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My Les Paul Trad has always had a low-level electrical hum - the sort that stops when you touch the strings. I’ve had some time on my hands recently and started playing it a lot more and now the hum has started to really wind me up. So I’ve just spent a happy morning shielding the control cavity with copper tape and - like magic - the hum has now gone! Happy day! Im now wondering if this might work on the irritating noise coming from Mrs S*...... *Just kidding, obvs. The next 12 weeks will fly past in the wink of an eye

I have no excuses any more so I figure I have to use this enforced leisure time to improve my guitar playing. I’ve always struggled playing with a pick (I have a mild essential tremor) and that has limited my ability to solo (I end up playing finger-style like a bass) so now is the time for me to put in the hours and find a better method that overcomes the tremor but allows me to get some speed and fluidity into my playing. In addition to the usual scales and arpeggios, I’m also learning this; What’s on your “must learn” list to keep you busy through the lockdown?

This is thesort of thing I'd love to see one of the guitar mags take on. TBH, I'd find thatfarmore interesting than any interview or tuition column...

I think we’re all about to become a bit Zen about small tasks, learning to take joy in little everyday things. For my part, I always enjoy tinkering with guitars, but I’m up to date with all of that at the moment, so I’ll have to find other things that need doing, although I draw the line at painting skirting boards - hateful task.

Two weeks ago it was Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World but I ran out of time to learn the solo. (BTW Dave Price is my favourite Youtube tutor right now. He covers pretty much every single song I've wanted to learn. I even bought the Alan Murphy pack off him a few years ago.) Last week it was Flesh for Fantasy as I'm on a bit of a Steve Stevens thing right now. This week it's Rebel Yell...

I learnt Zorba the Greek off youtube. I honed my skills recently as I had no idea before the last 2 weeks. I have been playing for many years and struggled a lot. My rhythm is still seriously lacking although I'm almost OK when playing along to a track. I can post a sound recording to reiterate my point if necessary. It is possible to play along strumming quite easily by tuning to open G and barring frets. G is open, Am is bar at 2, C is bar at 5, D is bar at 7. Physically using rhythm and melody Tuned to open G on upper 4 strings, on lower 2 strings standard tuning as they are used for the melody, and if you know harmonised major scale (where 1st&3rd, 2nd&4th, 3rd&5th, 4th&6th, 5th&7th, 6th&1st, 7th&2nd notes are used together to make the sound thicker, it does that at some stages where 2 strings are plucked so for g chord out of gbd, g&b are used. So left hand can physically play rhythm & melody at same time by barring, and some fingers left over for the melody. It uses bass notes for an underlying rhythm, and the middle strings too sometimes to alternate. So D G D g b e (notes of the G chord are G B D, so it is almost a G chord). Song Structure I think the song follows normal rules and uses the standard Major scale (called Ionian mode out of the 7 modes) like almost all songs do anyway as far as I know. I am fairly ignorant. For verse uses the Major 7th sound as it slides up to the 1 note, and for chorus uses the 9 note (which is actually 1#, but called 9 as sus2 flat does not work as a name I think), so: On verse generally: 7th note slid to 1 note, where 1 note is played on beat 1. (7th Major scale sound) On chorus gernerally 1 note slides to 1#, where 1# note is played on beat 1. (Phyrigian mode/Minor Scale sound as uses a flat 2nd note?) (Phyrigian Mode Lesson: youtube.com/watch?v=ZnoKgWnMEq8) (Picture of Piano keyboard: rolandcorp.com.au/blog/styles-and-modes-for-piano) It is in the key of G, and uses circle of 5ths standard rules for the underlying song structure (eg what the left hand plays on a piano). Although these rules are broken slightly at times as sometimes goes to different chord than dictated here). So rules for circle of fifths 1 chord - any chord 2 chord - 5 chord 3 chord - 6 chord 4 chord - 1 or 5 chords 5 chord to 1 chord In major scale 2 chord is a minor, 3 chord is a minor, 6 chord is a minor. I IV and V are major chords. I know why but won't say as just outlining the song. Chords: Verse G, Am, C, G, D, G (this is - I to ii minor to IV to I to V to I) G Am G Am D7 G (this is - I to ii minor to I to iii minor to V7 to I) Chorus G Am G Am D G (this is -- I to ii minor to I to ii minor to V to I) G G7 C G (bla bla bla) G Am G Am G (bla bla bla) Verse Again G Am G Am7 D7 G Outro G for a long time, at end D G D G

I’ve always been a firm believer that the biggest tonal differences are to me made with the transducers in the signal chain (pickups and speakers), so this would be very interesting indeed.