My wife told my daughter today when she walked in and I was watching your video, “Daddy’s spending time with his buddy.” Thanks for being my buddy, Uncle Larry.
As a grown man it is very embarrassing to admit that when you play it almost brings me to tears. This is the third time throughout your Home Schoolin repertoire.
0:00 Intro jam 2:42 Hello class 6:38 Q&A if I wasn't a session man 7:59 Q&A dynamics and touch 10:54 Q&A confidence 12:28 Q&A sound in your head 15:01 Q&A improvising and melody 19:34 Sad Eyes
1. Dynamics and touch. 2. Play proudly. 3. Stick the knife. 4. Make a loop, make up some melodies and sing to them. High content! Thanks Uncle Larry for another great episode of home skoolin'
"Put the guitar down, and sing over the loop." Wow, that's gotta be the best advice I've ever heard in my guitar playing journey! Thanks, Tom! That's another reason why you're the best! After reading through some of the comments, I can't believe no one else has mentioned this!
Hey Tom singing over the loop. That's f*cking brilliant, wee man!! I just remembered that in the dim dark days of my youth (pre internet) that's how I learned to play solos, since my unsympathetic parents wouldn't stand for the repetitive needle drops too many times in a row. I'd learn the part by singing it and then figure it out on guitar. However it's never occurred to me to use it to compose rather than reverse engineer!!! I'm running out of hats to tip your way...
3:46 That aside led me down a rabbit-hole for an hour :) I'm Canadian and couldn't hear "Sundown" in my head, but once I found it, it all came rushing back to me. I never gave Lightfoot a second thought when I was a kid in the 1970s but now I can't get enough of him. Thanks for the reminder!
Love your show. I’ve been a full time professional guitar player since I was 18 and I’m now 54. Toured a bunch, lots of sessions, lived and studied in New York, lived in Toronto for 25 yrs and now live and keep busy musically (well pre-Covid) in Kelowna BC. I love when I get to learn something about guitar and music (we all have so much to learn) and each of your Homeskoolin’ episodes are educational. Really liked the sing what you hear then play it. I agree! You’re awesome!
So much wisdom for we guitar players in this volume! Listen to lyrics, listen to loop and sing over it, then fish it out on guitar to create melodies instead of scales/boxes/licks. Awesome.
Hey Tom, this is Tom from L.A. (grew up in Detroit area). My 19 year old daughter wants to improve on her improvisation on Trumpet. I had her watch a couple of your videos (which she loved) and now realizes there are no short cuts. Had her play on a couple of my songs closing her eyes and singing her parts out. Now she's hit the wood shed and improvements are already noticeable. Thanks, please don't change a thing, your videos are perfect just the way they are.; short, introspective, real and informative.
Hey, Tom. You know what is probably the most important thing I've learned from you so far? It's to make the face and let my body move when I play, even if I'm just sitting here by myself. There's new life in my playing, and that has led to more creativity. Thanks!
I recently wrote a riff that I thought was cool, and I wanted to add a melody over it on guitar. First I looped the riff and started just playing it over it for about 15 minutes. I didn't come up with anything good, just played licks over it. Then I remembered your advice about singing melodies. I listened to the riff a few times, and the first thing I sang over it was instantly 100 times better than anything I played. Thank you for reminding me of this important lesson!
I love,love,love,some 70s lite rock.such great songs and artists back then.some of that stuff can rip your heart out.have not heard anything remotely close now days
Mr Bukovac, I love how you share your hard earned pearls of wisdom with us.I thought I would share one of mine.It centers on the word "gratitude". Feeling grateful and expressing gratitude is one of the keys to leading a happier life.Life can be hard but each of us has things in our lives to be grateful for.I am grateful that little Leo is OK.The fact that you express your gratitude on each video for all the kind words, tip jar donations and merch sales is a wonderful thing and I am sure it makes all us us out here feel good.Keep up the great music and stories we are all grateful to have you.
i grew up hearing this song all the time. that melody is so infectious, that i think it really formed some early sense of melody for me. you made it even lovelier. thanks so much!
Hey Tom! Caught you first on the Rig Run Down...Have enjoyed All 37 Posts since then...Dude you are that Cool Cat that people can relate...I'm number 6 of 3 Bros and 2 sisters...Rode the bus to Town for 15 cents bought my first acoustic for $15.00 with my grass mowing money at age of 11...Been awed & inspired by you and your stories...back to pickin out tunes and feeling great about the small stuff Thanks Man...I've got a few hours on you...on the downhill of "68...you're the real deal...player and person that knows where the monkey hid the peanut!!! LOL...Great Vibes you're streaming...you make me laugh out loud!
Hey Tom, just want to send greetings from Serbia, a country very near to your good old Slovenia 😊 And thanks for sharing your incredible talent and valuable experience with your class... Enjoying it endlessly. All the best!
