If you’ve been following The Six Points of Awesome, you have:

Made a commitment to yourself to reach your greatest potential.
Found a mentor or two to inspire you and to help guide you in the right direction.
Focused your attention on the details like a laser beam.
Consistently punched the clock in your guitar practice.

Now that you’re in the practice room, what do you do?

The simple answer is “practice”…and for getting that one right, I would applaud you.

However, many guitarists treat “practice” as an open-ended, “a little of this followed by a little of that” approach. Although doing a little of this followed by a little of that is perfectly valid and can be fun, it seldom leads to Status: Awesome.

So in this Awesome Point we’re going to talk about how to get the most out of your practice time through good organization, sound strategies, a clear sense of priorities, and even knowing when to say “when”.

[Note: If you happened to answer the above question with, "practice with good organization and solid strategies in place to make the most of my time", then I would not only slow clap for you, but I'd also give you the Guitar Ninja High-Five*.]

In the fifth installment of our series, it’s all about efficiency – in planning, approach and execution. Let’s rawk!

Awesome Point #5: Be Efficient

You’re probably familiar with the phrase, “Work smarter, not harder.” Well, this is just another way of saying that you should work efficiently.

The term efficiency describes the extent to which time or effort is well used for the intended task or purpose. To say that we are using an “efficient method” of guitar practice means that we are able to produce a specific outcome – greater fretboard knowledge, for instance – effectively with a minimum amount of waste, expense, or unnecessary effort. Basically, we aim to get the most done with the least effort. For those among us who are short on time for guitar practice, this may be the ultimate key to success!

Let’s explore some ideas that will help us to become as musically efficient as possible, shall we?

Get Organized

Having a good sense of organization for our guitar practice means setting up some musical categories and making sure that we regularly touch on elements from each category. This will keep up our strengths, bring up our weaknesses, and keep us moving forward instead of spinning our wheels.

Jamie Andreas of Guitar Principles has written a very in-depth article on this subject: Guitar Practice Organization. In it, she categorizes the practice elements this way: Technique, Musical Skills, Repertoire and Review.

The Technique category consists of exercises that enhance the purely physical, mechanical nature of playing. The Musical Skills category is a catch-all for the wide variety of things that make up your skill and knowledge base, such as theory, rhythm, scale work, chord vocabulary, improvisation, ear training, etc. The Repertoire category is simply songs that you’re learning or have learned. The Review category is just that: consistently going back over material you’ve previously learned, whether from the Musical Skills or Repertoire category. Because the art of guitar is such a wide-ranging endeavor, regular review is not a suggestion; it’s a necessity.

The bottom line here is that having good practice organization will clearly illuminate what needs to be done, so that we can then set out to efficiently execute said things. It will also make sure that we’re spreading the love around a bit, instead of only focusing on the stuff that we’re good at or the stuff that’s “fun” – both surefire ways of becoming stagnant.

Get Some Strategies

There are a bunch of practice strategies that I’ve either invented or stolen lovingly appropriated from other sources. I’ve listed some of them below in random order and added some clues about how to use them. Rest assured that if I’m including them here, they absolutely work in cutting down on wasted time and effort.

PRACTICE IN MANAGEABLE SECTIONS

Please stop trying to practice everything from the beginning to the end, which is the standard protocol for newbs (and sometimes veterans). If there is just one thing that will make your practice more efficient, this is it. Work on a few bars of music at a time and really master them. Add a few more bars and do the same. Link ‘em together.

If you’ve got an issue in bar 11, but you keep playing through your song from bar 1 until you stumble at bar 11, you’re wasting a whole lot of time. Instead isolate bar 11 first and work it; then smooth it over as follows…

SMOOTH OVER THE SECTIONS

Think of it like fixing a hole in the drywall. You put a patch over it and lay some spackle on. You then feather and sand the spackle in all directions so that the hole can’t be detected anymore. This is the mentality with linking musical sections.

Let’s take the aforementioned problem bar 11. First work on fixing bar 11. When that’s cooking, play into bar 11 from bar 10, then from bar 9, then from bar 8. When you’re comfortable getting into the problem area, work on getting out of it by playing from bar 11 into bar 12 as cleanly as possible. We’ve now spackled and sanded that problem area, guitar-style.

SPEED IS NOT YOUR FRIEND

When learning anything new, speed is your enemy. Go slower than you think you need to in order to allow your brain to absorb the new material. Focus hard on becoming accurate first. Speed is a by-product of mechanical accuracy. Allowing yourself to play too fast too soon will just hinder your progress by impeding the muscle memory you’re working so hard to achieve.

VISUALIZE IT AND “EYEBALL” IT

Some things you visualize in your mind’s eye, such as the shapes of the chords or the path of the scale. These need to be “seen” before you make the move; don’t wait until the moment of truth to decide what the chord looks like or where the scale pattern lies.

“Eyeballing” something means actively looking for and locating the fret that you need, again preferably before the moment of truth. This is especially important when moving up and down the fretboard with power chords or barre chords: it helps to “lead” with your first finger, for example, by aiming it at a specific fret.

FIND THE COMMON ELEMENTS

Make use of what I call “common” strategies; that is, let the elements that chords have in common help you to make efficient chord changes.

The common finger strategy dictates that you keep a finger anchored in place if it’s the same for two consecutive chords. It would be poor guitar technique to lift up a finger only to put it back down in the same spot (for example, fingers 1 and 2 in C and Am).

The common string strategy dictates that you let a finger shift you along a string if that finger stays on that string in consecutive chords (for example, finger 1 on string 3 between D and E).

The common shape strategy encourages you to use similarities in shape to help you visualize and maintain your hand position in consecutive chords (for example, Am and E).

START AT THE END

Sometimes it can be a fun exercise – and possibly give you an advantage, psychologically-speaking – to work backwards when learning a riff or section of a song. This way you’re always working from a newer/weaker section into a familiar/stronger section, rather than the traditional way of working out of the familiar/stronger section and into the newer/weaker section. Give it a try!

Get Your Priorities Straight

Many times a guitarist will understand the elements she has to work on, but the way she prioritizes them is out of whack. She just needs to focus on the correct things at the correct time. The most critical example of this is left hand versus right hand movements.

LEFT OR RIGHT HAND, NOT BOTH

When you’re working on left hand issues, simplify the right hand moves. This way you can keep the focus where it belongs.

An example of this might be working out a new major scale pattern. Either play it with all downstrokes or take out the right hand and just “tap dance” along the scale pattern with the left hand fingers. When the left hand is locked in, then start to incorporate alternate picking in the right hand. Trying to do both simultaneously – unless you’re a solid intermediate to advanced player – is usually a recipe for wasted time.

Vice versa, if you’re rocking a new complicated right hand technique, keep the left hand stuff to a minimum. Heck, take the left hand out altogether!

For example, a tricky syncopated strum pattern might be best practiced over just one chord or even open strings. Once that strum starts to lock in, start incorporating chord changes one at a time. This works like a charm.

THE PARETO PRINCIPLE

Another priority issue that I sometimes see is a musical version of the Pareto Principle, often called the “80/20 Rule”.

