#5: A Step Back in Time

Progress:

It's time for... BLOG POST #5 !! After reflecting on my little experiment from my previous blog post, the results made me realize that going back to the core of fundamental values and techniques is the route I should take. So to enhance my skills of basic chord knowledge and finger coordination, I decided to take a step back in time by going back to when I was beginning my journey as a flutist.

When I first started playing the flute, it was difficult to play a song smoothly since I had no musical experience prior and had no knowledge of how to read music. So to help me learn how to read sheet music, my music teacher (Mr. Ling) told the music class to write in the notes with pencil if it was necessary. Mr. Ling reminded us to write it in pencil so that we could eventually erase it, and he urged us not to get in the habit of relying on written notes. With this in mind, I decided to go back to my days as a beginning musician and apply that once again to playing the guitar. I didn't write out the notes by hand, but what I did was still the same concept. I used a photo editing app called PicsArt to add the notes onto screenshots of the tab music.

Trial #2: Amazing Grace

Reflection:

With the notes written in, it was much easier for me to play Amazing Grace. I wasn't hesitating as much and I was able to focus more on where my fingers were. Since the notes were written in, I didn't have to guess which note to play next which made my note transitions more smooth. Although I still struggle with transition between different notes and stretching my fingers wide enough to reach specific notes. My techniques are still rough around the edges, and I'm not improving as much as I hoped to improve. This trial, compared to my other trials playing Amazing Grace, gave me less stress since I was able to focus on the placement of my fingers rather than decoding which note I had to play next. Although this experience was more relaxing, I know I can't rely on using this cheat sheet forever, so tune in for my future blog posts and watch me grow as a guitarist!!