song

Sept 30: Nerves

I didn’t have much time to play today, but I played my song a bunch of times. Made some mistakes, but not every time.

I’m really trying to keep my chord progressions clean. I feel like I so often end up dulling the strings underneath the ones I’m going for, especially when I play the C chord.

I hope I can figure it out before next Wednesday.

Oct 1: Panicking

Every time I played my song today, I made mistakes.

I’m panicking. Mildly.

^reasonable depiction of myself panicking

I also played a few other songs. I feel like my chord transitions are faster, which is nice.

Oct 2: Trying new things

I have decided not to continue with the lessons in the app I use. However, I discovered recently that there are weekly challenges in the app and I decided to give that a try. It’s interesting and kinda fun.

I played my song a bunch of times. I still love it, btw. Good thing, because I hear it a LOT.

I decided to try playing songs from my uke app on the guitar. It worked REALLY well. I was especially happy with how the Julie and the Phantoms songs turned out.

Only four more days of practice! Eep

Oct 3: Will I ever learn?

I played the challenges again today. This week is Baby Shark, by the way. I refuse to learn that, on principal. So I went back several weeks to Tchaikovsky. There’s the sugar plum fairy riff and melody and the swan princess melody. I completed the first. The second two are incredibly challenging. I did better than I expected, tbh.

Then I played my song multiple times.

And then I played a bunch of songs from my uke app (on guitar). I had a lot of fun.

The only problem? I played for almost an hour and now my fingers hurt. A lot.

Will I ever learn?

The next few days will be much shorter practice sessions, both because my fingers hurt and because my daughter has virtual school, so our days are scheduled around her breaks.

Oct 4: No damage done

My fingers felt great today, so I played a little longer than I had expected after the long time I played yesterday.

I played the challenge in the app and I did really well! I managed to play the whole sugar plum fairy melody that was up, and it was a level 5! I didn’t go past level 4 in the lessons, so I’m very proud of myself.

I played my song several times. The first few times made me cringe at the number of mistakes I made, but then I was very happy with the following attempts. Hopefully I can recreate the happy attempts when I perform on Wednesday!

I played a few fun songs after that. I’m really enjoying Perfect Harmony by Julie and the Phantoms.

Jeepers, I’m nervous for Wednesday.

Oct 5: Exploring the app

I decided to explore the app I used for my lessons a little bit more. I found the “search songs” function and filter. I played a bunch of low level classical songs today. It was a lot of fun!

Then I played my song multiple times. I had trouble with the timing of my strumming in the second verse.

Coupled with the horrifying dream I had early this morning where I was supposed to perform at a party but nobody had told me, so I didn’t have my guitar. A bunch of people offered me a variety of stringed instruments, none of which I had ever seen before. There was an electric stringed instrument with a button you pressed to set the capo, but the neck was wider than my entire hand and you didn’t strum. There was an orb shaped stringed instrument that you played by picking the strings with a metal tool that looked like tweezers. There was a long-necked string instrument that I didn’t look at for long because it only had two strings and played with a bow. So I gave up looking for an instrument and decided to just sing, but I couldn’t remember the tune very well and it was all over the place….

I think I’m stressing about the performance tomorrow evening.

Gah, tomorrow!!!

Sep 24: Late

Sorry this is so late. Not much to report today.

I played my song.

I played a bunch of other songs.

I had fun.

Good night.

Sep 25: Not Much Time

Today was a busy day. My mom came over and we went through half of my son’s clothing that we had stored in his closet… All of which was already too small for him.

In other words, not much practice time happened today.

I spent the entirety of it working on my song.

You know what’s annoying?

Messing up at a different part of the song each time I play it

Sept 26: Performing

I’ve been thinking a LOT about my upcoming performance (October 6! Ack only 10 days!) and every time I make a mistake (once or twice each time I play the song) I worry that I won’t be prepared.

Did I set too steep a goal?

I know that my writer’s group will be gentle, but I still want to do a good job for them.

Today, I tried to coach my daughter into singing in tune instead of screaming the lyrics. It worked pretty well.

She already knows all the words.

I’m so very impressed and proud.

Sept 27: Nothing to Report

I didn’t play guitar today. No spoons. I’m sad.

Sept 28: Back into it

I played for about twenty minutes today, almost exclusively my song.

