Hi Maestro Tomo and fellow fearless guitar warrior-poets!
I just wanted to make a video to re-introduce myself to you all.
I’m Sunil Menon, I’m an engineer. I spent 14 years at sjsu and (last 4 at) ucsb studying computer science and another decade+ working in industry. And I am a beginner electric guitarist. So far, I’ve learned classical guitar and electric guitar are two completely different instruments…
(I want to ask maestro: I have so much classical sheet music still. So many beautiful ideas and phrases, how can I adapt them to blues/jazz modern electric guitar? I can start sight reading practice that is maybe where I should start)
Also I still have my finger nails(, even the pinky nail!) and I am trying to incorporate past technique with electric guitar technique. Pick and nails. I will focus on pick technique first.
The last decade I have been a stay-at -home dad to my two daughters while my wife Shilpa is working as a speech-language pathologist at their school.
She is our rock.
This fall, my youngest is in school full time aaaaaaahhhh, finally! So my days are now free to practice guitar (and computer science…I gotta go back to work…cashed out all savings over the last decade, and most recently used the last of it to buy all my guitar stuff. Totally worth it!! :))
Since childhood, music but especially strings and guitar, have been a deep interest. I took several years of lesson for classical guitar in my early twenties. My guitar teachers were Richard Kendrick (ohlone jr. college) and Bahram Behroozi (San Jose city college).
Like maestro, they have a deep passion for the instrument and teaching. And I felt that I could learn to play, with their guidance and encouragement. I think of them like older brothers, still. And indirectly, through guitar, they saved my life at that time.
Tomo made a video about feeling a lack of inspiration. It made me think about what I am doing as well, and the result is that I am going refocus and actually make videos so I can learn along with the community, better!
There is a book, “Old Path, White Clouds” by Thich Nhat Hanh
( https://www.parallax.org/product/old-path-white-clouds/ ) which is describes a method to meditate.
I think Tomo and GW present a similar structure. Like GW, I think, there is a pedagogy or method, a community of committed learners, and the practice of implementing the method which is practiced by each individual.
For me the take-away is how to learn something beyond the scope of the self.
I am learning something that will change me.
So in order to learn to actually be “playing out” I have to contribute to the method, the practice, and the community by making videos of what I have attempted to learn. As maestro mentioned, he makes tons of videos but doesn’t know what was learned.
Ok. So many words! Here my first video for GW. I learned I need to write an outline of what I want to say, because usually so many things are floating around in my mind.
Back to practice.
Thank you everyone.
Peace,
Sunil
I sent an email to my first guitar teacher, Richard Kendrick and his wife Monica contacted me to let me know he passed away last Nov 13, 2024. His friendship and instruction really did save my life.
Kind of in shock, in tears. He was like you Tomo just 4 or 5 years older.
Maestro, 60th birthday is big in my culture because we think of it as the halfway point. Please take care of your health Tomo, and everyone! I will do the same.
I wish you all a long life. Maybe we are all walking each other home.
Thank you Sumi for sharing your recommiting to Guitar Wisdom. Do nice to see you and know your side more. Thank you so much for your video! I really appreciate your reintroducing yourself!
Yes! Very important "Don't worry! Don't compare! Don't expect too fast! Be kind to yourself!
You are so brave to do your work with your guitar. A lot of excitement and a lot of unknow worry.
So try to do one thing at a time and organize your thoughts and ideas. Narrow down!
To your question. Your classical influenced melody.... to apply to blues/jazz languages. Please listen some minor blues. Joe Pass is a great one. You will recoganize some similar phrasing between classical music & jazz blues. More listening is great!
Thank you so much for your kind words and your warm encouragement.
Tomo
Thank you maestro!
Just saw this, or perhaps actually read it fully this time. I didn’t realize you answered my questions.
You are right!
For me, it is always about narrowing down, and focus. Always back to fundamentals. Two steps forward, one step back. I also like the idea of letting go of sayings like that, and hierarchies, and labels. Simplify, ok.
And I will listen to Joe Pass again to listen at how he used classical influence.
I didn’t know he had a classical background. Very different from Wes. Good to know.
I will look for minor blues. Blues guitar in minor keys.
Continuing to practice.
One of the videos you posted on GW on another thread (I have already lost track of which one) you mentioned to keep “a hole” between the neck and left hand in higher positions on the neck. That helped me a lot actually I was getting pain in my hand from AMaj root triad, bottom strings, starting at 14th fret and not understanding why. Pain was gone after moving hand down to create the hole!
So simple but I missed it on my own.
I love to chat on GW, everyone is so cool but I’ll try to focus on just one post a day at most, that will help us both, I think!
Helps so much to just read what students are learning in similar areas.
Thank you again Tomo!!