Settling

The past couple of weeks have been nothing out of the ordinary practice-wise. Some days I hang out in the music room and play a scale for 30 minutes, other times I sit on the bed with the guitar in my lap while watching a film, making silent chord changes and practicing finger relaxation.

I think I mentioned this before, but my initial reaction to the Andreas book was disappointment. The ideas were simple and the exercises even simpler. I could not see how any of it would help in even a small way. I decided, however, to give the exercises a chance, and oddly enough, I discovered that they altered my playing for the better. I would not have believed that placing the fingers on the strings without pressing the strings down would be very effective, but it teaches the fingers and the body to remain relaxed while playing. Soon after beginning the exercises I noticed an improvement in how my fingers move around the fretboard. So every session I practice the "light finger" exercises, moving them around slowly without depressing the strings.

Yesterday while practicing I noticed an improvement in overall skill - I was playing scales faster than ever, my picking hand was not missing as many strings, and the looseness of my fretting hand made me look in wonder, not knowing how I was doing it. It appears that after 5 months of consistent daily practice I am beginning to feel the first sensations of familiarity and comfort with the guitar. I was confident this day would arrive, I just did not know when.

Black Beauty

Ibanez

I have been looking to buy a used acoustic guitar to go along with my classical and electric. I search Craig's List a few times a week, and finally found a guitar which fit what I was looking for.

It is an Ibanez acoustic which can also be plugged into an amp. Its size is small, with a narrow body similar to an electric. Not being a large person I was happy to get a guitar which is not bulky. The color is black and the body has a cutaway allowing for easy access to the higher frets. There is a thin crack on the back of the guitar body, so over time this guitar will not sound good, but I bought it knowing that I am using it for practice. The cost was only $90, and it came with a soft case, which also fits my classical.

The case will now make it easier for me to haul either guitar to the park, as I can strap it onto my back while riding my bike, rather than having to carry the hard shell case in one hand.

I have learned a few more measures of Asturias. Each measure brings on a new set of finger movements and complications. I find that after practicing 1 or 2 measures, when I return to playing scales or chords everything seems easier. My plan is to eventually learn the entire piece. This may take a few years, if I'm lucky, but at the end of the process I should be a much better guitarist.

Asturias

I read through the Andreas book last week. My plan was to read it once through, then reread it as I began to implement the guitar practice methods. When I finished the first reading I was disappointed because most of the things written are simple ideas which I already know through other activities such as running and basketball - staying loose and relaxed while in the midst of a difficult task, the importance of practice, repetition, motivation, attitude, and intensity. The exercises seemed so simple that I could not see how they could make a difference.

Although I was disappointed in the material as a whole, I still agreed with most of the ideas, and saw no reason why I should not learn and practice the exercises. So I began doing the simple tasks, such as placing the 4 fingers on consecutive frets while keeping a light touch without pressing down the strings. This leads to finger walking exercises practiced with a light and heavy touch. Although appearing simple, when I attempted them I felt tenseness in the shoulders, arm, and fingers. After a bit of practice I felt improvement in relaxation and finger stretch.

Immediately after doing the exercises I began my normal practice routine of scales and chords. I found that the Andreas exercises, practiced for a only a short time, had improved the agility, accuracy, and looseness of the fingers, especially the 4th (pinkie) finger. The main improvement was the ability to keep all 4 fingers close to the fretboard without tenseness, thus making it easier to move around the frets.

My initial disappointment in the book is now gone, as I believe the exercises are going to allow my guitar skills to improve.

~ ~ ~

Friday while making a dinner of corn tortillas, eggs, and vegetarian meat, I was listening to an old compilation CD. One of the songs was Asturias, which is a favorite of mine. I interrupted my dinner preparations to see if I could find guitar tabs for the piece.

I knew that even if tabs were available, there would be little chance of playing the composition -it is hard enough to learn a simple 3 chord popular song.

I did find tabs for it, and when I glanced at the first 6 measures it did not seem too difficult. I picked up my classical guitar and began to hit the notes. The main riff of the song begins immediately, and I knew I would be happy if I could make the guitar sing it.

To my surprise I was able to play the beginning measures with relative ease. The B string is played open for most of the song, so that part is not difficult. The majority of the notes which are accompanied by the open B string are found on the A and D strings between the 7th and 10th frets. Due to my fingers becoming more agile from the Andreas exercises, I was able to move freely from note to note using all 4 fingers when needed. The 4 finger (pinkie), which usually gives me problems, was staying loose and close to the fretboard, without flying far off the strings like it usually does. Hearing the pleasantly intense notes sounding from the guitar and watching my fret fingers moving smoothly, made me feel happy about my progress.

