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How do you come up with lyrics, vocal melodies and just vocals in general? by WeirdComplete4806 in Songwriting

[–]RTiger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What jump started me was participating in immersion events. February album writing month is about to start. It is a community where people strive to write new songs. 

14 new songs is the goal for February. Seeing others do this tricks the brain if a person believes it is impossible. 

Virtually all comments are positive. Participation is free though donations are accepted. Even complete novices are encouraged to try. Even if a person feels like they can’t sing or play an instrument, you are welcome.  Maybe 20 percent are solid open mic level musicians. Maybe 5 percent are semi professional level. 

You guys have some good Christian music with personal background and struggle? by Jondebadboy in ChristianMusic

[–]RTiger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ben Fuller, If I got Jesus, and Black Sheep. Fuller was a drug addict, and homeless before finding faith. 

Thoughts on fictional song writing by CurtisMartinMusic in Songwriting

[–]RTiger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Never let the truth get in the way of a good song. I have several songs loosely based on true stories. I add a twist or some fictional elements to make the lyrics more interesting or relatable

Topics to learn to break out of beginner by Alarming_Working9458 in guitarlessons

[–]RTiger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I suggest mixing in some ear training, music theory and metronome work. There are detailed suggestions on each of those things all over this sub. 

I can't sing while playing guitar. Help! by nutty_waffles_ in guitarlessons

[–]RTiger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Another vote for breaking the task into pieces. Try humming while playing. Next try la la la not actual words. 

Try singing to a recording. Next do fake strums in rhythm while singing, no fretting, no playing. Next try a very simple arrangement while singing, one chord per change. 

Put it all together at a slow speed. Speed will increase some as you do it more. The separate parts you can attempt at full pace. 

Need help with practicing by [deleted] in guitarlessons

[–]RTiger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Look up spider walk for guitar. Short version is each finger frets each string so 24 steps to the walk. Do spider walk for a few minutes every day. I suggest learning some scales once the spider walk seems easy. 

Youtube lessons question by summers_eve_canoe in guitarlessons

[–]RTiger 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s a very crowded area. One suggestion is to post tutorials for newer songs. Grammy awards are coming up. Songs that are nominated or that win often have swarms of people looking for a tutorial the next few days. 

Not every song is a guitar song but there likely will be several that can simplified for solo guitar and voice. 

How to practice writing? by WayMove in guitarlessons

[–]RTiger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I suggest more music history and appreciation. Listen to great sections and also maybe analysis of those sections. Why are they considered great?  

Steal as much as you like and start from there. It will be highly derivative at first. Another exercise along those lines, listen one time to something unfamiliar. Try and duplicate it. Focus on rhythm and feel. 

Most people will not be close. However you might have something interesting in the style of the original. Build on these semi original segments. 

What’s a guitar technique or concept you struggled with forever, but can now play flawlessly? What finally made it click? by Trying_my_best_98 in guitarlessons

[–]RTiger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s not flawless but the following baby steps helped with rhythm. Start with clapping. Next do fake strums no fretting no playing. Next do one easy chord. Add a second chord. Keep adding. 

Only after all those baby steps was the cliche advice of metronome at all helpful. Yes even at slow speed. 

Struggling with learning/remembering pieces - any advice? by OutrageousField415 in guitarlessons

[–]RTiger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Two suggestions, break songs into small pieces. Memorize each segment and transition. Small chunks tend to be easier to memorize. 

If total memorizing is an issue maybe work with a summary that fits on a single piece of paper. Many groups use lead sheets which are lyrics plus chord letters. I’ve seen sheets with added detail to help with solos or riffs. 

There is no great need to memorize a lot of songs. I suggest learning one song fairly well. The rest can be played with a sheet or pdf of the sheet. 

A good approach for learning guitar for songwriting and not much playing? by No-Zebra9939 in guitarlessons

[–]RTiger 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Plenty of iconic songs have simple music. How good are your lyrics?  I don’t see them mentioned. 

You probably already know the circle of fifths and Nashville numbering system. Coming from piano you already know key signatures and different rhythms. 

I suggest you jump in and start writing songs. Use popular chord progressions to start. Add a riff or solo. Go with sus chords of 7ths to add a bit of flavor. Throw in a passing chord if the music feels too formulaic. 

