Happy New Year! This month’s Challenge focuses on playing something you’d play if you were asked to “Play something.” The comments people made when they posted their videos are included (from the original post).

The Active Melody member challenges are open to players of all skill levels. Thanks everyone for leaving friendly and encouraging feedback on each other’s submissions and thank you Brian for keeping us motivated!

Welcome to everyone on your first Challenge!

Jean Luc G

I have to post now because I’m going on a trip to Madrid for 4 days…
This guitar piece by Marcel DADI (Je te veux) is my favorite…
Happy new year everybody !!!

Garry

So you play guitar? Well common … play something?
Dos:
Pick something that you’ve being playing for a long time and you know well.
Pick a song most people know.
Try and showcase some of your skill set.
Don’ts:
Don’t pick something you’ve just started working on!
Don’t pick an instrumental with too many notes (unless you’re Tommy Emmanuel!) 😉
I find that if I play an instrumental people will generally say ‘Oh … that’s nice’. But if I sing and play a song people know there is definitely more of an impact. So my ‘go-to’ guitar piece is always ‘Sweet Home Chicago’, a 12 bar blues with lots of reoccurring easy-to-remember lyrics and of course, an easy to remember chord progression.
Looking forward to everyone’s submissions.
All the best!
Garry

Liam Innes

Hi everyone,
Well this certainly put the arse back into my trousers.
I was reading an article a few weeks ago where John Fogerty was saying that, even to this day, he still gets up early to practice guitars.
What a legend.
Best enjoyed at full volume so turn this one up loud if you can.
Thanks for listening.
Liam.

Adam

I have been absent for a while but I’m glad to be back.
I heard Blackbird by The Beatles at a White Album concert put on by four Australian musicians: Chris Cheney, Tim Rogers, Josh Pyke, and Phil Jamieson. Yes, they play the White Album in full. A wonderful show I’ve now seen three times (I missed the first iteration of it). Subsequently, learnt it and it is one that I have keep in my repertoire.
Enjoy!
Adam

Jennifer D

Manfred M

Hi my AM friends,
What do you play, when someone asks you to play something on the guitar? At the moment I would play EP540, a lesson from Brian a few weeks ago that I spent a lot of time with and learned a lot from. For example, playing some harmonized melodies.
I play this lesson fingerstyle, not with a pick like Brian did. And I immediately tried to implement what I have learned and came up with a second circle myself.
And to recreate the situation, when someone would ask you to play something on the guitar, I recorded my playing in only one take. Not perfect, but authentic, I think.
I’m looking forward to your showpieces and I have a feeling this is going to be a great AM weekend.
Greetings to you all!
Manfred

Sumanto Banerjee

Playing for others… and it’s a long rant. Guitar playing in India is a bit different. If someone is found with a guitar, it almost invariably implies that he has to sing something, preferably a popular Hindi Film song (Bollywood as is known commonly… the term itself that I hate; a strange mixture of Bombay and Hollywood) .. nobody expects you to play something other than a song; that too, not just the melody of the song but sing the song itself. Guitar here is merely an accompanying instrument.
I have tried small improvisations in front of others, but the result is often the reaction “aah ok, all that is good, now sing a song”… and I don’t like singing songs.
Nevertheless, one does what one enjoys doing, improvising. Hence this piece, is perhaps one such, that I would play if I have to, in front of others, before I am reminded… again… to sing a Hindi film song.
(This piece is my own understanding of one of Brian’s compositions that I like… EP 497… How to make a boring melody sound interesting).
Looking forward to listening to everyone, and a very Happy 2024 to all.

Lights, Meelis

Happy New Year, my friends!
This is my free challenge post EP 353 acoustic duet. I recorded it while ago, but still unpublished.
Hope you like it!