This morning I learned the next 5-6 measures of the song. After 20 or so measures the piece begins to get more complex with fingering and plucking patterns. I am looking forward to seeing if I can learn these advanced notes and techniques.

Lunch in the Park

The past few days have been cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon. When I get home from work I pack a lunch, a book, my guitar, and ride my bicycle to Crystal Lake park. After getting comfortable on my favorite bench, I practice guitar in a peaceful mood until deciding to eat. When I finish the meal I stretch out and read a few pages about the Buddha and meditation.

Lately I have been thinking about returning to a more serious practice of meditation. I know from experience how my mind positively reacts to sitting still and focusing on the breath. The senses become more acute as the back and forth flow of thought slows to minimal movement. This induces a calm state of being which elicits a peculiar confidence in the chaos of the universe. The mind, still and serene, recognizes that there is at least one place in which the chaos is controlled.

I heard from my college friend Sokrates (David) today. He wrote a one sentence email asking me what was going on. He is a master guitarist and knows of my quest, so I gave him a few details on how my practice is coming along. He responded by challenging me to a tennis duel. I accepted his challenge, even though I am 6 pounds overweight and have knee tendinitis. He asked if there was a good Thai restaurant in Urbana. I replied that Siam Terrace would make the trip worth his while, and in exchange for his company I would buy him lunch and dinner. I am looking forward to seeing a friend from my youth, I have known him for 23 years - odd to think of not only myself, but my friends, as getting old.

Riff

The last few days with the guitar I have been making faster than normal progress. I recently found a couple of good web sites that offer numerous free backing tracks to practice to. My 1 month trial subscription to the scale system expired yesterday, and I decided not to renew because I can play the scales which I have now memorized to the free backing tracks.

With all of the lead practicing I have been doing with backing tracks it is easy to bypass the observation that hitting and changing chords is becoming faster/easier, finger placement on the pentatonic scale more accurate, and my picking hand is gaining in dexterity and coordination. Although I am far from speeding through timely riffs, I feel things are going better than expected.

With this in mind I studied a few videos today of how to play fast blues riffs. I decided to practice one in which the 4 finger (pinkie) hammers and pulls off the blue note, the 3rd finger then pulls off and quickly hits the adjacent top string. The guy in the video kills it, so I have an idea what it should sound like. After 5 minutes practice I memorized the sequence, now I just need to put in a few hours to get the right rhythm and speed.

Buddy & Olav

Had a good practice session yesterday.

I visited Olav's site and went deeper into the blues lessons. They are clearly written and have interesting backing tracks to play along with. I studied a section on turnarounds and easily learned some of the common ones, such as going from the 4th fret down to the first on the high E and G strings. After practicing it many times Rachel walked into the room and said if she heard the shuffle/turnaround one more time she was going to scream :)

So I went into my music room and played along to Buddy Guy songs. I found that many of the songs that I burned onto the CD are in the key of D, so I got a chance to practice something other than the usual A or E. I practiced standing up, which I don't do very often, but it is necessary if I ever want to jam with Joseph and his gf.

I feel I am making progress from day to day. My fingers are becoming stronger and more coordinated, knowledge of songs/scales/chords is increasing, and I am slowly becoming more relaxed as I play. The great thing about this quest is the complexity and depth of the guitar and music - no matter how far I get, there will always be a long road to travel.

Buddy Guy in the Key of D

A few times a week I throw on some favorite blues songs and play along as best I can. The first thing I do is play the main pentatonic box pattern on various frets until I find the right key (all the notes sound good). Once the key is found I can then play the entire fretboard using the 5 box patterns.

Last night I was trying to play along with an old Buddy Guy song but I was having trouble finding the key. I finally found that the main box pattern started at the 10th fret. I had never used the main pattern starting that high on the board, so was unsure what key it was. I checked the guitar scale system software and found it was D. Later that night I realized I was not clear on what determines the key for the pentatonic scale.

When I woke in the morning the first thing that came into my mind was that the key of the scale is determined by where the main pattern begins on the 6th string. What confused me is why the main pattern is the determinator of the key, why not any of the 4 other remaining patterns? Counting up the 6th string to the 10th fret I found the D note, so I now have a solid idea of what determines the key.

