Participate in the February, 2025 Challenge

[Brian]

Hi Active Melody family!

It’s February 2025 Site Member Challenge time!

Ok, for this month’s challenge I’ve written a little piano / string composition that I want you to play a guitar part over. You can play the chords, arpeggiate the chords, play harmonies, play a single string lead on electric or acoustic guitar… whatever you want to do!

I’m leaving this very open on purpose. I want to hear what you would come up with.

I’m not mentioning the chords, or the key of the song – I want you to figure that out. You can discuss on the forum if you have to.

Here’s the MP3 file of the piano and string track

The submission date for this challenge will be Sunday, March 9 – you can start submitting Friday, March 7

**If you need assistance with how to record yourself and post to the forum see this post**

_______________

GROUND RULES FOR PARTICIPATION:

1. Post your Youtube, Vimeo, or Soundcloud links of you playing your chosen lesson anytime between Friday, March 7, through Sunday, March 9, 10:00 pm CST. Please do not submit earlier. I think it is fun to see everyone’s posts at once.

2. Submit individually in the “Active Melody Member Challenge Response Submissions” forum. Title your posts “February 2025 Challenge Response – [Your AM Screen Name]”

3. Please submit only a single video or audio file for this challenge.

4. Have fun and don’t be intimidated by these challenges!!! Use these challenges to help you set goals and complete them by a deadline. You can also use this as an opportunity to chat with your fellow Active Melody members and share tips or tricks on this challenge that you think are useful.

5. In my opinion, it is better to show progress versus perfection with these challenges. So if you are a beginner and can only play the first couple of measures. That is completely ok. If you play two more measures of the next challenge piece than you did the previous one, you are on track to getting better. This is what these challenges are about…you learning guitar and getting better. Remember we are all here to support you no matter what your current playing level is.

I look forward to seeing everyone’s posts! 🙂

[JoLa]

Interesting! I feel like I already did this challenge in January 😉

🎸JoLa

[Bill]

I like the track! Cool idea Brian.

[John H]

I’m wiping the tears from my eyes… beautiful piece. I guess you answered my question. Is there a chord sheet, lol?

John

[Bill]

I like the idea of the challenge; to figure it out on our own. It’s a bit more complicated obviously, but I think changes we’ve all heard before in one way or another.
For instance, it definitely shifts tot he relative minor and sounds like a minor iv resolving to I before that modulation.
Be good for our ears to figure it out and goes with the idea of making us competent improvisers 🙂

[charjo]

Sounds like you love a good cliche or two, John.😊😉
John

[charjo]

[JoLa]

🙂 or this:

🎸JoLa

[charjo]

I think Jola’s favourite group has been firmly established.
John

[JoLa]

☺️

🎸JoLa

[AndréM]

Hey John, I think Burton is the best all time Canadian singer, what a voice, I wish I had a quarter of it.

AndréM

[Alan L]

I started a thread on the chord progression

Feb 25 challenge chords

[sunjamr]

I’m having trouble working out a melody on my harmonica. Harmonicas love 1, 4, 5 progressions. Maybe I’ll try a theramin.

Sunjamr Steve

[Jennifer D]

Got it at last – I know what this tune reminds me of Lifehouse “You and Me” used on “Gavin and Stacey”

But then again also reminds me of something from Les Miserables

[Robert G G]

All my old ears here is G, other chords, C then Cm, then other chords. I am lost. Help…
Bob

[Robert G G]

Way too much for me. I’ll leave to you pros. Waiting for next month.
Bob

[cloughie]

Here’s what I hear after a few listens and a bit of pickin. What day reckon?

G Bm G G7
C F#° G D
Repeat

Em Em D#° D#°
D7 D7 C#° C#°
C C C C
D D Am7 D7

Be kind to yourself (especially when you're trying to play this instrument!)
Brian Clough

“Got a lotta sinful ideas but they seem kinda sensible” Jim Casy the ex-preacher in The Grapes Of Wrath

[Rich F]

Hi all,

I have just commented on this on Alan’s thread on the chord changes… I have just seen this challenge… having picked up my guitar, and Active Melody, for the first tome in a few weeks…

I was interested in Bill’s discussion above about it shifting to the relative minor, then the minor 4, before resolving back to the 1…. This puts me in mind of this lesson that I have previously studied… minor plagal… Brian’s track has a similar feel to me…

[AndréM]

Here is my take, to be honest after I found the chords, a few of them I didn’t know the names so I had to do a research.

G – FMAJ7sus2 – C – Am – G times 2

Em – Ebaug add b9 – D6sus – C#dim

Am – G6/11 – Gsus6/9 – Dsus2

AndréM

AndréM

[Author]

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