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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 |
December 10, 2000 Volume
23
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Rhythm Course
Jamie,
I have studied the 3-lessons on your website concerning Rhythm and
was wondering if this is all we need to know concerning Rhythm or
if you will be adding to this part of your site beyond lesson 3,
in the future?
No, it is definitely NOT all you need to know about Rhythm! And
in fact, don't expect me to tell you all you need to know. I don't
even know all I need to know about Rhythm! But I will tell you this:
what I have put up there already is gold; essential knowledge and
unique viewpoints on the essentials of Rhythm that pave the way
for a sophisticated understanding of the subject and it's importance
and relation to what you are doing as a guitarist and musician.
I WILL add to it soon and take you further.
However, I would like some feedback from people on what is up there
already. Have people found it useful? Have people found it clears
up questions about rhythm, at least partially? Also, be sure to
check out this weeks Q&A, I am also giving some important clarification
about the subject of our "internal" sense of rhythm while
playing.
The Beat Goes On (hopefully!)
Jamie,
I am behind your work 99.9% of the time. I've found the .1%. When
my students complain of an inability to tap a foot and play at the
same time, I ask them what tapping their foot has to do with playing
music. Of course, the response is: 'I don't know. Aren't I supposed
to?'. My responses are: 'Me either.' and 'I haven't been told that
someone couldn't recognize what I was playing because my foot was
not tapping. So, I don't find it necessary. If a person cannot play
guitar in time, what makes people think they tap their foot in time
simultaneously. Every student who, upon finishing this discussion,
attempted to play the same piece as before but, without tapping the
foot, played so much better, their jaws usually hung open.So much
for tradition, huh? Fellow Myth Buster,
Justin S
Hey Justin,
Well, I appreciate you softening the blow about the fact that you
disagreed with me by telling me it's just .1%! It's nice to know
my ego is in good hands!
But, Justin, I think I need to make something clear, and I am really
glad you brought this up, because I did not realize that something
about this matter is UNCLEAR perhaps to readers. I am going to try
to eradicate our .1% disagreement by my explanation (so I can sleep
tonight, knowing no one disagrees with me, just kidding), or at
least get you to think about it from a different angle.
I am in no way saying it is somehow necessary for a musician to
tap their foot when they play. In fact, classical musicians are
supposed to be much too serious for such a blatant display of physical
involvement with the music! I have been chastised for tapping my
foot while playing classical guitar. The point is this, though.
From the TEACHING AND LEARNING perspective, I am saying that the
ABILITY to tap the foot while playing a rhythm is the true test
of whether a rhythm is "understood" on the level of the
body/mind connection. IF you can tap the basic beat, WHILE you are
playing a rhythm that subdivides that basic time unit of the beat
into smaller units, THEN your body/mind has complete control over
the production of those smaller time units.
Could you imagine, for instance, a drummer who could not do quarter
notes with his foot while he did sixteenths with one hand, and eighths
with the other? He would be considered a bad drummer, obviously.
They would be considered to not REALLY have control over the beat,
and they wouldn't. I believe guitarists should strive to have the
sense of time and rhythm that drummers have.
Sure, students can play rhythms and not be able to tap the basic
beat. My contention is that they are not really secure, and put
to the test, like a performance, or playing with a band, where the
groove and beat must be so tight, they will CRACK! For instance,
take a player who thinks they are playing to a solid beat, and then
see if they can play to a metronome. If they can't, they DO NOT
REALLY HAVE THAT BEAT SOLID! Now, or course, I am not saying we
should play like metronomes, but the ability to play TO that beat
is what gives us the solid framework of time from which we can depart
to give the music our individual expression, with rubato, ritards,
and so forth.
So, even though it is more difficult, and takes longer to get those
students, from the beginning, comfortable tapping that foot to the
basic beat when they are learning their first rhythms, I make them
do it, and they do it! It pays off big later on, when more advanced
material, more complex rhythms and syncopations are tackled.
Okay Justin, so let me know if I have at least shaken up that .1%
a little!
Economy of Motion
Hi Jamie,
thanks for the tips on how to practice, they are brilliant especially
the mirror idea. I looked to see if I was doing anything wrong and
I saw that my picking hand was tense but after a couple of minutes
of finding the problem I corrected it. And I wouldn't of even known
I was doing anything wrong without your tips.
