Beginner Song: Say It's Possible

So, if you're looking for a song that has some easy chords for you to practice, I'd suggest something like Say It's Possible by Terra Naomi. The chords used are:

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.

-Kal

Balance

Have you ever seen The Social Network? I just watched it for the second time, and I suppose it got me thinking again. I really hated it the first time to be honest, because I couldn't relate with any of the characters, and they all had their moments of, excuse my Japanese, baka-ness. I found the arguments to be incredibly petty, some of the characters to be ridiculously dense, and you could roll your eyes at every decision made. Needless to say, not a movie I enjoyed.

But watching it again, a line that came up twice (obviously, for effect), jumped out at me: "You don't want to ruin it with ads because ads aren't cool. It's like you're throwing the greatest party on campus and someone saying it's gotta be over by eleven. You don't even know what the thing is yet. How big it can get, how far it can go."

Now I really hope that no one takes this as an insult, but I'm going out on a limb here to speak my mind-- I sat here for about twenty minutes, typing up my thoughts on a reading about social capital, and how referring to social interactions as "capital" was completely devaluing human nature. And then I stopped and thought, how does this even relate to what I'm doing? Anyone who's reading this for my thoughts in the guitar isn't going to care.

Of course, the above quote popped into my head. It's hard sometimes, connecting everything together-- making this, not just an academic blog, but a blog for myself, and a blog for everyone I'm trying to reach. How do I even begin to relate social media to guitar playing?

So of course, I deleted everything I had written, and began writing this. Then I grabbed my notebook, searching my marginal notes for ideas, when I came across another quote, about "taking the entire experience [of college] and put[ting] it online".

And that's what this is about, isn't it? The college part relates, sure, because of where I am and what I'm doing; but putting it online. Taking my experience with the guitar, and putting it out there for anyone to find. And in contrast to Putnam's take on social "capital", I'm trying to reach out and connect, without expecting anything in return. I thought back to when I started playing, and how it would have been wonderful if I'd had some direction or guide through the process. But then of course, I wouldn't be doing what I am now. So that's what this is about, isn't it? It's about using my music-loving noggin to make this interesting, and about putting my experiences up online.

And even in a watered-down Justin Hall manner, I suppose I am trying to keep a fairly lose censor. I want to post everything I know about guitar, everything I find or experience, and everything I'm unsure about. Every mistake I make and every trouble I'm having. It's a way for me to organize my thoughts, like my first essay prompt this year alluded to, but it's supposed to be encouraging for anyone reading this. We've discussed building an online identity for yourself-- sometimes an extension of yourself, sometimes an avatar. And I want this image of myself to be as true as possible. Related of course to my playing, but true. I don't try to embellish things; the point is, I'm not perfect, and I don't make myself out to be. I want to be as relate-able as possible. As such, the goal will be to continue posting with a limited censor, but without losing sight of what I'm really writing about.

-Kal

The Hazards of Not Practicing

Call me crazy for posting twice within an hour, but it's taken that long for this lesson to come to fruit. After just a week of not playing, my fingers are already starting to throb from my first practice session. I can feel my calluses thickening, the skin feeling like it's stretching across my finger tips.

When you start practicing a lot, or when you haven't played in a while, you'll find that your fingers are going to be massively sore. You'll start getting these thick calluses, and you'll have to keep your nails short. The next thing that might happen (though I haven't heard of this happening to anyone else I know)-- you might find that your fingers are anomalously sensitive to heat. I remember the first time I happened take something out of the microwave after playing, and I nearly dropped it, it felt like my fingertips were on fire. The same thing happened to me in a hot shower.

And speaking of showers: don't pick up your guitar after you've taken one. Showering after you play isn't as big a deal; it might soften your calluses, but it won't wreck your fingers. Playing immediately after showering will. I of course learned this the hard way, when my friend warned me about an hour into my guitar-playing. I had been feeling great, my fingers weren't hurting at all since I had showered. When I was through, I realized the string had ripped a couple of layers into the shower-soften skin on my finger tips. Needless to say that hasn't happened since. Save yourself the pain. Please don't try it.

-Kal

The Guitarist's Many Titles

So, today I finally got back to playing. I texted my viola friend, Miguel, and said we should play together if he wasn't doing anything. We found a bunch of new songs to play. I found out he also plays the piano, so he helped me tab out one of my favorite songs-- from the piano app on his iPad. He's even been helping me with tuning by ear. I had to tune my guitar half a step down for a few songs, so we used his virtual piano for that, too.

