Been using this site for about a momth. but I have. missed quite a few practice days. When I play the lessons I cannot look at my fingers on the fret board AND look at the music at the same time. So I am mostly playing without looking at the fretboard.
My fingers press the wrong strngs on the fretboard on a regualr basis becasue I cannot see what I am prssing.
Does anyone hav e ad vice on this?
Hi Keith
I note that you state "using this site for about a month". Of greater relevance, how long have you been learning/playing guitar?
If just a month or two, your expectation is unrealistic.
Assimilation to the point fretting 'blind' in conjunction with strumming or picking pattern until an accurate quasi-automatic developed motor skill takes considerable exposure, repetition and perseverance, but most saliently [u]time[/u]. Rome wasn't built in a day.
Factoring in a second/third task of sight reading tab or stave notation if one's playing isn't already established to the point of an intrinsic reflex action will increase the load factor exponentially resulting in load shedding. Playing or reading, one of those primary two tasks needs to be sufficiently developed to focus on the other.
Choose which, an obvious choice I should think, and focus on it.
In the meantime memorise the music/song/riff/lick/melody prior to and during the learning of it which permits total focus to playing the guitar. As and when play skills develop to instinctive, and read this as years not weeks or months IMPE, the sight reading challenge can be more satisfactorily addressed.
All the best with it.
Thank you manXcat for the reply. May I ask one more question. So as I am following along with the lesson if I have to look at the tab then look at the guiter fret for each note I will never be able to keep up. Is that what is intended in thes beginner lessons?
Regards,
Keith
Originally Posted by: keith9346Thank you manXcat for the reply. May I ask one more question. So as I am following along with the lesson if I have to look at the tab then look at the guiter fret for each note I will never be able to keep up. Is that what is intended in thes beginner lessons?
Regards,
Keith
Keith I think [u]for clarity this question really needs to be asked of Lisa for the definitive answer[/u] of presentation to purpose in her beginner course. I'm not a [u]guitar[/u] instructor, nor without clairvoyance can I other than presume the intent of why it's presented like this, save reason of completion and consistency throughout the lessons over the website.
To me, expecting beginners with no prior musical or guitar background to be able to play and sight read concurrently is pretty clearly an unrealistic expectation. So to my pragmatic mind I don't think that's either the intent on how its supposed to be used.
I can only offer my own interpretation of how I interpret it intended, including the methodology I used, still use. Approaching three years in with Guitar Tricks in Feb next year, neither embarassed nor fussed over the fact, I still can't [u]dynamically sight read[/u] stave or tab. Although it was on a perceived 'desire to do' list when I started out, since I have relinquished any focus on that skill as I triaged it pragmatically of lesser significance than other skills to be acquired with my energy and focus in the available time, and still do at this juncture. In years to come I hope to address that, but when the time is circumspect.
In the interim, applying the 5 P principle I rely upon preparation. I pre-read the lesson entire to understand and assimilate it, then commit to memory the necessary tab/notation material including chords, riffs, licks, or melody line assisted as necessary by watching the vids confirming any subsequent inquiry with the notation. Pretty much like pre-learning learning lyrics or poetry or the 12 times table or alphabet in grade school by repetiton and recitation until rote instinctive rather than sight reading them on the fly in the moment of doing.
There could be a sharper way of approaching learning to conjunctively sight read whilst learning to play the part/piece/song, but I haven't discovered it yet. This has worked successfully for me resulting in a satisfactory rate of progress acceptable to me thus far. However I'm always ready to learn, adapt and change if there's a better way which caveat, serves pragmatic purpose.
[br]See what Lisa or Christopher advise. All the best.
P.S. Feel free to cut and post this in Lisa's Instructor forum for her clarification if that assists.
