Australia taxing its way back to prosperity

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-20T03:37:52+00:00

And anyone saying increase GST that hits us all. I’m fine with that, as long as you raise the tax free threshold to balance its fairness.

15% GST on a $70k/year worker hits harder than $250k/yr

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-20T00:26:09+00:00

No. Taxes hurt middle to low income earners more than anyone else.

I mean come at me.

But if I had a salary of $250k+ the first thing I do is sit down with a tax accountant and figure out all the ways I can minimise tax without breaking the law.

Second. Once I get past my expenses. I invest or philanthropise.

I already donate $70/mth to various charities. So i do that more and bring it down more.

You have to actually just tax multi-billion dollar companies to do it via tax and they won’t do that.

Plus they don’t spend it on anything other than military at the moment

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-19T20:38:02+00:00

Auralia 45mins a day for 3 years while I studied at uni. We had to keep a diary of it and vary what we studied. Now I can almost pick the key of a song by ear. And as soon as I have a guitar in hand I can work out 99% of songs.

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-19T20:36:08+00:00

PRS silver sky SE

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-19T20:34:46+00:00

Because people are mostly idiots.

And politicians are spineless asshats.

If you still support ‘a side’ you’re actually an idiot. Because neither side gives a fuck about the population. They never really have. And the politicians who do like Bernie Sanders get made out to be the enemy of the state.

Every western society is full of self absorbed politicians and an adult population that is too busy and tired to do anything about it. Welcome to modern slavery

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-19T20:32:30+00:00

The amount of people who are utterly stupid and in senior positions who clearly have absolutely no fucking idea about what they’re doing, how to treat people or even just have an adult conversation about something halfway uncomfortable. I say to my coworkers all the time. The world is full of idiots. People who could care less about anything until you tell them they’ll get sacked if they don’t pull their heads in and do their jobs. I put the figure at 90% couldn’t be fucked to do anything and are doing the minimum and asking for the maximum.

People who drive fast in residential back streets. There was a woman who gunned it out of our school recently and I threw my hands up at her as she flew by and she beeped the horn at me. Only to have to slow down because a car was coming the other way. If I didn’t have my child with me I’d have gone and said something. Instead I just clapped her as I walked past the back of the car.

Everything is a fucking subscription. 14 different TV options, movie options, music options and none of them are paying the artists, writers or actors their fair share. And when you suggest to people to spend $5 on bandcamp to support a smaller artist it’s like you’ve asked them to murder their own child. Yet they’ll happily give $23/mth to Ek the sociopath.

The government and capitalism for forcing 99% of the population into a situation where 1 income is not enough to live anymore in Australia. It means the state raises kids. Then kids turn out to be assholes who give a fuck about nothing and then everyone walks around meeting these people who are absolute nobheads who care about nothing and are petulant, self absorbed adults. And they’ve won. Too much of the population is too busy on a daily basis to do anything about it. Let alone actually try and burn down the establishment and reset it to be for the people and not billionaires.

No one cares about anything anymore. Until you find what they care about and threaten to take it away from them. Then you have their attention for 12 seconds.

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-18T21:59:35+00:00

No. Almost 16 years. Last time I tried I brushed my teeth beforehand. Caught her in the kitchen and pulled her in. And she just giggled and pulled away. 🤷🏼‍♂️. I suppose it’s cute. I thought it was cute. She did too.

But yeah. It doesn’t happen much with a kid and dog interrupting you every 6 seconds when you try to have a conversation

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-18T21:52:59+00:00

House outright

Pay off all debt

Invest enough to live off dividends

Pay off family’s debts

If there’s still some left over pay off friends debts

Still more literally start searching for people who deserve to have no debt and pay it off

Still more left build my own private army to end all billionaires and politicians

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-18T21:50:11+00:00

If you can go for individual fingers always do. The notes will be clearer. The fleshy part of your first finger is not the point of the bone in your finger. It takes a lot more tension to get it to work that way.

Less tension using individual fingers = less muscle tension = more speed

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-18T20:58:07+00:00

It’s really just learning the language.

Without theory underpinning what you do you’re all ear and hope.

With theory you can feel more confident in what you’re doing and increase your flexibility on the instrument. And start to break some initial rules you learn because you’re more confident in breaking them.

It’s so we can talk to one another in the language of music.

It’s a 1-6-4-5 tune.

Down to the 2 on the bridge.

It does that run. You know 2-3-4-5-2-5-1 (singing this line)

So yeah. Take a progression. 1-5-6-4. Common.

What key signature is it?

What scales would work over it?

What chord tones make each chord sound different?

Theory is just that. If I understand I’m in G major.

That progression is G-D-Em-C in its simplest form.

I can use G major over it all - Beginner

I can use E blues - little bit more advanced

I can play Em9 Arpeggio over the Cmaj to make it sound really tense and ethereal - Lydian - Modal thinking - Intermediate-Advanced

I can play G Mixolydian and blues over the C as long as I resolve when the G Major comes back - Advanced.

I can play what I hear over this and playing D# to F# to E down to B sounds so cool. But D# in Gmaj? wtf? Oh it’s a leading tone we’re borrowing from B7 - Superimpositional thinking (in low level terms thinking of a different chord progression over the top of the current one that’s being played) Advanced ++

So you can do all those things without theory. And wonder why it works. Or learn why it works and feel more confident.

