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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 |
June
17, 2001 Volume 48
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Miss Me?
Well, as you may have noticed (at least I hope some of you did), there
was no newsletter last week. I apologize for the gaping hole it must
have left in your life, but it was unavoidable. In the true spirit
of Mark Twains statement "life is one damn thing after another",
I was assailed by a number of computer malfunctions, which knocked
me off line for a number of days.
But you know, the whole experience had it's benefits and lessons.
Of course, my first reaction was to get upset at having my business
close down. But as I saw it was going to take a while to get up and
running, I began to look for whatever opportunities might present
themselves during the time I would not be sitting and starting at
my computer (the Chinese word for "crisis" also means "opportunity")
. And that meant more time to read, think, and of course, practice
and play!
So, I spent some quality time in nature, communing with a deeper level
of reality, with my guitar in my lap! It was a great reminder of the
need for balance between structured work and goalless play. It was
also a reminder to me of something I do try to keep in mind: the purpose
of life is not to run a website. The purpose of life is to play the
guitar!
Righthand
in Fingerstyle
I received this letter recently by someone who is a bit confused
about various things I have said in my book, and what his teacher
is telling him. I have published most of his letter here in detail,
because I want you to appreciate the nuances of the situation. I
think many players face similar confusions about various aspects
of playing. This is because of the nature of the beast. We are dealing
with music and the guitar here. Although I have endeavored to make
The Principles as fundamental and universal as possible, it is not
a subject that lends itself to "one size fits all" types
of solutions.
So, whether you are a book user or not, I recommend you read this,
it will help you have a deeper understanding of aspects of musical
development that would otherwise remain unclear. Please excuse me
if I seem to repeat myself, but I am afraid of being misunderstood
on this important topic.
Hi Jamie:
I ordered your book a few weeks back and have been doing your exercises
for the right hand and for the left hand and have enjoyed what I
read in your book so far...
I probably deserve to be scalded or yelled at by you for what I
am about to ask but it's better to ask and be yelled at than to
not ask at all..
I'm getting good with the free stroke (thanks to your recommendations
in your book) but yesterday in my guitar lesson my instructor
told me to actually place the right heel palm of my right hand
on the bridge of the guitar rather than keep my hand floating
over the strings. He said the placement of my right heel of the
palm will anchor my hand and I will be able to finger pick hard
and will have more control over the guitar.
Even though it goes against your approach of keeping the hand
completely off the bridge, I notice I have more control and can
actually finger pick a little better with the palm of my hand
(lower right heel) resting on the bridge. I can do the alternate
and free stroke (from the big knuckle in your book) better...
He looked at your book (I brought it in) and he said your technique
is 100% correct when playing classical fingerstyle with the guitar
in the classical position but he told me that when holding the
guitar in the casual position (as I am) that I'll have more control
and accuracy by placing the right heel palm on the bridge.
He played for about 10 minutes that way (with his hand resting
on the bridge) and played very fast and good but he was also holding
it in the casual position.
Am I totally going against your principles and learning
something terrible if I finger pick this way in the "casual"
position?
I'm still doing your right hand exercises (ie, thumb up,
bouncing thumb,etc..) but my instructor suggested trying those
exercises with the palm of my hand resting on the bridge.
I'm also doing your left hand exercises religiously and love the
progress I am seeing but I am nervous now about going against
what your teaching in your right hand style?
My guitar instructor has about 25 years of playing experience
but he does not play classical guitar and plays standard acoustic,
bass and electric (he's in a Phoenix rock band who have cd's out)
and he's a very good instructor and has taught me alot. You have
also taught me alot so I am confused if I should follow his advice
on my right hand fingerpick style or if I should maybe find a
classical guitar instructor and buy a classical guitar and learn
by the book?
Personally I would prefer standard acoustic and holding it in
the casual position to play folk songs (fingerstyle) but I know
that's not what your book preaches and I hope doing your exercises
in the casual position (especially the right hand ones) won't
be detrimental and can still help me if I follow my instructor's
approach. Fortunately I am doing your left handed exercises 100%
by your book but I am confused as heck about my right hand as
my instructor is telling me one thing and I'm reading something
different in your book :-(
Regards,
Theron Kousek
Boy, life sure can be confusing, can't it?! That is a whole lot of
confusion to clear up, and I must say you have every right to be so
mixed up about this, because, on the face of it, it does seem confusing
to the point of contradiction.
First of all Theron, I wouldn't yell at you for that question. I do
yell a lot in lessons, but not at questions like that, because it
is a very logical one, and I am going to take time with it, because
I think many people have the same question.
Your question, which is about technique, points to the reason I have
been so careful to define "technique" the way I do. Technique
is "what we do, and how we do it, to get what we want".
