my music: กุมภาพันธ์ 2009

วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 5 กุมภาพันธ์ พ.ศ. 2552

The Joy of Spontaneous Expression

Do you remember finger-painting as a child? How fun it was. How exciting to be able to dip your fingers into a color that called out to you and put it on paper. The excitement of it all came from the feeling that you were an explorer, looking into uncharted territories of your own creative source.

Now music can be that way too! All that is necessary is to understand that you don't need any special talent or ability to create music with. Two chords are enough to begin experiencing the joy of spontaneous expression. In the lesson "Oriental Sunrise" we have 2 chords to play around with. And two chords are more than enough to create with

The problem that most adults have is the ability to relinquish control. They want to be able to make decisions and direct the music to where they want it to go. And of course, they lose the ability to create. Why? Because they believe they must make decisions as to what notes to play, what chords, how fast, etc. It can be very threatening for some to allow for "mistakes."

Many adults feel that they must be perfect. But it is this perfectionism that destroys the spirit and stops any creative impetus dead in its tracks. The solution to all of this is to remember the finger-painting child within each of us. Each of us knows intuitively what colors call to us the most. The key is to be able to trust that intuition, and let it guide you!

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at <a target="_new" href="http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html">http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html</a> for a FREE piano lesson!

Sheet Music ? Violin and Other String Instruments

The violin is a bowed stringed instrument and is the highest pitched member of the violin family. It sits along side its cousins ? the other members of the violin family - the viola, cello, and double bass. The bow of the violin is a narrow, slightly incurved stick of Pernambuco about 75 cm long, with a band of horsehair stretched from end to end of the bowstick. The violin has four strings tuned a fifth apart, to the notes g, d', a', e'': On early violins the strings were of pure gut. Today they may be of gut, gut wound with aluminum or silver, steel, or perlon.

Sheet music - violin is often provided to students by the conductors of their orchestras or their private teachers who wish to learn to play this fine instrument. For players who aren't officially students anywhere, however, there are a wide variety of sources from which to obtain sheet music. Very recently, the Internet may actually have surpassed music stores as the best place to find new pieces to play.

An enormous variety of violin sheet music is available for free download from the Internet. Violin players of any skill level should be able to locate the sheet music they want online, and in some cases, even for free. Sheet music can be free to share online if two qualifications are met. First, it must be seventy years or more since the piece was composed; after this amount of time, creative works enter the public domain. Specific editions of a work can still be protected by copyright, however, as editors and arrangers maintain their own copyrights over versions they have created.

Digital sheet music is available for a wide variety of genres, so if you're playing on your own, you won't have any restrictions on the type of music you work on. There is certainly a great deal of classical sheet music - violin and other stringed instruments similarly, available online, and you might want to try some of the pieces that are considered great classics. If they are really not your preferred style, however, you can find anything from pop to jazz to bluegrass fiddle parts.

Some of the most popular selections of sheet music - violin are, in fact, for pop and rock songs. Take, for example, the Dave Matthews Band, who gave a global fan base for their unique sound which prominently features the violin. If you want to learn Boyd Tinsley's parts, you can search the Internet for legitimate copies of the sheet music to purchase.

Another time when it can be great to have the option to find sheet music ? violin online is if you are listening to a piece and you want to be able to refer to the score. Even someone who can't play the Sibelius violin concerto himself may be able to read or understand a musical score well enough to benefit from looking at the music while listening to the piece. This can enrich the listening experience of anyone with a musical background, as well as helping you build your own reading ability in ways that ultimately benefit your playing.

Looking for information about the violin? Go to: <a target="_new" href="http://www.mrviolin.com">http://www.mrviolin.com</a> 'Mr Violin' is published by Helen Baxter - The Complete A to Z Of Violin Resources! Check out more violin articles at: <a target="_new" href="http://www.mrviolin.com/archive">http://www.mrviolin.com/archive</a>

วันพุธที่ 4 กุมภาพันธ์ พ.ศ. 2552

How to Create Hip, Mature, and Lush Harmonies [correction]

Rarely is a chord played with its tones contained in a single octave, the root on the bottom, the third in the middle, and the fifth on the top.

