Tag Archives: Palmetto Music Institute

Guitar Pick Hand Technique

Make This Happen!

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By Chad Crawford, PMI Guitar Instructor

Automaticness does not come automatically. Allow me to explain.

Have you ever had the experience of freezing in front of an audience, whether it be one or two friends or an auditorium? Maybe it was a piece that you had practiced diligently for hours and thought you had it sorted out, but when the critical moment came your hands just wouldn’t deliver. If you have been playing guitar for any length of time then you have certainly suffered such an embarrassing, frustrating moment. Why does this happen?

Your gut response might be something along the lines of “stage fright”. Is that really the final answer? Let’s consider this scenario … you are thrust on stage in front of ten thousand spectators and asked to simply walk to the other side of the stage. Could you do it? Of course! So what happened to stage fright? Well, if you are not accustomed to withstanding the observation of thousands of people then you may indeed experience a high level of discomfort and even some symptoms of mild illness, such as upset stomach and sweating. However, odds are high that you could get to the other side of the stage without anyone even suspecting that you were the least bit out of sorts.

So you see … when you know how to do a thing so well that you can do it automatically, you will be able to do it well even under duress. Automaticness.

This applies to making music in the same way it applies to walking, and the stages of development are similar. You start by crawling, then by holding onto the couch while you experiment with standing. Next you try a few steps, next thing you know your Mom is yelling at you for running through the house, followed by your Coach yelling at you for not running fast enough or long enough. By that stage the mere act of walking is long since a given.

So how do we develop automaticness in guitar technique? The same way we do with walking. We start with simple chords and pieces of scales and arpeggios and then we progressively work our way up to more complex tasks, with an occasional bloody knee so to speak. For the guitar player this means beginning with simple songs played very slowly and deliberately, and then chords, scales, and arpeggios, all with slow and deliberate repetition of efficient fingerings along with a metronome until they become automatic. That takes more than two weeks or two months. Speed will grow naturally out of good technique perfected at much slower speeds. There is a time and method to develop speed, but it is pointless to do so until achieving a foundational level of automaticness in each of these core skills.

When it comes to music many simply want to go straight to running track without first having held on to the couch to experiment with standing. The results are just as predictable … perpetual bloody knees. I cannot count the times that I have asked a student to SLOW DOWN with a scale exercise and focus on note articulation only to have them continue hacking away at speeds beyond their capability, and thereby  ensuring a reduced rate of progress.  If you are one of my students reading this then you are probably thinking I am talking about you. I may be, but not you specifically … I have hardly seen a guitar player that did not go through this stage, including myself.

This is somewhat analogous to the lifeguard who waits until the drowning swimmer has given up before rendering aid, since it is impossible to help while the panicked swimmer is still flailing about. There is not much I can do for determined scale hackers until they reach a certain point near resignation. Then comes that moment that I eagerly wait for with every student … that moment when I finally observe determined focus on accurate articulation and timing of each note within a scale. This is when I know I am about to observe a breakthrough to the great satisfaction of myself and my client.

So here is the point … slow down, focus on the details, and then bare down on the basics to the point of automaticness. This is going to involve some tedious focused repetition with a metronome, but it will pay handsome dividends over the long haul in the forms of instant chord changes and ripping through scales as easy as breathing. It is well worth the short term effort to gain these long term benefits.

Copyright © 2023 Palmetto Music Institute. All Rights Reserved.

Realistic Assessments of Your Progress

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By Chad Crawford, PMI Guitar Instructor

Learning to play an instrument well is a process involving study, memorization, repetition, and refinement, all of which happen across time. It is not a matter of giant leaps but rather steady increments of progress. While a good program of instruction combined with a good practice routine yields inevitable results, at times the progress may seem very slow or non-existent. It is easy during these spells to become discouraged and possibly even give up altogether, so it is important to be able to make realistic evaluations of progress. The four steps below will help you to measure your progress realistically.

1. Avoid comparisons – it is not profitable in any way to compare your progress or your current skills to those of others, especially iconic professionals. Regardless of what you may have heard or read, no one achieves a high level of musicianship without sustained effort across a period of years. Aspiring guitarists have widely varying circumstances which lead to widely varying progress rates and skill levels. Additionally, every musician has strengths and weaknesses in various areas such that comparing your current weaknesses to another’s current strengths will leave you with a warped view of how you are doing. The only legitimate and relevant measure of progress is how you are doing today versus how you were doing last month, six months ago, and last year.

2. Excessive concern with mistakes – ideally we all want to play perfectly, and continual effort towards perfecting our music is advisable. However, while learning guitar be cautious about striking a realistic balance between continual progress and reasonable allowance for mistakes and imperfections. These are a perfectly normal part of the process. They key to dealing with them is to not let them completely derail your playing, such as stopping every time you make a mistake. Avoid the temptation to think that mistakes in your playing mean that your music is no good and that you are not making any progress. Even pros make mistakes.

3. Avoid measuring progress by “feel” – few would attempt to measure a distance of one foot by solely considering how they feel about how long one foot is. Rather, most would simply apply a tape measure to the job. Contrarily, many attempt to measure their progress as musicians by how they feel about their playing at the moment. This is of course completely unrealistic, but it is also a common human response to a long term process.  Preoccupation with results can be wearisome if we are working towards a wildly fluctuating target such as our feelings. If your feelings about your progress are at odds with objective measures of progress then recognize the feelings as irrelevant and put them aside.

