@Coach Marc-Andre Seguin I don't know how extensive your video with Eric is going to be - and I thought that @Paul Marsch question about key insights into understanding the guitar was excellent. If you were going to cover more, here were the questions I intended to ask; - I was curious about early influences - what drew you both to jazz. You mentioned Bill Frisell and after listening to ECT4 and Kite, I can see that. - Listening to Project Earth, and Marc mentioning that you came up together - can you talk to the influence, experiences and support that you had for each other? When I studied with Sal Salvador, he used to tell me stories of his early days sharing an apartment with Tal Farlow and Jimmy Raney - how they all used to play on 52nd st, and then come home and jam into the morning because they were driven and besides didn't have the money for anything else! - In listening to Eric's recordings, it seemed to me that there was an artistic evolution towards composition - this is probably true for both of you. Were there stages in your development - like becoming "schooled", developing as an improvisor, to being attracted to composition. Thanks!

@Coach Marc-Andre Seguin Great stuff! I enjoyed listening!

@Marc-André Labelle So should I feel better that Frank doesn't play to Chick's standards every night - or feel like Chick is setting the real standard that I'm not hitting? Either way, it's back to the practice room!

@Marc-André Labelle I think your analysis is better than mine!

@Paul Marsch Great explanation of triad pairs and demonstration. It was interesting to hear it without the backing since in isolation it sounded fairly simple, but against the chord changes the outside notes really stood out. I also liked how you used the chromatic Gb triad which really brought the outside notes into it - great stuff! I appreciated the original video so much more on rewatching it! Thanks!

@Casey Childers Good research on this! You perform an important service to the group when you ask what might feel to you as an obvious question. It not only helps the people in the room but also anyone listening later on. And you do your homework after it!

@Philip Halton I feel your pain! Sometimes the clever phrases just don't happen - I've been playing this tune along with you - and I've struggled a bit too. Maybe it has to do with the tune starting on the key center and sitting there - but I've struggled to be creative on this tune too. The thing I did this morning - after watching your video last night - was play it out of time and really slow, with no backing. I waited until I had a decent phrase in my head and then tried to build on it. I was able to come up with some decent lines and at least feel better. I'm going to try to do it at tempo later. You might want to try that too - or take your own advice and move on! Regarding your actual video - you hit your target notes, you used repetitive phrasing to connect things, you definitely put in a competent performance - one that would have impressed you if you heard it a few months ago! It's important to recognize the progress you've made. I think Andy and Rick's comments are spot on in regards to your performance! On the comping front, I thought you did a great job - your Charleston timings were really tight. I liked that you mixed in an occasional Charleston on the & of 1 with your Charlestons on the 1. Plus you added your own feel to the tune. Great stuff! Given that the tune has worn on you, it was a really good performance - particularly the comping. I'm glad you are back playing!

@Nancy R Great response! You can only focus on so much at once. Using speed as a variable is a good idea. You can practice without time too, just focus on a single aspect - changing grips, counting the rhythms, right hand picking. A breakthrough for me was when I realized that most of my problems were "engineering" issues that I needed to work through rather than talent issues internal to me. Identifying an issue, watching other players, trying different approaches are all part of the process. It made me more thoughtful about my playing and less frustrated.

@Nancy R Thanks for this! It will inform my comments in the future! I made my above comment on "engineering" before I read this, but it still applies. The fact is that you need to figure out what works for you - I'm happy to show my approach, and I've put a lot of thought into what I do - but the guitar is a physical instrument and we are all different. As an example, you may not have thought about pick angle in the past, so I want you to be aware that your pick angle is a choice that you make. So often we fall into habits without realizing it. To my eye, there is a lot to like about your current approach. It looks like you can grab the chords and do the stretches without strain. You may have seen a comment from me on the site about eliminating tension in the hands. This is something that I always need to check in myself. If I am squeezing the neck, it is harder for me to release and move to the next position. If I can reduce the tension that a chord requires, I can play faster. When I sense tension in either hand, I try to assess it. It looks to me that you do this as well. I can see you alter your thumb position on chords. I like that your "spider" fingers are high above the fretboard - it seems you can reach notes easily. I think you are well positioned to continue to advance through the material here. Keep it coming and let me know if there is any way I can help!