John Cooper Guitar Lessons
563 Errol Rd W. N7V 1X7 Sarnia, ON, Canada

I thought I did say something about this. Oh, hell. Something. Again. :/ Ill regret this, I know it. Zuckin ads zuckin in the whole mamazuckin world. Herb help us all.

A pasted from the blasted courtesy of Jeff "Orange is the new" Black.

I hate ads but Id like to check these out. Sorry for the shitpost, if it turns out to be. Merry Stressmas to all and to all a good shill.

I thought I did say something about this. Oh, hell. Something. Again. :/ I'll regret this, I know it. Zuckin ads zuckin in the whole mamazuckin world. Herb help us all.

I hate ads but I'd like to check these out. Sorry for the shitpost, if it turns out to be. Merry Stressmas to all and to all a good shill.

Thanks, Viv for this far too flattering likeness of me and Toti, captured while teaching your teacher/papa to relax and play some music! It's fun, I swear.

I am "temporarily restricted from liking posts, Pages and comments, and from reviewing Pages. This is because there's been some unusual activity in your account. Your account will be limited until 21 August at 15:25." I suspect the "unusual activity" is I've stopped using this ridiculous and corrupt platform. Cheers and see you in meatspace!

Happy Mamaday everybody! https://youtu.be/2A9RvEzCYoc

In case you didnt get the memo: https://www.techworm.net//03/facebook-call-and-text-data.h I disabled BookFace and all antisocial media apps on my Android phone a few months ago out of necessity. Namely, Howie. Carrying and continually breaking huge flat pad-style phones was bringing me down emotionally and financially. I know, I know, "Get a Muskrat Box! You could run it over with a jeep!"...Continue reading

ArtWalk - June 2018

This morning a student sent a fascinating article from a Canadian rag. Not trusting that particular publication, I did some digital digging and found it to be a slight modification of this: https://www.washingtonpost.com//scientists-discover-a-wh/ The original research is here -http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/14/4/20180056 - but I included the WP link for its quotes and lovely audio: https://www.washingtonpost.com//1b3cd76c-381f-11e8-af3c-21 Oceanographer ...Kate Stafford (via WP): "The best comparison to the song of the bowhead whale is a jazz musician, riffing on the fly," and, We think its a male reproductive display. Redundant, no? See more

In case you didn't get the memo: https://www.techworm.net//03/facebook-call-and-text-data.h I disabled BookFace and all antisocial media apps on my Android phone a few months ago out of necessity. Namely, Howie. Carrying and continually breaking huge flat pad-style phones was bringing me down emotionally and financially. I know, I know, "Get a Muskrat Box! You could run it over with a jeep!"...Continue reading

Ah... Hemmingway would be proud

This is way overdue but the first few months of this glorious new year have been extremely busy; so much so I can't remember the last time I had a straight 24 hours to myself, nevermind the time to post another ad on Bookface. And since I'm on about it, whenever I mention my busy-ness aloud, invariably the response is, "Good!" Are there really people with that kind of work ethic? Or nothing better to do? I've taken all but the basics off my phone: Messenganzer, Hangnoose, W...hatsAss, PapSnap, BookFace (of course) - even mE-ail - 'cause every time that little ding DINGS, not only does it disrupt my trickle of thought, it's inevitably a call to action - physical, mental or digital - none of which I'm particularly good at. This human can barely single-task. Multi? Ha! Half-track mind at best. Anyway. Man, I'm tedious. All that's just a poor excuse for not showing this off earlier, a beautiful (and far too flattering) Xmas gift from a young bass student, rendered while waiting for dad's guitar lesson; they're consecutive and sit in on each others', which is great, but took a while before I could schedule them together. Did I mention I'm busy? The more astute among you may recognize TBit on drums. See more

Happy Solstice, everyone! Its the first day of winter. For those of us who may think we have perfect timing (no - not the old 3/4 Tempus Perfectum,) you missed it by a minute as of this post. ;-)

