I currently am writing this post while on a plane to Seattle for my spring break. I should be writing my edTPAs, but oh well. The only reason I felt this was important information to include is because I am wearing a shirt with Tom Petty’s face on it. I just love him so much!
This week I was able to practice the up and down strumming technique. This was the next lesson on my Yousician syllabus and I was able to watch videos and practice this technique. Strumming up and down allows you to strum faster and play more complicated rhythms. I am still struggling a bit with changing chord quickly. Some chords have similar hand shapes and are easier to quickly change from chord to chord, while others can be very challenging. Along with practicing this week, I looked deeper into the theory behind the chords chosen for my favorite Tom Petty song. The version of “Yer So Bad” I have chosen to play is written in the key of G Major. There are three sections to this song: verse, pre-chorus and chorus. The verse has a chord progression of ii, V, I, ii (Am, D, G, Am), the pre-chorus has a progression of iv, IV, V, I (Em, C, D, G), and the chorus has a progression of I, V, IV (G, D, C). The pre-chorus progression ends in an authentic cadence. This means the phrase ends by going from a V chord to a I chord and tends to sound “complete”. The chorus ends in a deceptive cadence because it goes from V to IV, or not I. You would expect a V chord to go to a I chord in order sound complete (like an authentic cadence), but a deceptive cadence fools you! It leaves you wanting more! No matter what cadence or chord progression Tom Petty uses, I always want more! I still don’t know too much behind the “why” of the chords and chord progressions. Tom Petty could just very well be a genius and know how to write killer songs without even thinking! I will continue my hunt for answers next week, as well as get into playing Yer So Bad. As we come up to the final week, I figure I better start learning the song I set out to play in the first place. Stay tuned for many more adventures on my quest to becoming a Heartbreaker.
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This week I was able to learn and practice more chords with Yousician. I am still frustrated with the limited time lesson on the app, but I was able to work around that this week. This week, I supplemented my Yousician lessons with YouTube videos. This video is the product of my work withMarty Schwart's Video Lesson:
Guess that Tom Petty song!
Clearly, this is still a work in progress, but I am pretty happy with how things turned out this week. I used a capo to play this song. Using a capo changes the chords and makes the stings easier to press (which is great news for my fingers!). The "Free Fallin'" chords without the capo are D, Dsus4 and A, all chords that I do not know! But by using the capo, the chords were E, G and Bsus4. E and G are easy to play and are chords that I have see in my Yousician lessons. That meant the only chord I needed to learn for this song was Bsus4! I was very grateful to have the capo and to find a video that utilized the capo.
In terms of my Yousician progress, I have now learned the chords E, Em, Am, C and have just started practicing G. I really enjoy the challenges Yousician provides to help me learn the chords and practice changing from chord to chord. Each level of my Yousician "mission" has different songs that require me to use the skills that I am learning, and I cannot move on until I master each song. For example, one level included a song that helped me change from an Am chord to a C chord. The first few times I played this song, I had a very difficult time changing chords, but by the time I mastered the song, I felt like an expert! The skills test from that level included all the chords that I have learned so far and challenged me to quickly move from chord to chord. I have done a little research this week into chord progressions to learn why Tom Petty might have chosen the chords he did for "Yer So Bad". I dug through some of my old piano theory books to remind myself what chord progressions I have learned in the past and what they sound like. I remember diminished, half-diminished, minor, major and augmented. But my online research has shown me many more! I found a cool site that used popular songs to explain different chord progressions. You can find that site on my Pintertest board, or by clicking here. Next week, I want to delve more into the chord progressions and figure out what chord progressions are used in "Yer So Bad". I also want to continue practicing the chords I know and polish up "Free Fallin'", as well as learn new chords with Yousician. I also want to learn more about strumming patterns. Right now, I only strum down, but I need to learn how to strum up in order to play "Yer So Bad". I'm looking forward to another great week of learning!
I am becoming more and more frustrated with the free Yousician app and the limited amount of practice time it provides. I have debated buying the monthly membership for $9.99 (a price that I am constantly reminded of while using the app), but I have come to the conclusion that I am just too cheap! I do like the way Yousician gives me constant feedback while I am playing and allows me to play the song as many times as I need in order to master each note. It's almost as if I am taking lessons from a teacher. I am just becoming impatient because I want to learn chords!
So this week I decided to take things into my own hands and learn the chords myself. I know that I need to be familiar with a A minor chord, a D chord, and a G chord to play the verses of Yer So Bad. I looked up a chord chart on Pinterest and this was what I found:
I really liked this chart because it showed me how I should position my fingers. I found the chords that I needed and attempted to play them. What I found out is that you have to press on the strings really hard to have each note come through clearly when you play the chord. This was challenging for me, and after a while it really hurt my fingers! I also discovered that so far, a G chord is easiest for me to play. We will see if this holds true as I learn to play different chords. I eventually was able to play each chord after careful finger placement and tests. These videos show my progress on the chords.
My goal for next week will be to find a way to play different chords all together, fluidly. Right now I am only able to play each chord after studying the finger placement chart and carefully following its directions. I can also only play one chord at a time. I will still continue using Yousician, but I think I will try to integrate more YouTube videos into my learning this week. I am not limited on the amount of YouTube videos I can watch at one time, so I can have unlimited practice time. However, I lose the feedback feature when I use YouTube. I will also continue to reference the chord chart and practice moving my fingers around to different chords faster.
What I learned about online learning this week is the importance of feedback. Feedback can sometimes be what is missing when you are learning from YouTube and other online sources, but it is an important part of learning. If I integrate online learning into my classroom, I will keep in mind how much I appreciated the instant feedback from Yousician and try to implement that into my online sessions.
I am happy with my progress so far and I look forward to using Yousician more! The only problem that I have with the app so far is that your time is limited on the free version and it locks you out for 12 hours after your allotted time is up. The one draw back from using an app compared to a real teacher is that there is less feedback on my progress and I do not have the ability to ask questions when using the app.
I'm looking forward to another week of learning how to be a Heartbreaker! |
During my time at CSUSM, we participated in a 20% project. This blog chronicles my 20% journey!
Cover photo credits: http://bighassle.com/publicity/tom-petty-the-heartbreakers Archives
April 2016
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Ms. Monaco