Just one question, in point one you mentioned economy of motion and
I was just wondering what you meant by it.
Mark.
Hi Mark,
Well, the concept of economy of motion as applied to playing the guitar,
(or any instrument, for that matter) is often spoken of, and extremely
important. In my writing and teaching approaches, I have focused on
how to ACHIEVE IT more than I have on explaining what it is, so it's
good you asked. The reason I have done this is because many people
DO speak of it, but they never tell you how to get it, especially
in your fast playing, and especially with weak fingers, like the pinky.
So I have tried to provide the "how to get it part".
It is very simple. When we play, we are bound by the laws of physics,
which includes the Laws of Motion. If I am standing at point A, and
I am 10 feet from point B, it will take me a certain amount of time
to get to point B, depending of course, on the speed at which I travel.
I can do two things to get there faster: travel faster, or better
still, MOVE CLOSER TO POINT B BEFORE I START TO MOVE!
If when I play, my fingers are rising high into the air after being
used, it will take them longer to get to where they need to go. This
is especially true in something like scales, where notes follow one
another in quick succession. If I can keep my fingers LOW to the strings,
AND RELAXED, I will play faster, and with less effort.
If I am using a pick, and every pick stroke leaves the pick far from
where it is needed next, I am creating a great problem for myself,
which I will have to work hard to solve. The extra effort required
to cover the extra distance to the next string (which wouldn't be
required if I left the pick in a better spot) will seriously detract
from my playing. In the Principles, we call this concept "The
Complete Stroke".
As I have said, GETTING this to happen is the tricky part, and demands
the most careful practice approaches. But that is the concept. Keeping
this concept in mind as you practice, and watching your own fingers
for their "economy of motion", will go a long way to improving
your technique.
New York Workshop a Success!
It was very thrilling to meet some of the players who have been
using my book. We had five players at this workshop, two longtime
players, and three relative beginners. It was very hands on, and
there were a lot of lightbulbs going off. In fact it was such an
intense seven hours (we went 2 hours over) that I am rather exhausted,
and I have no doubt the participants feel that way, and also feel
it will take a while to digest the mountains of information that
was given and discussed. In the next few weeks, I will be posting
on the site as much of the spirit and the substance of the workshop
for others to learn from, including summations by the participants,
and pictures. Here is one reaction that has come in from one of
the advanced players, who got a good insight into what her obstacles
to growth were:
I'm still digesting what I heard and experienced,
and I think that I'll have more to say in the future after I go
deeper in my own practice with his suggestions. But I can say now
that I believe that his principles and his solutions are sound ones,
and I have already (almost unconsciously) benefited. Last night,
after returning home, I was reading through a Christmas Carol arrangement
which I played this morning in a church service.
Near the end of the piece I became aware of serious tension in my
left hand. But immediately I noticed that the problem wasn't really
my left hand, it was tension in my left shoulder which was causing
my left hand to tense up. As soon as I let go of the shoulder tension,
the hand problem went away... It's almost like magic. And I doubt
that I would ever have figured that out if not for his book and
workshop. So, thanks Jamie! I am expecting that it will take a while for everyone to digest
and assimilate what we worked on at the workshop. Over time, just
like the writer above indicated, they will see a new effectiveness
come in to their practicing, and show itself in their playing. More
about the workshop next week.
I am going to plan workshops for the Philadelphia area, and the
Washington D.C. area next. So if you are interested in attending,
make sure you have filled out the Workshop Information Form, if
you haven't already done so.
Jamie, I just received your book yesterday and was able to read and
study the first two chapters before my practice last night. I have
to say based on what I got out of last night's practice that the
first two chapters are worth the price of the book!
I have been taking lessons for the past few months and reading music
came quite easy. The problem was, I became so excited about reading
music again I kept my eyes glued to the music. What you said in
the book about muscle memory, tension, and watching my hands made
so much sense I was able to discover several problems that I can
already see will soon be worked
out. I can't wait to read the rest of the book. Thanks,
Randall
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material copyright © 2003 by Jamie Andreas, GuitarPrinciples.com |
