Learning Guitar Part 1B (2 would mean I failed the first time)

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:35:00 GMT

Like many of you, I have always wanted to learn how to play a musical instrument. For me, it has always been the guitar that piqued my interest. I have no desire to play in front of millions of fans or tour the country, my interest is much more humble. I want to learn how to read music, understand the theory behind the music, and gain the ability to play that music. Now fast forward to reality earlier this year.

My wonderful wife came home from work one evening with a Godin Freeway Classic Electric Guitar and a Roland 20X Cube that she purchased around the corner from Fazio's Frets and Friends. Needless to say, I was very, very excited. The unfortunate thing was that I couldn't do anything with it. I knew nothing about how to hold the instrument, tune it, or play it. After reading many reviews around the net, I decided to purchase a 20 DVD set called Learn and Master Guitar by Steve Krenz. The quality of this set is amazing. The instructional dvds makes you feel like you are one on one with Steve for an in person lesson. The part I liked most about this set is that it wasn't put together with the goal of allowing you to play your favorite song. It is a comprehensive and balanced overview of music theory and hands on guitar instruction. I chose to go this route instead of face to face lessons due to scheduling. While I'm sure there are situations when I would save time by having someone provide immediate feedback, overall I feel like I'll progress more quickly being able to practice at my own pace and at times that are convenient to my crazy schedule. Only time will tell if this is accurate or not.

Now for an area where lots of opportunity exists. After cramming over the next several weeks, I made it through lesson 1, 2, and into 3. My fingers were sore, my head was filled with all the new information, but I hit a spot where I couldn't easily get through and I quit. I didn't make a decision to quit, it just kind of happened by putting practicing off and doing other things. I've had visions of picking it back up, but have failed to do so in the last 4 months or so. I've obviously hit The Dip that I have posted about previously. Starting this winter, I will be picking back up and planning out a more reasonable schedule to make it through the dip. I'll give myself two weeks for each of the first two chapters and then reevaluate each chapter independently after that. Basically i'll take a SCRUM like approach where I iterate through each chapter and chart the details at the end as a retrospective. I'll keep doing what is working and correct course along the way for things that are not. This approach should help with motivation and keeping a journal of my progress.

Unruly Rambling - godin tag

Learning Guitar Part 1B (2 would mean I failed the first time)