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The
Principles of Practice
Based on "The Principles of Correct
Practice for Guitar"
by Jamie Andreas
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| IN
THIS ISSUE |
October
15, 2000 Volume 15
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State of The Site: Where I'm Coming From, and Where I'm Going
Hi Jamie,
I think you're the best teacher I've ever come across so I was wondering
if you are planning to offer some sort of private online lessons
in the future... If so, I would be the first guy to do it, I really
think there is a real important value in everything you write.
Let me know!
-Dan-
Hi Dan,
Thanks for asking! I definitely have it in my plans to get specific,
and offer actual music to play and practice, according to the Principles.
So far, the work I have done is to set down and communicate to aspiring
guitarists the attitudes and procedures that must be a part of the
guitar student's approach to practicing BEFORE you even deal with
actual music. I have not spent time giving music to practice, because
there is plenty of that material out there already, and I want to
provide what is missing.
Your question has prompted me to take a look at what I am doing,
and what I will do in the near future. And it has given me the desire
to communicate to my "online students" in the personal
way that I characteristically do with my own students.
GuitarPrinciples.com is growing. The number of visitors to my site
is currently tripling every month. My writings are appearing on
many guitar related websites, and I currently have a mountain of
letters from readers, telling me about the great improvement they
have seen in their playing because of using my methods, and pondering
the insights I offer about what it takes to learn the guitar. It
is all extremely gratifying and fulfilling to me. However, it also
poses a number of challenges as well.
You see, part of the reason my work is effective is because I am
not a businesswoman, nor do I want to be. I have never in my life
done what I do from the motivation of making money. In fact, my
life has mostly been full of hard times and downright deprivation
because of my innate inability to play the necessary games required
to "make it" in the music business. I have made sacrifices
many people would not make in order to continue to remain a musician
throughout my life.
When I began to market my book, and realized what a need it filled
for guitar players out there, I began for the first time to see
the possibility of making money. Even that was a problem, though.
As soon as I started to deal with publishers, I encountered the
same commercial concerns that have always turned me off. My book
is not like other books. It doesn't have a sexy name like "Pumping
Nylon". It has a serious name, from the viewpoint of a major
publisher. After talking to some publishers I quickly realized my
book would be either ignored, misunderstood, or changed into something
else by them. And I was not going to allow my book to be anything
but an accurate reflection of myself and my teaching.
When the Internet came along, I realized I could, now more that
ever, market it on my own, and develop the whole thing the way I
wanted it to develop. Sure, the growth will be slower, but it will
be "right". Now don't get me wrong. I don't have a problem
with money. I absolutely love it! You can't buy guitars without
it! But it is not the reason I do what I do.
I do what I do because I NEED to do it. I need it in order to be
happy. I have always dedicated my life to happiness, and I very
early on realized it had nothing to do with money. There are enough
miserable rich people in the world to make that abundantly clear.
And besides, as soon as I started to play guitar at age 14, other
things began to lose their power to make me happy. I remember my
parents asking me what I wanted for my birthday, and me not being
able to think of anything that could give me more pleasure than
I was already getting from my guitar. So I became a very inexpensive
child to maintain. Just get me some new music to play or listen
to, and you won't hear a peep out of me.
To have money as the motivation for one's livelihood is, to me,
a form of slavery; and there is no happiness without freedom. So,
as I see this teaching work growing, I am faced with interesting
challenges. If I were a businessman, I would realize that I have
a potential "hit" on my hands, and maximizing it's potential
(in terms of dollars) would be my priority, and my main motivating
concern. Selling my book in the largest numbers, as quickly as possible
would be my goal. It is not. My goal is not to just sell my book.
My goal is to sell it to the people who can and will make use of
it, fulfilling the Mission Statement on my site "to enable
anyone who wants to play the guitar to be able to do so".
I stated in my first "State of the Site" address, that
my goal was to do "the most good for the most people".
I intend to make that my guiding principle when it comes to deciding
exactly what to do and how to proceed. What I see as needed most
by people right now, is something to help them use my book in an
organized way. So I am busy writing the script of a "Practice
Tape". It will contain an elaboration and review of the Understandings
required for Correct Practice, which will help people absorb and
apply The Principles in their daily practice, much as I do week
by week with my private students. It will also contain routines,
where I will verbally walk you through the Foundation Exercises.
It will be used as a "warm up" for daily practice. As
I have read comments from many of you, it has become clear that
this is a necessary adjunct to my book.
After finishing this project, I am going to finish the group of
philosophical essays I began when I started publishing the Weekly
Wisdoms. I feel I must lay out in a complete way many understandings
which are not DIRECTLY related to guitar playing, but are none the
less, powerful resources for students. This is because many of the
obstacles to learning the guitar are not in reality obstacles to
just learning the guitar, but in fact, obstacles to learning in
general. In private lessons, I must often address these things,
and I see no difference in the wider form my teaching is now taking.
