a) What are the maintenance requirements of my instrument?
Store a guitar
- You can place it on a guitar stand
- You can put it in a guitar case
- You can hang it on a wall hook
- Some people may place it in a cabinet but it take up floor space and a re usually costly.
Main things that can go wrong with a guitar
- String breaking
- Scratches
- It going out of tune
- Dropping the pick into the guitar
Day to day maintenance requirements
Fingerboard cleaning
To clean it you have to remove the strings and use a duster to clean the neck. Use a coat of polish all over the guitar making sure to get in under the frets. If it has a lacquer finish apply guitar polish, if not then leave it.
Replace a guitar nut
Using a block of wood, hit it wit a hammer to get them loose. Nuts placed in a channel can be removed in multiple ways. Tapping the nut sideways might loosen it to be removed by hand.
Ready made nuts are available for installation, however adjustments to the slots must be made. Slots must be filed to insure correct string height; this is done with a gauged nut files.
Securing a loose guitar nut
If a nut goes loose use a few drops of wood glue to reattach it. Don't use permanent adhesives as they can create problems if the nut needs to be removed.
b) What Can I undertake personally?
Cleaning the guitar
To clean a guitar, you should use a soft cloth. Do not use a paper towel because that can scratch the guitar.
When you wipe the guitar, some of the marks might not come off unless you apply a bit of moisture to it. And then buff it with a dry cloth to remove any streaks.
There are some guitar polishes that can be used. Water-based cleaners will clean up water-soluble dirt best. The creamy polishes may have a slight abrasive and are best avoided if you have a matte-finished guitar. Oils will remove oily smudges but will not have any effect on water-soluble dirt.
This is a labelled diagram of an acoustic guitar. This shows the placements of the different parts and the actual names of them and not the abbreviated names (e.g. tuning pegs as compared to what people usually call them which is tuners.)
Tuning
You should tune your guitar every time you use it because it could have been knocked in-between uses. For this, some guitar players can tune it without a tuner but most people will use a tuner you can buy.
To use a guitar tuner, you play each string individually and adjust it to the note it is supposed to play. From the top of the guitar the notes go: E, A, D, G, B, E.
This is a labelled diagram of an acoustic guitar. This shows the placements of the different parts and the actual names of them and not the abbreviated names (e.g. tuning pegs as compared to what people usually call them which is tuners.)
Reference- acousticguitar.com/how-to-clean-your-guitar/
1.2. Personal Health and Safety Issues
a) What Health and Safety issues are there that you need to consider when playing your instrument, and when approaching your playing style?
Health and safety on the guitar
Warming Up
Before playing do a few light stretches to get your muscles looser, this will help prevent cramping and potential injuries. Also, warm up on your guitar playing before playing a whole song, you can do this by playing scales or an easy tune. If your hands/arms start to cramp up or hurt, stop, stretch and/or shake your hands and arms out.
Take Your Time
When just starting out playing don’t play for hours, build up the amount of time you play for each time. Don’t play for hours unless you have built up to get used to it this is because the body takes time to adjust to new things. Take plenty of breaks so that you don’t develop hard to get rid of injuries and aches/pains.
Don’t Play through Pain
Playing through pain can cause long lasting injuries such as tendinitis or carpal tunnel syndrome. Repeated movements for long periods, with no breaks or chances for the muscles and tendons to relax, cause both of these and other possible issues. Your body will warn you when it’s had enough.
Relax, Mentally and Physically
Learn to relax before and while playing. Your playing will improve because your muscles are more relaxed and less likely to cramp up. Being mentally relaxed also helps because you can focus, listen and play better because you’re paying attention to your playing. You also won't get as annoyed if you mess up during practise.
Pay Attention to Posture
Sit or stand with good posture while you’re playing so that you don’t develop back and shoulder issues. It’s also possible for your neck to start hurting when you don’t sit and stand correctly.
Protect Your Hearing
If using amps to enhance the volume of your guitar make sure you wear earplugs. Protecting your hearing from excessive noise levels helps to prevent potential permanent hearing loss. It can also help to prevent headaches caused by the loud music. If you aren’t wearing earplugs don’t turn the amp up excessively.
Don't play when stressed
Playing music is about reducing the amount of stress in your life, not adding to it. If you’re playing when you don’t want to, it can cause the stress levels to rise in the body, so pay attention and don’t add more stress to your life.
