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fandomhigh2007-01-18 01:00 pm
guitar-and-gun.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2007-01-18 01:00 pm
Entry tags:
Guitar, Preiod 4 Thurdsay
El was playing a quiet tune on his black acoustic guitar as the students filed in, seemingly not noticing them. There was a plate of freshly made tacos on the side for any who might want to pick them up.
When the last student had filled in, El stood up and faced the class.
"When I spoke to you all last, I said that I would have a syllabus for you. Unfortunately, if you are a fan of syllabi, I'm afraid that I lied. I tried strict syllabi for my two classes last year, and it didn't quite work out. I'm afraid that rigid, ordered structures simply don't work for me. However, this does not mean that there isn't a plan for this semester. Far from it. In fact, there are three plans for this semester."
El put the guitar in its case and slowly latched it up. He began walking between the student's desks, clinking as he went.
"This class will have three separate components. History of the Guitar. Playing of the Guitar. And Making of the Guitar. We shall alternate between these three subjects each week. Learning about the history, learning how to play or play better, and making a guitar. At the end of the semester, you will have three options for your final. You can either write me a research paper on some aspect of the guitar's history. You can play me a piece of your own choosing, although I will count you off if you try and pick something easy, unless you play it extremely well. Or you can build a guitar of your own.
Now, for today. If you know how to play guitar? Play something for me. Anything. If you don't have a guitar with you and want to play something acoustical, you may borrow mine. If you want to play something electric, Mr. Bernadette has graciously offered the use of his electric guitar.
If you don't know how to play guitar? There are guitars over there. Electric, acoustic, bass, many kinds. Go over and pick out something that you think fits you. This will be your guitar for the semester. And I expect all of you to practice every day. Then I'll spend the rest of the class showing you the basics. Everyone else, talk amongst yourselves about why you picked those songs to play.
And, just for record's sake, my office hours will be Wednesday afternoon."
When the last student had filled in, El stood up and faced the class.
"When I spoke to you all last, I said that I would have a syllabus for you. Unfortunately, if you are a fan of syllabi, I'm afraid that I lied. I tried strict syllabi for my two classes last year, and it didn't quite work out. I'm afraid that rigid, ordered structures simply don't work for me. However, this does not mean that there isn't a plan for this semester. Far from it. In fact, there are three plans for this semester."
El put the guitar in its case and slowly latched it up. He began walking between the student's desks, clinking as he went.
"This class will have three separate components. History of the Guitar. Playing of the Guitar. And Making of the Guitar. We shall alternate between these three subjects each week. Learning about the history, learning how to play or play better, and making a guitar. At the end of the semester, you will have three options for your final. You can either write me a research paper on some aspect of the guitar's history. You can play me a piece of your own choosing, although I will count you off if you try and pick something easy, unless you play it extremely well. Or you can build a guitar of your own.
Now, for today. If you know how to play guitar? Play something for me. Anything. If you don't have a guitar with you and want to play something acoustical, you may borrow mine. If you want to play something electric, Mr. Bernadette has graciously offered the use of his electric guitar.
If you don't know how to play guitar? There are guitars over there. Electric, acoustic, bass, many kinds. Go over and pick out something that you think fits you. This will be your guitar for the semester. And I expect all of you to practice every day. Then I'll spend the rest of the class showing you the basics. Everyone else, talk amongst yourselves about why you picked those songs to play.
And, just for record's sake, my office hours will be Wednesday afternoon."
Re: Play Something
The piece she played was an odd mix of classical Spanish guitar with a tango flavor, and punk overtones. It ranged from quiet to loud in a nineties grunge kind of way, and the quieter, slower tempoed parts were far more intricate than the louder, more punk oriented parts. It was a little rough, and the transitions weren't as smooth as they could be, but it showed promise.