dobleA's Learning Log

Community Hub Learning Logs
34

2023-10-31

It’s assessment time again, this time for the goals I set six months ago for what I wanted to have accomplished after eighteen months of having started my learning log.

As time has passed, the urge to burgeon my repertoire has been replaced with a serene determination to be able to play (and sing) each song or piece I want to learn or revisit to the best of my current guitar (and singing) skills before moving to the next. That does not exclude working in more than one song or piece at a given time. I think this approach is working for me, building more confidence in my guitar skills and feeling ready to perform in front of others should the opportunity arise. Nothing wrong with playing just for fun and giving just a try to new songs or pieces or revisiting old ones at whatever stage they are.

After my one year assessment I estimate I’ve put 85 more hours of practice. The increase in the number of hours of practice was mainly due to having had extra time in my hands for two and half months. That by the way didn’t mean that I could play guitar all day long. Was this a preview of what retirement could look like?. In average it was 6 hours per week instead of 2.5 hours per week during that two and a half month period.

With a very reduced practice time available it has been a challenge to keep learning and at the same time maintaining in good shape or improving what I’ve already learnt. When the songs and pieces of my repertoire that I wanted to keep in shape were no more than two, 10 minutes after the regular practice of the lessons was enough to refresh them. Now, even with the modest number of songs and pieces that I currently want to keep in shape just playing all of them would require about 45 minutes that would take most of one of my two weekend practice slots and wouldn’t leave enough time for the lessons and practicing new songs or pieces. Maybe going back to reserving one weekend per month for repertoire maintenance and free playing as I had started doing this year may be what I need.

Note: Click the triangle or the three dots to see more under each header.

The goals I had set up for the eighteen months (since starting my learning log) and my assessment:

...

I want to have my repertoire of rhythm guitar (and singing) songs increased to 10 (3 more).

→ Accomplished: my repertoire of rhythm guitar (and singing) songs has increased to 10. I am currently working on four more. This was initially the target for the first year and not for the eighteenth month, but it’s still good.

I want to have my repertoire of finger style songs increased to 2 (1 more).

→ Partially accomplished: I’m still working on my second song. I’ve working also on riffs and some short melodies that are not included in the target but equally contribute to developing the same skills.

I want to be able to play 18 bars of Asturias, having added the bass notes to Habanera, and having started working on Minuet in G, nowadays attributed to Christian Petzold, but originally attributed to J.S. Bach.

→ Partially accomplished: I’m now working on being able to play 24 bars of Asturias. I’m more fluent with the bass notes of Habanera. I haven’t started yet with Minuet in G.

JustinGuitar sight reading exercises will be on hold but I want to revisit some exercises of the Hal Leonard method I have that are sight read based.

->Accomplished: I’ve revisited the Hal Leonard method and practiced some short melodies that require sight reading to play them. I’ve recorded a couple of them.

I want to have finished Level 9 of Justin Guitar Beginner Guitar Course [Classic].

→ Accomplished: Last weekend I practiced one last time all the 12 bar blues variations and all the minor pentatonic patterns and I feel that I have reached a good for now level with those (although some days were better than others), and hence I think that I can conclude the regular practice of the Stage 9 and move to consolidation of the Beginner Course [Classic] (and Beginner Grades 1 and 2).

I want to have completed JUSTIN ear training exercise S3.

→ Not accomplished: Still on exercise S2 (completed but not passed). I created a spreadsheet with a macro that play randomly 10 chords (from the ones I’ve selected) corresponding to JUSTIN ear training exercise S2 so I can keep working on this exercise until the goal is met. My chord recognition in good days had been only 70-90% (7 to 9 of 10 chords identified on the first try) more often in the second pass, but some 100% recognition passes have started to happen. I’m playing for now only A, E and D. I’m still mixing up A and E. When I’ll able to consistently recognize 100% of those three major chords I’ll add the minor ones. When I’ll be able to recognize those six chords then I’ll attempt S3 again.

I want to continue developing my video edition skills.

→ Accomplished: I’ve continued enhancing my videos using ClipChamp and learnt a few tricks more. I was able to put a translation of the lyrics to two videos of songs in Spanish.

Audio editing will be on hold for now.

→ As planned I’ve not attempted any audio editing.

I want to continue creating backing tracks with GarageBand.