Playing music is about reducing the amount of stress in your life, not adding to it. If you’re playing when you don’t want to, it can cause the stress levels to rise in the body, so pay attention and don’t add more stress to your life.
b) How should you review your own approach to these issues when playing your instrument?
I need to start warming up before I play my guitar because sometimes my hand and wrist starts to hurt after a few song practises. I need to pay attention to when I start to get pain and not keep playing because i didn't know it was so bad. I need to work on my posture because I always get back and neck pain when I play. I also need to make sure I am playing when I'm relaxed so i don't get frustrated when i do something wrong.
2.1 Reviewing Personal Goals
a) What are the personal goals that you would like to achieving in playing your instrument?
My Aims As A Guitarist
To become a stronger performer, I want to work on being able to be given a song with individual picking motions and not struggle as much as I usually do. I want to be able to take my time playing a song and not rush through it to get it over and done with. I also want to practise more at home because that will help me improve my technique, and make the learning process shorter. I aim to be able to do all this by the Christmas holidays before my exam.
b) How do you intend to achieve these personal goals?
I will achieve these goals by going out of my comfort zone when picking songs to do with my guitar teacher. I will make sure I practise at least once a week to go over what I was given in my guitar lesson.
The agreed plan with my teacher is to:
1. Attend and take part in 1 hour of practical lessons per week, for a minimum of 15 weeks.
2. Attend and take part in a 20 minute lesson for my instrument, for a minimum of 15 weeks.
3. Review and reflect upon my lessons and progress each week on my blog, for a minimum of 15 weeks.
c) Blog of all rehearsals - you must state what you have achieved, and what you plan to do next week.
Week One
Goals
The main goals I would like to achieve playing my instrument are: to be able to play with fluency between strings because at the moment I am very slow playing songs depending on how fast they move. I also need to improve my posture as after a guitar lesson my neck and back ache from leaning over the guitar for 20 minutes. I need to work on making my chords clear and not muting a string by improper hand positioning. I need to not rush through the chords and focus on what I am doing and not the people around me.
What pieces did I practise today? How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
Today in class, I was practising 'Counting Stars' by One republic. I found lasting throughout the entire song without getting tired or my fingers aching was very easy compared to other songs. However, I was not very good at changing between some of the chords because you had to spread your fingers quite wide across the fret board and that is something I struggle to do. With my tutor I think I need to practise going between chords smoothly.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
Today in my instrument lesson with Mr Ellis I practised 'Study in A Minor' which is a tab piece I have been practising with him since the end of Year 9. As we haven't had a lesson in 6 weeks, he just went through the song with me practising each part one by one. By the end of the lesson we had gone through the whole song and it became a bit easier. Mr Ellis told me I need to practise it through at home just to get comfortable with it again because I didn't practise this over the summer as I was focusing on my induction task. He also told me to write a list of some songs I would like to learn and bring it to next practise, so we can pick one to start learning and he will get the music for the lesson after and we can start working on it.
Week Two
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised the 'Study in A Minor' again to refine what I was practising last week. I then started learning 'Sugar, we're goin down' by Fall Out Boy, I am only learning the introduction at the moment.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I found practising 'Study in A Minor' difficult still but I'm improving. The beginning was easy but the second half of the song I always find hard. I need to work on going smoothly between the strings in the second half and try and learn it so I don't need to keep looking at the sheet.
I found practising 'Sugar, we're goin down' quite difficult as it was my first time practising it. I found the start of the introduction easy because you just have to lay your finger across the whole fret. But I found the second half of the introduction more difficult because you have to stretch your fingers across the fret board at one point which I struggled with. I need to work on my finger placements and speed for this song because it is very upbeat.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
My instrumental lesson went very well this week learning my new song. It was better this week because I am learning a song I actually enjoy. My tutor told me I need to work on the second part of the introduction and make it as strong as the first part. I also need to tune my Low E string down to a D to be able to play this song at home.
Week Three
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I continued practising the introduction to 'Sugar, we're goin down' by Fall Out Boy.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I found practising this piece easy as there wasn't the distraction of having to go to my music lesson and I was alone in a room. I found learning the second part easy as I was really focusing on that part of the song in the hour. I found going between finger placements easy this time but I found that it was difficult not to go too fast. I need to work on my speed and not rushing through songs.