Usually chords are "voiced!"

This basically means that the positions of a chord's tones are scattered over the keyboard. The tones may be altered, doubled, added to, missing, and so forth.

There are a great variety of possibilities available in voicing chords. Voicing chords properly is an art within itself. Using the correct voicing techniques in your playing will give your improvisation a "hip," mature and full sound. Chords played in root position just does not seem to do the job when playing Jazz, Rock, Pop, Blues, Gospel and "Smooth Jazz" piano.

Learning and mastering good voice leading techniques in your playing is not difficult if you just follow some simple rules.

1. The most important notes in any chord is the 3rd and the 7th. The 3rd of the chord defines whether the chord is a major or minor chord. The 7th of the chord will define whether the chord is a dominant or major chord. Usually the bass player will play the root and fifth. The root and fifth are not essential tones and can be completely left our from your chord progressions. If you must use the root and fifth try using it in your right hand, not your left. You should add your "color" tones in your right hand.

2. When you are taking a solo and not "comping" (accompanying) for another soloist you should play your chord voicings in your left hand, so that the right hand can be free to improvise, do fills, double the left hand, add extensions, etc.

3. The range of your voicings is also very important. A good rule of thumb to remember when voicing your chords, is to always try to voice your chords around middle C. Keeping your voicings around middle C will sound full and clear. Limits of approximately an octave above or below will assure best results by preventing the voicing from assuming a quality of thinness or muddiness.

Ron Worthy is a Music Educator, Songwriter and Performer. His Web Site Offers Proven Tool, Tips and Strategies (that anyone can learn) to Play Rock, Pop, Blues, R&B and Smooth Jazz Piano. <a target="_new" href="http://www.mrronsmusic.com/playpiano.htm">http://www.mrronsmusic.com/playpiano.htm</a>

How To Find The Right Guitar Teacher

Finding a good teacher is not always easy, at any level. At the beginner level it is important to get on the right foot and as an intermediate player you need to know that your teacher really knows his or her stuff if you want to move forward. What it really comes down to is "Are you getting the right information?".

The big problem when it comes to music instruction is that it is not necessary to have any diplomas or awards in order to set up a teaching practice. Conversely, the best teacher may not have a degree in music, just a phenomenal talent for teaching.

The first thing to understand when finding a good teacher is that the best teachers are not necessarily the best players. And it certainly goes that great players are invariably not the best teachers, possibly because they are far too wrapped up in their own playing to be concerned about anyone else. OK, a generalization but a theory with legs.

So let's assume you are just starting out, an absolute beginner, so what do you do? Well, the first resource I would use is your own personal contacts. You may have a friend or cousin that also took lessons and he or she may be able to recommend someone. Music stores often provide instruction and you can also look in your local paper for private instructors. Even do a Google search. It's actually very easy to find a teacher, but can you count on them to feed you all the right information?

Let's assume you have a short list of teachers in you area. I think it is definitely in your interest to make sure that they are teaching simply because they love to teach. Not because they are waiting for their "big break". This is why I think it is important to find a professional teacher, not an aspiring pop star. So you might ask a series of questions:

*How long have you been teaching?
*What teaching qualifications do you have?
*How many other students do you have?
*Can you give me the phone numbers of two of your students?

This may seem harsh, but I just think it is so important to get the right person from the start. Why? because as a student you have no idea whether your potential teacher actually knows what they are talking about. So don't be shy to ask.

As an intermediate student you probably need to rely more on word of mouth to get the right teacher to take you forward. In your local neighborhood, especially if you have been playing a while, you are probably already hooked into who the teachers are so it may not be such a problem.