Everything depends, Theron, on what you want.
If you want to play as well as your teacher, and no better, ever,
then, it will be perfectly fine for you to do as he does. I will guarantee
you that there will be built in limitations in the use of the right
hand by bracing it as you describe. You will never get as good a sound
in terms of tone OR volume. So, all the dynamics of playing will have
a more limited "range" in your playing. It is not true that
the "braced" right hand is actually more suitable for playing
while holding the guitar in the casual position. The free right hand
is always better.
I know you are impressed with your teacher's playing, but it is important
to understand that in the first few years of developing as a player,
you are not really qualified to have a competent and comprehensive
opinion of someone's guitar abilities (I am assuming you are seeking
to develop beyond the "well, I know what like" stage). Understand
what I mean by this. We are all qualified to know what we like and
what we don't like about music and players. But we are not all qualified
to look at various aspects of someone's playing and say "doing
things this way will lead to certain consequences down the road".
In short, your teacher has not been down the road I have been down.
My road goes farther when it comes to the right hand. His may go farther
than mine in certain areas. Guitar players are like doctors. We all
have our general knowledge, and as time goes on, we all "specialize"
in certain areas. But, we don't hang out signs that say "Joe
Blow, Specialist in Sweep Picking". You have to try to figure
out where your teacher is at, even if he doesn't tell you. You have
to think about these things and decide for yourself what you want.
If you would have seen me when I had been playing for 10 years, and
was giving concerts, you would have been very impressed, and yet I
had to spend many years getting all kinds of "faults" and
bad habits out of my playing.
In other words, the real road of guitar development is quite long
(the people that have gone far are called virtuosos or master players).
You, and even your teacher, have only gone so far on that road. Only
someone who has gone quite far down the road knows the twists, turns,
and obstacles. Only someone far down the road knows that if you make
that left over there, you will never get to the land of "master
playing", or we could even say, the land of "there are no
built in limitations to me taking my next step of development".
Bracing your right hand in the manner described is one of those things
that "seems" like a good idea at first. It brings some immediate
results, and lots of limitations down the road. I always compare it
to a little baby about to take it's first steps. He reaches over to
a nearby table to steady himself, and finds that he feels a lot more
in control, a lot more balanced. He takes a couple of steps and then
grabs a chair to hold onto to guide his next couple steps, and continues
along like that. He says "wow, this is great. I walk so much
better this way holding onto things for support. I am walking way
better than my friend Johnny. He keeps falling over after three steps.
Maybe I should tell him about my new discovery!
You see, this little baby will be quite the rage among his friends
in the nursery. For a while that is. But if he does not at some point
learn to walk with his own developed sense of balance, he will look
pretty funny walking down the hall in high school clutching the wall
for support!
By bracing your hand you are doing the same thing. Yes, you will get
some stability that will enable you to play faster. But you will never
run with the big boys! The things that can be done with the right
hand by training it to have it's own balance will completely blow
away the hand that needs to brace itself. And that goes for pick style
too. (I am not saying never brace it, as you need to to get a muted
bass line or something like that. I am saying do not always and only
NEED to brace it). And, add this to your understanding. Any "bracing",
or, the touching of the guitar with parts of either hand or arm for
"support" should be down as LIGHTLY as possible, to minimize
the tying up of other muscles with tension.
So, in essence, I am saying that this bracing you are asking about
brings short term benefits, and long term limitations. Many people
have decided to base their entire fingerpicking approach upon the
bracing of the right hand. Again, that is fine as long as you are
aware of the limitations, and decide they are acceptable to you. You
CAN get away with it in styles such as folk and pop styles. Do not
even consider it if you think you might some day want to play some
classical guitar. You must realize that developing the "free" right hand as I recommend will enable you to play all of the folk
and pop things your teacher is playing, with a much more expanded
dynamic range, eventually. Translation: better tone, more volume,
greater speed.
And please understand that ANYONE can develop this balance in the
right hand so that it doesn't need to brace itself. It just needs
to be done the right way, and it takes a little time. But boy, is
it worth it! I have no doubt that at some point early on in your teachers
training, someone suggested to him to anchor his right hand, just
as he suggested it to you. As the years go by, and a player learns
to play lots of things that way, they would usually be reluctant to
change it. Since you are just starting, my basic advice is to not
saddle yourself with the same limitations. That is precisely why I
steer my students clear of the "wrong turn".
You should not think in terms of style when it comes to this matter.
Here is a very important understanding: the "classical"
right hand position is not done the way it is because it is "right"
for classical, and "wrong" for other styles. It is done
the way it is because the classical guys are the type of people who
sit around and scientifically study how to maximize to the utmost
degree the POTENTIAL of the right hand. It's like the engineers who
build race cars, they are looking for the biggest "bang for the
buck", they are trying to hone every aspect of a cars design
to get the fastest moving vehicle they can.