Oh, man. About my last post (https://www.facebook.com/JohnCooperGuitar/posts/1306869279412925): I made the same old mistake of consulting our modern oracle, shaman and undisputed supplier of TRUTH, Dr. Gooble Esq. Way to ruin a nice quote. The first result claimed it was a quote from Timothy Ferris's "The 4-Hour Work Week."... The second was a plain text alternate version of a digital chain letter similar to what I assumed was a separate document. The 3rd was called out as a quote by "David L. Weatherford, in 2006 and he died 2 years later." TubeYou coughed up this: https://youtu.be/UVE-w10q_dc The oldest reference I found was 1997. What's the old cliché about the definition of insanity? Go ahead, look it up. It's not true anyway. The definition of insanity is the state of being insane. And good luck learning anything reliable on the World-Wide-Waste-o-time,

https://youtu.be/Qx5ONcVtnCw Re: "Fat Bottom Girls": "Its kinda insulting to me cause Im a girl." Funny considering the charts. You know most of these kids are prob listening and watching the vids to at least a few from this truncated list - NSFW, BTW (duh):... Big Sean / Nicki Minaj https://youtu.be/pn1VGytzXus Trey Songz / Nicki Minaj (Nickis got her fingers in a lot of, um, pies?) https://youtu.be/ekAXPCphKXQ Eminem https://youtu.be/WrjwGPb0Hvw Rihanna https://youtu.be/KdS6HFQ_LUc Brittany "F, U, C, . . ." oh, sorry, "If U Seek Amy" https://youtu.be/0aEnnH6t8Ts Any of the many versions of "Baby Got Back" (prob not this one) https://youtu.be/Ieb41uYpb08 I do love the kids actually listening to lyrics. Last time I checked, only about 10% of adults listen to lyrics or know what a song is about, except for any repeating chorus of course ("Keep on Rockin in the Free World" you rich white single-malt 4K grown-ups.) Admittedly, some of Queens innuendoes and metaphors are lost on the tykes; maybe for the better. I dont much like that all the talent and songwriting is attributed to one guy. Freddie was a fantastic singer and writer but a lot of those songs were written by other band members or as a group effort. Brian May is a bloody genius, not a bad singer, and has (usually) a killer in-your-face guitar sound and makes brilliant choices of riffs, bridges, and especially solos - not to mention his day job as an astrophysicist! If I think about it, the cult of band personality is currently - perhaps permanently - usurped by an extreme focus on a single "star." Pardon my saying so, but youth, standardized beauty, and the ability to dance are all one needs to be an icon in the contemporary state of production-team auto-pitch & rhythm-corrected formulaic singles. Whats this got to do with promoting my one-on-one guitar lessons? Nothing. Bottoms up!

Unfortunately, I use a fair bit of paper in the form of worksheets, printed scores, transcriptions, scales, exercises, etc. Fortunately, I have a source or two who let me scoop previously printed blank-on-one-side sheets and I try to use these if the student doesn't mind. I learned early on to check what was printed on the other side after getting some from a social work organization. More than one student ended up with articles like, "When a Family Member Loves Heroin More... than You," or "Concurrent Disorders and Shaken Babies - A Strategy for 6th-time Mothers," printed on the backs of their harmonic minor scales. Today I grabbed a sheet, perused it, and found a hard copy of an email phishing scam, the usual stuff, so-and-so is dying and needs your spleen, pineal gland, perineum, oh - and money - pass it on. No idea why it had been printed, unless . . . No. At the top of morbid, cynical text was the tail end of some other document and a sentiment I try to drill into future musicians' heads, I now know, in too many words.

A quick heads-up. Gift certificates are available online at the bottom of this page: http://guitarjack.ca/rateterms (Shameless self-promotion; 'tis the reason for the season.)

What the hell. Heres an interesting pop song brought by a student. I generally like high info music but ya gotta appreciate a couple of melodic surprises and some lovely dynamics. https://youtu.be/jG_luFPxIHk?t=31s Good luck boys, and thanks, Emma.