The other issue, aside from musical expertise, is that your teacher and you need to like each other. If you are to be successful studying together this is so important. I remember growing up that I would excel in the subjects where I actually liked my teacher. And of course I dreaded going to class with those teachers I did not like.

I am happy to say that I really liked all my guitar teachers except for one, and that person lasted just a few lessons. I got lucky with the others there is no question. But other students may not be so lucky. I have heard a number of times that students realized much later that they did not have a good teacher. So at what point do you decide to move on and find a new teacher?

If you have done the prerequisite research I mentioned then this should not be an issue. However, guitar playing is such a personal undertaking that finding the right teacher is relative to each student. What works for one, clearly does not always work for another.

Your teacher should care about you and take an interest in seeing you advance as a player. I think this would be the biggest red flag to me if I was taking lessons all over again. I would want to know that there was some nurturing involved. If you feel that there really is no connection between the two of you then I think this might be a factor you can use to determine whether you move on or not.

It's tricky. As a student you want the best teacher for you but you may not know if there is no barometer to show you.

I also think that many times the student is to blame for being a lousy student. I remember when I used to give private lessons that a few students would come back week after week and had not done any practice at all. I found myself explaining the same things over and over because we couldn't move on until the essential groundwork was covered. These students eventually gave up because they had no drive or ambition to improve. This can be very frustrating for a teacher. Other times extremely talented players would come for just a few lessons because all they needed was a little fuel to go off on their own and practice. They were literally sponges. These students are heaven for teachers!

So do the research, then take a lesson or two and see if that teacher is right for you. If you are serious about working at your instrument then you shouldn't be to blame for being a bad student. At that time it's simply a matter of finding the right person. Don't short change yourself.

Chris Standring is an international jazz recording artist and educator. For more information about his highly acclaimed home study guitar courses please visit <a target="_new" href="http://www.PlayJazzGuitar.com">http://www.PlayJazzGuitar.com</a>

How to Create Interesting Textures

A lot of new age piano music consists of repeating patterns, or textures in the left hand while the right hand improvises a melody. This approach is really a good one! It frees you up to create in the moment. First you decide what chord or chords you'll be using in the left hand. You then create an ostinato or arpeggio that lays the foundation for the entire piece.

It's like the background a painter uses before the foreground is drawn in. In the case of music, the background would be the textural patterns in the left hand. Then the right hand comes in "to paint" in the rest of the picture - in this case, the improvised melody.

George Winston used this approach in the piece "Rain." First you get this beautiful textural background created exclusively by the left hand. He covers more than an octave with the left hand using the thumb to reach past and make the music sound fuller. Now, in this piece he uses only a few chords, but interest is maintained through the improvised melody. In my piece, Flashflood, from Anza-Borrego Desert Suite, I use the same technique.

I start by playing an ostinato in the left, than add in the melody in the right. I keep playing the ostinato for as long as my intuition says, "this sounds good," then add in some contrast, either by changing chords, or by adding in new material.

It's important to realize that complete textural backgrounds can be created using the left hand alone. In fact, entire pieces of music can and have been created using this very versatile approach. It's especially suited for new age music. So, here's a step-by-step procedure for creating textures:

1. Choose your chords - These can be triads, or Open Position Chords, or any chord structure

2. Create a pattern for your left hand

3. Improvise a melody with your right hand

Piano Lessons and Perfectionism

Are you a perfectionist? Does every note have to sound right before it comes out of your piano? If so, you might be cheating yourself out of the joy of music making. Most of us learned how to be perfectionists as children, trying to please Mommy or Daddy. We wanted their approval so we tried to get it right.

In the process, we learned that getting it right meant giving up happiness. It wasn't enough that we could express ourselves musically. We had to do a good job of it as well. As good as we could make it. Getting all the notes right. Trying to please music teachers who could care less if we were enjoying ourselves. All for what? To get a grade or a "that's good?"

