Week 3 of my 20time project left me feeling a bit frustrated. It seemed that, despite my focused efforts, I wasn't making much progress with my comfortability on the guitar. My chord transitions weren't fluid, my fingers weren't finding the right positions on the fret board, and my strumming seemed sloppy and inconsistent. Also, playing the same 3 or 4 chords can get tedious really fast. As my interest and enthusiasm for this project started to wane, I began looking at the progress of my colleagues. One of the members of my 20time House, Megan Gonzalez, explained how she began learning the piano using a training game called Synthesia. While I read Megan's description of this program and how helpful this resource was for her, it occurred to me that I hadn't given these types of programs a chance for my project, and I remembered seeing an advertisement for a free program on www.Ultimate-Guitar.com called Yousician. I decided to check it out.
I wish I was the kind of person who had the patience and will power to practice chords or a song for hours on end, but that's not me. I'm the kind of person who needs parameters, objectives, and some kind of specified challenge. This goals-based approach to learning is exactly what I needed. The gradual increase in pace and complexity of each activity was just difficult enough to force me to stop thinking about where my fingers were and just play. This kind of encouragement to play faster and just beyond my comfort level is difficult for me to emulate on my own. I think that if I can log a few more hours on this program, I can make some substantial progress. This week didn't get me any closer to playing "The Scientist" specifically, but Yousician has reinvigorated my resolve to learn and has helped me establish gradual skill development goals. Hopefully by my next and final post, I can confidently display my progress in the form of a Youtube video.
3 Comments
4/22/2016 10:33:10 am
Hey George!
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Megan Gonzales
4/24/2016 12:17:07 pm
Hi George,
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4/25/2016 02:19:55 pm
Hi George,
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AuthorOn this page, I will document my progress throughout my 20% Project. The purpose of this activity is to see first hand how a 20time project can be used in education. Archives
May 2016
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