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Hey there Friend,
Have you ever spent some time away from your guitar and found yourself... almost longing for it?
Not to sound creepy, but earlier this week, I needed to pick up my guitar and and play. Anything.
With all the moving demands on my time and brain, guitar was temporarily on the back burner. When I had a moment to play, it was short-lived and usually consisted of me just noodling around, looking for something cool-sounding.
As things have settled down and I find myself having very little to do as I wait for the next step in the move, I feel a real draw to my guitar.
I'm used to having my guitars on their stands in my office, readily available for me to pick up and play at a moments notice. Now, with nearly everything I own a thousand miles away, I'm very glad I didn't ship two of them.
I have them in my mother-in-law's living room, along with everything else we didn't ship. But the guitars were in their cases for the first week we were there. Just seeing the cases sitting there on the floor every day finally enabled me to get my mind off the move and the living arrangements.
And it was good...
Sure, I was a l little rusty. My fingernails needed cut. My fingertips were sore after a half hour.
But playing was downright therapeutic! It was as if what I played was melting away the stress and concerns. The act of playing music wasn't removing those problems, but it seemed to lessen the impact they had on my general mood.
Have you experienced the same? Have you found guitar to help you de-stress after a long day or when you needed a little comfort?
If not, what are you playing? Do you pick up your guitar and work through practice exercises, or are you playing simply for the joy of the music?
Practice is important, no doubt. We practice to build muscle memory, speed and endurance. We practice to build a repertoire of songs and to become masters of performance. And practice in itself can be a great stress release. Sometimes though, you have to take a break!
Freedom
For the type of playing that gives you a sense of peace, I've found it must be something musical that comes from your fingers and the instrument.
It can be a very simple two or three chord progression that you put together and arpeggiate to make it interesting. Or a repeating two note riff that speaks to you. It can even be your take on one of your favorite artist's songs.
I personally like to take a basic chord shape and drop it somewhere in the neck to see what it sounds like in that position. Trying different note and open string combinations can yield some very interesting musical variations.
As you play your creation, your mind will begin to suggest ideas that expand the composition. Just flow with it. Let the music take you wherever it wants to go.
This is the creative process in action. It's different from practice in that it allows you to break out of the box that regimented practice can sometimes make you feel trapped in - like you're in a rut of sorts.
This creativity is freeing. As with any endeavor, daily practice can feel restrictive. Sometimes you need to break from that daily discipline and allow yourself to just feel the music.
Consider this private time with your guitar. It's your chance to block out any concerns of judgment about your level of ability or technique. You just take whatever comes to your fingers and run with it. Don't think about what is right or wrong - just apply skin to string and strum.
It might not sound like anything - it might even be painful to hear. But this is how we find our individual sound - the sound unique to you.
Everyone has their own, but you have to seek it out through experimentation, trial and error. This is how you get out a a rut and begin to own your playing, regardless of you "level."
Go ahead - give yourself the freedom to try it out. Take a break from the day-to-day practice routine and let the guitar take over. Drop the self criticism and doubt and just cut loose. You might surprise yourself!
Peace~
Dave
Dave "Eddie" Vance is a rock guitar enthusiast and gear nut. He has been playing guitar for over 30 years and enjoys tormenting the neighbors every chance he gets. When he's not slaving for the man, you can find him rocking out with his B.C. Rich Bich guitar, a cold beer and some sweet tunes.
He also runs Learn-To-Play-Rock-Guitar.com, but you knew that already!
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