4. Utilize objective measures of progress – It is an inevitable aspect of human nature that we tend toward looking at the negative side of things. This tendency is magnified when working our way through a long term endeavor such as learning music. Counter this by using an objective standard such as a practice schedule cataloging effort toward various knowledge and skills relevant to your playing goals. Then you will be able to see plainly, without the cloud of fickle feelings and negativity, when you are in fact making real progress.

So remember … the only real and relevant measure of progress is measuring your past knowledge and technique against your present knowledge and technique.

Copyright © 2005 Palmetto Music Institute. All Rights Reserved.

Seymour Duncan Humbucker

Primer on Guitar Effects

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Chad Crawford, PMI Blues Guitar Instructor

So you have an electric guitar now and maybe a small starter amp and you are starting to become aware of all these little extra boxes that some guitar players use. What is all this stuff? What does it do, and do you need it? Well, this could be a huge subject but I am going to cover only the basics. Once you understand the basics you can do a little more research on your own to decide what, if any, effects that you may wish to incorporate in your preferred tone. First, a little background information …

Definitions

Tone – At the root of all discussion of guitars, amp, and effects, is one core concept: Tone. You will see this term in all manner of advertisements for guitars, amps, and equipment, and you will hear it discussed and even argued among musicians. What does it mean? It has somewhat of a subtle meaning that will be hard to understand well until you develop a little skill on the guitar and begin to develop your discernment for sound quality. For the moment let’s try to understand it this way. Tone refers to the overall sound quality of your instrument. I do not mean quality in the sense of good or not so good, but rather quality in the sense of characteristics. For example you might say that wood has certain qualities and metal has certain qualities. Likewise, sound has different qualities and these qualities vary among different guitars, amps, and effects, and various combinations of the above. As you develop as a musician you will naturally gravitate toward a certain preferred quality of sound from your instrument. Musicians refer to this quality of sound as tone.

Pedal – a floor standing effect device usually actuated by a foot switch, leaving the rest of you free to work your guitar magic. Guitarists often install pedals in a Pedal Board, which is simply a suitcase specifically designed for mounting guitar pedals and associated wiring.

Rack Mount – the effect circuitry does not care if it is mounted in the floor, wall, ceiling, amp, or wherever you want. So some effects come in a convenient box that is designed to mount into a specific type of instrument electronics travel cabinet (rack). This allows for manipulation of the parameters of the effect without having to kneel to the floor. Rack effects are also more typically able to be controlled via “midi”, which allows for advance programming of various combinations of effects such that one can have preset effects combinations for each song, readily accessible either by foot control or else remotely by the sound engineer at the control board. Rack effects tend to be more sophisticated than their floor pedal counterparts.

Sensitivity – the ability of the guitar to sound out clear notes with minimal finger pressure and string striking power. This will depend largely on the guitar and amp, but some effects also affect sensitivity. Generally, more is better.

Sustain – the ability of the guitar to continue sounding out a note after it has been plucked. As with sensitivity, this will also depend largely on the guitar and amp. Some effects will affect sustain and in fact some effects are specifically to enhance sustain. As with sensitivity, more is generally better.

Utilities:

Some devices referred to as “effects” are not really so much effects but rather are more like utilities. This will make more sense as we discuss specific devices. So let’s dive into specific effects now. Keep in mind we are speaking in general terms. There are literally thousands of effect devices on the market with various combinations and qualities of various kinds of utilities and tone alterations. We will highlight the basic concepts here.

Noise Suppressor or Noise Gate – the purpose of a Noise Gate is not to alter tone but rather to remove noise, as the name implies. If you have had some opportunity to play around with your guitar and amp you may have noticed a hum from your amp when you are not playing the guitar. The purpose of the Noise Gate is to remove that hum or at least reduce it to a very low level. If you are new to guitar and mostly playing at bedroom volumes then the hum may not bother you so much.  As your ear for music develops and you begin to gravitate toward higher volumes for live group performance, the hum will grow louder and more annoying! Then you will want a Noise Gate.

Volume – more of a utility than an effect, although you can use a volume pedal prior to the pre-amp to create a keyboard-like tone from your guitar (a.k.a swell). The main purpose, however, is to control the guitar volume without having to use your hands to manipulate knobs.

Tuner – an electronic device that provides a tuning reference for you to measure your guitar’s tuning against. It allows for very rapid and accurate tuning.

General Purpose Effects:

Echo – May also be called Reverb. This is a very common effect and many modern amps will have this effect built in. The echo or reverb effect is similar to the natural phenomenon of echo. It works like this: you play a note on your guitar. The echo processor will expand that as if you played it in a large room or cavern. This effect adds fullness to your tone, making it sound more natural and thick. Of course you can dial it in to an extreme that does not sound natural at all.

Delay – similar to echo, but delay is a more specific, narrow reproduction of the note you just plucked. Unlike natural echo, you control the volume level and timing of repeats, as well as the decay (attenuation level or loss of volume level) of the repeat notes. As with echo, this effect adds fullness to your tone, making it sound more natural and thick. And again you can dial it in to an extreme that does not sound natural at all.

