Just a heads-up about a new tutorial here on Guitar Tricks called:
MASTERING the ART of PRACTICE: How to LEARN Guitar
The new Mastering the Art of Practice tutorial lays out a 10-point strategy for growing your guitar skills and mastering any song or piece you want to learn to play.
It is just like a map (MAP, get it?), providing you with a sense of direction as you figure out exactly what, and how, to practice your guitar.
Apply this MAP to your practice sessions, and the system enables you to devise a strategy for seeing your guitar learning in a new light, for seeing connections and clues for creating a roadmap to take you from being an absolute newbie, to playing a piece with mastery.
It is not just about WHAT notes and moves you need to learn, but very specifically, HOW to go about learning them.
Mastering the Art of Practice is designed to apply to every skill level and style of guitar. Whether you are just starting out, or are a very experienced player, the MAP principles will enable you to learn better, and faster.
Many people believe that practicing the guitar is a simple matter of repetition. They think, "if I play it over and over and over, eventually I'll get good at it, right?"
Not necessarily. What if you are playing it wrong? Keep playing it wrong over and over and over, and you know what you get really good at? Playing it wrong.
In this tutorial, we re-think the goal of practicing, and frame it like this:
Practice is about Learning, Refining, and Absorbing.
First, we focus on the nuts and bolts of learning HOW to do the skill or the move you are working on. And then, we focus on learning how to do it even better. Learning how to do it with a little more finesse, a little better tone, a little more control.
And as you discover, little by little, all those little tweaks and adjustments that result in better and better sound, you intentionally ABSORB these LEARNINGS, and make them part of your technique, your habit, the way you play.
Only then does the wisdom of repetition begin to make sense. You repeat (and practice) the refinement, the bettered result, so it becomes your habit, and so your playing skills go up.
This is when practice results in progress. Learn something new. Refine it, make it better. Then, absorb that refined technique and make it your habit.
In this tutorial, we look at 10 key principles of Mastering the Art of Practice. You can apply these principles in the context of practicing a specific song or piece, and you can also apply these same principles to practicing scales, skills, and drills. Appropriate for all skill levels and styles.
Here's a sneak preview:
MASTERING the ART of PRACTICE: How to LEARN Guitar
Lessons:
1. Hey, You Look Familiar!
2. There You Go Again
3. On Your Mark, Get Set...
4. Many Birds, Few Stones
5. Navigate the Transitions
6. I've Got You Covered
7. Everything in Its Place
8. Make a Note of It
9. Loop it
10. Energy Ebb and Flow
11. Bonus Principle: A Secret Revealed!
Lessons:
1. Hey, You Look Familiar!
2. There You Go Again
3. On Your Mark, Get Set...
4. Many Birds, Few Stones
5. Navigate the Transitions
6. I've Got You Covered
7. Everything in Its Place
8. Make a Note of It
9. Loop it
10. Energy Ebb and Flow
11. Bonus Principle: A Secret Revealed!
This link will take you to this new tutorial.
Have fun! And let me know your thoughts...
Best wishes, Lisa
Lisa McCormick, GT Instructor
Acoustic, Folk, Pop, Blues
Full Catalog of Lisa's Guitar Tricks Tutorials
Find Lisa on Facebook!
Acoustic, Folk, Pop, Blues
Full Catalog of Lisa's Guitar Tricks Tutorials
Find Lisa on Facebook!