This is my second day playing and working on Session 1 of Learn & Master Guitar.
This lesson focuses on getting off to the right start. It talks about how to read guitar tablature, the proper way to finger the frets, hold a pick and strum the guitar.
My first issue is that I’m a lefty, playing on a right-handed guitar. I don’t think that things would necessarily be any easier on a left-handed guitar, but I do know that I play air guitar left-handed! I figure this is the sort of thing that I’m just better off conforming to the right-handed way of doing it. If I’m ever going to just pick up a guitar anywhere, it will be right-handed.
Or, case in point, these lessons. If I was playing lefty, I’d have to translate everything over to the other hand. I don’t need that complication!
So, just like golf. 99% of players golf right-handed, regardless of what hand they are. I golf and play hockey righty. I throw and bat lefty. Go figure.
Session 1 Topics
In this session, we’re learning the strings. Let’s see if I can do this: E-B-G-D-A-E. I think that’s right.
Next is a lot of fingering exercises. each finger up and down the strings: first finger, first string, second finger first string, etc.
Finally, we learn a few chords. C and G7. This is really tough. My fingers just don’t do this sort of independent activity.
It should take about a week to do this lesson, of at least 15 minutes a day. I’m shooting for at least 30 minutes total per day.
By the end of 30 minutes, my left forearm is cramping and my fingertips are killing me. They better toughen up soon!