I say “almost” because I played Frère Jacques for the kids a few times and then practiced my chords.

I’m feeling a little more confident about my playing.

But when my mom asked if I would be performing for them before I played for my writer’s group, I panicked.

I’ll get there.

Right?

Sept 29: Fun Stuff

I played for about 40 minutes today. I think I’m going to stick with the no lesson thing for the time being. I refuse to feel guilty about it.

I played my song a bunch. Kept making tiny mistakes that really bug me. Hopefully I can iron most of those out before next Wednesday. (Eep 1 week!)

Then I played Puff the magic dragon because my son has been obsessed with that song lately and I don’t remember all the words to the verses. I did much better tonight. Just the last couple that I still don’t remember.

I played a couple other songs too. 500 miles by the proclaimers was a new one for me and it was a lot of fun to play.

And of course Frère Jacques for the kids.

In writing news, I finished a novella I’ve been working on for about a week. It’s just under 19k. I’m really happy with it.

Today marks 3 months of playing guitar!

Sep 18: Audience

I was sitting in my living room today, trying to get up the spoons to practice, and I was trying to figure out whether I should bring my guitar up to play for my family, or play in the basement by myself.

I was leaning towards the basement because playing in front of an audience is nerve-wracking, when I realized that I needed to play in front of them to get used to doing it.

If my publisher accepts this book and if they like the song, then I’ll ask them if they want me to play it for the book trailer and at the book launch. (Two very big ifs, imho)

So yeah, I need to get used to it.

I brought up my guitar and played my song. (I didn’t do a lesson today because I’m low on spoons)

Much to my delight, I discovered that my 2yo son also knows the lyrics to my song, not just my turning-five-tomorrow years old daughter.

I do sing it to him every night at bedtime, but he doesn’t sing along with me normally.

He was behind by a word, so it was hilarious to try to practice my song with him singing along, but omg he practically kept up.

It’s one thing to have written a song that they enjoy.

It’s a whole other level that they like it so much that they sing along with me.

Sep 19: Pros and cons

There are pros and cons to practicing my guitar in the living room.

Pros: practicing for an audience, being with my family, warmer than 16C (our basement has a heating issue), sometimes they sing along

Cons: I can’t do my lessons because the kids won’t stop screaming (although since my lesson right now is that awful riffs lesson, this might fall into the pro category…)

I played my song a whole bunch of times today. It’s starting to feel more natural, I think.

I played a bunch of other songs, too, and that was a lot of fun.

It’s my daughter’s fifth birthday today. I can’t believe it’s been five years!

Sep 20: Short but sweet

I played too long yesterday and ended up with tingling fingers today when I started to play.

So I skipped my lesson again and practiced my chords and my song.

I am feeling ever more confident about it.

It’s a nice feeling to have.

Sep 21: Strumming

I didn’t do a lesson today.

I did practice my song and my chords.

My son strummed while I practiced different chords. That was fun.

Sep 22: Repetition

I didn’t do a lesson again today. Tbh, I’m a little intimidated at this point. Once I finish the riffs, the next chord lesson is my nemesis…. The F major chord. I don’t think I will be able to pass any of those lessons. I tried the F chord today, and was barely able to manage it, after much adjustment. It hurt my hand and wrist a little.

I played my chords and my song multiple times.

My son pulled the kid’s xylophone over and played it while I practiced. It’s very hard to keep tune while a different song is being banged out at your feet.

Or maybe it’s just me.

I have my writer’s group tonight… The last one before I surprise them with a performance. I’m nervous and have no reason to be (today). I hope I won’t be in a constant state of nerves for the next two weeks!

Sep 23: Short again

I played my song several times. I know exactly where I need to practice.

I’ve decided not to feel guilty about not doing the lessons. I just don’t have the spoons to deal with them right now.

Sep 12: Sore fingertips

I was right, my fingertips hurt today, so I didn’t do a lesson.

I played Frère Jacques while my daughter sang it. She’s getting better (as am I). Apparently my son (2yo) is starting to learning the song as well, much to my surprise.

Then I played my song several times, focussing on my rhythm. I think it’s going well.

Going to hopefully play some ukulele this afternoon.

Update: I did play ukulele this afternoon… With my husband, because we have two ukuleles.

That was a lot of fun!

Sep 13: Repetition

I did my lesson today, playing the first part ad nauseum to try to get it to three stars. I didn’t succeed. It’s really hard. I’ll try again tomorrow.

