What I'm Working On

I've been writing about instruments and gear and standing up vs. sitting down. But what am I playing and working on?

Flatpicking
(Which just means playing single notes with a pick.) I'm playing scales and bluegrass/fiddle tunes. I'm concentrating on good right-hand (picking hand) technique and playing cleanly. I'm not exactly trying to be a bluegrass guitarist (not that there's anything wrong with that), but they're fun tunes to play, and I feel like they're also good exercises. "Red Haired Boy", "Big Sciota", and "Whiskey Before Breakfast", etc., are just plain fun.

Strumming
I'm playing a while bunch of strumming songs, mostly because they're fun and sound good - but also to work on right-hand technique. I've been working on a bunch of Neil Young songs, because his right hand is like a metronome. "Sugar Mountain", "Heart of Gold", "Old Man", "Like a Hurricane." Also John Mayer's "Daughters", REO Speedwagon's "Time For Me To Fly", and a number of others. Ever since Christmas, I've been playing most of these songs on both 6 and 12 strings.

Fingerpicking
Here's where I'm doing the most learning. With flatpicking and strumming, I'm trying to reinforce good technique and replace decades of bad habits, and polishing things I already know. Fingerpicking is a much more recent thing. Here's what I'm working on now:

• Babe I'm Gonna Leave You: I've had this down pretty well for a little while now, and it's one of my warm-up songs. I like hearing the chord progression, so I'm happy to play it for a bit to warm up the fingers.
• Don't Think Twice It's Alright: Classic Dylan - though I wouldn't really call myself a Dylan fan. It's a fun progression, and I can play it, though maybe not at speed.
• Landslide: The Fleetwood Mac classic, and also a Rosewood staple. It's easier than I thought it would be, and I have it pretty much down.
• Green, Green Rocky Road: Here's where things get challenging. This is the song from Inside Llewyn Davis, a move we all *loved* (both the movie and the soundtrack.) The YouTube lesson, from Dave van Ronk himself, is here. It's the first song I've tackled where the thumb is playing rhythm, and the fingers are playing melody on the treble strings. It initially feels like rubbing your belly and patting your head at the same time - just impossible. But after maybe 10 days of a *lot* of slow repetition, I can play most of it passably well. This is *very* exciting.
• Windy and Warm: This is a long-term project. I first heard it from Tommy Emmanuel, and later learned that it goes back to Chet Atkins. It's another "thumb and fingers doing different things" song. I can fumble through the main riff kinda/passably well. But, as I say, this is a project. If it progresses, it will be over a period of time.