It's a shame but this happens all the time in music schools. It's not until we become adults that we realize the damage that has been done. By then, it's usually too late and most never pick up an instrument again. What a pity that is. What a shame that we all must create to someone's standard of what good is. And worst of all, when you finally achieve that high standard, you are told that it is never good enough anyway.

The way out of this perfectionist's rut is to let go of the need to please others and refocus on pleasing ourselves. Now there is room to make mistakes and explore what art really is - namely EXPLORATION OF THE UNKNOWN! Here is where the real adventure begins my friends. Here is where excitement truly is! Not knowing what is going to happen next. Not judging what comes out of us but being beholders of it all.

Improvisation is the key that unlocks this door. It is the one art form that is invention from one moment to the next. Experience the joy of improvisation and all need to get things right disappears. Just for a moment you feel like the music is playing you. Isn't that enough?

วันอังคารที่ 3 กุมภาพันธ์ พ.ศ. 2552

How To Overcome The Lyric Writing Hurdles That Are Keeping You Behind

The lyric writing side of songwriting is known to create an enormous number of problems for some folks. No matter how hard they try, they are unable to write a single line that they can be pleased with.

In many cases these very same people make phenomenal advancements in writing music and melodies. However they just can't seem to figure out how to come up with suitable lyrics to match them.

If you are facing such a situation, there's probably no need to worry. By taking certain appropriate steps you should be able to overcome lyric writing hurdles and write songs that deliver.

(1) Here are some essential ideas for overcoming these hurdles.

1. Collaboration

If you're very good at writing melodies but can't seem to write a single line, one solution might be collaboration. Instead of beating your head against the wall for ideas, find someone who is very good at writing lyrics and work together. You may be surprised at the wonders that can emanate from a combination of his excellence at writing lyrics and your brilliance at writing melodies.

2. Lyric writing tools

Perhaps you may be hoping for some other solution. While you don't mind the idea of collaboration, you want to allow yourself to get better at writing lyrics, instead of leaving it to someone else.

As far as I'm concerned, the importance of laying hold on good songwriting "tools" should never be underestimated. Educate yourself as much as you can. Make use of songwriting books, programs, courses, software, articles or whatever valuable resources that you have at your disposal.

3. Motivation

You've probably heard it said a thousand times ... Without motivation, you won't go very far. This also applies to your lyric writing. While the songwriting "tools" outlined above can help you improve, without adequate motivation failure is inevitable.

(2) Here are a few tips to help you generate lyric writing ideas.

1. Use different lyrics to bring the same message across.

Choose a theme which is known to have made a few hits. What message does this theme bring across? Write different lyrics that bring the same message across. A typical example of this is John Denver's "I'm Leaving on a Jetplane" and Wyclef Jean's "Gone till November". These songs made hits in different eras. Their basic message was similar ... Baby, you don't need to cry because I'll return.

2. Add a unique twist to a cliche.

Turn on your radio and you will hear cliches being repeated over and over. Using these very same cliches is simply a futile exercise. My suggestion is to add a unique twist to these cliches. This is something I am focusing on more and more.

A typical example of adding a unique twist to a cliche is found in Dianne Warren's "Unbreak my Heart" made popular by Toni Braxton. The ever popular cliche, "break my heart", was twisted.

(3) Here are three lyric writing suggestions.

1. Write a song about a particular incident. Your song should tell a story.

2. Write lyrics that have absolutely nothing to do with anything you've actually experienced.

3. Get lyric writing ideas from newspapers, magazines, movies, TV and so on.

Overcoming lyric writing hurdles involves a lot of determination, hard work and perseverance on your part. Implement the suggestions presented above and move one step closer to lyric writing success.

About The Author

Mantius Cazaubon offers lots of valuable songwriting tips, techniques, suggestions and advice on his site <a href="http://www.ultimatesongwriting.com" target="_new">http://www.ultimatesongwriting.com</a>. Visit <a href="http://www.ultimatesongwriting.com" target="_new">http://www.ultimatesongwriting.com</a> for the ultimate truth about lyric writing and songwriting.

