u/Classic_Grass924

How do you guys feel about learning / teaching online? I used to have a teacher for the keyboard and he was a really great teacher. He also taught my sister the guitar and she loves him too, great guy. But this was all in-person.

Now, I’m about 2yrs into self learning the guitar, basically cowboy chord guitarist right now. I’m trying to go to the next level (maybe finger picking / some riffs licks and solos / etc.). I’m thinking of contacting the same teacher again, but since I live in a different country now it’d have to be online.

Have you had good experiences learning online through zoom or such? You think the teacher will be able to pick up on the subtleties and small mistakes I may make?

I’m trying to write some music and I always end up defaulting to some combination of (I IV V vi and iii)

But I want to expand to more interested progressions. I have noticed that there are songs that don’t necessarily use chords that fully belong to a scale (eg. using A major in a G major scale song).

The question is - how do I know when I can stray away from the chords that belong to (for example) a major scale (so chords that are not I ii iii IV V vi vii*)?

Just to clarify - im not really asking about “garnishing” my music with maj7s and 7s and sus chords etc. etc. Because I do have an understanding of where and how to use those, but this is more about if there is any rule / framework that says, “D major sounds good in a C major scale but F# minor wouldn’t”

Example - I’ve seen GAGC be used as a chord progression but then can I just play GBGC? How do I know if I can or can’t?

Edit: realized GFGC is all in C major scale lmao so changed to GBGC in the end

I’m a beginner, been playing less than 2yrs. My first acoustic guitar sucked. The action was insanely high and holding any barre chord other than an E-shape was impossible. My new guitar has been setup well, which means I can play all types of barre chords effortlessly now, and it’s been an absolute revelation in someways.

BUT… because I’m so used to pushing down on strings super hard with my old high-action guitar, I’m doing the same here and there’s a lot of unnecessary twanging and my hammer-ons have a clear “knock” sound to them when I hit the string and fret. I’m also not particularly good at playing notes / riffs / solos right now, I’m very much at “campfire guitarist” level, and trying to expand my skills.

Any recommendations for practicing to play the strings lightly and generally making my grip lighter on the guitar? Because I usually start that and then I realise like 5min in that oh shit I’ve been holding too tightly