 Richard G

If someone asked me to play something today, I would probably launch quickly into one or more of the latest challenges I’d posted here at Active Melody. However that hasn’t always been the case for me, for many years my favourite ‘go to piece’ to play was that well known perennial by John D Loudermilk – Windy and Warm.
This iconic number made famous by Chet Atkins was the very first fingerstyle melody that inspired me to start playing an acoustic guitar without a pick.
I don’t play this piece very often these days but it definitely holds strong memories of me struggling to learn it at the time, with what initially felt like having eleven fingers and three thumbs.
This piece has been sat on the back-burner for many years and this Challenge has given me another excuse to blow the dust off and give it another whirl, even though these days, a little rusty.
Richard

John H

If/when asked to play something, here is an example of what I might play. I have prepared a long list of stand alone, Carter Style or flat-picking arrangements that I know nobody has heard before (lol so others cannot judge). I shy away from the regular ole classic rock standards like SRV, Clapton and Skynyrd. Rock on my mates. Happiness in the New Year.

Mike W

Happy New Year to you all. The challenge was to play something that would be played off the cuff when asked to do so. I assumed a worst case scenario ie no backing track or accompaniment, and decided to do a rockabilly/Merle Travis type of chord progression – mainly because it sounds ‘fuller’ than a single note melody. Also because I’m not a terribly confident live solo performer, and this is something that I’m quite comfortable with. Hope you like it

Mark T

Hello dear AMers 🤓
There have been only two occasions that I can remember being asked, out of the blue, to “play something on guitar”. On each occasion, my memory banks took an immediate vacation 😂😂😂! For the life of me, being unprepared, I could hardly remember anything – apart from this one song!
This tune has become a trusty old friend to me, and is the first popular tune I ever learnt on guitar that I thought was recognisable and sounded okay – Eric Clapton’s version of ‘Willie and the Hand Jive’ from the album ‘461 Ocean Boulevard’.
I hope you enjoy this, and a Very Happy New Year to you all 👍🎶😎 ♥️♥️♥️

Alan L

I went round and round in circles trying to choose this one. Acoustic is a logical choice, most likely in a “someone hands you a guitar” scenario. Backing track? Safe and comfortable, though maybe a bit cheesy…
I’m used to performing, I’ve played bass for years (decades.) I’m also comfortable strumming an acoustic for campfire-type singalongs. But I’m kind of lost on performing a song on electric…
Yet, I wanted a challenge so I went electric solo. I landed on this version of EP515. The rhythm is steady and driving, and I feel it holds its own. I added a simplified verse at the beginning to establish the groove, and a call and response verse at the end, to get some improv in.
Thanks for listening, cheers and HNY!

Don P.

Hello AM members!
My response to play something on guitar:
EP213 style of Muddy Waters.
I pre- recorded it because I had Vitrectomy eye surgery yesterday Jan 4th.
I will try to respond and play guitar with one eye for a while… Thanks for listening 🎧

Alan O

Bill

Happy New Year!
When Brian posed this months challenge, it got me thinking that what I would play if someone handed me a guitar (which doesn’t happen because I’m a lefty, but that’s another story) has changed throughout my life.
I started playing guitar in my teens largely due to Kurt Cobain. Then I got into a hard rock band in college. I discovered sailing and moved to Florida and listened to a lot of Buffett and Marley. When I started getting back into playing seriously a few years ago I wanted to learn jazz and blues music, which ultimately led me to AM as a great gateway to a lot of the styles I enjoy today.
So, hope you’ll enjoy this video trip down memory lane of riffs that I would have played over the years. Capped off by the lesson that had me sign up for AM, EP289.
Special guest star too 🙂

Denise & Misty

Hi
I wish you all a Happy and healthy year 2024!
I guess that nobody will ever ask me to “play something on your guitar”😦😞.
So I chose something I prefer to play myself…a nice and slow country Blues from Brian’s bunch of 🤠lessons.
Denise

Marc V

“Play something on guitar for me, Marc”….. Says no-one ever to me, 😒😒😒

Great challenge idea though.
Realistic scenario for me is if I have a occasion to jam with some folks.
After staring at each other and several minutes of
“What songs do you know?”
“Not much, what do you know?”
“Not much, so what do you want to play?”
I would probably play something like this
Bit’s and pieces from

American Girl Tom Petty
Play that Funky Music White Boy Wild Cherry
Born to be Wild Steppenwolf
Pride and Joy SRV
AM lesson that I really like Brian Sherrill

Enjoy and looking forward to listening to other submissions.
And a Happy Healthy to everyone and their families.
Cheers,
Marc

