Posts

Final Week Capstone Project

 I had a lot of fun doing this project. I learned a lot about guitar and music theory, as well as how I learn best and stay focused on a long project like this. Over the course of the last 4 weeks I've spent more time playing guitar consistently than I had in the 4 months prior, most likely. It was a challenge, no doubt, but it was a good experience to try to find new ways to get better. While there are teachers and curriculums, there is no specific rule book for how to get better at something like guitar. There are different ways you can improve, and I think that's what made this project so fun. I definitely recommend others try this project. While it may seem more convenient or organized to follow a pre-made curriculum of guitar learning material, I think the freedom to find your own material and the challenge that comes with that is a really good experience. I think with the eclectic resources I used, I was able to reach my goal of learning about guitar and music theory, whi...
1 comment
Read more

Week 3 Capstone Project

 A story I have from this week has to do with the different guitar's I've been playing. I picked up my dad's guitar to play at one point this week and the strings were thick and hard to play. I decided to try out my old guitar and the strings were thin and easy to play but didn't sound very good. I thought it was interesting with the notions of frequencies and how that creates dissonance in the notes we play. It could be interesting to look into what makes strings sound the way that they do, aside from the tension that makes them play a certain note.  On the front of my final video, I've decided on a song and I have been practicing the way I want to play it. There will be two parts layered over each other, which is something I've wanted to do for a while. I always thought it was slightly annoying to only get to play one part at a time and now I will be able to here them combined. I've attached 3 video clips of me playing some of the songs I've been pract...
1 comment
Read more

Week 2 Capstone Project

 I learned a lot this week, especially about the ideas of music theory. A fun story I have from this week came when I was practicing electric guitar. A few of my friends came over to hang out and I happened to be practicing at the time. They heard me playing Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival and suddenly began spouting songs they wanted me to play. I was able to learn a few on the spot, and it was an enjoyable experience to be able to show off my learning.  I'm currently working on my visual presentation that will demonstrate the way I've learned on my technical guitar skills. I'm also still learning a lot about chord structure and scales from my guitar teacher. The video system for blogger doesn't seem to be working right now so I will do my best to fix that and get my videos up and available to be seen.
4 comments
Read more

Week 1 Capstone Project

 Week 1 For my capstone project I chose to intensively play guitar in an attempt to further my abilities and learn more about the music I had already been playing. I started playing guitar at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, and since then I have learned how to play many songs. During this project I intend to continue to learn songs, but with assistance from my guitar teacher I will also be learning about music theory. My inspiration mainly came from the music I had been playing and hearing, which led to my curiosity in how music is made. I had already been taking lessons with my guitar teacher, Lara Michell, and she was on board with changing our direction to learn more about the fundamentals of music rather than just guitar. My goals for this project will be to create a presentable final product, such as a video, to demonstrate my learning; as well as a piece of media that shows my improvement on the front of music theory. Lastly, my main goal for the project is simply to bec...
2 comments
Read more