Got the Hummingbird of my dreams!

[Retired]

Gosh, it seems like an eternity since I last learned all the chords.  Good luck and they will come. 

[hummingbirdguy]

11 hours ago, Dub-T-123 said:

Yep it won’t be a bad thing to have a nice guitar to learn on! Keep it up and you’ll be shredding in no time 

Thank you! I didn't know acoustics could shred as well, sounds extremely impressive.

5 hours ago, Retired said:

Gosh, it seems like an eternity since I last learned all the chords.  Good luck and they will come. 

From your mouth to the gods' ears, my second finger just will not land properly on a D chord (yet) when it gets even a little fatigued smh. 

 

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

2 minutes ago, ghost_of_fl said:

"slow & clean is always  better than fast & sloppy".   That phrase had helped me a lot.  Sometimes I have to stop and remind myself.  If you consistently flub a note in a chord, you are not gaining "muscle memory".  

James Patrick Page was/is the master of sloppy.

[fortyearspickn]

On 12/2/2020 at 8:20 PM, Retired said:

I never saw them? Actually I shopped on line & it was between the Forester & the Ascent. The Kia Telluride was also in the contest but she didn't like the Kia name. She kept trying to change my mind. Yeah, I never even heard of the Tribeca. I'll have to take a look but it's all done now. The plates for my Saturn Vue were about $40.00 and Insurance was really cheap. So what are these plates going to run now? If she wasn't so insisting me getting a new car, I'd still have that Saturn. 

Subaru stopped making Tribeca 7 years ago.  It was their only full sized SUV.  The Ascent is basically the same car. Identical interior space.  Tried to talk wife into trading hers in for an Ascent -  but her Tribeca only has 35K miles on it, so she's not letting go.  You'll love your new one !  

[hummingbirdguy]

11 hours ago, ghost_of_fl said:

"slow & clean is always  better than fast & sloppy".   That phrase had helped me a lot.  Sometimes I have to stop and remind myself.  If you consistently flub a note in a chord, you are not gaining "muscle memory".  

Hi ghost_of_fl! You're right about taking it slow, in the army we would say "slow is smooth and smooth is quick". After an hour or more of practicing my fingers give up before I do and even when taking it slow my finger just doesn't want to apply enough pressure or leans over onto another string just slightly or is just a hair on the fret so notes don't ring out properly smh. 

11 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said:

James Patrick Page was/is the master of sloppy.

 hi sgt pepper, are the slums of NN to which you refer Newsome Park? I went to high school in Newport News myself

[Sgt. Pepper]

11 hours ago, hummingbirdguy said:

Hi ghost_of_fl! You're right about taking it slow, in the army we would say "slow is smooth and smooth is quick". After an hour or more of practicing my fingers give up before I do and even when taking it slow my finger just doesn't want to apply enough pressure or leans over onto another string just slightly or is just a hair on the fret so notes don't ring out properly smh. 

 hi sgt pepper, are the slums of NN to which you refer Newsome Park? I went to high school in Newport News myself

When you flub a chord and put your finger in the wrong place now its a jazz chord.

Edited December 5, 2020 by Sgt. Pepper

[Sgt. Pepper]

11 hours ago, hummingbirdguy said:

Hi ghost_of_fl! You're right about taking it slow, in the army we would say "slow is smooth and smooth is quick". After an hour or more of practicing my fingers give up before I do and even when taking it slow my finger just doesn't want to apply enough pressure or leans over onto another string just slightly or is just a hair on the fret so notes don't ring out properly smh. 

 hi sgt pepper, are the slums of NN to which you refer Newsome Park? I went to high school in Newport News myself

I live about a mile from Denbigh High School. Where I live is not to bad, but when you get closer to the Shipyard and the numbers streets. You  better have your gun to shot your way  out in case anything goes down. If there is shooting on the news its in NN, VB, P-town, Hampton or Norfolk.

[01GT eibach]

Your Hummingbird is a stellar beautiful top-of the-line guitar.  My humble suggestion is  stop  dilly dallying your time with thoughts of modding the guitar or worrying about minor case imperfections, and spend your time JUST PLAYING the guitar.   And as for the slow vs fast thing, there is an old adage that says "if you can't play it slow, then  you can't play it fast".   

[hummingbirdguy]

10 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said:

When you flub a chord and put your finger in the wrong place now its a jazz chord.

So that's the secret of all the greats, who knew! Funny you should mention jazz, I'm actually debating on learning jazz guitar - there's a place not too far from me with a guy that's worked with a couple of artists I like (New York Jazz Workshop). Though personally I'm interested in bringing jazz into r&b, neo-soul, and pop I always felt that learning jazz made everything else relatively easier and requires a strong knowledge of music theory. 

10 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said:

I live about a mile from Denbigh High School. Where I live is not to bad, but when you get closer to the Shipyard and the numbers streets. You  better have your gun to shot your way  out in case anything goes down. If there is shooting on the news its in NN, VB, P-town, Hampton or Norfolk.