Expression – this effect is often referred to as Wah, Wah Wah, or Crybaby. It is typically a pedal that you oscillate with your foot to move an internal tone control through a range from very pronounced high/mids to very diminished high/mids. It will also alter your overall tone. You may also see it in the form of a device that automatically cycles throughout a preset tone range without oscillating foot pedal input.

Distortion – Distortion is the characteristic electronic fuzz sound associated with electric guitars. There are different levels of distortion and different types of distortion that yield different overall guitar tones. Most modern amps will include a distortion effect by design, often referred to as Drive, Overdrive, or Gain. Additionally, you can usually achieve a certain natural distortion by over powering your amp speaker(s) at high volume levels. A distortion pedal can enhance tone, sensitivity, and sustain at lower volume levels. Choosing a distortion pedal can get complicated because this is very much a matter of personal preference. Also, the different types and degrees of distortion have trade names, such as crunch (mild distortion), overdrive (substantial distortion), and fuzz (extreme distortion). Beyond this, the brand names of distortion pedals, like the popular Tube Screamer, may not indicate distortion at all. You will often see distortion pedals referred to as a Stomp Box.

Compressor – the purpose of a compressor is to raise low volume signals and suppress high volume signals. The intent is to level out the harshness of extreme variation in volume levels. Because it raises the power level of lower volume or weaker signals, it will also enhance sustain.

Modulation – this effect comes in a variety of forms and goes by different trade names even though it is all the same underlying effect. You may see it identified as Flange, Chorus, Phaser, Rotary Horn, Tremolo, or Uni-Vibe. The basic idea is to impose a varying frequency signal over your guitar signal, creating a wobbling sound. As with other effects, you control the rate and degree of the wobbling. The various names indicate different types or tonal qualities of the effect.

Many vendors have floor controllers or rack-mount controllers that incorporate some or all of these effects and more all in one box, such as the POD products by Line6.

Now that you know the terminology, you may be wishing you had some sounds to associate with these names. You can easily find demonstrations on various vendor sites such as MusiciansFriend or Sweetwater, or video hosting sites such as YouTube. Alternatively, if you’re willing to invest around a hundred twenty dollars for an entry level converter box (interface) such as the Focusrite Scarlett solo, along with another hundred for an entry level guitar simulator program such as Amplitube or Bias FX, then you can experiment with a variety of guitar effects with a simple click of the mouse.

Hardware or software, experiment and enjoy!

Copyright © 2005 Palmetto Music Institute. All Rights Reserved.

Secrets of Fast Guitar Playing

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By Chad Crawford, PMI Guitar Instructor

Playing fast solos seems to be a consistent goal for many aspiring guitarists. I discourage over-emphasis on speed to the neglect of other aspects of musicianship, but speed does have its place. A well-executed lick in sixteenth note triplets can add a great deal of intensity to a piece, and it is just plain fun!

So how do accomplished guitarists develop the ability to control the playing of notes at speeds faster than it seems possible for human fingers to move? There are a number of components of speed, and a number of ways to develop speed. I will break them both down for you here.

Components of speed:

  1. Excellent technique – precise placement of the fingertips, including being able to change smoothly between varying techniques such as scales and vibrato
  2. Timing – sounding out a note or vibrato at the correct time in regards to the underlying rhythm
  3. Two-hand synchronization – precise coordination of the two hands such that the pick stroke coincides exactly in time with the fretting finger
  4. Tricks – legato (hammers/pulls-offs), tremolo picking, tapping
  5. The mental side – knowing what you intend to play (as opposed to wandering through scales), how it is going to sound before you play it, the location of your notes within a scale, the location of your next resolving note and all notes in between, etc.

Methods for developing speed:

  1. Know your scales – If you are struggling to simply remember the basic scales and/or resolving notes for the style you wish to play then you will suffer constant hesitation. This will throw off your two hand synch and drag you out of time. What you will experience is a feeling that your hands are not doing what you wish them to do. What is actually happening is that your hands are doing exactly what you are telling them to do, which is to play the confused slop that your brain is manufacturing. Get on top of your mental game!
  2. Know your rhythms – Practice playing phrases in good time at varying paces: eighths, sixteenths, and triplets.
  3. Slow metronome drills – the metronome is a powerful tool for developing great timing and two-hand synchronization. Practice your varying rhythms in conjunction with a metronome beat, at very SLOW speeds (40-60 beats per minute). Concentrate closely on removing all unnecessary muscle tension from your playing, and coordinating your hands such that the pick stroke occurs at precisely the same instant as fret finger placement.
  4. Fast metronome drills – once you have developed a particular scale or technique to a point that you can perform it well consistently at these very slow speeds, begin slowly increasing the tempo of the metronome as you play along.
  5. Go back to number one and repeat. And repeat. And repeat. Etc.

Take careful note of item 3 of the methods for developing speed. Just because you are aware that tension is detrimental to speed does not mean that your body is going to automatically relax and allow you to play well at higher speeds. You will have to spend time practicing at very slow speeds and specifically paying attention to excess tension in your fingers, wrists, forearms, upper arms, shoulders, back, and neck. You will be surprised when you do this as to how much you are tensing up all over when playing. Relax all of this tension and practice while consciously relaxed, until this becomes a habit such that you do it automatically.

Copyright © 2005 Palmetto Music Institute. All Rights Reserved.

Common Guitar Progress Traps

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By Chad Crawford, PMI Guitar Instructor

Learning to play an instrument well is a challenging endeavor, but it is within reach of anyone who is willing to do the work. While there is no short cut to overnight success, there are longer and shorter paths. Take note of the common pitfalls below in order to steer toward the shorter paths.

