• Q & A - You Must Play!
• Can't Count Rhythms!
• Beginner Songs
• Can't See My Hands While Playing!

Hi Jamie,

I ordered your book early last week and it was waiting for me in the mail when I returned from Thanksgiving. Thank you for the quick turnaround. I have read thru the first couple of chapters and I find your words of wisdom very encouraging. I do have one question for you however. I guess it is more of a sanity check than anything.

My long term goal as a guitarist is to play live one day, to be one of those guys you see in a small bar or restaurant playing acoustic cover tunes, maybe even an original or two, or to be in a cover band. That's all I want. I love acoustic music. I have no plans to quit my day job to be a guitarist.

I will be playing 4 years in December, I am 33 and my work pretty much takes up my week 7am-7pm Monday thru Friday. I try to practice 7-12 hours a week. Usually the weekends I play more, and during the week its 30 minutes here, 15 minutes there, etc. I can play tons of chords, arpeggios, scales (blues, pent, minor, major) up and down the neck, I have studied the CAGED method extensively over the past couple of years. I know what notes/intervals make up what chords and scales. I am still learning the 7ths chords. I do not enjoy practicing them so my development with these is still in process. I have a couple of hundred 3x5 inch index cards that I have made into flash cards of music theory questions. (Example: One side of the card may ask "what is the third interval in the key of Bb? The answer will appear on the back).

I use these on my morning commute to work almost everyday. If someone tells me a song is in a certain key, I pretty much know what chords are most likely going to fit into that key and why. I can read tab alot better than I can music. I study all the key signatures in my flash cards as well. I sometimes use a little hand device that is supposed to strengthen your fingers and arms. I can play the beginning to alot of songs, but there are only a couple that I can play all the way through. Everyday I have a "key of the day" that I work on playing scales and chord transitions in that key. I know all of this stuff, but I still feel like I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO PLAY MUSIC.

My instinct tells me that one day my study of all of these notes, scales, arpeggios, chords, and keys will evolve into making me a player. I have the desire, I think about the guitar all of the time, and when I travel without it, I feel like a part of me is missing or something. I am keeping a practice journal. If a friend comes over to ask me to play them something, I can't play a
whole lot of music, but if they want to hear a blues pentatonic scale in the key of E then I can let it rip.

I wish I had a friend that lived close by that liked playing as much as I do because I think it would help to be able to jam with someone.

I think I read on your web page that learning music is not linear it is more like cooking a meal. You work on many things at the same time. So my philosophy in learning to play is I spend time everyday practicing on various things. So finally, the question is... Am I traveling down a path that you have seen other successful guitarist travel...have other people who have evolved into good players shared similar stories with you? Have you seen other players complain that they don't know how to play music, only the first few bars to a hundred songs? Am I doing something that you think is just plain stupid and a waste of time?

Regards,
Scott

Hi Scott,

I feel for your situation Scott, and I would like to tell you a few things. First of all, your desire is obviously strong, and everything you are doing is great, and the sign of someone who knows how to study, and how to learn. You are being "aggressive" and creative in your learning approach, and you should keep that up. By doing the things you have mentioned, you are acquiring the "tools" you need in your toolbox as a player.

However, there are some other things that you MUST do to FEEL like player, and to actually BE a player.

YOU MUST PLAY!

Scott, here is what I would tell you if you were my student sitting in front of me (and I have had many people in your exact situation). I would say "get yourself right away, into some kind of playing situation". Go to a music store and hang up a sign, describe yourself, and ask for people interested in playing in some informal situation for the purpose of developing as players. Head immediately for your goal of a cover band doing acoustic tunes. You don't have to wait for anything. At the point you are at, getting into a playing situation is more important than learning new scales or chords. ACTUAL PLAYING is the only thing that will tie all your knowledge together, and meld it into that intangible condition we call being a "guitar player".

The demand of hammering out tune after tune is what finally produces a player. You are like a pie right now, all the ingredients are put together nicely in the pan. But you need to go in the oven!