Then I practiced my chords (successfully) and my song (multiple times).

I played a few songs after that.

But mostly today’s practice session was all about repetition.

Sep 14: Callus damage

I played the lesson I’ve been working on the past couple days again today. I got three stars after working on it a lot.

The next lesson was so easy I passed it right away. That was weird.

The next lesson was very very hard. I ran out of time to play it more than once. I got one star across the board. Barely, imho.

Then I played my song. This is where I noticed that the callus on my middle left finger had split, right where I (obviously) prefer to have my fingers placed. Sigh. So it hurt to play a bit.

I decided that I shouldn’t play too much so as to not aggravate the damage. I’ll have to build up the callus again. Hopefully it won’t take too long. I’m hoping to perform my song for my writer’s group on September 22 (or maybe October 6… Haven’t quite decided yet).

Update: Forgot to mention: we bought a music stand! It’s pink and it’s awesome.

I used it today and it works really well. (Much better than the gorilla tripod and bookcase combo I’ve been using lol)

Sep 15: Short

No lesson today.

I played Frère Jacques for my daughter today. She sang along with it with no problems at all. I’m very proud of her.

I played my song once. It hurt. I didn’t play further today.

Also, allergies are hitting me super hard right now (ragweed?) and my voice cracked so bad on the first ooh of the chorus that no sound came out.

So yeah. That was fun.

Sep 16: Healing

I did my lesson today. I passed the lesson I was working on two days ago after a lot of practice. Then I got to move onto power riffs. My time ended after one attempt at the first song, which I didn’t quite pass.

I played my song a few times and then realized that my callus hasn’t reformed yet, so that hurt.

My throat is still raspy from allergies.

I’m still debating whether I want to perform next Wednesday or two weeks later.

Sep 17: I despise riffs

My lesson started out well today. I completed the first lesson, learned about fingertip muting, and learned some new riffs.

And then the next lesson came.

😮👀😱

There were only four riffs in it. And I just fell apart.

And my wrist started hurting.

They are not easy to do.

So I stopped the lesson and moved on to my song. My voice sounds like a croak. I’ve decided not to play the song at the writer’s group meeting this coming Wednesday. Hopefully I’ll sound more like myself at the one two weeks after.

My daughter sang Frère Jacques while I played the tenor ukulele for her class today. I made a mistake. She didn’t. I’m very proud of her.

Aug 26: Low key

Not a pun.

I didn’t do any lessons today. My fingers were still stinging a little from yesterday.

So I practiced chords and riffs for a bit.

And then I played my song 3-4 times. The chord changes are getting more natural. I’m really excited about this song.

Aug 27: Quick

I didn’t have much time to play guitar today. I practiced my chords and riffs and the finger stretching thing that my music mentor told me to do. Wow, it stretches.

In other words, no lesson today.

I played my song 3 times. I feel like I’m getting more consistent, which is nice. I still play more than the bottom 4 strings on Fmaj7 sometimes, which isn’t great. I need to work on that.

I’m hoping to play some ukulele this afternoon.

Aug 28: Riffs!?!

I did a lesson today. Apparently the first riffs lesson was made to induce a false sense of security. The second lesson was complicated. I had to slow it down, but I was able to get it before the end of the lesson.

But the third?? They changed how they showed the riffs (instead of a bar over two strings, they highlighted the individual strings with numbers for the fret) and it was so sped up that I had to slow it down to 50%, and even then I wasn’t getting it every time.

I think this lesson is going to take me a couple days to pass.

I played my song a bunch of times. I need to stop playing it on the ukulele because I don’t use a fret on it and the tone is different. And then my voice takes a while to remember what sound it’s supposed to make.

I worked on the Fmaj7 a lot. I also focussed on playing the chords at the time I’m supposed to and not a couple beats later.

When my son woke me up for his 3am feeding, I came up with a few lines for a new song! I remembered them long enough to write them down. Not sure where they’ll go in the song because I haven’t started it yet, but I like them so far.

Aug 29: Ouch

I passed the riffs lesson after much practice. I didn’t get it quite as high as I would like (only got 2 stars on the second half, but I got them consistently, so I was ready to move on) but I don’t expect to need riffs all that often. I haven’t come across them in any of the music I’ve seen. And if it does show up in a song, at least I know what they are.