Catherine Arsenault

Good day fellow members! And Happy New Year! Well covid came and went just starting to get my smell and taste back lol..
So this months was “asked to play something when you are ask can you play.” Well I just noodle around when asked but I also play this old finger style piece called Anji but I played it in my own way..lol here is the info about the song and who wrote it and recorded it! Hope you enjoy 😊
Anji” (also spelled “Angi”, “Angie” or “On gee”) is an acoustic fingerstyle guitar piece composed and recorded by noted folk guitarist Davy Graham in 1961 and originally released as part of his EP debut 3/4 AD.[1][2] The piece is one of the best-known acoustic blues-folk guitar pieces ever composed, with many notable artists covering it, such as Bert Jansch (included on his first, eponymous album in 1965, renamed as “Angie” – the album cover credits Graham[3][4]), John Renbourn, Lillebjørn Nilsen, Paul Simon (on the Simon & Garfunkel album Sounds of Silence[5]), and Harry Sacksioni (on his Optima Forma – Live album). The song is in the key of A minor (often used with a capo at the second fret) and is notable for its trademark descending bassline. However, the original recording by Davy Graham is in the key of C minor with a capo at the third fret.
Parts of the tune were sampled for the Chumbawamba track “Jacob’s Ladder” from their album Readymades and the anti-war single “Jacob’s Ladder (Not In My Name)”.[6] Paul Simon, in his version, quotes another song from the same Sounds of Silence album, “We’ve Got a Groovy Thing Goin’,” and, further, another song from the same album, “Somewhere They Can’t Find Me,” opens with the guitar riff from “Anji”.

Andre Hessels

Play something! Yes, the experience is very recognizable and has been hard for me. In the last few years it has gotten better. I am more confident to pick up a guitar and play a tune for people.
I got more confident as I simply practiced a few songs so well that I can play them. I also learned the words of the songs, something I was not good at. I now have a collection of Campfire songs on my phone saved so when I forget the words I can look at my phone.
I am looking forward to everyone’s contribution. Here’s mine. One of the campfire songs, and a fitting one due to the lyrics. And it has Travis picking. Something I love. This old guitar by John Denver. Hope you enjoy it.

André M

This song might be remembered by older members.
It was banned by radio stations because they were afraid it might start fights in the streets.
When they played it live, they had to play it up to four times in a row.
The song is Rumble by Link Wray and the Wraymen, sounds like the Venture on steroid.
Its a very simple song, don’t know why it was so popular.
Played on my Warmoth axe, with my Spark 40.
Hope you like it, Enjoy.
AndréM

Bob Utberg

Happy Holidays everyone and The Best for 2024!! What a great Challenge Brian – being put on the spot! That has happened to me in the past. So about five years ago, I challenged myself to always be ready to play, have fun, entertain when the occasion presents itself. Like a Christmas Party. Or a coffee shop that has a gitfiddle sitting in the corner. Or a Family Reunion. Or a camp fire. So I have prepared – all in one 45′ session yesterday – snippets of songs that I have tucked away in my grey matter. Get the folks involved. Ask them to sing along. Keep it simple and have a BLAST! I realize this version is too long (about 16 minutes), so watch the first 60 seconds and last 90 seconds for the Reader’s Digest version!! LOL
Sorry for my appearance and raspy voice – I’ve been sick as a dog for two weeks:( HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Serena C

Happy new year my AM friends!
First of all let me introduce you my holiday Telecaster living by my parents some 400 miles away from me (yes I have one electric and one acoustic there in order to keep playing without having to travel with a guitar). I just sat there on wednesday in their basement room, switched my mini 2V marshall on, began to noodle around the fretboard with EP535 as an inspiration, while recording with my phone… you can indeed hear people talking all around me, and see me while hailing at my father not to bother 😅 so I guess I got into the improvising spirit of the challenge with the difference that no one was actually listening to me 😅
Enjoy the rudest of my submissions 😂
Serena