Then in the middle of one of the songs, I was trying to show him why I couldn't play a certain chord. He was laughing at me, so of course I did the sensible thing and told him to try. Below is the chord we were trying to play:



If it's hard to see, the position for this is (320013). This one's difficult for me, since my fingers really aren't all that long. The chord also gets harder as you move down the fret board, as the neck of the guitar itself gets wider.

So, from his attempt at this chord, my friend declared that, "you must be a finger-contortionist to do this!"

And, I figure that's probably pretty appropriate. Below are a few more chords:

 



The first one is an F, which is a bar chord (133211). So far, it's the only bar chord I can comfortably hold, other than its cousins (F#, 244322 and F#m, 244222).

The second position is a G chord (320033), which is the first chord that really gave me any trouble. It's the first chord I tried that required all four fingers, and it proved to me that I really needed to work on the strength and flexibility in my hand. A quick testament to this: aside from the fact that holding the guitar with my hands reversed (literally flipping the guitar so your chord hand is now strumming), my left hand has absolutely no strength in it. I can barely hold an Em (022000) with that hand. So for any beginner guitarists who are struggling with holding the chords, keep at it. One day you will become a successful Finger Contortionist!

-Kal

The Hazards of Being Sick

So, I haven't posted in a few days since I have multiple exams and papers this week. On top of that, I've been sick since this weekend. I don't feel too horrible, just generally drained after a full day of classes and homework. On top of that though, my voice is completely shot.

As such, I haven't played for about a week-- and once you find something that you really love, not doing that thing for a week is a big deal. One of the things I started to notice, which I thought I'd share, is that even my calluses have started to go away in that amount of time. I literally haven't picked up my guitar, let alone laid a hand on the strings. With calluses thinning, my fingers are going to be incredibly sore after my next jam session. Just something to keep in mind: maintaining the calluses on your fingers will actually help in the long run, since they'll start to hurt less every time you play. On an only minor tangent, it also pays to keep your finger nails short. This will make holding down the strings easier, and will help keep your fret board in good shape.

On a happier note, I got the chance to play with one of my friends before I got sick. I had my guitar out, and finally convinced him to get his viola. He has an amazing ear for tone and pitch-- I put on some music in the background, and started playing along (I chose a song I knew, My Immortal), and then out of nowhere I hear him playing along. After one line of the verse, he had the notes down. For someone like me, who's nearly tone deaf, that was pretty amazing. Rose and I are hoping he'll play the next Open Mic Night with us. Tentative songs are My Immortal (Evanescence) and Kiss Me (Sixpence None The Richer). The first has a strings solo, and the latter uses harmonica and electric guitar. Without too much trouble though, we should be able to transpose them for the viola.

Anyway, hopefully I'll be back on track soon. If this is what we've decided on, we have a lot of practicing to do. Here's to good health and doing what you love!

-Kal

Tuning...and Its Hazards

How to tune your guitar!!! I don't have a transcript for the video (which is why I make a few mistakes when I'm speaking), but I can sum up tuning for you if you don't have time to watch the video.

I use either a standard tuner (the one I have is what I used to use for my violin), or the one built into my guitar. In the most basic sense, when you're holding the guitar: the top three pegs are turned away from you to make the note sharper (higher pitched), and toward you to make it flat (lower). It's the exact opposite for the bottom three pegs-- which is how I snapped my G-string. If you're using the tuner built into the guitar, you'll get a green light when the pitch is correct. If you're using something like my violin tuner, the needle will be centered on the screen. Just as a side note, I'm always at 440Hz with my violin tuner (it has to do with frequency, but don't worry about that too much).

The last thing I'll mention is different ways of tuning the guitar.

Standard tuning is EADGBe (excuse me for mixing up the A and D strings in the video).

Half a step down means Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, and eb. This took me a while to figure out, but the lower case "b" is used to mean "flat" in online tabs. So, E flat, A flat, etc. This means the top three pegs are turned towards you, to make the notes lower.

Drop D tuning means DADGBe.

