Coming to a Close

               So last Friday I got my very own guitar! I decided on the Taylor GS Mini and couldn't be happier. I love playing it and it sounds much better than the one I've been using. It's also a good amount smaller than the other one so I can hold and play it much more comfortably. Here's a picture of it below!

                So it's been about 4 and a half months since I started learning guitar and overall I think it's gone really well. I was able to find a decent amount of time to practice despite being so busy, and I didn't give up or quit along the way. Daniel was a great mentor who I learned a lot from and I plan on staying in touch with him so he can continue to give me advice. I'm really happy with all of my progress and am planning to keep on playing even now that the project is over. The only thing I could have done a bit better would be practising even more than I did and my results would have been even better because of that.

                When I think of through-lines in regards to my passion project the first things to come to mind are definitely God-Worshipping and Creation-Enjoying. I love being able to not just sing-a-long to worship songs but also play them at the same time. It's awesome to get to worship God in such a way and use the talents he has given me. I also just love God's gift of music in general so getting to experience and create it with my guitar has been really great. 

Project or Passion?

                When I first began this project in February I wouldn't say I was really passionate about guitar. I was passionate about the idea of learning guitar. That's what motivated me to choose it for my passion project. But now as the school year is coming to an end, I have to decide if it is something that I want to pursue after the semester is over. If I do decide to continue learning, it will mean buying my own guitar because when I move I have to give the one I am currently using back to its owner.

                This is a big decision because as you may or may not know, guitars are not cheap. I also know very little about them and what is a good brand to buy and such. Once again though, I am lucky to have my faithful mentor Daniel to help me with this process as well. We took time on Friday to look at the options and have narrowed it down to two. They are both travel guitars as we figured it would probably be the most convenient for me because I will be travelling and am a smaller person in general so it will be easier and more comfortable to hold. I'll tell you a bit about each of them but if you want to check out a more detailed description of the guitars, check out my resource page.

                The first option is the Taylor GS Mini which is the bigger and cost about $549.00. Though the two are often seen as pretty similar, there are a few differences that make it more expensive. One is that it has a pick guard which the other one doesn't have and that helps protect the guitar from getting worn away. Another is that the fret board is made of ebony which is much higher and nicer quality. Also, despite its size, it has a more "real" guitar sound than the other one because it is bigger.

(Picture taken from Long & McQuade)

                The second option is the Little Martin LX1 which is slightly smaller and costs $325.00. Like I said before, it has no pick guard which means the top could get worn down and loose its smooth texture. The fret board is Rosewood which is not as high quality but I still like the look and it has no fret board inlays which are the little white dots you see on most guitars. It also doesn't have as full and "real" guitar sound because of its size, but it's hard to say if that we'll bother me until I actually test it out.

(Picture taken from Long & McQuade)

                So that is what will come next. Daniel and I are going to go to Long & McQuade so I can take a look at both of them in person. At this point I am leaning more towards the Little Martin because it is quite a bit cheaper than the Taylor. However, Daniel has made it clear that you get what you pay for so spending the extra $200 wouldn't be a waste. My only concern is that if down the road I sort of stop playing guitar, then I'll be sad that I wasted that much money. It could also however be motivation if  I spent that money, to not let it go to waste and to keep learning and playing. So clearly there is a lot for me to think about and my decision won't be made right away.

                In other news, my amazing best friend Naomi (check out her blog here) surprised me with a capo last week so I can now start learning the songs that I want. I have started with Dust On the Bottle by David Lee Murphy. It has been surprisingly easy because once you have a capo you can play simple chords you already know, just in a different key. The main struggle is learning to multitask and sing-a-long which I haven't quite got the hang of yet but I'm sure it will come with more practice. 

Stay Tuned

                So as of right now progress seems to be slowing down a bit. I am learning some slightly more complicated strumming patterns but am sort of waiting till I get a capo till I start learning some actual songs. Hopefully I'll be able to get one today and once I do I am hoping to learn Dust On the Bottle as well as some Taylor Swift songs.

                One song I have been learning despite not having a capo, is Give Me Faith by Elevation Worship. When I was playing Spencer's guitar the other day I noticed the sheet music for it in his case and realized that it contained all chords that I already know. I tried to just play it and sing along with random strumming but it didn't work out so well. My tendency is to just strum with the words that I'm saying but that's not really what you're supposed to do apparently.

                So Daniel showed me a fairly simple strumming pattern that I can use. The switching between notes with this strumming pattern isn't too hard but what I am struggling with is singing along at the same time. I used to think I was a good multi-tasker but clearly not as good as I thought. It'll take a lot of practice till I can do both at the same time because the strumming and switching between notes will have to become something I can do without even thinking.

                So that's all I got to say for now. Stay tuned for another post soon after I get my capo!

Money, Money, Money

            At the beginning of this project I thought I wouldn't need to buy anything or spend any money because my youth pastor Russ graciously provided me with a guitar and even a case for it. What more do you need to learn to play guitar other than a guitar? Well it turns out you need more than you'd think and when you add it all up you realize that playing guitar is actually quite an expensive hobby. Especially if you want really good quality stuff. Just ask Daniel. So what else do you really need?

            Well first off you need a tuner. This is important if you want your guitar to sound nice and in tune. You can probably get an app to use instead but I like having a real physical one. Luckily Russ had one already so I didn't have to buy one for myself.

            Second of all, technically optional but most beginners will use them, are pics. There's lots of different kinds and some are better quality then others, but I just use what Russ gave me in his case and I think they work just fine.

