Posted by Andrew Wasson
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Courtesy of Jesse Sterling Harrison...
For some people, music feels like the #1 reason to be alive. For others, the feelings are less certain, or just different. How can we truly know if music is our life's calling...?
The nature/nurture argument goes on forever. How much of who we are is what we’re born with? How much of us comes from our families and our environment? So many musicians come from musical families, making us wonder if our talent comes from our genes or from being around music throughout childhood.
However we got here, now we need to play. And for many of us, we feel like music is why we’re on planet Earth. Here are five signs that music is your true calling.
1. You get emotional during the good parts of a song When you’re all alone in the car, listening to a favorite track, the music is so good it makes you incredibly emotional, you may even weep. When you’re stopped at a light, you’re air-drumming the big fill. You sing so loudly in the shower, your neighbors can hear you. If a guitar solo ever made you tear up, or you’ve made eye contact with other motorists while unapologetically belting out a big chorus, a life of musicianship might be for you.
2. Playing music makes you feel like a kid again
When you were in elementary school, you were so excited to run outside to play that you’d get out there with your jacket half on and your shoes untied. You were in too much of a hurry to stop and get dressed properly.
Now, you might have four kids of your own or a demanding job, but playing music makes you feel like a little kid again. No matter what you’re doing all day, the thought of tonight’s rehearsal or Friday’s show keeps you looking forward and pulls you through your other responsibilities.
That level of joy and enthusiasm will pull others to you, both band-mates and fans, and makes you a good candidate to do this for a living.
3. Music takes you someplace
When you hear certain songs, you’re immediately transported in time. Perhaps to a pickup truck by a lake in 1982. Or to a gritty Detroit club where you first saw this band. Or to the city park where you were walking when your boyfriend dumped you. Music contains powerful associations; it’s not just a nice beat and a catchy melody.
For you, songs are like time capsules that capture a moment in time, or a place in the world. Of course, tons of music fans who’ve never picked up an instrument feel it, too. But those who don’t feel anything beyond a need to shake their booties will probably not find themselves onstage.
4. You break down the details of other peoples’ music Friends and family might find it obnoxious. Some might call you a snob. But you have an overwhelming need to deconstruct the music you hear, figure out why some things work, and articulate what it is about the music you can’t stand.
You’re the one who notices the details – the one who says, “I think they’re playing it too fast,” or, “This song has one chorus too many.” Whether it bothers your friends or even bothers you, this is a good thing. Songwriters also have to be song editors, and your ability to look at the details of your own work, discard what’s not working, and keep what’s good will make your music grow.
This talent will also inspire you to do better. When you hear something truly great, your competitive side kicks in and you want to grab your instrument and make something. The author John D. McDonald once said that writers read everything with “a grinding envy or a weary contempt.” It’s the envy that really gets you going… and keeps you getting better.
5. You're very open-minded about different genres of music Find a good musician, and you’ll find a diverse listener. “I like all kinds of music” is one of the most typical things good musicians say. Look through a record collection and you’ll find latin, reggae, classical, jazz, rockabilly, pop… ”If it’s good, it’s good.”
This recognition comes from an appreciation of good technique and skillful production. It also comes from the ability of the artist to recognize other artists. Able to sniff out derivative work instantly, we also see originality for what it is and respect it, regardless of style. And of course, investing ourselves in new artists and new styles will only help us as we pursue our true calling.
Jesse Sterling Harrison is an author, recording artist, and part-time farmer. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, three daughters, and a herd of ducks.
The latest QwikLicks video is, "Smooth Jazz Licks" Available in the FREE members area. Includes a PDF handout!
QwikLicks are a FREE lesson series for all membership levels at Creative Guitar Studio.com. Lessons in the QwikLicks Series will run through a short collection of guitar licks in all kinds of different playing styles...
Episode 012 breaks down three Aeolian Smooth Jazz licks in "A." Each lick covers melodic lead lines developed for playing in the style of "Smooth Jazz." Using the popular "Dorian Mode," we'll learn three groups of 'lick phrases' in the "A" (Minor) Dorian key. Jazz-Funk, Pop-Jazz lines and filler-licks are included.
Sign into the website with your free members account to watch the lesson, and be sure to download the PDF lesson handout.
If you're not currently a FREE member of the website, sign up today!
Posted by Andrew Wasson
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Courtesy of Phillip McKnight...
Whether your main instrument is electric guitar, or acoustic, chances are from time to time (perhaps for recording, gigging or practice)
it would be amazing to quickly convert it to a guitar perfect for playing slide on - here's how you can do just that...