"Put the guitar down, sing over the loop" - amazing that this is so hard for some folks to get (I include myself in that), but it's about being a musician, not a "guitarist", right?
I am not an expert guitarist but when I was songwriting and playing in an original band years ago, I would always write solos from singing the melody first then working it out on the guitar, then use that as a base to tweak it. They are not flashy shred fast solos even though I enjoy that music, but the solo fits the song better. Great advice from Tom again 👍
Mark Basinski so glad you said that. I always enjoy that stare back when I ask if you are a guitar player or a musician first. I’ve only gotten it myself recently. The ones that are both are the ones I gravitate towards.
this is so spot on! i played with my buddies in a band who all went off to college and i wrote all the songs cuz i had all the melody ideas in my head. living in my personal fantasy hahah the sonic landscape man. i think daniel by elton john is an excellent example of that. i think your chord voicing are also a great escape from the trappings of guitar mechanics as well. getting to the center of music beyond instrument. i don;t know if you read this shit but i think you have a lot of potential for crossover success. i live in california now the land of electronic dance scene and i can hear you in the mix here too. stay open and who knows how big your audience will get.. world needs ya
Dude - singing over a loop and trying to replicate that singing with your guitar is seriously the best advice I've heard period. Mountains of appreciation for this tips.
Regarding diverse musical tastes, my wife once remarked about a playlist we were listening to on a road trip - "Are you allowed to have Van Halen and the Bee Gees in the same playlist?" I love it all - I guess that's why I love this channel... good music is good music!
Funny you mentioned working on cars - I’m retired- built hot rods, trucks, with my son, build it & he (my son) will come - love guitar, have many - enjoy your homeskoolin’ - good stuff. Thanks
Hey Tom - Glad I found your channel. Honest, Truth, Sincere. I'm a 62 year old getting back into playing, played acoustic in the 70s, Prine, Dylan, PP League. Going electric now. Kepp giving your knowledge. Love it.
Tom, I have been playing guitar 40ish years. I'll be 50 this year. I am learning so much from you man. Thanks for doing this. Your playing is impeccable! Appreciate you man! --Chris
Hey Tom, just received my green T and mug! Kudos to the guys at Guitar House, the mug was packed better than some guitars I’ve had shipped! Thanks for all your stories, insight & guitar knowledge! I look forward to each new video!
Hey Tom--Whether by design or accident, you've become a touchstone for reality. Music is important. Does that sound dumb? Maybe--but that's how it feels sometimes. Thanks a million.
I am not a solo musician by any means. I have always been the most comfortable in a band. And recently I've been lucky enough to find four other dudes that are open and confident enough to try and create new music. We try to get together as much as possible and create and record our own songs. I am constantly learning what's in a great song. A life long quest that will never bore me. most times i offer up a main riff and we'll just sit on a section and listen to each other until a melody creeps out from either the vocalist, keys, guitar, or the bass. It's not always gold. But when it is, it's a real solid reason to be alive man. Listing to what's in your head, and having the confidence and ability to share it, is everything. Listening to your bandmates and giving them the space, and support to express themselves is also everything to having a soul filling experience.
Hi Mr. Tom, when you play a song that makes me want to close my eyes instead of watching you play and find myself getting teary-eyed, then i know why i love music, and what a guitar can do. Thanks for being such a genuine soul. Makes me wish i had a neighbor like you.
You know what the problem is with these videos? I can't get through one without having to pick up my guitar and take at least a 30 minute detour in the process, turning each of these into at least an hour of commitment. So inspiring, Tom.
Sounds great man an I love the old 70s music 80s to an Gordon lightfoot is as good as it gets . The older I get the more I appreciate the older music an we appreciate you too uncle Larry you are the man
Hey Tom! Thank you so much for these videos! We all love them and they are helping in so many ways during this strange time. I’m so happy to hear you’re heading back to work!
Tom, I don't throw out youtube comments too often, but this will be my fourth to ya! Man, keep doin what you're doing! its very cool, and the "yeah I could make this sound like a platinum winning record, but fuck it" attitude is something I love. Just feels like your hanging out at a buddies place, drinking beers, and shootin the shit in the garage.
Thanks for all your great content. I have always wondered what it was really like in the "session" world! You remind me of the best teacher I had. He started me into Johnny Smith method- arpeggios, triads, scales. Easier to speak the song language when you know how to use the words! I am 63 and still enthusiastic about guitar.
Hey Buc! Thanks for videos! I'm a local solo singer/guitarist and had my first gig since all this quarantine shit started last night. I added Sad Eyes to my set, thanks. But what I really want to thank you for is reminding me to make guitar faces! I don't know how or why I got away from digging my own show!
