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Hello everyone and welcome to Steve’s Guitar Lesson Corner.This is a place where I will share with you some of my thoughts on all things guitar- practice, technique, performance, boredom, growth you name it. Many of these topics develop from discussions with my students and other teachers so they are very relevant and useful perspectives for you to think about as you study the guitar. There is no particular schedule to these topics. I will just write as I think the idea becomes important to discuss. So check this page often for new topics. YOU are also a key player here because I want YOU to make suggestions about topics you would like to see presented. Beginning this New Year (2010) there will be a suggestion box in the studio. Feel free to use it anytime and yes, I will read all the suggestions.
So here we go.
Small or Large…
The moment you have chosen to pick up a guitar and want to play it, you have taken a risk. Depending on your circumstances, you risk not being cool, you risk not being in control, you risk being vulnerable, you risk being wrong: you also risk doing something very well.
Your hands are introduced to new ways of using their muscles. They bend, stretch, contract and relax in ways that sometimes make you feel you’re playing with mittens on. And then you spend time suffering with red and sore fingertips, which makes your practice very easy to ignore. Straighten your back, hold your hands this way, curl your fingers, hold the pick that way, “Did you practice your scales?”, your timing needs work, that F major chord will take a while to get good at- the assault of problems can easily overshadow your successes and can be quite intimidating.
Encouragement and support from your teacher is especially needed during this fundamental phase of your learning.So why are you trying to play the guitar with such an assault on your self-esteem? Because, in truth, there is no assault going on. You are learning a new skill that places a high demand on very small muscles and you are learning a new language that places a high demand on your brain. In fact, you are learning a very refined skill and refined skills always take time to learn well. Think of your hand muscles as learning to crawl right now. Later they will walk and eventually they will run the 100 meter dash.
This process is slow because growth is slow. Nature takes its time to get it right and you must do the same- despite the ego. “But what do I do in the meantime?” you ask. Being goal oriented is a great tool but it exists only in the future.
I think the most important thing you can do is learn how
to feel joy and accomplishment in
ANY advancement on the guitar right now!
If you are practicing consistently and thinking things through, you are getting better at playing the guitar. There is no other way to go. However, your need to want to GET BETTER! will almost always be further ahead than your physical abilities at that time. This isn’t a problem but rather a reminder of the challenges to come. Be excited about what is ahead in your studies but also be excited about where you are right now. Celebrate what you are working on right now- small or large, it does not matter.
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