| Information | Review |
|---|---|
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Gerard Kunkel
MUSC106 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/24/2021 |
I never played guitar before this class, but definitely learned the basics and am able to play. However, every single student in this class has years of experience so be prepared to be the worst one. One kid literally said he had been playing for 8 years. He gives an easy final exam though, and grades so easy on the final playing part, but you really need to put the work in to get it. Overall pretty good. |
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Gerard Kunkel
MUSC106 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/11/2020 |
This was the most amazing two credits I've ever gotten at UMD. It only meets twice a week for 50 minutes each time. Lowkey Kunkel knows more about guitar than I ever could hope to. You need your own guitar but I bought a really cheap used guitar online for this class. There are written exams (midterm and final) but almost everyone got an A on those. Reviewing the night before or morning of is good enough. The caveat to all of this is that you actually need to practice unless you have a lot of musical experience. Professor KunkeI will grade you based upon your improvement, so for the half of the class that aren't music majors that means that you aren't expected to get to their level but you do need to show him you are trying. I only got into this class because I have early registration. The waitlist is really long so you either need early registration or to be a senior to get in. Overall, if you need two elective credits and you're willing to practice (and you can get in), take this class! |
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Gerard Kunkel
MUSC106 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/02/2018 |
I'm writing this to confirm other positive reviews about this class. -Easy A and very fun -you will need your own guitar. Nylon string is preferred, but I used a steel string and was just fine -You do not need any musical experience to do well in this class -You won't really be able to "play the guitar" after just taking this class, but its a really good foundation -Practice is required! Prof can tell if you aren't doing it and your progress will suffer. This class is for your own benefit. It's 14 weeks of free (ish) guitar classes for 2 credits of free (ish) As. Take it seriously and enjoy! |
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Gerard Kunkel
MUSC106 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/21/2015 |
This is a fantastic class. The course waitlist is exceptionally large, so most people are in their final year or semester of undergrad. I'm writing this review because I really enjoyed the class, and I want people to know what it's really about. I'm going to start off by noting that you will have to bring your own guitar. Buy a nylon-string classical guitar since this class focuses on classical techniques (no guitar picks, only fingers). I'll mention what we learned in class, and you can google anything you haven't heard of before since I'm going to talk shop for a moment. You will learn fingerpicking (look up P-I-M-A), mostly using P, I, and M, on the first position of the guitar. The music theory we covered is pretty straightforward (no memorization of scales needed) and included notes on the grand staff, time signatures, note types, chords, and sight-reading. Prof Kunkel spread things out over the whole semester, so you won't be overwhelmed if you have never played an instrument before. All songs we learned except one or two were given to us in western music notation, with few having tablature below them. No textbook needed--just need to bring your guitar every class. If you already have an acoustic guitar, just bring that. If you don't, specifically purchase a nylon-string acoustic such as the Yamaha C-40. Definitely make sure you have a gig-bag or case. An acoustic guitar other than a nylon-string classical such as a steel-string dreadnought guitar (the type rock/pop musicians play) is acceptable, but a classical is easier on the fingers and has a unique timbre (distinct sound). Both music majors and nonmajors take this class, but regardless of your background, it's really designed so you can keep on jammin' after the class is over. It's two-credits and grading is very fair, but you will have to practice outside of class weekly if you want to really say that you "can play guitar," so take the class seriously. I think the class works best when everyone in it is really into wanting to learn to play. The songs we learn are typical beginner-type things/exercises and not too long. I will continue to play even though I've graduated so I can get better and gain a lifelong skill. The tl;dr version is: kickass class, no book, need guitar, must practice. Take care folks. PS: this is what a classical guitar is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06GVrYP6NKs ~ and you will have to play this. jk :) |