Tom D

Happy New Year to you all!
Just before Christmas I got a chance to join some friends to play a second set live at a brewery. I brought an acoustic to plug in. Without having time to otherwise prepare, I focused on playing triad inversions along with the chord changes to find rhythmic and/or lead grooves – this is a very nice AM approach!. We’ve played as a band in the past, before I moved, so it was a fun reunion.
When done I decided to stay and play something solo while everyone sat down and the brewery had 30 min before closing time. And all of a sudden I was trying to think of what to play (to follow an up tempo version of Evil Ways). Then, randomly it seemed, out came Steve Earle’s song, “Every Part of Me”. I learned it from scratch by watching Steve play, so I think it’s burned in my brain, e.g., like Blackbird. Sorry that it’s not a great recording, but it is truly an in-the-moment response to Brian’s challenge. And it helped earn me a new 3 year old fan! After this I played a few more songs and decided, for the new year, I’ll prepare a performance ready set of songs. Just in case! Thanks for watching, I look forward to hearing your posts. Cheers, Tom

Juxi

Hello AM family!
At the moment I am in Northern Italy (Sankt Jakob) for skiing. Therefore, I recorded my challenge response already on December 25th. The pictures also are made on this day. That‘s why it still looks a lot like Christmas 😊
After already using my „Jokers“ in the last challenge, I was hard pressed to come up with something. However, when someone asks me to play something, I usually fall back to songs and tunes that I practise every day.
The one I play in my response is a very old practice piece of mine. I can play this in the dark without thinking and I used my first take for the response. Thus, this little melody is a good choice when someone calls: Hey Juxi, play something…
Active Melody December 2023

Paul S.

No one has ever asked me to play something on the guitar. The one possible exception would be my parents who left the house whenever my teenage rock band practiced in the basement. They would ask me to play “far, far away” or a “solo — so low we can hardly hear it.”
So the following is theoretical:

Andy N

I think it was the UK’s SAS who said that people under pressure rarely “rise to the occasion” but instead, “sink to the highest level of their training” 🫣. That would be me! So this “Play something” challenge has served as a wake up call, after years of prevarication, to finally prepare a small set of songs I could play on demand. That’s a target for 2024 👍
In the meantime, I’ve dug out EP134, a blast from the past which needed (and still does) a fair bit of dusting off!

Michael L

No one has ever asked me to play something on the guitar!
But, if they did, I would likely play one of the handful of stand-alone EPs I’ve learned here at AM. I’ve recorded most of them for past challenges, and I didn’t want to repeat them. Instead, I’ve posted what I’m currently focused on learning.
This is using the track from EP546 and playing my own improvisation over it. The track is great because while it’s in the key of G, it throws in a IV7 chord instead of IVmaj7, a ii V7 I, and switches minor vi to a major VI chord, and a minor ii to a major II in places. It’s not strictly diatonic, so playing the changes becomes the focus to nail the right sound. It’s a journey in seeing chord shapes all over the neck. And, hopefully, it sounds musical too!

Apologies for being slightly out of tune. I tuned my guitar before recording, but it came out slightly flat against the backing track. I didn’t notice until post-production editing and I wasn’t motivated to redo it all. Happy wishes for 2024 to all!

JoLa

Hi everyone and Happy New Year! 🎉🎉🎉
At occasional jams, when someone asks me to play something there, I just tell them I don’t know any songs (true but I’m working on it) or I play something recent, maybe one of the challenge responses I have been working on.
There are times when my guitar tech hands me the newly set up instrument and says, “here, try it now” and so I just work in some chords and single notes up and down the fretboard. Often when I land on the E minor chord, the EP267 riff just instinctively happens, something that stuck with me for years and I think it’s one of the best sounding AM tunes. And I always hear compliments, “oh, that sounds good!” which of course is a compliment to Brian, the composer ☺️

”Slappy”

So here we go… this challenge has helped a lot to get back into the “SET LIST” up to 50 songs now, thinking about getting a band together. Hope you enjoy and sing along.
so many great guitar players on this site.

Martin W

Hi folks , my submission for this month “ play something on guitar” theme ,
I went with EP110 mark knopfler rhythm and lead , I learned the rhythm part of this lesson quite a while back and it’s one that once I got it I didn’t forget it , it’s a catchy groove and a fine timing exercise.
Although at the time I didn’t delve into the lead side , so I gave it a revisit and included the three original licks plus I added a middle section and some more licks to finish off with , playing lead finger style definitely demands a different touch than playing with a pick I found that quite a challenge in itself .
Although this could be played standalone I opted to use the backing track as I think it thickens things up .
Look forward to listening to everyone’s submissions
Happy new year
Martin.

