So the theory is important too ...

Staying away overnight having gone on a train to work is not the greatest for access to a guitar. So as a back-up I decided it was time for some substantiation of the practice with a little bit of theory. I discovered the internet is a great resource for aspiring guitarists (even if I would find it hard to summarise what exactly I learned!)

Hmmm, sitting reading online as my guitar practise ... I wonder how many days off I can find good excuses for ...?

So today I have achieved not once but twice?

This "I will do x every day" concept is definitely interesting. It gives you a totally different perspective on your evening especially. As before with the running, I have now become adjusted to the continuous background loop in my head identifying when I will fit in a few minutes of strumming. I've also reached that stage where if I'm out in the evening I know that strumming has to be pretty well my first "job" when I get in.

However, despite this, the blogging still seems to be an issue. For some reason my brain flatly refuses to factor in time for the blog that comes afterwards; I think maybe this is a defensive position adopted to safeguard against any realisation of the lack of creativity that afflicts me as I try and find a new perspective on six chords, mild discomfort, back-ache, and the ongoing question of quite what long-term damage I'm doing to my hands and fingers.

Anyway, to return to today and the strumfest. Having rediscovered my guidebook I practised my (now nine) theoretically memorised chords yet again. I then wimped out of the necessary effort that is clearly required to learn to move between them  - ie endless practice (yes I know it's pretty important, I just didn't quite have the motivation today). Instead I flicked forward in my manual to the single-string chapter. While this is probably not the right way to learn, as I am teaching myself who is to say? And they so say one motivates by variety! Again, I know not what may be wise ... instead, by the end of my session I had - very slowly, very inaccurately, and distinctly unconvincingly - done a two-octave approximation of the G major scale. 

As the teacher I have the right to determine success and failure (that's how it works, right?). Therefore I am now declaring my considered view that despite all the unmusical interludes along the way, a two-octave G major scale is in fact an achievement! (It's ok, cheers, no disillusioning is required!).

In addition, now, my blog is up-to-date.

And so I declare: today I have achieved not once but twice. The Febethon strums on.

So at least the noise isn't amplified!

Chords. That was the theme for Febethon Day 7.

After the distinct lack of success yesterday with the attempt to play any kind of tune I decided that consolidation was the order of the day. (I also couldn't quite recall where my guitar book was, but we won't mention that little contributory factor.)

And so I played, for about 15 minutes, the 6 chords I could remember (basically C-A major chords). I also managed three minors after a bit of brain-dredging. Moving between them is still proving - well, challenging. But however slow my progress surely it must all be helping, this persistent strumming of one chord followed by a pause, some muttering, and then a different chord?

In the meantime though, while I improve my musicianship and skills (well if I don't claim great advances, I'm sure no-one else will credit me with them) I do wonder what my poor neighbour is making of this latest idiocy! Luckily at least I only have a bog standard cheap acoustic guitar - so she is not being subjected to amplified buzzy muffled chords, just quiet (but still probably not very tuneful and definitely rather buzzy) versions.

Remind me,.dear blog-reading insomniacs, that I need to check with her quite how grateful she is for such small acoustic mercies!

So six chords remembered ... only several hundred to go?

I remembered today all six of my chords! However that was probably the height of my success ... the broader picture re today being the growing realisation of quote how inflexible I am (anyone know how to do finger-yoga?):

• My finger tips hurt for want of the calluses developed by more experienced guitarists and/or more dedicated pupils. 
• My whole hand complains crampily of the requirement to curl appropriately. I think my posture needs work, and my shoulders seem to agree. 
• I tried again to sing along to my one song for which theoretically I now know the chords (Scarborough Fair), and now not only can I not move from one chord to the next, but it seems I can no longer hold a tune.

Sometimes the course of learning does not run smooth! I would love to have the ability to play the guitar and to accompany myself. And I shall indeed keep on going. But I wonder if - unlike the wonders of the Janathon with all the fellow Janathon-ers to keep me inspired, and my aim being simply to "get out and do it"- this Febethon with it's self-education requirement as well as the commitment demands might be a step too far. Yesterday as part of Save Our Libraries Day I went to seek out a book on how to teach yourself guitar - but clearly too many other local people in my area are also on a self-improvement kick as such literature was notable by its absence*.(I've already tried the internet and with a slow connection that seems more frustrating than helpful. But I am sure that somewhere there must be a book to help, surely? I state now that I will look again ...)