Drop C is CGCFAD. This one tripped me up for a while, and I had to ask my friend for help. Basically, the first string drops two full notes (or "steps"), and each subsequent string drops one step. E goes down to D and then down to C. A drops to G, etc.

(For anyone who's not familiar with music at all, the notes are listed from A to G. Flats and sharps come in between the whole notes. If I have a C# (sharp), that's the same note as a Db (flat), because a sharp is half a step above a note, and a flat is half a step below a note.)-- If this is confusing, feel free to comment, and I'll ask my roommate (who's into music theory) to try and explain more clearly.

**Update** A quick note on "the hazards", which I suppose I haven't really gotten into yet: one of them of course (as mentioned above), is snapping a string while tuning.

Yet another, which has not been mentioned yet: not ten minutes after recording this video, have I lost my grip on the guitar pick, and dropped it inside my guitar. This is one of the most painful experiences you will ever go through while playing. Physical pain aside (unless your arm is really skinny, you can't reach in there and grab it), this is one of the most frustrating experiences I have ever had. Words of wisdom? It usually takes a lot of turning the guitar upside down and shaking it. It's especially difficult with mine, because of the numerous wires inside. The last time I did this, I was able to lift the pick out with a pair of tweezers. Just be careful not to drop those inside too.

**Update** My favorite guitar pick (.58 mm thickness), which has been stuck in my guitar since this post, has just been dislodged! I had been carrying the guitar back and forth today (2/22), since I was playing with my viola friend, and when I finally sat back down at my desk, I heard something that didn't sound like wires rattling around. Lo and behold, there lies my pick, obvious as ever within view of the sound hole. Took some maneuvering and tweezers again, but it has successfully been retrieved.

-Kal

The "To Learn" List

Alright, the promised intro on playing the guitar will come in the next week, but this week has been incredibly busy with exams and papers. I myself have barely found time to practice; mostly, guitar has been some minor stress relief this week, and I haven't found a whole lot of time for learning new techniques or organizing my thoughts in the best way to teach the basics.

So, here begin the guitarist's frustrations: first, in finding the time to play, and to play what you really want to learn. And second, as I'm looping my playlist of favourite songs, in finding songs that I can actually play and sing. This requires a little more explanation.

Let me start by saying that it's one of the worst feelings, to think "I'd really love to play that song"-- only to find that there are no [readable] tabs on the internet. As musically inclined as I am, I am for the life of me, completely tone deaf. I've mentioned before that I can't simply write my own music: one of the frustrations is having to rely on someone else for that.

The second frustration is that, even if I can read a tab, I can't necessarily play the song. Especially if it involves bar chords or finger picking. I really lament this, because I play for the emotional and mental aspect of it. You sing a song, and you feel like you're singing for someone. But it doesn't feel complete without the guitar. Conversely, playing a song but not being able to sing is just as frustrating. And let me tell you, overcoming that first hurdle in figuring out how to sing while strumming is quite an ordeal.

Below, I'm going to list off the songs that have been the sources of my frustrations in the past month or so. Maybe that'll motivate me to power through learning them once this crazy school work is past.

1. Desperately Wanting- Better Than Ezra (finger-picking, and very evidently an electric song. I'm currently trying to find an acoustic cover).

2. Closer to Fine- Indigo Girls (simply, a very fast-paced song, and a little too advanced for me at the moment).

3. Who Will Save Your Soul- Jewel (entirely finger-picking, and not a song that I've found can be pulled off with simple chords).

4. Even If It Kills Me- Motion City Soundtrack (electric and finger-picking).

5. Face Down- Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (even the acoustic version is throwing me off with the strumming pattern during the chorus).

6. The Islander- Nightwish (the one acoustic Nightwish song, and it's finger-picking).

7. Story of a Girl- Nine Days (this one is a possibility, if I can replace the bar chords with something comparable).

8. Winter Song- Sara Bareilles with Ingrid Michaelson (a beautiful song, but played entirely on the piano).

9. World Spins Madly On- Weepies (pretty fast strumming, and difficult chord transitions).

10. Goodbye Days- Yui (numerous bar chords, and I'm still trying to figure out the chord transitions).

On the other hand, we've found some pretty simple songs that might go on our set list for the next Open Mic Night. Among those are: You and Me (Lifehouse), Kiss Me (Sixpence None The Richer), With Me (Sum 41), and a number of Death Cab for Cutie songs.