Reuben B

If someone asked me to play something on guitar, I’d probably play songs they would recognize / can relate to. Likely it would be on an acoustic. So here’s a few that popped into my head the recently. In the spirit of the challenge, this is probably as close to “off-the-cuff” as possible, a single take with mistakes and everything. Hopefully some of these would be recognizable 🙂
Looking forward to listen to everyone’s submission.

Charlie H

Been a while since I have submitted anything, but I have been watching the lessons every week. Went through a period of being discouraged with my playing, then broke my wrist. I am happy to say my head and body are now screwed on straight. Worked on this piece while I was recovering from the wrist injury and it is now my go to piece to play. Its in the style of Taj Mahal, hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy all of your submissions.

Bruce D.

Here it is, the end of December 2023, and time for the December challenge, but first,
Happy new year, Active Melodians!

This month’s challenge is to pick a tune that you can play on the spot, if somebody just hands you a guitar and says take it away. I had a few in mind, none of which I can play mistake free. But I came up with this BB King solo, which I learned from a very old BB interview years ago. I think it was even before you tube. The interviewer just said to BB, ‘play us something’.
Needless to say, BB didn’t freeze up (that’s what playing out 300+ times a year gets you).
So here’s this month’s challenge, hope you like it – and hey, added bonus, a special new year’s appearance from Allyn . . .

Tech notes: I only own 2 pedals, an EP-Booster which hardly gets any use, and one I picked up last year. It’s called the Jr. Barnyard, named after Junior Bernard, Bob Wills’s guitar player. Its circuitry mimics a pre World War II octal tube pre amp, for instance by Gibson (“octal” – 8 pins in the base of the tube). There’s a certain sound from guitar players in that era, that I’m trying to capture. I removed my usual Pocket Pod amp emulator, so no effects, no reverb, no overdrive. This is just the Tele, plugged into the Jr. Barnyard, then into the amp, a Fender Pro Junior IV tube amp, about the simplest amp you can get. It has 2 knobs, Volume and Tone. I don’t know if I achieved 40’s tone here, but always trying.

Enough tech talk. All the best in 2024!
Here ya go, and happy new year . . .

Laurel C

Hi Fellow AM’ers, This is my go-to when asked to ‘Play Something – What can you Play?’ on the spot and unplugged. Usually asked by myself, a bit sad, considering I can play others but I need time to relearn, rather than play bits and pieces of different ones I know. This arrangement is based on MicroLesson – ML027, this lesson has stuck with me since I first learnt it and has evolved into something else over the years and has allowed me to play a bit more instinctively as each time is not quite the same as the last version.
Question: As I am playing my steel string acoustic for this one, I want to know is it normal that I find the strings don’t have as much ‘give’ as a steel string on an electric when playing fingerstyle. Can understand that I would find a real difference between the ‘give’ from a nylon string but it has taken me a while to actually start playing with this guitar even though I have had it for over a year and half just sitting in its case not being used. Each time I tried to play it, I was put off by it plus the squeaking. It has only been in the last month that this guitar has been the only guitar played to adapt. Thanks.

cloughie Brian

Hi Y’all
Two things I’ve been playing on the couch this month. One bluegrass from Brian & one based on a Jack Ruch vid on YT – you can imagine chords under it of :
Am
Dm
FM7
E7 – over this bad boy play the A harmonic minor scale coz it’s got that lovely G# tone.

David H

One of my goals I set years ago was to be able to go into a guitar store and not embarrass myself when checking out guitars. This is a great song for accomplishing that (EP366). And it sure works when someone says hey, play something for me.

On a side note, this is my 60th consecutive monthly challenge. The 5 years have flown by. Nothing better than Brian and his site and its members.