Oh! You're uptown! My parents moved to 79th st, which was a safe street though right next to 76th which was a little dicey - at least to me at the time. My hs friends back home still tell me about the craziness that goes on downtown. I've known a couple of people that were killed down there, it's really sad to see what goes on in "bad news". Btw is your sn related to the military, a play on the Dr by the same name, or something else?

10 hours ago, ghost_of_fl said:

Similar idea for jazz lead playing - whenever you hit a note that just sounds "wrong" for the key, quickly slide up or down 1/2 step.   Now it sounds like you did something clever. 

Between you and sgt. pepper I'll be a jazz legend in no time lol

4 hours ago, 01GT eibach said:

Your Hummingbird is a stellar beautiful top-of the-line guitar.  My humble suggestion is  stop  dilly dallying your time with thoughts of modding the guitar or worrying about minor case imperfections, and spend your time JUST PLAYING the guitar.   And as for the slow vs fast thing, there is an old adage that says "if you can't play it slow, then  you can't play it fast".   

 You're absolutely right eibach. I find that my fingers get fatigued and sore after a few hours  of practice, which is lamentably long before my ears and heart tire of playing. 

[Retired]

On 12/3/2020 at 6:57 PM, hummingbirdguy said:

Thank you! I didn't know acoustics could shred as well, sounds extremely impressive.

From your mouth to the gods' ears, my second finger just will not land properly on a D chord (yet) when it gets even a little fatigued smh. 

 

 

Thinking back when I was 13 learning, yes, it seemed a struggle  with some chords, I haven't even thought about them for decades now. They just come natural and I never even look at my hand. It's just automatic and that will happen to you too one day, It's called practice, practice and more practice. As far a shredding on an acoustic though, You must not have ever seen David Gilmour playing an acoustic guitar huh? Lol. 

[Retired]

On 12/4/2020 at 8:46 AM, fortyearspickn said:

Subaru stopped making Tribeca 7 years ago.  It was their only full sized SUV.  The Ascent is basically the same car. Identical interior space.  Tried to talk wife into trading hers in for an Ascent -  but her Tribeca only has 35K miles on it, so she's not letting go.  You'll love your new one !  

Thanks. I did a bit of investigating on them and found out more about them. Yes, sounds like the Ascent is an upgraded version of the Tribeca with more power and other stuff.  So far we love the Ascent. Feels so mush bigger than the Saturn Vue. I like letting the seats down and the large cargo area in the back. Deb wants to look at Christmas lights with the kids and we will take it for that event. Plenty of seats for sure. 

[Guitar God]

What a beauty!

[Sgt. Pepper]

13 hours ago, hummingbirdguy said:

Oh! You're uptown! My parents moved to 79th st, which was a safe street though right next to 76th which was a little dicey - at least to me at the time. My hs friends back home still tell me about the craziness that goes on downtown. I've known a couple of people that were killed down there, it's really sad to see what goes on in "bad news". Btw is your sn related to the military, a play on the Dr by the same name, or something else?

No my screen name is due to being a huge Beatles fan. I was in not one but two sea going services. I did 4 years in the Navy '87 - '91, and 19 years in the Coast Guard '92 - '11.  I'm retired EMCS (Electricians Mate Senior Chief). I now work at the NASA Langley Research Center as a contractor and do electrical maintenance and assist running a wind tunnel on the facility that is right across street from the race track. I don't work at the big one, that one is called is 14 x20. The one I work at is called the NTF (National Transonic Facility) at most of the wind tunnel is inside the building. We can blow wind up to Mach 1.2 and we also use Liquid Nitrogen to cool down the tunnel during tests and can get down to negative 250 degreed fahrenheit. The only other wind tunnel in the world like it is in Germany.

Edited December 6, 2020 by Sgt. Pepper

[uncle fester]

Sweet guitar - enjoy the journey.  Aint no sunshine's cool - good luck.

[MissouriPicker]

Practically every new guitar needs a setup to make it ideal for the owner.  Even if it already feels good, it can likely feel better.   A Hummingbird with a good setup is a dream-come-true guitar.  Have fun!  You’ve got a super guitar to learn on.

Edited December 6, 2020 by MissouriPicker

[hummingbirdguy]

On 12/5/2020 at 9:37 PM, Retired said:

Thinking back when I was 13 learning, yes, it seemed a struggle  with some chords, I haven't even thought about them for decades now. They just come natural and I never even look at my hand. It's just automatic and that will happen to you too one day, It's called practice, practice and more practice. As far a shredding on an acoustic though, You must not have ever seen David Gilmour playing an acoustic guitar huh? Lol. 

Justinguitar has been a good learning tool so far and he has chord drills, with time (and practice of course) those flub free chords will come

On 12/5/2020 at 11:58 PM, Guitar God said:

What a beauty!

That she is, and plays just as wonderfully! 

