Tips for Learning Difficult Songs

As guitarists we’ve all come across songs that are too difficult for us to learn at that moment. While it’s easy to just throw in the towel and give up, it’s important to take the time to learn songs that are beyond our current skill level. Working through these songs is what helps us to improve and grow. But for a lot of guitar players it’s difficult to know where to start. There are two rules I make sure to follow when I am working on a difficult song or piece.

Rule #1: Break it down

This is especially helpful if a song is particularly long. If you break the song down into sections it becomes much easier to tackle. Work on one section until you get that down, then move onto the next. Continue until you’ve finished learning all of the sections and then put it all together. Before you know it, you’ll have the whole thing down.

Rule # 2: Slow it down

The second rule is especially useful for songs that have fast riffs and passages. It’s much easier for both our fingers and our brains to get a song if it is learned slowly. There are CD players available on the market that let you slow down songs without changing the pitch. Downloadable software, like Song Surgeon and the Amazing Slow Downer, can be used for the same purpose. This allows you to slow down any song to whatever speed is comfortable for you. Once you’re capable of playing it at one speed, you can start playing it a bit faster, then a bit faster and so on until you’ve got it up to the original speed.

Tips and Tricks for Learning and Practicing Guitar Scales

Scales are a fundamental part of music, so learning and practicing them is absolutely vital to becoming a successful guitar player. If you’re anything like me when I first started, then you may find the task of learning and practicing scales a little bit on the daunting side. This blog entry will be devoted to offering a few ideas of what you can do to help you master scales. First things first, for those of you who don’t know, a scale is a succession of notes arranged in a pattern of whole steps (the distance of two frets on the fretboard) and half steps (the distance of one fret on the fretboard), (eg. major scale : WWH WWWH). By using the notes of a scale you can create an infinite amount of melodies and chords. Alright now that that’s taken care of, let’s get started!

Learn the Notes on the Fretboard

It’s important to know where all of the notes are on the fretboard, especially on the 6^th and 5^th strings, since the root of most scales start on those strings. There are dozens of ways you could go about doing this. I highly recommend heading on over to Ricci Adams’ musictheory.net. If you go to where it says trainers and click down to guitar trainer you’ll find a program that will help you to learn your notes. It’s a great little program and I have found that it helps immensely. Try to practice learning your notes a little bit every day.

Learn More Than One Scale Form for Each Scale

Being able to play a scale in multiple positions on the fretboard can mean the difference between being a great player and a mediocre one. Learning many different scale forms in different positions will help to open up the fretboard and give you more options and offer more flexibility when soloing.

Learn the Individual Notes That Make Up a Scale

This is a much more effective way of learning scales rather than simply learning the various scale forms. Knowing exactly what notes make up a scale, and knowing what relationship those notes have to the chord they’re being played over will give you much more control over what you are playing. This is especially true when improvising. A great way to do this is to take a scale that you’re learning and to play it very slowly, ascending and descending, naming each note as you go along. You can also do this by replacing the note names with each note’s scale degree (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). Then you can start making up little melodies and name the notes (or scale degrees) that you are using.

Get Yourself a Scale Reference Guide

It’s always a good idea to have a way of looking up scales, and there are dozens of books out there that do just that. Personally, I use the Incredible Scale Finder, from Hal Leonard. It has over 1300 scales and it’s designed so that they are all easy to find. But really any book that lists scales should do.

Make Sure You Practice Using a Metronome

I cannot stress the importance of a metronome enough. Practicing scales and other technique exercises while using a metronome allows you to develop a solid sense of timing and helps you to keep scales at a slow pace until you can are capable of playing faster.

Improvise

Creating improvised solos is a great way to practice scales. Pick a scale and play along with the radio, or your favourite CD. You can also check out jamcenter.com, which is a great site that offers a variety of backing tracks in different keys and styles for you to jam along with.

Show at The British

Hello everyone! It's been awhile! This is for anyone who lives in the Gatineau/Ottawa area. I will be playing an approximately one hour set to open for my friend's band Skex at The British in Aylmer Québec on Saturday May 2. It starts at around 8:00 PM and costs $5 at the door. Bring lots of friends! Hope to see you all there :)

Michelle

How To Prevent Wrist, Finger and Forearm Strain When Playing Guitar

It is often easy to forget how physically demanding playing the guitar can be. It is not uncommon to see guitar players who are suffering from a variety of problems, including tendonitis (an inflammation of the tendons) and carpel tunnel syndrome (when the median nerve is compressed at the wrist, leading to pain, paresthesias, and muscle weakness in the hand).These can be debilitating problems, but they are preventable. There are some important things you can do to protect yourself from having these problems now or later down the road.

First and foremost it is important to stretch before you play or practice, which not only helps to prevent injury, but will also allow you to play more effectively. The best way to do this is to start off by stretching the fingers one by one. Start by placing your left hand thumb against your right hand palm and pushing back slightly, not so far that it hurts but far enough so you can feel a stretch. Hold for about 30 seconds. Do this with the rest of your fingers on your left hand, and then repeat the same stretch for all the fingers on the right hand.

