Hi all,
As I mentioned in my last post, I am disappointed that I did not achieve my goal of being able to play a Stan Rogers riff by the end of the semester. I did look at a few but they were way beyond my capacity. However, I have been practicing like mad to be able to record this intro to one of my favorite Townes Van Zante songs: I’ll Be Here In The Morning. The song follows the same chord progression as Freight Train but is played in a higher key and requires a capo.
This song also incorporates hammer notes which is when you do not strum the string, rather, you hammer it with your fretting finger to play the note. This is a common component of a lot of fingerpicking songs and something I struggled with at first. I felt like my fingers weren’t strong enough. After a few hours of practice though, my pinky adjusted and was able to hit the notes. I have attached a photo of my fretting hand. it’s difficult to tell, but I have definitely developed some callouses on my fingers. Most prominently on my pinky finger.
I must say, it actually feels good to have visible evidence of how much I have been playing besides my progress through the song.
I considered making this last blog post a video wherein I reflected on my experience and progress and then played the intro to the song I have been working on. I decided against it though and felt more comfortable not being on camera. I’ve done enough of that for the semester.
I am truly grateful for this course incorporating an inquiry project into the curriculum. I do not think I would have picked up the guitar once had this project not been included. I plan to continue playing through the break and have already set some potential goals for the new year. To conclude this final blog post, I have attached a video of me playing the intro to I’ll Be There In The Morning by Townes Van Zante. It is not perfect and it is slower than he plays it, but damn am I proud of myself for putting in the effort to play this riff before the final class.
Cheers everyone! And have a wonderful holiday!
Phil