As I have grown as a musician and guitarist, I have come to the conclusion that two separate entities need work. The first is in the physical ability to move around the guitar known as technique. The second is the internal ability to make and understand music. It is very possible to be a great musician without being a good technician just as it is possible to be a great technician without being a good musician.
Any good practice regimen requires one to think about these two separate and connected ideas. Our fingers must be able to play that which we want to hear. Yet to be able to hear that which you want to play is another separate issue. The technical aspect is usually the easiest to practice for most people. This, of course, has to do with the fact that it means you’ll be putting your hands on the guitar through scales, arpeggios, and pieces. The musician part is not as easy.
Becoming a good musician is a much more difficult thing to master. It involves being able to hear chord structures, sing melodies, know where to put an emphasis on a phrase, and even the simple or difficult ability to count a rhythm correctly. The study of all of this falls under becoming a good musician. Therefore, in your practicing this area must be one that takes a good bit of your time. Being a good musician is not dependent on you being a good technician and vice versa. However, you must attain ability in both to allow your music to actually convey its intended result.
Recently I came into ownership of a series of magazines title The Etude. Most people born after 1940 probably never heard of such a publication. It began publication in1883 and continued in its publication until 1957. I have been amazed at the content in these publications.
It is geared toward the home musician rather than a professional musician. The amazing thing about the publication is that it has very little “fluff” in it. There are serious discussions on interpretation of musical styles as well as some serious and simple music for play at home. This tells me that the musician at the beginning of the 20th century was truly interested in being a musician and understanding the music they played. This is, of course, much different than many students today that just want to figure out how to play three chords and then write their great rock anthem. I am not suggestion that the music of today is inferior in its use. I am suggesting that our microwave society has created a much less capable home musician than it did 50 to 100 years ago.
As I research each issue, you will undoubtedly find their content making its way to my blog. I am sure that you will be amazed at how much of it is still of great value today. It seems that humanity and music changes very little over time. I leave you with this excerpt from an article titled, “Practical Considerations in Pianoforte Interpretations” by Walter Gieseking. Though it is written with the piano in mind, I am sure you will agree that the concepts are valuable for the serious guitar student as well.
One of the first things I learned from Mr. Leimer was to practice with my head as well as with my fingers, to concentrate intently on every note of the scale or arpeggio, to play with the utmost accuracy. It is only through constant attention to the individual note that fingers accustom themselves to play evenly and acquire the ability to effect exactly each nuance desired for giving appropriate expression to a musical phrase. When one practices like this, three to four hours a day is the limit of mental endurance – and anything beyond the point of mental endurance is time and effort wasted. It should be spent more profitably in health-building out-door exercise and acquainting oneself with the other arts – literature, painting, sculpture.
Those of you who visit this site have probably noticed a slowing down of current posts. This is due to a sense of urgency for finding a new place to live. Our landlord has sold the property we rent from and hence the new landlord is forcing everyone out. I’m bummed but not down. Therefore, other priorities have taken order.
With the above in mind, I have been pondering the sense of urgency for the guitar. Did you ever think about urgency when you were in school? Probably not, but I bet you felt the sense of urgency. Remember those assignments that you had all semester to finish? When did you begin working on them? I bet for most of you it boiled down to the last week before the due date. Even for those that worked throughout the semester, you put in longer and more intense hours the week before the due date to ensure the best results. The same applies to guitar, even when it is for enjoyment.
We all need a sense of urgency to really motivate us to finish what we start. We need it to drive use to a higher level than we would otherwise achieve. That’s why you need to create a sense of urgency when it comes to learning the guitar. There are a few ways to do this and probably many more in reference to your own life.
- Create a deadline for a YouTube video. This forces you to get your work done because it is a performance to be seen by millions of people over the web.
- Create a deadline for sending a recording to a friend. This isn’t as “out-there” as a YouTube video but still puts a sense of urgency into your practice. Another way to think of it is to record something for a birthday or anniversary.
- Schedule a live performance. This is the end all of everything you are doing to learn the guitar. The goal is to share music. Even if you are not performing to a huge audience, this type of motivation is hard to beat. Schedule a dinner party and let everyone know that you are going to perform for them after dinner and before dessert.
The above are just a few ways to encourage you to begin to create a sense of urgency in your playing. It will make you a better player and will reward you by getting feed back and giving enjoyment to those who listen.
You might be thinking that this is going to be an post about effect pedals, pick-up selectors, or string gauges. However, this is about finding the sound you actually like to play. And, it may not be as easy as you think.
Many of us, including myself, came to guitar because we wanted to play a certain type of music. For me, I wanted to be a rock star. Let’s face it, in the back of my mind I wanted the rock ‘n roll life of fame and fortune. I am glad that my conscience lead me down a better path. As I began to play rock and roll, my ambitions were high and I worked hard at it. However, after a while I realized that I really didn’t love to play rock as much as other styles of music. I enjoyed listening to the rock more than actually playing the rock. I found that I enjoyed the nuances of fingerstyle for my playing and I enjoyed the energy of rock for the weight room.