Love your love for melodies. I'm much the same, and think the 70's was the greatest decade for music. So many great rock/softrock/pop songs with fantastic melodies! We are a similar age, so it is not surprising we love similar music. Thank you for the great stories, playing, and skoolin'!
Ha, we home school our 9yr old twins and 11 yr old, I need that shirt and cold one! Enjoying the content, found you not too long ago via a shout out from Rhett S. Thanks for doing this Tom.
I'd love a solo release from you Tom. You have a poets ear and eye, I think your sensitivity to the story of a song is what makes you an incredible musician and why you are able to tell meaningful stories with your playing.
Love your point on melodies. Every great solo can be sung to a certain extent. It’s what makes David Gilmour so great. Nothing flashy. He just has a way of getting emotion out of the guitar.
Just got my green "T". Now I am one of the cool kids. Thanks for the 70's jam. Reminds me of days gone past listening to a stack of 45's on parents stereo. Peace! Roger
Everything you said about soloing here is Golden advice. 99/100 teachers I've met/seen has missed this completely. It's all about expressing your inner melody thru your guitar!
Hey Uncle Larry, I think I'm caught up on all your Homeskoolin' videos now. I came for the guitar. I stayed for the sincere, honest, no ego, and nothing to sell me man. I appreciate your focus on music over the gear. And you also try to convey how you conceptualize your approach to music. It is a gift to be able to hear how somebody else perceives anything. That's where the rubber meets the road. There is a big difference between learning where to put the fingers and how to create music. Thank you for sharing.
Hey Tom, I have watched every episode. I have enjoyed them all. I’m a guitar player, but I have really never been disciplined enough to develop and I just don’t play often. Sometimes is frustrates me, but I love to listen to music. I’m a listener and I love music and cant get enough guitars. And I love vintage guitars. I love tone. I love the details. I enjoy learning why. And how things work in music. This show has given me so much enjoyment. Much of the musical information is over my head. I like that because I understand what the idea is, I just don’t have the experience to apply it. In time, I believe I will, I have a family and a job and a busy life, I will make time to dig in when Im ready. Yet, I have to say, this show is only partially about guitar. This show has the human quality. I am learning about a life, your life. Your wisdom, experience and what makes you do what you do well. It doesn’t have to be about playing guitar. Your advice, comments, teaching, tips, and stories are all relative to whatever you strive to do. The principles are the same. Im an oyster farmer, 21 years now, and I teach people my trade. Im passionate about what I do and when I teach or explain; I find myself saying the same kinds of things you talk about. After years of experience, there is no easy explanation. There are just concepts, guidance, stories and mind set. You are a very bright man. I have learned alot about life and yeah guitars and music and tone. But more importantly concepts and what it takes to learn. Thanks for sharing your time and talents.
"Play proudly": love that, and all the Philosophy of Mr Bukovac. Thanks for it all. Glad to hear that Leo's ok, and that he's got you both to care so much for him, and to say it out loud.
So as a song writer I've listened to, watched, and saw John Prine so often that he felt like a long-time family friend, even though I never met him. These videos are putting you in that bracket on guitar, Tom ;-)
Tom, thanks for the show, the down to earth approach is addicting...you touch on everything that is guitar and something I’ve strive do for for so long but haven’t been able to wrap my hands around...the approach to melody and being able to find those melodies in your fingers...harmony and melody are everything in a song totally agree and a local musician I am fortunate enough to play with can play melodies on command which is what I’ve always strived, yet struggled for...been playing 35 years and still chasing the tone and being able to play what I feel....love the show! Keep rocking brother and stay safe...
Glad to know that you have sessions, Tom. Thanks for all you have been doing for us, please keep Homeskoolin' going, even if it's not a daily show. We will be here.
Hey Tom ... I just had to say it :D about your confidence, I feel you work a lot to maintain it, and it shows. About the ego, if you had it, you wouldn’t be here giving us all this knowledge. You come across as a person, and then a guitarist. You’re the only channel I check every single day. Talked too much already :) thank you for being just as you are
Wow! Tommy B! Thanks so much for your best shot at answering my question about the Sound in your Head. Gave me some things to think about...and hopefully pick up on...see what happens. Weird for me cuz I wrote that question in BG, KY just after delivering in Nashville...so nice where you live, spent Sunday nite there...drive truck/play guitar...that's my life! Thanks again!
Hey Tom! That lesson you gave about using the shoulder of the pick.... killer! I’ve spent the last couple of hours experimenting with fingers and using every part of my pick to control attack and timbre.... thank you! Cheers from Australia.
I remember sitting in my friends bedroom listening to STP right when/before they came into heavy rotation on alternative radio ('90 something). He bought the CD from the record store on a whip; just looking for some new music. Their music still holds up.
