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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
23, 2001 Volume 49
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Q & A - The Age Factor
Hi my name is Johan, I live in South Africa. I am 28 years old
and started playing seriously at the age of about 21. I play in
a band called Silex, we are a gothic band with close celtic influences,
such as "Loreena Mc Kennitt".
My personal technique is letting me down. Some of the younger band
members are passing my abilities -especially the drummer- on guitar.
I feel like I am lacking in rhythm, speed and songwriting.
My question is, did I start at a "to old" age and am I
to old to develop any more? The problems I have I had ever since
I started. Mainly to the lack of good guitar teachers in my country.
I heard that developing small muscle groups -the fingers- at a mature
age is very difficult if not impossible. Is their any hope?
Hi Johan,
First of all, Johan, get that "mature age" and "too
old" crap out of your mind! Nothing makes me madder than having
a student say that to me. It just angers me to see what people do
to themselves by accepting stupid belief systems and then ruining
their lives with them. I am 46, and believe me, I am very young.
So, what does that make you, Johan? You're a baby!
When I was about 17, and wanting to be a great classical guitarist
in the worst way, I had a much older musician friend tell me it
was too late to develop my fingers for classical guitar, that it
had to be done from an early age. And do you know what: HE WAS WRONG!
I was totally depressed for quite awhile, and in those days I could
get immobilized with depression for days on end. Fortunately, I
found the strength to continue my path, but that memory really gets
my blood boiling. People love to pass their failures and limitations
on to others (I later found out he had wanted to be a concert pianist,
then an opera singer, both dreams which he abandoned along the course
of his life).
So, first of all, eliminate that entire way of thinking. There is
no such thing as too old, and indulging in that thought will only
weaken all your efforts. The fact of the matter is this: the reason
you are not developing is because you do not know how to practice,
or develop yourself in general as a musician. You say you have heard
it is difficult. Well, yes, most people would describe it as such.
Personally, I never use the word "difficult". I use the
word "challenging". I use the phrase "this will demand
my most intense effort". Then, I give it that effort, until
I succeed.
I have changed bad habits I have discovered in my playing many times.
I have changed finger habits that I have had for 25 years or more
of playing. It may take me a year, or two, but so what! The benefits
begin almost immediately, and it keeps things exciting and challenging.
I have become able to play at a level I only dreamed about at one
time in my life. And it is only because I discovered how to practice
in an extremely powerful way, and because I am incredibly stubborn!
Lack of good teachers is a real problem, but much less so in today's
world. With the Internet, and all the amazing resources around,
(such as the Troy Stetina material I mentioned) someone like yourself
has never had it better. Get out there Johan and find what you need.
Read everything you can, and organize your practice and study time
and put in those hours. Be aggressive. The only real obstacle is
in your head. Be a guitar practicing commando guerilla! Consider
yourself at war, and realize that you are at one and the same time
the enemy, and the liberating army!
Troy Stetina Interview at Whole Note
Many years ago I came upon the teaching materials of a new author
on the scene, Troy Stetina, whose specialty is Heavy Metal Rock
Guitar. I found his materials to be excellent, in concept and presentation,
and began to use them with all my rock students. I consider him
to be one of the things that are "right" about the world
of guitar teaching. If you are a rock guitarist, especially a beginner,
I urge you to check out his work.
Christopher Sung, of Wholenote.com, an excellent community and learning
resource for guitarists, has an interview with Troy on the home
page. If you read it, it will help you understand where I am coming
from as a teacher also, because apparently Troy and I have much
in common philosophically. Here is an excerpt from the interview
which I especially liked:
CS: Being such a prolific author, but also being a private teacher,
how do you view the role of instructional books in the process of
becoming a better player? Do you view them as a necessary ingredient,
supplementary material, or is it more dependent on the student?
Troy: They're just tools to make learning easier and faster.
Sure, you can learn to play guitar without them. I did this essentially...
and I could paint my house with a toothbrush, too, if I wanted to...
but why? I mean, why wouldn't anybody want to take advantage of
the tools at their disposal? You'll certainly learn better and faster
by getting directed advice from someone who's already traveled down
the road and has a broader musical understanding. So you'll rise
to a higher level faster. In fact, I wish I could have had some
tools like these when I was learning guitar. I had to pretty much
figure things out on my own.
