Day 29 - Look For Anchor Fingers

Just practiced the 12 bar blues for maybe 20 minutes today. It's Black Friday so I should say that shopping cut my practice short but, instead I was busy working on an organizing project. 

Here was my great revelation of the day:

Day 28 - Okay Edge, Play the Blues!

 

I love the U2 album Rattle and Hum.  Released way back in 1988, I purchased the album immediately (I was a huge U2 fan) and played it every day for a long, long time.  One of my favorite songs on the album is Silver and Gold. 

Silver and Gold is a really raw song and is best described in the words of Bono during the live performance of the song which is the album version:

This song was written in a hotel room in New York city 'round about the time a friend or ours, Little Steven, was putting together a record of artists against apartheid. This is a song written about a man in a shanty town outside of Johannesburg. A man who's sick of looking down the barrel of white South Africa. A man who is at the point where he is ready to take up arms against his oppressor. A man who has lost faith in the peacemakers of the west while they argue and while they fail to support a man like bishop Tutu and his request for economic sanctions against South Africa.

Am I buggin' you? I don't mean to bug ya...

Okay Edge, play the blues...

Often the words "Okay Edge, play the blues" pop in my mind.  I don't know why, since I am not a blues fan. In fact, the only time I have really been exposed to the idea of playing the blues MYSELF is during the first run-through of the Justin Guitar course.  I enjoyed the 12-bar blues and the "cha-chink" triplet rhythms.

Totally random and unnecessary sexist comment: 

 

OMG Bono is hot.  Well, at least he was in the day.  When I listen to U2 these days it's the older stuff, but they were my favorite band in the late 80's early 90's.  Yes, I thought Bono was hotter than Jon Bon Jovi at the time -- a fact my sister sometimes jokingly reminds me of.  An interesting (or not) coincidence is that both of my favorite hotties are amazing philanthropists - not just pretty faces.

Back to the blues...

 

Sadly, after that first exposure, I went about my musical way - mainly playing my Bon Jovi style music - and didn't give the blues a second thought unless I came across the odd 7th chord in a song.

 

 

 

This week, in my review of Stage 5 of the Justin Guitar course, I was re-acquainted with the blues.  And, the Bono quote "okay Edge, play the blues" again entered my mind.  Hence, the seemingly random reference to Rattle and Hum and U2 that opened this blog post!

 

Blues in A: A7 A7 A7 A7 D7 D7 A7 A7 E7 D7 A7 E7

Blues in G: G7 G7 G7 G7 C7 C7 G7 G7 D7 C7 G7 D7

Blues in E: E7 A7 E7 E7 A7 A7 E7 E7 B7 A7 E7 B7

During my practice I worked on 12 bar blues in the keys of A, G and E.  I can play them all, but not flawlessly.  And my timing, as I have mentioned countless times before, stinks.  So, for the next few days I will do my triplet rhythms, practicing these chord progressions, WITH THE DREADED METRONOME.  By God, I will make that metronome my bitch by the time this year is over!

Day 27

It's already after midnight - so I suppose I can wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! - and I have not written a summary of my practice.   Soooooo,

I practiced finger picking and then played songs from memory.  For a long time I didn't even try to memorize a song.  Now I like to at least get an idea of the chord progressions.  This may be super easy to someone who is musically inclined, unlike me, but I finally am better able to recognize chords by their sound.  Seriously this has been an issue.  Certain ones - Dm for example, are obvious to me, but others not so much.  It's getting better.

Once the Thanksgiving turkey is carved and I have free time tomorrow, my plan is to actually get back to the practice schedule as written.  I feel like I'm falling behind!

Day 26 - Just Fooling Around

 

 

As I suspected, with Thanksgiving just two days away, I didn't have time for an official practice.  However, I did fool around with the guitar for about 30 minutes.  I staunchly refused to play I Want to Hold Your Hand.  However, I did some warm up and stretching exercises and then practiced the "finger picking pattern to change your life."  I really need to come up with an abbreviated way to say that name.  It's late and my creativity has gone to bed so I'll come up with something tomorrow.

