frets, in different arrangements. Don't worry about rhythm or tempo, just be able to play the following progressions.

1.

|E / / / |Aadd9 / / / |E / / / |Aadd9 / / / |

2.

|E / / / |B / / / |E / / / |B / / / |

3.

|E / / / |Aadd9 / / / |B / / / |E / / / |

4.

|E / / / |Aadd9 / / / |E / / / |B / / / |

5.

|E / / / |B / / / |Aadd9 / / / |B / / / |

6.

|E / / / |B / / / |Aadd9 / / / |E / / / |

Don't worry about what 3 songs you can play with these progressions just yet. Just focus on being able to play these chord progressions clearly. I will say that all the progressions in the 3 songs use 1 or 2 of these progressions.

Good Luck!

NickelNDime out!

Coil subscribers join me under the line for a video tutorial!

There were a ton of updates to Rooftop Rampage! Last week, Kass gave me the artwork for a new boss, and artwork of the main character in a crouched position. No problem, I thought. I can just code all of this with ease. Like a teenager before a big project is due, I occupied my time with more leisurely pursuits.

“Maybe I could deep fry myself for dinner tonight...” Couch Potato NickelNDime, taking lazy to a whole new level

When Tuesday rolled around, I began to look at the code and the artwork and started to ease into it. Here's the thing... everything took longer than expected. Every solution created another problem I would have never thought of. For instance, when I coded Chester crouching I thought it went smoothly when I tested it out. However when he stood up, the arms and gun were still low to the ground. They were just floating there. Also when Chester stood back up after crouching, he would be stuck in the ground. What I thought would take 20 minutes, ended up taking me 3 days!

I don't wan't to bore you with a ton of pics of coding (although I totally could) but I'd rather just give you everything that was implemented.

Crouching Chester, Hidden AN5000...

Chester is now able to crouch! That was the number one suggestion we got, so that was the first thing we wanted to work on. Now the enemy's bullets only have a 95 percent chance to hit you rather than a 98 percent chance so... you're welcome.

We Got Tunes!

I created the main theme for the game using a program called, “Bosca Ceoil.” It's an 8 bit music composition software.

I had no idea where to start. Then I started to think about the game and the essence of the game itself. It's like an 80's throwback to the post apocalyptic genre. For some reason I heard music like music I used to hear from John Carpenter movies. The soundtracks from, “Big Trouble in Little China,” “Escape From New York,” and, “They Live,” started to play in mind.

I pray that they never reboot this classic.

Once I had an idea of what sound I was going for, I started scrolling through the vast number of instruments to choose from. I then came across this instrument, and I knew I had found what I was looking for...

After I composed the magical bass line, I added drums and synth. As Much as I liked the software, I do have one critique, there's no “undo” button! There's no control 'Z'ing if you make a mistake. I discovered this after I accidentally deleted a measure in the middle of my composition. The only way to fix this mistake was to start over.

I know I said I wouldn't bore you with coding, but I couldn't help myself. When I implemented the music in the game, I coded it so when the player pushed the, 'M' button the music would start playing. Here's the problem that I didn't see coming. If the player pushed 'M' a second time, the music would start again over the original song that was already playing!

This drove me close to insanity trying to code a work-around. I'm not joking when I say I coded close to a page worth of code trying to figure this problem out. Alas, it was always the same result, anytime I pressed, 'M' a new track would start playing over the old track.

I took a break and from coding, and went outside. It was while I was outside a friend called up and we started catching up. Now, this friend knows everything about computers. In high school we took the same computer coding class so we could goof off together. He finished the entire semester of work in a day. He's now a network architect for a pretty big bank.

Anyway, I was venting about my problem and he mentioned a term, “Idempotence.” That's a computer or mathematics term that means

that certain operations can be applied multiple times without changing the result of the initial application.

Then he said, “You're over thinking it, dude. You only need two lines of code. You need to turn the music off, before you turn it on.”

So now when a player pushes, “M” the code states:

...by the way, the green type is all the code I had entered before I talked to my friend. It goes on, and on, and on.

Enter the Kass5000!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present you the Kass5000!

The Origin of the Kass5000

This metal monstrosity was created by an artist who tried to stop the AN5000 by creating an even bigger robot. When questioned on why it had to be so big, the creator responded, “BECAUSE SIZE MEANS EVERYTHING!”