            Thirdly, very important if you want to play any actual songs is a Capo. Many people who don't play guitar have no idea what this is and while I did know what it was before hand, I didn't know how important it is. A capo holds down a whole fret so you can play a song in a different key using the same fingering you would if it wasn't there just slid down. This unfortunately, Russ did not have when he gave me his guitar. So I will have to buy one myself if I want to play most songs. I'm hoping to find one that's around $20 because Daniel said I don't really need one that's more expensive than that.

            There are also lots of other things people buy for their guitars that are not necessarily mandatory but help keep the guitar in good condition and are useful to have around. These include guitar polish, cheese cloth for polishing, a guitar stand, extra strings, and a winder/string cutter. These are all helpful things to have but I don't think I'm going to worry about getting any of them yet.

Much Knowledge, Very Guitar, So Music, Wow

                One thing that has become very clear to me recently is the importance of having someone who has a lot of knowledge of what you're learning and knows what  they are talking about. Whether it's an instrument or really anything else. I had this realization when I was attempting to figure out a song on my own as I was practicing at home. It had a new chord, a B minor, but it showed me right on the website that I was on how to do that chord so I thought "Perfect! No problem. Who needs Daniel when you've got the internet."

                It wasn't until my next session with Daniel when I realized how untrue that was. I told him that I was having trouble doing B minor because it's tough to get my fingers to hold down the right strings. As I tried to show him he said "Well I know your problem. That's not B minor. That's not even a chord." I tried to protest saying that was what the internet said and he just shook his head and said "You can't believe the internet. The internet lies."

                So he showed me the right way to do B minor and while it was still hard to do, I realized that Daniel was a much better resource than the internet. I need someone who has real knowledge and experience to teach me and answer my questions if I really want to be a good guitar player. And there's always more to learn. Daniel was able to give pointers to a few different people on I.C.E who had been playing a lot longer than me. Some had even learnt lies from the internet just like me. Luckily Daniel was there to correct them and even luckier, he'll always be there to correct me. His knowledge and natural musical talent will be very crucial in the success of my passion project.  

So Far, So Good

                So it's a few weeks into my project and so far I think it's going really well. I have learned quite a few chords that I can switch between fairly quickly and now that I have learned a  couple basic strumming patterns, when I play it all together it's starting to sound like I can actually play a legit song. I was even able to figure out a strumming pattern on my own that Daniel planned on teaching me next time. I think it's starting to become more of a natural thing. I'm starting to hear the guitar in every song that I listen to and there are so many songs I want to learn to play. I'm having lots of fun and even the things I expected to struggle with aren't that bad. When my fingers get sore I just take a break and come back later and I have actually managed to find a decent amount of time to practice despite my busy schedule.

                The main key to my success so far is definitely Daniel. He's been a really great teacher. He is very patient and knows how to say things in ways I'll understand. I think having the right person to teach you is a very important thing in learning anything. It makes it much easier and more fun to learn when you're getting taught by someone that you get along really well with and who knows exactly what they are talking about based on past experience.

                The next thing I'm going to be working on is learning an actual song that I know and like. Daniel said I can choose any song I want and he will figure out the chords and strumming patterns and teach it to me. I'm super excited to learn one of my favourite songs and get to a point where I can play and sing along at the same time. I don't know exactly what song I'm going to choose but I'm thinking a Taylor Swift song because she has lots of guitar in all her songs. Maybe The Best Day or Back To December. We'll see what Daniel thinks is an easier one to learn first. 

Getting Started

For my passion project I have decided to learn to play guitar. I really enjoy music and singing so this is something I have been wanting to do for awhile but every time I started, it didn’t last very long. I either got too busy or too frustrated and just gave up. It also didn’t help that I had no one to teach me so I was trying to teach myself. This time though, things will be different.

Because it is a project for school, I will be more determined to do it and will be able to make more time for it both at school and at home. I will also have my good friend Daniel helping me out along the way as my mentor. He is a very good guitar player and musician in general so he will be able to give me lots of great advice and help. He will also keep me accountable when it comes to practising and ensure that I don’t give up.

My goals for this project and what I hope to accomplish begin with learning the basics of guitar. This includes standard chords, reading music, and strumming patterns. Once I have gotten good at the basics I hope to start learning a few songs and get to the point where I can play them fluently without looking at the music or down at my fingers. Finally, what I would love to accomplish in the end, is to be able to play one of my favourite songs and sing along with it. If I can do this, I would love to play it for my presentation at the end of the semester.

To begin, Daniel gave me my first mini lesson yesterday. He got an idea of what I already know, which is really only a few chords, and began teaching me the basics. I couldn’t do a whole lot because my nails are too long so I’ll definitely have to fix that before my next lesson. Though he only just started teaching me, I can tell he will be a really good teacher. I can tell he’s very knowledgeable about he talks about and is good at communicating it in a way I can understand. I’m super excited to have him as my mentor. He will probably be teaching me mostly on spares and sometimes after school. I will have to try hard to fit practice time into my busy schedule but I think I’ll be able to do it once I get into a routine.

Besides finding the time to practice, there are some other things I will have to get past as well. There will be the initial frustration of sucking and having to try, try again till I get it perfect. I often have high standards for myself and expect that I can be good at everything so starting off as terrible and having to work hard to get better will have to be something I get over. Also pushing through the pain of blistered and sore fingers is something that worries me, especially because I play volleyball and don’t want it to affect that. There will definitely be some obstacles along the way but this is something I really want to do so I’ll have no choice but to past them. It’ll take some hard work but in the end I know it’ll be worth it.