Week Four
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I continued and added to the song 'Sugar, we're goin down' by Fall Out Boy.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?I found practising this piece easy as there wasn't the distraction of having to go to my music lesson and I was alone in a room. I found learning the second part easy as I was really focusing on that part of the song in the hour. I found going between finger placements easy this time but I found that it was difficult not to go too fast. I need to work on my speed and not rushing through songs.
Week Four
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I continued and added to the song 'Sugar, we're goin down' by Fall Out Boy.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I found practising the introduction from last week easier and I have almost got the second part of the introduction accurate and sounding as it should. I found the new part (the verse) quite challenging as the first part of the verse is like the second part of the introduction. I need to work on my picking accuracy to make sure I am picking the correct strings and not the strings around it.My instrument lesson went well but it was quite difficult. I started learning the new part of the song which is half the verse, as the start of the verse does not have any guitar in it. My tutor gave me a lot of things to improve on for next week. Firstly, I need to keep my wrist locked onto the bridge of the guitar, which will help me with my picking accuracy. I also need to keep my fretting hand open with a gap under the neck and my hand. I need to hit both notes evenly as I strum them. I need to loop the 1/2 verse riffs around to help finding the synchronisation. Finally, I need to work on the control of the notes and not focus on the speed.
Week Five
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'Sugar, we're goin down' by Fall Out Boy and 'The Kids aren't alright' by The Offspring.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I found practising Fall Out Boy easier this week and I find the entire introduction easier now. The single picking sections I struggled with as I am not doing it with the accuracy that is needed for the song. I found practising the song by The Offspring quite difficult and I didn't really find any part of it easy. He chose this song because it will help me with the technique I need for 'Sugar, we're goin down' and other songs I have chosen.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
My instrument lesson was difficult this week as we were working on the parts I am struggling on and he introduced a new song which is also difficult. For 'Sugar, we're goin down' I need to work on keeping my fingers pushed down harder on the strings.
For 'The Kids Aren't Alright' I need to keep a gap under my hand so there is space between my fretting hand and the guitar neck. I need to break it into two bar sections and follow the rhythm of 8th notes. I also need to be more forceful with my picking action because that is the style of the song and I am doing it too gentle. In general I need to be careful of my fingers the whole time.
Week Six
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'Sugar, we're goin down' by Fall Out Boy and 'The Kids aren't alright' by The Offspring.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I am finding 'Sugar, we're goin down' easier as I practise it more and more. However, the first part of the verse is still difficult as I can't get all the notes to flow how they need to. I need to work on my accuracy, not just with the notes but how they are played. I found 'The Kids aren't alright' easy when practising it all split into sections of where I have to change strings. I find it difficult to do it all as one song, but to be able to play it altogether, I need to perfect it separately and work on moving my fingers correctly.
Week Seven
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I am finding 'Sugar, we're goin down' easier as I practise it more and more. However, the first part of the verse is still difficult as I can't get all the notes to flow how they need to. I need to work on my accuracy, not just with the notes but how they are played. I found 'The Kids aren't alright' easy when practising it all split into sections of where I have to change strings. I find it difficult to do it all as one song, but to be able to play it altogether, I need to perfect it separately and work on moving my fingers correctly.
Week Seven
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'The Kids Aren't Alright' by The Offspring.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I found practising this piece easier than last week as I'm starting to pick up on the pattern throughout the part I'm practising. I am finding it easier as I am splitting it into sections I can loop separately as I practise. I am finding changing my finger position fast difficult. I need to practise on making it clear and have fluency as I go through the strings.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
In this week's lesson, we focused on 'The Kids Aren't Alright' because once I have perfected it, all the other songs I have picked will be easier to play. My tutor told me to work on breaking it into loops and practising each part separately. I also need to work on pushing down hard enough with my fingers, so the sound comes out properly.
Week Eight
Week Thirteen
What pieces did I practise today?
Week Fourteen
Week Sixteen
Week Eighteen
Week Nineteen
a) What comments has your tutor made about your progress?
b) What are their reports on your:
iii) stamina
For each recording, write an evaluation of what went well in the performance, and what you would like to work on next.
