I Siriusly Need a New Song

I am in a rut.

Today was Google Day 3.0, and I am actually posting in a timely manner.

I really just need to say that I have reached an obstacle in my learning. I like to call it, "WHATIDON'TKNOWHOWTHISISSOHARDRAGEQUIT"

In case that is too convuluted, I'll get to the gist: this "learning guitar thing" is REALLY hard. To the point of I have been playing the same four major chords for the last 3 weeks and don't know where or how or what to go from here.

So, today in band I got a rude awakening. Aparently, instead of grading everything super easily like he reportedly did last year, this year Mr. Matthys is actually going to grade projects based on how good they are in reality. Which makes me, ah, REALLY REALLY WORRIED.

It would be so sad if I failed band. BAND. WHO FAILS BAND.

But really, I'm super worried about this because I need new songs but every song I try isn't even attemptable because it's so difficult.

ANYWAY. THE GOOGLE DAY.
So, before I could continue my battle for glory with Laurent, I was swept away by Blake and his crew of poorly costumed misfits. I spent about [an unspecified amount of] minutes starring in their music video and listening to Blake give the repetetive direction "just look super creeped out". I am so looking foward to everybody appreciating my stellar acting skills in that video. I may or may not have laughed in every single take. Don't tell Mr. Steamrolling-director-I-should-be-playing-all-of-your-roles-I-can't-work-with-these-ameteurs a.k.a. Blake. I'm totally kidding, we're besties.

Anyway, once I was released/their camera died, I secluded myself to the special corner of the hall that probably has my butt imprinted in it by this point (the floor, obviously. Not the whole hall) and worked on the same old stuff. I basically spent the next hour in this spot, with occaisional helpful demonstrations and aid from various passersby. It appears everybody at LO can play the guitar except for me.

Basically, if I could just find a song, I wouldn't give up hope right now. Plus, I'm hoping I'll get brownie points for having super witty blog posts...maybe?

Mr. Mattys is awesome...

Ah well. Toodle-oo

Making Excuses

Not that I'm fishing here, but I really think Mr. Matthys would understand me not posting on my blog until Sunday afternoon. I was at school literally from 7:20 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. on Friday, and so as soon as I got home the only thing on my mind was defrosting my feet. Then, on Saturday, I was at school again all day, of course, for the second and third performances of Guys and Dolls. And then it was suddenly Sunday. I think I have a good excuse.

So anyway, on the Google Day (Friday), I sat in the hallway for basically the entire period. I tuned Laurent with a lot of difficulty and some help (I forgot who helped me). I then played some more of This Land Is Your Land, and it's getting so much easier. Except for that last chord, which still bothers me even though I was playing it correctly.  I seriously need some new songs, because patriotism is getting old and boring. I attempted to play through "Here Comes the Sun", but the chords changed too fast so I quickly gave up on that. Whoever told me that song was easy lied and should be boiled in oil. Just kidding. I'm just mad at them for having more talent than me.

After that, Blake and Co. came over to film me being violated some more, I'm sure (for their Google Project, context is important) but I was saved by the bell (quite literally).

 I'm learning more chords from my guitar Bible and it's going pretty well. My fingers still hurt, but slightly less so.

I also listened to the Musical Theatre class sing "Time Warp" and the boy's choir doing warm-ups. The hallway is a very musical place at eight in the morning.

Friends

I think I've had an epiphany.

Today I decided to befriend Laurent, instead of being terrified of him. We made friendship bracelets, signed a contract of friendship, and got down to business. (You should all be singing the Mulan song in your head right now)

And it was easier.
I said, It. Was. Easier.

OHMYGOD, YOU GUYS (Cue that song). I tackled my patriotism with "This Land Is Your Land" once again and it went SO much better. It's actually starting to sound like a song. I sound horrible of course, me and my little nonchoir second soprano self singing a song written for men and sounding like crap when it got out of my range, but that's okay because nobody judges your singing in band. I hope. The final chord still sounds funky to me- it doesn't sound like the end of the song. But that might be because I don't know how to harmonize.

In other news, Guys and Dolls opens this week. Everyone come and see it.

The 24 Hour Post

It has been less than 24 hours since Google Day 2.0, and I am POSTING.

Let's get down to it.

So today started with me having to bring Laurent on the bus. Which sucks, by the way. I hate that stupid case, it's impossible to carry without looking ridiculous and hitting it against walls and stuff.

