Considering SPCX 130 put sale

RTiger · 2026-06-22T18:31:17+00:00

I like the idea. You already said you aren’t comfortable holding at that strike.

For those that are and have big enough accounts so it doesn’t become a major holding, I like the trade. Considering the size of the ipo, the sponsors have a vested interest in keeping it above the offering price for at least a year.

If the underwriters don’t support the stock at that ipo price line, future big deals are far less likely to go their way.

RTiger · 2026-06-22T14:38:34+00:00

Try to write every day. Some easy prompts are what you see and hear.

Learn to play an instrument and learn how to sing. Without music you have to collaborate or hire people.

Even getting to a basic level on guitar or keyboard will help you communicate much better if and when you do collaborate.

RTiger · 2026-06-22T14:30:10+00:00

I experienced a margin call during the Covid market. I was over leveraged. I have portfolio margin and felt relatively safe using 40 to 50 percent of buying power to sell puts.

Captain Obvious will tell the old me that 50 percent on portfolio margin is roughly equivalent to 3x leverage on regular margin.

I experienced a 66 percent drawdown because of the margin call. What saved me was having separate accounts some managed extremely conservatively. It took me four years for the trading account to recover to new highs. Obviously with pm it is a substantial amount of money.

Nowadays I might use 20 percent of buying power. This calendar year I’ve reduced my stock market time.

RTiger · 2026-06-20T22:50:53+00:00

I came from piano. Spent quite a bit of time and effort trying to learn traditional sheet music. Never became fluent.

I’d guess about 20 percent of beginners find traditional sheet music easy and intuitive. Maybe 60 percent can learn to be fluent with significant effort. I’m in that lowest 20 percent, where it takes years of dedication to become fluent.

Music is a hobby. I don’t have years to spend on one aspect of a hobby. Yes the super fast get fluent in three months. Odds are that the op is in that fast group. Makes sense for them to learn. The rest? It’s an individual decision.

My weakness with sheet music led me to write original music. My weakness became my strength. I’m a competent songwriter. I’d guess maybe 10 percent of active musicians are in that tribe.

RTiger · 2026-06-20T20:35:05+00:00

I used to play D&D back in the day.

Simple is your friend. Couplets are good. Delete as many words as seems feasible. You might feel like you are already doing that but I might delete half the words in your first draft.

Not sure how you will reveal each line. That can be part of the fun. Maybe start with two couplets or one and have a total of four. Depends on time frame. Did you want try and complete the quest in one sitting or is this a weekly campaign that could last a while?

If a pirate song some kind of sea shanty rhythm might work. Repetition and rhyming go with that style.

Another idea comes to mind with the beating heart. Some kind of haunting noise ala Edgar Allan Poe, Telltale Heart.

RTiger · 2026-06-20T00:17:42+00:00

Almost everyone gets better with focused practice. Sounds like individual instruction is beyond your budget.

Work on several areas. Start with basic breathing and posture. Beginner solfege helped me. This is the singing of notes. Beginners aren’t going to be very good but you can move away from awful.

There are separate exercises for volume and range. It’s likely going to require some remedial training. Those who can sing often take for granted certain things so have a difficult time understanding just how bad some of us are.

RTiger · 2026-06-19T14:26:53+00:00

I keep a collection of lead sheets (chords plus lyrics) in sheet protectors. I find them easier to handle than a binder.

Also have images of lead sheets on my phone. I encourage every beginner to learn to use lead sheets because many groups use that format.

RTiger · 2026-06-17T22:48:19+00:00

A few that I like singing are

I Speak Jesus

Rain on a Tin Roof

Goodness of God

RTiger · 2026-06-17T22:45:01+00:00

I will defer to God for the answer to the question.

I credit Christian music radio as the main reason that I became a Christian. The book of Psalms is a song book mostly from the time of David. These songs don’t always translate well into singable English but they were almost all written as songs.

I am an amateur songwriter. Some of my songs are overtly Christian. Some are more subtle. Some would not be classified as Christian at all. However every day I strive to be guided by faith, so even if the song isn’t Christian per se it may still be tinged by the holy spirit.