I think that the recording went well and sounded quite good. I think this one would also sound better with an electric and that it was quite quiet at the beginning, i don't think i strummed the guitar with enough power. I should have because this song has a lot of power chords. - Recorded 7th March 2017
Week Eight
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'The Kids Aren't Alright' by The Offspring.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I am finding this piece easier as I practise it more and I am finding moving between strings easier. But I find doing it at a fast speed like the song is supposed to be played difficult. I need to work on my speed but also think of keeping it accurate and not messy.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
In this week's music lesson, we practised 'The Kids Aren't Alright' and learnt some new parts of the song. I am finding the part I was learning last week easier and I am finding the new part easy as well but I still need to work on it. My teacher told me I need to keep the chord tones open and in the correct frets, I need to pick and push harder on the strings and try to use different fingers in the single note riffs. I also need to weave all three riffs together.
Week Nine
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'The Kids Aren't Alright' by The Offspring and I briefly practised 'Sugar, we're goin down' by Fall Out Boy.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I am finding practising these pieces easier, am I am finding the new part of The Offspring song easier that the first half which I still need to work on. I need to work on my accuracy and moving between the strings with fluency. In the Fall Out Boy song I need to work on weaving it altogether and practising it with the original to get the speed similar. For both of the songs I need to focus on practising the bits I am struggling on, not playing the parts I already know and can do.
Week Ten
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'The Kids Aren't Alright' by The Offspring.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I am finding practising these pieces easier, I am still finding the first section the most difficult but I am working through it. I am working through it by not breaking it into sections anymore, but just playing it all through together. I am finding the last part the easiest but in the middle part I am struggling with going between the chords. I need to work on the fluency between the strings still because I am still struggling with it.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
I haven't had it this week due to my teacher being absent.
Week Eleven
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'The Kids Aren't Alright' by The Offspring.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I found practising these pieces more difficult because when we add new sections I have to try to link them all together with little time not playing. I am finding all the sections separately except the first one easy. I am finding the first section difficult because there are a lot of quick finger changes. I need to work on my accuracy and using the right picking motions.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
Today we practised the last section and a new section. My tutor told me I need to work on using alternate picking for the powered up notes. Also, I need to use more than one finger to play the notes, I need to keep my picking strong and consistent. I finally need to follow my palm mute markings.
Week Twelve
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'The Kids Aren't Alright' by The Offspring and 'The Rock Show' by Blink 182.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I am finding The Offspring's song easier and I recorded it today because I think it is going well. I will carry on practising this song and do an improved recording in a few weeks to show my progress. I started learning 'The Rock Show' today and I am finding it a lot easier than 'The Kids Aren't Alright'. I am finding picking the exact strings difficult but after practising I find it easier. I need to work on just making it more accurate so I could possibly do a recording of it very soon.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
Today we vaguely practised 'The Kids Aren't Alright' and he told me I need to work on hitting the strings harder in riff 4. We also learnt a new song called 'The Rock Show' and I need to break the intro into 2 bar phrases to help my fingers familiarise themselves with the parts. I need to always keep my picking hand rested on the bridge of the guitar and work on the synchronisation between my picking hand and fretting fingers.
Week Thirteen
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'The Rock Show' and 'What's My Age Again' both by Blink 182.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I found practising 'The Rock Show' easy because it is a very simple riff. I am going to possibly record it at some point soon as I think it is almost up to scratch. I currently just need to work on perfecting it. I started practising my new song 'What's My Age Again' and I am finding it quite difficult to get the speed coupled with the accuracy. I am finding doing it slower easier but still difficult.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
My instrument lesson went very well today. We practised through 'The Rock Show' and then he gave me the new song 'What's My Age Again' by Blink 182. He has given me both of these to build up my skills for when I start learning my choice of songs (Fall Out Boy, Twenty One Pilots, etc). He gave me nothing to work on for 'The Rock Show' but says I need to keep practising it, I also need to keep practising 'The Kids Aren't Alright' by The Offspring. For 'What's My Age Again' I need to work on using my 3rd and 4th fingers to play the 11th frets on the G+B strings and for riff one I have to use the picking pattern down, down, up, up.
Week Fourteen
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'What's My Age Again' by Blink 182.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I am finding practising this piece very difficult. I am finding the first section very difficult with the changes and doing them smoothly. I am finding the power chord section easier but it is still difficult as I am putting my fingers in the wrong frets. I need to work on my picking technique and just overall making it more precise.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
My instrument lesson was very difficult today. We were going through 'What's My Age Again' I was really struggling and I was messing up a lot. He told me I need to work on the sound of my note playing, making sure I am getting strong clean notes from the guitar. I need to try pushing into the strings harder especially my third finger, keeping strong contact against the strings. A longer target I need to do progressively is to build up my finger strength for chord sections.
