What's really fun is to play with the translators...pick a phrase, translate it into 7 or 8 languages, then back into English...it's like playing "Telephone" with a group of kids...what you end up with is nothing like the original, and sometimes the total meaning gets changed.

Hi folks ! Another great song that i want to learn is ' Highway in the wind ' , it looks verry difficult to play ( i'm a beginning guitarplayer ) I think the strumming is with a bass line or something . Does enybody know how to play it ? I think Arlo knows it .

What really helps is to LISTEN to it...many times! If you want to sing it, learn it and play in the key you can sing in. Don't worry too much about the bass line...play with it and make it your own. Songs always sound better if people figure out their own version rather than totally copying an arrangement.

Yes Sue , mayby you have a point here but i see it as a progress in my guitarplaying ( to learn new things ) I understand what you mean but if i always stay on a basic strumming i dont learn anything new. I play the guitar for 3 years now ( only for fun at home , not on a proffesional base ) and i never gonna be so good like Arlo but i try to go as far as i can . I want to learn something from Arlo , not copy him . Thanks for your reply . Greets from Belgium.

Guten Abend, guitarman. If you look to your left under Resources you'll find "Tablature". There is the text and the chords to "Highway in the wind".

You need a fast right hand for parts of this one! you may wanna go into a boxing Gym and hit the speed bag for a while!

I dunno. I pretty much copy the way Arlo does St James Infirmary. The only difference is that I can't play nearly as well as he does.

Yeah, well, I'm never going to be at that level, either...but I don't have to support a family and home by working in the music industry so it doesn't really matter. There's something to be said for just having fun with the music; sing and play with friends, play at an open mic, and share what you do. It's also good to find friends to play with; you'll get ideas from them, and your playing will improve really quickly. It can be nice to play music for yourself, but your enjoyment will increase the more you share it with others. I guess my point is to have fun, sing loud so people can hear you,and don't worry about the small stuff!

I know. Some of the best versions of songs are other peoples renditions. And as far as having fun with it...that's what it's all about. But there is something to be said about copying somebody when you are learning. That's not my excuse with St James Infirmary though. Arlo just does it better than anybody I've ever heard. That includes Cisco. But, when it comes down to it, my version is different than both of theirs...so I guess I've just talked myself into a circle...

Goedemorgen Brigitte from Germany , thank you for the reply but i know the chords and the lyrics . Its the rythm that i want to learn . Most problems with songs that i wonna play i have with my righthand . Sue has it right ( it must be just for fun , and for me it is just for fun) but always i learn something new its a stimulation to go on . Have a nice day folks ( or night on the other side of the ocean )

The "educated thumb" may be what you are asking about, guitarman.

Look for instructions on Travis Picking. The thumb is used to pick a bass note while two maybe three (some folks use all four) fingers pick the upper strings. When learning the picking, chords are formed the same way but as you advance, the chording hand starts helping with the bass runs also.

Donovan is very good at Travis Picking so he has good hands to watch to learn. Mostly it is a matter of doing it for hours and hours. kurt...

Thanks Kurt , now I have an answer . One of my new challenges must be learning to fingerpick . It looks difficult ( I only learnt strumming ) but it is essential to play folk or blues . Have still a long way to go , and am allready 48 years old . ( maybe i can use it into a next life )

Don't worry, Guitarman...I'm 58 (today) and have just started back learning the guitar with a real teacher after 40 years! I have arthritis in my hands, but I am determined to learn. My teacher is working with me to learn various strum patterns and even Travis picking.

I need to get myself a decent guitar. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I should have it customized to accomodate my narly hands? I'd like to have some knowledge before I walk into a music store.

Greetings Guitarman! Like Kurt mentioned, to start the picking process you need to practice that "Travis" style---they call it other things too, but it begins with simple runs where the thumb is doing an alternating bass and the other finger(s) hit notes within the chord fingering(left hand. Look at the bookstores (my local library has a shelf full of them) for instructional videos by great teachers like Happy and Artie Traum, and Roy Bookbinder on Homespun Records.....usually, music stores have them. And mostly, listen to and watch as much music as you can, done by the people you like, until you begin to visualize what their hands are doing in your mind.....I can't ever completely and purely "listen" to music---part of my brain is always trying to visualize the technique of the musicians playing it---but it's all good! Do you use a flatpick? Flatpicking is a beautiful thing: check out Doc Watson. If you read tablature you can pretty much get the notes, and visualize (audiolize?) the rhythm. Once you get familiar with the pattern you'll be amazed how fast you will progress if you PRACTICEPRACTICEPRACTICE!!!

Having the string action on the guitar set to a lower string action may help. I've found that when a guitar is set to a lower string action it makes it easier for me to play. If the strings are set up too high it's harder to play & hurts my fingers. I need to get my guitar set to a lower string action so it'll be easier to play...