<a href="mailto:mantius@ultimatesongwriting.com">mantius@ultimatesongwriting.com</a>

Review: The Bled - Pass the Flask

Released in 2003, Pass the Flask turned this little quintet from Tucson, into a mainstream success overnight. Classifying this band as 'metalcore' or 'indie' or 'hardcore' is quite futile, because for every genre you pick, someone is going to disagree, and have a solid backing for their view. Everyone however can agree that whatever The Bled are doing, they are doing it well.

This album bursts into action from the first song, and doesn't let you down for 38 minutes. Personally I would like to see a longer album, but releasing a short disc like this sure does make you long for more. The album is very tight throughout, featuring a 'machine gun' riffing section in nearly every song. If you love the stereotypical 'hardcore' breakdowns, you will love every minute of this album.

As with all bands in the 'metalcore' genre, the guitar work on this album is fantastic, a great blend of soothing indie tones, contrasted next to dissonant riffing doubled by the bass guitar and kick drums. Showcased best in 'The sound of sulfur' guitarists; Jeremy Tally and Ross Ott put on a spectacular performance highlighted by the breakdown section half way through the song. Building slowly with one hard panned guitar, the riff slowly progresses over 8 bars, culminating in a machine gun section with a 4/4 crash beat forcing you to nod your head. 'I hope he loves you like I did/ when you needed me / I came for you that night'

The vocals on this disc are nothing short of phenomenal, the band manages to turn a simplistic guitar melody and soothing vocal line 'and I'd burn alive to keep you warm/when you're alone/shiver under blankets in the basement" and slowly turn it into a thrash symphony that Metallica approve of. The most important aspect of music is dynamics; there is no use in playing something heavy unless you can juxtapose it next to something quiet. The band knows this, and they have crafted their songs masterfully using this concept.

Known for their intense stage show, the music conveys a sense of urgency, as if the band knew they need to have this music heard, and they aren't going to sit down until you've heard exactly what they have to say. You will hear it, especially since I you'll find yourself turning up your speakers periodically as the album progresses.

One of the most memorable moments on this disc comes on the 9th track, 'we are the industry' after 3 minutes of heavy riffing and screaming, the song slowly degrades into a simple guitar melody with calm, matter of fact vocals whispering 'we are the industry / the birth and the death' while the drumming and guitar slowly grows over the next few bars; adding a simple change every 4 bars gives the song an epic buildup, eventually the music, and vocals reach a fevered pitch and then drop off, into static.

If you're looking for a solid album with heavy guitars, solid drumming and excellent screaming vocals, there is a damn good chance that you will enjoy the bled. If not, you have terrible taste in music, and you should be shot! Well, perhaps that isn't the case, but I really like this disc, and I hope you do as well.

Overall: 8.4

Chris Elkjar is the founder of 'trust.me' an online music magazine for the enthusiast. He spends all of his spare time immersed in music, be it writing reviews, interviews with leading bands or writing his own music.

For more of his writing, check out <a target="_new" href="http://trust-me.ca/">Trust-Me.ca - Music for robots</a>

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 1 กุมภาพันธ์ พ.ศ. 2552

How to Stop Thinking and Start Playing

Learning how to improvise is confusing for most. The sheer number of choices becomes a burden. Should I play this note? What chord next? Where do I go from here? All valid questions newbies (and oldbies) at improvisation sometimes ask themselves.

The number one reason people have problems creating in the moment is that they won't let up on themselves and just play. They knew how to do it once as children but now that memory is gone and with it, a void has taken its place.

Fortunately, there is a solution. It's really a two-pronged solution because once we do learn how to ease up and just play, we are left with another problem and that is, what game are we playing.

The game of improvisation is a game like any other. We have a few rules, some guidelines, and then the game is played. You see, we must have some kind of structure to play the game of improvisation. Why? Because without it there would be way too many choices and this would prevent most people from even beginning.