Today I felt ready to expand my knowledge of the blues, so I googled "12 bar blues progression" and was led to Olav Torvund's site. There was a clearly written article on the basics of blues chords, and I practiced along with the example of E, E7, A7, B7. I was surprised how good it sounded - my strumming and chord changing skills are increasing, along with my knowledge.

Thoughts on Teaching

On my daily run this morning I was thinking about how to proceed in my guitar quest. Now without guidance from a master guitarist, I must choose for myself the roads to travel and the things to study.

I reflected upon what teaching actually is. In just about everything in my life, the best teachers have been books. In school I can't recall any teachers who taught me anything of value. All they did was repeat the ideas which I read in books. It seems a teacher's purpose is to give tests and decide how students compare to one another. In other words - useless.

I realize that I most likely have a defect in processing the spoken word. When taking tests in school it was always a book's ideas which helped me, not the teacher's words. That the teaching profession exists is proof that the majority of people are helped by the spoken word.

To learn about film photography I did not take a class, but rather sought out the best book I could find. Without a doubt this was Ansel Adam's 3 volume series on the camera, film processing, and printing.

If I had been given a choice between reading the books, or learning directly from Adams himself, I would choose the books. Inside the books are Adams' ideas and experiences, clearly organized, the best words chosen to effectively communicate the meaning and importance of each concept -it is Adams at his very best. If I instead had to go to Adams' studio once a week for a short 30 minutes, I most likely would have received a jumbled and disorganized version of what was in the books. If Adams happened to be in a bad mood during my lesson, the ideas would have been even harder to understand. Reading 2 of the 3 volumes took 1.5 years to complete. I took it slow, and did not read the 3rd volume (printing) until my 5th year of working with photography. Had I taken 5 years of lessons I would have been less informed and gone broke.

A valuable lesson learned from my negative experiences with my two guitar teachers is that I dislike learning in the presence of another person. The one to one contact creates tension due to personality differences and different ways of thinking. Both teachers asked me to do things which I believed would not work for me. It caused friction which ended with the abortion of the lessons. If I had been learning math, I would not care how I arrived at the solution of a problem, I would do it the way it was taught with no complaint. However, when learning an art such as painting or music, the important thing is to follow one's heart and instincts. When coming to an idea in a book which I dislike, I simply ignore the suggestion and turn the page - no problems and no hurt egos. With a private teacher, any suggestion on my part that I don't like the idea will cause bad blood - The teacher is always right, and says "it's my way or the highway".

So I am now on the highway and much happier for it. I can't see myself taking private instruction again - not much fun in paying big bucks for the honor of being frustrated and poorly treated by a master guitarist.

My plan is to find the best guitar books and learn what I can from them. I received the Andreas book last week and am already learning some good things.

Moving Forward

I spent the weekend reflecting on the disintegration of my private guitar lessons. I am still in shock at how badly I was misunderstood, and realize that I did something to offend my teacher. I also know that any words or actions of mine which caused him harm were unintentional. I try my best not to say or do harmful things, but sometimes fail, like everyone else. I have learned how to forgive myself when such things occur, and to move forward in peace and love. Living in the past filled with guilt is not a proper way to experience life, and so I will try my best to put this behind me.

I did not play the guitar on Friday, and very little on Saturday, as I was feeling too unsettled to do so. I instead practiced meditation, hoping to calm my heart and mind. Yesterday I felt the absence of the guitar, so picked it up in the evening and was happy to practice a bit with it.

I was wondering how my mind would react to making mistakes. After being insulted by someone who is aware of my quest, telling me basically that I suck and will never be any good, it would be easy to fall into the trap of wanting to prove him wrong. However, I know that is an error in attitude, and admitted to myself that it does not matter if I suck and will never be any good. The goal of this quest is not to be good at the guitar, it is simply to play and see what happens. That was the same goal with photography - make pictures and see what happens. If I happen to be the least talented and most awful guitar player in the universe, so be it, I am fine with that.

What is important is that I love what I do, and I do love the mystery of making sounds with strings. In that frame of mind, not many negative thoughts entered my head as I practiced. I was using the classical guitar, finger picking another simple G/C/D combination, when I made sounds that reminded me of the song We are Going to be Friends by the White Stripes. I was curious to know what the chord sequence was to the song, so I stopped my practice to look it up on the internet. I discovered that the chord sequence was indeed G/C/D. I watched a couple of youtube videos describing how to play the song, wrote down the lyrics, returned to my studio, and an hour later knew how to play and sing the song.