 

 

Day 25

Most prolific quote about the guitar EVER!

I had the best of intentions to start my review of Stage 5 according to the detailed plan I made.  However, how was I to see into the future and know that today, three days before Thanksgiving, darling son #1 announced he was bringing his new girlfriend to dinner.  Suddenly I have to clean my house and actually think about serving a decent holiday meal.  WTF?

Only kidding.  But seriously, now house cleaning will be a priority so I may not tackle quite as much guitar playing until Thanksgiving day and the weekend.

Tonight I did practice I Want to Hold Your Hand and the B7 transitions are coming along more smoothly.  OF COURSE they are now that I'm not recording myself.  The injustice!  Lol.

I also practiced the "fingerpicking pattern that will change your life."  I do enjoy that but it is fairly complicated.  I'll make sure to keep practicing since I like fingerpicking.

That's it for now - just a quick check in.  Until tomorrow!

Day 24 - I Hate The Beatles

My stubby fingers doing the easy F chord.

I suppose that title is a bit deceiving.  I don't hate The Beatles.  In fact, I rather like The Beatles.  I just hate I Want to Hold Your Hand.  That playing of it, that is.

Today was the day I swore I would record myself playing, and I did.  But it was amazingly painful. I don't know if it is stage fright, if you will, but when I turn on the video I freeze.  And my playing totally sucks.  Just like the movie camera adds 10 pounds, the video camera adds a dose of shit to my guitar playing.

So I did it, and it's on my iPad.  There is no way I'm sharing my videos with the world - at least yet, lol.

Here's my bit of proof that I did record - a still from my iPad.  Next time I record (and post a picture) I need to take a bit of my own manicure advice from this post:  Surprisingly Simple Secret to Rock Star Nails for Guitar Goddesses!

 

And my apologies to Paul McCartney.

Day 23 - Sidetracked Again But Making Promises!

So Friday I was supposed to evaluate my week and videotape myself playing.  I was sick and busy so it didn't get done.  I put it off until today but guess what?  I forgot to do so. 

No, that wouldn't be exactly correct.  I chose not to do so.  I am such a procrastinator.

I did play guitar twice today, but (and here comes the lame excuse) I didn't feel like fixing my hair in order to record myself.  This is the weakest excuse ever because I just need the sound.  My gorgeous self doesn't have to be on camera. 

Honestly, I have this dread about recording - almost like I'm taking a test.  Could it be a flashback to school anxiety?  I don't know.  However, I solemnly vow:

Tomorrow I will record myself playing guitar.

 

I think I'll do my fave song, Bringin' on the Heartbreak  as well as the Beatles tune I've been working on the past few days, I Want to Hold Your Hand.    Perhaps I'll also record the opening riff to Wanted Dead or Alive.  We'll see.



OK, so getting rich has nothing to do with my guitar practice plan, lol.

 

 

Here's my plan for the upcoming week.

 

 

Sunday	Review Stage 1 Last minute review of Stages 1-4 and then record myself.  Really.  I mean it this time.
Monday	Review Stage 5 BC-151 • A7, D7, E7 Chords BC-152 • The Note Circle BC-153 • Air Changes BC-154 • 1 minute Changes BC-155 • Triplet Rhythms BC-156 • Rhythm Guitar Basics 3 BC-157 • Easy Songs For Stage 5  BC-158 • JUSTIN training exercises BC-159 • Stage 5 Practice Schedule
Tuesday	Review and practice any of the above
Wednesday	Review and practice any of the above.
Thursday	Review Stage 6 BC-161 • The Dreaded F Chord BC-162 • 1 minute Changes BC-163 • Using a Capo BC-164 • "Action" and basic guitar set up guide BC-165 • Rhythm Guitar Basics 4 BC-166 • Picking Individual Strings BC-167 • Easy Songs For Stage 6 BC-168 • JUSTIN training exercises BC-169 • Stage 6 Practice Schedule
Friday	Review and practice any of the above.
Saturday	Review and practice any of the above.
Sunday	Assess progress and make plan for next week.