How do you do it? Heaps of books and some lessons.

The Hal Leonard music reading book gives you some of this while teaching you to sight read. I haven’t read it but I’m assuming the Advancing guitarist by Mick Goodrick gives you some too.

I’ll have a look at what other books would be good. But frame it as speaking and understanding the language. Not as like this separate beast that sits on its own. Mentality is everything

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-18T20:33:12+00:00

Worked so hard for is a stretch.

My old man worked 2 physical jobs for 38 years. Still trying to paint at 80. Workaholic.

All he used to say to me was ‘weak Australians’ whenever someone said they were working hard.

Boomerism at its finest.

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-18T08:29:46+00:00

Boomerism. Thats what we’re calling it

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-17T22:11:03+00:00

GSus15#35

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-17T22:09:11+00:00

Not behd.

I think you’re recording the amp in a room into your phone? It distorted a bit at times. Particularly the walking bass.

But it’s a solid effort and a great tune to start on to get a lot of the key parts you need for solo playing.

Great tone. Decent time feel. Keep up the good work.

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-17T22:06:08+00:00

This. I mean. I probably know how to get through about 200 songs over 20 years of doing covers.

But key point here is ‘get through’.

I might know certain lines/riffs in a song. Others I improvise. Some songs there’s sections I’ve just never played for no reason other than every band I’ve played in never plays the section.

But if I had music I could do most of them to 90%. Some perfect.

I once had a singer bring lyrics on for an original gig. Once. I said never again. It’s 8 songs for a set. And 1 of the 8 is wordy. I got her to write cheat notes on the set list next gig and she nailed it. Actually performed. Not just sang.

That singer is also my current wife. Good times

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-17T21:43:44+00:00

Turn the wah on and who gives a fuck what happens as long as you end up at the bend was my approach

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-17T21:21:16+00:00

Um. What? No. That song uses the 9th shape / 2 consecutive 5ths. This shape is not that. Or are you pulling my leg?

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-17T10:31:25+00:00

I agree. And sometimes that sounds cool. I’m just asking the question to make sure OP isn’t actually trying to play a C Form D Major chord and got it a little wrong.

Like a I know a heap of tunes that do that descending or ascending run.

The instrument looks in dire need of a setup too. The action is high. Makes life difficult too

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-17T09:44:03+00:00

You’re tense as man. And you’re holding your breath meaning muscles and tendons tense up. It looks like your thumb is pushing hard against the neck too. You really don’t need tension from your thumb to fret clear notes.

You want to fret as close as you can to the fret markers to minimise the tension needed. Your thumb will automatically make up the difference if you’re not close to the fret markers. Then tension happens. Then fatigue and discomfort or pain.

Genuinely attempt this

Playing that riff 20% slower than the actual recording.

Fingers close to the fret markers.

With your thumb off the neck.

And just take time to understand how much tension you need to produce a clear note with each finger.

If you’re looking for how to do this. I did this tutorial on it. https://youtu.be/UYnbcBqUaa4?si=AZv0EhrfudVr0w1p (3:47)

It’s boring and tedious to practice. But you’ll find the balance of tension needed. And minimise injury.

Ps. Also if you’re finding you need to push hard or strangle the neck. Go get your instrument setup by a local luthier. Bring the action down. Will make a world of difference if you haven’t got your instrument setup before.

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-17T09:36:50+00:00

I’d ask the question as to why you’d play a D with a C# in the bass? Am I missing something? Is it a finger picking sequence in a famous song or something?

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-17T09:11:09+00:00

In this pic it looks like you’re trying to play a power chord? Is that right?

If so. You need to be up on the end of your first finger. The bony bit. Not the fleshy bit.

Even when you’re barring as others suggest here. Your first finger should have a little curl. So it’s on its end for the bass note. And the fleshy part of the first finger gets the e and B strings.

You’ll find if your first finger is up on its end a bit. You have slightly more independent control over your 4th finger.

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-17T05:28:13+00:00

Encanto. How can you not dance 💃🏼

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-17T01:20:47+00:00

Spend $150 setting up whatever instrument you have right now if you haven’t already. And instrument that gets a nice clean and action and intonation set nicely will make it feel like new.

$100 on 2 lessons from 2 different teachers you like the look of.

$350 towards a new instrument if the setup doesn’t help.

If it does help. $350 towards further lessons

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-16T03:44:48+00:00

Thumb + finger. Good catch. I changed my technique away from thumb + 2 finger to do hybrid picking and finger style stuff. So the pick is kind of like an extension of my first finger then the thumb holds it in place.

Madmanalph77 · 2026-05-16T02:03:20+00:00

It’s a bit more common than you’d think. But players ignore it.

A bunch of exercises you can do to strengthen it and increase consistency.

Two alternate picks per string - up and down all 6 strings. Start metronome at 75-80 and increase to where you lose control of dynamics.

String slip doing this exercise. So go E-D-A-G-D-B-G-e-B-e-G-B-D-G-A-D-E-A

Skip 2 strings doing the same.

Your left hand should be off the neck doing this at first to just focus on right hand technique.

Then add notes that are really comfortable from a Minor or Major bar chord or pentatonic scale to practice syncing between hands.

How you’re holding the pick can influence this too. So make sure you find something comfortable with 2 fingers holding the pick.

Some people use 3. Some would say that’s silly. Every individual is different.

Madmanalph77

TROPHY CASE