I felt happy and proud when I finished that my attitude was positive, that I was able to leave my teacher in the past, and in doing so was rewarded in the present with an inspiring session. My voice is getting better, and I am becoming more skilled in knowing when to change the pitch to match the timing of the chord changes. The fact that I have always loved this song made me happy to know that I can now play it whenever I desire.

Bolt from the Blue

Yesterday I received an email from my guitar teacher Robert. As I read through the letter I felt a wave of unpleasant surprise rising over me.

There have been a few times in my life when a relationship I have with a person is based on a sequence of misunderstandings, until finally the weight of the misperception is directed into a bout of anger and revenge. I have experienced both sides, sometimes as the giver, other times as receiver. Fortunately these intense moments of anguish have been few. I try hard not to live in anger, and it is a fine line to walk when following one's heart while at the same time being mindful of the the desires and feelings of others.

Robert's letter contained insults, false perceptions, faulty logic, and one zen quote. All of the venom was directed at me, a lowly 4 month student of the guitar. It was a bolt from the blue because in our face to face lessons he was always pleasant and patient, never saying an unkind word.

He was angered by my audacity to question the value and effect his lessons were having upon me. For our 5th lesson I wrote out a 1 page summary of the previous 5 weeks guitar work. At the end of the summary I mentioned that knowing that Robert was going to move to Chicago in a couple of months, I had decided that at that time I would not go to another teacher, as I believed by that point I should be able to make progress working on my own. To help clarify my decision I gave examples of numerous activities which I had learned without the aid of a teacher.

I gave this summary to Robert at the beginning of our lesson, to read while I tuned my guitar. I wanted him to know all that I had learned, what my practice sessions contained, and my decision to go solo once he left for Chicago. He gave no indication of displeasure, and we then began the lesson.

The next day he sent a letter to me explaining how someone who cannot even hold a guitar correctly in his lap should not be giving advice and direction to the teacher. That I am stubborn for not wanting to practice picking and counting rhythms, and was wrong for using outside sources to supplement his teaching. He wrote that I always showed up early and stayed past the ending lesson time. That had I listened to half of what he had said in the lessons I would be much further along in my playing. He then wrote that he ripped up my check paying for the next set of 4 lessons, and because of my poor attitude and bad practice habits decided he was no longer going to teach me.

Stunned, I reread the letter and decided that because I respected him as a teacher, it would be best to respond to his letter in order to clarify and express my view of things. If I did not like him or considered him a terrible person, I would not waste my time with a response, but this was not the case, so I sat down for a few hours and composed a letter in which I hoped contained no counter insults or false statements.

When I was satisfied with what I had written I sent it off, and then tried to recover from the awful blow. I will probably always remember this strange and unsettling incident with a heavy heart. I liked Robert, and believed that I could make progress with his help. I wondered about my decision to write out the 5 week summary, and to share it with Robert. I realize I was not showing much respect for teaching methods in general when I stated that it was possible to learn independently, but it is how I feel, and I believe that honesty always wins out in the end.

The loss of the lessons don't bother me much, as I believe I can still make progress if I work hard. What does bother me is the always present potential for misunderstandings which lead to hurtful things said and done.

Turn My Mind on Bright

Had my 5th lesson with Robert today. We worked on a simple blues rhythm made slightly complex. I plan to work on it all week, along with the other stuff I like to practice - scales, chords, and improvised blues riffs.

When I got home I sat down at the computer ready to practice the scale system. Before I loaded the program I started strumming a simple G, D, C pattern. However, the way I was strumming it, and the timing of the beat, inspired me to set words to it.

I have never attempted song lyrics before, although I have written plenty of poetry. Here is my first attempt :

Turn My Mind on Bright

The sinking sun

Pink and gray

Throwing shadows

Cracks the Window Pane

Your faded picture

Your hair all black

Hanging crooked

Staring at my back

And Hey

The light in my eyes

Makin' me squint

Cursin' the sky

And Hey

You left me blue

Hangin' my head

Scrapin' my shoes

The little house

Yellow and white

The lights are all off

No one to fight

I'm watchin' that road

Empty in the night

Will you ever come back

Turn my mind on bright

And Hey

The light in my eyes

Makin' me squint

Cursin' the sky

And Hey

You left me blue

Hangin' my head

Scrapin' my shoes

Moon

I watched the film Moon today. It is a great sci-fi story about clones and energy.

