No joke. Try it: Set the metronome to a slow, comfortable pace. Play just one note on each beat. Then speed up just a tiny bit WITHOUT CHANGING THE METRONOME…. […]
Read moreTag: The Good
Guitarists, Rather Than Going for What’s ‘Right’…
Music is so much more fluid than we often treat it. When we get caught up in whether we are playing it “right”, we run the risk of not hearing […]
Read moreShould I Practice Guitar on Vacation?
In my book, vacations are ways to get out of our daily grind so that we can relax and bring more enjoyment into our lives. So I say “play if […]
Read moreHow Do I Help My Kid Play Guitar?
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 […]
Read moreDon’t MAKE Your Kids Practice Guitar 30 Minutes a Day
But do have them play something every day. It’s the “every day” part that does the trick. Kids get discouraged when they have to do stuff that’s hard. If they […]
Read morePractice Guitar Every Day? Yes. And no.
A player asked me yesterday if he could postpone his lesson a week because he didn’t get to play much that week. Of course, that’s fine with me, but I […]
Read moreWhy Practice Guitar Slow?
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 […]
Read moreMistakes in Guitar Practice Are Good News
They show you where you can improve. If you try to avoid them you won’t know where where to focus your practice. The trick is to be open to mistakes. […]
Read moreInterview on Talk Music Talk
A few weeks ago I sat down with boice from the weekly podcast Talk Music Talk and chatted about how receptive listening can benefit musicians facing difficulties onstage or in […]
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