This next stretch is great for both your wrists and your forearms. Start by putting your palms together in front of your chest. Slowly push out your elbows and bend your wrists, holding once you feel a good stretch. Next, rotate your wrists forward so your fingers are pointing away from you. Stop and hold when you feel a stretch. After stretching it's always a good idea to warm up by practicing a few scales, riffs, or chords.

There are some things to keep in mind when you are playing that can help to prevent any problems. First of all, try to keep your wrists as straight as possible when you are playing. When your wrists are bent it will cause unnecessary strain, and also makes it harder to move your fingers. While there are some chords or passages that require you to bend your wrists slightly, it will be better in the long run if you can keep them straight for as long as possible. Just do your best. Also, try not to press on the strings any harder than is absolutely necessary, as doing so will cause a great deal of strain.

Another important tip is to take a break. 15 mins for every hour of playing should do, but take a longer break if you have to. And if you feel any pain or discomfort whatsoever while playing it is important to stop. Trying to play through the pain will only make things worse, so do yourself a favour and stop as soon as you feel any discomfort.

Take care of your hands and wrists and you will be able to experience the joy of playing the guitar for many years to come.

Stay tuned for my next blog!

Until then, take care!

Michelle

R.I.P. Richard Wright

I was very sad to hear that Richard Wright, Pink Floyd keyboardist and one of the founding members of the group, passed away today. Although he was not as easily recognizable as David Gilmour or Roger Waters, he contributed just as much to the Pink Floyd sound as the others.

There's an article about his passing that you can find here http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5goXIvltXKGWx6JNIo-5rDbZHVI6gD937ERS80

My wishes go out to his friends and family, as well as the three remaining members of Pink Floyd.

Thank you for your wonderful playing, Rick. Rest in peace.

The Limitation Lie

Often times when we are learning guitar, or are learning anything for that matter, we are told by others that we can't do it. You might hear "Oh, you can't play that, it's impossible!" or "You've got a long way to go before you'll be good enough to play anywhere". What's even worse is when we tell ourselves those things and when we make excuses as to why we cannot learn something or play something. We may tell ourselves "I don't have the talent to play," "Nobody in my family is musical," "This will take too long for me to ever learn," etc.

The truth is that it is absolutely possible to be the guitar player that you want and play anything that you want! You see, I firmly believe that our lives are the way they are because of our thoughts and that we have the power to deliberately create the exact life we want. I was listening to an audio program the other day by Dr. Wayne Dyer called "The Real Magic" and one particular tape entitled "Develop A Magic Personality" really caught my attention. In it he discussed all of the limitations we put on ourselves and explains how we have been taught from the beginning that there are certain things we just cannot do for one reason or another. Dr. Dyer spends the majority of this program discussing ways to change our thought patterns in order to become the kind of people we want to be, and all of what he said seemed to fit so perfectly with playing the guitar. I decided that I would take some of the things he discussed and tell you how you can use them in your development as a guitar player.

One of the biggest things that can hurt your growth and improvement as a guitarist is doubt. If you continue to doubt your ability to play certain songs or to learn a certain technique then that will be what you experience. Doubt is an "ingredient" in your life that has a dramatic impact on everything you do. For many of us, having doubt stems from the fact that we are raised with the belief that comparison is a legitimate way of measuring self-worth. We are told that our worth depends on how we stand up to others. So when we watch our favourite guitarists playing and compare what they can do to what we can do, we may start doubting ourselves and start saying all sorts of things that just aren't true. Here's something to think about: If your guitar playing was the only playing you'd ever heard, then yours would be the best in the world because you'd have nothing to compare it to. We have this tendency to believe we are separate from everyone else in the world when at the quantum level we are actually all connected. So the truth is it is possible to play whatever anyone else can play because you are connected to the same higher energy levels that allow them to do what they do. It's all simply a matter of tapping into that energy.

As I mentioned before, doubt plays a huge role in how you develop as a guitarist. Once you are able to remove doubt, you will begin to notice a big difference in your playing abilities. A good way to start eliminating doubt is by replacing the words "I can't" with "I can" and by trying to have faith in yourself at all times and a knowing that you really can do anything. The next thing I would suggest is that you get a very clear picture in your mind of the guitarist that you would like to be and hold that picture in your mind. In conversations you have with others and especially with yourself, make sure you are saying things that fit with that image of yourself. Speak, act and think in ways that are in line with your ideal self. If you continue to think about yourself, speak about yourself and act in ways that suggest you are already the kind of guitarist you'd like to be, then that will ultimately become your reality. What we put our focus on and energy into expands, so if you focus on all the skills you are lacking and all the things you cannot do, then that will continue to be your experience. But if you shift your focus towards all the techniques and songs you'd like to be able to play and imagine yourself playing them, then that will be what you act towards and that will become your experience.