On 12/6/2020 at 8:34 AM, Sgt. Pepper said:

No my screen name is due to being a huge Beatles fan. I was in not one but two sea going services. I did 4 years in the Navy '87 - '91, and 19 years in the Coast Guard '92 - '11.  I'm retired EMCS (Electricians Mate Senior Chief). I now work at the NASA Langley Research Center as a contractor and do electrical maintenance and assist running a wind tunnel on the facility that is right across street from the race track. I don't work at the big one, that one is called is 14 x20. The one I work at is called the NTF (National Transonic Facility) at most of the wind tunnel is inside the building. We can blow wind up to Mach 1.2 and we also use Liquid Nitrogen to cool down the tunnel during tests and can get down to negative 250 degreed fahrenheit. The only other wind tunnel in the world like it is in Germany.

Oh! The Beatles reference completely eluded me. That's an impressive tenure! Do you really like water or was it a coincidence attributed to your field? During my childhood I'd go to the gym on Langely a bit..I do remember the race track but never paid attention to any buildings nearby. I was in the Army ('08-14 in MI), though never lucked up with an assignment in the 757.

On 12/6/2020 at 10:24 AM, uncle fester said:

Sweet guitar - enjoy the journey.  Aint no sunshine's cool - good luck.

So far the journey's been quite fun. Thanks for the well wishes, once it all comes together I'll post a video in the forum.

On 12/6/2020 at 12:41 PM, MissouriPicker said:

Practically every new guitar needs a setup to make it ideal for the owner.  Even if it already feels good, it can likely feel better.   A Hummingbird with a good setup is a dream-come-true guitar.  Have fun!  You’ve got a super guitar to learn on.

Yeah, I learned that the hard way that a setup is often necessary. Initially I brought home a Standard HB and the strings were mile high, needless to say the finger pain was a bit intense. Researching the matter actually led me to this forum, go figure. The Vintage had a much lower strings, though I still took it in for a proper setup the next day and it does play much better than the Standard did previously. In fact practice sessions can go 2-3 hours before finger pain comes even remotely close to an hour on the Standard. 

[Retired]

Try to play as close to the finger nail as possible. I read that long ago and it helps,  I could play much longer and it also reduced the callouses on the fingers. No pain. I also use 9's which helps or 10's at the thickest.  Much easier to do string bends. 

[hummingbirdguy]

On 12/8/2020 at 10:01 PM, Retired said:

Try to play as close to the finger nail as possible. I read that long ago and it helps,  I could play much longer and it also reduced the callouses on the fingers. No pain. I also use 9's which helps or 10's at the thickest.  Much easier to do string bends. 

Rick Beato touched on string thickness and how thinner strings are  more comfortable play than thicker strings. After going through the various brands of 12s I have now thinner strings will be on the to do list. Thanks for the tip about playing closer to the fingernail, aside from the fourth finger it works well! This week I noticed my fingers didn't seem to hurt as much and I've been able to practice for 2-3 hours straight

[Retired]

On 12/11/2020 at 9:20 PM, hummingbirdguy said:

Rick Beato touched on string thickness and how thinner strings are  more comfortable play than thicker strings. After going through the various brands of 12s I have now thinner strings will be on the to do list. Thanks for the tip about playing closer to the fingernail, aside from the fourth finger it works well! This week I noticed my fingers didn't seem to hurt as much and I've been able to practice for 2-3 hours straight

Glad to hear. 

[IconoclastTX]

I just got mine a couple of days ago and I freaking love it!I decided to upgrade my Martin D-15 to a Gibson 1960 Hummingbird. It has a much softer tone and clearer distinct notes...I love it! I should for how much it cost me! https://www.gibson.com/.../1960.../Heritage-Cherry-Sunburst

[OrdinaryNimda]

3 hours ago, IconoclastTX said:

I just got mine a couple of days ago and I freaking love it!I decided to upgrade my Martin D-15 to a Gibson 1960 Hummingbird. It has a much softer tone and clearer distinct notes...I love it! I should for how much it cost me! https://www.gibson.com/.../1960.../Heritage-Cherry-Sunburst
[edited by Nimda for brevity]

This guitar looks so spectacular, that I had to click on the link... YEP, there is no pickup system. If one wants it amplified, an external mic has to be used. Simple, no drilling and the best possible natural sound.😎

(Drilling that precious wood is a travesty that should be sanctioned, Gitmo comes to mind. Of course it is just my subjective viewpoint and I am not going to war over this.)

[fortyearspickn]

IconclastTX -  you've got yourself an icon !   Beauty-full.  The grain in that spruce is exceptionally amazing !  

Welcome Aboard !     

[IconoclastTX]

Oh yeah I specifically chose not to have any pickups or electronics on it I have no need for thst I just okay for myself really. 

[hummingbirdguy]

19 hours ago, IconoclastTX said:

I just got mine a couple of days ago and I freaking love it!I decided to upgrade my Martin D-15 to a Gibson 1960 Hummingbird. It has a much softer tone and clearer distinct notes...I love it! I should for how much it cost me! https://www.gibson.com/.../1960.../Heritage-Cherry-Sunburst

What a beauty!! Just as soon as I stopped thinking about it, here you go showing off your 1960 reissue. You're definitely making me itch for another HB lol. Would love to hear some sound samples if you have any. 

[Pinch]

IMO you absolutely made a good choice getting a really good guitar to start on. It can make or break a player right there and then. Welcome to the forums, and happy playing!