Em7 (022033) Cadd9 (032033)
G (320033) G/f# (200033)
This song is great because the chords are merely variations of each other; that is, two of your fingers stay in the same place for the entire song. This is good for two reasons: one, you can work on transitioning between chords (if you've never done this before, it takes quite a bit of coordination), and second, it helps to build strength in your hands. You might not realize it, but holding down your fingers in the same position for the entire song is actually quite difficult. Even now, my hands get tired playing this song all the way through.
I want to point out something quickly about the tab: you'll notice that the capo is on the second fret. All chords, when listed, are still relative to the capo. You can imagine how confusing it would be if I listed the finger notation with no regard for the capo. I've seen chords listed as, for example, Em7 (044055), and I think to myself, "that's not an Em7 chord". Then when I get my hand around the guitar, I realize that the notation isn't relative to the capo.
The video is posted below so that you can hear the strumming pattern. These are the only four chords used, and they are repeated in the same pattern for the entire song.
I just want to say, thanks so much to Rose for recording this with me-- it's a completely different feeling, recording with a friend versus singing and playing by myself. Aside from the fact that I can barely hit these notes, and she has a gorgeous voice, this was just a lot of fun. It did require some patience (this is our third take), and we couldn't even upload the high quality version because of some technical issues.
There were a few more things I wanted to mention, relating to the reading we talked about in my English class today. I actually started this post before class, and I just left the building about five minutes ago. Before class though, I had been thinking about a very minor point at the end of the chapter, about "living them [conflicts about self presentation] out in public, sharing every mistake and false step" (Turkle). While life mistakes lived on Facebook and such might be embarrassing, I also find the concept liberating in a sense. I mean, that's part of what this blog is about. I'm not perfect, I'm not a perfect guitarist-- if you listen to the video, you'll hear the metallic vibration of loose strings against the fretboard, because my hands were getting tired. We went through a few takes, editing, re-editing, knowing we weren't going to be perfect. But that's ok with me. I'm not trying to be perfect; I'm putting myself out there, with the level of experience I have, and nothing more.
And now, this brings me to the point of identity. I've been grappling with this idea of trying to go against what Turkle says about only presenting "the best" or "a fragment" of ourselves. I'm trying to write as myself, about my life, my experience, and my mistakes. But in a way I suppose, that's also presenting a "form" of myself. I'm trying not to appear perfect, trying to prove that I make mistakes. And in a sense, that itself is only a sliver of who I am. In reality, I've been known to be insecure about my short-comings, afraid of performing and presenting. So in reality, maybe this is blog is just a reflection of the part of me that wants to be fearless and confident. Maybe that was some of the reasoning behind why I started this blog.
It seems like a bit of a contradiction, an oxymoron, when you think about it. I'm trying to be myself, but in doing so, I'm presenting a self that I want to be, that I strive towards. To me though, that's ok-- it's not a self that's perfect, that's skinny, smiling, and a perfect guitar player. It's a self that makes mistakes and is ok with that. It's a self that's trying to share her experience, and a well-rounded and complex self that I want to live for. If technology is making me present a sliver of myself, then I'll turn that on its head, and make it a way to improve my life instead of a force that diminishes it.
There were a few more things I wanted to mention, relating to the reading we talked about in my English class today. I actually started this post before class, and I just left the building about five minutes ago. Before class though, I had been thinking about a very minor point at the end of the chapter, about "living them [conflicts about self presentation] out in public, sharing every mistake and false step" (Turkle). While life mistakes lived on Facebook and such might be embarrassing, I also find the concept liberating in a sense. I mean, that's part of what this blog is about. I'm not perfect, I'm not a perfect guitarist-- if you listen to the video, you'll hear the metallic vibration of loose strings against the fretboard, because my hands were getting tired. We went through a few takes, editing, re-editing, knowing we weren't going to be perfect. But that's ok with me. I'm not trying to be perfect; I'm putting myself out there, with the level of experience I have, and nothing more.
And now, this brings me to the point of identity. I've been grappling with this idea of trying to go against what Turkle says about only presenting "the best" or "a fragment" of ourselves. I'm trying to write as myself, about my life, my experience, and my mistakes. But in a way I suppose, that's also presenting a "form" of myself. I'm trying not to appear perfect, trying to prove that I make mistakes. And in a sense, that itself is only a sliver of who I am. In reality, I've been known to be insecure about my short-comings, afraid of performing and presenting. So in reality, maybe this is blog is just a reflection of the part of me that wants to be fearless and confident. Maybe that was some of the reasoning behind why I started this blog.
It seems like a bit of a contradiction, an oxymoron, when you think about it. I'm trying to be myself, but in doing so, I'm presenting a self that I want to be, that I strive towards. To me though, that's ok-- it's not a self that's perfect, that's skinny, smiling, and a perfect guitar player. It's a self that makes mistakes and is ok with that. It's a self that's trying to share her experience, and a well-rounded and complex self that I want to live for. If technology is making me present a sliver of myself, then I'll turn that on its head, and make it a way to improve my life instead of a force that diminishes it.
-Kal
No comments:
Post a Comment