[Jim]

Hey Hilch!

Your strumming is way better these days! Did you follow Kirk's lessons or just get there by practicing on your own? Really a great improvement -- and a nice chord progression.

Since I have so much trouble myself getting recording levels right and now pay a lot more attention to that when listening, I think that the level was a bit too high in the louder sections - there is some distortion in playback (at least on my system) - so watch the recording level thingy to be sure it doesn't hit the "red" at the top end (or whatever color is used - it just shouldn't peg way at the top).

And I'm not sure if this is because of the levels or not, but the low string sounded a bit out of tune to me. Check your tuning and if you are in tune, then it's the recording making it sound that way, and if it is out of tune then, well then it's out of tune! I found that in the summer, in a room with AC that can blow on or near the guitar, it can go in and out of tune real, real fast. I don't know if you're recording in a situation like that, but when I was recording Friday, I had a window AC unit that was cycling on and off as I was recording and my guitar literally needed retuning after each AC cycle! I ended up turning off the AC and just being hot until I finished recording. Guitars can be real finicky to changes in heat and humidity!

I just realized you're in Australia and it's the middle of winter there, isn't it? So, you probably have heat on -- but the humidity can flucuate a lot in your area, can't it? Just as an "international" aside, I have dual US-Irish citizenship, but I've ever been to Ireland.... I have been to England and Italy and Switzerland, but never to my second "home" And never to Australia, but I'd love to go there some day!

But your playing is really improving and your strumming is much, much better!!!

Jim