Shorthand

Hello Gentlemen. I'm looking for an easy to learn shorthand for taking notes in church. Does anybody have any suggestions? Also if I remember correctly from highschool there is a type of special pen designed for shorthand. Does anyone know if it is still made and who makes them? Thanks in advance. Bill

http://www.alysion.org/handy/handywrite.htm

I tried "Handwrite" but my brain is too solidified to take it in.

Learning shorthand is almost like learning a new language ... believe me, it is hard. Both my mother and grandmother were using it to write notes, shopping lists, vacation logs, recipes, and of course at work. The type my mother used was simplified Gregg (she used it 1940s-'50s), my grandmother had another style which needed a pen with flex. A wider line or a tapered line or curve could have an entirely different meaning than a narrow width. The Gregg used a finer and consistent line thickness -- Esterbrook 1555, or 9555 nib.

So I tried to learn some in order to decipher the puzzles ... no good, I've since given up. The folks that knew it are all dying off so maybe I'm going to be out of luck. But don't let me discourage you ... when you master it, you can help me.

Over time, I have found a number of web sites related to shorthand of various types as well as speed writing. Here are the best of the bunch:

Gregg Shorthand
http://gregg.angelfishy.net/
This site contains a complete manual of Gregg Shorthand (1916 version)

Joy of Pitman Shorthand
http://pitmanshorthand.homestead.com/
Includes links to videos explaining the system and what is billed as a 15 day web course on this system.

Shorthand, Shorthand, Shorthand
http://www.shorthandshorthandshorthand.com/
Gregg, Pitman, and Speedwriting, plus a section on Learning Shorthand.

Omniglot
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/shorthand.htm
Brief history of shorthand with a description of the various systems and lots of additional links.

Guide to Alternative Handwriting
http://www.alysion.org/handy/althandwriting.htm

Shorthand is a system which is on my own personal radar but first things first - I'm studying Spencerian script and need to stick with it until its up to a level wherein it can become self-sustaining before I branch out.

I just watched the first part of the 3 part video on Pitman Shorthand on the "Joy of Pitman Shorthand" site. Pitman uses light and heavy strokes so would seem to work best with a flexible nib pen (when it was devised in Britain, the common writing instruments were quill pens or steel nibs which are ready-made for light and heavy strokes). However, the person who made the video reports using a ballpoint pen typically and successfully.

As for the "15 day shorthand course" on the web; I don't believe it for a second. The video advises that it takes hundreds of hours of drill and practice.

Wow, heard of it but never seen it.
Looks like Arabic but written left to right.
Good luck op

When I was a kid, the shorthand was typical for secretaries taking a "dictation" from the bosses. They never used a fountain pen, but a very soft, special "Steno" pencils. In Germany we called the shorthand "Stenografie", no idea where it comes from.

Good luck in your quest to learn shorthand. Definitely a dying craft.

I learned typing way back in high school. I wish I would have taken/learned shorthand too.

I had a 1 semester course in college, but alas, I haven't used it in 20 years, so I have forgotten all of it. We used just a regular pen/pencil for it. No thick/thin lines in the version we learned. It was a lot of work and by the end of the semester, I could keep up with someone talking if they used well known words. It could take years to become a master of it.

My Dad taught "business" in High School in the 50's and early 60's, including shorthand and typing. Given the paucity of job opportunities for women at the time, this was a highly desirable skill. I'll have to ask him if he remembers any, but he got into administration in the late 60's, and hasn't taught since then.

Best of luck to you on learning it!

We had 2 books on shorthand that fascinated me as a child. When I told my parents I wanted to learn it, they didn't discourage me. As far as I can remember, I copied a few pages and gave up. Then I tried learning Greek using a Strong's Concordance. I think some of my copy pages are still in it. I need to track that book down.

I guess you could say I was an ambitious child.