The soundtrack was amazing. My instincts told me the score was written by someone I highly respect. After the film ended I looked up the soundtrack on Youtube and discovered that Clint Mansell wrote the music - indeed, he is one of my favorite modern composers.

Moon - Welcome to Lunar Industries

As the film rolled to its conclusion I thought about Migel from my warehouse days. Standing in the back of the warehouse on warm summer afternoons, folding boxes and flipping them into a pile, he would reveal to me esoteric tales and disturbing conspiracies. One was how the government had farms for human cloning, the clones to be used for fighting future wars and working difficult jobs. He told me this in 1990, before cloning was revealed to be possible. When Migel suddenly disappeared I felt I had lost a link to a circle of dangerous truths. Tonight I am wondering about Migel.....

Warm Spring Day

After working out at Brookens in the morning, I packed a lunch along with my new guitar book, and carried my guitar to Crystal Lake Park. I sat on my new favorite bench and enjoyed the day. I even wrote a letter, which is something I used to do a lot, but the last few years I am lucky if I write 2 or 3 a year.

Nothing new to report on guitar practice, I just keep working on the pentatonic scale, which will most likely be my main work for the next 3 or 4 weeks.

The Bends

At yesterday's lesson Robert taught me a blues riff which included a string bend on the 7th fret of the G string, which then led to a finger barre of the B/E strings on the 5th fret (part of the A pentatonic scale). As I practiced it he began to play a nice sounding blues rhythm, and I took control of the lead guitar. The experience of playing the blues with Robert had a dreamlike quality, as I never believed until a few months ago that I would play the blues, or the guitar.

Today I practiced the riff, paying attention to the bending of the G string. After many reps I began to feel more comfortable, and also found a new riff.

I have been practicing Claude's scale system everyday, so the pentatonic is getting burned into my memory, along with the muscle memory needed to play it.

Principles

I lost the flow of making guitar practice entries due to having our computer being switched with my wife's sister's computer. The new/temporary keyboard is difficult to use, I am always hitting the caplock key and missing the spacebar, so I have been avoiding typing whenever possible. We should have our computer back soon, so I am looking forward to having access to my photo files and being able to write again.

Today I ordered Jamie Andreas' "Principles of Correct Practice for Guitar". I have been reading her online essays for the past 2 months, and I have decided that her teaching and philosophy fits nicely with my style of learning. I am looking forward to reading the book and incorporating her principles and methods to my own practice structure.

I continue to make progress. My ring finger is still a little swollen from jamming it last week, but the pain has diminished, so I can practice guitar without any problems. I have been using Claude's scale software and with only a week of practice I have committed to memory the pentatonic scale in various keys. Although sitting in front of the computer with the guitar is not as relaxing as practicing in my studio, I find the 30-60 minute daily sessions to be enjoyable because of the chance to play along with the backing tracks.

I have my 3rd lesson with Robert tomorrow afternoon. So far I am enjoying the lessons. He allows me to plug into his big amp and I love the sound it gives to my guitar. During the lessons he throws me tidbits of information that I find to be helpful. He is trying to get me to open up my picking hand, and use it as a bridge on the pick guard. I don't find it to be comfortable, so for now I am sticking with keeping the hand loosely clenched in a fist-like position.

Ring Finger Blues

I had a good weekend of practice. I was feeling lazy/uninspired to learn anything new, so I instead went the opposite direction and simplified things to a few notes and chords. Repeating the finger movements over and over is like running long distance, it puts me into a zone of calm and relaxation. Some people find this type of practice to be dull, but one of the things that will help in my guitar quest is the ability to find interest in simple practice methods.

About a month ago I subscribed to Claude's email guitar lessons. I found them to be helpful, and I like his passion, so I decided to join his guitar website GuitarGod Club for $1 for the first month. If I find it helpful I then pay the normal rate of $20 month. I am mainly interested in his guitar scale software which helps the beginner master all the notes of the fretboard. A good feature is the backing tracks which can be played while practicing the scales.

About an hour ago I was reaching up to grab Thomas Wolfe's Look Homeward Angel, and as I was doing so the ring finger of my fretting hand slammed into the edge of the fireplace mantel. I immediately knew it was serious as I felt a swollen warmth engulf the upper joint. I applied 2 bags of frozen peas to it, and have since been icing it off and on.