The thing about singing along to a loop instead of playing is a variation of what I do when I’m listening to a song on the radio that I’m not familiar with but whose groove I’m digging. I just sing along with the intro or solos when there are no vocals. I make it my own. And you’re right, I’m usually more obsessed with my results than the artist’s. We all have our unique visions.
Great feel, tone and soufulness. Thanks for what you bring to the world, Tom...With some humor and common sense thrown in. And don't forget truly musical advice...be a musician who happens to play a guitar, simple truth that happens to be sage.
How interesting...I always tend to focus on the melodic/lyrical part of songs, which I think may be holding back my guitar playing! But, watching you PLAY the melody gives me a real insight. PS. Love that tune!
Hey Tom Love the show. Your approach to soloing - singing the melody over the track and then finding it on the guitar rather than just playing what the guitar offers you - echoes what Steve Vai and John Mayer have said on the same subject. For someone like me who struggles to improvise this stuff is gold so thank you for the words of wisdom
Hey Tom! Homeskoolin' has helped me make some major improvements in my playing and writing. You have shown me that playing fast/as many notes as possible is rarely the answer! You have changed the way I voice chords and what kind of chord I use when I layer guitar parts. This has been some of the best education I have received for making music. Your approach and your attitude toward music and life are refreshing, and you have helped this year be a lot more enjoyable. Hope your little man is recovering well from "bumping his head".
Building melodies via vocalizing or even whistling is great advise. It has worked well for me by getting all nerve memory & box system nonsense I've absorbed over the years out of the creative loop. It certainly has yielded material I would never have cooked up on guitar.
Really enjoy your selections for introduction music. Thanks for doing these shows and your instruction add real value to those of us that love to learn it from those that have been there!! Love my "Green" shirt. Do more songs with your wife, you two are very good together...
Hey Tom, beautiful episode. Thank you for explaining the melody process. I’m not as weird as I thought with humming over songs, walking around the house after playing with the further progression in my head, and going to sleep with something in my head. This episode helped me understand part of why some days my stuff sounds like shit, and others, I’m on top of the world. Confidence! What helped me most was when you said you work out the melodies, that even a guy like you doesn’t automatically pick up the guitar and boom, there it is. Anyways, thanks man, homeschooling is the last thing I listen to before I go to bed. The day ends good.
Man Tom, I Love the quality of these Vids. Reminds me so much of the sound of standing among My Mates long ago when Men played through amps and there hands were there main effects. Thanks Tom and Sarah for helping and old man who got sidetracked with a different life to, at retirement to pick up where I left off. But most of all I understand 90% of what you are showing us. I wish I could do something for you two to give you the feelings you give me. God Bless you and your family. Tennis shoes in the Dryer is the Funniest thing I've heard lately.
Missed my daily Buke, so I had to come back to get some! It's not just the guitar stuff, although that is in a leauge of its own. It's the the intimate soothing zenlike openness, without a shred of artificiallity! A friend of mine said after I had recomended the Buke, "you just feel like hugging that guy!" :) Thanks for making us all related to Uncle Larry!
My wife told my daughter today when she walked in and I was watching your video, “Daddy’s spending time with his buddy.” Thanks for being my buddy, Uncle Larry.
As a grown man it is very embarrassing to admit that when you play it almost brings me to tears. This is the third time throughout your Home Schoolin repertoire.
0:00 Intro jam
2:42 Hello class
6:38 Q&A if I wasn't a session man
7:59 Q&A dynamics and touch
10:54 Q&A confidence
12:28 Q&A sound in your head
15:01 Q&A improvising and melody
19:34 Sad Eyes
4 years ago!!! Still great and picking this great tune!!
“Listen to a song, and hear how the guitar parts are different characters, each with a role in the song.” What a great way to think about it.
1. Dynamics and touch.
2. Play proudly.
3. Stick the knife.
4. Make a loop, make up some melodies and sing to them.
High content!
Thanks Uncle Larry for another great episode of home skoolin'
"Put the guitar down, and sing over the loop."
Wow, that's gotta be the best advice I've ever heard in my guitar playing journey! Thanks, Tom! That's another reason why you're the best!
After reading through some of the comments, I can't believe no one else has mentioned this!
Man, that intro was sublime and timeless
Hey Tom singing over the loop. That's f*cking brilliant, wee man!! I just remembered that in the dim dark days of my youth (pre internet) that's how I learned to play solos, since my unsympathetic parents wouldn't stand for the repetitive needle drops too many times in a row. I'd learn the part by singing it and then figure it out on guitar. However it's never occurred to me to use it to compose rather than reverse engineer!!! I'm running out of hats to tip your way...
Man I needed that. I bet we all did. Thanks, Tom.
It was an absolute honor, Tom. Thank you for the shoutout and the conversation.
Nice job Ryan!