I played my song. A lot. I’m feeling much more satisfied with my Fmaj7 chords (not strumming the top two strings), and I’m trying to add nuance to the lyrics and how I sing it.

Although I think I should perhaps focus on the difference between “wanna” and “want to,” which are both in the song.

Why is this titled ouch?

So I have a chronic back injury. My lumbar spine is being pulled in the wrong direction by my back muscles. It causes a lot of problems and limits me a lot, especially where it comes to my children (picking them up is next to impossible). Apparently guitar playing is another one of those things that affects my back. If I play for more than twenty minutes or so, my back is in an awfully lot of pain.

I’m going to try sitting somewhere else. Maybe a chair isn’t the best place for me? Maybe my phone with the app isn’t high enough so I’m crouching to see it?

I’ll figure it out.

P.S. Two months of practice!

Aug 30: I need a timer

My lessons were both theory and practical today. I (re)learned about sharps and flats and the difference between major and minor chords. Then for the practical, I attempted a minor scale.

I say ‘attempted’ because it did not go well. It was very quick and I’m not used to playing notes instead of chords.

Before all this, I played one last riff song. It took half my time, but I was able to get it. It was fun.

Then I played my song a bunch of times. I even played along with my recording, which means I was able to keep up with the speed I prefer for singing, which is excellent.

I recorded myself on an app I have. I’m pretty happy with it, tbh. I could still use work to make it a little more seamless, but that’s where practice comes in.

Then I played a bunch of other songs.

I played for over an hour.

I need to start setting a timer so that I don’t play so long. My fingers don’t hurt at all!

Aug 31: Passed level 3!

I passed the lesson I was working on yesterday. I had to slow it down drastically in order to get it, but once my fingers got used to it, it wasn’t too difficult. I did the same thing for the next lesson, and then I was done level 3!

Level 4 started with beats. I passed the first lesson with very little trouble (I got mixed up at one point but I found myself again).

I played my song a bunch of times.

I decided to try putting my phone on the bookcase, to see if that helps my back. I still bunch, so perhaps a higher shelf will work? I’ll try that tomorrow. I feel kinda weird facing the bookcase, but whatever works, right?

Aug 20: Too Much? Hope Not

I “passed” the lesson I was working on for the past two days. Tbh, I was tired of playing it and I think the only reason I wasn’t getting 3 stars was because my mic wasn’t picking up the chords properly. I passed it according to the app, so I moved on.

I learned A! I mean, I already knew that chord, but I got to learn it in the app. I got to complete another “play as many chords as you can in a set amount of time” game. I got 3 gold stars. It was super fun.

Then I passed the first song with an A chord. I feel good about today.

I played my song a few times. The chords are becoming easier to switch between.

Then I played a bunch of songs that I have chords for, including I want it that way, Hit Me Baby One More Time, Mamma Mia, Dust in the Wind, House of the Rising Sun, and a few Disney songs.

I played too long, I think. It’s just so exciting to recognize the music that I’m playing!!

I don’t think I aggravated my blister, but I think I’ll probably play the ukulele tomorrow.

Oh, and then at the end of my session, a friend of mine told me that she hasn’t been feeling well, so I recording my song and sent it to her. She loved it.

Listening to the recording, I realized that I’m not consistent with my speed in certain parts… Mostly the chorus. So I’ll have to work on that.

Aug 21: Ukulele Break

My finger wasn’t feeling great today, so instead of playing guitar, I picked up our soprano ukulele.

I’m not doing lessons with the ukulele, so I went straight into playing songs.

Peeps, you have no idea how awesome it is to pick out a song, go through the chords at the top of the app, and just play and have it sound like it’s supposed to!

I recognize that this is mostly due to my experience—slight though it is—on the guitar. The chords are different on the ukulele, but the concept of changing finger positions and strumming is very much the same.

I played for almost an hour and barely noticed the time fly by. So much fun!!

Oh, and after I’d played enough songs that I remembered what the chords we, I played my song! That was really fun.

Aug 22: Awesome Lesson

I had a great lesson today! I passed the lesson I was working on two days ago with no problems, and then passed the next two lessons on the first (and second) tries!

I played my song, paying attention to the timing of the chorus so I wasn’t speeding it up.

I really need to schedule a music mentor session.