But I don't push my view that much. My philosophy is to encourage
players to follow their own heart and inspiration. If they happen
to want to learn some of the styles/techniques taught in my books,
great - they're available. If they want to take it all the way and
master the guitar, great. If they only need a little help, that's
fine too. Not everyone needs mastery. In fact, there are plenty
of great songs written by folks who understand very little about
music, and have adequate playing technique at best. You know, playing
technique and knowledge is just a vehicle whereby a person expresses
music the way he/she wants. So music is the ultimate master. The
only thing is, the more you know about music, the wider your scope
of creativity.
CS: Finally, do you have any general advice for those beginning
players out there who are struggling to get a grip on the instrument?
Troy: Follow your inspiration. Learn what turns you on. But you
also need to learn stuff that is at or just slightly beyond your
current level. So if some of what you love is too difficult for
you at this stage, you'll learn a lot better and faster by finding
something that progresses in a graded fashion, like a good guitar
method dedicated to the style(s) you are into. Then, after you get
to that level, get back into exactly what you love.
See what I mean. He is re-enforcing much of what I said last week
in my response to Theron. I love that toothbrush analogy too!
On the Other Hand:
Reaction to Last Week's Discussion on the Right Hand in Fingerstyle
Hi Jamie:
I cannot thank you enough for your well-thought out and detailed
message reply.
You know, I am between a rock and a hard place but I am going to
have to be slightly diplomatic as my instructor is expecting me
to practice with my hand on the bridge while finger picking.
What's tough for me though is he would perhaps take it personally
(or the wrong way) and drop me as a student if I insist that his
way is incorrect or what have you :-( SO I don't know.
This is tough for me. Even though this technique is perhaps incorrect
and such, I have made some considerable improvement. Your book has
helped me immensely with the left hand exercises and has given me
a complete awareness of tension and such. Even doing the right hand
picking with my hand on the bridge, I notice (since using your book)
that I have almost zero tension in my shoulder and arms (I've gone
way out of my way to pay attention to this) and have been able to
play much faster as a result of this... I confess that I am perhaps
using your book 3/4th correct (ie, the left hand part and the zen
and philosophy you teach is phenomenal) but I do feel kind of "weird"
about the whole right hand thing as my instructor insists I do the
bridge thing for now :-0
But your point is well-taken and I totally acknowledge that your
way is perhaps the right way to do this so perhaps I will practice
it that way in secret without my instructor's knowledge as he continues
to teach me other great things. My instructor has taught me so much
with theory and has given me many useful/practical patterns/shortcuts
and memory techniques for scales and such so I'd like to keep him
currently as an instructor (even though I acknowledge that he's
perhaps pushing the wrong-technique for right-hand fingerstyle).
Also, I have noticed that guitar gods like Mark Knopfler,
Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and others like David McNiven and John
Renbourn, Kurt Cobain, Richard Thompson and others play with very
unorthodox techniques and have critically acclaimed output and are
always in guitar magazines and such. Even the late great Nick Drake
with his alternate tunings and such played with a very unorthodox
style and one of my favorites in Neil Young plays very sloppy technique
but his music always sounds great to my ears :-) I saw recordings
of Paul McCartney performing songs like Yesterday or Mother Nature's
Son on stage and I notice him resting his hand on the bridge while
fingerstyle/strumming and such...
I am definitely not saying or agreeing that they're doing
it the right way as I am convinced that your technique is perhaps
clinically proven to be the right way. If I am put in a situation
where I need to find a different guitar instructor (and it could
happen), I will seek out one that does not mind my trying to learn
the right hand technique with the hand completely off the bridge.
Thanks Jamie and I know you can see the difficult situation that
I am in.
Regards,
Theron
Hi Theron,
Well, that all sounds good to me, and I think you got the point
I was trying to make in my reply last week. I'd like to make a few
comments regarding your situation.
Based on what you are saying about how much you are learning in
lessons, and obviously your teacher is a very good musician and
teacher, I agree you should stay and learn all you can. If this
right hand issue on the bridge is the only "problem",
that's not much of a big deal, and you shouldn't make it one. I
don't see any reason not to practice and develop the free right
hand in secret, and just play the other way in lessons. You will
play better the other way anyway if you do. And if someday you accidentally
play in a lesson with the free right hand, and you play really well,
what's your teacher going to do, yell at you?!
