New Here, Touched by Joe's Play

Greets All!

I'm a long time fan, fanatical actually, because who in the world comes up with such amazing riffs and incredible songs like Mr. Bonamassa??

Seriously, I had a few beers and went into a fantasy where you could just reach out and ask your favorite guitarist a question and get an answer. Age and street-smart savvy slapped me in the face and told me that's not gonna happen, but I can stay in the spirit of it anyway.

As a musician that feels the notes but doesn't know what they relate to based on music theory, and at the ripe age of 55, I never found that path that allowed me to place on 1" tape my music. Well it's all digital now anyway.

I want to get started back again, putting my Ovation 12 string, my Les Paul, my Strat, my Fender bass, and my keys back to work. ALL I CARE ABOUT is playing and laying some blues on my retirement location's back porch. My audience? My wife. That's it! Her and me.

I love Stevie, I love Joe, BB King, Eric Clapton, and a thousand others I cannot name at the moment, and I'm just about good with that.

I need some help. Guitar intonation for starters. I picked up my strat with new strings the other day and some chords were in tune and others were well... oh wow they sounded more sorrowful than the message I was trying to sing through her. HELP!

I totally realize that intonation goes with playing style and pressure from my old fingers throws a variable into it that makes it all messed up. But some guys just pick up a guitar, tune it, and it all sings. Intonation is the key I suspect. Where do I go from here?

Maybe my first blues tune will be about tuning my guitar. Getting her to sing like she once did. As a guy that was once on stage with peeps to do that for me, and now aged and ready to just kick back and play. Watching the sun set.

Any suggestions on how I can get my gear in tune?

Thank you guys for your time!

Hop