A New Approach

Hey guys, so if you haven't heard already, I am unable to play the guitar for the rest of this semester. I am stuck wearing a wrist brace for two months, while taking anti-inflammatorys to help with the numbness. I really wish I could be playing the guitar because watching everyone else succeed and improve every week inspires me to keep learning. Denise and I discussed my best option to get as many benefits as i can out of this project, and we came to the conclusion that I will pay closer attention to helpful resources and reflect on how I can adapt this learning process for a variety of age groups and learning levels. I plan to reflect on the handouts we have received thus far as well as find a few resources myself. If anyone finds any websites, videos, books, charts, etc... that you find useful please let me know! I plan to start blogging my reflections and findings, so if anyone has any feedback that would be fantastic!!!

Interesting Reading Week...

Hey guys, well i am sad to say guitar is going very slow. I have not been able to practice not only because of homework but because since tuesday morning my left hand has been partly numb. My pointer finger, half my middle finger and the middle of my hand and wrist are all numb. I have motion and use of the hand but because it has that numbing sensation my hand is weak and i don't have complete control or range of motion of my fingers. I have tried playing the guitar but my hand get tired and crampy quickly.I have a doctors appointment on Tuesday at 3:15 to find out why my hand is like this. It may be a sign of my carpel tunnel progressing, or it may be an infection of a cut i got while working on my visual note. It could even be something else, but i won't know til tuesday.

As you can tell by my picture, I am definitly stressed out. Hopefully I can get my hand figured out so I can get my guitar thing started again. If it is my carpel tunnel though, it probably means I need to have surgery. So we shall see guys. Keep your fingers crossed.

Will keep you updated!!

First Step in the Right Direction

Hey guys, so I finally got the ball rolling on starting the guitar. I have been practicing since after class yesterday and am making SOME progress but not huge. In class we learned the D, G, and A chord, but on my own I am using my guitar guide book to teach me some of the basics. So far in my book I have covered the notes on the first two strings (B, C, D, E, F, G).
Below I have included an mp3 recording of me playing an exercise song that I have been practicing. It includes almost all of the notes (except E) I have learnt so far. It is a little rough but not bad considering I started playing it yesterday. In my book there are two more songs to learn with these 6 notes so those are my goal songs for the end of this week. Then I will have accomplished my task for this first week of practicing. Enjoy!!!

Ps. Please start leaving comments on my posts, as I have none yet and its not helping me keep motivated!Thanks guys :)

Slow Start

Hey guys, you may have noticed that I have not posted any progress yet on my blog. That is because Krista, a class mate of mine, grabbed my guitar by accident almost two weeks ago now, so i have hers. I know i know, your going to ask why haven't i been practicing on krista's guitar? Well... The book that I am learning the guitar from was also with my guitar in its case.

Rough start i know, but i am hoping that after class tomorrow i can start getting into the groove of things again and start practicing. While I have been waiting, I have downloaded the program called Audacity. Robin, my critical friend, suggested i download this program so that I can record some of my practices and put them on my blog. Great idea Robin thanks!!!

Have a good week guys!

Me and My Guitar

This is the book I have chosen to guide me along my journey in becoming a better musician and adding another instrument to my list. I choose this book because it includes: Tuning, playing position, musical symbols, notes in first position,C,G,G7,D,D7,A7 and Em Chords, Rhythms through eighth notes,strumming and picking and 100 great songs, riffs and examples. This book also includes a c-d with 47 full-band tracks for demonstration or play along.

A. My Goal: for this project is learn that basics of the guitar so that someday I can play successfully on an acoustic guitar. I would like to play all notes and some basic chords so that I can bring the guitar into my future classroom, and be able to play along with anything.

B. Learning Materials: I got my book from my dad because about a year ago he learnt the basics for guitar and took lessons while using this book. I may use youtube videos and the c-d provided in the book to help me get the correct tone and sound for my guitar playing.

C. Documentation of Personal Growth: I plan to use this blog for my documenting process of this project. I will add pictures, links to any sites or videos i find, as well as recordings of some of the songs i am learning as i go through this book.

D. Timeline: I plan to practice 4-5 times a week if possible, starting the week of January 18th. Along with this i would like to post on my blog once a week about my rehearsals and the progress or problems i am having. At the end of each blog i will also mention what I will be working on next in the book so that my followers will know what to expect my posts to be about.

E. Trouble-shoot: The first problem I might have during this project is not full-filling my practice schedule completely. I work a lot and it varies week by week. I plan to overcome this problem by organizing and managing my time better. My second problem is stressing out if i don't catch on right away to something new. I plan to overcome this problem by being patient with myself and knowing that I can take my time. My third problem may be that I might focus more on other projects and put this one as my least priority. I plan to overcome this problem by trying to remember that all projects are important and I need to make time for all projects no matter what value they are for my classes.

F. Critical Friend: I have chosen my critical friend to be Robin Howell because she is also in emus 202, and is also using a blog to document her process while learning the guitar. I think that we will encourage each other to succeed, and robin is always able to help me brain storm ideas when i get stuck.

G. Reward: For my reward I plan to learn how to play Imagine by John Lennon. I have always loved this song and it has a great message. I also work at a group home, and one of the consumers in the home loves to listen to the guitar. I would really like to play the guitar for her because it always makes her so happy and none of the staff knows how to play it for her. I would really like to bring her that happiness when she is at home. That is my goal.

For my next post: To start off my journey I will be learning the notes for the first two strings (Pg. 6-10).