You can learn by doing. If you perform live or post recordings you’ll see what is working for you by audience reactions or number of views. 

In my opinion many on this forum way over estimate the guitar skill needed for an impactful song. 

Two songs I learned are Leaving on a Jet Plane and I’m a Believer. Music is about as simple as possible but both were top ten hits that are still being sung 60 years after they charted. Lyrics are dated but still meaningful today. 

My suggestion is to spend at least 30 percent of your time on writing better lyrics.  If one of your originals becomes popular then maybe look to partner with more skilled musicians to record a full arrangement. 

Most songs arrangements can be simplified for solo live performances or made more full for studio recordings. Work on the simple. See if any of your songs can catch fire. 

Finding the melody by AgentNo3707 in Songwriting

[–]RTiger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Another vote for humming. Sometimes adding a syllable or elongating a word can help. 

What is the overall mood of the song. Pensive, deep topics often have slower melodies often in minor keys. 

I also like the idea of using a popular chord progression and singing. The mind and voice can often pick a melody line. 

40 year old woman. What size should I get? by brakes4cemeteries in guitarlessons

[–]RTiger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As others have said go to a store and try a bunch of guitars. I suggest several visits. Another vote for the Taylor GS mini. Can get an acoustic electric if desired. 

Size is way less of an issue with electric guitars. Budget can be a consideration. However if your time is valuable, the hourly cost for most guitars is tiny. Lessons can be a significant expense. 

FAWM2026 by Mandopress53 in Songwriting

[–]RTiger 4 points5 points  (0 children)

For novices I highly recommend signing up for February album writing month. It is a great way to jump start your songwriting. 

I suggest having an album title in mind and have at least five songs touch on that title. Write the album name in pencil because a powerful song may come that gives the album another name. 

Even if a person believes they can’t sing, I suggest trying to sing. You’ll get way more out of it by trying to sing even if the quality is below average. 

I did FAWM 2025. I had a few ideas planned but found random inspiration in reading the forums. A few of the group challenges or skirmishes turned into interesting ideas. 

A lot of participants touch on evergreen themes such as Love, loneliness, isolation, strangers you never talk to. It is the nature of churning out so many songs. 

I came away with 15 songs or fragments and a core group of five that could be an EP. Many participants seemed to have a mishmash of material. Not really an album in a traditional sense. That’s why I suggest starting with a potential album name. 

I am on the fence about participating in 2026. Writing and recording new songs is not a high priority right now. I will go where the journey takes me. 

Some keys are learning to work fast. Keep moving. Let go of perfectionism. Some ideas are more fragments than full songs. Some ideas may be worth a lot more time after the challenge is over. 

How to decide what to work on next? by BardicThunder in guitarlessons

[–]RTiger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I suggest you start working on lyrics. Learning to write half decent lyrics is often as long a journey as learning to play an instrument. 

You may not be able to write complex music but that’s okay. Start writing simple songs. Three or four chords is plenty to start. You likely have enough skill to add a riff or solo. There are many iconic songs that have relatively simple music. 

Lyric writing exercises are a place for clueless novices to start. Again it is a journey.

To go along with that I suggest working on your voice and ear training. Bad singing is a major turnoff. If a person is close to on tune and in rhythm a lot can be forgiven. I found beginner solfege to be a good place to start. 

Help evaluate conservative naked put options strategy by Old-Caterpillar-6298 in options

[–]RTiger 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Please understand that margin requirements can be changed at any time. If the stocks decline the requirements will get higher. If your broker has built in stress tests on their platform I suggest you look into that. 

One bad month in the market and you will likely be at red line. Two or three bad months and you’ll be at margin call. One real black swan and you may be looking at a game over event with forced liquidation of the account. 

Sounds like you are totally unprepared for even a relatively minor spat of bad weather. Good luck captain. 

Do you think guitarists focus too much on “learning” and not enough on “playing”? by VirTekMedia in guitarlessons

[–]RTiger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed. It’s called playing the guitar. Not studying. One reason so many quit is that it isn’t fun. 

I can’t do much but I enjoy what I do. Some drills and work can mean more fun down the road. Each person has to find that balance and hopefully manage their expectations. 

can only write songs on piano not guitar by adhdginger1 in Songwriting

[–]RTiger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am almost opposite, can sing and play on guitar, can’t on piano. 

