GEBRUS

 

If youve ever had a conversation with me you probably know I like to listen to music. A lot. Unfortunately, you cant exactly "learn" to listen to music, and no one writes books about how to listen to music, so I cant listen to music and say Im "learning a skill".

 

Most people who like to listen to music naturally pick up an instrument, which makes a lot of sense. You take in all these influential ideas, and its only natural to want to replicate that in some way. The only issue is that Im basically the worst musician ever. And I say this as a guy who likes Royal Trux. I remember in 5th grade I was forced into band and orchestra, and while every other student could manage a little 12 bar song by the end of the first trimester, I could only make a myriad of Dada-esque squeaks and squawks that would make Captain Beefheart proud. At the end of the third trimester I got my worst grade ever in a class - a massive 0 percent.

 

I didnt really have high hopes for my guitar playing after the whole clarinet thing. After getting my book I figured I could skip the first 20~ page on picking out and buying a guitar seeing as I kinda already had a guitar. I opened to the first page of "Lesson 3 Open Chords and Fingerwork" and tried an A major, which the book considered one of its "Easy Major Chords to Practise". I was capable of mimicking the fingering with ease while making sure to "avoid the fret wires" (26) as the book recommended. When I attempted to "strum slowly with your [my] right hand" (26) I got treated to some Half Japanese level noise. What Im trying to get at is it sounded like crap.

 

Hoping it was just that chord I tried C major. Same results. Maybe E major would be better? Nope, not at all. Getting frustrated at this point, I decided to consult "Less 2 First Steps" (where I probably should have started, in retrospect) only to realize I was holding the guitar backwards. With that figured out, I tried my A major again. It sounded better, but better in the same way Id do better in a fight against a professional boxer than a fully grown tiger.

 

I took a tuner too it to see if I could figure out the issue. For those who have never played a guitar before (which I assume is like, all of you) heres what strings arent meant to correspond to what notes.

 

 Completely wrong, except for the two Es.

 

Once I fixed that, I was finally able to get the "good, happy sound" from my major chords the book wanted. At this point Ive picked up most of the major chords, all of the minor chords bar F and G, and a solid amount of the 7ths (screw F7 its impossible). Ive started to pick up changing chords, which hopefully means I can have a song, or at least a progression by the next time I have to post to here. At least Im already beating out my clarinet skills.

 

 



 QOTD: What song should I learn first?