u/dshaiken

I've been teaching myself Amazing Grace and Red River Valley by ear, for no other reason than that it is fun. I start both songs on the open A string. The first 2 notes in Amazing Grace are open A and open D. Counting on my fingers, I think that's 5 half steps = 2-1/2 steps. Is that right? For guitar, do you think in half steps or whole and whole-and-a-half steps? I'd like to convert what I'm playing into intervals in my head. Then I think I could start on any note, i.e., play it in any key, theoretically anywhere on the fret board.

I bought and am enjoying a Fender Debut Squier Stratocaster. I am a new guitar player. Are there different models of Fender Squiers and of Stratocasters? What are the differences? I gather mine is an inexpensive model, maybe made only for Amazon, but it seems fine. Just curious. Thanks.

I bought and am enjoying a Fender Debut Squier Stratocaster. I am a new guitar player. Are there different models of Fender Squiers and of Stratocasters? What are the differences? I gather mine is an inexpensive model, maybe made only for Amazon, but it seems fine. Just curious. Thanks.

I bought and am enjoying a Fender Debut Squier Stratocaster. I am a new guitar player. Are there different models of Fender Squiers and of Stratocasters? What are the differences? I gather mine is an inexpensive model, maybe made only for Amazon, but it seems fine. Just curious. Thanks.

TL;DR: I think I've landed on a Babyliss foil shaver after trying wet shaving for a year.

From age 19 to 64 I shaved with canned Barbasol and a cartridge razor, 1 or 2 passes and done, 6 days a week, a morning chore, never gave the results or degree of smoothness a second thought, and it wasn't smooth. I have had a beard since age 19.

14 months ago I went to a barber a couple of times who, as part of beard trimming, used a Babyliss foil shaver to shave my neck. Never in my life had I ever had such a close, BBS shave. So I bought a Babyliss Pro FX2 Double Foil shaver, which I liked.

But a month later I started down the rabbit hole of wet shaving with DE and injector razors (I think I stumbled upon the wicked_edge subreddit and that got me hooked), and reserved the Babyliss for mornings when I had to rush and for traveling. I got good at safety razor shaving and enjoyed it. I tried about 10 razors, got into skin care and making lather from a soap with a brush, the whole 9 yards. My morning routine was taking a long time, but it was a fun ritual. I was getting BBS shaves (or very close to BBS) with 3 passes and multiple touch up/buffing passes on my neck, and learned to do this without irritation or nicks. Kept trying to find a way to eliminate touch up passes, but ultimately did not succeed despite trying different razors, including a few more aggressive ones.

I got super busy at work last month and this month and really needed to shorten my morning routine to maximize time for work, so I went back to the Babyliss -- less prep and quicker shave -- with amazing results. I use Lab Series preshave, which works great for my sensitive skin, and I get great BBS shaves every day, actually closer than with my safety razors. My skin feels smooth, soft and supple after shaving. So I'm wondering why I went down the wet shaving rabbit hole, other than it has been fun to acquire the manual skills associated with it. (And making lather is fun!)

My post-shave routine remains almost completely the same with the foil shaver, so I still experience some ritual.

What I've discovered with both safety razors and the Babyliss is that the concave parts of my neck on either side of my trachea are very difficult to shave smooth. I have figured out with the foil shaver that my hair must grow in multiple directions there because when I go over it in multiple directions I can hear the foil shaver cutting against the grain (if I go with or across the grain elsewhere there is no cutting sound). I think the hair there is flat lying, too. I could and did get those areas BBS with safety razors but it took many passes from multiple directions, much time, and a very delicate touch. I was always worried I would irritate the skin from doing too many passes with a blade even though I seldom got irritation.

On top of all that I'm clumsy with cartridge, DE and injector razors near my beard line on my cheeks, so constantly shaving into the line and having to grow it out. With the Babyliss I can shave right on top of the line and it shaves the stubble next to my beard and mustache but not the beard and mustache themselves.

So I've sold some of my manual razors, have 2 more for sale, and will keep a mild Schick Type J and my favorite soap around in case I get the urge to do a traditional wet shave.

I think I've decided after 46 years of cartridges and traditional razors that the simplest path to the best shave for my face and hair growth patterns is the Babyliss.

My experience seems contrary to the conventional wisdom that it is impossible to shave as close with an electric as you can with a safety razor. I think I actually shave closer with the electric.

Can anyone relate to this? I assume I am an outlier.

TL; DR: Is there a better guitar for my left hand?

I am a beginner. I bought a Fender Squier Stratocaster. I have small-medium hands for a man. My left thumb wants to point up towards the headstock, and I'm working on getting into the habit of making it go horizontal across the back of the neck instead. I get forearm and wrist pain in this position. Also my thumb sticks out quite a bit beyond the neck into space. Is that position for my thumb correct?

I've also been working on getting my fingers to approach the strings from above so my fingertips finger the strings rather than the pads of my fingers, to eliminate muting of neighboring strings. To do this my elbow moves down and forward, a little away from my body, and my thumb doesn't stick out much. When I do that my palm is kind of concave and doesn't remain in contact with the neck, there is space between the neck and my palm, especially on barre chords. Is that space correct position? I think it contributes to the pain I mentioned.

