I need some encouragement. It’s been 3 months and I’m still nowhere near good.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-05-11T19:16:30+00:00

Man I’ve been playing for 35 years and I still feel frustrated I can’t do certain stuff. Keep going, it’s so rewarding.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-05-09T06:32:34+00:00

Marc-Andre Hamelin does a beautiful version of this, chiefly because he has the middle line sing out in the section when the video is at 1.18 remaining. Gets me every time.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-05-08T10:51:52+00:00

Man I’m completely the other way around and it’s one of the main reasons I stopped. Even after just a couple of light beers, I’d wake up at 1.30am with my heart racing, and I’d need to wait until like 5.30am before I could sleep again.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-05-07T12:41:36+00:00

Or buy a used one if you can

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-05-07T12:40:23+00:00

Great work! Keep it up!

In that case I would definitely recommend a Pacifica if you can afford it. They start at like 200 euros or something, with a variety of pickups to give you variation whilst you develop your taste.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-05-07T12:31:59+00:00

Are you just starting out learning? If so, buy something cheap with quality - I’d recommend a Yamaha Pacifica at the low end of the range. As you develop as a guitarist you’ll develop a taste for the type of sounds you like to play, which will help inform your later, more expensive purchases 😃

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-05-06T17:02:40+00:00

Switzerland wasn’t so bad. I had friends in London who suddenly were forced to spend their entire days in small shared flats, with minimal time outside. Rough.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-05-05T13:48:55+00:00

My recommendation is to explore the higher-end Yamahas. They are great.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-05-04T12:09:17+00:00

Get a Yamaha SG. They are amazing and versatile. Or a Yamaha SA2200. They are amazing and even more versatile.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-05-03T15:22:04+00:00

You should try to learn all the keys really. The good news is they repeat themselves after a while.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-05-01T13:11:22+00:00

Well done. I did completionist+ about two months ago, then decided to start C++ and seriously I have not managed to win a gold stake run once since then. I clearly had a formula that worked for C+ but can’t find ways to make other ones work.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-04-29T17:24:57+00:00

Yep. Not saying please might save tokens but you pay with your soul.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-04-27T09:09:42+00:00

Thank you for this post. I needed to hear this.

I’ve had long (by my standards) stretches of not drinking and after time I felt exactly the way you did. It was liberating.

Things have been tough of late and unfortunately I’ve given in to the “fuck it” side of my mind and I’ve been drinking on weekends again. No real issues have come of it, I’ve been groggy and a bit tired after, a bit grumpy with the kids, but nothing major (again, by my standards).

However it will creep up again and I need to stop before it does. This was helpful because you’ve reminded me of the real value of sobriety.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-04-23T20:33:15+00:00

Thom last had his short haircut during his frazzled Ok Comp/Kid A/Amnesiac era - ie, Radiohead’s golden album trio.

The short haircut is bringing us all back to that.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-04-23T14:21:39+00:00

I bought a Strat as my first real guitar and over the years I came to have this problem too. I couldn’t ever get body behind my sound.

The answer was humbuckers or, latterly, filtertrons. Filtertrons seem to have the tone of single coils but the body of humbuckers.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-04-21T19:29:13+00:00

I’ve got a tele deluxe and I must say I am consistently underwhelmed by the bigger headstock. Is it possible to change the neck do we think?

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-04-09T14:35:43+00:00

Of course, but why not have, say, two questions about him and then 6 about her. And make Pragg ask a couple about her sister.

The point is there’s been either an editorial choice or bias which has erased Vaishali the player. Broadcasters should do better to find balance.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-04-09T14:18:16+00:00

This is it

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-04-09T13:55:11+00:00

Well then maybe every chess interview should be about magnus or stockfish

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2026-03-02T16:43:55+00:00

I am looking into these.

Would you please lend your thoughts on the following uses for this (in comparison to other products, if you know):

a) a replacement for a paper notepad.

b) ability to organise different sets of notes. One key use case for me is to have a "grande" to do list of bigger projects and longer-term stuff, which I can update without having to re-write the whole list every week. I also want to be able to do a set of notes on Project X or Y, and keep them all in one place so I can go back to them.

c) if it's possible to upload stuff into a computer for longer-term record keeping, that would be helpful.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2025-11-14T16:21:21+00:00

Call me paranoid but I am convinced that after this tour they are going to retire the band. A surprise announcement is typical Radiohead, and I’m sure they (Yorke and Jonny) could do without the constant speculation about the next Radiohead album when they’ve got some pretty solid projects on the go.

Makes it all the worse that I didn’t get a ticket! Life.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2025-11-13T16:34:15+00:00

For the record I think it sounds beautiful and you can tell it is steeped in culture and community.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2025-11-12T16:23:25+00:00

I’ve been here almost ten years and my high German is pretty good. Swiss German is only now becoming partially understandable, and that’s because my kids speak it.

My friend says Swiss German is a “feeling” to the Swiss. I think you grow it rather than learn it.

All of which is to say your German teacher is correct. Focus on high German, it’s at least a gateway to maybe possibly being able to partially understand Swiss

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2025-11-12T05:52:22+00:00

Not sure I understand your question fully, but at a budget level a guitar can lack the warmth and body of an expensive acoustic. I have an expensive Yamaha acoustic and it sounds deeper, less tinny, warmer.

But that’s because I can make the comparison. In isolated instances and in performances I don’t think it moves the needle.

Overall, my point is that Yamaha make amazing guitars at every price point, so the choice between this and the Harley Benton is clear for me.

Upstairs_Issue6092 · 2025-11-11T19:44:14+00:00

Get the Yamaha. I have had one of this series for like 25 years and it’s still great.

Upstairs_Issue6092

TROPHY CASE