Hi Chris....What I heard was that you were resolving some short phrases pretty decently. Naturally, others were hit or miss,
but that's what we do in trying to educate our ear. Hey, we all hit or miss too.
My only critique is that when we choose standards, etc. We should listen to them in how they're played by pros
and then we should play them not once, not twice, not three times, but all week long.
I remember a story told to me that Clifford Jordan would take one tune per day and practice it for something like 15 hours.
When standards are applied to our access, we really should devote huge amounts of time to truly understand the nature of the tune. Instead we take them quickly, respond immediately, and discard them as quickly as we picked them up.
In today's climate who does that, especially if we are playing for hobbies sake? I'm merely giving the antithesis of practice and and of course 'practice'.
I hear such potential in you Chris. Ballads are tough because they require such emotive qualities that involve chords that scream out for resolve. I look at ballads like still ponds with an occasional ripple....