Reinhard H

At first: all the best wishes for a good year 2024 for the whole AM community.
Second: I have to apologize that I could not create a link from YT or others to my prepared video. My video had not the quality, for the whole world to see and judge it. So I decided to upload only a mp3-file with a song I wrote last year. When somebody asks me to play something, it is one of my favorites…
The guitar part is not complicated, it is all strumming. Key is Am with capo 2., so its real Bm. The challenge was to find the right chord progression for some sad and sorrowful lyrics. It is about strange people, that make trouble in your head – but that might be only a nightmare… however, you need some help by any remedy.
The title is: Give me any Remedy, recorded with 2 guitars & bass. You may find an advanced version on the music platforms under my artist name Ragged Jukebox. YouTube: 


or some links in my website http://www.raggedjukebox.com

Please enjoy. Best Regards Reinhard

Guido

I must confess for this month I was almost passing the hand and skipping. It’s very rare nowadays that someone asks me to play something, but if it happens I usually play something that I know very well, practiced and played for someone a lot of times, and that I think it was appreciated in the past.
But I posted almost all my “workhorses” in Active Melody, both standalone guitar pieces or songs, and I didn’t know what to play. There are some songs that I’m practicing since long time but never really played for someone, and eventually I chose this one, that it seems to me I do better than others, at least I hope. A classic Carol King’s song, in the version by James Taylor: “You’ve got a friend”.

James B

Happy New Year everyone.
Through the years I’ve had a few songs that I would turn to when asked to play something. Most of these I’ve known for decades so it wasn’t hard to put together a sampling of four pretty well known songs.

Pap

Hello and Happy New Year fellow AMrs. Hope everyone is well. This is Whisky Before Breakfast, a fiddle tune that I have been chipping a way at. Playing in D cappo 2 (out of the C position). I really love this tune and plan to do kore with it once I get it under my fingers. I played it standing (for the challenge of it) with my wife recording….because she makes me smile 😊 Hope everyone is doing well and ….still working on that slide show (of our three month RV trip). Now I have to add another trip that I made to Finland/Estonia during the last few weeks of December. Oh well….I feel a nap in my near future 😊 Cheers! Pap

Paddyboy

Hi AMers
Here is my December challenge but I’m not much into vocals anymore. Cant wait till I get proficient enough to jam with a band.
Paddyboy

JoeD1

The Active Melody December challenge 2023 was what would you play if someone asked you to play something. I’m never asked but if I were…I chose to play 3 pieces that showed how my playing is continuing to expand over these past 3 or 4 years.
First is 35 seconds of Lucky Man by Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Simple strumming and simple chords – G, D, Dsus2, Dsus4, Am, Em. This is one of the first songs I learned when I picked up the guitar 3 or 4 years ago.

Second is 40 seconds of Free Fallin’ by Tome Petty and The Heartbreakers. I learned this song a couple years ago. Again, it’s just simple strumming but the chords are a little different – D/A, Gsus2, Asus4. Then I found it sounded more like the original recording if I used a capo on the 3rd fret making the chords F/C, Bbsus2, Am7.

Finally is EP067 from Active Melody…I’ve always wanted to play lead but I also wanted to learn to play rhythm with lead fills. AM member KenG recommended EP067. That was just what I was looking for! It’s in the style of John Lee Hooker and is in the Key of E using the chords – G, A, E. Of course I don’t do it justice but I’m starting to learn lead fills and am very happy with my progress.

If anyone has any constructive criticism on my playing or suggestions on which lessons would be good for me to try I’d appreciate it. I’ll search for more myself too…I’m so grateful I found AM and think Brian is a great teacher. And the online community here on AM is by far the best I have ever found!

I always look forward to hearing all of your most excellent submissions. Thanks for listening and I hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday.

Jonathan Amos

I remember hearing New Slang by The Shins on the radio when it first came out in 2001. It made an instant connection and has been a rock in my repertoire for many years. If I’m asked to play just one song on guitar this is what I would usually play.
I saw The Shins at Fuji Rock Festival in 2012 and met and chatted to James Mercer after he played a short solo acoustic set – such a humble and generous man, one of the magic moments of my life!

Rich F

Hi all,
For this month’s challenge response: “Hey, just play something!”, I decided to go for the first lesson I ever learned after just joining Active Melody about ten years ago! That was Brian’s brilliant EP074: slow gospel blues in the style of Eric Clapton. I love playing this without any backing track, as I like it stripped back, and I can play it at my own pace.. and, I think, with more feeling and emotion this way… And, if I was asked to grab the guitar and just play it, I wouldn’t have the backing track!
Hope you like it…

Eric C.

