This is the chord I was most excited to learn because it is the major chord in the song I want to learn to play. My finger still feel a bit sore from learning the other two chords, so I don’t practice this one as much as I did the D and A. But it’s definitely getting easier for my fingers to find the right strings.
Alright, so Justin says you should be practicing 15 minutes a day, every day. Well, I know I have 15 minutes a day and it should totally be easy… but I’m a busy girl… and I like the snooze button.
So, today ran in the Shamrock Run 5k in downtown Portland. My girlfriends and I dressed up in tutus and knee high socks and ran on the Columbia Sportswear team. There were so many people! It way mayhem. We finished in about 45 minutes and went to get our celebratory Saint Patrick’s Day free beer. We waited in line to get into the beer tent for about 10 minutes, only to realize that all the people in the beer tent were in line to get beer! Another 1500 people stood in front of us and sweet victory. Obviously free beer tastes better than beer you pay for. Der. But after calculating how much a free beer is actually worth… x > time/hungriness… carry the 1… fuck it. Let’s go to Genie’s. Bacon infused Bloody Mary’s, eggs benedict, and Stumptown coffee wins every time. Sunday brunch > everything!
So, after a brief appointment with my real estate agent, a much needed couch nap, and a Girls marathon with Katie… I learned the A Chord. Wahoo! It looks like this:
The first chord taught in the beginner course of http://www.justinguitar.com is the D Chord. Pretty easy. Looks like this.
Oh yeah, I know how to read that! The line on the left represents the string on the top, going all the way down to the string on the right, which would be the one on the bottom. The “X” at the top of the picture means you do not hit that string when strumming. The “O” at the top means you strum it as an open string. Then you place your fingers on the fret where the black dots are. Now you know the D Chord, too! You can strum it together, and then pic all the strings individually to make sure they are all clear.
So, I started watching the beginner section of all these Justin Guitar videos (www.justinguitar.com.) Took me a few to realize that these first videos don’t really need to have your guitar in front of you. So, I took my iphone and headphones to get a pedicure and watched the rest while I ignored the girl next to me giggling annoyingly as if every touch of her foot was too ticklish to bare.
Okay, I got the guitar. It’s tuned to the appropriate notes. I even have a pick to play with. Now what?
Seriously. What do I do next?
A friend recommends a website: http://www.justinguitar.com
There’s a bunch of short videos for beginners. Guitar anatomy, body posture, how to read chords, getting in tune, etc. It’s all hosted by a professional teacher who has over 500 hours of guitar lesson videos. It’s completely free and based on donations. Amazing!
Apparently there is a lot of extra stuff you need when you want to play guitar. Apparently hair barrettes don’t make appropriate picks. Also, guitars that are in tune sound better. This is all news to me.
So, I find a local music shop and ask for help. He shows me a crazy awesome electronic tuner with an amazing display that costs $30. I say that’s a bit expensive, so he shows me the same option with a less amazing display that’s only $15. It clips on the head of the guitar and analyzes the frequency of vibrations. Super easy to use. I take that and a bag of medium thickness Fender picks.
Is there a better place to get cheap stuff and have a weird experience than Craigslist? I don’t think so. Did a very limited amount of research about beginner guitars before I found one I liked. It’s a mahogany wood Washburn D100. Some dude was selling a brand new one for $85 with a case. After a few emails, he asked to meet in his neighborhood at a place I had never heard of called John’s Market. I say cool; John’s Market seems like an upscale, natural food store. On the way there, I pass a bunch of cool, safe-looking places like cafes and hip restaurants before finally arriving at John’s Market. It’s a shady liquor store. Like the type of shady liquor store where you have to leave your backpacks and purses at the counter. The type of shady liquor store where a white girl should not pull money out of the ATM. A shady liquor store with an unlit loose gravel parking lot.
So I find myself here, alone, in this unlit parking lot with a pocket full of money. As the sun begins to go down, I wonder how the hell I am going to look at this guitar, which I know nothing about. How should it sound? How should it look? What the fuck am I doing here. Why didn’t I just go to a store? Against my better judgement, I walk up to his red Grand Prix (as previously discussed in our emails (should have been my first clue.)) I am completely relieved to see a young, smallish college student who is probably just looking to get beer money. I pretend like I know what I’m talking about for about 60 seconds before I blow through all the guitar knowledge I currently possess. I’m not in the mood to haggle, so I hand over the $85 and run quickly to my car before anyone realizes how out of place I really am.
Learning to play guitar was on the original list of things I wanted to do. I even had a guitar long long ago. I’ve known several amazing musicians over the years and don’t know why I never took advantage of the opportunity to learn. Well, I guess it’s never too late. I know that I am not really going to learn guitar to play guitar in 30 days, but I do have goals.
1. Buy a guitar.
2. Practice.
3. Play this song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTgg3Z7JwTE
As per usual, 30 days is just not enough time! I finished a large suitcase project I’ve put on hold for about 2 years. I revamped a window pane that I’ve been hoarding for a while. I bought a lamp for $6.99 from Goodwill that I painted before realizing it doesn’t work. Then I threw it away in annoyance.
But fear not, dear reader. My little sister is getting married and I’ve volunteered to assist in crafty decorating. So more craftiness is on the horizon!
Found this retro fan at a vintage store for $10. Took it apart, cleaned it up, and spray painted it pale matte pink. I also put a fresh coat of silver on the grate. Turned out awesome!
thirty days of new 