Blog #14: Fasterrrrr

Progress:

I hope you're not tired of the song "Riptide" because I'm back with this song again! Buttttt this time, my strum pattern is different. Instead of Annie Rose's version, I tried the TenThumbs Productions version which isn't too drastically different. I also decided to try the one-finger technique too! I'm not sure why this version was so tricky for me since it was mostly the same. Instead of D-DU-UDU, it was DD-UDU, so it was just missing one down strum and the tempo was different but I messed up pretty often. I didn't cut out any parts of the video so it shows all my mistakes and this was actually the second time I had to record it, which was pretty frustrating since my videos are much longer now. But I know I only need to practice more in order to get it right. I don't think the one-finger technique interfered with my memorization of the new strum pattern but it did result to a couple of my mistakes such as missing a string and others. The tempo is also supposed to be fast so I think I did alright. I wasn't as fast and nearly as perfect as the youtuber but I think I'll improve over time.

Reflection:

I used the one-finger technique again and I think I actually enjoy it a bit more this time. I was pretty frustrated this time though because I kept messing up the strum pattern and the tempo is faster than the other version, which only meant more mistakes. But one of my goals was to improve my patience so I tried to take it slowly and practice more. I took breaks whenever I needed to and then went back to practicing. Since my goal this quarter was to play full songs, I think I did accomplish this goal since my videos are 2-3 minutes, the length of most songs. I did make many mistakes but this is part of learning and improving so I didn't want to record over and over until it was perfect. I just uploaded my best for now and I'm proud of myself for all the time and dedication I spent to learn to play this instrument.

I also want to thank my best friend Kayly Tran for helping me with recording.

#Riptide