OMG. These are the original lyrics and I LOVE this jazz reharmonization with one of my fave TubYoobers on bass, but if you hate jazz (like most do; not sure why... no, I know why - it just takes too long to explain) you'll probably hate these lyrics as well. I think it's amazing, opinionated bastard I am. https://youtu.be/DbkPMKvBM0c

Heres a variation on an old mnemonic Ive never used: Every Good Boy... Deserves Face to face guitar lessons and a break from trying to decipher all the crap "lessons" on BooTube. Ive rescued more than a few interweb refugees. Dont get me wrong; all the info in the world is available through the network but information does not equal learning. Even if you manage to find the small percentage of posters who know their stuff (i.e. - Adam Neely, Rick Beato) how do you pick up what theyre putting down if you cant read music, dont know your fretboard, and/or have suffered the reams of bile (i.e. - Justin whats-his-name.) Heres one way: Whenever you hear the phrase "this is how I like to do it," turn it off, change the channel. Heres another: http://guitarjack.ca/contact ;-)

Happy Solstice, everyone! It's the first day of winter. For those of us who may think we have perfect timing (no - not the old 3/4 Tempus Perfectum,) you missed it by a minute as of this post. ;-)

Thank you, Rick! https://youtu.be/nuGt-ZG39cU

Another "smart" phone on the pile; Im back on the air, the web, caught in the net.

https://youtu.be/Qx5ONcVtnCw Re: "Fat Bottom Girls": "It's kinda insulting to me 'cause I'm a girl." Funny considering the charts. You know most of these kids are prob listening and watching the vids to at least a few from this truncated list - NSFW, BTW (duh):... Big Sean / Nicki Minaj https://youtu.be/pn1VGytzXus Trey Songz / Nicki Minaj (Nicki's got her fingers in a lot of, um, pies?) https://youtu.be/ekAXPCphKXQ Eminem https://youtu.be/WrjwGPb0Hvw Rihanna https://youtu.be/KdS6HFQ_LUc Brittany "F, U, C, . . ." oh, sorry, "If U Seek Amy" https://youtu.be/0aEnnH6t8Ts Any of the many versions of "Baby Got Back" (prob not this one) https://youtu.be/Ieb41uYpb08 I do love the kids actually listening to lyrics. Last time I checked, only about 10% of adults listen to lyrics or know what a song is about, except for any repeating chorus of course ("Keep on Rockin in the Free World" you rich white single-malt 4K grown-ups.) Admittedly, some of Queen's innuendoes and metaphors are lost on the tykes; maybe for the better. I don't much like that all the talent and songwriting is attributed to one guy. Freddie was a fantastic singer and writer but a lot of those songs were written by other band members or as a group effort. Brian May is a bloody genius, not a bad singer, and has (usually) a killer in-your-face guitar sound and makes brilliant choices of riffs, bridges, and especially solos - not to mention his day job as an astrophysicist! If I think about it, the cult of band personality is currently - perhaps permanently - usurped by an extreme focus on a single "star." Pardon my saying so, but youth, standardized beauty, and the ability to dance are all one needs to be an icon in the contemporary state of production-team auto-pitch & rhythm-corrected formulaic singles. What's this got to do with promoting my one-on-one guitar lessons? Nothing. Bottoms up!

And were back. Text away. Call. Tell me how to say "Huawei"And were back. Text away. Call. Tell me how to say "Huawei"

I remember fixing some guitar on the bench of the music store in which I used to work, and some old dude (prob the age I am now) coming in the back like he owned the place, having a look around and, finding nothing particularly wrong with what I was doing, decided to take the piss by picking on the tools I had on hand. "A 12-volt driver? Whaddaya gonna do w'dat?" (like it was too wussy an implement to be using.) Apparently, in his mind, a hammer drill is the appropriate tool... to put holes in alder. "What kind of fret files you usin'?" "Um, brand name or gauge?" Foiled, I guess. He changed tactics. "Can you play 16th notes?" "Yes, up to a certain tempo." "32nds?" Same answer. "64ths?" "64ths are the same as 32nds are the same as 16ths are the same as 8ths are the same as quarters if you halve the tempo each time." He didn't ask if I could play steadily in time. Or about triplets, offbeat or otherwise, odd time signatures or compound tuplets. (I wondered if the word "tempo" had him stumped; "isn't 'dat a car-car?") He wandered off, unable to get a rise out of me - BECAUSE IT'S BLOODY MUSIC! So many musicians are hung up on competition and what thing, style, speed, gear, instrument, accolade or even repair tools are "best," they've forgotten about playing music. How many times have I heard guitar players say, "so-and-so's playing wants to make me quit." What? It ain't sports.

