Hello there, I joined Fretwise a few years ago and enrolled on a few of Darryl’s courses. I haven’t had much time for it in recent times because of moving house and country. Having said that, the knowledge I got from the CAGED class is still in my mind, I have retained the information. I’ve just logged in to give myself a refresher and I’m so pleased I can still do it. I’m no master yet but at least my brain is still working ok.
The house we have moved to is very demanding in terms of renovation and takes up most of my time but things have settled down a bit so I can play my guitars again. I am still making guitars from scratch as well and I have much more workshop space than ever before.
I live on the side of a Scottish hillside on the west coast, in a remote location. This means I can make as much noise as I want, as I have no neighbours. The only neighbours I may get are visiting aliens, so far none seen but the blanket of stars visible is just incredible.
Do you think that if aliens did land in my garden I could try to teach them the CAGED system on guitar? Not sure if their fingers could fret the chords or whether they would even be interested in such primative systems.
Anyway, my point is, the CAGED course is a really good place to start with learning guitar, anyone can do it with patience and practice.
I’ll try and join in a bit more here in the forums and get practicing guitar more.
Long time no see. You moved countries? From where? House renovations are very time consuming yes, but I trust that it’s slowly paying off for you! It must be real nice to have a larger workspace, no neighbours (wow), a beautiful blanket of stars, and I’m sure it’s excellent for nature therapy there It sounds just like the kind of place I’d want to visit Aliens would probably think the guitar is quite primitive yes, but if we’re wrong then send 'em to Fretwise
I’m glad to hear you’re getting a bit more time for practice now John. You’re always welcome to post your videos and progress here for fun or critique. Do post your Instagram link and a few photos here too in case anyone might be interested to see your incredible work!
Hey Darryl, I moved from England to Scotland. I know it’s all in the UK but they are different countries never the less. Are you still living in the Gold Coast?
Outdoor house renovations will be coming to an end soon due to the weather and winter is on the way. I’ve still got plenty of indoor stuff to do through the winter, plastering, decorating etc but I’ll find time for guitar playing and making.
Yeah, I’ll try and record some of my playing this weekend and upload it here. I’ll not bore everyone by going through the whole circle of fourths but I’ll do the CAGED in D.
Actually to my great sadness we’re not on Gold Coast any more. Our visa terms came to an end. I’m currently in Germany for an intermittent period before we move to Austria for the winter, both of which now also require visas
I’m excited for you John - the reno’s sound real exciting, especially since I’m sure you’re in such a beautiful setting!
Germany and Austria, sounds exciting. Are doing a tour of Europe before you find somewhere to settle? What about Scotland, it’s very welcoming?
Scotland is very different to what you have been used to I suppose but it is beautiful. It’s not as cold as you think, apart from in winter, then it’s as cold as any other European country. Germany and Austria will be cold for sure but you’ll be able to take in a northern hemisphere Christmas, with snow probably. Are you going skiing?
You can come visit me in Scotland sometime, I have plenty of guitars, fast off grid internet (if that makes any sense) and superb extended views of the Scottish countryside (oh yeah, did I mention I have no neighbours?).
The world has gone mad, so I’m just trying to hide away, make guitars, play guitars, mix with new friends and enjoy my surroundings.
I’ve not managed to record anything yet and it’s my wedding anniversary tomorrow (Monday) so I’ll see if I can record something later in the week.
I hope to keep in touch soon, unless evil world forces unalive us all.
I’m a real joy to be around, honest!
Time for some food now, then a bit more guitar practice. With a lot of stuff, I tend to sit in front of the TV and practice CAGED shapes etc (unplugged of course, so my wife doesn’t send me out of the room). Once I’ve got something into my long term memory, it’s much easier to put into practice when plugged in and ready to fine tune playing everything cleanly. Half the battle is getting rid of unwanted string noise.
Wellll I wish it was a tour, but it’s more of a burden than not at the moment trying to find somewhere suitable for us that will grant us both visas without breaking the bank or our careers. We’ve explored a few places and we want to settle sooner than later, but we’ve been piled with paperwork in mixed languages so far - it’s not been a fun ride
Going from the tropics to Scotland would be quite the climate shock for us (and still requires lots of paperwork, albeit in English) I would’ve loved to visit Scotland this summer, but time and budget unfortunately did not permit. I’ll be sure to let you know when I do though!
The motive for Austria (besides the beautiful Alps) is that we speak the language, the housing is built to endure cold weather better, and we’ll be Snowboarding all season
No pressure for a recording - don’t force it - capture the moment when you feel like you’re dominating it
House renovations are very time consuming yes, but I trust that it’s slowly paying off for you! It must be real nice to have a larger workspace, no neighbours (wow), a beautiful blanket of stars, and I’m sure it’s excellent for nature therapy there 
It sounds just like the kind of place I’d want to visit 
Aliens would probably think the guitar is quite primitive yes, but if we’re wrong then send 'em to Fretwise 
