On The Learning Process Part 3

8 Things that have worked for me – in regards to practicing:

1. Long practice sessions (4-8 hours) divided to short 15-30 minute sessions with 5-10 minute breaks in between
2. Using a metronome (the best tool to improve your time-feel) – works best when used with your ears!
3. Practicing very slow -but playing it correctly (in time) , with a good sound and good left hand and right hand fingering technique.
4. Dividing longer passages into shorter phrases to learn it faster.
5. Transcribing music that you enjoy to learn new things (or dissect what your favorite players are doing!)
6. Performing (as in the actual playing of music) to discover what you actually need to practice.
7. Recording performances (and rehearsals) to hear what you need to work on.
8. Practicing in all 12 keys. It really works and helps a lot!!

On the learning process Part 2

The way I see it, we learn via our senses. It’s logical but I think to really take note of how we, as individuals learn may be the key to optimal learning. For me, I’m a very visual person so I tend to remember finger shapes a lot. I also learned a lot over the years by watching a lot of people play. At times, I may not have much understanding of what is happening on a technical level (especially during my formative years) but still the whole experience of watching is very essential.

Another way of looking at it:

Our senses:

1. Visual: our eyes
2. Auditory : our ears
3. Touch: our hands, fingers, body, skin
4. Smell: our nose
5. Taste: our tongue, tastebuds

Of course, the first three are the senses that we use directly in learning the guitar. The extent of how much we rely on the senses are of course individual and vary with each person. For me, I am most optimal learning visually. I learn better when I see the chart, I learn better when I see someone doing it.

Some people learn better by listening to something being played. For me, it took a longer time to develop my ears. My listening skills have improved over the years but I still find it important for me to realise what is most natural for me and use it to my advantage. In many ways, learning about music is much about about learning about oneself-especially when you look at the experience from different angles. Drop me a line if any of these ideas help you! Let me know what you think.

Till then, play on!

On the learning process

I’ve been reflecting on my playing recently and been looking at the aspects of my playing that have been improving and the other aspects that have somewhat neglected. The more I think about it, the more I seem to see that there are some ways of approaching the practice session-especially when it involves improvisational practice.

1. Isolating one element
This can be practicing one chord, one mode or scale, one arpregio fingering etc. Anything really, but this involves practicing it to the point of utter fluency and comfort so that the idea can be played as close to being flawness.

2. Connecting ideas
This can be using ideas from (1) and making them flow linearly and voiceled properly. In this regard, one may be practicing a chord progression (two to four bars), or one major chord change (C-7 to Db7-just an example!)

3. Locating ideas around the neck.
This is figuring out (1) and/or (2) in different areas of the neck.

The most important aspect of all this is to be able to PHYSICALLY EXECUTE the idea. TECHNICAL FLUENCY is the aim. In the process, one may be training the ear, the eyes as well. (Looking at the fretboard, looking at the notes etc.) My main problem for the most part is connecting melodic ideas smoothly throughout a solo. Melodic continuity- i.e. Soloing coherence is my main concern (along with the groove!).

The metronome is truly of utmost importance and I get it more and more why Mick Goodrick stresses that aspect so much.