For the uninitiated, the Pareto Principle refers to the idea that the vast majority of benefits are usually produced by a small minority of contributors; for example, 80% of your sales usually come from 20% of your customers. So it would seem smart to focus on giving your best customers (the core 20%) the best service, since they generate the bulk of your sales.

For guitar purposes, stop with all the fluff and the stuff that doesn’t really matter and focus hard on the fundamentals that give you the greatest benefits! This is the epitome of making the most of your practice time.

[Note: Although folks like to say that 80% of the benefits are produced by only 20% of the contributors, there is apparently nothing magical about the numbers 80 and 20. It is simply meant to signify a vast majority and minority.]

Here are some guitar studio examples of the Pareto Principle:

Learning to sweep pick and finger tap can be a lot of fun, but those techniques are used 1% of the time. Focus on solid alternate picking first and foremost.

Learn to play your basic scales – pentatonic, major and blues – in all 5 positions on the fretboard, then worry about modes and other improvisation concepts.

Don’t spend time on exotic chords up and down the fretboard when you have trouble remembering the basic open chords like G, Em and D. Clearly your time is better spent there, making them sound solid and professional.

My personal favorite: stop buying new guitars and learn to play the ones you have. Gear lust is fun but it makes you a guitar owner. Learning to play makes you a musician.

Jamie Andreas likes to say, “practicing one thing is practicing everything”, which means that learning one element well will carry over into other things you do. It’s a variation on “all ships rise with the tide” and it’s what we sometimes refer to as Vertical Progress. Truly mastering the fundamentals causes all of your songs – the Horizontal Progress part – to improve across the board.

Remember that the most accomplished players are not usually any smarter or more talented than you or I. They have just mastered the basics – the small minority of elements that give the most benefits – better than we have. So forget the fluff and concentrate on that 20%!

Let the Music Come to You

Finally, there are a few situations where patience or even knowing when to stop and regroup is the best approach. This is not to be used as an excuse for lazy behavior, of course; think of it more as stalking your musical prey.

PUT IN YOUR TIME, BUT DON’T FORCE IT

Although it’s much more common to encounter guitarists who don’t put forth enough effort to get great results, some are actually too intense about their playing and wind up whipping themselves into a frenzy of frustration. These are the folks that you have to talk down from the ledge once in a while.

They need to throttle the intensity back and “let the game come to them” (to use a very cliched sports term). They want it too much and they want it NOW.

Unfortunately, learning a new skill – especially a complex motor skill like guitar – takes time and patience. Your brain needs time to absorb the information (assuming you’re feeding it the correct info, ‘natch) and then it takes time for the brain’s commands to sync up with your hands. You simply can’t force it.

GETTING BETTER, GETTING WORSE

If you’re anything like me, you may have encountered a time when you’ve started off playing some chord changes or a particular guitar riff poorly, but then after some focused practice, it all started to come together and sound pretty good. Having witnessed a glimmer of success, you kept hacking away at it, hoping to conquer that beast once and for all.

And then, inexplicably, it started to sound bad again. Little by little, all manner of things started going wrong, including some stuff that was sounding killer just a few moments ago!

This is not at all unusual; in fact, I see it in guitar lessons on a regular basis, as well as in my own guitar practice.

It’s almost like your brain is telling you to “put the brakes on for a while and let me sort some stuff out.” So do what your noggin is telling you: stop, take a few breaths, clear your mind, and slowly work that riff again from the beginning. I think you’ll see steady, lasting improvement at that point.

BE A NINJA…TO A POINT

The old Japanese saying, “Seven times down, eight times up” is a testament to persistence. Without persistence, you simply won’t succeed at much in life. In fact, we tell kids this all the time; learning how to “keep at it” is a key to success.

But there can be a point of diminishing returns, where the psychological toll of failing at something is greater than whatever lesson you’re hoping to learn. At that point – and you’ll likely know when you’ve reached it – it’s best to walk away and come back tomorrow. Learning guitar is a marathon, not a sprint. You can’t win every individual battle in short order. Sometimes you win them over the course of days, weeks or months.

And sometimes you’re just beating a dead horse (to use a decidedly creepy figure of speech) because you don’t realize that a particular technical or conceptual issue is holding you back. So no matter how many times you try, you’re still going to fail at it. At some point, you may have to step back, take apart the problem and troubleshoot it for answers. That is often the breakthrough you need.

In Conclusion

To sum it all up: be as efficient as possible by organizing your practice, using sound strategies, keeping your priorities in order, and knowing when to call it a day. Next up is Awesome Point #6: Find Your Zone…

*An act as rare as a sighting of Bigfoot. But much more awesome.

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If I asked the average person what it takes to be great on a musical instrument, they would undoubtedly say, “Practice.”

And they would be right. Consistent practice is one of the keys to greatness in any skill or discipline. Notice I said, “consistent practice”. The consistent part is pretty important.

Folks that practice haphazardly are likely to get haphazard results. But you wanna be awesome, right? If so, don’t be Mr. Inconsistent. Instead, punch the clock regularly and get down to business.

[Note: If you haven't checked out the first three Points of Awesome, this would be a fine time to do so. They can be found here, here and here.]

In the fourth installment of our Six Points of Awesome series, we’re going to explore why consistency is so important to your success, both mentally and physically; why short but frequent sessions always trump marathon practices; and why keeping your guitar in plain sight is one of the hidden “tricks” to guitar progress. Let’s get started!

Awesome Point #4: Be Consistent

If you remember back to the beginning of our series, I pegged Making a Commitment as Awesome Point #1. Being consistent in your practicing and playing is simply an extension of your commitment. You must become a disciple of the instrument in order to get the most out of it.

In fact, the word “discipline” comes from “disciple”. So rather than thinking of having the discipline to practice as a chore or something to be dreaded, instead use the word for what it really means: being devoted to something. And when we think of devotion, we think of long-lasting and consistent, not short-lived and intermittent. Practicing your guitar consistently simply shows your devotion to the instrument.

For some folks with especially busy or hectic schedules, the only way to be consistent is to plan out exactly when you will practice. I’ve got some students who play before school because they know that after school is always chaotic for them. I’ve got adult students who make it a ritual to play before bed every night. Whatever your personal schedule, find a regular time that works for your lifestyle and make an appointment with yourself to show up and play your guitar.

I find that planning practice time is most important for adults, because they have any number of work- and family-related things that pull them in all directions. So when I take on a new adult student, one of the first things I ask is, “When do you plan on practicing?” It’s critical to their success that they come up with a workable answer to that question.

Little and Often

When I first started teaching guitar full-time, I investigated some articles on the web and I was immediately impressed by one instructor out of England. His name is Nick Minnion and his simple but profound concept of “little and often” has become one of the backbones of my teaching philosophy.

“Little and often” is consistency all boiled down into one catchy phrase. It’s an absolute myth that you need long hours of practice to get good on the guitar. Will more hours help? Sure. But if you’ve only got 15-20 minutes every evening, then make the best out of those minutes. Do it consistently and I guarantee – guarantee – that you will improve steadily.