What the hell. Here's an interesting pop song brought by a student. I generally like high info music but ya gotta appreciate a couple of melodic surprises and some lovely dynamics. https://youtu.be/jG_luFPxIHk?t=31s Good luck boys, and thanks, Emma.

Jazz player: "Knock knock." Classical player: "Whos there?" JP: "A jazz musician." CP: : " . . . um, why?"... http://www.psypost.org//classical-jazz-musicians-show-diff

Here's a variation on an old mnemonic I've never used: Every Good Boy... Deserves Face to face guitar lessons and a break from trying to decipher all the crap "lessons" on BooTube. I've rescued more than a few interweb refugees. Don't get me wrong; all the info in the world is available through the network but information does not equal learning. Even if you manage to find the small percentage of posters who know their stuff (i.e. - Adam Neely, Rick Beato) how do you pick up what they're putting down if you can't read music, don't know your fretboard, and/or have suffered the reams of bile (i.e. - Justin what's-his-name.) Here's one way: Whenever you hear the phrase "this is how I like to do it," turn it off, change the channel. Here's another: http://guitarjack.ca/contact ;-)

https://youtu.be/xzmU8LD5AeU OK - Im publicly outing myself as a Police fan. Sting by himself Ive found a little pretentious and boring but this live LA performance of a medley of 2 of my fav Police songs is pretty cool. I honestly think the Police were so good in studio because you could hear the tension between 3 dudes who didnt really get on that well. I also loved the way they changed their sound from album to album when they felt other bands were copping their sound; ...consider the huge difference between their first hit, Roxanne, and anything off Synchronicity. Great solos, I love the way the guitar player tries to play Andy Summers odd and difficult rhythm patterns and then shines in his short solo. Anyway. . .

Another "smart" phone on the pile; I'm back on the air, the web, caught in the net.

Every other "notification" I get is how and why to "boost." Boost this.

And we're back. Text away. Call. Tell me how to say "Huawei"And we're back. Text away. Call. Tell me how to say "Huawei"

I broke another phone so for the next few hours guitarjack.ca/contact or message me here. Thanks, J

BookFace: "John Cooper Guitar Lessons didnt get any new likes this week. Publish a post to engage your audience." Me: "But theres not much to report." BookFace:... " . . . ?" See more

(If you believe in "bad words" give this a pass) https://youtu.be/gNH8K2oYx-k

Jazz player: "Knock knock." Classical player: "Who's there?" JP: "A jazz musician." CP: : " . . . um, why?"... http://www.psypost.org//classical-jazz-musicians-show-diff

https://youtu.be/xzmU8LD5AeU OK - I'm publicly outing myself as a Police fan. Sting by himself I've found a little pretentious and boring but this live LA performance of a medley of 2 of my fav Police songs is pretty cool. I honestly think the Police were so good in studio because you could hear the tension between 3 dudes who didn't really get on that well. I also loved the way they changed their sound from album to album when they felt other bands were copping their sound; ...consider the huge difference between their first hit, Roxanne, and anything off Synchronicity. Great solos, I love the way the guitar player tries to play Andy Summers' odd and difficult rhythm patterns and then shines in his short solo. Anyway. . .

Hiding out between sets in London

Thanks for this Mark! Too right.

BookFace: "John Cooper Guitar Lessons didn't get any new likes this week. Publish a post to engage your audience." Me: "But there's not much to report." BookFace:... " . . . ?" See more