The last time I jammed a finger was in the 7th grade when playing volleyball in gym class. I find it ironic that I did not have an important use for my ring finger until a few months ago. Well, I will hope for the best. I don't have health insurance, so going to a doctor is out of the question. I will continue to ice it and also apply massage therapy.

If I can't fret the guitar, I can still practice picking with the right hand, and also study music theory. I am hoping to get back to normal in a day or two.

Robert, Marty, and Dennis

Had my 2nd lesson with Robert yesterday afternoon. I was a little disappointed in it because 30 minutes does not allow enough time to cover everything from the previous lesson, and then new material. Robert is a cool guy, though, and just hanging around him helps me pick up on things to become a better guitarist. He was talking above my head when discussing 7th chords, but I try my best to comprehend what he is teaching.

Robert wants me to learn the same simple blues shuffle that Lou had already taught me, but because Robert was explaining it differently, I did not tell him I was already aware of this easy progression of chords. Wanting something more of a challenge, I looked on YouTube for other beginning blues progressions and found this - As the pretty lady said, how hard can it be if her 11 year old daughter could learn it in an hour.

YouTube is becoming my favorite guitar teacher - there are so many generous guitarists who don't mind sharing their hard won knowledge through video lessons. Along with House of the Rising Sun and Hotel California, I am now learning Dead Man by Neil Young, the opening riff to Day Tripper by the Beatles, and Good Riddance/Time of Your Life by Green Day - lots of fun, and it helps me learn various chord transitions.

Before yesterday's lesson I got an email from a guy about an ad on Craig's List I posted. He wanted to buy some of my used golf balls, and asked if I could stop by his office. I was kind of put off about having to travel to him, but he was the first person who responded to my ad after a week, so I decided why not.

When I arrived at his office I discovered that he owned a used car lot. As I was getting out of the car after picking up a bucket of spilled balls in the back seat, a man in his 60's approached and asked if I had any minivans I could sell to him. I told him I was not an employee of the lot, so we both walked over to the office. I took a seat and told the man behind the desk, Marty, that I would wait for him to finish talking with the other guy, Dennis.

40 minutes later I left his office. The first 5 minutes of the time in the office was spent listening to the two talk cars, but then the 3 of us became involved in a discussion straight out of a David Mamet play/film - Marty and Dennis both weaved interesting tales of women, travel, college co-ed modelling gigs, and how to go broke numerous times and live to tell about it.

Had I been in a hurry I doubt the conversation would have taken place, but since I was once again in a meditative state, flowing calmly with the passing moments, I was rewarded with an unusual experience.

As I drove off the lot, $20 richer from having made a sale to the ultimate salesman, I marveled at how odd the passing days are becoming.

The Long Night - 3 Visual Poems on the Nature of Suffering

No. 1

No. 2





No. 3

Isaac, Oreo, and My Favorite Place

I started the day in long underwear, 2 jackets, hat and gloves. When I got out of work at 10:45am the sun was out and the air was warming fast.

When I got home I decided to walk to Crystal Lake Park with my guitar, lunch, writing paper, and a book. Before I left I brought the dying hen out into the sunlight, under the large fir trees. I could sense the end was near, as the poor chicken could not keep her eyes open any longer. Soon after I saw her give a shake and fall over. The end had come.

On my walk to the park I imagined the spot I wanted to visit - a bench which is in the corner of a secluded open space in the middle of the park. Behind the bench is the lake, and in front a view of 100 year old oak trees.

Before I arrived at the park I saw a large man with a large dog, and when we passed I asked what kind of dog it was. He said the dog's name was Oreo, and it was a Great Dane/Lab mix. It had the face of a gentle lab, and the body of a giant Dane - amazing!

I should mention that lately I have been getting into a meditation rhythm, and when I get into this type of calming state of mind, odd, though positive, things, frequently happen.

So on my walk to the park I was focusing intently on my breath, and I had achieved a joyful state of mind. The man, whose name was Isaac, must have felt at ease with me, because instead of continuing on his walk, he stopped to talk for a few minutes. As I petted Oreo he told me of his love for the dog, but was sad because Oreo was getting old and having health problems. This led him to say "we all have our time to go, and it won't be long before it is here, even for you and me. People are always getting angry, arguing politics, not getting along, but one should rather be enjoying the little time we have been given." Before Isaac left he extended his hand to me and I grabbed it firmly, my small hand swallowed up by his giant fist.

