Free Inquiry: Week 1

Alright, week one. As I have mentioned in my introductory video and first reflective blog post, I have been noodling, so to speak, on the guitar for a few years now. I know the basic chords and can play a couple of easy songs. That being said, prior to this week, I have not picked up a guitar in about two years. I actually sold my guitar years ago when I needed some cash, so I have dug my father’s thirty-year-old Yamaha out of the basement and restrung it. The tuning pegs need replacing and there is a crack in the body, but it will do.

I have decided to focus on fingerpicking, a technique I have never attempted. I spent a good few hours combing through the plethora of different online resources at my disposal and, quite frankly, it was daunting. I mean, I literally can type “beginner finger-picking exercises” into the Youtube search bar and a second later, I have thousands of potential rabbit holes to go down. I came across a guy named Tony that offered free tablature and instructional videos, so I clicked on his name. Sure enough, if I want the vast majority of his videos I have to pay. However, I came across the program schedule and I think I am going to adopt it for myself. I have attached a PDF of this along with one of his videos. I have not decided whether to invest in his program just yet.

I plan to film myself each week to show my progress with you. I have not filmed myself this week though because I have literally just been practicing the very basics of picking. Everything I have practiced is in Tony’s video. This coming week, I will attempt to map out my course of action using Trello. Note—I have never used anything like this before and will probably struggle with it as much as I am struggling to pick with the right fingers. My goal is to be able to play a Stan Rogers song from memory by the end of the semester.

Wish me luck!

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