Repetition is one of the most effective tools in learning music. Yes, it can be boring, but it helps you memorize the technical stuff so your mind can be free to emphasize the cool parts of the music when you perform.
If you hate it, try this:
Every day set a timer for 3-8 minutes. Practice one repetitive thing until the timer goes off. Stop.
Play something fun.
You know when you’ve been playing for about 45 minutes and you start to notice every little detail, everything you get right and get wrong, but you don’t really react to it? You just keep playing and notice everything?
That is a very aware, flexible, and non-judgmental state of mind. Be aware that you can also space out and go on auto-pilot this way. It’s a delicate balance. But if you go for what sounds good and explore it, you can improve your playing and be completely immersed in it at the same time.
Best school? Best guitar? Practice every day? All helpful. But not if your kid doesn’t want to play. Kids who do well are in families that place a value on playing music:
The instrument is easy to get to and in good condition
No one is nagging them to practice
No one is saying “Stop playing the same thing over and over!”
Family members (parents, mainly) listen in a general way, from another room, while kids play; comments and questions afterwards.
Someone is interested in what the child is playing, and verbally noting their progress.
We play with our finger TIPS.
I know that seems obvious, but we often don’t do it. If we spend some time getting used to this weird use of our hand, playing guitar becomes easier. The reason is this:
The bone does 70% of the work.
When the finger gradually curves to come straight down onto the string, much less energy is needed. The bones of your finger form an arch, which taps down onto the string like a C-clamp with half the effort than if we use the padded bottom of our finger.
Bored with playing the same predictable rhythms when you’re improvising? Break it up using the rhythms in names.
Say these names aloud and feel the rhythmic pulses in them, especially where the stressed syllables are:
Jimi Hendrix
Nirvana
Elliot Easton
John Lee Hooker
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Grateful Dead
Queens Of The Stone Age
Florence And The Machine
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The stressed syllable is the downbeat. Now try this:
Well, you may have heard several reasons, but this is my favorite:
To witness what you actually do instead of what you think you should be doing.
We are usually so caught up in trying to match some ideal in our head that we can’t hear what we actually sound like.
Play slowly so you can notice what you notice. Then you can fix things.
Yeah, it’s a killer. Try this:
Don’t strum all the way to the moment that the tough chord should be played and then changing chords (that’s like pressing pause while you’re playing, and even the tone-deaf know that ain’t right).
When you’re headed straight for a tough chord, say Q#minor14 (see pic), only play on the first beat of the easy chord before it (G). Use the next 3 beats to change to Q#minor14. You’ll only hear G on the first beat beat, but if you keep the count going in your head while you change, you’ll play Q#minor14 right on time, keeping the song together.
This is a lot better than the “Wait just a, I’ve almost..I’ve…” approach.
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