When I arrived at the park I watched the sunlight mingle with the tree shadows, the day growing warmer. The bench I had planned to sit in was empty, as well as the open space.

I took out the guitar and slowly moved my fingers along the fretboard. Now that I am becoming familiar with the guitar, picking it up and observing how my hands react and relate with it brings pleasure and curiosity. The guitar and I are becoming friends.

As I practiced scales I felt an unusual easiness in the movements, and a heightened state of relaxation in the grip and pressure of the fingers upon the frets. I knew this meant that I am moving in the correct direction, and the relaxation is an effect of familiarity.

I sensed movement nearby and I looked up and saw a beautiful woman and a young boy standing only a few feet from me. I smiled, and at the same time looked with a startled curiosity at their presence.

"This is your favorite place to be, isn't it?" asked the woman. I thought for a few moments, and realized that it had been a long while since I had sat on this particular bench, but instead of saying that, I replied, "Sometimes it is."

"This is my favorite place also", she told me. I noticed a book in her hand, and I sensed that she had intended to sit here herself, so I said, "please sit here, I have many favorite places in this park, I can walk into the woods and sit there."

She pondered my response, considering if she should accept my offer, but finally decided against it. "No, I just wanted to tell you that this was my favorite place, too."

She then began to walk away, slowly, reluctantly. I sat back with the guitar, breathed deeply, and smiled.

Practice Session A

One of the hens is slowly dying. I decided to sit with her this afternoon in the yard. I practiced guitar while keeping an eye on her.

I practiced the arpeggio of House again, first with a pick, then I switched to finger style and was surprised that my fingers knew the correct order of play, and was more accurate than the pick. I believe I can be good at both pick and finger style, I just have to work hard at it for a long while.

One of my new practice exercises is picking without fretting. I observe the pick gently nipping the strings, trying to keep the strokes short and minimal.

Easy Day

My fingers needed rest so I planned on taking a day off from guitar, but when the evening arrived I could not resist picking up the guitar, so I ended up with a light practice of 75 minutes.

I worked on a few scales. When I got to the A minor blues scale I decided to work on stretching the fingers, so on the B and high E strings I spaced out 5 frets instead of 4. After a few minutes of this I was able to get my #3 finger stretched 5 frets from the index, which meant I could reach the 6th fret with the pinkie. When I went back to the normal 4 fret spacing the fingers were relaxed and moving fluidly. I will have to remember to incorporate extra fret spacings in my scale work.

I then worked on the arpeggio to House of the Rising Sun. After 30 minutes I began to hear the voice of the song ringing through the strings, especially in the middle D and G strings. It sounded good, and made me forget myself - I played with total concentration so that I could hear the singing - it was beautiful.

Before Spring

Yesterday I rode my bicycle to the arboretum. I carried the classical guitar with me, and in my backpack was a tasty lunch. I locked my bike to a tree in a field and walked to the circular garden. The wind was a bit stiff, but the sun kept the temperature above 60 degrees.

I sat on a lonely bench and practiced chords and scales, and played the 2 songs I know. Since there was nobody around I practiced singing into the wind, it was fun. After 45 minutes I ate my lunch and relaxed, then practiced for another 30 minutes. At the end of the session I discovered a few odd note progressions which sounded well when picked with the fingers.

As I was piecing the notes together I felt like I was writing a poem or making a photograph - the sounds reflected my mood and relationship with the surroundings. I began to feel tired after a while so packed it up and walked to my bike.

I walked for a quarter mile with the bike, then decided to sit against a tree and play some more.

In the evening I practiced in my studio, working more on the sketch.

This morning I went back to the sketch, filling in missing parts, and when I was convinced that I did not have the skill to take it any further, I wrote the notes down in a chord box. I wanted to write the sketch in music notation, but I am still in the beginning stages of learning how to read music, so had to resort to the simplistic chord boxes.

Found this on youtube :





My finger tips are sore today...

A Lightbulb Moment

Played 45 minutes beneath the fir trees in the yard today. The day was warm and sunny - still being the end of winter, it was much appreciated. I watched the chickens pecking around in the grass as I practiced Hotel Cal. on the classical.

