My first week of guitar practice is complete, and I have once again encountered the biggest obstacle in my previous attempts at learning the guitar: the strings hurt my fingers. So much. So I did a little research and found that to overcome this I should:
C D Em and G, and Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri, which makes use of Am C G Dm F and Fm. Jar of Hearts gave me a lot of practice in shifting from Dm to F which was really useful as I was finding it pretty difficult. I did have a lot of difficulty with the Fm chord though, I think mainly because it is a bar chord. I had a lot of trouble with the B major chord previously (before subsequently giving up on it), so I think I might have to find some alternative fingerings for the assessment in 12 weeks (or fake it :P). Jar of Hearts - Christina Perri Pompeii - Bastille
I did realise while I was practicing that although I have these chords pretty well under my fingers and could play them in time, that my (somewhat poor) renditions of these songs were super boring, because I haven't learned to strum. This week, I will not only begin to cover more minor chords, I want to learn how to strum, and maybe later down the line, even learn fingerpicking? But till then, I will be looking after my aching fingers and hope they toughen up quickly!
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Once I started creating music, my enthusiasm and interest could not be contained to just one instrument or discipline. While I had regular piano lessons from ages 4 - 12 and managed to dedicate myself to flute and voice from age 9, I have always found myself drawn towards obtaining and learning new instruments and skills, such as the Kalimba, Tin Whistle and Yodelling, among other things. As many people do, I also attempted (many times) to teach myself the guitar. And as many people do, I failed spectacularly. But here I am, reinvigorated with a mission to learn the guitar in thirteen weeks, with a set goal and date by which I must learn and memorise the following 28 chords. This task is only mildly daunting, but I look forwards to finally being about to play my guitar which thus far has been gathering dust in the corner of my room.
In my earlier attempts (under the tutelage of my older brother) I successfully learned the C major, D, E, F major, G major, and A chords. My first steps will be to revisit these chords, and become comfortable with their positioning and moving between them, and how better to do so, than with some glorious four chord pop songs. |