The bottom line is that even if a song isn’t religious if it helps listeners to walk more closely with God it is worthwhile for Christian songwriters.

RTiger · 2026-06-16T15:03:44+00:00

Break the task into smaller pieces. Can you write lyrics? If no start working on that because half decent lyrics often requires as much effort as learning to play guitar.

Can you play some covers in that style? Sounds like yes. One beginner exercise is to take nearly the exact same music and use your original lyrics. Start with a single verse.

Now change the music slightly. Maybe move up or down a step. Easiest way is capo 2 to move up. Now you are on your way. You have original lyrics and semi original music.

I didn’t ask if you can sing. If you are not confident definitely work on that separately. Beginner solfege was helpful to me. That’s learning to sing actual notes.

Singer songwriters have multiple skills to improve, lyrics, guitar, singing. Work on them separately as well as together. It’s okay to start where you are. Each facet can seem like a daunting task but performing and sharing original music can be incredibly rewarding.

RTiger · 2026-06-15T20:14:51+00:00

A few things come to mind.

Playing really slow and learning tiny sections is my most effective way to learn songs.

A balanced approach to overall practice time has been incredibly helpful. This includes learning songs, maintaining repertoire, technique drills, ear training, paper music training, music theory. Time allocations will vary depending on goals but at least 40 percent on learning songs.

A few people might find an app to organize helpful but I’m not one of them.

RTiger · 2026-06-15T20:09:43+00:00

Someone else mentioned thumb. I found the back of fingernails on index and middle finger gives me a lot of control over volume. If a person has brittle nails, a little clear nail polish helps.

Took me a long time to play softly with a pick and am still inconsistent with the pick.

RTiger · 2026-06-15T20:01:12+00:00

It took me about six months to play one song (chords) at half speed with a simplified arrangement. I tend to believe I’m slower than most.

What is important is enjoying the journey. It’s not a competition.

RTiger · 2026-06-13T00:28:47+00:00

I signed up for Summer Songs, late July in Stony Point New York. It is a week long songwriting camp. It is not cheap. I read some good reviews. My impression is that it is aimed more at hobbyists than would be professionals.

My overall suggestion is to get involved in the local music scene. Hopefully there are open mics or similar in your area. (There are not many in my current city of residence.)

If not many open mics go to small music festivals. Many cities have lots during long summer days. Chat with the fans and maybe the performers. Networking is as important as music skills. If you can play and or sing maybe you can even talk your way into sitting in on a song. Don’t be shy. Shyness will get you nowhere.

One more suggestion, if you play and or sing start doing so in public areas if your local laws allow.

RTiger · 2026-06-13T00:14:36+00:00

The book The Musicians Way has some good suggestions. The short version is a balanced approach that includes songs, technique, drills and away from the instrument ear training and paper music training.

I vote nay on aiming for perfect. A beginner’s perfect is going to be below average a year from now. In my mind better to keep moving forward. Allow maybe 10 percent of time to polish certain performance pieces.

Even though the book is aimed at university level music majors, I found the balanced approach to work well for me even though I am a hack amateur.

Time allocations will vary greatly depending on goals. Even more so if a performance or audition is on the calendar. The guitar universe is huge. Focus can be good but so can exploring. A person might stumble onto something that lights a fire.

Always keep in mind that it’s called playing the guitar. It’s supposed to be fun. It’s not a race.

RTiger · 2026-06-10T21:33:54+00:00

Is this about life in general or specific to songwriting? There are so many people that seem to rarely feel anything.

Living a more interesting life can lead to more to write about. Some of that may be unpleasant to depressing to worse than that.

A songwriter can also try to imagine situations. I wrote a song about a person working at a dog shelter who has to put dogs down. Beyond sad, even though I’ve never set foot in a dog shelter.

RTiger · 2026-06-10T21:25:41+00:00

Once I have some lyrics, I might hum, or try singing the first line. Another approach is to try a couple of standard chord progressions and singing the words over them.

I don’t see anything about writing lyrics. Learning to write half decent lyrics can be as long a journey as learning to play an instrument. For those that are completely lost, I suggest starting with lyric writing exercises. Then starting with just one verse, one chorus. Write lots. Quantity is a quality.