1. The “roadrunner” trap – if there is any one thing I could wave a magic wand and change, it would be to magically require folks to slow down during practice. I mean this in two regards. One is to physically slow down hand motions during practice, to a point of playing the material with precise technique and timing. The other regard is from attempting for instance complex solo phrasing that is beyond one’s current ability to manage the mental aspects of complex phrasing. Many aspiring guitarists tend to attempt exercises at speeds that are beyond their capabilities. Remember, you are going to play what you practice. Sloppy practice = sloppy playing. Practice slowly with good note articulation, two-hand coordination, and mental focus. Speed up as increased mastery permits playing accurately and intelligently at higher speeds. Sometimes it is needful to focus specifically on speed, and at those times it is useful to attempt speeds beyond current skills. At all other times, practice within a tempo that allows you to play well!

2. The “review” trap – one of the most prominent challenges of mastering a musical instrument or even a specific song is simply remembering all of the information. However, remember you must if you wish to make progress. I spend a lot of teaching time reviewing previously taught concepts because I cannot move forward until the previous material is sufficiently mastered, since the new material builds on the old. Review is an essential part of learning, but it can become excessive and even predominant if a student is constantly forgetting previously covered material. The easiest way to avoid this trap is to do review on your own. If it is on your practice schedule or in your lesson materials, make sure you know it by routinely reviewing it during your practice time.

3. The “half-done” trap – one of my former teachers was fond of quoting this old musician’s maxim: “Amateurs practice enough to get it right. Pros practice enough to never get it wrong.” When it is time to play you will need all mental focus on playing. If you are struggling with simply remembering the next chord, the timing of the next chord change, the next phrase in the solo, or getting your hands to make the required movements, then you will be distracted from the constant application of finesse that you need to make great music. So learn the chords and scales for whatever type of music you wish to play, memorize the songs you wish to play, and practice the required physical techniques until they work. Granted, this is easier said than done, but you can speed up the process by focused repetition. If you are a hobbyist musician then you may not have time to practice until you “never get it wrong”, so you will have to strike a balance. Then focus on a clearly defined set of goals and do all you can to master the things required to meet those goals.

4. The “overplaying” trap – for intermediate level guitarists one of the most common areas of weakness is the tendency to want to throw everything they know, and at supersonic speeds, at every solo. Some of the most widely acclaimed guitar solos are also quite simple. For example, many guitarists regard David Gilmour’s second solo on Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” as one of the greatest rock guitar solos ever recorded. This solo consists of slow to medium tempo Minor Pentatonic scales with a lot of repetition, yet it does indeed sound fantastic. It is a great example of playing to fit the context. When developing solo phrasing do not strive for maximum speed. Instead, strive for maximum impact of every note. Practice simple eighth note phrases with good timing relative to the song rhythm, good resolving choices, well-executed bends, a sensible structure, and a carefully controlled vibrato. When you can do these things fluently then you will be ready to move on to more complex phrasings. Until then … less is more!

If you suspect you are struggling in any of these areas then take some time during your next practice session to adjust your routine so that you avoid these common barriers.

Copyright © 2005 Palmetto Music Institute. All Rights Reserved.

Practicing Guitar for Maximum Results

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By Chad Crawford, Guitar Instructor Greenville Guitar Lessons by PMI

If you have been playing guitar for any length of time then you know by now that the one supreme key to results is this: practice! However, it is possible to practice routinely and still get poor results. How is this? It is by practicing the wrong things, in the wrong order, and in the wrong way.

So how can you know what to practice, what order to practice it in, and how to practice for maximum results? Follow the recommendations below to make the most of your practice time.

What to practice:

(1) Playing guitar is a complex combination of mental and physical skills. In order to master the subject we need to break it down into manageable pieces. What specifically to practice is too big of a subject for a short article. However, what we can do here is narrow down the possibilities. The most important thing you need to consider is your goals. If your goal is too generalized it will not help you nail down what you need to practice. For instance, if you set an overly broad goal such as, “I just want to be able to play guitar,” this is not going to help you identify what information you need to learn and what techniques you need to master. If you are not sure about your goals then you should give some thought to what kind of music you like to listen to. Then you must identify what you must learn to do to mimic this kind of music. Those are the things that you need to practice. Make a list of those things and then go to work on them every time you practice. Do not get bogged down in practicing one technique or one song. Practice a variety of things pertinent to your goals.

(2) A common problem I see among aspiring guitarists is the tendency to want to know and master everything about guitar. While the idea is not a bad one in theory, the reality is that music has been under development for several thousand years. It is a huge subject. Some universities offer doctorate level programs in music. As a hobbyist you do not have time to master “everything” about guitar. You are going to have enough on your hands just to master one style and play fluently in two or three related styles. So don’t waste your time learning exotic scales and chords if your intent is to play popular radio songs. Learning obscure modes is not going to make you a better player if you are still struggling with applying the pentatonic scales. Master the basic chords, scales, and techniques and then work on applying them effectively. Once you have reached a level that you can enjoy playing the basics then it is time to work on the more complicated stuff, and then only if it is applicable to your goals at that point.