The opposite of “little and often” is having a marathon practice on Sunday and then not playing for four days. The Sunday practice was cool, but I’d rather see 15 minutes at a time, spread out over each day of the week. There is scientific evidence to back this up. The nervous system – and the motor skills it provides to us – works best with consistent exposure to a stimulus. This way the brain is able to do the processing of similar information over and over, which ingrains it in our nervous system and makes the neural pathways more efficient. The by-product of all this consistency: muscle memory. Which is a beautiful thing.

[Note to Science Geeks: Gary Marcus clearly explains the whole "proceduralization" process (Chapter 4, "It Don't Come Easy") in his newest work, Guitar Zero. It's one of my Highly Recommended books.]

Muscle memory is critical to the learning process. Without it, you will simply NEVER play at a decent level. When I see someone struggling with the same moves for weeks and months on end, I know two things to be true:

1 – They don’t get nearly enough repetitions to build muscle memory.
2 – The reps they do get are not high quality (meaning, they aren’t consistent and correct).

If you give yourself consistent, correct repetitions today – and tomorrow, and the next day – you can’t help but improve your muscle memory, and therefore, your playing. In fact, it’s almost impossible not to! Your brain will take those reps, process the info, and send out clearer commands to your fingers next time. Repeat that process a gazillion times and you will have a finely-tuned nervous system and lightning fast fingers to match!

It all starts with “little and often”.

Use It or Lose It

The opposite of all this beautiful muscle memory stuff is true also, and it is best known by the phrase, “use it or lose it”.

This is a human problem – not just a guitar problem – and no one is immune to it. The longer you go without using a skill, the more likely it is that you will “lose it” and have to retrain yourself to execute it. Not only do our brains forget, but the muscle memory we once had becomes rusty as well.

If you are a more advanced player, with thousands of hours of practice behind you, it will take longer for you to lose your skills. Unfortunately for the inexperienced player, your muscle memory will fade pretty quickly if you don’t consistently reinforce your movements. If you’ve been playing seriously for a year or less, the “little and often” approach is more critical for your development than for any other player. Word.

Bottom line: “Little and often” means you’re consistently “using it”, so you’re not “losing it”!

In Plain Sight

A commonly used phrase goes something like, “Half of your success is just showing up.”

You’ve got to show up before anything else can happen, so make sure you actually “show up” for guitar practice. In one of my all-time favorite books, Zen Guitar, Philip Sudo remarks that everything begins when you “pick up your guitar”.

One thing that will help this along – and a secret weapon of many greats – is actually pretty simple: Keep your guitar in plain sight. This will encourage you to show up at a moment’s notice.

It will also eliminate that pesky “out of sight, out of mind” thing that tends to plague us. Life is busy; sometimes we forget to do things just ’cause they’re not in front of us. And keeping your guitar in a case, under the bed or in the closet is a sure-fire way to spoil your plans for practicing “little and often”.

10,000 Hours

Just to put things in proper perspective – maybe even give it a little too much perspective, as David St. Hubbins famously said in This Is Spinal Tap – let’s explore just how much practice it takes someone to achieve world-class levels of knowledge and ability.

The “10,000 Hour Rule” has become a pretty popular notion in recent years, with regards to how much study it requires to become an expert in a particular field. It seems that Malcolm Gladwell’s best-selling book, Outliers, can be credited for the resurgence of this concept, but psychologists have long held this idea to be true: It takes approximately 10,000 hours of study in a field to be considered world-class, and this holds true, more or less, for everyone. If you have a lot of natural talent in the field, you may be able to knock off a few hours. Less natural talent usually means you add on a few hours. But by and large, the 10,000 hours is pretty universal.

Here’s the “too much perspective” part. That means 1,000 hours per year for ten years. If we do the math, that amounts to 2.7 to 3.3 hours of study per day, depending on how many days off you take annually.

Of course, guitarists can mesh together a number of elements in their practice, and it all counts:

Listening to music
Learning the fretboard
Studying theory
Ear training
Practicing scales and chords
Jamming on improvisational concepts
Learning new songs and riffs
Reviewing material
Writing songs
Band practice/collaboration
Performing

And finally, let’s be clear about one thing: Everyone is not required to be world-class. You can be as good as you want to be; as long as you feel like you’re achieving YOUR goals, that’s all that matters. This “10,000 Hour Rule” section is just to give you a little too much perspective. And maybe give you new respect for those musicians who are willing to take it to the limit.

Punch the Clock

In the spirit of keeping it real, though, please understand that many of those 10,000 hours – which seem so overwhelming – will be “punch the clock”-type work.

Although we want to put in “productive” hours, productivity is not always about learning something new. Many times it’s about training ourselves – reinforcing what we already know and drilling the concepts and movements deep into our nervous system.

But sometimes students fall into a problem area here, namely, boredom.

In my experience, boredom in music is usually a product of not seeing the connection between what you’re doing and your goal. If your teacher has you running major scales for 20 minutes and your goal is to play AC/DC tunes, then boredom is almost a given since the two things are not truly aligned.

But if your practice materials are aligned with your goals – or if your teacher has explained how certain fingerpicking drills and exercises are designed to move you in the direction of your goal to play “Dust in the Wind” – then you have to resist the entire concept of boredom.

As for me, I’m NEVER bored when working on music. It doesn’t even enter my thinking. If my goal is to get the diminished scale together because it will help me in my jazz improv, then I drill the diminished scale over and over, paying strict attention to my movement, and keeping my eye on the prize. In this way, I can feel myself moving closer to my goal.

The same thing applies to riffing on power chords, learning how to tap a la Eddie Van Halen, or jamming in Dorian mode – keep a strong focus and resist any ideas of “boredom”. You’re simply ingraining those moves deeper and deeper, which brings you closer and closer to Status: Awesome.

The Space to Learn

Here is the final point and the one that ties it all together: Be aware that practicing and playing any instrument is about self-discovery.

You find great music to listen to. You look for song books in the music store. You research instruments to learn more about them. You learn chords and riffs and songs.

Your instructor will offer ideas, demystify the confusing parts, and hopefully inspire you to play. But, to quote Nick Minnion again, the space to learn is not between you and your teacher. The space to learn is between you and your guitar.

This is the second powerful concept of Awesome Point #4, but I sometimes get the impression that many guitar students think the learning takes place when we are together in a lesson. I would offer that the vast majority of learning takes place when they are playing and practicing the instrument on their own.

In Conclusion

To sum it all up: Show up for practice. Pick up your guitar. Position yourself consistently in “the space to learn”. Punch the clock “little and often”. That is all.

Next up is Awesome Point #5: Be Efficient…

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The votes were counted and apparently the guitar-lovin’ folks in Harford County cast a lot of ‘em, because your friend, JB, was featured in the Best of Harford issue of Harford Magazine!

I’ve known about it for a few months, so it wasn’t a surprise, but the magazine was finally published and released this week and I’ve gotta admit: It’s pretty exciting stuff!

Thanks so much to Jenn Dansicker for the great story – Finding Your Inner Jimi Hendrix – and to Matt Button for making me look good (okay, as good as it’s gonna get, let’s be honest ) in the pictures.

