Part 12 – September 23
Another update, probably at one of those important points in the journey, as you will see under the guitar section.
GUITAR
Have been consolidating on Grade 2 for a quite a while and have reached the point where feel I really need to move onto Grade 3. We are on holiday in the near future so when I get back, I will make that the time to move on. I am making a list of Grade 2 lessons that I will want to keep visiting.
However, I will need to be more disciplined and structured in my learning process. During consolidation as I am at home and essentially retired with only household and family matters to deal with, I have tended to pick up the guitar at various times of the day and do a bit. This is not going to work well for Grade 3 so have already started to give this some thought, to a more structured schedule. I am going to have a separate session for learning and playing songs, as I have found in the past, I don’t spend enough time on what I should be learning as I want to get onto the songs.
So how did I could conclude that I was ready to move onto Grade 3, I used Justin’s list in Module14
No 1 – Chords
Really quite happy with this perhaps the only ones I am not using in songs are power chords, but I can play them. Also using E and A shaped chords in songs now, PFC are generally fine for them, but I still need to work on the speed and accuracy of change for songs as they don’t always come out well. I am using different fingerings for some chords depending what I am changing to or from, sometimes this is happening without me consciously thinking about it!
No 2 – Scales
Done the lessons but to be honest not a lot of interest in scales but have learnt C pattern 4 which is not in Grade 2, which apart from the highest and lowest notes fits my baritone range so is quite useful. However, in reviewing all the lessons came across C open scale that I had forgotten about and am going to learn that for two reason, it covers my vocal range and also has the notes used in Justin book on standard notation, see below
No 3 – Strumming and No 4 - Technique
I have probably into double figures the different patterns that I have learnt but have recently dropped back into the bad habit of not moving my arm, so in the process of correcting this. In terms of strumming perhaps looking more toward the new strumming courses as a way to develop this and currently about halfway through Grade 2.
SONGS
In terms of songs the list I want to learn seems to get longer and longer, bearing in mind I am playing and singing. However, decided recently I need to concentrate only learning a small number at a time and get them to a reasonable standard before moving on to the next ones.
David @BurnsRhythm and I have been having a conversation about tractors, oh and also songs, and I promised in my LL to say what type of songs I was planning to learn.
Essentially, they fall into these categories
- Pop songs from the 60’s to 90;’s that I like and are playable on the guitar. With possibly a very limited number of recent ones as I don’t really listen to contemporary music
- Songs that go nicely when singing and playing on acoustic guitar be, they country or some blues
- Whatever the guitar club throws at me which can be quite varied
- I don’t see jazz coming into it at present.
GUITAR CLUB
Over the summer break we have had “Guitars on the Beach” weather permitting where some of us would turn up with chord sheets and just play along and sing to ourselves and anybody who was passing, see my post on this. Of course, the weather hasn’t all been good so on a couple of occasions we had to go indoors to our usual venue
Quite a challenge for a beginner to play along to a chord sheet without any practice but great fun and I am sure it has helped me develop as a guitar player
Starts again this week with our regular meetings but not sure yet what is planned for this year.
AVOYP
I did post up one song in August, Take Me Home County Roads, using my new kit, Scarlet 2i2. Got a lot of great feedback and in particular it highlighted my lack of arm movement during strumming. I don’t generally look back on these, but have on this occasion, must confess a little bit disappointed on my performance I am sure I have done it better, so there is plenty of room for improvement.
SINGING
I have taken in my guitar to a singing lesson a few times in the past but recently the teacher has suggested I bring my guitar in each time. I think this is all about is my timing with the chords when you have nothing else to guide you. It’s like having an open mic every week needing to get it done in one go, and if I am honest, I like the challenge. Starting to move onto songs that I am playing from chord sheets and not from memory, but that is a skill in itself in my view.
Pitching, not really sure I am hitting the right pitches but apparently, I am mostly going up and down at the right time according to my teacher. I do listen to the original song many times, sing along with it and then move onto a karaoke version. I have started to mark up the lyric sheets as to where it goes up and down to sing with karaoke version. I then started to wonder how to check myself if I was right, so I got hold of sheet music and looked at the melody line. This then led onto, well what are the notes, never did music at school always science based so could not read standard notation. However recently got Justin’s book on Note Reading for Guitarists and working my way through that.
THEORY
Made good progress and I am consolidation for Module 4, have just to do the test for Module 4.2 then move on. Although will keep on learning and working on playing triads
EAR TRAINING
Still taking a break from after a couple of false and unsuccessful starts.
However, all might not be lost, and I hope Nicole @NicoleKKB won’t mind me mention this. I was listening to OM18 on my Air Pods and away from my iPad when Nicole played Luker, not a song I know. But in listening I thought I know those chords; they are all in the Key of G. Checked this out when the video came out and sure enough I was right, so there might be starting to get some connection between my ears and my musical mind. Nicole you played them well.
Apologies if this LL is too long, which is usually the case with me.
Michael
. All I want to do is play the guitar 
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. The right time to confront myself with tech things will come. But not yet 
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