Welcome to Guitar Principles!

The Principles of Practice
Based on "The Principles of Correct Practice for Guitar"
by Jamie Andreas

IN THIS ISSUE

January 28, 2001 Volume 30

Q & A - "Speed Picking", "Musicality"
Left Hand Positions

Q & A - Speed Picking, Musicality

Hi Jamie,

Assuming the fundamentals of picking a string are mastered, what is the proper approach to speed picking? I can currently pick a single string at 100 bpm - sixteenth notes, and want to get a lot faster than that (my preferred music style is hard rock / metal). However, I don't want to pick up any bad habits. I find that I can throw in "bursts" at double the speed of the metronome for four to eight pick strokes (at more like 85-90 bpm X 2; not quite 100..). During this time, the motion seems to change from primarily a wrist motion to an arm motion. Is this correct? I've seen a lot of conflicting advice from extraordinary speed pickers (Yngwie Malmsteen, Gary Gilmore, Troy Stetina, etc.), and I'm wondering what your take is on it.

Thanks
Eric K

Hi Eric,

Your letter makes me think of a book called "Great Singers on Great Singing". It is a collection of interviews of 40 of the greatest opera singers in the world. At the beginning of the book there is a warning. It says "caution: this book may ruin you as a singer"! The reason is because they are all giving different, and often exactly opposite opinions and advice, and often giving it as solid facts!

It also reminds me of the time I was studying rock guitar, and was taking lessons from a guy who was the fastest player I'd ever seen up close. He was as fast as anybody. I asked him his secret, and he said "move only from the elbow". I asked who taught him that, and he gave me the name of his teacher. I then went and studied with that guy, who was also a great player, but in the jazz style. I asked him about the idea of picking from the elbow, and he said " oh, I don't play that way myself". So I thought I had discovered some great secret, some hard and fast rule I could rely on, and then he burst my bubble!

It is so important to realize that more often than not, great artists simply don't know why they are able to do what they do, or how exactly they became able to do it. So when you talk about conflicting advice from great players, I'm not surprised!

So, what do we make of this. The first thing I began to realize as I thought about this subject was this: the one common denominator that I could REALLY identify with all these speed demons was the fact that they practiced 6 or more hours a day!

I have a lot of people asking me why they don't play at the high levels of ability as some of the best players, and they themselves are practicing maybe 1 or 2 hours a day, or sometimes a half hour a day! I think many people don't realize what it takes, in any discipline, to perform at the levels set by the best in the field, who have devoted entire lives to that discipline.

The rock teacher I mentioned played all day long, then went out to work, playing! Obviously, many people can't do that, and I am not trying to get anyone depressed, but I don't want anyone to have unrealistic expectations either.

While it is true, as I am always saying, that the most important factor is HOW you practice, and that NO ability can be developed without proper practice, after one IS practicing correctly, and effectively, then, HOW MUCH you practice becomes the next variable in determining the level of ability you will reach.

Many of these speed demons you listen to have been practicing 6 to 8 hours a day for many years! There are certain things that happen when one practices at that level of intensity for that amount of time, and this fact has to be respected when it comes to assessing our own progress and development.

I have a strong suspicion that any player, using any technical approach (wrist picking, or mostly arm, or vice versa) that isn't obviously unworkable, will be able to do amazing things if he puts in 6 to 8 hours of practice over a 10 or 20 year period! And before we wonder whether it is the nuances of our technique that should be examined, we should pay serious heed to this factor.

That is why I say that using the correct practice approaches will enable you to become as good as you WANT to be. Because the people that want it badly enough to practice like that make the decision to put the certainty of a nice "normal" life at serious risk by putting all that time into something as impractical as the guitar, instead of using it to become doctors or lawyers.

Also I want to mention that although I do play the classical guitar at the virtuoso level, I can't say the same for electric guitar. So I cannot give you advice, based on personal experience, for how to achieve that ability (of course, if I did, it would probably conflict with a lot of other advice, anyway).

If I were going to make becoming a speed picking demon a goal, I would get videos of many great players of that style, and study them. Also, I would listen to what everyone says, and make my own evaluations. I would get a book like Troy Stetinas "Speed Mechanics" and practice exercises from it at least 2 hours a day (of course, using The Principles of Correct Practice to do so.)

This is what I did to become a virtuoso classical player, using classical studies,of course.

So, my advice Eric, is to practice as effectively as possible, keep examining things the way you are, and factor in to your assesement the amount of time you are able to put in. And take heart in the fact that as long as you are doing the best practice you can in the time you do have to practice, you will only get better.

Hello. My name is Aaron. I am 14. I've been playing guitar since January 16th 2000. I play guitar EVERY day since I've had it. Even when I go on trips, I bring a guitar. I know tons of chords, i know tons of things about the guitar. I practice about anywhere from 15 minutes, to 2 hours a day.