Jenn even worked in a little Kiss/”Calling Doctor Love” reference, which made the whole thing for me. Additionally, we got to feature one of my best students, Bailey Martin, in two shots so she is now quasi-famous in HarCo, just like me!

All kidding aside, it’s a great honor and I’m incredibly grateful to my family, friends and students for taking the time to vote for me. THANK YOU and let’s keep spreading the guitar gospel far and wide!

Here’s the link to the article on the Explore Harford website, which unfortunately only includes one, cropped photo from Matt. But I’m going to try and score the jpegs from him so I can post all the pics at some point. Of course, if you live in Harford County, you probably received the magazine in the mail last Friday; the feature covers four pages and has multiple pics, so please be sure to check it out. And please SHARE this post with your friends!

Finding Your Inner Jimi Hendrix

Welcome to the third installment in our series, The Six Points of Awesome!

If your goal is to be the very best that you can be on the guitar – and why not? – then apply some of these concepts to your own musical practice and watch your skills, your depth of understanding and your confidence level take off!

And if you haven’t yet checked out the first two parts of this series, please do yourself a solid and read them first: Point #1 and Point #2.

After making the proper commitment to yourself (Awesome Point #1) and finding yourself a mentor (Awesome Point #2), we come to what I believe is the single most important thing you can bring to the table as a guitarist. What is that single most important thing?

Glad you asked.

I originally learned this from Jamie Andreas at Guitar Principles and the answer is so butt-simple that it seemed like it couldn’t be true. Is it talent? That seems important. Don’t we need to invest time? How about desire and enthusiasm? Don’t we have to be willing to put in the work and practice hard?

Yes, yes, yes and yes. All important. But there’s one thing that trumps them all and it resides at Awesome Point #3.

You have to pay attention.

Awesome Point #3: Pay Attention

It’s here in the conversation that most students look at me and say, “Um, yeah, sure, I guess.”

My answer is clearly anti-climactic to them.

I think they’re expecting some sort of cool, top-secret, rock star guitar tip that would instantly make everything seem crystal clear. Instead, I give them the Zen master response, which doesn’t clear anything up. At first.

You see, our ability to pay attention solves all problems. Or maybe I should say, it gives us the opportunity to solve all problems. So many people pay so little attention – that is, strict attention with complete focus – to what they are doing on the guitar, that they’re unable to tell you how to fix a problem, mainly because they’re often unsure what the problem was in the first place!

Sadly, a somewhat-typical guitar lesson scene:

JB: “Funky Freddie, why did you use your second finger on that chord?”
FF: “What chord?”
JB: “The chord you just played.”
FF: “Um, I don’t know. Did I use my second finger?”
JB: “Yep. What’s the best fingering for that chord?”
FF: “Oh, right! I should have used my third finger.”
JB: “Cool. Let’s do it again and this time make sure to use your third finger.”
FF: “Got it.” (plays)
JB: “Funky Freddie, why did you use your second finger on that chord? Again.”

It boggles my mind that many guitar students will play…but will not actually pay attention to how they play. And yet, this is not really uncommon to see.

Improving on guitar (or any skill, for that matter) really boils down to our ability to solve problems:

Making a chord sound clean and clear.
Playing a scale passage in legato fashion.
Using the correct fingering on a riff.
Accurately playing the notes that are written on the TAB.
Making sure that our strumming doesn’t “turn around” on the difficult part.
Executing a bend with proper technique.

These are just some of the basic problems that guitarists need to solve. But there can be no problem-solving without giving yourself the opportunity to do so by first identifying the problem. And there is no identifying the problem without attention and focus.

Bottom line: Your ability to pay attention is your greatest asset as a learner of anything. Word.

Know Thyself

Here is my personal criteria for paying attention: If I stop you at any point, you should be able to tell me what you just did, with what fingers, and why.

If you can’t tell me these three things, clearly and concisely, then you’re not really paying attention.

Using myself as an example, I firmly believe that if you shot a video of me playing guitar for thirty minutes, you could stop it at any point, ask me what I did and why, and I would be able to answer you definitively. I feel like I have a pretty strong focus even when playing casually, but that only comes by making attention a priority.

You must be your own best monitor. This way, as you practice guitar, you are also practicing the skill of paying strict attention. After a period of time, you’ll find you have a strong sense of self-awareness, and you’re consistently in the “attention zone” without even realizing it. And at that point, you can quickly and efficiently solve any problem that comes along.

[Note: Learning music by ear is a fantastic way to develop your "attention zone". Check out The Lost Art of Learning by Ear.]

Remember that being awesome doesn’t happen by accident. You’ve got to stop going through the motions and instead bring laser beam focus to your guitar practice.

Magical Motions

You know when going through the motions can actually be helpful, though? After you’ve solved some playing problems with your ninja-level focus.

Then – and only then – can casually performing the movements be worthwhile and, dare I say, even encouraged! Because then we’re reinforcing the movements, not learning them. And we’re building a connection and comfort level with the instrument by keeping it in our hot little hands.

My student, Mike, and I were having this conversation just yesterday. Mike is a magician and ukelele player, and he told me that sleight-of-hand card tricks are considered some of the most technically demanding tricks, as you’re responsible for 52 separate items. Therefore the focus and self-awareness has to be extremely high in order to master the movements. But many magicians, once they’ve mastered the basic moves, simply “fiddle with the cards”. They spend a lot of time with the cards in their hands – going through the motions – which gives them a stronger comfort level with the deck.

If you’ve got a sofa and a TV, then you can do the same with your guitar. Once you’ve solved some problems by paying strict attention, go ahead and casually practice changing chords or playing your favorite riff while watching the tube. Or while entering the black hole of Facebook. Practice your right hand fingerpicking on the dashboard while you sit at a red light or on your leg while you wait at the dentist. Whatever the case, go through the motions with a purpose.

All great ballplayers – whether baseball, football, basketball or soccer – have spent innumerable hours playing catch, dribbling a ball with hands or feet, spinning it on a finger, keeping it up in the air, swinging an imaginary bat or shooting an imaginary ball, etc. It’s all about reinforcing the movements and developing a comfort level by simply keeping the ball – or guitar – in your hands.

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Hope you found something useful here! Next up is Awesome Point #4: Be Consistent…

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Normally, when I refer to “power” with my guitarists, I’m talking about feeling empowered as a player – the idea that you can execute whatever is required of you on the fingerboard. This power comes from dedicated study and ongoing, productive practice.

There’s another kind of power that guitarists need, too. It comes from electricity.

Here’s a recent message from a student:

“Yo, JB!

I bought some new guitar pedals for myself and was wondering if you could share some tips on powering them up. What are my options? Do people still use batteries? Help!”

This desperate cry for AC and DC prompted me to put together a basic guide to powering your pedals. Perhaps you too have some pedals and would like to know your powering options.

Note: Malcolm and Angus Young of AC/DC are famous for not using guitar pedals. Ironic, huh?

I want to be clear about one thing, though: I’m giving you some tips based on my own personal experience. I don’t pretend to know all of the options available in the stores; I know what has worked – and continues to work – for me. Let’s power up, people!

