Recognizable! (End of Week 3) | Post #3
Hello everyone, and welcome to yet another end of the week post! While I know that everyone is interested in seeing what this post entails, there is something important you all need to do RIGHT NOW! Do you want to understand this post to your best ability? If you answered yes (which you should have) then check out the previous Midweek Check-in. It is filled with all of the background information you could possibly need to prepare for this blog. Link Below!!
Also, as you will notice throughout this post, I am trying a slightly different format and content range. Any and all feedback on the change is encouraged in the comment section at the bottom of the page. Without further ado, let's get into the week!
🎸Additional Song🎸
As you just read in the previous post, I am going to take a new approach to my guitar learning. While I have been enjoying Stairway to Heaven there is just something about only learning one song at a time that feels unnatural. I'm not yet sure why that is, but nonetheless, I decided that each week I want to learn a small part of another song in addition to Stairway. While I am still going to spend the majority of my time working on Stairway to Heaven, as that is my 'main project', I will dedicate a portion of my time to learning other guitar skills. After all, the best musician is a well-rounded one.
This week I decided to add the main riff of Kashmir by Led Zeppelin to my guitarsenal (Guitar Arsenal).
Original Song: Kashmir- Led Zeppelin
Not only is Kashmir a song from the same band as Stairway to Heaven, but the main riff is a great tune to practice chord progressions. There is a part in the song where you quickly move from a chord rooted on the fifth fret to a chord rooted on the twelfth fret. That, if you recall, is fairly similar to a movement in the intro of Stairway. The physical movements are so similar that it's almost as if they were written by the same guitarist during the same time period...WOW😲
Guitar Lesson for Kashmir (Via YouTube)
Kashmir has many unique aspects to it. An important aspect, which is often overlooked, is the tuning that the song uses. Most guitar songs use "standard tuning" which from the lowest string to the highest is tuned E-A-D-G-B-E. Standard tuning can be remembered by the phrase, "Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie." Kashmir, however, is tuned D-A-D-G-A-D. This tuning is appropriately called "Dad Gad" for what I presume is an obvious reason. In DADGAD tuning the A string and both E strings are tuned a whole step down. This is an uncommon tuning, yet there are a few great, classic rock songs that use it. Led Zeppelin's guitarist, Jimmy Page, enjoyed the sound of the tuning so much that he kept a Danelectro 3021 (Type of Guitar) in DADGAD tuning at all times.
My Attempt at Kashmir
🎸Stairway to Heaven🎸
Before I showcase my progress, I first would like to address the title of this post. "Recognizable!" is a clear follow up to a post from last week titled "Almost Recognizable!" Exiting the second week of my journey, I could begin to recognize my own playing. Through replaying my progress videos, I could begin to hear a resemblance to the actual song. While I was progressing quickly, I did not truly realize the extent of the progress. Early on in week three, I practiced my guitar in a rather public area twice. During the two occasions, each for only about an hour, I had multiple people make some sort of comment acknowledging that they recognized the song. Considering I had only been learning the song for a little over a week, this was very motivating.
Progress
A large portion of this week was spent practicing the intro that I learned in the previous week. Not only is the intro repeated many times throughout the song, but it is also the most recognizable part. Being as recognizable as it is posed a myriad of difficulties to my learning process. Since the intro is so well known, I have to be close to perfect on my execution. People will notice the second that I mess up and there's nothing harder than digging yourself out of a mistake during a performance. In addition, it is important that I nail the intro since it is the 'first impression' for my playing. The intro will be the first time that people will hear my playing live. The intro will likely be the largest factor of the audience's assessment of my skills.
That being said, I set a fairly steep goal for myself for improving the intro. At the end of week two, I was at 58 bpm and I set to aim for 75 bpm by the end of the week. I was skeptical about whether I could achieve this feat, yet I managed to destroy the goal. I increased the intro's bpm from 58 to 84, twenty-six bpm faster than the beginning of the week!
This week, I also began learning the next section of the song, the bridge. For anyone who does not play music: The bridge is a transitional section of a song between the verse and the chorus. I was expecting the bridge to be easy to learn since all three lines are similar to each other with just a few slight variations. While parts of the bridge were easy to learn, I severely underestimated the middle line's difficulty. The middle line had an awkward chord change and my fingers just couldn't seem to communicate enough to pull it off. Mike suggested that I spend most of my time practicing the middle line since it is what I struggle with the most. That will be one of my attack strategies for next week. By the end of the week, I got the first and third lines of the bridge to 100 bpm and the middle line to 84 bpm.
