|
|
The
Principles of Practice
Based on "The Principles of Correct
Practice for Guitar"
by Jamie Andreas
|
| IN
THIS ISSUE |
October
22, 2000 Volume 16
|
Review is Required!
One of the aspects of a properly balanced practice approach that
is VERY often overlooked is REVIEW. The common tendency of most
students is to focus on "new" things to play, even if
last month's or last year's "new" thing was never properly
learned. There are a few reasons for this.
Reasons We Don't Review:
1. New is always exciting. There is a certain rush of exhilaration
as we begin a new song or piece, especially if we really like it.
Some of us are just addicted to that buzz!
2. Taking on something new gives us the feeling that we are "moving
along". Well, I guess we are, but where we are going is not
going to be any better than the place we just left!
3. Our teacher may want us to "move along" to the next
page in the book, or a new song. This is because he/she is afraid
we will think we are not learning if we stay to long on one thing,
or go back to something we had previously worked on.
4. Going back and reviewing something makes us feel bad about ourselves
as guitar players, since we know what is going to happen if we go
back and try to get that solo, or that piece, to sound better than
it did last time we played it. We won't be able to! We will hit
all the same problem spots, and they will still be problems, and
the music will sound the same as it did the last time we battled
with it. We will fight the same battles, and we will lose again.
That is because we are fighting them the same way! Because we never
learned how to practice, WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO IMPROVE THINGS! (As
I began to learn how to practice, how to take something and make
it better, reviewing took on a very enjoyable, even exciting aspect.
Since I was getting better all the time, I couldn't wait to see
how much improvement I could create on a piece I really loved, and
had some little, maybe big problems, with.)
You must examine yourself, and see where you stand with all of this.
Ask yourself these questions:
a. Do I regularly review songs, pieces, solos, and exercises?
b. Do I see the results of regular review bearing fruit for me in
the form of an ever growing repertoire (group of pieces we have
mastered and can play)?
c. Is this repertoire getting "better" all the time, or
is it plagued with weak spots?
We are, of course, looking for YES answers here. If you come up
with "No's" , "Maybe's", or "Um, could
you re-phrase the question", then you need to take serious
heed of what I am saying.
Now of course, we must, on a regular basis, take on new material.
But we must also, on a regular basis, review old material. Let's
look at some of the reasons why this is so.
Reasons We Should Review: Long Range/Short Range Building of
Skills
Often, as I give a student something new, I will tell them "it
is not possible for you at the present level of your development,
to learn this piece (or song) well enough to be able to play it
the way it is supposed to be played. Consider this piece like a
tree you are planting. It will take a while, maybe a year or two,
to grow fully. Each time you come back to work on this again, each
time you review it, it will grow taller and stronger. Right now,
we are just going to "plant the seed".
We then work on the piece or song or even exercise, until a "first
goal" is reached. A "first goal" is the level of
proficiency that I feel the student is capable of achieving at their
present level of development. Of course, this means the level they
can bring the music to IF they do their absolute best in terms of
practicing it. This may take two weeks, it may take two months,
it may even take 4 to 6 months before I feel the student has taken
it as far as they can.
At this point, they can stop "working on" the music, and
just "play it". It can become part of their repertoire
even if it hasn't been brought up to performance level. Playing
it will keep it in their fingers, and in a general way, it may even
improve just by playing it, but usually whatever technical problems
still remain WILL remain.
Whether the music is still played, or put aside, the point is that
at some later time that music must be re-visited. Those technical
problems that were beyond reach must be gone back to later on, maybe
six months later, maybe a year. IF THE STUDENT HAS BEEN DEVELOPING
PROPERLY THEY WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE THAT MUSIC FURTHER, BEYOND THEIR
FIRST GOAL.
It is this process, repeated over and over, that builds a solid
repertoire, and a solid player.
A good example is a student of mine who was new to fingerpicking.
We worked on Dust in the Wind for about 6 months, and I mean the
whole song as a guitar solo, chord melody arrangement, including
transcribing the violin solo for guitar. He learned it pretty well,
but it broke down in a few places due to left hand problems and
the fact that he wasn't properly trained in classical right hand
technique ( we had been doing mostly electric and jazz up till then).
We then spent about a year doing classical studies, and recently,
I told him to review Dust in the Wind. What a difference! He now
can play it very fluently, and it is extremely satisfying for both
of us to see the progress that was made. This is the way it should
be for all of us.
Review with a "New You"
Robert Louis Stevenson said "A man who holds the same views
at forty that he did at twenty, is a man who has been stupefied
for twenty years!" I say, a person who plays a piece of music
at the same level now as he did a year ago, does not know how to
practice and does not know how to create vertical growth in their
playing ability.
At any given point, there should be a "new you", when
it comes to life, or guitar. When this "new, improved you"
reviews an "old piece of music", it should become a "new,
improved, piece of music" once again. For further insight into these matters, make sure you read my related
essays, "Practice
Organization", and "The
Importance of Repertoire".
New Feature on the Site: Understanding Rhythm
I am beginning a new feature on the site, one which I think will
be of great interest to many of you. It is called "Understanding
Rhythm". Rhythm is one half of what music is about, but
because it is the "invisible" half, it is by nature elusive.
In my years of teaching, I have found it to be one of the most mis-understood
aspects of music, sometimes by long time players. I have often found
that even people supposedly trained to read music still don't have
a grasp of the fundamentals of rhythm, and, as usual, it is because
IT IS NOT TAUGHT PROPERLY. And this tenuous grasp of what rhythm
is about is a MAJOR obstacle to further development as a musician/guitarist.
I am designing this course so that all the concepts (which are by
nature abstract) will be crystal clear to everybody. It is the course
I have developed for my own students, and it will, over time, give
you a complete understanding of the subject, whether you read music
or not. If you fall into the "don't have a clue" category,
or the "I know I'm supposed to have a clue, but I don't think
I do" category, I advise you strongly to check it out. It will
clear up a lot of the mystery for you, and go a long way to giving
you the tools for improving your over-all musicianship.
Technical Tip: May
the Force Be With You!
(Let's put an end to wimpy picking!)
I have added a new Tip, one I recommend you check out, about a common
malady in peoples playing, and what to do about it.
Some responses from last week's "State of the Site" address:
I am glad people are responding both positive and negative.
I think there is a lot that needs to be said about the products
on the market. I believe a lot of them are put together wrong, transcribed
wrong or the book doesn't fit the video, etc. Are they worth the
money?
HANG TOUGH Jamie!!! Your still the one.
Bill Henderson
Your replies to guys that buy the book but don't read it are funny
as s**t!!! Even funnier is the reference to those that CAN'T READ.
Good going on dealing the lame attitudes some people carry.
You get what you play for, eh? Rob S
hey man.... don't send me emails trying to sell crap...I didn't
see one guitar principle in here, so why don't you just take me off
this list, or tell me how to do it.
Crazy Liam
I like that last one! Some people are SO touchy, not to mention impatient!
All
material copyright © 2003 by Jamie Andreas, GuitarPrinciples.com |