Old School Power

The old school approach to pedal power is simply to use batteries. Open the hatch on the pedal, pop in the new battery, and you’re ready to rock. However, there are a few things that pro players know about batteries that the average player may not, such as:

1 – Make sure to use a quality 9-volt. Think Energizer or Duracell. I vote for Energizer ’cause it looks cooler with its shiny silver casing (I’m not kidding), but I’m guessing Duracells are just as, er, energizing. The point here is not to trust your sound to a cheap battery that you find at the dollar store. Spring for the good stuff.

Interesting Factoid: Guitar virtuoso Eric Johnson famously claimed that he could hear the difference in brands of batteries. I personally think this is a load of nonsense, but the story has been around forever. So it must be true.

2 – Batteries all die. It’s a fact of life. But batteries die much more rapidly in digital units, such as delay, chorus and reverb, than they do in distortion/overdrive devices. All that Matrix-level technology* saps the bejeezus out of your batteries, so please know that before you power up for your next Battle of the Bands.

If your batteries start to die in the middle of your song, you’ll notice because your volume will start randomly fading up and down until it finally gives out. You may also hear odd noises, but as I recall (’cause it’s been FOREVER since I’ve powered my pedals with batteries) it’s mainly a volume issue.

Distortion-type pedals have been known to rock on for weeks on the power of one battery. The only way you’ll know is to try it, preferably at home and not on stage.

Lastly, I’ve never met a pedal – distortion or otherwise – that didn’t drain the battery with a cable plugged into the input jack. So if you’re using batteries, definitely disconnect from the input between sets at a gig or during rehearsal breaks, and always when you’re finished playing. It’s a hassle and you’ll probably forget from time to time, so keep plenty of spares.

3 – Good batteries are crazy expensive, given their relatively short life. And since they die, they need to be replaced constantly, and even sooner than their actual expiration, since you don’t want to be surprised mid-song by a failing Duracell. And when you really need a new pack of 9-volts, Target will be sold out.

Bottom line: There are more reliable and cheaper (in the long run) options available than batteries. And I don’t like to trust my sound to things that I know will die…only I’m not sure when. Batteries can and will embarrass you in front of lots of people.

Poor Man’s Power

The next best option is to use an AC power adapter. My personal fave, and one that is popular far and wide, is the Visual Sound 1-Spot. It’s a small, “wall wart”-style adapter with a connector cable. If you only have one pedal to power, just get the single adapter and you’re done. Plug the end of the cable into the open jack on the back of the pedal. Then plug the adapter into a working outlet and instant powered pedal!

What if you have multiple pedals? Good question.

The 1-Spot also has additional accessories, such as a daisy chain. Using the daisy chain means you can power up to 8 pedals with one adapter, all for a very reasonable price. As long as your pedals are compatible with the One-Spot (meaning 9V) you should be fine. By contrast, there are some pedals that balk at this type of adapter, such as Line 6 units and others that require greater voltage (your pedal and/or its instructions should be marked accordingly).

A lack of functionality or an audible hum are good indicators that the adapter is NOT compatible with a pedal. Disconnect immediately and read the pedal’s manual!

I found a sweet Visual Sound 1-Spot Combo Pack for as much as you would spend on about 5 packs of Energizers. It’s got everything but the kitchen sink. Of course, you can always buy the components separately.

Voodoo Power

The highest-quality and cleanest power comes from an external power supply, which is almost always the professional’s choice. For anyone with at least a handful of pedals that need power, I would recommend the Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2.

According to the manufacturer:

“The Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 is a universal power supply for all battery-operated guitar pedal effects. New features include two outputs that will power Line 6 modeling pedals and two outputs that can have a variable voltage “sag” to emulate dying carbon batteries. Like the original Pedal Power, each of its eight outputs are completely isolated, short circuit protected, regulated and highly filtered. The Pedal Power 2 comes complete with cables, detachable AC power cord, is hand made in the U.S.A. and carries a 5-year warranty.”

At a street price of $169, it’s not cheap, but it’s rugged, full-featured and high quality. It also received Guitar Player Magazine’s prestigious Editor’s Pick award. If you’ve got a wicked pedalboard, don’t skimp on the power.

Another popular power supply is the Dunlop DC Brick, although I have no personal experience with it. It looks like a nice unit, though, and is a bit cheaper than the Voodoo Labs model at $119.

According to the manufacturer:

“The Dunlop DC Brick lets you run your pedalboard efficiently, giving you a clean, reliable power source for your pedals. You can power up to 10 pedals with the DC Brick, which also functions a a power conditioner. A Feedback Current Limiting Circuit (FCLC) onboard the DC Brick protects your investments against overloads and shorts, while its 1000-milliamp output capacity ensures that your pedals get the juice they need. As you’d expect from a roadworthy Dunlop product, this reliable power box is durable and compact. A versatile AC adapter is also included with the Dunlop DC Brick.”

Powering the Power Supply

One last bit that’s often overlooked: if you want a more professional setup, don’t use a drugstore-model power strip to get AC from the wall to your pedals and your amp. Get a box that’s heavy-duty and can stand up to getting thrown around, especially if you play in a band. My choice is the Furman Power Block.

The Power Block features a metal casing, six outlets, a 15-foot cord, EMI and RFI noise reduction, and a brightly lit on/off switch. Highly recommended! (I’ve got one in my gig bag and three more in my home studio.)

***

I hope these “pedal power” tips have been helpful!

*Just DSP chips.

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Welcome to the second installment in our series, The Six Points of Awesome!

In this series of articles, we’re going to explore the six elements that will bring your guitar playing closer to Status: Awesome. But remember that these points can apply to anything you want to learn and master – whether it be driving a car, making an omelette or juggling chainsaws – so please read on with that in mind. (Especially if you plan on juggling chainsaws…:)

If you haven’t read the first part yet – Make the Commitment – then go ahead and do that now, since it all starts with being committed.

This second installment is all about finding a mentor – your own personal Mr. Miyagi, if you will. Someone to help coach you to awesome status and give you the benefit of his or her experiences and expertise.

Sir Isaac Newton – regarded as perhaps the greatest and most influential scientist in history – was famously asked how he became so, well, brilliant. He replied, “Whatever I have learned in this life, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.” A humble dude, that Sir Isaac.

So let’s follow Newton’s lead and find some giants of our own. Pick a hero – or two, or ten – and imitate them. Do what they do, listen to the music they listen to, practice the way they practice. Let them be your mentors.

Awesome Point #2: Find a Mentor

So where do you find your Mr. Miyagi?

Well, sometimes the answer is simple: you look around your neighborhood, you ask around, you network, you get a referral. Maybe you just search Google. One of these methods is likely how you found me.

But here’s the interesting thing about mentors: You don’t even have to know them personally to derive the benefits of their experience! And with the Internet at your fingertips, finding quality mentoring is easier than ever.

Heck, I’ve got some mentors that don’t even know they are my mentors. I’ve only just connected with Jamie Andreas in a very small way this year (Facebook, ‘natch), but I’ve been learning from her work for years. I had my first “A-ha!” moments about teaching while reading her essays and I’ve probably learned more about quality instruction from her than I did in four years of college. I’ve never met British guitar tutor, Nick Minion, either, but I’ve stolen some of his best ideas and use them regularly! You’ll read more about their teaching concepts in later installments of this series.