🎸Goals for Next Week🎸
Since I struggled so much with the middle line of the bridge, I would like to center my review around improving the involved chord changes. While I am going to continue practicing the intro and the other lines of the bridge, the bridge's middle line needs the most work.Bpm Goals for Previous Parts:
Intro: 100+ bpm
Bridge (First and Third Lines): 115 bpm
Bridge (Middle Line): 95 bpm
New Section
I am not sure what additional song I plan to learn next week but I am leaning towards learning a Rolling Stones song.
🎸Other News🎸
As you can tell, this is not one of my blog's typical sections. Even though I had this section in the midweek post, this is not going to be an every post thing. This week had some news in the guitar world that I found particularly impactful so I figured that you guys would like to know.
I have talked a lot about how long I've been playing and what I've learned, but I never delved into why I continued learning. Only a few weeks after I began learning to play the guitar, I found a YouTube Channel called "Norman's Rare Guitars." The channel hosts multiple guitar series showcasing their vintage guitars.
Now, I know what you guys are thinking: "Cool... but what's the news?" Well...Mark recently hit a new milestone in his guitar career. He was offered a position as the Director of Brand Experience at Gibson Guitars. Working at Gibson is one of the highest positions that any non-band guitar player can achieve. While I am excited about his new position, I am equally sad to see Mark have to leave the show. I looked forward to the show every night, and it's sad to think that after Saturday, March 16 Mark will no longer be the host. Norman's is looking for someone to take Mark's position as the host, but I doubt that anyone could fill his shoes. I will be forever thankful for his contribution to my life.
Check out Mark Agnesi on his Last Week of Guitar of the Day
I have talked a lot about how long I've been playing and what I've learned, but I never delved into why I continued learning. Only a few weeks after I began learning to play the guitar, I found a YouTube Channel called "Norman's Rare Guitars." The channel hosts multiple guitar series showcasing their vintage guitars.
Norman's Rare Guitars- Tarzana, California
While there were multiple interesting series on the channel, there was one that caught my eye. There was a series called "Guitar of the Day" and was hosted by Mark Agnesi. I was immediately drawn in by Mark's skills. Mark had begun playing at the age of six and was making records by the time he turned eleven, so at the age of thirty-seven, he was an absolute legend on the guitar. I began watching "Guitar of the Day" in July and have been watching every day since. His playing is so advanced and his attitude is so witty. I simply cannot seem to stay away from his videos. In each video, Mark picks a different vintage guitar from the store and discusses the history behind the guitar and its specs. He also plays a few songs from the guitar's time period to demonstrate its ability and give it a genuine feeling.
Mark Agnesi at Norman's Rare Guitars
Mark's Impact
Through watching his show I extended my guitar interests greatly. Prior to finding the show, the only interest I had in guitars was learning to play them. Mark Agnesi's daily episodes gave me an entirely new perspective on guitars. He implanted an interest of vintage guitars into my head and I have fallen in love with the newfound passion. I can easily see myself scrolling through photos of old Gibson Les Pauls and 50's Fender Broadcasters for hours. I was a locked box filled with potential interest and Mark was the only one who wielded a key. I owe so much of my guitar interest to Mark.
Mark Agnesi At Norman's Playing with the Great Joe Bonamassa
Works Cited
Agnesi, Mark. “About – Mark Agnesi.” Mark Agnesi, 2019, https://markagnesi.com/about/
Agnesi, Mark. "#MakeGibsonGreatAgain @gibsonguitar."Instagram, @markagnesi, 6 March 2019, https://www.instagram.com/p/Bur5nxynB3e/
Led Zeppelin. “Kashmir (Remastered).” YouTube, Led Zeppelin, 24 Feb. 1975, www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzVJPgCn-Z8
Led Zeppelin. Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin. YouTube, Led Zeppelin, 8 Nov. 1971, www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXQUu5Dti4g
Markey, Michael. “Stairway.” Private Guitar Lessons. Guitar Lesson, 5 Mar. 2019, North Wales, PA, George's Music.
Markey, Michael. “Stairway.” Private Guitar Lessons. Guitar Lesson, 12 Mar. 2019, North Wales, PA, George's Music.
Markey, Michael. “Stairway.” Private Guitar Lessons. Guitar Lesson, 12 Mar. 2019, North Wales, PA, George's Music.
Your playing sounds awesome! I used the same standard tuning (EADGBE) acronym, and it helped me out a lot when I learned to play guitar over the summer. I like how you recorded the BPM for each song - it's a good idea especially when learning fast songs. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteIt was really cool to see you play. I enjoyed being able to read through all of your progress. I also appreciated the song choice. I look forward to seeing what you can do as your skills improve. I hope you keep updating us as thoroughly as you progress!
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