So, we have Guitar Hero and all the sequels. There are other guitar video games on the market also.
Now, there is a guitar application for your iPhone! Sigh...
When you play guitar, you just wonder how these people can't see that playing the real song on a real guitar would be so much cooler than playing it on an iPhone. Sigh...
Continuing our chromatic approach to our old friend the pentatonic scale, here is another chromatic run using pattern 2 of the A minor pentatonic scale.
Please note - this lick was so hot, the computer crashed the first time we tried to record it. So, don't say you were not warned!
So kids, when you're really, really famous and you're playing in front of a large crowd, you can use your guitar to hit a crazy fan when they rush you on stage, just like Mr. Keith Richards does in this video!
Just remember, do not try this at home on your brother or sister (or husband or wife)!
I'm not one who pushes magic elixirs or "shred guitar in 1 day" schemes when it comes to playing your instrument well. The truth is, becoming a confident musician takes time and effort.
With that said, I do believe there are several tools that can be used during practice that will both improve your skills and make your practice sessions more enjoyable and productive.
Here they are ... Top 3 "Must Have" Practice Tools
Metronome
Now, before you sigh and say "here he goes again with that metronome talk", just hear me out. Your time could be better. Mine could too, everyone can work on their time. And the metronome is the tool to do it.
Metronomes come in many varieties these days, there are free online metronomes for those of you that practice at the computer.
However, for a stand alone unit that you can take with you, I recommend both the Korg MA-30 and the Boss DB-30 metronomes.
If you are a student at Little Rock Jams, you've played with Band in a Box. Band in a Box is similar to a metronome in that it will help with your time, but that is where the similarities end.
Band in a Box provides you with a full backing track, complete with drums, keys, piano, strings, guitar, bass and other instruments. With the backing track, you can practice rhythm guitar, lead guitar, scale work and ear training just to name a few.
Plus, there are online resources for Band in a Box users that provide you with user support and unlimited backing tracks from all genres of music, pop, blues, rock, jazz, funk, country, gospel, bluegrass and more.
For an example of a Band in the Box backing track, check out any of our scale of the week entries.
Loop stations are the rage right now with guitar players everywhere.
What is a loop station? It is simply a big hunk of memory that records what you play and then plays it back for you as long as you want it to. (Again, if you're a student at Little Rock Jams, you've seen us use these during the lesson)
In a practice session, you could record a chord progression and then work out a solo over the top of it.
Learn a new scale and see how that scale sounds when it is played over the correct chords.
Harmonize a solo with yourself and sound like Lynyrd Skynyrd in no time flat!
We use Boss loop stations in the studio. They are very user friendly right out of the box!
This is a regular series on local NPR affiliate KUAR that spotlights musicians from Arkansas and the impact they have had on 20th century music.
I've always know of some of the more popular musicians from Arkansas ... like Johnny Cash, Al Green, Amy Lee and others, but Stephen Koch has done a marvelous job in digging up the history on less well know musicians like Eddie Floyd, Al Hibbler and Larry Totsy Davis.
It is a given that if you continually push yourself to grow as a musician, there will be times where you get frustrated while practicing. In this post, I'll talk about frustration and offer some insights that will help you stay on target when those frustrating moments occur.
What is Frustration?
Frustration - the feeling that accompanies an experience of being thwarted in attaining your goals
That definition fits nicely for us musicians. Our goal, as musicians, is to play music that excites and inspires us. Unfortunately, as our skills grow, so does the complexity of the music we wish to play (in most cases). With more complex music, comes additional practice time to develop the skills require to play the piece.
Regardless of whether that difficult piece is a Mel Bay song like Sparkling Stella or a 9 minute Frank Zappa masterpiece like Inca Roads, both experienced and beginning musicians will have to practice to get the song under their fingers.
What is interesting is that both will likely have the same thought when they run into a difficult section of music. Both will think "It shouldn't be this hard, why is this giving me so much trouble?" Where the two differ is in their ability to work through the difficult section.
More experienced players will realize this is just another obstacle that will be overcome through focused practice. Beginners may decide to move on to another piece or worse, give up and go back to playing Guitar Hero! (this video is hilarious - you've got to watch it!)
Keep reading for some ideas that will help you through these situations...
Take a break from practice
Yes, a guitar teacher said "take a break from practice".
Sometimes, you do more harm than good when you try to bull your way through a tough section of a song making the same mistakes over and over. For example, you've been hitting the practice for almost two hours and for the last 30 minutes, you've been working on 2 measures of the song that you just cannot play cleanly.