Looking at the skills for Stage 5 and 6, it should  be a breeze.  I have no problem with A7, D7, E7 (my current fave chord) or F.  Well, I do the "easy" F.  One of these days I will master the full barre F but I'm not gonna kill myself about it now.

 

HOWEVER, I don't want to rush through any of the other skills like I did last time.  Triplet rhythms, for example.  I haven't done those in a bit, but I recall it was fairly easy.  But I need to practice along with the dreaded metronome.  I have a huge problem with rhythm and keeping time.  So slowing down and going through the lessons meticulously will only help me in the long run.  No sense adding new skills onto a sloppy base.

Actually, in proofing here I wonder if I should simply stick to focusing on Stage 5 this week.  If in doubt, I'll just do Stage 5.  I will have some extra time on my hands (being Thanksgiving week and two extra days off work!) so maybe it won't be a stretch to get Stage 6 in here.  We'll see :)

 

 



Day 22 - Falling Behind

I want every single one of these!

Today was busy - in a good way - and filled with activities and commitments, so I literally only had time to practice about 15 minutes.  I worked on my B7 transition in I Want to Hold Your Hand and then the slow rock strum using various chord progressions.

I failed to realize that yesterday I was supposed to evaluate my progress and record myself.  Oops!  I will do that tomorrow when I have a large chunk of free time.

One thing I enjoy is that when I sit down with the guitar and just mess around - meaning randomly strumming or plucking strings or otherwise goofing around - it sounds like MUSIC.  Not like some horrible awful random noises.  That is cool to me.

Day 21

I wanted to put a creative subtitle after "day 21," but I am still in a cold-medicine-induced fog and any creativity has left the building.

I basically practiced the Slow Rock Strum from yesterday, particularly wirh the chords from I Want to Hold Your Hand. I have the transition to the tricky B7 down a little smoother. It still needs some work but I'm getting close. 

Followed up the rather short "practice session" with just playing a few songs that were on my heart tonight. 

They say that 21 days creates a habit. I think this playing habit is established!

Day 20 - Slow Rock Strum

I still felt like total shit today and had absolutely no desire to pick up my guitar.  I took a nap after dinner and woke up, still sick, miserable, and disoriented.  It was 8:30pm and I decided to take a look at Facebook rather than get up and do anything productive.

There was a post by Mark McKenzie -  the Guitar Guy - with a Dm chord progression.  I watched the video and the chord progression actually sounded quite lovely.  It was:

 

Dm - Am - Dm - C - G - C - A - A

 

The Facebook video inspired me to do more than just pick up my guitar, strum one chord, and call it good.  Sooooo, I hauled my sick, lazy ass into my practice room and practiced this progression.

 

Mark was using what he calls a "Slow Rock Strum."  I had never encountered this pattern before, to my knowledge, although I am under the influence of cold medicine and can't be trusted to remember anything.

 

 I was searching for a nice little graphic but apparently cannot find one.  So, the pattern was essentially this:

 

D (miss D) DDU (repeat twice for one bar)

 

Oh Lord, I pray the music police aren't reading this.  I don't know the proper terms, but this is 16th note strumming so I guess it would be, according to Justin Guitar:

 

 

1e&a2e&a3e&a4e&a

(strumming on the red notes)

 

OMG, I apologize for the musical ignorance.

 

At any rate, practicing this strumming pattern actually perked me up a bit.  I probably played 20 minutes which was 19 minutes and 30 seconds longer than I had planned.  Oh, and miracle of all miracles, I played the first 10 minutes or so with the dreaded metronome!

