Where do I start?!

[JarrettBailey]

Hey guys-

I'm new here. My copy of GP should be here Monday or Tuesday.

I am a little nervous about how it's gonna go though. Nervous and excited about moving forward as a player. I've Ben playing for nearly 15 years, and, while that is a long while, I feel like I have not grown NEARLY as I should. And since I taught myself for the most part, I have always felt that it is hard to tell what areas to work on. If it were like a book, I'd say my playing had parts of chapters 1,2,8,10, and 15. In other words, there was no order or reason to why I learned things- no sequence. So I don't know what things to focus on. I have a hard time with strumming to some degree, I hold LOTS of tension while playing, and sometimes it feels that there are some really elementary things that I have missed. But other areas o my playing have advanced fairly well (to a point). Anyone have suggestions about a starting point? Anybody else have this problem? If so, how did you approach it?

J

[GAA43]

If I have anything useful to say, and that's a big if, it would be to moderate the sense of urgency about your forthcoming journey. I got hold of the Principles after only a year of playing, so my situation is quite different that yours. And I'm 15 years older than you, so things happen more slowly anyway. But with those disclaimers out of the way, I could almost say that you should be steeling yourself for a slow-paced challenge. Not that you won't likely come across some concepts that could result in big improvements for your playing right away. But to really 'get' what Jamie is teaching (not that I have fully, but I'm on the right track I think) takes some real dedication, focus, and micro-level attention to detail. It will likely take some time to learn her techniques for observation and learning, as well as taking some time and effort for the physical development.
Good luck.

Greg

[guitar66]

Hi :

I have been practicing guitar for a little over 2 years (self taught), picked up Jamie's book 6 months after I began. I started with the online essays, which then led me to the Principles book. If you have not already, I recommend reading through the essays, there is a good mix of philosophy and technique, which I find to be inspiring.

15 years with the guitar, I imagine you have cultivated a deep relationship with the instrument, and your skills must be highly developed. Reading that you still experience tension to some degree, makes me realize that it is a long pathway to feeling comfortable with a guitar in hand. Jamie's book focuses on the core principles of being a guitarist/musician, which will answer your question "where to start?" The principles are well organized and clearly explained, which put the mind at ease, and perhaps one day in the future, the fingers and muscles. If you have missed anything elementary in your journey thus far, the Principles will fill in those gaps.

I will say that I am taking an unorthodox approach to my use of the book. A metronome is recommended as a critical tool, but I have thus far not felt the need or desire to work with it. One reason for its use is to know how fast or slow one is practicing, and it serves as a guide to really slowing things down. I also do not follow the Basic Practice Approach, at least, not in the way it is taught. I fully agree with the idea - in order to move fast, one must first move slow - but I use my sensibilities and intuition to determine how slow to go (which is why I do not use a metronome), and when to speed things up. If the BPA is a well balanced mix between science and art, then I have skewed it heavily in favor of the art/intuitive side, simply because that is what I am comfortable with, and, because I am constantly seeing improvement and my relationship with the guitar is growing deeper every day. If I perceive myself to be stuck, not improving over a block of time (3-5 months), then I would need to realign my thinking and perhaps follow the book more rigidly.

A few details on how the book has helped me :
-- If I am feeling tense, I slow the movements, observe, breathe, get into the present moment.
-- I practice the walking exercises every practice session, this has been one of the important things which has led to my improved play.
-- Being aware of my body and mind during a practice session - how I am sitting, where the tension is, where my thoughts are, all in relation to the guitar which I am holding and playing.

Lastly, and probably the most important thing, being aware that reading through the book and learning it won't make me a better guitar player if I don't have the dedication and discipline to play consistently with focus and intent. The process is long, and requires patience. I learned how to play the G/C/D chords in a week, but with each passing session the knowledge of them grows deeper, my fingers fine tuning the movements, working the strings with ever increasing precision, strength, and grace. And it has been only two years. Someone like Jamie or Ney, who practice many hours a day, for many years, have acquired a knowledge of the guitar which is deep and intimate, which allows real music to flow, a beautiful soundscape arising from dedication, love, and craftsmanship.

In your case, having played 15 years, you too already possess the depth which will allow you to do many good things with the guitar. The Principles will surely guide you in the right direction, and I wish you a good and prosperous journey!

[Jamie]

Excellent thread! Great points Greg and James, and thanks for helping Jarrett out. This is a common question, I am going to start an FAQ forum, and put this in there.

[JarrettBailey]

Thanks for the responses. After 15 years, you'd think that I'd have a deep understanding and highly developed sense of things, but, 15 years of doing things wrong can surely impede that, unfortunately. I do some things well, and some I don't. Simple things, like strumming, have ALWAYS been a problem. Soloing is another - mainly in faster passages. When tension builds in music, I naturally tense with it. I have become VERY aware of the tension that I hold in general when I play. But when you realize that you are trying to play fast, but can barely move, you realize that this DEFINITELY isn't right. In some cases this comes from bad practice, in mine, from little to NO practice (and bad practice when it exists).

But growing tired of doing things half heartedly, or at a lower level that I want to perform at, really pushes me to correct some things.

I got my GP book 2 days ago, and am excited about Jamie's philosophy and ideas so far. It makes sense, and to me, that's a great place to start. I've only read the first chapter about desire so far, and part of chapter 2. I'm beginning the understandings, and looking forward to putting understandings to my fingers. I am sure I will have questions soon (I always do ) about how to implement the Principles at this stage, and I look forward to your help and encouragement. And sometime in the (hopefully) not too distant future, I look forward to being able to share my knowledge with you and others who are taking the GP path to practicing, playing, and enjoying the guitar CORRECTLY!