Despite these hurdles, though, I will not give up. I have now completed Day 6 of the Great Guitar Challenge and I have blogged too (although I am assuming those few who were reading this while it was the Janathon blog have given up now anyway!). One more day of both, regardless of audiences though, and I will have done a whole week - never say never!

*In the event I actually checked out a book about understanding the Qu'ran - it seemed appropriate on the day Cameron spoke at length about "political Islam" and the EDL were marching; the only issue now is to read it rather than allow it to sit on the side until I need to return it!

So back to the basics then!

After yesterday's attempt at chords-for-singing-along-to I decided that really I needed to crawl before I could walk rather than attempting to run and almost falling over entirely. So today I decided it would be back to basics.

I therefore concentrated on the five chords I have been practising already and added in another. For some reason, however careful I am this additional one didn't today sound quite right. I am baffled as to why, but I shall persevere. Despite this, I feel that although (as already explained) I appear to have no natural talent I am slowly beginning to remember the very basic chords I have been learning.

So I feel progress is being made! Hooray!

After five days I can accurately claim - as long as I am very slow and careful - to be able to play all the major chords from C to A (though that last is the one that simply doesn't seem to "work" - any clues anyone?). For now that is enough I think! My homework for the next 24 hours is to see if I can remember all of them for tomorrow's session ...

So even on Day 4 this challenge is looking really difficult...

Day 4 of the February Guitar Challenge seemed to be all about determination. I had determined I would do my practice even though I got home late at night; I had determined I would try and motivate myself through working on an incredibly slow and unconvincing rendition of Scarborough Fair; and I had determined I would remember at least two chords. Musicality and/or any sense of aural pleasure simply didn't come into it!

So how did I get on?

Well, the lessons I have learned so far are (1) that my suspicion that guitar-playing is another ambitious area of existence for which I have little or no talent was pretty accurate and (2) I need to hope very strongly that the the walls of my old terraced cottage are thick though to protect my poor next door neighbour from the very worst excesses of my noise-making.

I think those conclusions probably tell you as much as there is to know regarding the success of my guitar self-teaching to date!

So I thought it was running that supposed to hurt?

When I set out on this latest journey, I recognised that learning to play the guitar was going to be a challenge; indeed possibly a significant challenge. However I also thought that one of the benefits of a musical* as opposed to sporting** challenge would be that I would not need to suffer the joys/pains of aching body parts.

Humph.

It appears that the challenge of the guitar is not just about the production of a listenable sound. Nor, in fact, is it about my fingertips (of which more will be I am sure be written (if not read) in forthcoming days). No: it appears that sitting (no doubt with bad posture) and picking out chords (slowly) is also about testing the forebearance of the shoulders. I know I'm tired, but I really hadn't anticipated that a few minutes of guitar-handling (however poor) would leave with me shoulders that are (following advice and guidance received from the calves perhaps?***) already protesting.

Despite the discomfort, though, today's mammoth achievement was that I managed five chords. Ok, as yesterday each chord was carefully prepared finger by finger. And yes, I continue to wonder as to the wisdom of this latest venture. However, regardless of the slow progress I am making at least I can say with truth that on Day 3 of my own little Febethon I have played and now I have posted.

* Naturally, you will appreciate that I use the word musical in the broadest sense
** I acknowledge also that the word sporting has to be stretched to fit into this precise context
*** See Janathon blogs for further details of the calves' negotiation strategies

So ... this is going to be even tougher than the #Janathon?

I already knew I had no innate talent for the guitar. But after only the second day I am realising the depths of my talent-lacuna is greater than I had suspected.

I am not sure I made any progress on the great Febethon Day 2. I did "play" some additional chords. But only with a very intensive and considered effort put in to finding them one by one, and with much careful placing of each finger individually. If the whole idea of chords is that you play multiple strings at the same time, as a single tone, well I have managed to come close, I'll give you that. However the eventual result of my careful preparation didn't seem to sound terribly together and was rather fuzzy each time, albeit that it did happen. If however the idea of chords are that you can play them fast enough to create a tune ... woah, have I got a long way to go. I don't think I'll be playing any three-minute pop songs in the near future - three hour songs sounds optimistic for now!

