Brett
Oct 28, 2010
Undergraduate / "Unique experiance through playing guitar" College Essay [8]
So I scraped that essay based off Yoda's response. I have made a new one that focuses off what I have learned through playing rather than what I think of music. Tell me what you guys think, thanks-
The metal strings tore my fingertips apart to the point where I couldn't even type. I remember thoughts of quitting due to the pain being so hard to deal with. I attempted to take shortcuts in order to build up calluses faster, or so I thought. I had read online that rubbing alcohol on your fingertips will dry out the skin and therefore build up calluses faster than normal. It of course didn't work and I was left with no choice but to endure the pain. Learning chords seemed almost physically impossible. I'd move one finger and the finger next to it would curl up into a ball. The constant repetition of scales gave me headaches and drove my family insane. The same sequence of emotionless notes being played over and over rang throughout the entire house. The best way to describe this process is painstaking and tedious.
However I stuck with it and with each day I saw improvements. The first of which were my newly formed calluses. As my finger strength improved and my endurance increased I was able to play more complex songs for a longer duration of time. The fruits of my labor were finally paying off. I was no longer playing redundant notes for lengthy amounts of time. I was beginning to take what I had learned and I started to isolate parts of the scales that I had been drilling into my head. I would isolate two or three notes and create unique and different phrases out of them. I would then slide down the neck to a different part of the scale and do the same thing there. As I began to experiment with my newly discovered concepts I further expanded my knowledge by increasing the length of what I was playing. Instead of playing two or three notes within the same area; I began to combine many notes ranging from the top of the neck to the bottom. I stopped playing the scales and I began to play with the scales.
Looking back on my experience with learning how to play guitar I realize I have learned much more than just being able to play an instrument. I have learned valuable life long lessons that I will keep for the rest of my life. Hard work always pays off in the end and taking short cuts will only hurt me in the long run. Practicing scales was extremely time consuming and it has revealed to me that I have an incredible amount of patience and a drive to succeed. These valuable lessons that I have learned will aid me in succeeding at your institution.
So I scraped that essay based off Yoda's response. I have made a new one that focuses off what I have learned through playing rather than what I think of music. Tell me what you guys think, thanks-
The metal strings tore my fingertips apart to the point where I couldn't even type. I remember thoughts of quitting due to the pain being so hard to deal with. I attempted to take shortcuts in order to build up calluses faster, or so I thought. I had read online that rubbing alcohol on your fingertips will dry out the skin and therefore build up calluses faster than normal. It of course didn't work and I was left with no choice but to endure the pain. Learning chords seemed almost physically impossible. I'd move one finger and the finger next to it would curl up into a ball. The constant repetition of scales gave me headaches and drove my family insane. The same sequence of emotionless notes being played over and over rang throughout the entire house. The best way to describe this process is painstaking and tedious.
However I stuck with it and with each day I saw improvements. The first of which were my newly formed calluses. As my finger strength improved and my endurance increased I was able to play more complex songs for a longer duration of time. The fruits of my labor were finally paying off. I was no longer playing redundant notes for lengthy amounts of time. I was beginning to take what I had learned and I started to isolate parts of the scales that I had been drilling into my head. I would isolate two or three notes and create unique and different phrases out of them. I would then slide down the neck to a different part of the scale and do the same thing there. As I began to experiment with my newly discovered concepts I further expanded my knowledge by increasing the length of what I was playing. Instead of playing two or three notes within the same area; I began to combine many notes ranging from the top of the neck to the bottom. I stopped playing the scales and I began to play with the scales.
Looking back on my experience with learning how to play guitar I realize I have learned much more than just being able to play an instrument. I have learned valuable life long lessons that I will keep for the rest of my life. Hard work always pays off in the end and taking short cuts will only hurt me in the long run. Practicing scales was extremely time consuming and it has revealed to me that I have an incredible amount of patience and a drive to succeed. These valuable lessons that I have learned will aid me in succeeding at your institution.