Here's a perfect example. In Lesson 5, "Winter Scene," we have 2 chords, a scale, and a way to play these chords. With these choices out of the way, we can now focus on and enjoy the act of improvisation. We can play around with the music and feel good about our play.

Some think working within a set of limitations is uncreative. I thought so too once until I realized that until I learned how to do this by following the examples of others, I couldn't be free to create my own set of limitations.

An Interview with Angus Young of ACDC - Why He Plays a Gibson SG

Steven:
Maybe more than any other guitarist ever, you're inextricably linked to the Gibson SG? What was the evolution that brought you to this particular instrument?

Angus:
I started playing on banjos and re-strung them up with six strings. [But] an acoustic guitar, an old bang up little ten-dollar job, that was probably the first thing I started playing on. Me brother Malcolm got a Hofner off of one of me other brothers and he got a Gretsch and passed the Hofner on to me after much squabbling.

It was semi-acoustic and had all been packed with cotton. But I never used to really take it as a serious thing; I just used to fool around with it. When I was about 14 was when I really started playing it seriously. I got an amplifier for about sixty bucks that used to distort all the time. It was a Phi-Sonic. After that I got out and got a Gibson SG that I played until it got wood rot because so much sweat and water got into it. The whole neck warped. I bought it second-hand, it was about a '67. It had a real thin neck, really slim, like a Custom neck. It was dark brown. After about a year, you lose about half the power in the pickups so you either get them re-wired or put new ones in. Just ordinary Gibsons.

Steven:
Did these early instruments still have that tremolo arm attached?

Angus:
They did but I took it off. I used to fool around with them but you begin sounding like Hank Marvin.

Steven:
And why did you remain loyal to the Gibson SG for the remainder of your career?

Angus:
It was light [weight-wise]. I'd tried the other ones, Fenders, but you've really got to do a number on 'em. They're great for feel but the wiring just doesn't got the balls. And I don't like putting those DiMarzios and everything because everyone sounds the same. All the other sort of Gibsons I tried like the Les Paul was too heavy. Hip displacement.

When I first started playing with the SG there was nothing to think about. I don't know how this came about but I think I had a lot thinner neck. Someone once said to me they [Gibson] make two sized necks, one was 1 ? and one was 1 ? and this was like 1 ?, thin all the way up. Even now I still look all over and I still haven't found one; I've been to a hundred guitar shops and I found the same guitar [model] but with different necks.

Steven:
Did you ever experiment with the Gibson SGs when they were called Les Pauls [Eric Clapton's graphically appointed Cream-era guitar is probably the most famous representative of this model]?

Angus:
Yeah, I had a really old one I bought, a 1962. But it had a very fat neck; it was good to play but it felt heavier than all the other ones. That's why I stopped using it. And when you're running around a lot, it weighs you down.

Steven:
So from High Voltage on it's always been the SG. Have you ever tried using more modern types of instruments?

Angus:
Yeah, I tried a Hamer but I wouldn't buy an expensive guitar ? especially in my case. It's always getting beaten around. With the SG, you can do plenty of tricks with them.

Steven:
And you've been faithful to Marshall amplifiers as well?

Angus:
Ever since I've been in this band I've been using Marshalls. I've tried Ampeg and they weren't too good for the sound I wanted.

On stage I have four stacks going, all hooked up with splitter boxes. 100-watt stacks ? it's good for your eardrums. I use a real lot of volume, I turn that up; I turn the treble and bass on about half and middle, the same. I don't use any presence. If I don't think it's putting out enough top, I will kick up the presence.

With Marshalls, if you're using a fair bit of volume, if you whack the treble and bass at half, that's where they're working. We get them from the factory, that's what we do. We go down there and try them out and fool around with amps and tell them what we want and they doctor them up. At the moment, they're all back to the old style of Marshalls, they're very clean. They don't have these master or preamp settings.