Local musicians, famous musicians, teachers, friends – it doesn’t matter. I strive to stay curious and to keep my eyes and ears open. I soak up as much as possible and have faith that it will eventually make its way into my guitar playing.

One of the ways I’ve learned so much about other players is through books and magazines. Guitar Player magazine was my bible for many years, at least since the late 1970s – you can find interviews, articles and lessons from a wide variety of guitarists. But any guitar magazine or book will help you find a mentor – you just have to search it out. My current fave magazine is Guitar Techniques, out of the UK.

Be Humble

It will be awfully difficult to stand on the shoulders of giants, to be mentored, if you are not open to learning. So the underlying idea behind Awesome Point #2 is to be humble.

As the Zen master would say, “Carry an empty cup”, and strive to fill it with new ideas. If you believe your cup is already full, then you shut yourself off to new learning. Keep a beginner’s mind no matter how advanced you become.

It is easy for the intermediate and advanced player to lose his or her grasp on humility – after all, they’ve come a long way and have achieved many great things on the guitar. But a true master knows that you just keep putting one foot in front of the other – there is no end to the discovery. As Jamie Andreas titled her book, “The deeper I go, the deeper it gets.” True that.

And be keenly aware that you can learn from anyone at anytime. My students learn from me but I also learn from them! They turn me on to great music, their questions or challenges inspire new teaching methods, and sometimes they show me a cool new guitar lick – we learn together. One of the first pieces I ever wrote for my website was Two Red Chairs and it clearly states my views on humility and openness in the guitar studio. As soon as you feel that only you are “the teacher” and only the other person is “the student”, then the reciprocal vibe that you’re trying to accomplish is sabotaged. You might even say that we are constantly mentoring and being mentored.

Be truly open and watch your playing soar.

Be Coachable

This next element resides comfortably next to “Be Humble”.

When you find a mentor, please do what they suggest and follow their lead. When you hire a mentor (like me), don’t waste your money: Do what I ask you to do. I’ve devoted my life to the guitar and I humbly submit that I can play it at a fairly high level. You do not – yet. Embrace this concept and be coachable.

Don’t make all sorts of “executive decisions” like, “I know you said to practice this thing here…but I thought my time might be better served practicing this other thing over there.” Ugh. Consider that perhaps I see the big picture and you do not – yet. Don’t dismiss anything I’ve told you unless it legitimately hurts you to play it (then don’t do it and talk to me about it at our next session).

Sometimes that big picture involves focusing on something rudimentary and working it to death. Because I know where we’re ultimately headed, I see the value in this, while you may not – yet. When Miyagi told Daniel to “Wax on, wax off”, he was teaching him fundamental discipline and underlying principles of movement. He knew that if young Dan could do this simple task very well and stay focused, that it would benefit him greatly down the line, since more complex tasks require even greater discipline to master. Miyagi was a boss.

So please do what I ask and trust our process. I’m here to guide you toward success, not failure. You trust me, right? Right? Then why aren’t you listening to me???

Please listen.

Open Your Ears

Reading or talking about music is great, but music is first and foremost about listening, so go listen!

Want to play jazz? Listen to jazz masters. The same is true for rock, metal, blues, folk, fingerstyle, reggae, country, klezmer, Celtic, bluegrass, classical, etc. Listen to great players with intensity and concentration, not just casually. Engage yourself in the music.

Try to imitate the sounds, the attitude, and the technique. I spent the vast majority of my formative guitar years playing along with recordings and trying desperately to match what I heard Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton or Stevie Ray Vaughan do. Plus, it’s a lot more fun to play to a recording than to the walls!

And learning by ear is a great way to be mentored by the best of the best. Want to improve your songwriting? Learn that Beatles tune by ear (as well as you can) and pick it apart. Study it, analyze it, try to draw some conclusions as to why Paul made the 4 chord minor, or why John rhymed the third line instead of the second.

Immerse yourself in great music and you will be inspired. Humbled. Elevated.

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I hope this gives you some food for thought. Remember that being awesome doesn’t happen by accident, so go get yourself a Miyagi, grasshopper! Next up is Awesome Point #3: Pay Attention…

If you enjoyed The Six Points of Awesome: #2 – Find a Mentor, please leave a comment below and share it with others on Facebook or Twitter, or however you like!

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Welcome to Songs from the Guitar Studio, Volume 5!

As you might remember from earlier volumes, this series is dedicated to songs featured in my guitar lessons. Instead of picking a technique or concept and finding a song to match it, we’ll sometimes pick a song first and see what we can learn from it.

Listed below are just some of the songs my students have practiced over the last few months. It’s been a little while since the last installment, so we’ve got a healthy amount of songs here!

I’ve outlined a few of the main elements and takeaway points from each one. Hopefully you’ll see something here that may inspire you.

Let’s check out some tunes!

“Space Oddity” – David Bowie

One of my all-time favorite classic rock songs and easily on my “desert island” list. This is a great choice for the intermediate acoustic player because of the sweet mix of open position chords and barre shapes. It is also a prime candidate for the “jangly” chord approach (I’m currently working on a lesson for this concept, so keep an eye out) where you play a barre shape but leave strings 1 and 2 open, creating a dreamy, shimmering sound. “Oddity” also has very distinct sections, which makes organizing your practice fairly easy. Highly recommended for acoustic guitarists looking for a chord challenge!

“Highway to Hell” – AC/DC

Another all-time classic, this song is my go-to for rock players when we want to get away from the typical power chord approach or when we just want to reinforce basic chord shapes. The Young brothers did NOT spend a lot of time on standard, closed-position power chords; by contrast, AC/DC gets its sound mainly by playing open-position power chords, albeit with a few precautions – read: strategic muting and fingering – taken to clean up the sound. See “You Shook Me All Night Long”, “TNT”, “Dirty Deeds”, “Touch Too Much”, etc. for similar examples. This is “must know” stuff for rockers.

“Brian Wilson” – Barenaked Ladies

Quirky, awesome tune! Barenaked songs are typically not hard to play, but they always have a few oddball things thrown in to keep you honest. Although “Brian Wilson” is filled with a lot of normal open chords, the interludes have a cool Latin vibe, complete with chromatic movement in the chords and some sweet strumming. In fact, this song is basically a strumming extravaganza all the way through. Want to dial up your strumming chops and learn a great song at the same time? Look no further.

Unless you want to play The Big Bang Theory theme…

“Seven Nation Army” – The White Stripes

This track has become a go-to for me lately. First off, it’s kind of the Ravens theme song, so a lot of my students here in Maryland dig that. Beyond that, it’s pretty easy to get going for a new guitar/bass student in that the melody can be played as single-notes on one string. You can then easily take it up a notch by executing that same melody as power chords. The linear aspect – everything played on one string – helps less experienced players to eyeball their spots, anticipate what’s next, and stick the landings.

