OK, I enter the game.
2024-06-11 (yeah, ISO format, aren’t I a geek!)
My gear
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Donner DST-152, a Strat style electric guitar, I called her Precious (as in my prrrrrrrrrecious, you know the story ;D)
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Focusrite Scarlett Solo
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Rotosound Strings, they offer a second high E that I already used. I tried the 10’s, the 9’s and finally choose the 8’s, I find them easier.
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Virtual amp, made by a French company, the Fat Blob
That’s for the easy part, the hard one is getting the skill to use it!
Starting from zero (not really true, I knew the strings order in French, mi-la-ré-sol-si-mi, by the way why is our si called ti in English?), I can only progress.
I’m currently at module 4 of grade 1, and I find it pretty difficult !
Some chords I handle rather well (A, D, E, Em, Am), but C and G are tricky!
Buzzing and boinging are my burden to bear, I’m sure that with work it’ll get better.
And first important step for me, I’m now able to play the beginning of Smoke on the water as it sounds in the song, you don’t imagine how happy I was to achieve that! Pom pom poooom, pom pom popom, pom pom poooom , pom pom.
2024-06-12
A good 2 hour session, my hand hurts a little, I stop before I strain it, my fingers get clearly better with the strings on the fret, they don’t hurt anymore and are getting some more skin at their tips, I suppose it’s the craft making them stronger.
I keep having difficulties with my thumb, I don’t replace it correctly after changing chords and it just complicates things, I lost rythm and pace and gets totally out of sync.
Tomorrow I’ll try to slow down the tempo, that should help to stay in sync, for now speed is not a priority!
2024-06-13
2024-06-14
I skipped filling up my journal yesterday, too bad.
I kept doing the daily routines of module 1, 2 and 3 of stage 1, it’s still difficult to do the chords correctly and quickly (I suppose it’s normal after just 2 weeks I’m not a Jimmy Blackmore or Ritchie Page. Not that I’ll ever be ;D)
I keep enjoying the routines, playing along is fun too, but how could these slow songs be so fast when I have to change chords!!!
And strumming only the right strings, and counting, and placing the fingers, and not touch the high E with the ring finger and…
I’ll have to be a mainframe and multitask very efficiently!
My feelings right now are that I have to be patient, to exercise my fingers (C Chord is hard because I can’t extend my hand enough, I have small hands) and keep working.
Basically, like every craft I ever learned!
I hope you all enjoy that as much as I do
2024-06-15
Both my left wrist and pinky hate me, I’m trying an exercise to make my left fingers more supple and agile, but I have problems with my pinky.
E5 then E6 then E7 then E8, I leave the fingers on the frets and move them one by one up one string.
Index up to B5, then major to B6 then ring finger to B7 then pinky to B8
From high E to low E, I can handle it, but from low E to high E, the damn pinky just blocks the string down the one I’m on, it’s as supple as an old oak.
I know, I know, train, train and train again.
I’m just a little frustrated.
And the damn wrist placement is hell too.
I youtubed and found some stuff about the wrist, apparently I have to keep it straight and not bend it, but in that case I just can’t reach the low strings with the pinky (him again).
I feel like The Brain when he has to handle Pinky’s erratic behaviour.
OK, I’ll just stop venting now, thanks for reading me!
2024-06-18
I’m back after a couple of difficult days (nothing to do with guitar), and took back the fretboard with pleasure.
Again, I’m confronted with my small pinky, I accepted that I need to curve my wrist for my pinky to reach the low E string. Not pleasurable but doable in the end.
Playing with music is hard, switching chords is hard too, but slowing down the song and going slowly and carefully does help.
I also found some stretches movements that helped me, some routine to start before picking the guitar.
I still love it, because I can see that I’m slowly getting better and more at ease, a great step is that my fingers do not hurt anymore!
Brave hearts do not falter!
2024-06-19
I may have pushed my wrist a tad too much, it started to hurt this evening, I’ll be careful for some days.
I started working on the penta scale just to change a little, it’s easy to know where to put the fingers.
But much more tricky to reach the positions, the low E on a 4th fret is hard as my hand is really small.
I think I may have to fold my wrist even more.
I’ll see how it goes.
I also started to study the tabs for Astronomy by Blue Oÿster Cult, and I stumble on a chord, A7 D9 G9 B8 I can’t position my fingers…
I may be somewhat ambitious…
2024-06-20
Stretching.
I decided to exercise my hands with some stretching, as recommended by Justin, and used working on my A minor pentatonic scale as another stretching exercise.
It helped nicely, I still have to bend my wrist, but I can now reach the frets and strings without too many hassle.
I did my exercices, A, D, E chord perfect, anchor finger and chord switches, it keeps getting easier, but still many buzzing and other weird noises.
I also have the 2 lower strings that buzz a little when unfretted and actioned with some energy, maybe there is some tuning to do, but atm it’s far over my capacities as a guitar mechanics!
All in all, a good guitar evening!