 

Here is a link to the nice Dm chord progression:

 

 

 



Now off to pop a Nyquil...

 



Day 19 - Kept The Streak Alive

I am sick. As. A. Dog. 

But strummed a few bars of I Want to Hold Your Hand in a half-assed manner. 

So mission accomplished :)

Day 18 - It Wasn't One Of "My Songs," But I Played It Anyway

Yesterday I mentioned the Justin Guitar Stage 4 practice song I Want to Hold Your Hand  by The Beatles.  In the past I haven't done much with the Justin Guitar practice songs, to be honest.  I like MY songs - my favorite music that I aspire to play along to.

However, since this time I'm reviewing the Beginner Course in the way it was intended, I made peace with practicing this song - a lot. 

It is simple to play with only these chords:  G, C, D, Em, B7, Dm.  My only issue is quickly changing to the B7 with speed and accuracy.  Soooo, I pulled out my new best friend, Mr. Metronome. 

I started at about 60 bpm and increased it up to maybe 90, playing a DDUUD pattern.  I think my efforts were passable.

Then I moved into pleasure mode and played MY songs.  Just a few tonight:  These Days and my old standby, Bringin' on the Heartbreak.  I even located a 1982 video of Def Leppard lipsyncing to the album version.  I could barely recognize the band; they look like babies!  Joe Elliott had brown hair back in the day, lol.  It was a nice trip down memory lane.

Here ya go....



Day 17 - B7, My Stumbling Block

 

Today I reviewed Stage 4 of the Justin Guitar course.  I can do everything in this stage, including play the B7 chord.  The only thing is, I can't always change to that chord as quickly as I need to.  For example, when playing the practice song I Want to Hold Your Hand by the Beatles.

 So, I reviewed and practiced.  And strummed along to the metronome.  And then I got bored, sped up, and got sloppy.  Will I ever learn? 

I Want to Hold Your Hand is a nice simple song and it was fun to play.  I heard that song quite a bit growing up, as my dad was a huge Beatles fan.

Tonight I was looking for the chords for the song and there are several versions out there.  This is the one just like Justin's:  I Want to Hold Your Hand.
 
And jackpot!  I already have the song on my iPhone so now I'll add it to my guitar playlist...

Day 16 - The Metronome: My New Best Friend

 

On the agenda for today was to review Stage 3 of the Justin Guitar beginner's course.  It is pretty easy stuff - G and C chords, a finger stretching exercise and names of the open strings.

Confession:  I still have to say Eddie Ate Dynamite Good Bye Eddie when tuning my guitar.  I am pitiful.

Day 15 Saturday

Review Stage 3 BC-131 • The G Chord BC-132 • The C Chord BC-133 • Names Of Open Strings BC-134 • 1 minute Changes BC-135 • Basic Finger Workout BC-136 • Rhythm Guitar Basics 1 BC-137 • Easy Songs For Stage 3  BC-138 • JUSTIN training exercises BC-139 • Stage 3 Practice Schedule

Oh yeah, there was one more thing on the agenda, and that was Rhythm Guitar Basics 1.  Actually it was nice reviewing that video because it shows just how far along I've come.  Even with my recent strumming issues, it was a breeze. 

The secret of successful strumming, according to Justin is that you "have to keep your hand moving evenly all the time."  So there you have it.

The strumming lesson also reminded me of something I had conveniently blocked from my memory:

The Importance of Using a Metronome.

 

Somehow I never paid much attention to the metronome the first time through the course.  As in NO attention.  Just skipped over it.  This time I will force myself to make the metronome my new best friend.  OMG.  It's probably a good thing because really my timing stinks.  I always rush songs.  When I go to play along with my iPod I am always surprised how slow the songs are.  And even when I start out with the correct beat, I speed up.  Yes, this is a problem.