You see it took me a while and a lot of experimentation to find out that I really loved fingerstyle. I was in college when I began the guitar and I had to play fingerstyle for my degree. But outside of the college work, I worked on the rock ‘n roll, studied with jazz players (guitar and other instruments) and through it all found that the fingerstyle playing is where I wanted to land. I can play rock and jazz using fingerstyle but it is in arrangements and pre-composed pieces for guitar that really intrigue me for my own playing.
I still love the occasional jam session on electric guitar, but on a daily basis it is the fingerstyle acoustic (and mainly nylon string) that I find myself leaning on. All of this is to say that you may need to go through a few different styles and genres and even techniques to find the one that best suites you as a player. It does not mean that you cannot enjoy other music, but it means that you probably lean toward a specific style more than others. Pay attention to that intuition and your playing will be rewarded because you will have greater joy through the occomplishment of your innate inclinations.
I obviously teach many students of many different backgrounds. They have very different goals and ambitions when it comes to their guitar playing. I can honestly say that all of them are committed to learning the guitar. But today I thought I’d hit those who think they want to learn guitar.
I have people contact me for lessons that are excited about learning the guitar for any number of reasons. The next thing they will ask is about purchasing a guitar. I first ask them their price range and try to give them the best response that I can. But many of them don’t heed my response to quality of the instrument. The always come back with this type of statement, “I don’t want to spend much money until I know that I will stick with it.” At this point, I already know what type of person I am dealing with. If they decide to take lessons, then I know they will be gone in two months or less. Why you ask? Commitment.
I am not suggesting that a new student go out and buy a five thousand dollar guitar. But I am suggesting that the lack of willingness to spend the money for a good instrument, a tuner, and any other necessary items shows that there is no commitment to them playing the guitar. Without a good instrument the learning becomes a struggle because the instrument is harder to play. Without a tuner the guitar sounds awful. Without the right materials to learn from, you just flounder in progress on the instrument.
It is important to know that to get good at the guitar takes time and persistence. It comes with many frustrations before enjoyment is fulfilled. Before you call for lessons to your local guitar teacher, take a moment to ask if you are willing to commit the time and the money to play the guitar well.
I am amazed at how many guitarist, in every genre, seem to think that their health doesn’t have an effect on their playing and composing ability. It seems that they feel that playing the guitar must take less effort than playing a sport. I have to firmly disagree with this conclusion.
We tend to spend hours sitting and practicing and working on technique. That technique takes a toll on us physically and mentally. Our hands must be maintained by stretching and warming up before playing. Our bodies sit for hours and therefore become sedintary. The fact that a guitarist has become sedintary has a direct effect on things like weight and blood circulation. Weight has a direct affect on longevity of both the physical and mental functions. Blood circulation, obviously, is the greatest factor in making sure our entire body, including our brains, are funcioning properly.
Lastly, when we perform our bodies are under great distress. It takes a physical and mental toll like any other performance related activity. It increases our blood pressure but also releases endorphins. If you have high blood pressure due to how you eat and exercise, then performing is not neccessarily for you unless you feel like keeling over on stage. On another note, we don’t even consider how what we eat before a performance will affect our feeling on stage!
The bottom line is that you need to begin to pay attention to your health just as much as your playing if guitar is something you tend to do for life. Just because you think the two are unrelated doesn’t mean that you are correct. Take care of your body and your guitar playing will live as long as you.
In guitar we are constantly trying to keep up with our chops or other just learn another, harder song. This is good for a while but we must remember to not let this become our focus. We must be consummate learners!
A consummate learner does not just learn a song to learn a song. A consummate learner asks the why and how questions of every piece or technique. What are the chord changes I am playing? Why do the chord changes work? Why do I like this sound? Why does it appeal to me? What does this technique do for the song I am playing? Does this technique actual add to the song or is it just for show? Could the notes be played in different and more effective place on the guitar? Why do I want to play this music? Do I even like this music or is just for show? Or, do I just think that everyone plays this and so should I? What time period does this come from? Does the version I have heard demonstrate a knowledge of the time period practices? What tempo is appropriate and is their room to change it according to how I like it to sound?
That is the mind of a consummate learner of the guitar. It does not matter what style you play or type of instrument you use. You should always be asking these questions and more. The most important question to keep asking is always, “Why?”
No matter what genre of music you play, duets will improve every aspect of your playing. It will even improve your solo playing. Why do we not play them more? Most of us are too shy and unsure of ourselves to attempt it. Therefore, you need to pick music that is easy enough to handle for both those involved (the duet).
Once you begin you will notice that playing in a duet is much different than solo. You find that you have to stay in time and count. This is usually a downfall of most amateur musicians. They say, “I just want to feel the music.” The problem is that when we feel the music, we forget about where the music might actually be going. Therefore, your rhythm and timing will become fine tuned whenever having to play with (and not over) another musician.
If you are interested in performing, then duets make a great avenue to move into this field. Playing with a partner takes a load of pressure of both of you. If you miss your mark, then your partner can cover and vice versa. Also, giging as a duet makes you hear better. It forces you to not focus entirely on your part and focus on the music as a whole. Many people think that solo playing is the peak of performing. I tend to disagree. Solo playing is hard but playing as a part of a larger entity requires the most of you as a musician.
No matter your level, it is time to start playing with other musicians.
