Last
week I got some advice from an expert, and one thing I noticed was that I
didn't stick to the same routine every time I played. I still practice all the
same things, just in a specific order. First I practice some major scales,
different ones every day, to keep myself familiar with the location of all the
notes. After I warm up I play some chords, focusing on transitioning between
them efficiently and playing them cleanly. Speaking of chords, I’ve learned a
few minor chords to add to the ones I know, but I’ll talk more about that
later. Anyways, when I’m sick of playing chords I move onto songs. I’m just
about finished with Streets of Laredo. Here’s how it sounds:
I’ve also started to learn This Old Man from The Standard Guitar Method book and I’ve learned the melody. Tomorrow I’ll add the chords, and see how it goes. Right now this is how it sounds:
(You can see our dog, Illu, in the background. Had to retake the video a couple times because he was barking at squirrels.)
So, I had mentioned learning minor chords earlier, (A minor, E minor, and D minor). Just like with the major chords I’ve been practicing for cleanness and quicker transitions. I’ve also been working on A chord, which has been a challenge for me. Despite practice it just didn’t sound clean. I eventually stumbled upon this website: https://www.justinguitar.com/en/BC-112-A-chord.php and it gave me a new fingering which allowed me to get my fingers closer to the fret. This in turn gave the chord a cleaner sound. Now I’ve gotten C, G, D, A, E, G7, D7, A minor, E minor, and D minor under my belt.
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The new fingering I started using. |
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The old fingering I used to use. |
I’ll
let you know how I progress during my last week as I finish up the songs I’m
learning, and continue to learn new chords. Talk to you next week!
When I read about the retakes because of your dog barking, I could just relate on a level that people who don't have pets can't understand. Your music sounds pretty good, and as we learned last week or a few weeks ago, deliberate practice is important for making those myelin sheaths.
ReplyDeleteYou sound great! And you're right, practice with purpose is really amazing. It's crazy how just a bit of structure, with some warming up and focus, makes such a big difference. I've also been trying to learn the guitar recently, so I can relate to your learning process. Sorry about the pet troubles!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds great! I totally agree that practicing can be very distracting, as whenever I play clarinet I can only go fifteen minutes or so without becoming bored somehow. However, I have always found it easier to do the exact same thing every time I practice as you had said so that way I can ensure that I cover everything that I need to. Congratulations on playing the new song by the way! Fantastic job!
ReplyDelete