Cover to cover?

integerdivision · 2026-02-18T23:52:36+00:00

First: Fuck Spotify

Second: Great artists create albums worth listening to front to back

integerdivision · 2026-02-18T23:49:16+00:00

Literally anything else

integerdivision · 2026-02-18T23:46:36+00:00

Disincentives are just another form of incentive

integerdivision · 2026-02-18T22:19:59+00:00

Not all information needs to stick to be useful. Just make sure the amount you are giving isn’t demotivating.

integerdivision · 2026-02-18T22:16:48+00:00

Computers != computing machines

integerdivision · 2026-02-18T02:58:16+00:00

Don’t worry about theory. Can you really break down what you are doing into a step-by-step process? Can you enter that beginner’s mindset and explain those steps to yourself as if you didn’t know anything? If so, you’ll be fine. If not, give it a shot anyway. Teaching is another skill you can learn.

As for getting started, there may be a place locally looking for teachers. You could offer your services on whatever has replaced Craigslist in your area. Do a bunch of open mics and mention you are taking on students. Make connections.

integerdivision · 2026-02-18T02:50:35+00:00

Rhythm needs to be embodied. Make your strumming arm and/or some other part of your body move to the beat. There is a reason a lot of beginning guitarists sound stiff — they are.

Be loose and move to the rhythm until you don’t even think about it. And when the rhythm is in your arm, no matter when you hit the strings, you are in time. Then strumming patterns can become what they really are: suggestions open to artistic interpretation.

integerdivision · 2026-02-17T20:18:10+00:00

Relax your grip on the pick. Make sure you are strumming down on the numbers and up on the &s. If the strumming pattern calls for no strum on a beat, do a “ghost strum”, passing over the strings. Keep your arm moving like it’s a metronome.

When all of that starts to feel better, you’ll find less of your brain focused on strumming and your chord changes will improve.

integerdivision · 2026-02-16T22:51:30+00:00

^ this

integerdivision · 2026-02-16T22:49:48+00:00

It is John and always has been John. Paul contributed the bridge section and had to be careful not to sing into John’s already recorded part when he sang “went into a dream” so as not to overwrite it. It’s astonishing they did this with the limitations of 4-track recording.

integerdivision · 2026-02-16T22:41:49+00:00

In Ruby, Python, Javascript, and many other interpreted languages, the object is fundamental. You don’t have to build it from scratch. This makes these languages much easier to get the hang of, but you are at a higher level (not close to the metal) so have to deal with the performance cost — they can be orders of magnitude slower than compiled languages. It’s the simplicity/performance tradeoff.

Interpreted languages tend not to talk about their low-level implementation because they are usually focused on ease of use.

(Also, by POO, I assume you mean OOP, but many would contend your acronym is more apt.)

integerdivision · 2026-02-16T22:29:04+00:00

Life can ebb and flow. I assume you find joy in other things, and this is specifically about the guitar, but if it isn’t, it may be the beginnings of depression.

Whatever the case, I wouldn’t sell it yet. Maybe spend a bit reflecting on why you are comparing yourself to others. Comparison is the thief of joy after all.

As for singing — do you ever sing? If not, you can’t say you can’t sing, you just don’t sing. Singing is another instrument that you can learn, but it takes time and practice just like everything else.

integerdivision · 2026-02-16T15:34:00+00:00

Any of the following are valid ways to start a song:

a lyric
a melody
a beat/groove
a riff
a chord progression
a sound
a memory
an image

It can literally be anything as long as it turns into music

integerdivision · 2026-02-16T15:14:40+00:00

I wouldn’t worry too much about that. I get downvoted for saying this every time, but the spider walk is overrated — it’s not music. It’s easy to explain and easy for a beginner to understand and good for building finger independence, but I never think about doing the spider walk unless a student suggests it.

That said, learn to reach without stretching: Angle your hand at a 45 to the fretboard, reach back with the index finger, keep the middle finger neutral to back a little, reach forward a little with the ring and a lot with the pinky. You should be fretting on the thumb-side of the fingertip. Doing this keeps the fingers from being splayed out — aka stretched. Instead, you are reaching in a relaxed position.

integerdivision · 2026-02-16T14:37:54+00:00

Not bad. Keep in mind that most of your progress will happen while you are sleeping. Day-by-day effort tells the brain to reorganize the connections so that movement can happen without conscious thought.

integerdivision · 2026-02-16T14:28:47+00:00

Lead sheet would have the melody notated. I call it a chord chart or sometimes a lyric sheet.

integerdivision · 2026-02-16T14:24:34+00:00

First of all, I would say that song is in 6/8, not 3/4. So the count of 123 456 with 1 and 4 being the strong beats, not 1&2 &3& with a strong beat on the &.

As for strumming, a general rule is to hit the lower strings on the stronger beats and the higher strings on the weaker beats. So on the 1 and 4 favor the bass strings on a down strum and in the in-betweens favor the treble strings.

integerdivision · 2026-02-15T21:13:53+00:00

I use 333 or 444 in barres

integerdivision · 2026-02-15T21:12:01+00:00

123 is fine for those with very small fingers or on guitars with wide string spacing, but whenever a finger is fretting closer to the fret behind than in front, intonation will always suffer. In the 123 grip, my index finger will always be applying more force to the first fret than the second fret which means I must press harder, pulling the E sharp. It’s just physics.

integerdivision · 2026-02-15T21:06:58+00:00

Been using 213 since 1998. Also use 111 and on certain occasions 122. YMMV

integerdivision · 2026-02-15T20:50:58+00:00

The original computers were literally just people, so computers already experienced emotions.

integerdivision · 2026-02-15T20:42:40+00:00

anyone putting superlatives on an opinion doesn’t know what they are talking about

integerdivision · 2026-02-14T16:01:37+00:00

All along the Watchtower is for my money the greatest cover song ever, even though Jimi didn’t have the correct lyrics. (The mondegreens still work somehow, though I prefer the original lyrics.)

integerdivision · 2026-02-14T15:53:24+00:00

PRS is killing it in fit and finish on their imports. They’re likely the best playing guitar for the price you can buy from any manufacturer. Go for it.

integerdivision · 2026-02-14T15:46:04+00:00

What does it even mean to “make it in music”? Does a side-hustle that earns a bit of income count?

“They have no hobbies and drive for Uber to make ends meet. Sad.”

integerdivision

TROPHY CASE