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Progress report:<\/p>\nProgress report:<\/p>\n
You learn three chords, you can play any rock n\u2019 roll song in the books<\/em><\/p>\n My father said that\u2026and much as I hate to admit it, he was probably right.<\/p>\n I knew for the last two weeks that Strange (that\u2019d be my guitar) was definitely not tuned properly. She was tuned enough for me to kind of fumble through things, and was basically in tune with herself<\/em>, but she was definitely not actually in<\/em> tune. The truth is, I have great ears for melody \u2013 you give me the starting note and I can most likely sing you the whole chart, just don\u2019t ask me to find<\/em> the starting note, because those ears of mine are really not that good with pitch. Guilty secret \u2013 the singer has great intonation but lousy pitch detection. It is ever my shame. So anyway, I knew my E-string was tuned too low, but I couldn\u2019t for the life of me manage to fix it. Thankfully, Amras was able to easily. Note to self: your boyfriend will not usually be there to tune your<\/em> guitar Shaughnessy, get yourself a tuning app for your phone please? Or learn to use a tuning fork. This is not a skill you can continue not having.<\/p>\n Anyway, when he first walked in the cabin tonight, Amras asked politely if he could say hello to Strange. I said yes of course, but watched him wince as he struck the first chord<\/p>\n Ouch<\/em><\/p>\n Yeah, I know, my E-string is off, I can\u2019t get it tuned right<\/em><\/p>\n Whole thing\u2019s too low, give me a second here<\/em><\/p>\n So now my guitar is in tune properly. Which obviously makes a rather big difference in being able to play it. Let\u2019s just say she sounds better now. And after a steady 45 minutes I had another three chords to add to my tenuous library.<\/p>\n Okay, so first finger here\u2026second finger here\u2026.third finger here. Now play that. There\u2019s your B.<\/em><\/p>\n I think B may be my new D, replacing D as the \u201cchord my fingers really hate the most\u201d. It stretches two frets and it hurts<\/em>, my wrist does not like adjusting that way. Yet. But I got used to the D, I can get used to this. As it is I did manage it slowly and carefully.<\/p>\n Okay, now finger an E major, right\u2026now take that first finger and slide it over one fret. And now slide it back. There\u2019s your \u201cAhem\u201d chord, also better known as an Esus4<\/em><\/p>\n Heh, everything takes a two<\/em><\/p>\n What was that?<\/em><\/p>\n Just something my piano teacher used to say, everything takes a two. Got into big debates with Dad about it. Sus chords always remind me of it.<\/em><\/p>\n And then there was my favourite moment of revalation<\/p>\n So, do you remember how to play a G?<\/em><\/p>\n Ah, no\u2026I know that was the first thing you ever showed me, but it was a really long time ago<\/em><\/p>\n And it was. At least in ship time. Amras showed me that chord at least two seasons ago when I had passingly mentioned an interest in one day maybe picking a guitar. Well before I owned Strange. At the time, I couldn\u2019t even come close to mastering it, I remember trying to fumble through fingering it on the Tele and being so unable to even press down the strings that I laughed and explained that my \u2018fingers don\u2019t bend that way\u2019.<\/p>\n So today, I started back at the beginning.<\/p>\n Thumb here, third finger here, crossing those two strings, yup, like that\u2026there\u2019s your G<\/em><\/p>\n And I could do it! Now only could I do it, it actually felt\u2026almost comfortable?<\/p>\n Okay, now switch that to a D, and back, and again, and now to a C\u2026wild\u2026.thing\u2026you make my\u2026heart\u2026sing.<\/em><\/p>\n Gah! I can actually hear that! I mean that actually makes sense to me!<\/em><\/p>\n Yup, three chords, and you can play rock n\u2019 roll<\/em><\/p>\n And I burst out laughing<\/p>\n What\u2019s funny?<\/em><\/p>\n That\u2019s what my Dad says. <\/em><\/p>\n He\u2019s right<\/em><\/p>\n And suddenly the chord chart in front of me for Candle in the Wind<\/em> that I have been trying to get through and getting painfully frustrated with for days started making sense<\/em>. I\u2019m not fast, it\u2019s not smooth, but what it is<\/em> is recognizable<\/p>\n When I realized that I wasn\u2019t sure whether I wanted to laugh or cry. Because in that moment, for the first time since I actually picked Strange up\u2026I started to think hey\u2026maybe I really can<\/em> do this.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Progress report: You learn three chords, you can play any rock n\u2019 roll song in the books My father said that\u2026and much as I hate to admit it, he was probably right. I knew for the last two weeks that … Continue reading