I have a question that has been bothering me for a long time. I LOVE to play solos to many songs. I also like to just make up my own songs and solos. so my question is... when ever I try to make up my own solos, I CAN'T! everything I make sounds like some nursery rhyme, or sounds like a bunch of notes plugged together. THERE IS NO MUSICALLITY.

So if you know, how do I get solos to sound like solos? If you could help me even the SLIGHTEST bit, I would greatly appreciate it!

Thank You,
Aaron

Hi Aaron,

Well, first of all, you have the right attitude as far as your enthusiasm goes! I would never consider going on a trip without bringing a guitar!

Your question is a good one, and a common one. How do we acquire "musicality"? Here is (part of) the answer:

Being good at soloing is the same as being good at speaking. The most important thing about being a good speaker is not HOW you speak. It is WHAT you are saying! It is whether or not you HAVE anything to say. If someone is giving a speech, and just moving their mouth because they want to make sounds, well, listening to them is not going to be much of an experience.

If someone is soloing, and just moving their fingers around because they want to make sounds and look like they are playing the guitar, we are going to say they are "unmusical". This is because they are speaking without having anything to say. Many people are like this when they solo. Their fingers are just running around doing scales for no reason except keeping busy. Almost everyone starts this way, but you don't want to stay that way!

This leads to a very practical suggestion I will make to you. As an exercise, try soloing and ONLY PLAY SLOW NOTES. Play a solo using only whole notes, for instance. But focus on FEELING what you are playing/saying. Don't worry about being fancy. In fact, it is much harder to be "musical" and be simple about it. My favorite songs are the ones written with 3 chords that still manage to be great.

Some guitarists say so much with so few notes. B.B.King, Slash, come to mind. First, it is WHAT they are saying that moves the listener, then, it is HOW they are saying it. Many people focus on the HOW before they ever ask whether they have anything to say!

Music is emotion. Having something to say musically means making music that turns YOU on. If it truly gives you pleasure, it will also give pleasure to others. If the music you make does not give you pleasure, it will not give pleasure to other people.

This may sound obvious, but it needs to be said, and understood. So often, players will "make music", write a song, play a solo, and they never stop to ask themselves if THEY are really being turned on by the music they are making. You must ask yourself this, and if the answer is no, then keep searching till you do find what gives you pleasure.

Fortunately, Aaron, you have asked yourself this. So you are on your way to finding YOUR satisfaction, your musical expression, and then giving that to other people.

Here are some other suggestions:

Start a list of solos you love. Learn to play them as best you can. Do this with 10 solos, then 10 more. STUDY them. Take them apart. When you come across a part you love, ask yourself "why is that part so good"? Why is that part speaking to me? Why is that part giving me pleasure?
Your goal, in your playing and soling, is to give yourself the same pleasure you get from the music you love. Right now, you notice that you don't, and that is good, that is a starting point.

This is how great musicians write great music, they keep searching for that feeling, and they don't stop till they find it.

Find examples of solos that speak to you. Study them, learn them, sing them. In this way, you learn the language of music. You will begin to think musically. You learn the language of music the same way you learn any other language, by spending time with people who speak it, and at first, copying them, and gradually having something to say yourself.

At one time, when I had only been playing classical guitar a short time, I didn't feel my playing was very musical. I started listening to a lot of classical music, symphonies, chamber music, as well as guitarists. After awhile, I noticed I began to become "musical". I began to have musical "opinions", and musical "feelings". I began to learn to speak the language of music by listening to others speak it, paying attention, copying them, and experimenting myself. I did the same process to develop myself as a songwriter, lyricist, and composer.

How do you know when you are thinking musically? When the musical thoughts you have GIVE YOU MUSICAL PLEASURE! It's the same reason you like the music you like you do, it is speaking to you, giving you musical pleasure.

As you learn and study each solo, you will notice certain things over and over. First, you will notice what is called "phrasing". A phrase is a musical sentence. It says something, musically. Consider the solo to Stairway to Heaven. That is a perfect example of good phrasing. It is one sentence after another, each one carrying "musical meaning". Also, each phrase builds and develops as it moves toward the ending climax. That is another characteristic of good solos.
Study the STRUCTURE of solos you love. This is called FORM. Study how these solos are put together. Try copying these same procedures yourself.

One last suggestion. Put on the background track you are going to solo to, and instead of picking up the guitar, SING a solo to it, just using some syllable like LA. This allows your musical feeling to come out easier, and makes you less likely to simply let your fingers run around doing patterns they know already. FEELING is the key. Remember, music is emotion.

I hope I have given you some good ideas to pursue, Aaron, good luck!

Left Hand Positions

I get a lot of questions about left hand positions, and thumb positions. People get confused because they hear things like "keep the thumb down", and don't understand that it depends on the playing context. I have posted some pictures which I think will clear things up for a lot of people. Take a look.

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