Saturday, July 3, 2010

Guitar notes

I had all but stopped playing. But this guitar piece has changed things a bit. As I try to play and improve, I find myself going through the same thought processes which I went through a few years ago. I wish I had them noted somewhere. The next time I play after a break, I am going to read this.
1. Concentrate. Clear the mind of other thoughts (including vacuuming your messy room)
2. Listen hard to your playing
3. While listening don't forget to think ahead, of the next chord.
4. Before performing a troublesome chord shift, look at the frets you want to be at before your hands go there. The hands should follow the eyes. Not go together with them.
5. For classical pieces like this one, walk into the chords. i.e. Not all notes are plucked together so focus on the notes which are played first before getting the whole chord position right with the left hand.
6. Left hand improvement is like exercising in the gym. You can do a lot for a few days and burn yourself out or do a significant amount regularly and build lasting strength.
7. Enjoy what you are doing. Or stop.