Kudos and congrats Ryan.
3:46 That aside led me down a rabbit-hole for an hour :) I'm Canadian and couldn't hear "Sundown" in my head, but once I found it, it all came rushing back to me. I never gave Lightfoot a second thought when I was a kid in the 1970s but now I can't get enough of him. Thanks for the reminder!
That old 70s music was the best. Constantly blown away by Tom Bukovac's knowledge and musicality. Great show.
You're ALREADY a TH-cam celeb! LOL. And I absolutely love it when you come forth with some 70's stuff! Keep at it.
Love your show. I’ve been a full time professional guitar player since I was 18 and I’m now 54. Toured a bunch, lots of sessions, lived and studied in New York, lived in Toronto for 25 yrs and now live and keep busy musically (well pre-Covid) in Kelowna BC. I love when I get to learn something about guitar and music (we all have so much to learn) and each of your Homeskoolin’ episodes are educational. Really liked the sing what you hear then play it. I agree! You’re awesome!
.. I've watched this 30 odd times ...that tune takes me back to when my dad was still alive.... thx Uncle Larry....👍
So much wisdom for we guitar players in this volume! Listen to lyrics, listen to loop and sing over it, then fish it out on guitar to create melodies instead of scales/boxes/licks. Awesome.
So much soft rock got pumped into my drawer from the PAs of the factories I grew up working in. Great stuff Tom! Cheers!!
Hey Tom, this is Tom from L.A. (grew up in Detroit area). My 19 year old daughter wants to improve on her improvisation on Trumpet. I had her watch a couple of your videos (which she loved) and now realizes there are no short cuts. Had her play on a couple of my songs closing her eyes and singing her parts out. Now she's hit the wood shed and improvements are already noticeable. Thanks, please don't change a thing, your videos are perfect just the way they are.; short, introspective, real and informative.
Another great one.......came out in 1979.......beautiful playin......man.......I got SO MUCH out of this one!!!!
Hey, Tom. You know what is probably the most important thing I've learned from you so far? It's to make the face and let my body move when I play, even if I'm just sitting here by myself. There's new life in my playing, and that has led to more creativity. Thanks!
Dude that loop melody exercise is gold. Thank you!
I'm glad Leo is good. Sad eyes will be stuck in my head all day. Thanks again for Homeskoolin us.
Also the vocal melody to guitar melody advice is priceless. Thanks so much. Wow
Effin beautiful. Period. Thanks T.
I recently wrote a riff that I thought was cool, and I wanted to add a melody over it on guitar. First I looped the riff and started just playing it over it for about 15 minutes. I didn't come up with anything good, just played licks over it. Then I remembered your advice about singing melodies. I listened to the riff a few times, and the first thing I sang over it was instantly 100 times better than anything I played. Thank you for reminding me of this important lesson!
I love,love,love,some 70s lite rock.such great songs and artists back then.some of that stuff can rip your heart out.have not heard anything remotely close now days
Brother man….. this is pure gold! You can’t get this kind of stuff anywhere else, but here! Excellent!
Mr Bukovac, I love how you share your hard earned pearls of wisdom with us.I thought I would share one of mine.It centers on the word "gratitude". Feeling grateful and expressing gratitude is one of the keys to leading a happier life.Life can be hard but each of us has things in our lives to be grateful for.I am grateful that little Leo is OK.The fact that you express your gratitude on each video for all the kind words, tip jar donations and merch sales is a wonderful thing and I am sure it makes all us us out here feel good.Keep up the great music and stories we are all grateful to have you.
i grew up hearing this song all the time. that melody is so infectious, that i think it really formed some early sense of melody for me. you made it even lovelier. thanks so much!
Hey Tom! Caught you first on the Rig Run Down...Have enjoyed All 37 Posts since then...Dude you are that Cool Cat that people can relate...I'm number 6 of 3 Bros and 2 sisters...Rode the bus to Town for 15 cents bought my first acoustic for $15.00 with my grass mowing money at age of 11...Been awed & inspired by you and your stories...back to pickin out tunes and feeling great about the small stuff Thanks Man...I've got a few hours on you...on the downhill of "68...you're the real deal...player and person that knows where the monkey hid the peanut!!! LOL...Great Vibes you're streaming...you make me laugh out loud!
Hey Tom, just want to send greetings from Serbia, a country very near to your good old Slovenia 😊 And thanks for sharing your incredible talent and valuable experience with your class... Enjoying it endlessly. All the best!
"Put the guitar down, sing over the loop" - amazing that this is so hard for some folks to get (I include myself in that), but it's about being a musician, not a "guitarist", right?
I am not an expert guitarist but when I was songwriting and playing in an original band years ago, I would always write solos from singing the melody first then working it out on the guitar, then use that as a base to tweak it.