Hi AMers,
this is my contribution to the member challenges after a long time.
“Play something on guitar”, that really happens quite often. I chose an old Jazz Standard written by Joseph Cosma in 1945.
There are lots of cover versions, but I don’t know many intrumental versions. So I thought, I try this one instrumentally with my oldest acoustic guitar (Ovation 1617).
The recording was done using only my IPhone for video and sound.
Hope you like it!

David G

I reached 12 consecutive monthly challenge submissions this month! So many times I felt like giving up on a particular challenge. I guess that’s what makes it, well a challenge.
If I am asked to play something it’s going to be on my acoustic so that there’s no fuss about plugging in, getting a sound, backing track and so on. I went back to some fingerstyle stuff which again, as soon as the camera is on I can’t finger worth a darn. Here’s a take however that at least I made through. I hope you enjoy it.
Anybody know this song?

Don D.

This is one of the things I might play. There are others at the SoundCloud page.

I’m looking forward to hearing your songs when I consolidate them tomorrow.

Adam H

Hi Folks,
I’ve been super busy with research and proposal writing. I literally rolled out of bed this morning and played the first thing I could think of – an old fall back – the intro to Love Song by Tesla.

Dermot M

Happy New Year Everyone!
As my party trick I decided to try and pull together some pentatonic playing and a few triads whist trying to move across the guitar rather than sticking to boxes which I tend to do too much.
So just winged this and I’m sure there a few tricks I missed but I just tried not to be too self conscious and “go with it”.
The backing track is provided by Brian in episode 491 and is a rather upbeat affair!
Also wanted to say thanks to Brian (and his team) for sending me my Active Melody T-shirt in plenty of time for the holidays. I wore it with pride (rather a lot).
I wanted to wear it for this video but I couldn’t find it in time?? – suspect it’s in the wash!! :-))
I see a lot of you sang on your videos. I think that’s something I would like to strive to do this year. We’ll see.
Until next month then. Thanks for watching.
Dermot

Livio M

I wish all AM’s friends a peaceful and satisfying 2024.
For this month’s challenge I wanted to present 3 pieces but then things took a long time so I’ll spare you 2. The piece is inspired by a rhythm (riff hill country blues) learned on an Italian channel “chitarra disagio” (guitar discomfort) which I adapted to a 1,4,5 sequence trying to insert short licks.
Greetings to everyone.
Livìo

Aime S

Hi AM friends,
Please find here my response for this the December 2023 challenge.
If someone asks me to play something on the guitar, what I’m going to play depends on the person who asked me. I’ll try to play something he likes or knows to get his attention and also build up my confidence.
Here, the song I suggest is ‘Steady Rollin’ by the band Two Gallants. I think they’re one of the bands I’ve seen most live !
It’s the first song I’ll play if a friend of mine asked because it’s one of my favorite songs that my friends and I like sing togheter. I’ve spared you the singing part 😀
I hope you enjoy. Cheers !!

Fretdaddi

Happy 2024! My December response is a old Active Melody lesson 057. This is a Chet Atkins finger style blues (EP057) that Brian did 10 years ago. I use this arraignment when someone asks me to play something or I go into a guitar store for some noodling fun. You don’t need a pick and if you miss a couple notes most people won’t know. Mistakes and all here it is.

Manuel Wollman

Robert G

Brian,
Thank you for so many things. I now visit at least one open mic session here in Branson and Springfield, Mo. Until six months ago I never sang in public and hadn’t played in public in 40 odd years. My voice is so-so but you helped me realize I am a student of music, not just one genre. I learn at least one new song every two weeks and now have 24songs I can perform at open mics. Everything from my favorite, blues to country, rock, classical, folk and I dabble in jazz.
You will learn faster by performing. You will make mistakes and forget things. That’s alright. Practice, practice and perform.
You helped me develop my confidence by challenging me, teaching me and listening to me. A trait only good teachers have. I love your enthusiasm and how you play with feeling and emotion.
Thanks again Brian.
Blues Bob