“Little Wing” – Jimi Hendrix

Any Jimi Hendrix will make you a better player, period. However, many of his tunes require some experience (pun intended) to really get the most out of them. “Little Wing” is no different, but in this case, it’s more of a conceptual thing. This track is excellent for working on those rhythm-and-blues double stops that Hendrix so famously used (see “Wind Cries Mary” also), but to truly understand what he’s doing – and to apply it to other songs – you need a bit of fretboard mapping and theory behind you. The song also incorporates a few must-know signature moves, such as the sliding Gadd9-Fadd9. Highly recommended, especially for the intermediate player.

“Eruption” – Van Halen

Interestingly enough, many guitarists feel that you have to already be a guitar ninja to play “Eruption”. While that would certainly help for navigating the beginning and middle sections, the final tapping section is doable for late beginners-early intermediate players. And IMHO, it’s essential material for learning the basics of tapping (which EVH virtually invented for rock musicians). The tapping section can be conveniently organized into a few manageable sections and you can learn the two fundamental concepts: tapping in triplet rhythm and learning to coordinate a move of the left hand while tapping with the right. Tapping lessons should start here, period.

“Killing in the Name” – Rage Against the Machine

This song was done at the suggestion of one of my long-time students and I learned quite a bit myself! First, the song has multiple sections to organize and navigate, which makes it a good mental exercise. Second, it used drop D tuning, but is not overly complex, so it’s a good introduction for the intermediate player. Third, it’s got some nice back-and-forth between chords and single-note melody, so it forces the player to navigate that obstacle course as well. Finally, the main verse sections are relentlessly groovy. A killer track, indeed!

“Stash” – Phish

Another long-time student turned me onto this song and it’s awesome! The single-note theme (as played by Trey Anastasio) is a fantastic, if somewhat extensive, alternate picking-meets-finger roll exercise, but the logic of the melody makes it pretty easy to wrap your brain around. It also has a nice bluesy ending and some solid position shifts, which serves to make it a great, self-contained guitar piece – and that’s just the main theme! Some nifty jazz-influenced arpeggios make up the next section (that’s as far as we got). “Stash” has a bit of a Duke Ellington-”Caravan” sort of vibe, and is highly recommended for lead players looking for a new challenge.

“Rollin’ In My Sweet Baby’s Arms” – Bill Monroe (and others)

This iconic bluegrass tune features ridiculously easy chords for most players beyond the beginner stage. But the challenge here is not in the chords themselves, but rather what we do with those chords. First and foremost, the classic bluegrass strum (“boom-shaka-laka-laka”) is relentless and played at a fast tempo, so your stamina is tested. Better make sure your wrist is sufficiently loose on this one! Second, great bluegrass rhythm guitar often features embellishments and walking bass lines, so learning to work those things into the mix is key. Of course, these embellishment concepts are completely applicable to other, not-bluegrass, songs. Score! If you feel like your strumming is sluggish, this is the tune for you.

“Free Fallin’” – Tom Petty

Break out your capos, rock stars! Tom (and producer Jeff Lynne) play virtually the same three chords throughout the song, which keeps things relatively easy, but they layer them in different keys and with different capo positions. “Free Fallin’” is in the key of F, so one guitar is played at capo 1 in E, while the other plays at capo 3 in D. My students and I learned it both ways to maximize the awesome factor! I’d recommend starting at capo 3 in D, with the easier chords, so you can concentrate on the accents in the strum pattern. When you’ve got that down, move to capo 1 in E and use the “jangly” chord approach (again, a lesson is forthcoming), but with the same strum. A dynamite song for illuminating the concepts of transposing and capo strategies.

“Crazy On You” – Heart

If “Rollin’ In My Sweet Baby’s Arms” is not enough of a strumming challenge, consider this Heart classic to be your musical dragon. But you better bring your A game if you want to slay this beast – it’s relentless and not for the faint of heart! (pun definitely intended)

As a teenager, learning to strum “Crazy on You” at the correct tempo was a kind of guitar player rite of passage and it still is. Super-fast 16th-note strumming and strategically anticipated accents are the order of the day here. The verse has more of the same strumming, as does the bridge, albeit without the accents and with different chords. Various sections to navigate. Some lead guitar riffage. All in all, a truly epic classic rock tune and highly recommended for strumming masochists!

“Margaritaville” – Jimmy Buffett and “House of the Rising Sun” – The Animals

For the beginner student, these are great songs for introducing the basic open position chords. They’re also perfect for the “common” strategies that I advocate for changing chords: common finger, common string and common shape.

Learning the Buffett classic in the standard key of D is great, but if you start off learning chords based around G – as I recommend with my students – you can transpose “Margaritaville” to that key and get started that way. Ultimately you can play the song in two different keys to get as much chord action as possible, while keeping the format of the song the same. It’s a good call, especially since early beginners need to focus as much as possible on one thing at a time. If you’re prioritizing the left hand, don’t make them think about much else.

As for “House of the Rising Sun”, you simply engage in some other moves that are not present in “Margaritaville”, such as the Am to E shift, Am to C, etc. One caveat: although this song uses an F chord, I absolutely, unequivocally reject the use of that chord with a beginner student. If you’re a beginner and your teacher is trying to force your hand (literally) into an F shape, be wary. A standard F grip requires too much finger strength, leverage and dexterity for a beginning student. I substitute Fmaj7 in its place and it works beautifully. Hold off on F until you’ve mastered the other open chords – you’ll thank me later.

“Cat Scratch Fever” – Ted Nugent

One of the first riffs I ever learned and still one of my all-time faves! The beauty of this intro is in its partial barres on the middle strings that alternate with the open A bass notes. Of course this is a move that is perfectly applicable to lots of other songs in lots of different genres, so it bears practicing well. (One somewhat similar riff might be the verse section to “Crazy Train”, where the open A note is pedaled and alternated with changing partial chords. I’m sure there are another thousand examples of this.) Take it all up a notch by sliding the chord shapes like the Nuge!

The Songs From the Guitar Studio Series

Wanna check out some of the earlier volumes of this series? Need some new inspiration? Follow the links!

Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4

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Being awesome doesn’t happen by accident.

You’ve got to put forth some effort to get there. As much as we would like to think that we can achieve awesome status just by breathing and standing upright, I’m gonna break the news to you: It usually requires more than that. Much more.

You’ve got to bring certain characteristics and certain strategies to the table if you want to achieve greatness in anything. And this applies to anything you’re trying to accomplish, improve upon, learn, etc. And whether it be music, academics, your career, your favorite hobby, your relationships – why not shoot for awesome in everything you do? After all, we’ve only got one life to live; we might as well make it the best it can be, right?

The Six Points of Awesome are all about attitude and strategies. I’ve pieced together the elements that I believe are required to be great at whatever you choose. For our specific purposes here, we’ll choose…drum roll…guitar!

Just to be clear, I’m not saying that I’ve arrived – I’m still striving for awesome every single day, like many of you. But if you feel like you’ve been going through the motions and you’ve got more to offer, then by all means get busy employing these Six Points.

The reward will be music – great guitar music – to your ears.