They are not flashy shred fast solos even though I enjoy that music, but the solo fits the song better.
Great advice from Tom again 👍
Mark Basinski so glad you said that. I always enjoy that stare back when I ask if you are a guitar player or a musician first. I’ve only gotten it myself recently. The ones that are both are the ones I gravitate towards.
this is so spot on! i played with my buddies in a band who all went off to college and i wrote all the songs cuz i had all the melody ideas in my head. living in my personal fantasy hahah the sonic landscape man. i think daniel by elton john is an excellent example of that. i think your chord voicing are also a great escape from the trappings of guitar mechanics as well. getting to the center of music beyond instrument. i don;t know if you read this shit but i think you have a lot of potential for crossover success. i live in california now the land of electronic dance scene and i can hear you in the mix here too. stay open and who knows how big your audience will get.. world needs ya
Dude - singing over a loop and trying to replicate that singing with your guitar is seriously the best advice I've heard period. Mountains of appreciation for this tips.
Regarding diverse musical tastes, my wife once remarked about a playlist we were listening to on a road trip - "Are you allowed to have Van Halen and the Bee Gees in the same playlist?" I love it all - I guess that's why I love this channel... good music is good music!
Funny you mentioned working on cars - I’m retired- built hot rods, trucks, with my son, build it & he (my son) will come - love guitar, have many - enjoy your homeskoolin’ - good stuff. Thanks
"Hey Tom", you are already a TH-cam celebrity in my book. Don't leave us BTW
Hey Tom - Glad I found your channel. Honest, Truth, Sincere. I'm a 62 year old getting back into playing, played acoustic in the 70s, Prine, Dylan, PP League. Going electric now. Kepp giving your knowledge. Love it.
Tom, when confidence is earned it becomes warranted. Thanks for the inspiration!
Good Time Charlie’s a favorite of mine. I love singing and playing it.
Hey Tom, Great Show. Love the green shirts but shipping is killing it to Europe. Love hearing what’s going on inside your head.
Tom, I have been playing guitar 40ish years. I'll be 50 this year. I am learning so much from you man. Thanks for doing this. Your playing is impeccable! Appreciate you man! --Chris
Hey Tom, just received my green T and mug! Kudos to the guys at Guitar House, the mug was packed better than some guitars I’ve had shipped! Thanks for all your stories, insight & guitar knowledge! I look forward to each new video!
Hey Tom--Whether by design or accident, you've become a touchstone for reality. Music is important. Does that sound dumb? Maybe--but that's how it feels sometimes. Thanks a million.
Love that song. Love that you know that song.
I am not a solo musician by any means. I have always been the most comfortable in a band. And recently I've been lucky enough to find four other dudes that are open and confident enough to try and create new music. We try to get together as much as possible and create and record our own songs. I am constantly learning what's in a great song. A life long quest that will never bore me. most times i offer up a main riff and we'll just sit on a section and listen to each other until a melody creeps out from either the vocalist, keys, guitar, or the bass. It's not always gold. But when it is, it's a real solid reason to be alive man. Listing to what's in your head, and having the confidence and ability to share it, is everything. Listening to your bandmates and giving them the space, and support to express themselves is also everything to having a soul filling experience.
..Damn it Tommy ...you literally jst brought tears to my eyes with that intro tune ....THX
I'm working on my triads Tom. Thanks for the continual inspiration.
Hi Mr. Tom, when you play a song that makes me want to close my eyes instead of watching you play and find myself getting teary-eyed, then i know why i love music, and what a guitar can do. Thanks for being such a genuine soul. Makes me wish i had a neighbor like you.
You know what the problem is with these videos? I can't get through one without having to pick up my guitar and take at least a 30 minute detour in the process, turning each of these into at least an hour of commitment. So inspiring, Tom.
I dig your attitude, dig your playin even more, hope you stick with this TH-cam endeavor, you seem to be a natural
Dear Uncle Larry, really love me some "Sad Eyes". Keep bringing the sweet sweet Solid Gold Sounds of the 70's =)
cool song to feature!
What makes a good musician great?...song selection, well done and thank you for taking me back :-)
Sounds great man an I love the old 70s music 80s to an Gordon lightfoot is as good as it gets . The older I get the more I appreciate the older music an we appreciate you too uncle Larry you are the man
Tom, you have single-handedly rekindled my passion for guitar. Thank you, sir.
Never cease to be amazed. Thanks
Hey Tom! Thank you so much for these videos! We all love them and they are helping in so many ways during this strange time. I’m so happy to hear you’re heading back to work!
Tom, I don't throw out youtube comments too often, but this will be my fourth to ya! Man, keep doin what you're doing! its very cool, and the "yeah I could make this sound like a platinum winning record, but fuck it" attitude is something I love. Just feels like your hanging out at a buddies place, drinking beers, and shootin the shit in the garage.