As far as using my book 3/4 correct, that's pretty good, actually.
The main importance of my book, which everyone should gain who uses
it, is that it shows you HOW to practice, and HOW to think about
practicing, so that you will always be getting better, no matter
WHAT technique you use. On that issue, there is no room for "bending"
the rules. The rules of how the mind trains the body are the same
for everyone and every style. The rules of technique are an entirely
different matter. You SHOULD pick and choose what is right for your
purposes when it comes to technique, you are exactly right to do
so. If it works, if it gets you what you want, AND does not hinder
future growth which you desire, than it's okay. If someday it doesn't
work, and doesn't get you what you want, you will have to change
it.
As far as the musicians you mention, who all play with technique
that Jamie would "fix" if they came in for a lesson, again,
you are exactly correct. They are great musicians, they are rich,
and they are famous, so, what's the problem! Neil Young, who I love
and admire, is a perfect example. He is such a natural musician
(I have known many people like him). He knows what he wants, he
gets it, it's good, end of story. But, as I said last week, my view
as a guitarist is different than my view as a musician. As a guitarist,
I knew long ago I wanted to be far beyond the abilities of a Neil
Young, but that's just me.
Bottom line, Theron, it sounds like you are having a great time,
and you are learning very nicely. So, no more worry, ENJOY!
Jamie
You Say You Want a Revolution??!!
Hi Jamie,
I bought your book a year ago and it has revolutionized my playing.
I made a series of minor modifications to my technique and major
modifications to my practice and habits which have catapulted me
to another level. Thanks.
Mike K.
You're welcome Mike, glad to hear it. Again, re-enforcing what I
said to Theron above, the practice approach itself is more important
than the details of technique, and certainly more universally applicable.
You took what you needed from the technical information, and were
wise enough to see the undeniable usefulness of the practice approach
itself.
BTW Mike, I will answer your question next week.
What Is The Difference Between Acoustic & Electric Guitar?
Hi Jamie,
Explain the difference between an acoustic guitar and a classic
guitar. My daughter is in guitar lessons. Eight years old just getting
started. Any advice?
An acoustic guitar technically means anything not amplified, the
sound coming out of a soundhole in the body. In this strict sense,
steel string and nylon string guitars are both "acoustic guitars".
But the way the terms are popularly used, "acoustic guitar"
means a STEEL string guitar, and a classical guitar is one that
has NYLON strings.
Now, most people prefer the sound of a steel string, and that is
what you usually hear in popular recordings, and what you usually
see musicians play. It is a brighter sound more suited to pop music.
The nylon string makes a mellower sound, and is capable of a wider
variety of variations of tone color than the steel string, which
is why it is used for classical music.
There is another difference between the two that I would consider
for an 8 year old student. The steel string is harder on the fingers.
It "hurts" more in the beginning, and it takes more strength.
The worst thing is a "cheap" steel string with "hard
action", which means it requires a lot of strength to press
the string to the fret securely so no buzz is produced. A young
student plus a guitar like that is a sure equation for frustration
and giving up guitar. The nylon is much kinder and easier on the
fingers, so you might consider that. Also, make sure she doesn't
use a full size guitar. Get a 3/4 size for that age, and switch
to full size in a few years.
Do I Have To Do The Fingerstyle Foundation Exercises?
Hi Jamie,
I want to play with just the pick for now so am I missing much by
skipping the fingerstyle exercises?
No, not at all. The only thing you are missing are the fingerstyles
exercises!
Not everyone wants to play fingerstyle, and many that do, have it
as a second priority after pickstyle. The reason I put so much detail
into the Foundation Exercises for fingerstyle is because it isn't
available anywhere else. In other words, if you want to develop technique
with a pick, it isn't that difficult. The main obstacles are the ones
I deal with in the book. They are rather simple: tension in the hand,
arm and body, incorrect holding, sympathetic tension on the up pick,
etc. After that, developing speed is just a matter of logging in the
hours of correct practice with good exercises, which are easily available
in tons of books.
Fingerstyle is a whole different matter though. There is only the
barest and most meager information out there about developing real
technique playing fingerstyle, and I wanted to make an attempt to
fill that need. So, it's there if you want it, and for most players,
the day comes when they do.
All
material copyright © 2003 by Jamie Andreas, GuitarPrinciples.com |