Am I doing this right? Do I just have to power through the pain, which starts about 15 minutes into a practice session? Or, are there guitars with a different shape of neck that would be more ergonomic for me and provide support for my concave palm? The back of the neck of my guitar seems kind of flat, and I'm wondering if a more curved neck might better for my hand, wrist, and forearm? (That said, the answer I'm hoping for is that I don't need a different guitar because I would prefer not to spend money on one right now.)

Thank you for your advice.

It's a dry shaver so I can't use water. I have Babyliss All In One Clipper Spray. I use the shaver at home, once a day shaving, I'm not a barber. I've read I should brush out the cutters, and with shaver off spray a quick fine mist of the all in one spray on the cutters and underside of foil, leave disassembled for 2 or 3 minutes to get the spray to flash off, then assemble and run for ten seconds, then every few days disassemble again and oil the cutters, reassemble and run five seconds to distribute the oil. I'm getting this from Copilot and Gemini AI, and they disagree on some of the details. Any suggestions? Thank you.

It's a dry shaver so I can't use water. I have Babyliss All In One Clipper Spray. I use the shaver at home, once a day shaving, I'm not a barber. I've read I should brush out the cutters, and with shaver off spray a quick fine mist of the all in one spray on the cutters and underside of foil, leave disassembled for 2 or 3 minutes to get the spray to flash off, then assemble and run for ten seconds, then every few days disassemble again and oil the cutters, reassemble and run five seconds to distribute the oil. I'm getting this from Copilot and Gemini AI, and they disagree on some of the details. Any suggestions? Thank you.

I take a blood thinner. Almost never ever nick myself but I did today, and even with 2 applications of styptic pencil the bleeding has not stopped. It is not a deep cut, just a nick. I've seen over the past year of reading this forum that some people recommend products other than alum block and styptic pencil that are good for people on blood thinners, but I have no recollection of what those products are. Does anyone have a recommendation? Thanks.

EDIT: Looking for an over the counter product, not seeking medical advice.

On another thread yesterday or today, someone suggested shaving in a quiet environment so you can hear the auditory feedback of the blade cutting. I tried that today by keeping the bathroom fan off after my shower, and not running the faucet. It was awesome. I found hearing the blade cut was very helpful to maintaining a good angle with a new razor I am getting used to. I think I'm going to shave in the quiet going forward. Great suggestion, and thank you to whoever posted it.

I'm reading Fretboard Logic, by Bill Edwards, about the CAGED system. I understand chord forms and positions, etc., but man I got totally lost on pages 13-18 where he starts talking about scales and scale forms. I've read those five pages four times. I don't understand the explanation or the diagrams. Epic fail by me! I think my brain doesn't work that way.

I come at music from having played a little piano as a child, and sax a few years about 20 years ago, when I learned some music theory. I'm having more success with the Mel Bay Method Book 1, which moves very slowly, and just learning the fretboard by playing scales on my own, which I'm starting out trying to learn within the first five frets. Reading about scale forms and trying to figure out the diagrams is, for me, like trying to build Ikea furniture from the directions they give you, something I am not good at, at all. Those directions put me into a mental fog.

For me knowing the notes and the intervals I am playing to make a scale or chord is resonating more than seeing patterns right now. I think this may be the slow way to learn, but it seems to be all I'm capable of right now. Maybe I'll get to a Scotty West video that explains what Edwards is explaining because I do find Scotty West very articulate and clear.

Just sharing my experience, and comments are always invited. Thanks for reading this.

Today was my second shave with my new Gamechanger .84 p, coming off of using a Dovo Primo I. I got a closer shave in 3 passes than I do with the Primo, which was the point of buying the Gamechanger. I felt a sensation going atg on my neck that I am not used to. It was like I could feel the blade cutting (less smooth than the Primo or a 34c, with which I feel nothing) and I heard a sound like a knife putting butter on toast. Was this blade feel? I got zero irritation today, which was great. I was riding the cap today, which I did not do for the first shave, and I got a closer shave, perhaps as a result, which also was great.

I tried a Rocca for about 25 shaves about 4 months into wet shaving last October, and I felt the sensation of sharp steel on my skin, which I did not care for. That was different from what I felt today.

What do you call what I felt with these 2 razors? Is what I felt with the Gamechanger normal, desirable?

I expect the Gamechanger to feel different from the 34c and Dovo Primo, and I am committed to adapting and learning to shave with it. I'm just not sure what is normal and what indicates a technique problem.

Any thoughts?

I just had my first shave with my new Razorock Gamechanger .84p. I have been shaving with a Dovo Primo I and also a Schick Type G injector. I use a Personna Gem Diamond Glide blade in the DE, and a Schick Chick in the injector. I got a very smooth, comfortable shave, but I expected closer on my neck than with the Dovo Primo, and I'm not sure I got closer. I did three traditional passes with lather, and my prep is good (I shave after a hot shower and use Proraso white preshave). Were my expectations too high? I expected the Gamechanger to be harsher and have more blade feel,which I am happy not to have blade feel frankly, but it was very smooth and comfortable. I did shave two days' growth today whereas I usually shave every day? I expected a much closer shave. Do I need to ride the cap more--I just picked it up and shaved?