In this video, Phillip McKnight shows an easy way to quickly and temporarily convert any six-string electric, or acoustic guitar, into a perfectly set-up slide guitar.
Phillip also offers some useful tips for maintaining acoustic guitars in this great video. He shows how to tighten a loose input jack, how to properly restring, and how to keep the instrument working in top shape.
Learning to play guitar as an adult can seem like an expensive proposition. There's the cost of the instrument, books and the hiring a guitar teacher – it can add up quickly...
However, there are many strategies you can use to cut down on those expenses. You can take advantage of an inexpensive instrument, use free instructional materials and even find opportunities for free or low-cost instruction. Here's how to achieve all of those things.
Tip #1). Pick an inexpensive and widely used instrument. It will be far less expensive to find a mid-grade guitar, for example find a brand-name budget electric such as; an Epiphone, LTD or Squire Strat, than to find a more famous brand-name like a USA Gibson LesPaul, Custom Shop ESP, or USA Fender Stratocaster. save the big-dollar purchase for a few years down the road when you've earned it through study and practice. If you stick to instruments that aren't overly complex and frequently show up in popular used shops and on second-hand websites, you'll have an easier time finding an inexpensive instrument to get started with.
Tip #2). Watch Craigslist, buy and sell, or Kijiji for bargains on a used instrument. Once you've decided on your instrument, start hunting Craigslist and other local bargain websites for that instrument. As suggested earlier, you'll have a much easier time with this if you pick an inexpensive and widely used guitar to learn on. You'll have an easy time finding a basic starter guitar, as those instruments are often listed on Craigslist and other bargain websites by people upgrading to more expensive models.
Another great place to look for instruments is a local shop selling secondhand items. Those stores may have a few musical instruments on hand at a reasonable price that are perfect for learning.
Tip #3). Look for video lessons on YouTube. Many great musical instructors such as Andrew Wasson of Creative Guitar Studio have put introductory lessons – and some, pretty advanced lessons, too. YouTube is an excellent place to learn guitar from seasoned professionals. In fact, I'd say that YouTube can be a veritable treasure trove of music teachers and music lessons for all levels. This is a great opportunity to watch a lot of videos and figure out which ones really click with you. Different people tend to learn things better from different styles. For example, some learn well from rote memorization, while others learn better from experimentation. Try YouTube teachers like Wasson and down the road sign up for online courses. These online instructional video courses for guitar are a fraction of what it would cost to take lessons in person. And, courses like the Creative Guitar Studio program are excellent for beginners to advanced students.
Tip #4). Check the community calendar and the calendar at any local music shops. Many communities and local music stores will run "learn to play days," where they will provide free introductory lessons on various musical instruments. They may even offer some information packets and other resources to continue following up on your own. These can be invaluable places to get started.
Music stores sometimes also run free or inexpensive group classes, where groups of people show up for lessons on an instrument all at once. These are often available at a fraction of the cost of a one-on-one lesson and provide a good temporary start for any self-learners.
Tip #5). Trade your own skills in exchange for lessons. Many music teachers will happily swap lessons in exchange for a service that they would otherwise pay for. For example, if you have skill in home repair or carpentry, you may be able to trade your skills to that person in exchange for a set of music lessons. Perhaps the local music teacher needs a website or a social media presence that you could manage for them in exchange for lessons.
Talk to a few local teachers about this, particularly if you have unique professional skills to market. Find out if there's a mutually beneficial arrangement that you could both find value in.Whether it's home repair or wholesale prices on products, teachers may want to trade with you for their services.
Tip #6). Hit every used bookstore and summer garage-sale in your area for guitar lesson books and old guitar player magazines. Used bookstores often have a big pile of music instruction books and out of print magazines on most common instruments, usually for sale for just a dollar or two. There are many great books out there that are useful for learning an instrument. You don't need a brand new book to learn how to use an instrument like the guitar that's been available for hundreds of years.
Since these books are so inexpensive at second-hand shops and garage-sales, you can pick up several introductory titles and see which ones work best for you. One good option is the Alfred's series of books.
Whatever route you choose, keep one thing in your heart: This is supposed to be fun. It doesn't matter how well you're doing at learning guitar, as long as you're enjoying yourself.Overtime your skills will continue to improve.
Learn Guitar Faster with These 5 Practice Hacks...
Cognitive science has taken a look at how people learn, how people study, and how people can use very specific techniques to learn faster.
The results and the techniques are surprising! Even better, they're incredibly helpful to people like us (guitar players) who can use them in a way that's applied to learning our musical instrument - the guitar.