The training we call "classical" for the right hand is the
same way: it develops the hand for maximum speed and power, and that
means a hand that will get the most music, and the best sound, out
of any guitar. Give me your teachers guitar, and I'll get a better
sound out of it, I guarantee you. If your hand is braced, there is
no way you are going to move it around from bridge to soundhole to
use the full palette of tone colors available. There is no way you
will develop the ability to apply as much force to the strings as
the "free" hand. You can't even strike the strings in a
way that adds further control to tone production, as you can with
the free hand. Your teacher has simply opted for a lower level of
development as a FINGERSTYLE guitarist. He has opted to stop at a
certain point in his development as a FINGERSTYLE player. It's no
big deal, I have done the same with certain styles. I am never going
to play electric like Steve Vai, but I wouldn't presume to give the
last word on two hand tapping, or whammy bar technique.
And don't think I am putting your teacher down, not at all. There
are many things I do besides guitar, that I am not great at, and never
will be. I am satisfied to be a relatively undeveloped piano player,
because I am not going to practice hours a day, or go to great teachers
for the best training. I am quite happy with my undeveloped and primitive
piano technique. But then again, I wouldn't set myself up as an authority
on piano playing either.
You are essentially asking why I teach what I teach, and why I
teach it the way I do. When it comes to guitar, unlike piano, I
DO want to be a great player. I DO want to show others how to be
great players. It does not take any more time or trouble to train
the right hand to be free of limitations as it does to "practice
them into the hand". There is no good reason to NOT learn the
"free" right hand instead of the "fixed" right
hand. There are only bad reasons, based on incomplete understandings.
To put it simply, your teacher is telling you to do it the way he
does, simply because that is the way he does it. I am telling you
to do it the way I do, because you will play ANY style, folk, classical,
whatever, better with the "free", and unbraced right hand.
But, it is true, you CAN get away with the braced right hand if
you are doing nothing more demanding than folk. If you want to someday
do classical, or something semi-classical, perhaps chord melody
style, you will have problems.
My whole approach to guitar has always been based on this feeling
and way of thinking: I don't like limitations. I don't like not
being able to do things I want to do, and one thing I always feel
like doing is getting better than I am at any given moment. My whole
approach to teaching has been the same. I simply take pleasure in
establishing in my students, at every step of the way, the foundation
for and the possibility of going further. And, as I said, when it
is done properly, it is no more effort to do it this way then to
do it in a more incomplete way.
In summing up, I want to emphasize that there is no "right"
or "wrong" about all of this. There is no "right"
or "wrong" technique. There is simply knowing what you
want and understanding what it is you are doing, and whether that
is going to get you what you want. Many famous and fine players
who make wonderful music within the styles they have decided to
play do things as your teacher does. I am sure he is a wonderful
player who can do what he wants to on the guitar.
He will probably be happy the rest of his life playing as he does.
If at some point he wants to play a style that requires a more fully
developed technique, he will have to make changes in his present
technique. If at some point he wants to play at a higher level within
his own style, he may very well have to change habits (as in going
from a B.B. King style blues player to a high energy Stevie Ray
type player). He will have to do this the same way I would have
to change my act if I wanted to be a better piano player.
We must keep in mind that the point of making music is to express
emotion, to say what we need to say with our instruments. That's
why ultimately you can't make a right and wrong, almost moral issue
out of it. My intention in my book is to give the student the complete
understanding of what developing as a player is about, and the opportunity
to travel the full path, right from the beginning, if they so choose.
It is your responsibility to decide how and how far you want to
travel that path.
And most importantly, remember this: being a guitarist is one level
of what we do, but being a MUSICIAN is the higher level of what
we do. As a guitarist, I will tell you to train your right hand
as I have recommended in my book. As a musician, I would tell you
to do whatever you need to do to be happy making music.
Jamie:
Can you advise of a metronome you recommend for practicing by. II
know it should be loud. Should it be visible with a swinging mechanism
also?
Mary L
Hi Mary,
I like the Quartz style metronome. They have a big dial in the front,
which is easy to turn, and works nicely with my practice methods
(the Basic Practice Approach, where there is a lot of speed changing).
I also like them because they don't get so upset when you drop them.
Other types, especially the "box" type refuse to work
correctly if you are so impolite as to knock them over, which I
often do in my overcrowded studio.
I don't see the need for the swinging arm, the quartz kind have
lights that allow you to perceive the time as motion. You can get
them cheap, around $25 for a Sabine brand (adequate), or around
$70 for a Seiko, (better, has volume control, more reliable).
