Flying Fingers and Musical Degrees

Okay, I practiced for a week and still my stubby little hand did not cooperate when it came time to demonstrate my finger dexterity for the class I'm taking. Part of my homework was to simply practice single notes with my four fingers on four frets going up and and back down again. I hope that the more I practice, the more my fingers will fly!

Anyone who is following this blog or reading it, knows that this is a music blog. Right now, I happen to be taking guitar lessons on line. My teacher is excellent (Ed Pingenot) but will not be available forever because he is studying to be a doctor! For awhile, he will be a starving intern so seek him out if you are interested in online guitar lessons. I' m sure he only has a few slots.

Having such a talented person as my teacher, I did not want Ed to see my old strings or my smudgy guitar, so, I put some new strings on my guitar. I always feel upgraded after I do that anyway. Plus, my daughter wants to learn to play her electric guitar as well so she and I both put new strings on our guitars together. That's kind of cool that she is learning guitar too. I feel that I've empowered her. I want my children to love music.

Tonight's lesson got to the place where he was showing me how to transpose keys using the Nashville Number system to decide what note/chord would be used in two different keys so I can more easily do this, should I play with others.

He has also used a term that I'm not familiar with that I would like to become familiar with: fretboard logic. Right now, it's kind of scary but you will all know when I am actually doing new stuff. It will be awesome!

Scaly Scales

I really did not know what to call this post, but you will probably guess, it has something to do with scales. My last lesson finally went well because my daughter has a MAC computer. We didn't have any trouble using the camera, or him hearing me or me seeing or hearing him. At last. One small transition for technology, one big leap for me.
I'm learning how to do finger exercises and also learning how to do basic Major scales. Soon, I will catch up with Hosea Feliciano with lightning fast fingers that will amaze you all!
Actually, my fingers are still reluctant to stay fastened to the fret board while I go up and down the scales, but I suppose that will come with time and practice.
I'm learning that all major scales have this pattern that goes from octave to octave. It's W-W-H-W-W-W-H.
I'm also learning to breathe when I play and sing, and to use a metronome. Isn't it awesome that you can download a free metronome and a guitar tuner? How convenient things can be with computers.
The same place that shows how to figure out scales, also has a thing on it where you can play along with the chords using notes. I'm starting to get callouses!

Bless her sweet little ol' musical heart!

This is a pic of my grandmother circa 1930's or late 20's. Here she is sporting an Olive Oil dress and hairdo! When I first saw this picture, I was shocked! I didn't even know my grandmother played the guitar! She probably played Spanish style, by the looks of her get-up. My mom would tell me that it was probably Southern Gospel.
Well, I thought I'd put up this picture to lead into an update on my second guitar lesson. Last week, Ed taught me how to tune to DADGAD, but, egad, it is not fun to play when you're used to regular tuning.
Tonight, I had trouble with Skype and my mom's little web cam. He could hear me this time, but not see me. I could see him and hear him.
So we compromised and he rescheduled me for tomorrow night because my daughter graciously is going to let me use her IMAC. Thank goodness for computer smart daughters.
Ed did tell me that I depend on the capo too much for my key and he's going to show me some other voicings...
I did something else new though, because I sent him a You Tube video of two songs that I'm playing and singing and I'd never uploaded anything to You Tube before. That was fun!
Of course, I listed this video as "only a link" because I am looking for critique from my guitar instructor and not the world's critics.

That's a blogful!

I'm posting here because I made a comment on someone else's blog and the only way that I could post it was to post as a subscriber to some other blog. The one's I'm using now are Word Press (handmaiden4him) and Tumblr.com (Floatslikeabutterfly).
I guess I'll make this my music blog since I am dressed like Mozart!
I am taking guitar lessons on line (how cool and how convenient) and I' am learning how to play in DADGAD, an alternate tuning.
So far, I haven't learned a "song" (very unsettling to me) but playing in an alternate tuning is supposed to free me up a little so I can begin to hear melodies and maybe even write a song.
I'll let you know how that goes!
The guy I'm taking lessons from is Ed Pingenot, who was recommended by a FB subscriber. Ed teaches using Skype and I look horrible on that little camera! I'm actually stunningly beautiful, but that's despite the point. (I can make up things on the internet, right?)
My love for the guitar started when I was 16 or so. I would play 60's type songs, such as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's song "Four and Twenty" or Janis Ian, "At Seventeen".
I became "born again" in 1980 in Zweibrucken, Germany. I put "born again" in quotes because I really was born again at 12 but God, in His mercy, allowed me to ramble and stumble and find out where some of the boundaries were. He then renewed His New Covenant with me when I turned 19. I won't go into the details about that here but it was an amazing time for me and wonderful, like being in love for the first time.
When my dad was in his last two years in the military, his last duty station ended up being in Philadelphia, Penn., and we ended up buying a house in Willingboro, N.J.
There was a move of God in those times, particularly profound, and I was swept up in His big fish net.
Part of that movement had to do with the baptism of the Holy Spirit and home groups. I went to one of those at the invitation of a sneaky friend, and fell in love with that kind of ministry. There were young and old alike there and a sweet and wise older couple was the stable fixture of those days, opening their doors to who knows what would walk through their doors! (Like me!)Young
people brought their guitars and were playing scripture songs. The Bible came alive and I could sing it!
That's what started my love affair with the guitar all over again! Not a folk singer like Joni Mitchell or Joan Baez, but a worshiper bringing life to people through scripture songs and connecting with a Holy God!