(3) At the other extreme is the tendency to want to learn only bare minimum requirements for playing specific songs. There is a bit of controversy in the music teaching community as to whether learning specific songs is a good approach to musical mastery. I think learning songs can be very helpful to mastering knowledge and techniques on the condition that the songs are incorporated into a balanced program of learning music in general rather than just learning the bare minimum information and techniques to play the specific songs. Taken by itself, learning songs is a dead end that leaves many aspiring guitarists frustrated and burned out. Don’t let this happen to you!

How to practice:

(1) One of the recurring problems I see with students of guitar is the tendency to get into a self-defeating routine with practice. It is not that a practice routine itself is problematic. Practice certainly does need to be a routine undertaking. The problem develops in that practicing specific exercises becomes a matter of mindlessly running through the same material with no specific mental focus on improvement. Practice becomes an exercise in repeating the same stuff from yesterday in the same way. This is the number one issue I see that impedes progress. When you practice any skill, it is important that you focus on doing it better today than yesterday. Whether it be memorizing some chord, scale, or song, or improving the speed or finesse of chord changes or scales, it is important to push yourself to make an increment of progress every time you practice something!

(2) Another common problem is the tendency to rush through practice. While speed is essential in executing chord changes and phrases, you must balance speed with accuracy. Rushing through every exercise as fast as possible will only delay your progress. Make the effort to ensure that your execution is accurate as well as fast. This often means that you will have to slow something down to a tempo that may be completely unrealistic for actual playing and then practice at that speed until you can execute the technique fairly well. Then gradually increase speed as you are able.

(3) Finally, be sure to practice as often as possible! Learning guitar is all about memory in terms of both mental recall and physical muscle control. Every day that you do not practice you lose a bit of recall and muscle memory. That is just the way the human machine functions and there is not much we can do about it. Therefore, it would be best to practice every single day. However, this is not feasible for many hobbyists. In this case, make it a point to practice more days than not … at least five days a week.

Follow these guidelines to ensure that your practice routine is leading to progress rather than frustration!

Copyright © 2005 Palmetto Music Institute. All Rights Reserved.

Unlocking Musical Creativity

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By Chad Crawford, PMI Guitar Instructor

Among the challenges we face as developing guitar players, cultivating a sense of artistic creativity may seem among the most formidable. Many assume that creativity is a mysterious insight arising from the recesses of the fortunately gifted minds of a select few. In fact, creativity is not a mystery. As with all things musical it responds to focused effort to cultivate it.

So how do we get from having “no creativity” to the point of being able to write songs and play improvisational solos?

First let us address the occasional Mozart who shows up with tremendous innate musical ability. For most musicians, other artists, engineers, inventors, writers, etc., natural talent is not the key to creativity. So the Mozart’s are irrelevant in terms of understanding how a person of typical native ability can develop creative prowess. We should then waste no time considering natural talent, and most importantly avoid falling prey to the common misconception that creativity is something that one either has or does not have by inheritance.

Now let us consider what creativity actually is. Is it really assembling something out of nothing in a mysterious seizure of inspiration from quarters unknown? No! Even Mozart had to sit with paper and pen and work his inspirations into orderly, flowing pitch and time relationships. Consider this quote from prolific inventor Thomas Edison, whose record on creativity speaks for itself: “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”.

Creativity is neither an unknowable mystery, an accident, nor a fleeting peek into the ethereal mists. It is rather a predictable result of a process involving mastery of the fundamental elements of an endeavor, and then applying those fundamentals in such a way as to generate beauty of function and form. This does not require creating something from nothing, or even something totally new. Rather, it means assembling the known into that which effectively solves problems or manifests beauty. It is well within the reach of anyone willing to apply themselves to the process. 

Now let us consider how this applies to music, and specifically to guitar. Music is fundamentally two objective phenomenon: pitch relationships and time relationships. Musicians assemble these relationships in such a way as to create the more subjective phenomenon of an emotionally satisfying flow of tension and release. This does not require the creation of anything new, but rather a well developed awareness of how pitch and time relationships work together to create a satisfying flow of tension and release.

So let’s break it down now even more specifically to the things we need to have mastery over in order to make music that satisfies ourselves and our intended audiences.

1. Know the notes on the fretboard – everything we do as musicians involves assembling notes in melody (one after another) or harmony (in unison, such as a chord or double stop) with reference to a tonal center (key). If you do not know the notes then you are limited to playing by patterns or by ear. While playing by patterns and by ear are useful tools, if you wish to cultivate maximum creativity then you need to allow yourself as many options as possible.  If you can visualize the letter names of the notes you are playing then it is much easier to choose resolving notes for phrases, or make useful alterations to chords to achieve just the right shade of mood.

2. Know the names of the notes in the Major Keys – the Major Scale is the starting point for all we do. Everything else is an alteration of some sort to a Major Scale. If you know the names of the notes in the key you are playing, and can also see them as you play them on the fretboard, these together will give you a great deal of power to achieve a desired musical effect without having to always guess your way through things with experimentation.

3. Understand Intervals – intervals are the building blocks of the pitch aspect of music. A thorough understanding of intervals will allow you to know what effect a note is going to have before you play it. If you know your intervals then you will be able to create musical effects at will, alter scales and chords to create precise shades of emotion, and transfer musical ideas from one key to another with ease.

