Subject: The Journey of a Thousand Miles...
You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on www.learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com. If you don't want to receive these e-mails any longer, go to the bottom of this message and click on "unsubscribe." Hey there Friend, You know the saying, don't you?"The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step." ~ Lao Tzu I just started a new session of a Beginner Guitar group class I teach, and in the first session I made a point of telling my new students that while guitar is a very rewarding instrument to learn, it is not an easy instrument to learn. There's a lot going on between picking, plucking, strumming and fingering notes and chords, not to mention keeping track of where each note happens to be on the guitar finger board. Each hand doing its own thing, having separate tasks and all the while your brain needing to herd these wild cats to make something coherent. For as challenging and frustrating as guitar can be, it's also incredibly fun! Once you get past the sore fingers and begin to memorize some basic patterns, songs you play begin to sound like they're supposed to, and people recognize what it is you're playing. This is very gratifying and a great source of motivation to keep going on the journey. But you have to start where you are and take that first step. As a teacher, it is always disappointing to work with a student only to have them quit after a few weeks because they don't feel like they're making any progress or they lose interest. In many cases they have an unrealistic expectation of what they should sound like in the few short weeks they've been hammering away at the guitar. And while it is their responsibility to work and practice and learn, I understand that I have a responsibility to guide and inform them. So it's my responsibility to clue them in to a fundamental truth when it comes to learning guitar: it ain't easy! It doesn't help that professional musicians make it look easy. When we watch them play, it doesn't look like a big deal - finger a few chords, strum the strings, gaze into the camera with a look sheer angst while playing that sad chorus. Sign me up! I can strike a pose as good as the next rock star! Unfortunately, when we watch them on stage or in a video, we don't see the other side of the equation - the years of practicing and gigging to get the timing and tone down. All the work they put in to develop their skills, all the study and dedication to their craft. And the sacrifices, both personal and professional, they had to make in order to realize their dreams. But here's the good news. They started in the same exact place we do - at square one, picking up the guitar for the first time (or any musical instrument, for that matter). They had sore fingers for weeks until the callouses developed on their fingertips. Their hands cramped as they tried to play that first barre chord (The Dread F Major!). They had to work through scales and play riffs over and over again to get the finger memory established. We call it "woodshedding," which basically means working your tail off to perfect the fundamentals so they become second-nature (kind of like breathing). It's a slow process, but a necessary process. Great news! There is an upside to this dedication. It makes sense that as you practice and get better, things will become easier. But practicing and perfecting your application of the fundamentals has an added benefit. The better you practice and play, the easier it will be for you to increase your guitar skills. You can think of it in almost a synergistic way - meaning as you practice small things and improve your muscle memory, those skills will automatically make it easier to play increasingly difficult guitar parts. For example, if you practice playing scales at a slow tempo (speed) and you play these scales consistently well without mistakes, you can very easily bump the speed up and play with minimal mistakes. It will take you a fraction of time to play at the new speed perfectly compared to the first tempo you started with. Because you have these scale patterns memorized and can play them at various speeds consistently well, changing the pattern will introduce new ways to play the notes together, which will increase the complexity and possibility for mistakes. But because you have trained your finger muscles to know where the notes are on the fingerboard, these new riffs will take significantly less time to master. But you have to start with that first step. You can't get to the speeds and playing ability without putting in the time with the fundamentals - sore fingers and slow tempos and frustrating chord changes. It's all part of the process. So congratulations - you've taken the first step and now you're on the road becoming the guitar player you want to be. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, work through the struggles and stay with it. It'll be worth it, and I'll be here with you for as long as our mutual journey lasts. If you find yourself needing a lift or encouraging word, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I'll help out in any way I can. On another note, I hope you've enjoyed the series on the three components of music: melody, harmony and rhythm. It's way too easy to get wrapped up in the technical side of making music - believe me, I find the science of sound creation and manipulation extremely fascinating. Want to steer me off topic in a heartbeat? Just start talking about frequencies and how tweaking the EQ can change the sound or the best way to set up a microphone to capture just the right guitar tone. I wanted to take the more human approach to music and talk about how it affects us. I'm sure there will be more to talk about down the road - Stay tuned (pun intended), and keep rocking! 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! Follow Learn To Play Rock Guitar:I welcome your feedback! Did you like today's message? What other topics would you like to see covered in my e-mails? Please let me know at: dave@learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com As always, please feel free to forward this email to a friend! I review products before recommending them. If you buy a product based on my recommendation, I will receive a commission. However, my emails also contain links that don’t require any investment on your part and are jam-packed with "juicy, guitar learnin' tastiness". We don't rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to forward this issue to any friends you think would enjoy its contents. They will thank you. So will I.
|
