Time and time again we tend to put unrealistic expectations on ourselves and our guitar playing. If you have read any of my blogs then you know that setting goals is a high priority of mine. As a matter of fact, it is the first thing that I talk about with a new student. But how realistic are your goals?
If you come into guitar playing and say, “I am going to give it 10 weeks and if I am not good enough then I’m done.” You are setting yourself up for failure. You are done before you even start. The problem probably won’t lie in the fact that you did not continue for 10 weeks, but rather in what you expect out of those 10 weeks.
You have never played the instrument before and have no idea how your body and brain are going to function when challenged with the new movements and thoughts related to guitar playing. Therefore, it’s good to set a goal of committing 10 weeks but don’t set a goal as to where you should be. After you have played those 10 weeks, then you can begin to see how much you can possibly accomplish in a specific time frame.
Life also factors in when it comes to knowing how much you can accomplish in 10 weeks. You have too much other junk going on in your life. You may have a kid that gets sick and you can’t play for a week. Or FILL IN THE BLANK happens and your out for a week. Life happens and therefore we cannot predict how our progress will be over a specific period of time…especially at the beginning. Later, when you understand how you work in relation to the guitar, do you begin to set specific time related goals. And even then understand that you may not reach them in that time frame. But…you will be closer.
Bottom line, stay in reality when it comes to setting goals for your guitar playing.
When learning most of us usually break material down into smaller pieces without even thinking about it. Take the lick, riff, or section of music you are trying to learn and break it up into smaller, more manageable pieces. Practice each piece until you can do it correctly. When two small pieces are learned consecutively, then attempt to perform one after the other until you turn them into a single larger section. Once you have a larger section, you can then join it to
another larger section. And the process goes on and on . . .
While you’re doing this remember to play and learn each section correctly. It is extremely important that you master each smaller section before you try to make larger sections out of them. Do not confuse this with playing a section fast. However, you do need to be able to perform it accurately and almost without thinking.
For instance, mastering a particular scale would require you to no longer look at where your fingers are positioned. Having to look at your hands would mean that you have to consciously think about where to place your fingers. The ultimate goal is to do it almost without thinkning.
Now I bet you didn’t like to read that title and think I had anything good to say.
There are many lessons about the greatest techniques, licks, and riffs. But what about playing them up to speed. This is always the trouble for most. We tend to think that once we can hack our way through a passage or lick then it is time to turn up the speed. However, choosing to speed things up too quickly will destroy any chance of obtaining the speed you desire.
Your muscles do not know whether they are playing good or bad notes. All they know is what you teach them to play. Therefore, if you begin to program incorrect movements then you will play incorrect movements. Playing at a higher speed than what allows you to program your finger movements will ultimately slow you down. If you cannot think about and control your movements then slow down. This will allow your muscles to establish a habit of movement. Once you establish this habit, you can then move on to speeding up the lick or riff. But I warn you to be patient! The process will be different for every movement that you are trying to learn. Also, remember that you are programing your right hand movements as well. Ask yourself, “Which picking pattern is the most efficient?” Then proceed from there when deciding on a right hand pattern.
By programming your hands before you try to establish speed, you will shorten the time it takes you to get up to tempo significantly. You cannot play fast without establishing your habits and programming each hand’s movements.
It has been 28 years since the death of Randy Rhodes in a plane crash (March 18, 1982). Therefore, as tribute to this rocker who loved and was greatly influenced by classical music, enjoy the video below. His guitar work is fantastic. Thank you “Mr. Crowley.”
I often refer to performing as being similar to driving. Peforming is not an easy task and neither is driving if you remember the stress of your driver’s test. However, with time it becomes like second nature.
This is not where the analogy ends. Many students play in their lesson differently than they play at home. This is due to the comfort of experience they feel. Playing in a lesson is a performance even if it is for an audience of one. It should always be from memory as well (ensemble work excluded).
Therefore, when you feel the pressure of performing on you begin to think about where you are going. This can only be done if you have a piece memorized. Like driving a car you look in front of you most of the time, and ever so often clance behind or at the speedometer. Performing a memorized piece is no different (except without the car). You need to stay focused on where you are going next and only take short glances at where you already find yourself.
I have found that this focus on the next placement of your fingers is what many students can focus on to limit their focus on the audience. It is amazing to me that so many benefit from this focus of seeing where to head next. Remember, stage anxiety is about where you put your mental energy. If you can direct your mental energy to the piece and specifically your next move, then you will always be focused on execution.
Suggested Resources:
The Musician’s Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness
Getting Over Stage Fright
Many students have asked that I spend an entire lesson on changing strings on their acoustic guitars. However, I think the greatest teacher in this is experience. You are not going to get it perfect the first time. But with some practice stringing should not be done by a repair store (even though it is easy money for them) but by the player irregardless of age. Well, if you are under 10, then a little help from an adult would probably be good.
I found this little instructional on YouTube about changing acoustic guitar strings. The video is very instructive but may make you a bit dizzy at times. In any case, take this repairman’s advice to heart and change those strings.
- Power chords are everything when it comes to rock guitar.
- Power chords only use two or three strings.
- These chords are easy to play, move, and learn.
- They sound powerful, especially with distortion
- Power chords are not chords at all.
- They are neither major or minor because they do not contain the 3rd of the chord which determines the major or minor sound in a chord.
- They do contain the 1st and the 5th of the chord making them indifferent.
- Therefore, a C power chord sound fine of a C major chord or a C minor chord in a progression.
- There are two basic shapes for power chords.
- Two note (1st and 5th) power chords where the root (name of the chord) is the lower of the two notes. The chord on the left is a G power chord and the chord on the right is a C power chord.
e|-----| e|-----|
B|-----| B|-----|
G|-----| G|-----|
D|-----| D|--5--|
A|--5--| A|--3--|
E|--3--| E|-----|
- Three note (1st, 5th, and an octave above the 1st) where the root is the lower of the two notes.
e|-----| e|-----|
B|-----| B|-----|
G|-----| G|--5--|
D|--5--| D|--5--|
A|--5--| A|--3--|
E|--3--| E|-----|
- Get rockin’! Now that you know how to make power chords it’s time begin to use them. There is no need to learn a song right now, just make the chords and move them around as you like. You’ll be amazed at how good they sound and how many combinations make “sense.” They are so easy, you’ll even wonder why your not a rock star yet?
Suggested Resources:
Modern Rock Rhythm Guitar: A Guide to the Essential Chords, Riffs, Rhythms and Grooves (Musicians Institute Press)
Mel Bay Rock Rhythms for Guitar
