2023-08-01
Three months after my last assessment.
I finally was satisfied with my version of The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine and posted it in the AVOYP section.
I’m currently in between jobs so I’ve had some extra time for the guitar in general and specially for practicing the 12 bar blues variations and minor pentatonic patterns. I’m reaching a good for now level with most of them. When playing the blues variations on the 6th and 5th string (the equivalent of playing an E chord) my fretting hand was not doing enough pressure on the 6th string to get a clean sound on some of the variations, so for a while I dedicated extra time to playing on those strings in addition to playing the whole progression.
Blues improvisation has been so far challenging. I reviewed again the lessons Justin has about this exercise, both the one in the Beginner Guitar Course [Classic] and the one in the Grade 2. After that I incorporated the Grade 2 lesson on learning a Beginner Blues Solo in my current practice for the Stage 9 of the Beginner Course. That and finding some easy to play blues guitar licks without bending could open the gate to find the elusive bluesy flavour I am looking for my improvisations. I guess it will be Practice It Until It Happens as per Tip 7 of the Grade 2 lesson.
I’ve been practicing A Horse with No Name and La Bamba. So far I’m alternating playing straight eights with playing the patterns suggested by the songbook I have. I think it will be like Yellow Submarine and these songs could take me 10 months or more to play them with some fluency. Sometimes the intended sound sneaks in but flies away. I am confident I can trap it and make it a permanent part of my playing.
I’m revisiting Pueblito viejo (Old Little Town) and Esperanza (Hope) that are Colombian songs that I first learnt 40 years ago during my in person lessons. Some months ago I had done a kind of transcription of the introduction of Pueblito viejo as my ears and fingers remembered it. After later finding my notebook I found that my transcription was accurate except a couple of bars, but in the meantime I had gotten accustomed to playing those bars my way, so I’m now retraining myself to play them correctly. The version I am following has an second introduction or interlude that is new for me. Esperanza is an instrumental piece. The version I played before was a simplified fragment. Now I’m attempting to play a full version that has a lot of ornaments. First days trying to play it required me watching very closely a video I found in YT, going note by note until I could see how it was played and trying to replicate that on my guitar. After repeatedly trying I have been able to slowly connect the notes and play a few bars with relative fluency.
I’ve kept practicing Asturias and Habanera. I’m getting more fluent with playing from memory the first 18 bars of Asturias and I think I’ll be able to post an update on that soon. I’m practicing Habanera with the bass notes. I’m slowly getting a little more of finger coordination and independence and hitting the wrong notes less often. I’m also working on making shorter two notes after the combined hammer and pull off. When I first played it I was playing those two notes as 8ths, but they are 16ths. Although It was not intentional it may have simplified some things for me at that time. Now I have to break the habit created and learn how to play it with the right timing.
I’m gradually entering in consolidation mode of the Beginner Guitar Course [Classic]. I’ve recorded the Peter Gunn Theme and I’m practicing the Seven Nations Army riff. When I have several of those riffs ready I’ll post a collection of them in a single video. I am also reviewing some the short melodies of a Hal Leonard method that I was using before finding Justing Guitar. It allows me to practice sight reading and to have some practice with the looper with the electric doing the accompaniment and the acoustic the melody for the melodies that the accompaniment is indicated. I will also post a collection of these melodies. I have Spanish Theme recorded. Practicing the newer content of Grades 1 & 2 and revisiting a Reader’s Digest guitar method from the library, that I was also at some point following, are part of the consolidation plan.