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Hi Active Melody family!
It’s time for the February, 2026 Site Member Challenge
For this month’s challenge, pick any lesson that I’ve done in the key of D (there are 48 of them) and perform it verbatim or feel free to improvise. Link below.
There’s a good mix of stand-alone compositions, Country Blues, Drop D Blues, Blues with piano, and enough options that surely you can find something that interests you! If it’s a lesson with a backing track, you can play your own thing on top of it if you want, or you can play exactly the way I do – totally up to you!
Just make sure whatever you do is in the key of D!
Here are all the lessons in the key of D
The submission date for this challenge will be Sunday, March 15 – you can start submitting Friday, March 13
**If you need assistance with how to record yourself and post to the forum see this post**
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GROUND RULES FOR PARTICIPATION:
1. Post your Youtube, Vimeo, or Soundcloud links of you playing your chosen lesson anytime between Friday, March 13, through Sunday, March 15, 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 2026 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. 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! 🙂
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I completely agree with what’ you said, Brian ! I’ve been following JoLa‘s posts for many years, and not only could I witness her becoming a fantastic musician over all that time, but a true institution. Few people have inspired and motivated me more than she has. Whether 99 or 100 – her achievement is unique.
JoLa, I don’t want to put you under pressure here, but I’m already more excited about your #100 than about my own post. 😀 -
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Ohhh shucks, Brian! I can’t believe you called me out like that! 😆😅
And yes, it’s hard to believe that I’m about to start working on my 100th challenge submission, who would have thought that ??? My first submission in July 2017 was very spontaneous and without any intention of following up and yet somewhere down the road I got addicted – like many of us here! I feel like I got onto a bus and just keep riding it and it’s hard to get off it because it became my entire guitar learning journey. Almost everything I know about playing this instrument I learned here at Active Melody and I am pretty sure if not for the challenges pushing my limits every month, I would still be noodling something incoherent or would have given up.
Thank YOU, Brian, for creating this platform where you provide us with continuous inspiration and where we can learn from each other. I heard someone say that consistent practice routine is actually more important than motivation and that’s what the challenges give us here. I’m just fortunate to have stumbled upon this wonderful community and found my little corner here 💓💓💓🙏🙏🙏
I want to say, looking forward to another 100 but geeez, that would take more than 8 more years… 😁😁😁😬😬😬
🎸JoLa
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Jola, you’re awesome. Here’s to the next 100! That means Brian has to keep working, too.
Hey Brian, my very clever wife tells me that every time there’s a Friday the 13th in a non-leap year February there will be a second Friday the 13th in March because of the prior 28 day cycle. Funny how I never noticed that before, either, and I’ve had a few trips around the calandar.
John
P.S. Your early videos are terrific, they certainly motivated me to join.
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Congrats, Jola, you deserve the call out from Brian and all of us really. It is an amazing achievement and testament to your perseverance to do whatever it takes on your journey. I have barely participated in these challenges due to severe pressure at work (overtime) and some laziness too, but I’m going to make more of an effort to participate more when I can.
I really like that new members helping members forum title, and think there is something very good that is going to come out of that in addition to these challenges. I think for those who are struggling, we can tailor some more specific beginner challenges for those members. There has to be some challenges that target the area’s folks struggle with such that they don’t get overwhelmed and have a chance at success that makes them feel like they really accomplished something.
Go slow and practice correct technique, and your abilities will dramatically improve.
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Huge congratulations JoLa, 100 challenges is going to be a magnificent achievement for you. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed your posts over the years and certainly envied your commitment to each challenge you’ve posted; often leaving us mortals floundering or bailing out.
All the very best JoLa for your next 100🎸
Richard
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Congrats JoLa on your next 100th challenge. This is a fantastic achievement. You have become an excellent guitarist.
Thank you for your help since I started in June 2019. I am way behind you with 80 challenges, lol.
I think it’s a very nice call out from Brian to salute you.
Congrats again.AndréM
AndréM
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What a wonderful achievement, Jola! One hundred challenges!
You really deserve Brian’s callout.
I always look forward to your entries and am never disappointed. You always share something wonderful, musical interesting, and inspiring.
And also a big thank you for your comments to all of us, which are always fitting and supportive.
Keep up your energy and your spirit for the next hundred.Take the chance to meet your AM friends on Zoom
The next Meetup will be on February 28, 2026For more information click here
I look forward to meet you.
Manfred -
Congratulations to Yola on this wonderful achievement.
It gives me chills to think that I, on the other hand, have only submitted my first challenge this month, while some of you have been doing it for years. This is wonderful, and it’s a great boost for those of us who are just now joining this wonderful initiative, where we can discuss things peacefully, knowing that each of us has a lot to learn from others. A big round of applause once again to Yola… and please excuse my English, which was lent to me by the translator. -
That’s brilliant and huge congratulations Jola. You’re an inspiration to me. I just counted mine up and I’m at 75 so in a couple of years I’ll join you as a Centurion.
I feel like there should be a prize for you as the first? to reach that milestone. An AM Hall Of Fame induction perhaps?
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
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Ep 621 is my entire for the Feb challenge a lead solo in the key of D useing pattern 1 of the minor pentatonic scale and pattern two of the major pentatonic scale
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Ep 621 is my entire for the Feb challenge a lead solo in the key of D useing pattern 1 of the minor pentatonic scale and pattern two of the major pentatonic scale
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