Just like the title says, I have become proficient with
playing some chords. I know I still take pauses in between each chord, but the
amount of time I pause has decreased significantly. Below I’ve got a video of
me playing the chords C, G7, E, G, D, D7, and G again.
If you recall from my first post, (if you read it), was that
I wanted to play A chord, however I didn’t play it in the video above. That’s
because it’s a bar chord, which is a chord where multiple notes with the same
finger. There are three strings I need to press down with the same finger in an
A chord, and I rarely can press them all down tight enough. Another problem
with A is that I sometimes press the string highlighted in yellow by accident. For those
reasons I can’t play it consistently and so I left it out of the video.
I’ve also perfected the song Jingle Bells from last week,
and I added a chord at the end as well.
Once I had finished up Jingle Bells I moved on to Streets of
Laredo, and the chords involved certainly made it harder. I tackled the song by
first learning the melody, and then adding in the chords later on. It isn’t
very good yet, so I’ll spare you a recording of it. Hopefully I will have
mastered the song in a few days.
So we all have to conduct an interview with a professional
sometime in the next couple weeks, and just a couple days ago I was able to
conduct mine. I interviewed Jeff Wolfe, who has played over 200 times live in
different bands, and has been playing for 25 years. I’m sure you’re wondering
how the interview went, so I’ll get right into it.
- I first asked him for some
tips that he would give a beginner. The first tip I got was to put in
enough time on a consistent basis, it’s not like riding a bike and can be
unlearned if I don’t practice. Best to set a schedule and stick to it
consistently. This way I’ll stick with it. (Of course I have to anyway since I’m
doing it for a gifted project).
- Another tip was to pick songs you are somewhat familiar with, that are
simple, and that you like to practice. This helps to make the practicing
experience more enjoyable, and less frustrating so I don't smash my guitar in half.
- The last tip I got was to make sure my fingers and body are in the
right position. For acoustic, make sure fingers are arched and guitar is
parallel to your body. (I noticed that I haven’t been keeping the guitar
parallel with my body.)
So the next question I asked him was what’s the best way to practice.
The answer was simple, repetition. Practice it over and over until you get it
right. I was also told to start slow,
and go slow on chords. Only speed up once you can make chord transitions in a
song. I applied this to Streets of Laredo, and even though it's coming slowly its still coming along.
I also asked what the benefits are of
learning with a teacher vs. learning on your own. The answer I got was that
while learning with a teacher was easier and faster, if you want to develop
your own style learning on your own is actually the best way.
The fourth and final question I asked was,
what was one thing that you wish someone had taught you when you first started?
For the last question it seemed fitting to leave it in his own words. “To practice
a more when I was young, and to not give up. I had actually given up when I
first started and didn’t try again until a couple years later. If you play
consistently for the first six months and you practice and focus, you'll be
able to play most of the songs on the radio. I wish someone had told me that so
I wouldn't have given up right away.”
That’s all I’ve got for now. I’ll keep you updated with my progress
next week.
