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More modern, visual ideas for learning?

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 5:00 pm
by HeidiK
Dear fellow zither beginners,

I’m opening a new topic based on the ‚Gutmann’ discussion about learning the zither with some more modern, visual approaches.
As I’m still trying to learn to play chords and melody together, I rearranged the accompaniment of „My Bonnie“ from this site’s „Keyes Zither Method“ (page 24).
My intention was to find a quick and easy access in learning without having to count strings or bass notes (which I’m still not too familiar with).
So I experimented with designing some better visual approaches for both melody and chords - namely tablature and some chord charts.

Here’s my result so far:
1) ‚My Bonnie‘ - Music sheet with all notes, tablature and fingering
MyBonnie_1_TabSheet.jpg
MyBonnie_1_TabSheet.jpg (230.21 KiB) Viewed 1749 times
2) ‚My Bonnie‘ - Chord and tablature worksheet
MyBonnie_2_Chord+Tab_Worksheet.jpg
MyBonnie_2_Chord+Tab_Worksheet.jpg (238.47 KiB) Viewed 1745 times
Feel free to download and try it out. I would appreciate to hear what you think - or if you have any improvement ideas…

Best,
Heidi

PDF Versions for print:
MyBonnie_1_TabSheet.pdf
(615.61 KiB) Downloaded 108 times
MyBonnie_2_Chord+Tab_Worksheet.pdf
(727.19 KiB) Downloaded 101 times

Re: More modern, visual ideas for learning?

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 5:19 pm
by NutmegCT
Heidi - thanks very much for this!

One thing that I need to master is exercise in finding the chords with 4 3 2, and moving the hand as a single unit to the adjacent chord. For example, I need to feel comfortable finding and playing the C chord repeatedly, then finding and playing the F chord repeatedly, then finding and playing the F chord to C chord repeatedly, etc. Something I need to practice over and over - even before adding the thumb for melody.

I don't know the German word for "clumsy". Maybe "klotz finger"?

Tom M.

Re: More modern, visual ideas for learning?

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 5:57 pm
by Rudy Mueller
Learning guitar:

Heidi, Tom, when learning guitar, I do not recall (nor want to) how many Schnaderhüpfl I sung (solo)* down in the basement (with the dog whining and howling) until comfortable to do this for the family.....C, C, then down to G...etc....

the first mountain is the most difficult ....

rudi

*did the Canterbury tales originate on a Bavarian pilgrimage????? some of the themes sound familiar...but those monks, they really got around...

Re: More modern, visual ideas for learning?

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2017 10:12 am
by HeidiK
Hello Tom,

there are many german words for clumsy. I know exactly what you mean:
It ... just ... all ... goes ... so ... swol ... -oops- ... slow :-)

The same with me, my dear! But I always hear my old french teacher say:
Repetition is the key!
And then I go on again. And again. And again…
Hoping it will pay out, because I see all these great zither players on youtube doing it so „easily“…

So me too, I try to teach my right hand’s fingers finding these 4-3-2 chord postions blind.
And I try to get used - right from the beginning - adding some melody line, too.
Which I practice over and over with short parts of ‚My Bonnie‘ or other songs I know well,
because I prefer to learn with real songs and not only do exercises.

I still hope that my brain will build some new zither synapses connections soon!

Best, Heidi

Re: More modern, visual ideas for learning?

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 11:42 pm
by DonO
Heidi-

You've made such a nice learning tool, and it's beautifully laid out. thank you for sharing it. Many thanks from me.

Re: More modern, visual ideas for learning?

Posted: Mon May 28, 2018 8:15 pm
by jbug_zither
Hi Heidi -

Thank you for sharing this. As previously said, beautifully laid out! Do you have a program for producing this documentation? You probably speak of this in a post I haven't read yet ;)

June

Re: More modern, visual ideas for learning?

Posted: Tue May 29, 2018 1:05 am
by Musicmaker
Hallo Heidi,
Whereas this would work for some, it would not work for me.
Your efforts to resolve certain learning disciplines is to be highly admired BUT......I am also a beginner and my opinion is such...
I have never had to deal with bass cleff before but on looking closely and studying the piece before playing it, i can grasp pretty quickly how the bass line goes. I still dont know what string numbers they are but by repetition I know where a C, F, G and D major chord is by feel sight and sound. If it sounds wrong then it IS ....and Vice versa.
To me, it does not matter how this is diagramatically explained, the end result is that we have to learn and train our fingers on both hands to go where they should do.
On the right hand with a simple bass accomaniament, the distancing of the fingers for a chord will be the same.
It is only a matter of moving the whole hand either up or down to change chords.
I am talking about simple major chords here as that is how we start.
These could be simply pencilled in on the piece to be learnt ....ie....chords C F and G to form thechord sequence.
As for melody I prefer to always see the notation as at a glance it tells me everything I need to know in an instant.
It is only a matter of time until everything clicks in and we are reading and playing from music.
The other matter is that it is nice tobe able to first learn to read music as then any piece we choose can be bought, studiied and played without having to rewrite it all into tab.
Alle Änfangen sind schwer!
So they keep telling me ha ha.
Many many thanks though for putting forward your ideas.
Pete