2312 Judson Road Longview, TX 75605
(903) 758-8872 fax (903) 753-8220
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2312 Judson Road Longview, TX 75605 (903) 758-8872 fax (903) 753-8220
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G u i t a r L e s s o n 1 For your first lesson, let’s talk a while. I will impart some concepts to you that will hopefully make your playing experience a good one. Practice: If you can, break up your practice time into small segments throughout the day. You tend to retain information learned at the beginning and ending of your practice time, with all of the things in between drifting into the twilight zone. So 30 min. broken up into 3 ten minute sessions is like practicing for 3 days. It is not the length of time you practice that makes you more proficient, but the frequency of your practice. Perfection: It doesn’t exist. Not in music anyway. You must know, that even the greatest musicians in the world make mistakes occasionally when they play. You should always endeavor to practice correctly, hand placement, timing, etc... but if you make a mistake, simply correct it and go on. There is a saying: It is not the mistakes you make that count,... but how you get out of them that is important. Pressure: In order to help you perform in different situations with the least amount of mistakes, try to find a means of putting pressure on yourself when you practice. Playing in front of people is a very good technique for this. However, if you don’t have access to that situation, or you family just won’t listen to you anymore!!... there are other ways. Recording yourself as you practice is wonderful for pressure. You should use the 5 time perfect practice rule, which means, whatever you are working on, try to play through it 5 times in a row without a mistake. If you make an error, you have to start all over again. Really frustrating when you screw up the last note of the 5th time! Fundamentals of the mind: 1) If you make a mistake, generally you are playing faster than you are ready for. slow down and play the entire thing at a speed that you can get through, then gradually speed the whole thing up. 2) Work to play with your eyes closed, or at least not looking at your hands. Trust me, most students look at their hands like they are afraid they are going to jump off of their arms and run away! Your ear will tell you when you have done something that you did not intend to, then look, fix it and continue. It will help you to ingrain the correct feeling faster into your mind and hands. 3) It is more difficult to play very slowly than to play very fast. 4) Timing is everything. Tap your foot and play in time. Basically there are only 2 things of importance in music, playing the correct note and playing it when you are supposed to. Of the 2, playing when you are supposed to believe it or not is the most important. Humans are rhythmic creatures, so even an incorrect note played in time will not "offend" the listener as much as the correct note played out of time. 5) Find your style. No two people are exactly alike so their playing won’t be either. You can come very close to playing like your favorite musician but it won’t be exact. Great players study other musicians but ultimately they have a style of their own. I think you are far better off to analyze how someone else thinks when they play rather than try to play everything they ever did note for note. Although there is great value in figuring their stuff out that way, realize in the end that you have a right to express your- self in the way that suits you. 6) For guitar players, the right hand (for right handed players) is usually the most neglected. And unfortunately, it is probably the more important to your playing. It is the nature of the way most people learn the instrument. Spend time perfecting the technique of your picking hand and your playing will drastically improve. Well, quite a bit to think about, but these are observations that I have learned over the years that should improve your playing the fastest. It took me 20 something years to play as I do now. My job is to give you the tools to do it in 1/4 the time. I made a lot of mistakes and spent far more time than I needed to in order to achieve my goals. Had I started out with some of this knowledge I would have reached each step I took much quicker. Next time we’ll begin class! I will try to have 3 segments each time. Beginning, Intermediate, and Theory. |
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