We’re Back!

Wow! The channel and this newsletter have grown tremendously, and I’m grateful for all of you! I know it’s been a few months since the last newsletter, but we’re back now, and we’ve got some great things planned!

The story behind “Team Jellyfish”🪼

I love interacting with all of you and hearing about your guitar journey. We have an amazing community that continues to grow. So…about this Team Jellyfish thing. As a Youtuber there is no real way of knowing who has made it to the end of your videos. One day at the end of a video I randomly asked the viewer to drop the word, “jellyfish” in the comments. This was going to be my way of knowing who made it to the end. A bunch of our community members ran with the idea and it kind of turned into “Team Jellyfish.” I have also told many of you to also drop your favorite see creature in the comments section as well. I’m obsessed with the ocean and sea life in general. I hope that makes some sort of sense. Team Jellyfish for the win. Stay tuned for the first release of Team Jellyfish merch.

New Camera for the Channel

I know that I am just like you and G.A.S (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) is real. It’s bad enough that I love guitar and music gear, and now that has carried over to cameras and lenses. I just got the new Sony ZV-10 Mark ii and it’s been a lot of fun figuring out the new gear and shooting videos in glorious 4K. I did a lot of research and learning new things is a lot of fun. It really got me to thinking about the guitar and how you just have to put in the work to get better. Learning this new camera was no different and there’s something about learning to embrace the journey that makes the payoff that much sweeter.

PLAYING MUSIC WITH OTHERS RULES!

Here’s Why You Should Play Music with Others

I think one of the quickest ways to get better at music is by playing with others. Now, I know that there are many factors that you need in place to make this happen. First, you need to have some other musicians you can jam with. Another huge factor for many of this is overcoming fear. We’ve all heard that fear is one of the biggest reasons we hold ourselves back from trying new things in life. Listen, I totally get this, but I promise you that playing music with others is one of the biggest rushes you can experience in life. There is nothing better when you are all in sync and things are flowing with ease. Don’t let fear keep you from experiencing this and definitely expect there to be some ups and downs to the process.

After all, you are going to be hanging out with another human or humans and that comes with it’s own challenges. I think what I love the most is how playing music with others teaches you how to use space and come up with parts that compliments your bandmates parts. You will learn how to create amazing music faster in this eco-system too. I know some of you have mentioned to me that it’s hard finding others to play music with. I would suggest talking to people you know and put it out there that you would love to find someone to create with. You’d be surprised at how fast you will find someone just by good old word of mouth.

In the end, playing your instrument is the most important and if you can’t find someone right away, that’s ok. Playing…is what counts the most. I will see if I can film a playlist that showcases my interactions with my band, so that you can see what this looks like. I do have a few videos on the channel already from some past practices, but we need to get that going again soon. Here is a link to the playlist for now. Thanks for watching. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLns2B3bkf4ymTWV_uGYdhB1jT8cuvVLtO

NEW MUSIC CHARTS and eBOOKS (coming soon)

I recently went down the Adobe rabbit hole and have started making new charts like the one below:

I loved making the hand made charts, but these new charts have allowed me to take things to the next level. I can customize colors, sizes, and more. A lot of you have amazing ideas for charts and I will always take that into consideration. Helping you is always my number one goal.

I’m planning on taking the video content deeper by designing eBooks that I will sell on my website. The chord charts for the Youtube videos will always be free and I love making those to help you grasp the concept better with a solid visual. All of the sales from the eBook will go right back into making the channel better for all of us. I’m still frame working the design for the eBook, but it will most likely feature many of the charts from the videos with some solid and detailed explanations of how to connect the dots.

For example, you all know I have done many videos on triads. I’m thinking my first eBook could be an awesome guide of truly understanding everything there is to know about triads. This would include fully understanding how they are built and applied to the guitar. I also will help you connect all of the musical language and in turn this will empower you as a musician and creative thinker.

I would love for any of you to share ideas for future eBooks you would like for me to cover. You could even let me know of any new video ideas you might like to see. You all know I’m not stopping and neither are you. Please submit your ideas to the e-mail below.

Let’s keep it rolling! Team Jellyfish for the win.

Send your ideas here: [email protected]