4. Understand the effects of the basic divisions of the beat – along with pitch relationships, relative timing between pitch events is one of the fundamental components of music. A good set of timing relationships by itself is very powerful (think of a powerful drum intro that sets the mood for a song).  If you understand the basic divisions of the beat and how to modify them to tastes then you can create strong shades of mood at will.

5. Understand scale harmonization – knowing how to translate a particular scale into chord sequences will enable you to assemble pleasing chord progressions in a matter of moments. Knowing the chords in the key and the notes in the chords will also give you a lot of useful options for resolving solo phrases.

6. Listen to a lot of music – musical inspiration is often a residual effect of exposure to other music. Saturate your creative muse with immersion into a wide variety of music, and pay attention to the individual details such as the vocals, drums, and bass. In doing so you will cultivate a deeper intuitive understanding of music, much as a child learns to speak by regular exposure to speech.

7. Start from the known – creativity is often a matter of slight alterations to common ideas. Learn the signature licks, chord types and sequences, and rhythmic ideas of the masters of your preferred style. Then experiment with alterations until you uncover ideas that express what you wish. 

8. Constantly refine your technique – if you have ever wondered how an accomplished guitarist can play something very simple and yet have it sound very beautiful and powerful, the trick is often in the technique. What many experience as a “lack of creativity” is in fact a lack of technique refinement that will make an otherwise great idea sound lifeless or even just plain bad. Technique development is not just a matter of mere repetition. It is essential to pay attention to the quality of sound (a.k.a. “tone”) during technique development practice. Don’t rush through technique exercises with the goal of merely getting them over with as quickly as possible. Listen carefully to the small details. Strive to improve the quality of sound resulting from each pick stroke.

This may seem like a hopeless lot to get done along the path to creativity. Bear in mind that learning music, including the creative aspect of it, is a journey. It is not needful to be “finished” with all other aspects of musicianship before experimenting with creative application of known musical elements. The point of this article is that creativity is a predictable result of identifiable methods, and therefore is accessible to all who are willing to work for it. Cultivate the appropriate knowledge, technique, and persistence, and then you can be sure that your creative muse will show itself!

Copyright © 2005 Palmetto Music Institute. All Rights Reserved.

Besting the Beast of Boredom

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Chad Crawford, PMI Guitar Instructor

 

The process of learning to play guitar involves some basic training exercises that are designed to increase knowledge and physical skills in numerous areas. Most of us are impatient to play at the level we envisioned when we started this process. The repetition of basic concepts and physical exercises can be tedious at times, especially when we do not feel we are seeing any measurable results.

This is quite normal. All musicians go through this, and the truth is that it never ends. Once we master some new skill or technique, there is always another one waiting in line to challenge us again. It is critical to learn to maintain your motivation to work through boredom and get on to playing like you want to play.

So let’s consider how boredom develops, and then how you can combat it. Your teacher gives you a new exercise. You begin to practice it. It is exciting at first because it is new and you know it is a direct step toward your goal of fluent playing. But then after a number of repetitions you have it memorized. Eventually you are just going through the motions mindlessly. It becomes less and less interesting and eventually turns into something that feels more like work than entertainment. You may even get to the point that you hate to even think of doing the exercise again and you feel reluctant to even pick up the guitar at all.

This is the critical point where you have to make a decision. You can give in to the beast of boredom and quit, or you can work to find a way around the beast and eventually reach a point where your playing is quite gratifying. It is important to realize this – becoming bored is a natural consequence of the human condition, but staying bored is a choice, and you have the power to choose otherwise.

What to do?

Substitution: The first thing you should do is to inform your teacher that you are struggling. It may be that the teacher can substitute some other song or exercise, or work with you on some other area that is more satisfying to you for the time being. However, you should consider input from the teacher before making the final decision on this. It may be that it is best for your long term goals to finish mastering the material you are currently struggling with. Your teacher should be able to offer some kind of explanation as to the value of the material you are working with and this may help you in maintaining your interest in working through it.

Alteration: If you have become bored with an exercise or some other aspect of your practice routine, trying altering it in some way. This is particularly important in improvisational soloing. It is very easy and very common to fall into the trap of playing the same note sequences with the same embellishments and the same timing. Straight eight notes is the bane of many aspiring soloists, and it is the easiest trap to fall into since timing choices (or lack thereof) are not as readily apparent as note choices. Try changing the timing of your collection of stock phrases, then work on changing timing mid-phrase, hold one note noticeably longer than the rest, etc. This is much more challenging than playing straight time (same time value for every note) and may seem impossibly difficult at first, but it will certainly shake up the feeling of boredom and will also make you a much better improvisational soloist.

Inspiration: Every aspiring guitarist has a reason (or combination of reasons) that inspires the effort to learn guitar. Often it is a parent or other significant figure who plays an instrument. In many cases it is admiration for some notable professional guitarist, or a particular song or type of music that the student wants to play. Whatever the case may be, it is important to keep that motivational reason in the front of your mind while going through the learning process. Boredom is a feeling – a feeling of restless dissatisfaction. When you are confronted with boredom reflect on the satisfaction you will feel when you reach your goal. Combat the unproductive feeling of boredom by choosing to meet it with one that inspires you to keep working toward your goal.

