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Post by Spiffy on Nov 15, 2010 19:15:35 GMT
(OOC: I honestly wouldn't know if you got anything wrong xD I'm a drummer, not a guitarist, and an ungraded one at that, though
He could see that she was unsure about where to start, probably wondering how much he knew. He had said to start front the beginning, for he himself had no idea how much he could remember. One thing he did remember from the long ago lessons was which lie in the written sheets corresponded to which note; A, G, B, D and F - all good boys deserve fruit - for the lines, and F, A, C and E - face - for the in-between bits. But that was all that sprang to mind.
He turned his attention back to Maurisa as she moved, watching her move her fingers slowly over the strings. He'd forgotten what they were called, if he even knew in the first place.
"It gets more complicated the faster you have to play, obviously. You don't need to strum too hard - we don't need to deafen anyone, and if you're playing in a group, doing so would be sure to earn you a sour galnce from any piper you have with you. They get touchy about gitarists trying to drown them out."
He nodded, chuckling too. He could imagine the, getting a little tetchy about that. Among the vocalists he had worked with, if someone got a bit too full of themselves and started singing louder than everyone else - or taking over someone else's lines - they got frowned at, if not dressed down. And woe betided anyone who dared to play while the teacher was talking...
"Alright, well, so I know where to go from here, how about you take the gitar and have a go."
He carefully took the proffered guitar when she passed it over the table. Adjusting his position on the bench so that he could play comfortably, he rested it across his knee, taking hold of the neck with his left hand and passing his right over the strings, eliciting a faint sound. Wracking his brains, he regarded his left hand. Choosing a fret, he arranged his fingers over the strings, strummed quietly, frowned, and moved a finger. This time it produced a more satisfying thrum.
"That was a C, wasn't it?" he asked, looking up hopefully. "And this is a - no, this is a D..." he moved his fingers again, producing a more mournful sound than before.
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Seraph
Betweener
"What if time is all we have?"
Posts: 56
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Post by Seraph on Nov 16, 2010 21:56:04 GMT
(( OOC - I have next to no musical apptitude - I can appreciate it, just not play it at very well at all. So please forgive any major mess-ups. I might just gloss over the actual teaching bits with nice descriptive prose that features no technical words XD ))
Maurisa nodded, a slight grin on her face as she listened, easily toning out the background noise of the cavern, focusing on the notes that K'mir was playing. Zirith, apparently catching the jist of the activities from her rider's thoughts, decided to make it known that she expected Hers to play a tune for her later. Maurisa promised to do so before she turned her full attention back to K'mir. "Yes, that's it! It helps if you do daily excerises to stretch the muscles in your hands, for when you have to play notes that require more reach." She smiled wryly in memory, rubbing one hand over the fingers of the other, feeling the Turns old calluses, both from gitar playing and dragon-care. "Also, playing will hurt your fingers untill you build up calluses, but best not to worry about that untill Astaath is fully grown. I got lucky in that I learned a great deal of Harpering before I Impressed Zirith."
She gave a slight sigh, more in memory then anything, and nodded to herself. She had been lucky - in that she had learned a lot before she Impressed, and that she had been able to become the Weyrsinger after she and Zirith had graduated from being Weyrlings.
Gesturing to K'mir with a hand, she nodded at the gitar in his lap. "Feel free to play whatever comes to you - try and get a feel for the instrument and how it works." She flashed a grin. "As trite as it sounds, try to get to know it." And then she laughed at herself. "Sounds ridiculous, I know. I said the same to my teacher." She tilted her head to one side. "It's not something I can really explain - it will come with practise. You'll be able to learn what I mean when we make your gitar."