Hey Tom thanks for putting us onto your mate that plays piano it's solidified my new passion for playing piano. Feels much more musical
Thanks for all your great content. I have always wondered what it was really like in the "session" world! You remind me of the best teacher I had. He started me into Johnny Smith method- arpeggios, triads, scales. Easier to speak the song language when you know how to use the words! I am 63 and still enthusiastic about guitar.
Hey Buc! Thanks for videos! I'm a local solo singer/guitarist and had my first gig since all this quarantine shit started last night. I added Sad Eyes to my set, thanks. But what I really want to thank you for is reminding me to make guitar faces! I don't know how or why I got away from digging my own show!
Love your love for melodies. I'm much the same, and think the 70's was the greatest decade for music. So many great rock/softrock/pop songs with fantastic melodies! We are a similar age, so it is not surprising we love similar music. Thank you for the great stories, playing, and skoolin'!
Ha, we home school our 9yr old twins and 11 yr old, I need that shirt and cold one! Enjoying the content, found you not too long ago via a shout out from Rhett S. Thanks for doing this Tom.
I'd love a solo release from you Tom. You have a poets ear and eye, I think your sensitivity to the story of a song is what makes you an incredible musician and why you are able to tell meaningful stories with your playing.
Love your point on melodies. Every great solo can be sung to a certain extent. It’s what makes David Gilmour so great. Nothing flashy. He just has a way of getting emotion out of the guitar.
Isn’t that the truth Kevin, pulling emotion out of the air, brilliant !!
Just got my green "T". Now I am one of the cool kids. Thanks for the 70's jam. Reminds me of days gone past listening to a stack of 45's on parents stereo. Peace! Roger
Everything you said about soloing here is Golden advice. 99/100 teachers I've met/seen has missed this completely. It's all about expressing your inner melody thru your guitar!
Hey Uncle Larry, I think I'm caught up on all your Homeskoolin' videos now. I came for the guitar. I stayed for the sincere, honest, no ego, and nothing to sell me man. I appreciate your focus on music over the gear. And you also try to convey how you conceptualize your approach to music. It is a gift to be able to hear how somebody else perceives anything. That's where the rubber meets the road. There is a big difference between learning where to put the fingers and how to create music. Thank you for sharing.
Hey Tom, I have watched every episode. I have enjoyed them all. I’m a guitar player, but I have really never been disciplined enough to develop and I just don’t play often. Sometimes is frustrates me, but I love to listen to music. I’m a listener and I love music and cant get enough guitars. And I love vintage guitars. I love tone. I love the details. I enjoy learning why. And how things work in music. This show has given me so much enjoyment. Much of the musical information is over my head. I like that because I understand what the idea is, I just don’t have the experience to apply it. In time, I believe I will, I have a family and a job and a busy life, I will make time to dig in when Im ready. Yet, I have to say, this show is only partially about guitar. This show has the human quality. I am learning about a life, your life. Your wisdom, experience and what makes you do what you do well. It doesn’t have to be about playing guitar. Your advice, comments, teaching, tips, and stories are all relative to whatever you strive to do. The principles are the same. Im an oyster farmer, 21 years now, and I teach people my trade. Im passionate about what I do and when I teach or explain; I find myself saying the same kinds of things you talk about. After years of experience, there is no easy explanation. There are just concepts, guidance, stories and mind set. You are a very bright man. I have learned alot about life and yeah guitars and music and tone. But more importantly concepts and what it takes to learn. Thanks for sharing your time and talents.
The segment about being confident in your playing is the lesson I needed today.
Best episode so far Tommy,spot on 👍🇬🇧👍
"Play proudly": love that, and all the Philosophy of Mr Bukovac. Thanks for it all. Glad to hear that Leo's ok, and that he's got you both to care so much for him, and to say it out loud.
So as a song writer I've listened to, watched, and saw John Prine so often that he felt like a long-time family friend, even though I never met him. These videos are putting you in that bracket on guitar, Tom ;-)
Amazing Rhythm Aces always came up with great melodies.
Tom, thanks for the show, the down to earth approach is addicting...you touch on everything that is guitar and something I’ve strive do for for so long but haven’t been able to wrap my hands around...the approach to melody and being able to find those melodies in your fingers...harmony and melody are everything in a song totally agree and a local musician I am fortunate enough to play with can play melodies on command which is what I’ve always strived, yet struggled for...been playing 35 years and still chasing the tone and being able to play what I feel....love the show! Keep rocking brother and stay safe...
Glad to know that you have sessions, Tom. Thanks for all you have been doing for us, please keep Homeskoolin' going, even if it's not a daily show. We will be here.