Ah well. It was supposed to be a challenge, that was the idea I think ... do I never learn?

So ... time for a Febethon?

The common theme to several recent conversations has been "so what next"?

In response, I've smiled and laughed and spoken about the joy of being inside on a icy evening, and hiding from the rain, and collapsing when I get home rather than forcing myself into trainers and strange-guy running gear. In practise I hope I will maintain some momentum and continue to run though the current break feels truly well-deserved (my natural laziness needs to be allowed a little more space and freedom surely, although hopefully it won't take over my entire existence forever).

But equally I feel this concept of pushing along should continue somehow. And so I've been thinking.

Not exercise, I thought, something else. What else have I repetitively failed to achieve before? Ah, yes, the answer is clear ...

And so yesterday, (I think I'm still within the 24 hours!) I began my latest attempt at self-improvement and dedication to the cause of additional life guilt. I started to try and teach myself ...

... to play the guitar.

I am not imagining I will manage to play every single day, as realistically carting trainers with me has been a pain ... but carting the guitar around is likely to prove rather more genuinely problematic. But the idea is I will play every day I can for at least 15 minutes. Well play ... in the broadest sense you understand!

I have no apparent gift, and so I anticipate the struggle. But so far I have tuned my guitar, read some basics, placed my fingers carefully on the neck in line precisely with instructions, and played - slowly and rather unmusically - two chords. Separately.

Having had such success I then tried to move between them. That was however a step beyond and into definitely too far! But it was a start; and a start is all one needs on day one.

Having blogged therefore I leave you now to ponder this extension of my stupidity, and head to find out if my fingers are feeling any more flexible than yesterday.

And so ... my Febethon has begun. Guitar month here we come!

So ... Some last ponderings ...

Oh Janathon, oh janathon ... How you have taken over my life!

So what do I really think? Well secretly, fully acknowledging my own stupidity in signing up when I was starting a new job, and accepting the true whinginess of rather too much of my blog, and noting that it would still even now be far from appropriate to describe me as a runner ... yes, despite all these things I have to confess I think it has been good for me.

It is a long time since I have been forced to exert such self-discipline, and have stuck to it. The blogging ended up feeling harder than the running, as I searched desperately (and increasingly unsuccessfully) for a new angle on the same couple of miles of tarmac.

Right at the beginning I secretly decided I wanted to try and do at least a mile each day. I didn't own up to this on my blog as it seemed a target of dreams, and one that I could only fail as success was an impossibility. One month down the line I have run at least a mile every day (and not as many as I thought only 1.1 mile either, so I've usually pushed it that one or two extra tenths!). With a total of 63 miles I've also managed to run just over 2 miles a day on average. Ok, only just over. But that's a great feat in my world, and one I wouldn't even have set as a target at the beginning as it would have seemed as if I was dooming myself to failure.

I'm not sure if I'm fitter - I'm certainly no lighter - but I must surely somehow have benefited so I'm going to argue that I am. I feel I have finally convinced myself that while I'm still not a runner, I am someone who can run (although my last-minute dashes for trains which are all too regular don't noticeably seem any easier, which is rather depressing! I blame the shoes ...).

Overall, it has been a great thing to do. And I am pleased I did it (even if I wouldn't have said that at every point on the way through!).

Thanks so very much to Cathy and to all who have faffed around on our behalves, supporting and organising and administering and occasionally sending out bracing get-on-with-it messages. I loved the blog-reading too, inspired by the dedication and tenacity of all my fellow Janathoners. I was also touched and amazed by the comments on my own blog - presumably some folk have been serving some kind of prison rehabilitation where reading very boring pieces about nothing is part of your reintegration into society!

Janathon is a real online community event. Few of us would get through if left to our own devices. And yet with the gentle support, pressure, nagging and nurturing of our fellow heroes/victims we keep ploughing that furrow. It's been my first time in such a group and I am glad to have met you all, and touched and excited to have been accepted as part of the great Janathon gang.