This semester, I have decided to learn the guitar in my music class. This exciting and a little bit nerve-wracking for me as I have never learned how to play an instrument. I participated in music classes throughout elementary school but never really got to learn an instrument. I have always had a desire to learn the guitar however, I never found the time or gumption to do it. I am excited to be given this opportunity to finally learn an instrument!
The first few weeks of me learning the guitar consisted of me just picking up and getting a feel for the instrument, learning where my fingers go and what feels comfortable for me. Then I proceeded to learn and memorize the chords on a guitar. Once I felt familiar with the guitar chords, I looked at what chords will be in the first song I will be learning, Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People. I practiced switching from chord to chord before learning the songs strum pattern. Next, I worked on just the strumming pattern. The strumming pattern was something I found the hardest to learn because I couldn’t seem to coordinate the down, down, up, down pattern. After some help from Anita and practicing at home, I was able to get the pattern down. I find myself saying “down, down, up, down” as I strum to help me keep the pattern going. In this coming week, I will be adding the chords and strumming pattern together in hopes of reaching my goal of being able to play at least half of the song by the end of the reading break! It will take some dedication this week and the next but, I am looking forward to watching myself progress.