 

 

So I forced myself to use the metronome while playing today.  It was a challenge, I'm not gonna lie.  And then I found I kept WATCHING the little "metronome thingie" move from side to side, rather than concentrating on the sound it was making.  Maybe I'm a visual learner - I don't know.  I just suspect that is not a good habit to get into.

 

 

A brief diversion.

 

Recently I saw a tweet from Phil X telling new (young) guitarists to use a metronome.  I can't find that quote readily, but I did find a guitar clinic video of Phil speaking to the importance of practicing things (such as scales) super slow WITH A METRONOME and then, as you complete it perfectly, gradually move up in speed.  In doing it correctly and slowly, you are building up the muscle memory.

 

 

 



I'll have to revisit this once I'm reading to build speed, lol. 

Soooo, all in all it was a good practice.  I feel like finally I have my strumming back to where it was before I changed the pick hold. 

Tomorrow I was supposed to review anything I still needed to spend time on from Stages 1, 2 or 3.  I'm good with all of those so, instead, I will review Stage 4.  I'll probably have to spend at least a day or two here because one of the chords is B7 and I'm not lightning fast transitioning to that one.

Adios!

Day 15 - Finally, A Satisfying Practice Session

Maybe I had a great practice session because I had a plan.  Or maybe because it was a full moon or because I skipped my workout to play guitar.  IDK.  The happy news is that I felt like I accomplished something.  Hooray!

I simply reviewed all the Stage 2 items on my list:

Day 15 Friday

Review Stage 2 BC-121 • The Amin Chord BC-122 • The Emin Chord BC-123 • The Dmin Chord BC-124 • 1 minute Changes BC-125 • Introducing the metronome  BC-126 • Foot tapping BC-127 • Easy Songs For Stage 2  BC-128 • JUSTIN training exercises BC-129 • Stage 2 Practice Schedule

It was interesting to note how far I have come as a guitarist since I initially did this lesson many months ago. The Stage 2 songs are taught in 4/4 strumming, only downstrokes.  Other than my general disdain for the metronome, I whipped through all these lessons.  So far so good.  This is easy stuff.

Day 14 - Let's Get The Show On The Road

What does this have to do with my practice??

Even though I changed my pick hold and have been focusing on regaining my strumming mojo, I feel like I've been stagnant. I HAVE been stagnant. Playing what I am comfortable with is what I have been doing for months.  My lack of progress is one of the reasons I've started this 365 Guitar Project.

It's time to get this show on the road.  

(Why is there an obscure MSB logo above?  

You must read to the end to find out - it is relevant, I promise!)

Time to make some plans. So, while freezing my ass off at the orthodontist office, I formulated a rough schedule for the coming week.  I will basically revisit the Justin Guitar beginner course and review all the lessons.  If I feel I need work in an area, then I'll stop and practice until I feel competent.  There is no rush.

There are 9 stages to the beginner course.  I expect to blast through the first three, but I know I will have to linger a bit over some of the others.  The first time through the course I could do those skills, but certainly not with the finesse I need.  Like the B7 chord for instance.  It takes me a bit to get to that chord.  I can't smoothly transition to B7.  Hence the need for more time and more practice.  I have my whole life ahead of me.

In each instance I will follow Justin's practice schedule which is broken down into chunks of time devoted to each area.