BTW, I don't much like the digital kind, they are harder to change
speed on, and so harder to use with my methods. I advise students
to stay away from them (even though they are cheaper). Only get
one of those as a "backup" metronome.
Speed Picking
Hi Jamie,
In your book you say that picking is a movement that should be done
with the whole arm, but how is it possible to speed pick if you're
moving your whole arm? By speed picking, I mean rapidly picking
on one note. Can you please write something about this technique?
James
Hi James,
The point is this: don't lock up your arm and pick only from the
wrist. The movement should originate from the elbow, and wrist motion
added after that, if desired. Understand that the arm movement is
quite small in its range of motion, nothing dramatic. You are probably
thinking I mean some large arm movement. Even on a single string
tremolo, there should be the slightest up and down movement at the
elbow. This way, you are not asking the muscles that move the wrist
up and down to do all the work.
This point needs to be stressed with beginning players, which is
why I did so in my book. Anchoring the arm, and playing only from
the wrist is a common "wrong turn" players make in the
beginning, and never fix. See my answer to Theron below in relation
to anchoring the right hand in fingerpicking for related information.
How Long Should I Practice?
Hi Jamie,
I love your articles. I had a question or 2. I just started attempting
to learn guitar.
1. How long should I practice a day/week to see results?
2. I have learned the basic chords,did some scales,but I am
just not being able to play tabs. Even stuff that looks simple,
I can not accomplish.how do I move up?what do I need to do?
thanks for your help,
ERIC
Hi Eric,
Your questions are connected. First, I always tell my students,
AFTER they have learned "correct practice", that a minimum
of 20 minutes, 4 times a week will yield results that you can see
(more importantly, that I can see in each lesson). If you don't
know how to practice correctly, there is no way to say what will
happen if you do more practice. You may see results, you may not.
The results you see may be improvements, or, because you are doing
bad practice, you may just get better at playing badly!
It's like a tree that is forced to grow crooked because it is wedged
between two rocks. It will change, it will "grow". It
will just grow "crooked". Many players grow like that.
Now, from your second question, you are making me quite suspicious
that you, in fact, do not know how to practice. Of course, how could
you if you are just starting! So, what do you think I am going to
say? You are going to make me say the kind of thing that makes the
more suspicious types among us say "hey Jamie, you are always
shamelessly promoting your book", which is of course, quite
correct. But my answer is simply this: if I wasn't absolutely certain
that "The Principles" is THE knowledge needed by ALL players
in order to be successful, I WOULDN'T HAVE BOTHERED TO WRITE IT!
"The Principles of Correct Practice for Guitar" is simply
the essence of the knowledge that I transfer to people like you
when they walk in my studio and say something like what you have
said in your letter. So... the ball's in your court now, Eric.
Just after answering Eric, I received this letter, which backs
up everything I just said to him. This is written by a new book
user named Peter. I will now have Peter shamelessly promote my book:
Dear Jamie, Got the book 3 days ago.Just what I've been looking for!I I
could never understand why guitar teachers never told me exactly
what I was supposed to do.
There seem to be an infinite variety of ways to get it wrong and
I personally have worked through many of them. At last I feel I've
got a formula and I know if I stick to it I'll improve. I like to
play for hours on end but it's very frustrating that when I go back
to my teacher I just ruin everything. Because you go into minute
detail it's possible to get it right and really "feel"
it's right. Well done! I went for a lesson yesterday and my teacher said of one piece-
not bad for 1 week.I didn't tell him I'd only practiced for two
days but had studied my right hand movements using the book. What
made the biggest difference was returning the fingers into position
for the next note. Nobody ever told me to do this.The fingers feel
strangely in control!
I'm a teacher myself(not guitar) and I am fascinated by the learning
process.I believe we need to look at learning in the way that you
have done in your approach to the guitar.The reason most people
seem to get things wrong is because they really don't know what
they're supposed to be doing.They need to be guided precisely until
they know they need to move
independently.Your book makes this clear.
I wish I'd had this book from the day I picked up the guitar(4 years
ago). Thanks so much for the book.I would be prepared to recommend
it to anybody in the UK who might be wondering whether it's worth
buying- in fact I'd market it if I knew how!
Thanks,
Peter Daly
Thank you, Peter, I really appreciate those comments, and also your
detailed description of HOW my book has helped you, and in just
3 days. And yes, you are correct, there is a world of improvement
ahead, because you now have at your fingertips the detailed understanding
of the mechanics of playing AND a practice approach that will enable
you to get results in your attempts to train the fingers. And I
agree, returning the fingers, or what I call "The Complete
Stroke" works wonders, I use that Principle all the time to
solve problems.
Thanks again, and I wish you continued progress.
All
material copyright © 2003 by Jamie Andreas, GuitarPrinciples.com |
