It's March already and I've not recorded a single one yet! That doesn't mean I'm not working on them though. I have a habit each time that I play guitar of starting with the songs that are in reasonably "good" shape (to me. . . it's relative, of course) or at least that I feel most comfortable with. I look for the weak spots in each and perhaps practice those measures within the song that are most problematic. In this way, I'm getting some quality time in a songs I know pretty well, which builds a little feeling of accomplishment for the practice session, perhaps, before working on the new songs towards the end. But below is what have I chosen for my three songs for this year's challenge (I assume this won't be the last one (?)): 1) "Stairway to Heaven" (acoustic w/o solo) - One of the most familiar and iconic classic rock songs in the last 60 years, the combination of the slow and melodic acoustic beginning followed by Page's captivating electric solo, has made this a classic that so many guitarists are so wanting to learn. I am pretty comfortable with playing the part up to the solo but need to work on the acoustic parts following this that involve mainly chords that are not unusual or difficult to play but require a certain strumming rhythm. I'm working on incorporating alternate picking in the parts of the song that I'm not playing fingerstyle. I was into the habit of using down-picking on the parts that start on the 5th string and step up but am now practicing with alternate picking.

2) "Classical Gas" - A song that I first heard when Mason Williams played it on The Smother Brothers Hour in 1968, it never loses it appeal or excitement whenever it's played on the radio. I'm currently playing about 75% of the song fairly well (again, it's all relative) but need to focus in on the other 25%, which is the section around where the trumpets come in mid-way through the song. The fingering is not that difficult, but it is played somewhat fast and leads to errors on my part.

3) I haven't definitively selected a third song yet, wanting to find one for the electric guitar to get me into the mode of playing the electric to expand my musical options. I've been considering several of the late 60's/early 70's songs by the Stones (open G tuning, thanks to Keith . . . ) and also one by the Doobie Brothers. I did record "Norwegian Wood" for the Feb Guitar Fam Jam so that possibly might be counted as one of the three for the Challenge. Either way, I need to pick one of these and start making progress on it.