Week Fifteen
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'What's My Age Again' by Blink 182.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I am finding practising this piece quite difficult and I think it is going to take me a few more weeks to get right. I am not really finding any of it easy. I am finding keeping stamina throughout the song difficult and after a while of practising it I start to get blisters on my fingers. I need to work on keeping pressure on strings, on stringing it all together and my speed.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
For the intro I need to work on making sure I am keeping a constant level of pressure on the strings throughout, the aim is to stop any muted notes. I need to aim to play the whole thing 6 times through smoothly. For the chorus, I need to be more accurate on the strings I am playing when hitting the power chords. I need to keep my wrist locked in on the bridge. By next week I need to have got to 140 bpm.
Week Sixteen
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'What's My Age Again' by Blink 182.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I am finding practising this pieces easier. I am able to play through the song at a reasonably fast speed. I need to work on just generally neatening the song up because I have been focusing more on speed that accuracy.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
I did not have a music lesson today due to my teacher being absent.
Week Seventeen
What pieces did I practise today?
I briefly practised 'What's My Age Again' by Blink 182 and then I practised 'Sugar, we're Goin Down' by Fall Out Boy.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I am finding the Blink 182 song easier now and I am getting through it fast and accurately. I am finding the Fall Out Boy song quite easy because there are a lot of power chords involved and nothing too complicated. I am finding one section of the song difficult but I am finding it easier than when we were doing it a few months ago.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
My instrumental lesson went well this week and we have started learning 'Sugar, we're Goin Down' again after we stopped learning it to work on my skills. He told me I had improved a lot since last time we played this song. He has given me the whole song to learn, unlike last time when he only gave me part of it. During the verse, I need to keep my fingers closer to the strings. I also need to play all the strings harder and be more aggressive to the way I play the strings throughout. I need to be working on the song up to bar 53.
Week Eighteen
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'Sugar, we're goin down' by Fall Out Boy.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I am finding this piece easy to practise as it is fairly repetitive throughout but some parts of it I am still messing up on and need to practise. I need to work on my accuracy and not just focus on my fingers on the fretting board but also what strings I am picking. I need to work it up to the right speed without favouring speed over accuracy.
I am finding this piece easy to practise as it is fairly repetitive throughout but some parts of it I am still messing up on and need to practise. I need to work on my accuracy and not just focus on my fingers on the fretting board but also what strings I am picking. I need to work it up to the right speed without favouring speed over accuracy.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
Today, we went through the whole song and focused on the areas that I am struggling on, because I am not finding it very difficult. He told me to keep my picking more accurate during the riffs. Also, I need to make sure I am playing the correct strings.
Today, we went through the whole song and focused on the areas that I am struggling on, because I am not finding it very difficult. He told me to keep my picking more accurate during the riffs. Also, I need to make sure I am playing the correct strings.
Week Nineteen
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'Sugar, we're goin down' by Fall Out Boy.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I am finding this piece easy but finding getting up to speed whilst keeping it accurate and not sounding messy, is really difficult. I need to work on the speed of the song and get it to the speed of the original. I am finding the same parts difficult as I have most of the way through. But as i practise those parts more, they are getting slightly easier.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
In my instrumental lesson I practised the song all the way through twice, the first time just picking out where I'm struggling and the second time trying to get it to the right speed. My tutor told me to work on getting it up to the speed of how Fall Out Boy originally plays it.
Week Twenty
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'Sugar, we're goin down' by Fall Out Boy.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I was finding it easy and then he added in some new things I had to do which made it more difficult. I need to work on my speed and flowing in between when parts change. I am finding all the sections easy individually but tying them together smoothly is very hard.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
In my lesson I worked on the first two pages and increasing the speed of them. I was trying to string all the pieces together so they have fluidity. Also, we are working on getting it up to the 82 beats per minutes that the song is at originally.
Week Twenty-One
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'Sugar, we're goin down' and started learning 'Thnks Fr Th Mmrs' by Fall Out Boy.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I found 'Sugar, we're goin down' easy as I was only going through it because I have been doing it for quite a few weeks now. I think I am going to record it next week because we are finishing up with it. I started to learn 'Thnks Fr Th Mmrs' also by Fall Out Boy today. I am finding this one easy at the moment because it is just power chords. However, I need to work on making it faster and more precise.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
In my instrumental lesson today he gave me a new song to learn because I had generally perfected the other one. He told me I need to keep practising 'Sugar, we're goin down' but I need to start practising and going through the new song.