In the evening I sat down and worked on a few new chords that Robert showed me. Many of them were barred chords. I don't have much trouble barring with the index finger when not forming chords. I can even do it somewhat adequately when I play a 3 finger barred chord. However, when I need to play what would normally be a very simple 1 or 2 finger chord barred, I usually have trouble with the D string. The D string happens to fall into a crease line at the joint of the index finger, so there is not much skin contact and the note is muted.

I noticed that the wider fretboard on my classical allows my finger to stretch across without any string hitting a crease point, so it is easier for me to make barre chords on the wider board. To overcome the problem of the narrow board on the strat, I simply moved my index finger farther across the board so that the tip is hanging over the edge.

The new placement helped, and because barre chords are an important part of playing, I am going to practice them more often every day. After a month I should have a callous line formed on my index finger, making it easier to play the chords.

I experienced this evening a beautiful breakthrough which immediately helped my scale playing. Hitherto when playing single notes on a scale, my wrist would be held in what I call the starting position. When playing chords my hand starts in this same position, but when moving into a chord, such as C, the wrist turns slightly to the left, which causes the fingers to be placed at an angle, which allows them to stretch further. It never occurred to me that having the wrist turned to this leftward angle when playing a scale would give the fingers more range and looseness. I figured it out when I began playing a new scale which Robert gave to me. It is a sliding blues scale, and in one section I have to play 2 notes which are separated by a fret, or whole step. Normally I play a 2 note whole step with the number 1 (index) finger, followed by the #3 (ring) finger. However, the slide requires me to play the whole step with the #1 and #2 fingers. Because I have small hands I was having trouble reaching the 2nd note with the #2 finger. My hand and wrist were in the normal starting position, and by chance I turned the wrist leftward, as if making a C chord, and this released the #2 finger, allowing it to reach the note with ease.

I began experimenting with the new wrist position and found that it works better for all the fingers in any position. The leftward wrist angle creates a position of looseness and finger mobility, allowing for greater speed and precision.

This discovery will immediately improve my playing. I love the satisfaction gained upon making a spontaneous discovery when doing something I love.

Hotel California and a Punching Bag

Lots of guitar practice today. After work I played chords and scales for an hour, meditated for 20 minutes, then walked to my first lesson With Robert.

Robert lives only 3/4 mile from me, so I had a pleasant walk to his house, the sun was out and it was 60 degrees. When I arrived I saw him retrieving his mail, I said hello and he invited me in. The main room is a music space filled with pictures, guitars hanging on the wall, a couple of amps, and a punching bag hanging just off center of the room. He had 2 chairs for us to sit in, and he let me plug my Strat into one of his amps. He mentioned that my guitar was a good quality model. He showed me how to tune it to his electronic tuner, and we proceeded to talk and play guitar for the next 90 minutes.

The first lesson was free, and was planned for 30 minutes, but we had a good rapport going and we just kept tossing ideas around and having fun. When I got up to leave I told him I had a great time and handed him a check paying for the next 4 lessons. I decided to also pay him for the free lesson because it was such a positive experience.

On the way home I realized how small the guitar world must be in Urbana. When I mentioned a few reasons why I was leaving my current teacher after only 3 lessons, Robert said, "that sounds like Lou". I didn't affirm or deny his guess, because I dislike talking negatively about anyone, but was surprised at his accurate statement.

When I got home I brought my playing chair and classical guitar out to the yard, under the giant fir trees, and played while watching the chickens peck around in the spring grass.

Later in the evening I played for another hour in my studio, learning another song, Hotel California, which Robert had given to me today at our lesson. The chord sequence is a B barre, then an F barre, A, E, G, D, Em, then ending with the B Barre. Strumming it is pretty easy, but I don't know the picking pattern.

After playing Hotel Cal. I practiced House of the Rising Sun some more, this time singing along to my strumming. I have never practiced singing, and was surprised how my voice sounded when hitting notes it had never attempted before - with practice I could make progress.

I also worked on my picking technique. Robert mentioned different ways of holding a pic, and of holding the hand while picking. When I got home I watched a few informative youtube vidoes on picking methods. I learned that there a numerous ways to play, and my way fits in with proper technique. I decided to shorten the length of the exposed pick, as the shorter pick surface supposedly allows for greater control. I don't anchor my hand when I pick, and Robert suggested I may find it easier to play if I do, but some of the videos mentioned that playing without anchoring allows for greater wrist flexibility. I will mention to Robert at next week's lesson my decision to remain with my current style of hand placement over the strings.