→ Accomplished: I’ve created a backing track for practicing Elvis Presley’s Don’t Be Cruel to work on my beat count. I purchased a license of Guitar Pro using the discount for Justin Guitar students, but I haven’t done too much with it yet.

Where I want to be in six months (after eighteen months of starting my learning log):

...

I want to have my repertoire of rhythm guitar (and singing) songs increased to 13 (3 more).

I want to have my repertoire of finger style songs increased to 2 (1 more).

I want to be able to play 24 bars of Asturias and Habanera fluently, and having started working on Minuet in G, nowadays attributed to Christian Petzold, but originally attributed to J.S. Bach.

I want to continue revisiting exercises of the Hal Leonard method I have that are sight read based.

I want to be halfway of a combined consolidation of Justin Guitar Beginner Guitar Course [Classic] and Beginner Guitar Course Grades 1 & 2.

I want to have passed JUSTIN ear training exercise S2.

I want to continue developing my video edition skills. I want to be able to combine videos.

Audio editing will continue on hold for now.

I want to get started with GuitarPro and continue creating backing tracks be either with GarageBand or with GuitarPro.

Repertoire update (after eighteen months of starting my learning log)

...

Note: unless noted otherwise links are to the respective AVOYP post.

  • Songs that I can play rhythm guitar (and sing) fluently from memory:
  1. Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ In The Wind
  2. Beatles’ Yellow Submarine
  • Songs that I can play rhythm guitar (and sing) fluently reading lyrics and chords:
  1. Saber que vendrás (mass song in Spanish based on the music of Blowin’ In The Wind) - Same post than Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ In The Wind
  2. Los peces en el río (Christmas carol in Spanish [two guitars and singing duet with my daughter]) - Playing Live
  3. A la nanita nana (Christmas carol in Spanish [one guitar and singing duet with my daughter], audio only - Microsoft’s One Drive shared file)
  4. Elvis Presley’s Don’t Be Cruel
  5. El último beso (Last Kiss) (cover in Spanish [JGC OM XII]) - YouTube link: JustinGuitar.com Community Open Mic - 12th Edition (November 2022)
  6. Quizás, quizás, quizás (Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps) (bilingual cover in English and Spanish [JGC OM XIV]) - YouTube link: JustinGuitar.com Community Open Mic - 14th Edition (March 2023)
  7. Pueblito viejo (Old Little Town)
  8. Mi barca (My Boat)
  • Songs I am working on how to play rhythm guitar (and sing):
  1. America’s A Horse With No Name
  2. Richie Valens’ La Bamba
  3. Zachary Richard’s Travailler c’est trop dur
  4. A song that combines English and French lyrics
  • Songs I am planning to work on how to play rhythm guitar (and sing):
  1. Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling In Love
  2. The Beatles’ Love Me Do
  • Non classical Instrumental songs or musical pieces that I can play fluently from memory:
  1. Henry Mancini’s Pink Panther Theme (basic version)
  • Non classical Instrumental songs or musical pieces that I can play fluently reading some type of musical notation:
  1. None at this stage right now.
  • Non classical Instrumental songs or musical pieces I am working on:
  1. Esperanza (Hope, traditional Colombian song)
  • Non classical Instrumental songs or musical pieces I am planning to work on:
  1. La guaneña (No translation, traditional Colombian song)
  2. La cumparsita (No translation, traditional Argentinian song)
  • Classical pieces that I can play fluently from memory:
  1. Isaac Albéniz’s Asturias (first 12 bars of a basic version)
  2. George Bizet’s Habanera of Carmen (basic version without the bass notes) - Same post than Asturias
  • Classical pieces that I can play fluently reading some type of musical notation:
  1. None at this stage right now.
  • Classical pieces I am working on:
  1. Isaac Albéniz’s Asturias (first 24 bars of a basic version)
  2. George Bizet’s Habanera of Carmen (basic version with the bass notes)
  • Classical pieces I am planning to work on:
  1. Christian Petzold’s Minuet in G (Originally attributed to J.S. Bach but nowadays considered to be by Christian Petzold)
  • Originals
  1. Lack Of Practice Blues - Originals (Not Covers)

My assessment:

I’m satisfied with my progress so far. No changes necessary except finding (again) a time slot for repertoire maintenance. Next assessment to be in April 2024.

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