In this episode of the Guitar Blog Insider we'll explore 5 learning and practice hacks that will help you Learn Guitar Faster.
PART ONE: In part one we start off by making a study of the Major Tonality. The I-IV-V chord progression concept is introduced with a demonstration of the chord movements provided in example one.
The Major I-IV-V chord changes are performed as a popular sounding chord harmony in the key of, "A" Major. In example two, the concept of "Diatonic Substitution" in the Major Keys is introduced. Chord types that may act as various "substitutes" are explained, and then demonstrated in the chord progression given.
Watch Part 2 of this lesson and download the handout and jamtrack in the members area at: CreativeGuitarStudio.com
Posted by Andrew Wasson
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Courtesy of Chris Weller...
Cognitive science has taken a look at how people learn and how people can learn faster. The results are surprising and super helpful when applied to learning the guitar...
Kids and adults can and should practice the skill of learning a musical instrument (i.e., guitar), if they want a fighting chance at fulfilling all those lofty goals ahead of them in life. Learning music trains many areas of the brain, and it's benefits are overwhelming.
But, more study time isn't the answer. It's been proven that even though some people keep studying — and thinking — if they're doing it the same way all their lives without improving their methods, they won't learn any better.
Thankfully, cognitive science has taken a look at how people actually learn. The results of their efforts are surprising and can be super helpful for musicians.
1). Skills are easier to pick up as individual parts.
If you want to learn the guitar, don't think about performing all the parts at once.
Set the smaller, more measurable goal of learning a few easy chords, a piece of a scale or how to strum one basic pattern correctly. Once the smaller pieces are there, you can learn how to put those chords and scales together over time.
After many weeks, the accumulation of those tinier skills will add up to the whole ability to play guitar.
It's a technique that applies to mechanical learning as well as fact-based lessons.
2). Multitasking doesn't work, especially for storing new information.
Most people understand that multitasking is a myth — your brain really can't pay equal attention to two tasks simultaneously. But few people apply that insight to learning guitar.
In addition to breaking a task down into individual steps, be sure to devote your full energy to each step on its own. When you get distracted, it takes roughly 25 minutes to return your focus to the original task.
Over time, multitasking could mean you only gain a partial understanding of various different skills or concepts, without acquiring a full knowledge or mastery of any. Instead of multi-tasking, keep a guitar practice log-book. Set small segments of time aside and keep it devoted to individual topics and use a timer to keep you focused.
3). Writing down what you've learned helps cement it in your mind.
If you want to translate information to knowledge, research suggests you should be writing down what you learn — by hand.
A 2014 study found that students who took notes on pen and paper learned more than students who typed notes on their laptops. Over a battery of tests, the pen-and-paper group were more adept at remembering facts, sorting out complex ideas, and synthesizing information.
Researchers say the physical act of touching pen to paper creates a stronger cognitive link to the material than merely typing, which happens far too quickly for retention to take place. Writing forces you to confront ideas head-on, which leads them to stick with you over time. So, instead of always firing up "Finale" grab a pencil and write out your chord changes and TAB those parts on paper. You'll recall that music better if you take the time to place pencil to paper. 4). Mistakes should be celebrated and studied. Being perfect is overrated. The entire point of learning is to make attempts, fail, and find a lesson about where you went wrong.
In 2014, a study of motor learning found the brain has more or less reserved a space for the mistakes we make. Later, we can recruit those memories to do better next time.
If parents teach kids never to make mistakes, or shun them when mistakes happen, kids end up missing a wealth of knowledge.If we as guitar players beat ourselves up for every wrong note of failed strum, we're doing enormous harm to our psychological perspective of how we're processing our own progress on the instrument.
5). Being optimistic helps you succeed.
Stressing kids out with negative reinforcement can get them stuck in a mental rut, filling them with self-doubt and anxiety, both of which are toxic for learning.
"Anxiety precludes you from exploring real solutions and real thought patterns that will come up with solutions," says Harvard Business School professor Alison Wood Brooks.
Decades of positive psychology research suggest that we will become more successful in just about anything we try to do if we approach it with an open mind and see tangible room for improvement.When you first begin improvising on guitar it seems impossible. But, through an open mind to trust in your skills, improvisation starts to become easier. Parents should teach kids to see learning any musical instrument as exploration. It will help give them a sense of determination, which they can manufacture into grit when the going gets tough.And, music does get tough, performing is tough. But, if you're prepared and encouraged mentally, you're skill and ability will be defined by your thoughts of success instead of thoughts of failure. 6). Exciting topics are "stickier" than boring ones.
