•  What It Feels Like To Play
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• Taking Private Lessons with Jamie

I am one of those who seems to always practice and never plays. In fact, when I say "just play for yourself" I'm really not sure how. For two years I've been waiting for the experience of being fully in the music but since I don't know the feeling of that experience I'm sort of stuck. Maybe this is the essay I'm really after:"What it feels like to play". Anyway, I know your insightful enough to maybe see what I'm getting at. Thanks for all your time and effort and please keep the essays coming.

There is no one thing that is "what it feels like to play". The way to connect with it for yourself is to connect with the feeling of what it feels like to WANT to play, to NEED to play. That sensation, that awareness will lead you to what is for you, the feeling of what it is like to play.

Does a little five year old kid have to read a book on what it means to "go out and play and have fun"? Do you think you needed somebody to explain that to you when you were five years old? I don't think so.

You might as well ask, "what does it feel like to feel good"? Or, "what does it feel like to have fun"? It is an emotional experience. It feels good. You find yourself wanting to do it, you feel like it is filling a need for you, like it is feeding you.

You don't need to wait to be "fully in the music", whatever that means. And you should realize that you don't know what it means, and in fact you did admit that. So, how could you look for it, how would you recognize it? In fact, I suspect you may have brushed up against it and not recognized it.

I suggest you focus your attention on whatever portion of yourself you find IS in the music when you play. I will assume there must be some portion of yourself that either IS in the music, or WANTS to be and probably COULD be without too much trouble or coaxing. Otherwise, I don't know what would be making you feel like you wanted to play the guitar in the first place.

Once you find that portion of yourself that IS in the music, and focus your attention there when you play, you will find that portion grows larger. That's how it works. You may be preventing yourself from starting that process because you're looking for the whole wonderful cosmic experience your first time out!

It may be helpful if I think back on my own process of developing a deeper experience of "playing" the guitar". And I hope you are beginning to see the point I am making that it is not just one thing and that's it. What it might be when it presents itself to you may be totally unique to you, who you are and where you are as a person. But one thing I do believe is this: it IS POSSIBLE for it to present itself to you in the way you need it presented to get the whole thing started, and moving along in the way you need to pursue your own path of discovering a continually deepening awareness of what it is to play music.

Anyway, here is how it was and is for me:

When I started to play at age 14, it was an entirely unconscious experience. I was only aware of an overwhelming desire and need to learn to play the guitar. Fortunately, there was a guitar around and a method book for teaching yourself to learn to read notes, and it was an easy book. I only gradually noticed, as did my parents, that I was spending many hours a day doing this. I only remember an intense feeling of satisfaction as I learned my first chords, my first songs, and started to pick out melodies of songs I liked. I'm sure my technique was somewhere between horrible and non-existent, but I was having fun! I particularly remember the first time I picked out a melody, to the song "Long Black Veil". I was quite impressed with myself, and I felt like I was playing the guitar.

Then, lessons, and look out. Now I'm practicing twice the amount. As I go through high school, it is apparent to everyone that I simply refuse to pay attention to almost anything except the guitar.

I remember another memorable musical moment, the first time I actually used a scale I had learned to improvise on a song. Hearing the harmony of the notes I played against the chords was thrilling.

When I switched to classical at age 16-17, I do remember a period of feeling like I wasn't really having the right feeling, or even any really musical feeling in my playing. I remember that beginning to change, especially as I started listening to a lot of classical music, especially Beethoven and Bach. I was starting to get the same wonderful excitement and feeling of beauty as I played that I got when I listened to music.

(That might be a good tip for you, to try to focus on the feelings you get listening to your favorite music, and locate those feelings while playing.)

Now, it is true, that when it comes to a complex motor skill like playing the guitar, the mere acquisition of the ability can often be difficult for various individuals. Added to that is the extremely hap-hazard quality of careful, comprehensive, and graded instruction. The result is that someone who pursues playing ability on the guitar can actually experience, after years of dedicated commitment, that he or she is making very little progress, and, in fact, doesn't FEEL GOOD when they "try" to play!

If the very act of playing the guitar is a physically uncomfortable one, and continues to remain so with little reason to hope for improvement, then there really is a lot less chance that someone is going to have the perseverance to keep going. And I say this because I really do believe that the study of music requires a very intense and lengthy period of time in which various skills and understandings are given the time to gradually unfold. For myself, it has always been a process of studying hard to understand certain things, and to be able to do certain things on the guitar, and having to literally keep at it for years and years before I felt I was really getting the full understanding of something, or the ability to even play something well.

Without such an intense focus of time and attention, without a great amount of work and perseverance, I simply would not have achieved what I have achieved. I often get letters from people stating their "great desire" to achieve mastery on the guitar, but they show very little willingness to put forth the actual effort required to do so.

So, realize two things. "Mastery" of the guitar is only available to those willing to make the kind of commitment and sacrifice that most people are not willing to make (someday, I will write a book about the "abnormal" life my addiction to the guitar has provided for me!)

And second, "Fulfillment" from playing the guitar is available to ANYONE, just as fulfillment and pleasure in life is available to anyone. But, you must have that very special human quality: the ability to derive pleasure and happiness from your life in THIS VERY MOMENT, without demanding some future state of perfection that will make you worthy of it.

So, you want to know "how to get that feeling of what it feels like to play"?

