Lesson 45 Tuesday 19th November 2013

This lesson I concentrated all lesson on the song "Maggie May" by Rod Stuart.
I first started with the Intro.

At first I had trouble getting anything together on this part as I think nerves had go to me. Why I do not know as it was only me and the teacher and I know he is there to help and guide. Once I relaxed I got a few goes under my belt.
I was having the same problem as last week with not getting the rhythm correct or even not changing quick enough. After listening to a recording of the song and watching for the changes that my teacher was doing I started to get some sort of tune going.

I then had a look at the chorus.

This part is very rough and I did spend a lot of time just getting used to changing from Em to F#m which is another bridge chord.

The change over is difficult to do smooth but on the good side once I am on the chord they are starting to sound much more crisp.

Lesson 46 26th November 2013

I started off this lesson again going through the Rod Stuart song “Maggie May”.

I started off with the intro.

This has started to get better but it does seem to me that it takes me a few times round to get the rhythm correct. What I mean is I am strumming correctly but it’s like the timing is just slightly off. Once I hear the teacher go through it once or maybe twice I sort of get it. Some parts of this are not very crisp with me being too late on the D from the G. However after a fair bit of practice I did get very close.

The main part is made up of four verses with no choruses.

It took me a few times to forget the intro rhythm and play the main songs rhythm. The main had parts have been the change from G to D again and also from G to A and of course the Em to F#m thing. We spent a lot of time just getting the structure of this part and getting use to the changeover. Doing this part slow and getting the changeover correct was a good idea but there was something inside of me wanting to strum along at the right speed even though I probably would go too fast and make a pig’s ear out of it all.

After practicing this till my fingers where bleeding the teacher wanted to see how I was fairing with the Animals song “House Of The Rising Sun”.

Well the easy answer to that would be not very well. I have to confess that I have been practicing but most of the time on Maggie May so this song is still in it’s very raw (by that I mean sounds very bad) state.

I went through the first part and we looked at the position of my strumming hand the directions I was plucking. After a few times it did sound better but still very raw.

Lesson 44 Tuesday 12th November 2013

I started off my lesson with the Rod Stuart song “Maggie May”. I have been playing the intro a lot at home. 

After many hours playing it I even played the intro to my wife. This song is one of my wife’s favourites, so I was a little disappointed that she had no idea what the song was until I told her. I am guessing that my version is not up to scratch and she was just being polite when I told her what it was.

I always get nervous playing for the first time at my lesson like I am in an exam or something. My teacher does help me relax though but it still take me several goes before I forget myself and just go for it. After the first few goes at the intro it comes apparent that I was getting the rhythm wrong. I was missing out a down strum at the start of each bar after the first D. 

Having now got aware of it I was having great trouble getting rid of it and playing each chord too. To combat this we just went through the bar several times on just one chord so I could get the correct rhythm of the bar and feel it. This took an awhile to do but after I had it I had to get onto the other problem of the change from chord to chord.

I have been trying to practice the technique of taking most fingers off on the last strum of the chord to help get to the next chord. The problem has been that I am too late every time. I am coming off on the first strum of the next bar not the last of the bar before.

We practiced this many times and I built up the process from chord to chord until I could get all the way through once. Unfortunately the intro needs to go through the pattern twice. On the second runs I would go too late again.

We practiced this for a while and I am very close to cracking it. I just need to relax and go with it.

The final part of the lesson we went through the riff Madness on the song “Our House”.

This is still working progress. My main problem seems to be that I want to look in both places the neck for the fingers on the frets and also what string I am strumming. I need to get the feel of where the strings are for strumming I think that way I can concentrate on where my fingers are on the fret board.

Lesson 43 Tuesday 5th November 2013

I went to this lesson with a fanfare of fireworks. Not because I was living now as some rock god but because it was bonfire night. With the fireworks going off it was a welcome change for something else to be scaring the local wild life rather than my playing.

We started off with the Madness Riff from “Our House”.

This still has problems for me with my fingers not getting in the correct place. Things have improved though as I am trying hard to pluck only down and keeping my hand in the correct place. I still need to remember to lift my finger off after I pluck the string though as if I don’t the sound still rings through.

I then went next onto looking at the song by Rod Stuart “Maggie May”. 

 I have practiced this but I don’t seem to get the rhythm correct. After a few goes and listening to the song and the way the teacher played the song I would sort of get the rhythm. I need to change from one chord to the next much quicker. The teacher gave me a guide of fingers so that I would not have all the fingers down for the last strum on the bar so that it would give me a chance to get to the next chord quicker and it makes this a sort of transition strum.

After many goes on the intro we looked at the main rhythm of the song. 

The rhythm is just a little different.

I had a go at this rhythm but kept on getting the intro rhythm instead.