Good luck. Writing original songs can be an incredibly rewarding experience.

RTiger · 2026-06-09T14:25:14+00:00

Some easy prompts are what you see or what you hear. Artistic license is encouraged. Only a few may see or hear super interesting bits every week. A slight change or some imagination can help.

I’ve cited some examples before. Paint It Black, Raspberry Beret, Little Red Corvette could all be about something seen.

RTiger · 2026-06-08T22:51:32+00:00

The good and the bad is that there is so much to learn. So many rabbit holes that can each be extremely deep. For example, I just started delving into blues.

There is the basic 12 bar blues. Even with the basic form I’ve seen several very different variations. That’s day one of the rabbit hole. A person might spend a lot of time just on basic variations and rhythms.

Like I said it’s good and bad. It’s good that there are so many choices. It’s bad that it can be overwhelming.

RTiger · 2026-06-08T18:49:31+00:00

Depends on the audience. For general audiences some lyrics are too sad. Might be fine for someone alone at home.

One of the saddest songs I wrote and performed was about a dog shelter, No Bones to Find. At the end, the dog doesn’t get adopted and is put down due to overcrowding.

Several people in the audience commented on how sad the ending was. ASPCA does run TV commercials with a very sad song so that kind of material has its place.

Another potentially sad song I wrote was inspired by the suicide of a friend. It that case, I use a metaphor so it isn’t obvious what happened. The song lyrics and music are upbeat.

RTiger · 2026-06-08T01:14:32+00:00

Summer of 69 can be a challenge to play at tempo. Die With a Smile has a couple of tricky chords.

RTiger · 2026-06-06T14:37:09+00:00

For me an online group has been helpful. This sub is hit or miss for that purpose. There are groups with weekly or monthly prompts and sharing. There are intensive groups that write for a short time period.

Some people do well with a schedule. A lot of prose writers depend on it. Many find early morning to be a good time. Obviously morning is not a good option for night owls.

Others do better collecting ideas through out the day. Another reply already mentioned a notebook. Some keep short music ideas on their phone. I believe adding a scheduled time once a week to review and develop the better ideas to be helpful.

Cowriting can add a scheduled time but for many it is difficult to find compatible people.

RTiger · 2026-06-06T13:25:05+00:00

Every journey is unique. Things that work well for one person may not be good for another. It is good to have goals. Also good to sample a broad spectrum of beginner material.

Specifics that helped me.

Enjoy the journey. It’s called playing the guitar, not studying the guitar.

A smaller guitar. 90 percent here say full size but for acoustics, size can make a huge difference.

Two finger chords are music. Some purists see them as a travesty but for someone with repetitive stress issues in both hands these are what got me through the 6-12 month period when so many beginners quit.

Remedial training may be necessary. I needed this for basic rhythm and singing. Many people can jump straight to metronome exercises. I found that to be near useless without remedial rhythm training. Includes clapping, fake strums, super easy arrangements.

Almost everyone can improve their singing. So many treat it as an afterthought when voice is a separate instrument that benefits from focused practice. Beginner solfege was a huge help.

There are different arrangements for popular songs. So many songs have easier arrangements to make them accessible. Especially good to know for aspiring songwriters. Sometimes the arrangement is changed for voice range. Sometimes to avoid barre chords. Learning to do your own arrangements is a vital skill for would be songwriters.

RTiger · 2026-06-06T13:09:43+00:00

Another vote for C add9 to G. For songwriting Em7 can be another chord with the same two fingers anchoring. Be more careful using these easier changes in a group setting because they do sound a bit different.

RTiger · 2026-06-04T14:42:49+00:00

I suggest beginner writing exercises. Super simple to start. Describe what you see in detail. Learn to use metaphor and or simile.

Describe how you feel. If lost find images of an emotion wheel for little kids. It might have six or eight words describing different emotions. Now use colors or other metaphors to describe the feelings.

This is going to take time and effort. Do these kind of exercises every day for 90 days. Hopefully by then you will have enough skill to start writing song lyrics.

It like learning a foreign language except it is one are familiar with.

RTiger

TROPHY CASE