Kids naturally drift toward the weird and wacky, but once the experience of rote education gets them thinking in cold hard facts, that sense of fun can die off.This is why it is always so important to keep learning new songs on the guitar. Songs can present really different ideas. This can include rhythms, scales, the use of a capo, new tunings - a lot can occur in a song!
As early as possible, kids should gain an appreciation for why they remember odd or different things... Grandma's weird-smelling house and those highlighter-yellow shorts Dad wears on nighttime runs. It's because they're unique, we recall them and their difference gets burned in our minds.What we learn in songs will do the exact same thing. Author and former US memory champion Joshua Foer memorized a full deck of playing cards in under two minutes by tying each card to a weird image. Kids can do the same for their times tables for learning guitar chords, scales or anything else.
7). Speed reading can condense learning times.
The premise is simple: If you can read faster, you can learn faster.
Though you might think speed reading takes a lot of effort, programs like Spreeder pick up the pace gradually to make it feel manageable.
By training your brain to process words more quickly, you get accustomed to reading entire strings of words, rather than imagining each one individually, which slows you down. Try looking over a chart for a popular song you have the audio track for. Then, quickly glance over the chords and then turn away from it. Do your best to recall what you saw. Try and play what you remember. Force your mind to remember what you think you saw. You'll be surprised and what your brain can record if you practice mental recall.
8). Practice, practice, practice.
A strong work ethic makes a real impact on the brain.And, learning an instrument is no different. If you want to get good, you have to practice. In 2004, a study published in "Nature" found the act of juggling produced more gray matter. When people stopped juggling, the gray matter disappeared. Practicing a guitar is all based on motor-skills. We gain amazing "thinking" power when our minds are practicing motor-skills like guitar chords, strumming and scales. In the 2004 study of juggling, there wasn't anything special in the juggling itself, just the repetition and the motor-skill practice.
Neuroscientists call this process "pruning." It refers to the new pathways that are carved by doing an act over and over again, to the point where it sticks around for good.
In other words, skills follow the "use-it-or-lose-it" principle.Keep a guitar schedule and work hard at maintaining a regular routine of practice.
9). Use what you know - to learn what you don't.
If kids encounter a topic they have trouble wrapping their heads around, parents should help them to understand how it relates to something they've already learned.If you learn a new scale or a new chord, but have difficulty memorizing it, relate it to some other guitar pattern that you do know. The practice is called "associative learning."
A guitar student might like scales but have trouble with arpeggios. If they can see the relationship of how arpeggios come from scales, and how close arpeggios are to the pentatonics, the student will quickly begin realizing the association between all of them and their ability will increase quickly.
10). Tackling tough / complex problems
Kids and adults alike should learn how to grapple with tough problems — doing this in life helps us become better critical thinkers. The act also teaches us better mental discipline.This can be particularly true for musicians when learning music theory topics. But, how much time should we be spending on tough topics and problems? Evidence suggests spending too long on a problem can make it worse.Not enough time on it, probably won't be enough to find solutions. In 2008, researchers found that unresolved learning can gradually slip people into an "error state," in which their memory of the concept or fact gets replaced by the memory of the stress of the learning experience. The solution: Set learning periods for tough topics. Speak to others who are experts and if all else fails - Google it. In other words, expose yourself to more than one line of thought. Tough topics require a larger thinking pool. You need more input to form the pathways in your mind regarding complex /foreign topics. Over time the topics slowly becomes more familiar. So do the words and sayings that coincide with the topic. Over time, the topic starts making more sense. But, we need that learning period. We need to experience the entire learning curve before we reach the stage of fully understanding the full scope of the topic.
11). Teaching other people helps you, too.
Scientists have dubbed it "the protégé effect."
When you take something that you've learned and put it into your own words, you're not only demonstrating mastery of an idea — you're refining your own understanding of it.
In distilling information into small pieces that someone can easily digest, the teacher must gain a certain intimacy with the subject matter.The teachers skills must be quick and fast at relating the details in a simple manner to the student. That's why older siblings are generally smarter than younger siblings, one 2007 study suggested — because one of the jobs of the older sibling is passing knowledge along after having received it.They in turn get even better at the topics as they explain them to their younger siblings. So, once you gain a few foundational skills on the guitar, start teaching the instrument to others. Teach a strum pattern, or a chord shape. Teach a melody or a small chunk of a scale. Or, try explaining a music theory topic you've learned. The act of teaching will do wonders for your own music training and guitar practice!