Do this: pick up your guitar, play a chord, and thank God for the beautiful sound you are able to make, and able to hear and enjoy! Everything else will follow.

Jamie, I wanted to ask you- what is your return policy on your book?

With all due respect, I received the book and started reading through it when I realized that it's primarily geared towards acoustic guitar and a lot of the information in there is nothing really profound. It's actually quite rudimentary stuff that I didn't really consider to be anything of value to me. Maybe that is because I knew these things?

I was quite surprised at this, so I went through my old emails, and pulled up a letter written by the same person, which he sent to me at the time he bought "The Principles". People often give me their background on the guitar, and when I read what this person had said to me at the time of buying the book, it was hard to believe it was the same person who was telling me how rudimentary my book was, how un-profound, and that he must already know it all! Here is what he told me in his first letter:

"As a bit of a personal history, I am not only playing guitar for fun...but rather I am looking to hopefully make a career out of this.

I have aspirations to take this somewhere someday, something big.

However, my problem has been the discipline to practice an actual regimen every day and it has hindered my progress to a great degree. I tend to just dwindle around on the guitar all day long with no real discipline and it's killing me. another thing was that i have a serious problem with using EXTREME pressure when i play. my hands cramp up EVERY time i play and I understand that the biggest advantage to me being able to play fast is getting to the point where I can play feather lite. And I believe I have come to understand that this is the secret to truly being able to master the instrument which no teacher has EVER TOLD ME SURPRISINGLY ENOUGH. and it is the BIGGEST factor in your progress going forward.

I am hoping your book will help me unlock my potential which I know I have."

"Sure, just send the book back, if it's in good condition, I'll send you a refund. I just re-read your first letter. It's pretty amazing, the description you give of yourself and your playing problems. There are only two possibilities. Either you solved all these problems without my book, or nothing has changed, and you missed the fact that all the answers to your problems are contained in my book, if you actually DO the book, and not just read it.

I hope it's the first reason, good luck."

The reply that followed pretty much explained what was going on, and I have to say it was what I suspected, because, after 30 years of teaching, there isn't too much I haven't seen!

"I only read the first few sections and skimmed through a few others. Perhaps I made a too quick judgment call but I will get back to you- thank you for your response. I will tell you this...I will read your book cover to cover and if I still feel the same, I will return it."

I often have to explain to people that my book is not magic. You don't become a better guitar player just because The Principles arrives in your mailbox! If you want to be a good, or excellent guitar player, you are going to have to make an EFFORT! This point will be made abundantly clear as you read below about the way some very intelligent and hard working people are using The Principles to create major Vertical Growth. Attitude, maturity, intelligence, and study skills are what it is all about.

Anyone who complains that no one ever told them all the important things about learning guitar, and then ignores those things when someone does tell them, needs a major overhaul in the Attitude, Maturity, and Intelligence department. And this person needs to understand that even if he does read my book cover to cover, that still doesn't matter. You don't improve as a guitar player by simply reading. You must read, understand, and DO!!

Realize this: the greatest obstacle to growth, in any area of life, that anyone can have is to think you know something when you don't. That is why this person could not see the answers they (think) they are looking for. They believe they ALREADY KNOW.

I am not telling you all of this because I am a mean nasty person. I am telling you about this person because it is part of the way I teach. We learn as much from studying the wrong way of doing things as we do from studying the right way of doing things. When it comes to becoming an excellent guitarist, this is an example of the wrong way, and that is why this person has all the playing problems they do have, and will continue to have, unless he actually does begin to understand those unprofound, rudimentary things I talk about in the first two chapters, such as ATTENTION, AND INTENTION. Right now, this person has neither, at least as far as guitar goes. Hopefully, he will develop some, but after this, even though I have not used his name, I am expecting to get a book return!

Another Power User of The Principles, John Parsons in the U.K. has accepted my offer to be a guinea pig for my new "Practice Secrets for Spanish Romance". He has been submitting weekly progress reports, and mp3's, of his progress and practice approach. Again, there is no better way to achieve success yourself than to study how someone else is doing it, and begin to do likewise. So, I have put up John's reports, mp3's, and pictures, and made some comments on them. The goal here is to find out what problems people may be encountering as they study "Spanish Romance", and provide some further support for the "Practice Secrets".

As you will see and hear, John is progressing quite nicely, dealing with the technical difficulties of this piece in an effective and organized manner. Congratulations John, and keep that metronome ticking!

John's mp3's, with my analysis

For information about "Practice Secrets For Spanish Romance", click here.

Next time, I will put up John's first encounter with the much more difficult 2nd half of Romance.

Jamie,

I wanted to thank you so much for the ingenuity that brings us 'gropers' your fine new tool 'Spanish Romance'. Some people need to by 'dragged' to what is good for them and I've known that 'the 'Principles' are the medicine I need since I first looked at them months ago but still I couldn't find a 'handle' from my high level of 21st century impatience until now.

Because 'Spanish Romance' is a score and 'taken our hand' and pulled us right in so directly with simple references directly to applicable sections of 'the Principles' , I'm finally off and running.... Thank you, your persistence is beginning to work.

Francis in California

You're welcome, Francis! I hope you and other people using "Practice Secrets for Spanish Romance" are making full use of the considerable guidance contained therein. I hope you will also find the "After Care Aids" helpful, such as the contributions made by John above. I would like to hear from you and others about how your practice AND your results are coming along. Let's add a little more Romance to this world!

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