What is the most prefered and widely used Gregg shorthand style?

I wanna learn short hand so that I can write in my journal faster, and get my thoughts down as soon as they pop into my head. I’m willing to take the time to learn…but I’d like to take the time learning the best way. I don’t want to start learning one way, and find that it’s not the best. When I went to get my first set of new guitar strings, I asked the guy at the counter of the music shop which strings were the best. He gave me an agrivated look and said, “Heck, I donno. Just depends on what you like.” I know it depends on the person. Asking which is the best in almost anything is asking a pretty broad question, and we are rarely able to give a solid answer to a question like that, but an attempt at pointing me in the right direction, learning-wise, would be greatly appreciated.

(by jacobguerrero for everyone)


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  1. Well it depends what you want. If you want to be able to write insanely fast, then perhaps Anniversary or Pre-Anniversary Gregg is what you're looking for. However, with the speed comes an immense memory load. If you don't want such a memory load, perhaps try one of the later systems, such as DJS. However, you're also not going to be able to attain such high speeds.

    If you can't decide, Simplified Gregg has a nice balance between speed and memory load.

  2. Shorthand is the same, it depends on the person. Since you want to write as fast as you think and are willing to take the time, I'd suggest Anniversary.  That is harder to learn, but you can write extremely fast.  If you don't want to spend that much time, you can learn Simplified and then add a few Anniversary brief forms into the mix.  gregg-shorthand-comparison.pdf – link shows you the differences in shorthand.  Take a look at this chart and then decide which one is right for you. I don't know if there is a widely used system out there.  Everyone has their preferences.  I think Diamond Jubalee is prettier then Anniversary but I'm learning anniversary for the speed.  And that's it's an older one.  And just to learn it. Good luck. Debbi

  3. Thanks. I admire everyone who's already on their second version of learning. Was always interested, but I had no idea that shorthand was more than simple abreviations of words in the alphabet. It's a whole different set of characters. Ready to learn. So far I'm hearing simplified is the way to go. I heard that some people don't like that fact that it drops a lot of irregular vowel sounds, and that DJ is easier to look back on because you actually do more "spelling". Is that about right?

  4. You are in principle correct.  The more recent the version of Gregg is, the more is spelled out.  Consequently, the "easier" it becomes not only in terms of reading but also of learning.  However, that comes at a price: speed.  I write Anniversary, and can still read stuff that I wrote many years ago.  It all depends on how much time you dedicate to study.  I know of people that started with Simplified, and then switched to Anniversary and Pre-Anniversary, because of the additional abbreviations and speed expedients.  Likewise, like Debbi said, some have gone from DJS to Anniversary, a two-series leap!  For journal and leisure writing, I recommend either Simplified or earlier (Anniversary, Pre-Anniversary).  DJS, Series 90, and Centennial are more suited for business writing.   You can get a taste of Anniversary and Pre-Anniversary by going to Andrew's website: http://gregg.angelfishy.net.

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