DOday #4 - Learn to Play One Song Using the Guitar

Wow! This is the most challenging DOday to date! Hehe! Well, I only have 4! So this will probably be nothing compared to future challenges when I'm done with the simple ones. *scary*

 

Playing the guitar is NOT easy! Specially if you have poor eye-hand coordination, short fingers, and no patience. Good thing my "top secret" teacher is very patient and believes that I could do it. If not for my teacher slash cheerleader, I would just quit this challenge and call it a day. A bad day.

 

I tried to learn playing the guitar back in Grade 4 when ALL of my classmates can play More Than Words, some even with eyes closed. I envied them. So I tried to learn, but my fingers could and would not cooperate with me. They simply do not agree to be subjected to such pain. Plus my teacher back then was just a 10 year old boy who couldn't care less if I learn or not. So I abandoned my hopes of playing More Than Words and moved on to a different art.

Saturday came and I had to do a challenge. The thing that I abandoned I now have to face.

 

TRIAL # 1 – Song Choice

I wanted to do something really easy and short like Mary Had a Little Lamb, Happy Birthday, or Humpty Dumpty. I know where I stand, I know my guitar skills, and that means I can only play nursery rhymes. Last year I tried Guitar Hero on PS2 and that too was a big big joke. I just can’t!

My "top secret" teacher wants me to do a song that I liked so that my first song is something I want and not just easy. I thought, “What song do I listen to the most in the past week?” Aha! Band of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You. Nice song! Ayayay! This is a nice song but not for a beginner!

 

Scrap that – next in the repertoire – Jason Mraz, I’m Yours. Just three chords, according to "top secret" teacher, very easy. Yeah right! Three chords with very fast transition.

 

I won! I won! I can’t do any of the “simple” mainstream songs because they are just too hard! I tried, but Happy Birthday is gonna be the song for the night.

 

TRIAL # 2 – Chords

 

Yes! I can do C, I can do G, but F! What the F?! Hehe! Why oh why?! Why is there F in Happy Birthday?! My eyes have started welling up just because of this F chord! But apparently there are more ways to do the F chord, so I was given the simplest F. But even that was not easy!

 

After studying individual chords, I had to practice actually playing the song. Well, I don’t think I did a good job at transitioning from one chord to the next. I still had to think and place my fingers in each string just to transition.

Here is my version of Happy Birthday! Try not to laugh! :D

This challenge is FAIL if playing the song is the only thing you’ll rate.

 

But for me this is WIN because I did not give up.

 

Because I gave all my energy.

 

Because I normally do not do anything that hurts me; this did hurt me, and I did not stop.

 

I almost cried but I went on.

Completed DOday #4, 361 challenges to go!

For Love, for Victory, for the glory of God!