Finalising 'Not Alright by Me'

The time has finally come where I can confidently say that I have finished fully learning my first piece, 'Not Alright by Me'. I have reflected on my recorded performance, and seen what needs to be improved. I have overcome the majority of my problems with the piece by focusing solely on them all weekend. It probably wasn't wise to spend the entire weekend on one piece, but I feel it has paid off. I am confident with the piece, and I feel I can show that whilst performing through a variety of playing techniques. My playing techniques show a passion for the song, the way the notes are played delicately, the swift change from finger-picking to plectrum picking and the dynamics used express the passion.

The piece wasn't easy to learn at first, and I considered changing it out for another piece (Even though I had swapped out 'It's so Easy' for it.) I found that, like the majority of guitar pieces, perseverance is the key to success. I sat down for hours each day, more than I had planned on my timetable, and worked relentlessly on the piece until I could play it without looking at the music or my hands. If I am constantly staring at my hands during the performance, it will show that I am not so confident. I don't look at my hands because I lack confidence, I look at them almost as a security measure, so I know I won't mess the piece up. It is like a safety blanket, I don't need to look at my hands yet for some reason I always do.

The guitar solo was probably one of the most challenging parts of the piece to learn, mostly because there are more notes being played than it sounds like on the album version of the song. This makes it challenging to play because I sometimes can't keep up with the timing. I am working my way around this by slowing the solo down and playing over it numerous times until I can play it full speed. This helps me, because if I play it over and over enough times, I will most likely remember the notes the next time I come to play it. I am currently working on perfecting the solo.