Challenge: Another way to combat boredom is to find a new challenge in whatever you are doing. So you are working on some exercise and you have repeated it enough times that you know every note, every motion, etc., so that it begins to feel uninteresting. So what can you do to change it so that it is challenging again? Look for ways to improve the details of your performance. For instance, you have played through a chord change exercise for what feels like a thousand times and you feel like you are done with it. Is it possible you can improve the speed at which you execute the change from one chord to another? Probably. Are you inadvertently muting any strings while strumming the chords? Probably. Is it possible that a metronome will reveal that you are not keeping good time throughout the progression? Probably. Break out these details and set small goals within the overall exercise, and then challenge yourself to improve in these details. As you focus on these parts within the overall goal you will find satisfaction in challenge and accomplishment. You can not be bored when you are intently focused on solving a problem. In fact, you might just find that your main problem is that you do not have as much time for practice as you would prefer!

Substitution … alteration … inspiration … challenge … these four powerful weapons will help you cut the beast of boredom down to a manageable size. Keep these things in mind, and review this article if necessary when you find yourself feeling dreadful of your practice routine. Remember that perseverance is the key to success. It is your choice whether to excel or expire, but with the right tools in your toolbox the road to excellence will be a lot smoother. Choose well!

Copyright © 2005 Palmetto Music Institute. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Songs (Transcribing)

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As guitar players we usually have two general goals: (1) self-expression and (2) learning our favorite songs. While there is some overlap between the skill sets for these two goals, learning others’ songs is often the easier of the two, and it can help us keep our motivation strong while we are working on the loftier goal of self-expression. In this article I am going to break down the process of learning songs.

First, do not go straight to a free TAB site. Instead, try my procedure below FIRST. We will come back to transcriptions in a moment.

Step 1. Listen to the song! This statement may seem frivolous since you have probably already listened to your favorite songs many times. However, listening to learn is different than listening for enjoyment. When you are listening to learn, you must focus your attention fully on the song and all the parts of the song. For instance, listen for the chord changes and for how long each chord lasts. Listen for differences in chord arrangement between verse, chorus, and bridge. Listen to the vocal structure. Vocal structure is often more obvious and easier to remember than chord changes, and so the vocal cues will help you remember when the chord changes are coming. Listen carefully for prominent guitar fills, and of course pay attention to where the solo (if any) falls within the song structure, i.e. verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo.

This is not the kind of listening you typically do where the music is in the background while your mind is wandering elsewhere. You must focus your full attention on the song and keep it there throughout the song, making mental note of important events such as chord changes and fills. I recommend to use headphones and close your eyes while listening to the song at least a few times, but the more times the better.

Step 2. Try to figure out the key of the song. You can do this by continually picking the sixth string as you move your fretting finger up the fretboard until you hear that your note matches the fundamental reference pitch of the song, which is usually the first chord of the song. Listen not only to the guitar(s) but also the bass in helping you determine the key.

Step 3. Determine whether the mood of the song is major or minor. This does not have to involve any kind of complicated music theory analysis. Just listen for the overall feel of the song. Does it sound bright, happy, and upbeat? Then it is probably major. Does it sound more melancholy, serious, and dark? Then it is probably minor. Much country music is in a major key, while much rock music is in a minor key. While there are other possibilities than strictly major or minor (such as the Dominant progressions of Blues which fall between major and minor), a large percentage of popular music falls into one of these two moods. Listening for the mood of the song will help you narrow down the possibilities for chords and scales.

Step 4. Sort out the chord changes. For most popular music, once you know whether the song is major or minor then there are only a handful of likely basic chords. Once you figure out the basic chord possibilities, then it is not very much more work to determine what alterations if any the artist has made to the basic chords. It is helpful to consider that most popular songs will contain the 1st, 4th, and 5th interval chords from the key, and the 6th is also a popular chord. Keep these chord progressions in mind since you will probably find that your favorite song is going to contain something along the lines of these common progressions: 1-4-5, 1-4-1-5, 1-5-6-4. If it is a rock song with heavy distortion the chords will often be 5th chords (power chords), whereas if it is a cleaner guitar tone then the chords will often be more along the lines of the typical major or minor open or bar chords you know.

Listen carefully to the song. It is going to start on some chord which will match the key and mood of the song. Then it will do one of two things, go up or go down in pitch to the next chord. So experiment until you figure out that chord. For instance, if the opening chord is a G major, the next chord will likely go up in pitch, and is likely to be a similar type of chord. In other words, if the opening chord is a G Major, the next chord is not going to be a Bb7b5 or some other monstrous mysterious chord. Rather it is probably going to be a simple C or D Major. So plug in the chords you know and see what fits. Repeat until you have figured out the chords.

Step 5. If there is a solo in the song, listen to it repeatedly as before. Now consider the mood of the song: major or minor? If it is major, the solos will likely contain some variation of the Major Pentatonic scale. If minor, then the Minor Pentatonic is a likely option. From there, listen again and see if you do not hear bits of the scale you think is probably the right one. Pick out the parts of the solo that you can quickly figure out.

Now it gets a little tricky, because solos are often fast moving, usually do not follow strict scale patterns, and often include licks from scales other than the basic Pentatonic scales. So this is where you need to bring in the “heavy guns”.

(a) Use a computer software such as Windows Media Player, Riffstation, or any recording software to slow down the solo so that you can hear clearly how the notes are moving from one to the next, then pick them apart one by one until you have a particular lick worked out. Then move to the next lick and repeat and until you have the solo figured out. Many of these software programs such as Riffstation will allow you to “loop” a small segment of a song. In other words, you can select beginning and end points within the song and the software will play that little segment over and over in a loop for you while you listen and figure out the notes.

