Lesson Eight

I went to my eighth lesson tonight after practicing the exercises that I had been given. I started off doing the Simpsons tune. I know where I have to go but I still seem to be struggling getting my fourth finger down and the tempo is still very slow.

We then went through the chord rhythm exercise to the Green Day tune of “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”. I had told my tutor that I had been practicing but to hear my first attempt it would be hard to believe me. I then had a go by trying to do it at the slower tempo of the tutor’s software. This did not sound any better and sometimes I got all the wrong strings I was feeling a bit frustrated with it. The tutor informed me that it was normal to not hit the cords right every time and you will have some totally off, but to try and stay in the tempo of the song and you will get back some of the chords. My problem seemed to be that I would mess up then almost start again but on the chord I was doing so as well as being wrong on the chord I could never catch up with the song and start to try and chase it. I had another go and even though this time the chords where on the whole real bad I at least kept the rhythm.

I then had to do the same song but with a new item which I purchase from my tutor called a capo. 

This is used to raise the pitch on tunes and is attached to the neck of the guitar to shorten the length of string played. On this song it need to be on the first fret.

 I had another go at the tune and it was funny hearing me strike the chords badly in a higher pitch.

We then went over my song I am trying to learn which is “Half the world away” by Oasis. I had been practicing what I had been given so far which was just the intro.  I am finding the F major seven chord very difficult to do and plucking out the individual strings while holding this cord down just gets thuds instead of the nice note I aspire for.

Just to add to the song that I am murdering we now have the main part of the start.

 I also had to learn a new chord called G/B which I am told is like a bridge chord which helps the tune cross over from one sound to another. I had a go at the rhythm which I was told I had already done before. I sort of got the right rhythm so some of the practice must be working. I also learnt tonight that I have been spelling chord as cord which is a bit embarrassing.