Week Twenty-Two
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'Thnks Fr Th Mmrs' by Fall Out Boy.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I'm finding 'Thnks Fr Th Mmrs' easy because there are no complicated chords and it is basically just power chords. I think I am going to be able to record very soon. I am planning on recording 'Sugar, we're goin down' tomorrow because I have finished doing it now.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
Today he gave me the full song for 'Thnks Fr Th Mmrs'. I need to even out my picking notes and keep the notes the correct length. I need to keep control of my picking because it can get a bit messy. I also need to make sure I follow the accurate beats as I sometimes do too many or too little.
Week Twenty-Three
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'Thnks Fr Th Mmrs' by Fall Out Boy.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I found this piece fairly easy as it is very repetitive throughout, it just took a while to get back into it as i was practising 'Sugar, we're goin down' also by Fall Out Boy. I need to work on going through it all the way and recording it in the next week.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
We went through the whole song, and he said we will be learning a new song next week which isn't Fall Out Boy as my last two songs have been theirs. I need to work on not palm muting too hard and keeping my rhythms as steady as possible. He also told me to work on hitting the strings harder throughout, i need to work along with a metronome and start at 68 moving up to the full speed of 78 bpm.
Week Twenty-Four
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'Thnks Fr Th Mmrs' by Fall Out Boy and Pentatonic Scale.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I am finding Thnks Fr Th Mmrs easy and will probably be recording it at one point this week. I started learning a pentatonic scale which is quite hard because it is a lot different to what I'm used to playing usually.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
Today, he gave me a one-off different lesson to work on a pentatonic scale, which is a scale often used in rock songs. He told me it will help with the songs i have picked as they use this kind of style. Next week we are going to learn another one of the songs i have picked out.
Week Twenty-Five
What pieces did I practise today?
Today, I practised 'Thnks Fr Th Mmrs' by Fall Out Boy, Pentatonic Scale and 'The Rock Show' by Blink 182.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I found practising the Fall Out Boy song easy and I was just going over the song so I could record it this lesson. I was also finding Pentatonic Scale easy so I decided to record that at the same time I recorded the Fall Out Boy song. I decided to go back and start practising the Blink 182 song because I never got round to recording it. This song is very simple with the picking pattern and is very short.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
My tutor was not present this week.
Week Twenty-Six
Week Twenty-Six
What pieces did I practise today?
I practised 'The Rock Show' by Blink 182 and exercises my teacher gave me.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I found 'The Rock Show' easy because I had practised it a lot before but I just needed to go over it to record it. I just found it a bit difficult to get back into after a while. The exercises my teacher gave me were very hard. i was struggling with the techniques I needed to do them.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
In my instrumental lesson I went over the pentatonic scale I was given last week to make sure I knew what I was doing. I think i have improved on it but i need to carry on working on it. He gave me exercises to do and said I need to work on keeping my fingers close to the fretboard as I play, use up and down strokes and to stretch my hand across the fretboard.
Week Twenty-Seven
What pieces did I practise today?
Today I practised my exercises and 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies' by Panic! At The Disco.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I am finding the exercises easier as I continue to practise them. However, i still need to work on them to improve further. I started practising 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies' today and i found it quite difficult to do the chord changes and remember the strumming patterns because they are very jumpy.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
Today, we practised my exercises through and he showed me some more ways to increase my practising strategies. I need to work on picking into the string harder and playing with confidence. I also need to keep control of each note and work every exercise up to the 9th and 12th fret area and back down to the 1st and 4th fret areas. He told me to aim to practise 15-20 minutes per day on the exercise shapes. He also gave me 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies' and all i need to remember for that is to drop the D tuning. I am going to try and get it faster because the speed is 170 bpm and at the moment I am quite slow. That song isn't very involved so he also gave me 'This Is Gospel' also by Panic! At The Disco but I haven't started that yet.
Week Twenty-Eight
What pieces did I practise today?
Today i practised my exercises and 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies' by Panic! At the Disco.
How did I find practising these pieces? What was easy? What was difficult? What techniques do I need to work on?
I am finding my exercises easier as i have been practising them regularly so my hand is getting accustomed to them. I am finding the Panic! At the disco song easier and i am finding the first part easy but i need to still work on it.
How did my instrumental lesson go this week? What did my tutor tell me to work on in relation to my performance skills?