TLDR: Does it make sense to break it into chunks and start by trying to master all the CAGED chords through the 5th fret, or is it better to learn one shape at a time from first through twelfth frets?

I am relearning guitar after many decades. What I learned years ago (and still remember) was a variety of open chords, including the CAGED chords in open position, plus the F barre chord at the first fret and the B barre chord at the second fret. I can switch reasonably well among those 7 chords though I have room for improvement, and I can't really play those 2 barre chords cleanly yet.

I am reading Bill Edwards's Fretboard Logic. So I'm just learning the CAGED shapes at different positions (which I think of as barre chords) presented at the beginning of the book, by making the shapes starting at the first position, saying the name of the chord out loud and then moving that shape down the neck to get the natural chords that shape makes in order up to the twelfth fret and saying the name of each chord out loud as I go. Plus I'm practicing switching from one barre chord to another at the first fret. Easy to remember the shapes at the first fret, hard to play them cleanly as barre chords, but since I know the five shapes I'm working on fingering the shapes with fingers 2-5 since the index finger has to barre. Does it make sense to break this into chunks and start by trying to master all the CAGED chords through the 5th fret, or is it better to learn one shape at a time from first through twelfth frets? Doing them all through the fifth fret, it seems to me, will develop the ability to change smoothly from one shape to another. Any thoughts? Also why does the author say to call it, for example, the E Form, First Position, F Chord, instead of calling it an F barre chord? Many thanks. I am learning a lot from the book and from this forum.

I have a beard and have posted before that I unintentionally shave into my beard on my cheeks, thus making the beard be low and close to my jaw when I want it higher up on my cheek. This happens over and over again for months: I shave too low, I spend three and a half weeks growing it back, only to shave it back in the space of a week and a half. I use lather and I've tried all the tricks for making my beard line visible but I still shave where I don't intend to. So yesterday and today I tried Timothy's Shave Gel, which is non foaming and completely transparent. But I decided to do the whole shave with it, cheeks, scalp, and neck, just to try it. And to my great surprise I got a true BBS shave both days, closer than with lather. It's super, super slick when applied to wet skin, I mean it gives super lubrication, and I got great shaves, I mean best ever, three passes and done, no touchups. Full disclosure, I did get a small, isolated spot of minor irritation on my neck yesterday, and a tiny weeper above my mustache today, but to me these were no big deal. Compared to lather, I heard and felt the blade cutting, which I usually don't with lather, and that was a surprise but ok with me. It's a little different feeling from shaving with lather, there's no cushion, and you don't get that satisfying sensation of brushing lather onto your skin. Using the gel, which comes in a tube, is not fun like making a lather in a bowl with soap and a brush, but dang I got the two best shaves of my life (65 years old, so that's a long time). I know there are people who just use hair conditioner instead of lather so I know I'm not alone. I used a Dovo Primo I razor and a Personna Gem Diamond Glide blade. I have a Razorock Gamechanger .84 p on its way to me, and I'm curious to see if I like using the gel with it. Just wanted to share my so far two-shave experiment and interested to hear any comments.

I'm new to this (I played a little 45 or 50 years ago). I hold the neck wrong with thumb pointing up towards the headstock. I think this is the cause of wrist and hand pain. So I've read that the thumb goes across the width of the neck. Is it the thumb that presses against the neck when you press the strings or your palm? Does the palm touch the neck or is there a space between the left palm and the neck? Thank you for your advice.

Razor: Schick Injector Type G (mid 1940's to mid 1950's)
Blade: Schick Chick injector blade
Facewash: Nivea Men Sensitive
Preshave: Proraso White
Soap: Ariana & Evans Unscented Unmasked Ultima
Brush: 24 mm Parker Blue Storm Synthetic
Lather Bowl: A mortar from my kitchen
Toner/Antimicrobial: Briotech Hypochlorous Acid
Balm: Nivea Men Sensitive
Moisturizer: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer
Cologne: Royall Muske

I had my first shave today with a vintage Schick Injector Type G. It was a great 3-pass shave, smooth, BBS almost everywhere and near BBS in one spot, and no irritation. So far, it outperforms my Schick Type J and Type I, and my Merkur 34c and Dovo Primo. I am excited. Very much looking forward to the next few shaves with my new vintage Type G. (Sorry no photo)

What is the purpose of an open comb? What is the use case for an open comb razor? Are open comb razors particularly good at horizontal, or whorly, or flat-lying neck hairs? What is the difference between a Gillette NEW short comb and a Gillette NEW long comb, which I assume are both open comb razors? Are open comb razors less forgiving or more bitey than a straight bar razor? Thank you for your thoughts on this.

Can anyone provide a link to, or suggest where I can obtain, a reprint or pdf of an instruction or user manual published by Schick saying how they recommend you shave with an injector razor, especially a Type G injector, or other type from the 1930's to mid to late 1950's? I've searched on B&B, here, and on Google, and I can't find anything. Thanks.