((OOC - T_T Sorry for awful post. *grumbles* This seemed so much better in my head))
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Post by Spiffy on Nov 17, 2010 20:59:07 GMT
He grinned, glad that he'd gotten something right, that he'd even remembered it at all. He tried for an E, but there his memory failed him - it wasn't a chord that he'd played often - the notes sounding discordant and odd. Somehow he ended up with something that sounded like an A, another chord that he played but infrequently. He wracked his brains for the remaining chords, bar the flats and sharps that he couldn't remember at all. It took him a few tries before he remebered the correct way to play an F, by laying one finger on the last two strings instead of using his little finger. The last one, a G, proved Risa right - some were indeed s stretch of the fingers. "Ah. I might have to work on that one," he said, flexing the offended digits. He noticed Maurisa doing something similar with her own hands, apparently unconsciously. "You know, they say that you can tell a lot about a person from their hands by looking at the callouses," he remarked, nodding towards her hands. "But, as you say, I doubt I'm going to have time to build up Harper callouses while working on my 'Rider ones," he joked. "Feel free to play whatever comes to you - try and get a feel for the instrument and how it works. As trite as it sounds, try to get to know it. Sounds ridiculous, I know. I said the same to my teacher. It's not something I can really explain - it will come with practise. You'll be able to learn what I mean when we make your gitar." He picked up a C again, lightly running his fingers over the strings. "It's not silly. It's the same when working with any tool or weapon, or even with riding a runner. Each has its own weight, balance, or temperament, and you need to get to know that temperament before you can work with it properly." He stopped and looked up at Risa before looking away again, realising suddenly that he was reminiscing. He quickly searched his memory for a tune he could remember. Then, smiling, he switched chords and struck up a simple strummed tune. "The little queen, all golden Flew at the sea. To keep it back, To turn it back She flew forth bravely." He started quietly, unsure of himself, as he wasn't used to playing the song as well as singing it. But, after a blip where he couldn't remember a fiddly bit between the first and second verse, he gained confidence, voice becoming stronger as he settled into the familiar rhythm of the song. Years ago, when he had first heard the song, he had been so enchanted by it that he'd insisted on learning it, not just in vocals but to play too. He'd only gotten as far as learning the guitar version, but that had been enough for him. And even now, one of his favourite songs was serving him well. "As she attacked the sea in rage A holderman came nigh Along the sand Fishnet in hand And saw the queen midsky.
He stared at her in wonder For often he'd been told That such as she Could never be Who hovered there, bright gold.
He saw her plight and quickly He looked up the cliff he faced And saw a cave Above the wave In which her eggs he placed.
The little queen all golden Upon his shoulder stood Her eyes all blue Glowed of her true Undying gratitude."
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Seraph
Betweener
"What if time is all we have?"
Posts: 56
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Post by Seraph on Jan 10, 2011 14:23:59 GMT
OOC - Sorry for late reply, and any fail within.
Maurisa nodded encouragment as K'mir started trying different notes, her expression not falling even as he erred trying to play an E. Oh, she knew he hadn't played it right, but that was no reason to dampen the enthusiasm she had for teaching. Only a bad teacher constantly told a student where they were going wrong. You had to let a student make some mistakes on their own, see if they realised it, and then went to mend it themself. K'mir had, obviously, and started to play different notes, looking somewhat pensive as he tried to remember the correct ways to play them. Zirith, evidentally having been dozing, stirred enough to comment. He's not as good as you. He's still learning - be nice! Zirith didn't exactly promise to be nice, but her rider could feel the Green would at least refrain from commenting directly to Astaath. Small mercies and whatnot.
"It's not silly. It's the same when working with any tool or weapon, or even with riding a runner. Each has its own weight, balance, or temperament, and you need to get to know that temperament before you can work with it properly." The Weyrsinger gave K'mir a brisk nod, the seriousness of the motion utterly undermined by the mirth in her eyes. "That's a good mindset to have as you begin learning - as a Harper and as a Weyrling, though not in that order, mind. Your dragon, as you may have heard, comes first.", she refrained from an uppity tone on the last sentence, even in jest, as she wasn't sure how it would be taken, so she left no doubt as to how she had meant it - an errant observation, nothing more. K'mir started playing again, haltering, but growing confident as he started remembering the notes.
She sat, her klah growing cold, as she listened. He had a good voice, no, a very good voice, carrying the tune easily, the mishap at the begining nothing that couldn't be fixed with practise. As he gained confidence, his voice became stronger, and Maurisa had an honest look of joy on her face. It was a great choice of song, one no-one could ever frown upon, and even if his gitar playing was somewhat rusty, Risa found herself determined to teach him. You weren't before? You know what I meant, even if I didn't say anything. He has to have training, soon as Astaath is old enough. She felt a sense of smugness from her dragon, and shook her head slightly, returning her attention to K'mir. "That was a grand choice. You only need practise.", she grinned with no restraint. "Yep, soon as we make your gitar, there's no stopping you."
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