Steven:
You have entered the modern age of electronics in your use of a wireless system.

Angus:
Yeah, I use the Schaffer-Vega. I've been using that since '77. On the receiver you've got like a monitor switch you can boost the signal and in the transmitter you've got the same sort of thing. You can really give a guitar hell with 'em. I have used the remote in the studio and it worked really good. I don't believe I've ever had a wah-wah or a fuzz box. It's just the guitar and the amp and if I need anything, if someone says they want a different approach to the sound, then I'll get it with the guitar.

Steven Rosen is a Rock Journalist. Since 1973 he has accumulated over 1000 hours of audio content and 700 articles and interviews...all now available for licensing or purchase.

Contact Steven Rosen for more information and review more of Steven's published interviews at <a target="_new" href="http://www.classic-rock-legends-start-here.com/classic-rock-interviews.html">http://www.classic-rock-legends-start-here.com/classic-rock-interviews.html</a>

Classic Rock Legends biographies, discographies, top 10 albums and more at <a target="_new" href="http://www.classic-rock-legends-start-here.com">http://www.classic-rock-legends-start-here.com</a>

Guitar Players...Learn About The Point Of Discipline

Have you ever started learning a lick or exercise and stopped practicing it before you had mastered it? Now I don't know you, but my guess the answer to the question is yes! Why is that? Why did you stop, when it was something that you REALLY wanted to learn?

There are quite a few reasons for it, but the one I would like to mention now is what I call the "point of discipline" . This is the point when the initial enthusiasm of learning that new lick/exercise wears off. It is no longer so new and exciting. This is the time when you will have to use your self-discipline to complete the task at hand.

A lot of guitar players will tell you at this point?"Hey man, guitar's supposed to be all about fun! If I have to use my self-discipline, I'll no longer enjoy it." If anyone says that to you, have a look at their playing. Most of the time they are not very good :)They have not reached a virtuoso level of playing, so why listen to them!

The point of discipline is when most guitar players quit. Rather than using their self-discipline to TRULY master the lick/exercise, they stop practicing it and move onto something new. It's tempting isn't it? We've ALL done this at some point in our development as a guitarist. But what's the cost of doing this?

Some of the negative consequences of quitting at the point of discipline include:

1. You'll never reach the virtuoso levels of guitar playing. Can you imagine virtuosos like Yngwie Malmsteen , Rusty Cooley , Michael Angelo etc, quitting before they have mastered what they are working on? I don't think so! They didn't become so incredible by being quitters. They have learned to tap into their self-discipline.

2. You'll never have that feeling of pride that comes with truly mastering something.

3. You won't learn to confront your present technical limitations and overcome them. This will mean that you'll learn a lot of new things but your overall level of playing won't become elevated.

4. You'll know about 1007 bits of songs, but if someone asks you to play a song from start to finish, you can't.

Not a pretty picture is it? So what are some things that you can do about it? Here are a few ideas?

1. When learning a new lick or exercise, set a speed goal. Keep practicing the lick/exercise until the speed goal has been reached. Realise that this can sometimes take weeks, months (or even years!).

2. Learn to enjoy using your self-discipline. Feel proud about yourself every time you follow through and master something.

3. Use visualization. See yourself in your mind's eye becoming a guitar virtuoso. This will help keep you motivated and enthusiastic!

4. Make a commitment to completion. With everything you learn, refuse to quit. Keep working on it until it has been mastered.

I guarantee that if you learn to tap into your self-discipline your guitar playing will improve at an accelerated rate! Of course, if you want to sit on the couch watching TV and eating bags of potato chips,dreaming about one day becoming an awesome guitarist, that's cool also!

Craig Bassett is a professional guitarist, guitar tutor and author living in Auckland, New Zealand.

Master the notes on the guitar fretboard...
<a target="_new" href="http://www.pentatonic-guitar-lessons.com/note-mastery.html">Master the Guitar Fretboard.</a>

my music