Anyway, I went to band and started messing about with some chords to warm up. I tuned Laurent (he wasn't that badly out of tune, surprisingly. Assuming, that is, that I actually successfully tuned him and didn't just make it worse). Then, Mr. Matthys filmed me playing an A chord. And laughed at me, which I think is a good sign. Look on his page for the video of me. That is, if he didn't cut me out of it, which I wouldn't blame him for doing.

After he walked away to film more talented and interesting people, I showed Emma my prowess over "This Land Is Your Land". She wasn't too impressed, probably because it sounded horrible. I then googled the piece to make sure I was playing the right chords. That didn't work very well, so I settled for asking Mr. Matthys what I was doing wrong, which he was very excited to tell me. Kidding, but it was helpful. Turns out I was pressing the strings (incorrect terminology for the win) with the wrong part of my finger and it's supposed to be done closer to the pad of the finger than the nail. Yay other places to put through extreme and permanent pain!

Then I spent about 15 minutes or so guest starring in Blake, Tony, and Darden's music video. It was scary. Here's the link to their project page. It isn't as cool as mine. http://translationkorealand.blogspot.com/

At the end of the period I recovered from the emotional torture Blake the steamrolling director put me through and lent Megan my guitar to use in her project (loltaylorswift)

Good day, guys. Also, my great pal Rachel whom I dearly love (and who I gave one of my two purple guitar picks to) said she'd give me the chords to some easy real music that isn't awkwardly patriotic. So that's exciting.

Bye, all seven million (or 2, as of last count) of my viewers!

At This Point, I Can At Least Be Patriotic

So yesterday, with a lot of help (hi, mommy), I successfully got through "This Land Is Your Land" (the first song my mom learned when she played). It was a remarkable accomplishment considering my innate guitar skillage. As far as legit music goes, it isn't difficult because the song is only three different chords and, quite handily, they are all on the same page of my chord book (aka Google Bible). It's still insanely difficult to switch my hand position all flowy and so there isn't an awkwardly long pause between the words "from" and "California". I sang along with myself when I played it (no doubt off-key), which totally made me feel like Taylor Swift.

In other news, for some reason I am finding it impossible to tune Laurent. Don't ask me why, my brain is refusing to comprehend the difference between flat and sharp. It's frustrating. RAWR.

This guitar thing is really hard and I am one million percent certain my fingers will be in need of amputation before the semester is out.

Improvement is on the very very distant horizon.

Google Day One = Not Success

So, the first google day was yesterday.

Biggest news of the hour: I still can't play guitar.

What a shockerooni.

So, I lug Laurent to school yesterday. Which, by the way, was a total pain because guitars are HARD to carry. Especially if you don't want to look like a tool, which no doubt I did, dragging Laurent around.

Then in class I spend the period learning chords. I learned a lot. And then proceeded to forget them, but that's why I have a book. I also figured out how to play individual notes, which is a whole lot easier because you just have to hold down one string. Using this technique, I successfully played Mary Had a Little Lamb in D major and Hot Cross Buns, also in D major.

And then my fingers hurt for the rest of the day. Yay guitar.

Hopeful improvement is on the horizon. Stay TUNED, y'all.

lolbandjoke

Happy Birthday To Me!

It's my sixteenth birthday, and I decided to put my birthday good luck omens to the test and take a crack at guitar.

Yes, for the first time.

No, I haven't been procrastinating. I've been fearing my inevitable doom. Because there is (there are?) only so many times that I can try something and fail absolutely positively miserably.

And then be screwed.

So, long story short, I put this off forever because it's scary to learn new things! Freaking terrifying, man! But today I prayed to Apollo (god of music, y'all) and set a course for my destiny with purple guitar pick in hand.

And then ten minutes later I hoisted my white flag and admitted defeat. This instrument is HARD. I'm talking ROCK-LIKE. It's just...mindblowingly challenging with the chords and the notes and I don't even know how to count frets or what note each fret makes and it's just no fun.

I have surrendered to the terror of Laurent for now. I'll play again tomorrow, on the Google day. Or, you know, I'll fail band. Which is seeming more and more likely by the second.

Just kidding.
But seriously. I'm dying here. Waaaaaaaaaaaaah :( :( :(
Also, my fingers are owie.