(b) Get help from your teacher

(c) After trying all this, THEN go get a real professionally scored TAB if possible (some popular songs do not have pro TABs available). This should be the LAST step you take after having tried the ones above. At first, you will not get far with deciphering the songs, but the more you do it, the better you get. So try to do it yourself first, then when you reach the end of your transcribing skills, go get a TAB. I recommend to avoid free TAB web sites since the TAB is user generated (any beginner can submit a self-written TAB) and I have found that these TABS are often completely wrong. You can find good professionally scored TABS at Musicnotes.com and FreehandMusic.com. Even with pro TAB, you will need to listen to the song carefully to make sure what you are playing matches the song. Some aspects of guitar technique are nearly impossible to convey on paper, and even the pros make an occasional mistake.

 

Bear in mind, this will be challenging at first. Don’t give up! These procedures work well with common popular songs, but they will be much more challenging for certain genres such as fusion, jazz, or progressive rock. For transcribing in these more complex styles, you will need a more expansive mastery of music theory and a well developed ear. Start with simple songs that have clear chord changes and relatively simple solos at moderate speeds, such as Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb.

Be tenacious. Happy Transcribing!

Nature Vs. Nurture: The Secret to Overcoming Fatal Guitar Technique Flaws

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After a decade of teaching guitar and interacting with other teachers and many clients, I can make a number of predictions on what any aspiring guitarist will struggle with and how the various responses to these stumbling blocks will either help or hinder progress.  The guitar is a challenging instrument, and there are any number of areas where one might encounter a temporary roadblock. Of these typical areas, there is one I have enumerated in my previous “Top Ten” article that stands out above all others as the number one barrier to progress: not following the instructions.

Allow me to clarify this concept since the phrase alone may seem too broad and actually contrary to your experience. I doubt you have ever openly refused to learn a particular chord, for example, or a basic scale pattern. This is not the sort of thing I mean when I suggest that a significant percentage of guitar students often stumble in implementing course recommendations. It is not a matter of people intentionally side-stepping the instructions. Rather it is that certain aspects of optimum physical technique run contrary to our instincts. Most students tackling a challenge in physical technique tend to unconsciously default back to instincts rather than consistently apply good technique recommendations. For the record, I am guilty of this as much as anyone, although I have improved significantly over the years in applying what the guitarist community has found to be the most effective technique development methods.

Now let me narrow this down to the specifics items that I see over and over. If any of these seem to apply to you, keep in mind that I am not writing about any specific person or experience, but rather my collective experience as a guitar student and teacher. I assure you that although some of these may apply to you, they are universal themes in the guitar community, so don’t feel like I’m singling you out to give you a hard time!

  1. Tickle the strings rather than tackle them.
  2. For playing open or bar chord rhythms, use a wide, fast, and light-contact pick stroke.
  3. For playing individual notes or two-string intervals (fifth chords, double stops) keep the pick hand palm turned into the guitar so that the pick moves parallel to the plane of the strings with a mere flick of the wrist.
  4. Apply no more pressure to the strings/frets than necessary to sound out a clear note.
  5. Avoid grasping the guitar neck with the palm and thumb as if it were a baseball bat.
  6. Use your elbow to change the working range of your pick – not your wrist or your shoulder.
  7. When changing to an upcoming chord, avoid chopping off the last beat of the previous chord by releasing pressure too early.
  8. Unless you are practicing certain exercises specifically intended to develop speed, do not practice at a tempo faster than you can play with good note articulation and two-hand synchronization.
  9. When learning a new rhythm pattern, go slow and consciously count the beats and divisions of the beats, rather than trying to play the rhythm by “feel”. Once you have conscious mastery of the pattern only then should you work on keeping time by feel.

If you have taken lessons with me for any length of time, you will know that I teach these things routinely, so you may wonder why I am taking up a Newsletter column with this routine lesson fare. There is a reason I am emphasizing these things for you: between knowing good technique and doing good technique, there is a subconscious barrier that we all struggle with: instinct. As your teacher, one of the most significant challenges I face in helping you develop your skills is your own instincts. Your basic instincts tend toward moving the fingers as a unit, favoring the index finger, using much more strength than is necessary, and handling the pick as if it is a plow. Your secondary instinct is to do just the opposite of this. For example, when attempting to play scales for the first time, you will note that your fingers want to stay together and mute the string you are trying to pick, so you will then pull your other fingers way back from the fretboard. Then you have to slam the next finger down like a dive bomber in order to stay in time on the next note. This causes subtle delays that cap your top speed at limits far below your potential.

The first step in conquering this barrier is to be aware of these instinctive actions and over-reactions, so that you can be ready to spot them and counter with deliberate focused repetition of a balanced, optimum technique method that cooperates as far as possible with your natural physiology. Then, apply focused attention to repetitions of good technique. Repetition of good technique results in habits, such that good technique becomes increasingly automatic, enabling to you to move between chords and notes accurately with little conscious effort.

Here is where the process breaks down: the focused repetition of good technique, and namely, the focus part. Your hands will constantly try to resort back to instinctive positions and motions, even though your conscious mind is well aware of these issues. You must pay close attention to these details of technique when you practice. This can be tedious at times, but the pay off is more than worth the effort!