Sadly, after the creator turned the Kass5000 on, it turned on its creator because the creator forgot to check what its moral alignment was set to. The Kass5000's moral alignment was set to, “EVIL MURDER DEATH” and not, “STICKERS PUPPIES CUPCAKES”

Classic rookie mistake.

We added a new boss. Kass designed it and I coded it in. I didn't want the Kass5000 to have the same qualities as the AN5000, so I coded a buffer within the firing system. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll say this, “When the Kass5000 fires, take cover!”

Give it a Try!

Give the game a try and see what you think!

https://nickelndime.net/games/

*Works only on PC, Laptop, and Mac.

If you like it or don't, let me know at NickelDime06. I don't mind criticism as long as it's constructive, and not malicious or venomous.

Take it easy, but take it,

NickelNDime out!

Under this line is for Coil subscribers only. You probably wouldn't be interested by what's under it anyway. It's just a contest for fat stacks of cash...

Hey guys welcome back to lesson 2! If you missed the first lesson, no worries, just click here to catch up. Today I'm going cover the second part of this song. In the first installment I covered the chords that we play in the song, and in this installment we will focus on the rhythm or when we play those chords.

But First...

I want to acknowledge Niels and Cintia for watching and making their own videos of playing the chords. Watching the two of you playing the D, Dsus4, and Dsus2 chords was very rewarding for me, and congrats on doing a outstanding job! Niels did have a question in his video, so I'm going to try and answer it the best I can. It's a question a lot of beginners ask. He asked:

I found it very difficult to... to get the proper sound every time. I mean like, sometimes you play it and it's like bur – ruh – ruh! It's terrible and uh...sometimes it just goes smoothly and you think, Wow, wow I'm really good.

- Niels

Sorry, that was too much fun to do, and a great use of my time. Niels does bring up a concern that many beginners will ask me about. The best answer for this is practice and time. It's probably what new students don't want to hear but it's true. Although there is an exercise I came up with that might help the learning process.

Warm up Exercise

This exercise is great for beginners and it can be used as a warm up. Please do not spend more than 5 to 10 minutes on this, it will defeat the point of the exercise! First grab your guitar and start in a resting position, that means your left hand is resting on the neck in first position, and your right hand is ready to strum. Next, close your eyes.

Source

You heard me, close them.

Source

Next while your eyes are closed make a chord that you know. In this situation, make a 'D' chord. While your eyes are still closed, try strumming the chord. How did it sound? If it sounded bad, that's good! Make sure not to move your hand as you open your eyes and look at your chord hand. Make a mental note of the inaccuracies and try this exercise a couple more times. Again this is a warm up exercise that I have found helps beginners start to visualize the chords without using their eyes.

Hope that helps Niels!

Rhythm is Gonna Getcha!

Rhythm is so important and yet so often overlooked with beginners. I always tell my new students, “Playing the right notes is only half of the equation. You have to play the right notes at the right time.”

They are always awe struck with my wisdom.
**
Crash Course!**

This is a down and dirty explanation of rhythm. First, I want you to visualize someone clapping their hands to a steady beat. You know what? I'll do it for ya...

Source

Now there are two kinds of beats. The down or on beat, that's when the clap is actually happening. Then there's the up or off beat, that's when the hands would be furthest from each other. Depending on the time signature (Don't worry about that just yet) we count the down beat with numbers:

| 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 |

The up or off beat is counted in between the numbers. We use the word, “and” to count the offbeat.

| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |

Clear as mud? Let us proceed...

Rhythm to Free Falling

The main pulse or accents in Free Falling are as such:

Simple Rhythm

| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |

These are the beats where the chord changes happen. The first step is to count out loud, “1 + 2 +...” and see if you can make the chord changes happen on the right beat.

Spice it up!

Once you can count and play the main pulse of the song and some extra strums in it!

Complex Rhythm

| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |

This would mean you would strum down on each of the underlined beats but still changing the chords on the beats that they change on.

Putting it all together...

If you listen to the song, Tom Petty uses the first rhythm in the opening verse. After the drums come in, he switches to the complex rhythm and stays with that the rest of the song. Practice the rhythms separately and then try to play simple, followed by the complex patterns.

Once you can do that, you can play your first song! Stick around for my next lesson, “Playing Multiple Songs With One Chord!“

...probably should have started with that lesson, huh?

NickelNDime Out!

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