Today, we were practising 'I write sins not tragedies' and we played the chorus through multiple times. I need to work on making sure all notes come out correctly, to keep engaged with the rhythms, follow the picking patterns strictly and work between your problem chord changes. I need to aim to work on note accuracy and quality of note sound rather than just speed. He told me control is key to a better chordal movement.
3.1 Review of your progress
a) What comments has your tutor made about your progress?
My tutor thinks I have improved in many areas of my guitar playing. He thinks i try hard to master any song he gives me and that i am progressing fast from being a beginner. He praises my ability to move onto more complex songs where i have to increase my skill set to master them.
I am now able to comfortably work with my guitar and after a while any song or passage of a song i am given.
I am now able to comfortably work with my guitar and after a while any song or passage of a song i am given.
b) What are their reports on your:
i) technical ability
I am still in the early stages of guitar playing however i have progressed well considering I was a complete beginner at the start of the course. I picked up fast and have learnt everything i have been given. I can comfortably control the guitar, play chords, single note passages, riffs and song parts and play with some alternate tunings.
ii) dexterity
I am very steady with my fingers but i still need to improve my control and independence of each finger more. However this has improved quickly since beginning my lessons.ii) dexterity
iii) stamina
I can play through full songs and pieces; my stamina is very good, even if some of the song parts do require a great amount of movement I always try my hardest. I'm getting better at working my way through all aspects of the music i have been learning.
iv) control of the instrument
Since day one my teacher thinks I have seemed comfortable on the guitar. Very few things have really stumped me. I work hard on the parts that cause me any difficulty and usually gain control of the motion on the guitar quickly. As the songs I learn get more challenging I always make the parts work for myself which is a sign of control and understanding of the instrument. I am always improving and have grown well with the guitar.
c) All recordings and dates of these recordings
For each recording, write an evaluation of what went well in the performance, and what you would like to work on next.
I think this went well because I played it all the way through without any huge mistakes and i think it flowed quite well. The only thing i would change is next time using an electric guitar because it is a rock song and i think it would sound better. - Recorded 20th February 2017
I liked this recording and i think i did it well all the way through as this is a different kind of recording to what i have previously done. I think i could improve for next time by recording in a quieter area and playing louder. - Recorded 7th March 2017
I think this recording went well considering I recorded it quite a while after I was doing it. I think next time i should play it louder and maybe repeat it because it is quite a short recording. - Recorded 14th March 2017
I think this song went well because it was a very complex song that took me weeks to be able to do decently. Next i will work on changing chords because during some parts i did that slowly. - Recorded 15th November 2016
3.2 Final Evaluation
a) What are your achievements, in relation to the personal goals you chose at the beginning of the course?
I have been able to do songs with individual picking patterns much easier and when i get given them i feel confident that i can do them and not struggle. This is compared to before when i could not do songs like this because i had never come across them before.
I now have more control when it comes to the speed of the song and don't speed up like i did at the beginning of the course. Sometimes i have difficulty at the start of the song getting the right pace but i eventually get the right speed for the song.
I can now play with much more fluency between strings and chords, from consistent practice of going between chords.
My posture while playing guitar has gotten much better,i no longer get such bad back and neck pain because i now sit up straighter while i'm playing.
b) What are the strengths in your progress?
I am now able to not be intimidated when given a new piece of music because there is usually another piece i have previously done that i can link to it to make it more familiar.
I am now able to play a wider range of guitar styles, using different techniques and doing not only chords but tab.
Now my guitar playing flows much better and it has less and shorter pauses while i go between chords.
c) What do you need to continue to work on as a performer?
I still need to practise more at home so i have more practise with my songs and i can work on them in a different environment where i can concentrate more. I will do this by practicing at least once a week at home to keep on trying to improve the piece i'm working on.
I also want to become more confident as a performer, i will do this by practicing some of my pieces to other people because i haven't done that and i want it to be less scary when i have to do the final performance. I could do this by performing in front of people in class or people at home to build my confidence and get ideas on how to improve.
I still need to focus on not muting strings while play because of my hand positioning that sometimes doesn't stay upright while playing. I will do this by practising chords and trying to consistently keep my hand positioning as i play them.
I need to work on my technique because that will further improve my strings not getting muted and the overall sound of all my pieces. This will help me as a performer because it will make my songs sound better and my performance will be more enjoyable for me and anyone else watching.
I aim to do this by the end of the course.
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