Something that helps me is to get excited when I find something that I don't know how to play or that is beyond my current skill level. I try to see those kinds of things only as opportunities to become better and something that might bring me closer to being the guitar player I'd like to be, rather than seeing them as more reasons to feel bad about where I currently stand. As a result, I tend to practice those things a lot more than I ever would if I continued to tell myself that they were impossible to do.

Another exercise that will help is to write down a list of all the things you'd like to be able to do and play as a guitarist. Then, take each item from that list and make it an intention. For example: "It is my intention to play such and such song flawlessly." By making this an intention rather than simply calling it a goal or desire, you begin using the language of action. When you make learning something or doing something an intention, then you naturally begin to do things that will ensure that desire's manifestation. So let's say you have made it your intention to play in front of an audience for the first time. By making that your intention, you might be more inclined to start preparing for a performance by practicing more or by searching for an appropriate venue where you can perform.

This stuff can really make a difference. Just remember that you have the power to change your life experience, no matter what it is that you want to do, simply by changing the way you see things.

Stay tuned for my next blog!

Until next time, take care!

Michelle

"If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." - Wayne Dyer

If you would like more information on Dr. Wayne Dyer, then feel free to visit his website
http://www.drwaynedyer.com/

Need For Speed

It's a common dream amongst the guitar player community: standing on stage in front of an audience and watching as they go crazy while your fingers fly across the fretboard during your mind-numbingly awesome solo! While this vision is absolutely attainable, it does take time, discipline and the right frame of mind.

First and foremost, the most important thing you need if you plan on building up speed is a metronome. I cannot stress this enough! Using a metronome while you practice will allow you to develop the proper timing that is necessary to play quick riffs and licks. You see, speed really isn't about playing fast at all. It's about the timing.

By timing I mean being able to play a note at exactly the right time. If a note is even a little bit too early or too late it can make the passage being played sound too rushed or too slow. This is why practicing with a metronome is so very important. When practicing a speed building exercise you have to start off slow, making sure that every note is perfectly in time with the beats of the metronome. Once you master an exercise at a certain speed, then you can make it a little bit faster. Once you've mastered the exercise at the new speed, you can make it a bit faster than that, and so on. Yes it does take time, but it is well worth the effort.

Here's an exercise that's great not only for helping to develop proper timing, but is also a great way you work on your alternate (up/down) picking.

(4/4 time) With alternate picking
E ----------------------------------------------------
B ----------------------------------------------------
G ----------------------------------------1--2--3--4--
D ----------------------------1--2--3--4--------------
A --------------1--2--3--4----------------------------
E --1--2--3--4----------------------------------------

E --------------1--2--3--4----4--3--2--1--------------
B --1--2--3--4----------------------------4--3--2--1--
G ----------------------------------------------------
D ----------------------------------------------------
A ----------------------------------------------------
E ----------------------------------------------------

E ----------------------------------------------------
B ----------------------------------------------------
G --4--3--2--1----------------------------------------
D --------------4--3--2--1----------------------------
A ----------------------------4--3--2--1--------------
E ----------------------------------------4--3--2--1--

This exercise can be played using any rhythm you want, but I suggest you start out with either quarter notes (1 note per beat) or eighth notes (2 notes per beat). Once you feel comfortable with the rhythm you start with, then you can move on to sixteenth notes (4 notes per beat), triplets (3 notes per beat), sixteenth note triplets (6 notes per beat), etc.
Once you find yourself getting good at that, you can shake things up a bit by skipping strings.

(4/4 time) With alternate picking
E ----------------------------------------------------
B ----------------------------------------------------
G ----------------------------------------1--2--3--4--
D ---------------1--2--3--4---------------------------
A ----------------------------1--2--3--4--------------
E --1--2--3--4----------------------------------------

E ----------------------------------------1--2--3--4--
B --------------1--2--3--4----------------------------
G ----------------------------1--2--3--4--------------
D --1--2--3--4----------------------------------------
A ----------------------------------------------------
E ----------------------------------------------------

E --4--3--2--1----------------------------------------
B ----------------------------4--3--2--1--------------
G --------------4--3--2--1----------------------------
D ----------------------------------------4--3--2--1--
A ----------------------------------------------------
E ----------------------------------------------------

E ----------------------------------------------------
B ----------------------------------------------------
G --4--3--2--1----------------------------------------
D ----------------------------4--3--2--1--------------
A --------------4--3--2--1----------------------------
E ----------------------------------------4--3--2--1--

You can also do this exercise with different finger combinations.

2314-4132
1324-4231
2413-3142
1423-3241

These are just a few of the possible combinations out there. See if you can find your own.

One last thing before I'm done. Remember that playing fast isn't everything. For most beginning guitar players it's easy to get wrapped up in the idea that being a great guitarist is equated with being able to play really fast. This however is not the case. It takes a lot to be a great guitar player, and while speed most definitely contributes to that, it really isn't the most important thing a guitarist should be able to do. Often times the most beautiful sounding songs are ones where the guitarist was able to exercise restraint and only play those notes that best fit the song. It's all about context and the quality of the notes you play, not how fast you play them.

Stay tuned for my next blog!

Until then, take care!

Michelle