I played a bunch of fun songs, including True Colours and When you Believe.

I still can’t get over how much fun I’m having with this.

Aug 23: Music Mentor

I didn’t do a lesson from my app today because I had a meeting with my music mentor!

He walked me through strumming to my song and we decided to keep it simple because adding a more complex rhythm kept messing up my melody.

But I do understand how strumming works a bit better now.

We also talked about the sight changes that I’d made to the chords in my song. He approved the E major, confirmed that the A major he had suggested a while ago did work for the song, and suggested Em instead of Dm at the end of the bridge.

He said I’m doing really well. It’s really great to hear that. 🙂

He also suggested a finger stretch. I’ll definitely work on that.

Aug 24: Audience

I had an audience today in the form of my daughter.

I completed the chords lesson and started the riffs lesson. It’s my first riffs lesson! I learned E5 and A5. I need to figure out how to play those.

I played my song, with a second voice singing along (heart melt!) and was very happy with how it sounded.

Then I played a bunch of Disney songs. That was fun. And an enthusiastic audience, too!

Aug 25: New Song Attempts

The riffs lessons are going decently. I feel awkward playing them. Hopefully they’ll get more natural as I continue.

I played my song a bunch of times. I’m really happy with it. I know I keep saying that, but I am. After I’ve played it a couple times, anyways. I always make mistakes the first few times.

Then I played some new (to me) songs. Ed Sheeran was fun. I played some more ABBA. And Disney, of course.

Aug 14: Callouses

I just realized that my fingertips haven’t been hurting for a while. At least, not once I stop playing. That’s really comforting.

I played the chord song in my app today (Am/D/C). I shifted my phone closer to the body of the guitar and it registered the sound much better, which was a relief. I was getting very frustrated.

I played my song again. I’m really liking the Fmaj7 chord in place of the F chord. I changed one of them to a Dm chord. We’ll see how I like it tomorrow.

I also should play it for my music mentor and see what he says. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next week.

Aug 15: Good Day

I played the chord song I was going to start yesterday but my time got cut off. I passed eventually. It had some quick changes between Em/C/D. I found it exhilarating. I then played the next song once. Same chords, different order; Em/D/C and slightly faster.

I then played my song. I took less time to switch between chords, which was really nice to note. I decided I liked the Dm chord that I put in yesterday. I updated the master song and let my music mentor know.

And then I played my song for my family! It was really nerve wracking. I need to get over my anxiety about playing for others.

Aug 16: I Played Songs!

I didn’t pass the lesson today. According to the app I did, but not according to me. I was getting very frustrated.

I played my song several times. My music mentor suggested that I was doing a key change in the bridge, so I tried that out and he’s totally right, so I changed that.

Then I tried a bunch of different songs in an app I have. Dust in the Wind, You’ll be in my Heart, At Last I see the Light, and Part of Your World. I didn’t know all the chords (I don’t know B at all yet), but I did very well, according to myself.

I played for way too long today. My fingers are tingling!

But it was so fun to play songs that I can recognize!

Aug 17: Break

I took a break from playing guitar today because my middle left finger has a tiny blister and I don’t want to make it worse.

So instead, I picked up the soprano ukulele that we bought and I played a bunch of songs, including my new favourite Unsaid Emily from Julie and the Phantoms. It was super easy to play and made me feel really accomplished.

Hopefully I’ll be healed tomorrow and can continue my guitar lessons.

Aug 18: Feeling Better

My finger looks and feels better today. I’m glad I took yesterday off from the metal strings of my guitar.

Today, I played the chord song from two days ago and got it. That was nice.

Then I played the next chord song. My fingers are getting faster at switching between the chords, which is really nice to see, but my fingers were clumsy today and I kept not being on my fingertips, which was causing dull notes all over the place. I did not pass, thanks to that. 🙁

I played my song. I still love it. I don’t think I have a good strumming pattern down at all, but at least my fingers are getting used to the chord changes. Other than the bridge. I’ll get there. The Dm is slowing me down.

I didn’t play very long today. Don’t want to aggravate my finger again.

Aug 19: Frustrations and Fun

I did not pass the lesson in my app (according to my restrictions. The app passed me.) I’m getting very frustrated.

I played my song. I still love it. I’m getting faster with the chords, even the bridge.

Then I played a few songs from an app I have. That was a LOT of fun!