Once you are playing with other people, fill in your knowledge as needed. If you need some chords, scales or whatever for a song, you'll learn them. In this way, your learning process is DRIVEN by the demands of PLAYING. Right now, your floating kind of aimlessly, thinking you have to "qualify" in some way first before you can set about being a player. Not true.

What I am describing to you is the way all the players I know have become players, by playing. Some remained lopsided, they did more playing than studying and growing, so they remained at a low level of playing. On the other extreme, are the "perennial students", they are always studying and never playing. That is your tendency. So do what I said and balance it out, and you will be happy and feel a sense of direction and meaning to the good efforts you are making now.

Good Luck, Scott

Jamie

Can't Count Rhythms!

I am unable to use my foot to count rhythms - it completely disrupts my playing. My strumming hand works with the metronome but my foot simply follows whatever my hand is doing. I have tried to correct this as I am sure it will help me do more complicated rhythms but with no luck. Any idea why?

Jim

Yes, Jim, I know exactly why. And more importantly, I know exactly what to do about it. In fact, I have never failed in getting a student to be able to do that. I am not saying that to brag (which I would never do) but to give you the feeling that of course you can do it. However, the tricky part will be the getting the hang of the WAY you must go about it in order to be able to overcome the very common problem of not being able to tap and play (which I have stated many times is essential for real rhythmic control).

It comes down to this: you must #1) approach the matter in a step by step, progressive way and #2) have an EXTREMELY strong mental focus when you practice doing it.

This means you must take things in a certain order. Such as:

1) Make sure you can tap a steady beat WITHOUT playing
2) Make sure you can tap your foot to a straight, steady quarter note beat, and strum that same rhythm, so, every time the foot goes down, the pick goes down.
3) Make sure you can also COUNT OUT LOUD while you do this.
4) Make sure you can do a steady 8th note strum, that is, down up, over and over. This means your hand would be following your foot, going down when the foot goes down, and up when it goes up. Make sure you can say out loud 1&2&3&4& as you do this.

If you have trouble achieving any of these necessary steps, it means you are going too fast, or taking too much at once, or not paying enough attention. So, either go slower, shorten the exercise (do only one beat, or two beats worth, small enough so you can FOCUS and get it right, and KNOW you got it right), or pay more intense attention. To aid in the last suggestion, a tape recorder is invaluable. It will pay attention for you, and when you listen back, you will hear what it heard and be more able to pinpoint, and work with, your problem.

Jamie

Beginner Songs

What beginning tunes would you recommend?

Larry

Hi Larry;

The first tunes you decide to bring to performance level ( getting them good, all the way through, no hesitations, preferably memorized) should be in the key of G, using the chords G, C, and D, or another easy key like A, using the chords, A, E and D. A good candidate is "This Land is Your Land", or other simple folk songs. Some Beatle songs are good "American Pie" is good. Don't use songs that are very complicated with lots of changes. The important thing is to learn SOMETHING that you can make music out of. Then you will go on from there.

For rock players, pick something with mostly open power chords. "Born to be Wild" is great, because it is mostly using an open E power chord.

Jamie

Can't See My Hands While Playing!

Dear Jamie

I started playing sitting down with the guitar leaning back towards me, so that the fretboard is easily in sight. However, I am trying to start playing standing up, where the guitar hangs flat, and I can't see what I'm playing without craning my neck over. How do I solve this problem? Should the guitar be flat on my leg when sitting down, as opposed to leaning back--and thus I'll get used to playing "blind?"

Also, when I use the strap, I tend to put a lot of weight in the fretting hand and it pulls down on the guitar and ends up straining my shoulder. Any ideas?

I really like the tone of your material, that the player shouldn't fight his body--if there's stress and strain, something's wrong. Sounds right to me. Thanks.

Robert

Hi Robert,

It's okay for the guitar to lean slightly back toward you, in fact, it usually has to at least slightly. Avoid too much of a tilt, you do not want it sitting on your lap. Try to get a happy combination of leaning the guitar back toward you, and you leaning forward a little to see the neck.

You may sometimes play without looking, but you need to be able to see your fingers while practicing.

Jamie

All material copyright © 2003 by Jamie Andreas, GuitarPrinciples.com