You're tired, your focus is on everything but the music (i.e. I'm hungry, is there any ham in the fridge, I can't believe the Pats are going to the super bowl, Green Bay lost to New York - what is the world coming to?)
In this case, you have a date with frustration in a few minutes. Take a break, go get that ham sandwich, drink a coke (or water - much better for you). Talk to the family or give a friend a call. Do not get on Myspace or play video games - you'll never get back to practice. Get the idea?
By taking a break, and more importantly, taking your mind off the piece of music, you reset both yourself and your ability to focus. When you return to the practice room, you are able to tackle the piece refreshed. Will this make you instantly play the piece perfectly? No, but it will allow you to continue practicing without getting frustrated. Step back and realize who you are
Or another way of putting it, get a little perspective on the big picture. Most of us are not professional musicians* that can dedicate 10-12 hours a day in perfecting our craft through practice and rehearsal. We are, however, dedicated enthusiasts who want to play as good as we think we can play and we practice as much as life will allow.
* although I'm pretty confident that professionals also deal with these issues as well
With that said, if you are tackling a difficult piece for your skill level, it may take you longer than a professional musician to learn the piece. However, there is no time limit on you to have the piece ready by tomorrow or next week. If it takes you a month to learn a song or a solo, so what? At least at the end of the month, you will have the song under your fingers.
So, if you are the type of person that puts pressure on yourself to learn something as fast as possible, ease up on the time line expectations, give yourself some breathing room. When you do, you'll find that you not only get frustrated less often, you also will likely learn the piece more thoroughly.
Look at the work you put into learning the song as your accomplishment, rather than just learning the song
Take pride in the fact that you've tackled a hard song. Pat yourself on the back for the hours of practice time you've put into learning the song to the best of your ability. Know that your work has made you a better player!
If you look at your practicing this way, rather than beating yourself down because you took longer than you think you should have to master something, you'll be frustrated less often. You'll find yourself enjoying the obstacles that come up (i.e. Why does my pinky finger do that every time I play this run, I can work on that) and seeing them for what they are, stepping stones to becoming the player you want to be.
So there you have it
A few ideas that you can apply to your own practicing to limit the times you become frustrated with your playing.
Good luck and let me know what you do to avoid/eliminate frustration when practicing.
* Mike Dollins & Friends Band, with special guest artist, internationally acclaimed slide guitar great, Joe Pitts on Feb 2nd, 2008 @ Studio Joe'sin Little Rock, AR.
*
On-line ticket sales at 20% discount with Visa, MasterCard, Amex,
Discover & PayPal, safe, convenient and secure. Support local
musicians, in a Rhythm & Blues evening of songs from the past,
present and future.
Support
local Little Rock musicians, which have achieved international acclaim
and recognition. Tell a friend, join us on Feb 2nd, and drop on by to
hear “Friends” featuring the incomparable vocal styling of:
Miss Ginny Becton, Little Rock’s sweetheart of song. Steve Giles - Keys, Greg Jones - Drums, Bill McCumber - Bass, David Wollard - Guitar, John Thaden - Blues Harp Mike Dollins - Guitar
A Disclaimer: I will not get in trouble for what I am about to say because my wife knows it already!
Joyce Cooling is beautiful and plays guitar ... Really, Really Good !!! If I was going to marry anyone else but my wife ... (who I love totally - hi honey!!!) ... it would be Joyce Cooling.
She has really great tone, can play some smooth lines and her rhythm it too funky!
Here is the best looking guitar face we've had so far!!!
A 5-note scale with the root
on the fourth string (5th fret - D string). This is a movable pattern, so learn it in all
keys.
Notes /
Intervals
G -
1 Ab - b2/b9 (this interval
gives it an altered dominant sound) B - 3 (this note
gives it a major tonality) C -
4/11 Eb - b6/b13 (this interval
gives it an altered dominant sound)
This can be
used over any altered dominant chord based on the same root. It also has a similar function to the fifth mode of the Harmonic Minor scale ( Phrygian Dominant). The backing track is a Abmaj7 - G7b13 progression
So, last week Catie got the ball rolling with her song demo that we're going to work on over the next few lessons.
In case you missed it, Evan (another student of mine), responded to that post with a video of him and his friend Jason jamming together.
They've got a cool arena rock slow jam groove thing going on, so get out your lighters or your cell phone, grab your sweetie and wave those arms back an forth for Evan and Jason - Rock Lullaby!
Boss DB-30 Dr. Beat Metronome
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A Disclaimer:
Third Wish