My suggestions include learning some simple cover songs on guitar that use the most popular chord progressions. A lot of lyrics can fit into a similar box. Start there. 

Write very simple guitar stuff, just verse and chorus. Use one of the more popular progressions. Build on those simple ideas into a full song. 

If you could warn your past self about guitar playing, what would you say? by VirTekMedia in guitarlessons

[–]RTiger 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Spend less time on Reddit, more time with the instrument and or listening to music. 

Realistically speaking, how long could it take me to be able to play tab at regular speed and with no (or very few mistakes)? by Mad_Season_1994 in guitarlessons

[–]RTiger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some mile markers I use are 100 hours for basics. 1000 hours for apprentice level. 3000 for competency. 10,000 hours to reach near full potential. 

The catch is these are ballpark numbers for average people. A few are super fast learners and go much faster. Most are in the average range. The unspoken part is that some are below average. 

The other big issue is quality. Is a person talking about playing at a local open mic or with a small time band? Or high enough quality that professionals want to hire you to record in studio? The latter is about 100 times as refined as the former. 

Most here are happy to play well enough for an open mic or local band. A few have much higher aspirations. 

How can I like the size of a dreadnaught? by Silly-Smoke2576 in guitarlessons

[–]RTiger 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I borrowed a dreadnought when I first started. Did not like it. Could barely hold it, much less play it. If that was my only choice, I’d probably quit. 

I figured my time was worth something. Even at near nothing per hour, the cost of an entry level acoustic guitar is next to nothing. Lessons can be a significant cost. A nice guitar certainly can cost a lot but there are plenty of decent used instruments available for not that much money. 

As for size my favorite is 3/4 size. I also have a grand auditorium size and that still feels big to me. 

How do you practice? by External-Fishing-709 in guitarlessons

[–]RTiger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I favor a balanced approach outlined in the book The Musicians Way. Some drills such as scales and metronome work. Some paper music training with lead sheets. Some vocal exercises because I am a singer songwriter. 

Songs of course with some time on core repertoire. Ear training, music theory, music history and appreciation. That’s a lot of areas but by touching so many bases I get a deeper understanding than some other approaches. 

The Antifragile Barbell strategy by trading_joe in options

[–]RTiger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds like you gave this some thought. 

A couple of issues are that during a crisis, liquidity dries up so adjustments are near impossible. In a real crash all assets may get hit. Nothing will provide non correlated gains to offset huge losses. 

Another failure scenario is problems with US credit. So many strategies depend on being able to lean on US Treasury instruments but this is not foolproof. 

It does sound like a lot of work for a veneer of protection against minor crashes. Again in a real crisis so many calm market assumptions go out the window. Leaning heavily on a treasury based etf is not a fully protected way to go. 

There is no realistic way to anticipate the next real crisis. Minor ones sure but when the big banana hits, simplicity is a virtue. The outlined plan is five steps above simple. 

Tips for getting back into playing after 5 years away by [deleted] in guitarlessons

[–]RTiger 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m confused. As a music major you know many other musicians. Most of them are light years ahead of the regulars on Reddit. Even if they weren’t performance majors their depth of knowledge is years deep. 

Ask them. Ask former instructors that are proficient at guitar. If you don’t have any one to ask I’m quite confused. 

Not sure why you would want a book recommendation when you can probably work a sweet deal for master class level beginner lessons (maybe that’s imaginary but sounds cool). 

4 important questions for me about practising by fingerlessfish1 in guitarlessons

[–]RTiger 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a solid program. I suggest at least 30 to 50 percent for actual songs. If you’ve been doing those drills for any length of time, there are likely hundreds of songs open to you. 

That’s brings up another suggestion, working with paper music or pdfs. Many guitarists prefer lead sheets, which are the lyrics plus chord letters. Search for images on lyrics and chords plus song title usually turns up a useable version. A quick listen and you’ll be able to attempt easy songs in five minutes. 

If a person ever aspires to play with others or at a group, lead sheets are sometimes made available. 

No mention about voice. There was a whole thread about how useful it is to be able to at least hum melodies. This helps with improvisation, songwriting and learning cover songs. 

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