My Practice Schedule

Day 14 Thursday	Review Stage 1 BC-111 • The D Chord BC-112 • The A Chord BC-113 • The E Chord BC-114 • Anchor Fingers for A, D and E BC-115 • 1 Minute Changes BC-116 • 4:4 all down rhythm BC-117 • Easy Songs for Stage 1  BC-118 • JUSTIN training exercises BC-119 • Stage 1 Practice Schedule
Day 15 Friday	Review Stage 2 BC-121 • The Amin Chord BC-122 • The Emin Chord BC-123 • The Dmin Chord BC-124 • 1 minute Changes BC-125 • Introducing the metronome  BC-126 • Foot tapping BC-127 • Easy Songs For Stage 2  BC-128 • JUSTIN training exercises BC-129 • Stage 2 Practice Schedule
Day 15 Saturday	Review Stage 3 BC-131 • The G Chord BC-132 • The C Chord BC-133 • Names Of Open Strings BC-134 • 1 minute Changes BC-135 • Basic Finger Workout BC-136 • Rhythm Guitar Basics 1 BC-137 • Easy Songs For Stage 3  BC-138 • JUSTIN training exercises BC-139 • Stage 3 Practice Schedule
Day 16 Sunday	Review and practice any of the above.
Day 17 Monday	Review Stage 4 BC-141 • G7, C7, B7 Chords BC-142 • The F Maj7 Chord BC-143 • The A Chord again... BC-144 • 1 minute Changes BC-145 • Forcing The Changes BC-146 • Rhythm Guitar Basics 2 BC-147 • Easy Songs For Stage 4  BC-148 • JUSTIN training exercises BC-149 • Stage 4 Practice Schedule
Day 18 Tuesday	Review and practice any of the above.
Day 19 Wednesday	Review and practice any of the above.
Day 20 Thursday	Review and practice any of the above or “fun day.”
Day 21	Assess progress and (gulp) record myself.  Make plan for next week. Have a beer!

Answer to "why is there an obscure MSB logo above?"

Let's Get the Show on the Road reminds me of the song, by the same name, written and performed by the Michael Stanley Band.  When I was growing up in the Cleveland area the Michael Stanley Band were like rock gods.  Seriously, they were the biggest act in town.  Their concerts sold more tickets than other well-known acts, and they set arena records.  I looked up the stats a few months ago for something else; I'll have to dig those out.  MSB was amazing.  My first concert ever was MSB at the Agora Ballroom.  I saw them at least once every single year until I moved out of the area.  

Since MSB was at the top of their game before the video era, it's tough to find recordings on YouTube.  I did find this solo performance by Michael Stanley doing an acoustic version of Let's Get the Show on the Road in 1997.  I noticed we have the same guitar!

PS: here is a link to the tabs on Songsterr:  Let's Get the Show on the Road,  Enjoy!

Day 13 - A Trip To The Library

My library music book haul.

I  can't remember the last time I visited the library.  It was so long ago that I didn't have my library card in my purse.  In fact, I couldn't even find my library card;  I had to "borrow" my youngest son's card.

I stopped in to find a cookbook, but couldn't resist browsing the music aisle.  I found a few Christmas music books to mess around with.  Oh, and I picked up a "how to" fingerstyle tutorial as well.

The book that blew my mind was the second from the left in this photo.  It's 50 Three Chord Christmas Songs.  And yes, there are only three chords in the book:  C, G and D7.  I'm curious why the D7, but I suppose it has something to do with the music theory I am totally missing.

My youngest son always accuses me of playing the same song, even when I'm not -- he says they all sound the same.  I normally disagree, but the Christmas songs with three chords?  Yes, they all sound alike, lol.  However, it was great fun playing around in that book.

I also briefly opened the Mel Bay Christmas Encyclopedia:  Fingerstyle Edition.  Unlike the fingerstyle I am used to (basically playing a pattern throughout the song) this taught you the melody and accompanying chords.  Am I even saying that right?  Forgive my ignorance, but I don't know the proper musical terms.  Let's just say it is more than just a random pattern that repeats.

I sort of gave up on the fingerstyle part of the book, because I really don't want to focus on learning one specific song (for a moment I had flashbacks to the time I was trying to learn Hysteria, but that's a story for another day).  Instead,  I want to practice skills that I can use for many songs.  I did, however, play some of the Christmas carols simply strumming the chords.

My favorite (today) was What Child is This?  That song is not one of my favorite Christmas carols, but I really enjoyed the chord progression.  It was nice music - with or without the words.  Plus it had my favorite chord of the moment - E7, lol.

Until tomorrow...