Weeks 7 and 8- Signs of Progress

School is busy right now, so I’m combining the past two weeks on one post, especially since they’ve been very similar.  I’m almost done the first section of my book, and since the second section is shorter, I’m thinking I might be able to finish it before semester’s end!

Anyways, I wanted to look at what I’ve considered to be signs of progress over the past few weeks.  These are the points that have made me feel more confident that I’m getting it, and I was also wondering if any other fellow guitarists noticed these when they were learning too?

1.) I don’t need to watch my right hand at all.- I’m able to fingerpick without looking at which string I’m picking.  I instinctively can move my hand to the string I intend to pluck, and if I miss it, my ear tells me.

2.) I’m watching my left hand far less.- I’m still checking where my fingers are from time to time, however on the most basic cords, such as G, C, A, E, Em, D, and Dm, I don’t usually have to look at the frets in order to find the chord.  This definitely adds some continuity to my playing.  The trouble still comes with the more obscure chords, which for a beginner/intermediate book, my lesson book has a fair quantity of.

3.) I rarely ever have to say, “My fingers won’t reach that!”- I’ve noticed that if I keep practicing a chord, no matter how contorted it may seem to make my hands, I’ll get it eventually.  Also, as I progress, I seem to figure these strange chords out even faster.

4.) I’m listening to my playing more.- I’m able to stop focusing on just producing the notes, and listen to how they sound together.  Do they sound clean?  Do they sound correct?  I was even able to notice a typo in one of my pieces because my ear simply told me that it couldn’t be right- unfortunately the book I’ve been working from, while helpful, does have a few typos in it.  More on the book when I’m done my lessons.

Besides those things, I’d also like to mention some of the neat stuff I’m learning at the moment.  I’ve recently learned about chords that are listed with a / between them, such as D/A.  These are chords of the first letter listed, but start on the second letter listed.  This clarifies so much; I used to go hunting for tabs on line, and get so confused by what that was supposed to mean.  Also, I noticed that All Guitar Chords lists these split chords and their fingerings.  Here’s a clip of me practicing a song containing split chords- the D/F# was giving me a bit of trouble, but it’s coming along.

I’ve also been learning about Bass Runs, which are transitions between chords.  While my book shows how to play them, it doesn’t explain the theory that goes along with them.  In other words, I’d like to know how one knows which notes will create a smooth transition between chords?  Is there a formula?  Could anyone recommend any further resources on this, or explain it at all?

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