After that, I am going to set about providing actual "guitar
lessons" in the way people normally think of them. But those
lessons will not be just the presentation of WHAT to do, they will
be a complete presentation of all the subtle details of HOW to do
as well, according to the principles in my book. As I get that moving
along, I will begin to put together a follow up book to the first
book of "Principles", including many new tools and exercises
for practice. I am already sorting my piles of notes from the last
few years on this.
My Concept of "Business"
One of the distasteful things about conducting a "business"
is running into certain attitudes that people invariably are conditioned
into, living in the commercial society we do. Everyone is "suspicious".
Since most of us are constantly bombarded by people trying to sell
us something, REGARDLESS of whether we actually want it, or need
it, every person who sells something is guilty until proven innocent.
Let me make this abundantly clear. I AM NOT INTERESTED IN SELLING
MY BOOK TO ANYBODY WHO DOESN'T WANT IT, NEED IT, OR IS NOT GOING
TO USE IT! Just as in my private teaching, I have never been interested
in keeping students who don't want to be playing the guitar, or
taking lessons. In fact, as soon as I realize this, I help them
find the door!
To me, being a musician, being an artist in general, is a condition
of PURITY. All of you who read my work also desire to express your
own artistry, and that is also a condition of PURITY to be respected
as such. As I said in my previous address, I respond to your passion
and sincerity about wanting to play the guitar. And I think you
respond to mine. I have found my artistic satisfaction, I would
like to help you find yours.
People are so uptight when it comes to money. Some people even think
you can't be sincere if you are charging for what you are doing!
These are ignorant, and even dangerous attitudes. To me, "Business"
is a spiritual activity. "Business" is a way of connecting
with other people, and serving their needs. A business that has
the attitude of "making money is the first priority, whether
peoples needs are being served or not", will bring about it's
own destruction, or at the very least, it's own limitation. Money,
to me, is simply a form of energy. It is a representation of the
energy that one person communicates to another. And like any form
of energy, it moves, it circulates, it can create and it can destroy.
As Guitar Principles grows, the energy that is given back to me
for the energy I put out, will be used to create. It will be used
to expand and extend my teaching work. I presently have two people
working for me, people I am very close to and trust implicitly.
They are taking on a lot of the growing workload, and freeing up
my time for my writing and my own practicing and playing. In the
future, I hope to acquire some professional web personnel also.
Everything will be directed to the purpose of helping me provide
you with what I have to offer, so you can realize your goals, dreams
and desires with the guitar.
Who Shouldn't Buy My Book!
Can i really become the complete guitar player you say buy using
your principles, or will i just put this book along with the other
self taught books i have. Its not the money, I just dont want to
convalute my self taught guitar playing with something i really
shouldnt have, or should.......... thanx.....jld
If I could possibly understand the question here, I would try to
answer it. From what I can make out, I believe I would recommend
this person to not buy my book. As great as my book is, it has this
one limitation. It must be read, thought about and used in order
to be effective. If you really don't plan on doing that, it probably
isn't going to help you much.
From Someone Who Got My Book, and Began to Try To Benefit From
It By Not Paying Attention To It, or Reading It, (he sent this 2 days
after receiving it)
All of this book is aimed towards classical guitar. How do you
apply it to rock?
Robert
Robert, you have to read the book. It applies to all styles. Before
you ask me questions, have you read the book? Did you read about muscle
memory, no tempo practice? How to hold the pick, sympathetic tension,
the Basic Practice Approach? Every idea in the book applies to every
style, as long as that style is played by the same human hand and
brain we all have.
Jamie
Thank GOD for your book Jamie! I mean that. I purchased it a
couple weeks ago and really sat down with it last night. Unlike
many guitar books, this one gets straight to the point and immediately
attacks the reader. Very intriguing indeed. Before, I felt like
a V8 running on about 6 cylinders, but after pulling into your garage
of correct practice for an overhaul, I'm ready to finally hit the
highway after 5 years of misguided playing. Thank you Jamie; you
are truly a pioneer in your teaching field.
Matthew
Now, something tells me that if the above writer had not got to
the "really sat down with it last night" part, I wouldn't
have gotten that letter from him!
Who Should and Who Shouldn't Buy My Book
One thing has become very obvious to me since I embarked on selling
my book. Not everyone can actually READ a book, pay attention, and
make an effort to understand what they read. If you are one of these
people, and plan on remaining that way, don't buy my book. If you
CAN read and make an effort to understand, or if you plan on evolving
in that direction, and wish to improve your playing, consider getting
my book.
All
material copyright © 2003 by Jamie Andreas, GuitarPrinciples.com |