Wow. Sad Eyes. Really beautiful, Tom
Hey Tom ... I just had to say it :D about your confidence, I feel you work a lot to maintain it, and it shows. About the ego, if you had it, you wouldn’t be here giving us all this knowledge. You come across as a person, and then a guitarist. You’re the only channel I check every single day. Talked too much already :) thank you for being just as you are
Wow! Tommy B! Thanks so much for your best shot at answering my question about the Sound in your Head. Gave me some things to think about...and hopefully pick up on...see what happens. Weird for me cuz I wrote that question in BG, KY just after delivering in Nashville...so nice where you live, spent Sunday nite there...drive truck/play guitar...that's my life! Thanks again!
Just got my green Home Skoolin' shirt! I'm the best looking half-assed guitarist in town now! Thanks from MN!
Hey Tom! That lesson you gave about using the shoulder of the pick.... killer!
I’ve spent the last couple of hours experimenting with fingers and using every part of my pick to control attack and timbre.... thank you! Cheers from Australia.
I remember sitting in my friends bedroom listening to STP right when/before they came into heavy rotation on alternative radio ('90 something). He bought the CD from the record store on a whip; just looking for some new music. Their music still holds up.
The thing about singing along to a loop instead of playing is a variation of what I do when I’m listening to a song on the radio that I’m not familiar with but whose groove I’m digging. I just sing along with the intro or solos when there are no vocals. I make it my own. And you’re right, I’m usually more obsessed with my results than the artist’s. We all have our unique visions.
got my Home Skoolin' shirts yesterday. Man, super soft and comfy. Got one of each. Thanks, Tom
Great feel, tone and soufulness. Thanks for what you bring to the world, Tom...With some humor and common sense thrown in. And don't forget truly musical advice...be a musician who happens to play a guitar, simple truth that happens to be sage.
I feell so privileged I am able to witness this pure listening pleasure.
Ah thank god he’s back ! Best guitar music/show ever!!!
How interesting...I always tend to focus on the melodic/lyrical part of songs, which I think may be holding back my guitar playing! But, watching you PLAY the melody gives me a real insight.
PS. Love that tune!
Love it. Thank you! Tom...you are a beautiful musician brother...
Guitar has so many avenues you can explore...thank for showing me, constantly, stuff in my blind side. This episode was especially good.
Hey Tom
Love the show.
Your approach to soloing - singing the melody over the track and then finding it on the guitar rather than just playing what the guitar offers you - echoes what Steve Vai and John Mayer have said on the same subject. For someone like me who struggles to improvise this stuff is gold so thank you for the words of wisdom
Hey Tom! Homeskoolin' has helped me make some major improvements in my playing and writing. You have shown me that playing fast/as many notes as possible is rarely the answer! You have changed the way I voice chords and what kind of chord I use when I layer guitar parts. This has been some of the best education I have received for making music. Your approach and your attitude toward music and life are refreshing, and you have helped this year be a lot more enjoyable. Hope your little man is recovering well from "bumping his head".
Thanks for showin' up again Tom! That shirt is freakin' badass!!!
PEACE 🐉💀👽🎸🎶🎵🌎🌌💰
Building melodies via vocalizing or even whistling is great advise. It has worked well for me by getting all nerve memory & box system nonsense I've absorbed over the years out of the creative loop. It certainly has yielded material I would never have cooked up on guitar.
Really enjoy your selections for introduction music. Thanks for doing these shows and your instruction add real value to those of us that love to learn it from those that have been there!! Love my "Green" shirt. Do more songs with your wife, you two are very good together...
Hey Tom, beautiful episode. Thank you for explaining the melody process. I’m not as weird as I thought with humming over songs, walking around the house after playing with the further progression in my head, and going to sleep with something in my head. This episode helped me understand part of why some days my stuff sounds like shit, and others, I’m on top of the world. Confidence! What helped me most was when you said you work out the melodies, that even a guy like you doesn’t automatically pick up the guitar and boom, there it is. Anyways, thanks man, homeschooling is the last thing I listen to before I go to bed. The day ends good.
Man Tom, I Love the quality of these Vids. Reminds me so much of the sound of standing among My Mates long ago when Men played through amps and there hands were there main effects.
Thanks Tom and Sarah for helping and old man who got sidetracked with a different life to, at retirement to pick up where I left off. But most of all I understand 90% of what you are showing us.
I wish I could do something for you two to give you the feelings you give me. God Bless you and your family.
Tennis shoes in the Dryer is the Funniest thing I've heard lately.
Love that into playing and tone.
Missed my daily Buke, so I had to come back to get some!
It's not just the guitar stuff, although that is in a leauge of its own.
It's the the intimate soothing zenlike openness, without a shred of artificiallity!
A friend of mine said after I had recomended the Buke, "you just feel like hugging that guy!" :)
Thanks for making us all related to Uncle Larry!