Awesome Point #1: Make the Commitment

If you’re an adult, this is like preaching to the choir…except that not everybody is willing to do what it takes, even when they’re all grown up. We tend to talk the talk, but we don’t always walk the walk. We know that achieving guitar greatness takes a strong commitment on our part, but do we really commit?

If you’re a teenager, some of these things might not even be on your radar. You’re too busy having fun and partying like a rock star to think about commitment. After all, you can always tackle it tomorrow. Well, I’m here to remind you that there are not an endless supply of tomorrows.

NOW is as good of a time as any to make the commitment to be awesome. And speaking of time…

Make Time

Before any sort of awesome can be achieved, you must first pick up the guitar and play. It boggles my mind that so many guitar students actually let multiple days go by without playing their instrument.

Any serious guitarist must make time for practicing and studying. There will always be things to distract us, things to take up what little free time we have, and things that are “more important” or even “more fun”. But if you only play and practice when you find the time, then you’re dooming yourself to mediocrity, because you will never find enough time to be great. If you want to be great, you have to make the time.

(Of course, if you’re cool being a mediocre guitarist, then this article is probably not for you, and I’m cool with that as well. To each his or her own. But I’m guessing that most people reading this want to excel and thrive as musicians.)

But not everyone is completely on board with this concept, and it’s most evident when they come for a lesson and talk about how little time they had to practice because of blah, blah and blah. I get it – I do. But you have to make the time. Everything else is just talk. And I myself have fallen into this trap on many occasions. I was just talking too, just like you. If being a great guitar player is your goal – if it’s a priority for you – then you must make the time for it.

Being awesome doesn’t happen by accident.

Bring Energy

You have to be willing to put forth the mental and physical energy necessary. Bringing effort and enthusiasm is a given in my studio. It’s assumed.

That said, it doesn’t always come across. And when I see this, I wonder what’s happening when the student is practicing at home, alone, without his/her friend JB to coach him/her up.

When you’re practicing or playing, you’ve got to bring your “A game” as much as possible to get the best benefits. Anything less yields mediocre results. We all have bad days, but we can’t rely on that excuse on a daily basis. Dig in and bring some intensity to your guitar studies. You’ll discover things about yourself that you may not have known.

In the world of basketball, they say that rebounding is all about “want to”. I feel the same way about guitar. Dennis Rodman was not the most physically gifted athlete, but he had more “want to” than anyone when it came to rebounding and general hustle. Bring more energy to your practice and watch your musical game soar.

Being awesome doesn’t happen by accident.

Be Honest

The greatest commitment here is to yourself. Look in the mirror (figuratively, of course) and ask yourself what you really want out of your guitar studies. The answer is not always clear.

Do you want to be really good at guitar? Or are you happy being just okay?

You may get the impression that I’d like you to reply with, “I want to be really good”, but in fact, it doesn’t matter what I want or think. The only person that matters here is YOU. You have goals for yourself, so go after them!

If you find that your goals are not so lofty, that’s cool – but be honest about it. Being honest with yourself about what you really want is the first step in making the proper commitment. Don’t tell your teacher one thing and act differently. It’s just confusing for everybody involved and causes a lot of undue anxiety. Be truthful with yourself and clear about your intentions. Then act accordingly.

Being awesome doesn’t happen by accident.

Personal Confession Time

I, myself, have not always succeeded in making the proper commitment to my guitar studies. It was only in being truthful with myself that the anxiety over this left. Here’s the scoop:

I started taking jazz guitar lessons from my friend and mentor, Carl Filipiak. Great guy, fine instructor, tried his best. Me – not so much. As much as I would like to say I was a great student, I was actually pretty pitiful.

And I used every excuse in the book to convince Carl – and myself – why jazzy things were not happening. The truth was, I had not made a real and honest commitment to be a great jazz player. I talked the talk and that was about all.

Of course, every so often I would get fired up and practice really well, but that would often fade. The real issue was that, deep down, I loved the idea of being a great jazz guitarist, but I didn’t love jazz guitar enough to do what it took. And folks, it takes an enormous amount of time and effort to be a great jazz player.

I love me some Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Kenny Burrell and Pat Martino…but I just couldn’t seem to make that commitment. In my heart, I was a rock, pop and blues player who dabbled in jazz. That attitude was never gonna get it done in order to be a jazzer and I had to be honest with myself.

Given my personal situation – no jazz gigs to play and no serious jazz students – I realized that being “good” at jazz would have to suffice, and I would make a stronger commitment to the things I wanted to be awesome at: teaching guitar, writing for my website, songwriting and playing rock, pop and blues. Magically, the anxiety was now gone because the proper commitments were made and I was dedicated to following through on them.

Being awesome starts when you make the commitment.

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I hope this gives you something to think about and has been helpful in some small way! Next up is Awesome Point #2: Find a Mentor…

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I’m Jim Bowley and I’m happy to be your guitar teacher!

Whether you’re a beginner strumming her first guitar chords, an intermediate student aiming to take his guitar technique to the next level, or a 20-year veteran looking for new musical inspiration, you’ve come to the right place! Whatever your goals are, I’m confident I can help you reach them. And when you learn to play guitar with me, you’ll not only reach your goals, but you’ll have fun in the process!

There is plenty of quality information here, so take a look around! Guitar Lessons gives details on my teaching approach, pricing and scheduling. This Blog homepage features a wide variety of free guitar lessons and tips, as well as student success stories and fun articles on artists and industry trends. Read my musical bio in About Jim and some student and parent testimonials in Students Speak. And then there is Guitar Talk for the gear heads and guitar junkies among you!

If you’re local to Harford County, Maryland, Contact me for guitar lessons at my studio in Bel Air. In addition to private guitar instruction, I also offer small group beginner guitar classes, as well as ukulele and bass lessons. If you live outside of Maryland, consider distance lessons via Skype.

If guitar lessons are not an option right now, make sure to join the mailing list – it’s quick and easy and you’ll get all the latest articles and free lessons straight to your inbox!

Whichever road you choose, I look forward to helping you along your musical journey!
jb

Want to increase your musical “awesome factor” by at least 10 points?

Learn to play the ukelele!

If you know how to play guitar, even at a basic level, you can transfer that information and make music on the ukelele much easier than you can on other instruments, such as mandolin, dobro or banjo, which makes the uke a perfect second instrument for guitarists.

Of course, the ukelele is all the rage these last few years, due to its appearance in a handful of popular forums: countless YouTube versions of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, American Idol, “Hey Soul Sister” by Train, virtuoso performances by Jake Shimabukuro (check out his phenomenal version of “Bohemian Rhapsody” if you want to see just how far you can take this instrument), etc.

According to the owners of Appalachian Bluegrass, the Baltimore institution where I recently bought my new tiny terror, 500 ukeleles were sold last year! Bottom line: The ukelele is everywhere and it’s much more mainstream than mandolin or banjo ever were (or probably ever will be). So it’s a great time for guitarists to expand their musical horizons and get some uke in their lives!

Note: The correct pronunciation is “oo-ke-le-le”, not “yoo-ke-le-le”, but honestly…it just sounds weird to a non-Hawaiian. Especially when you shorten it to “ook”. Pronounce it how you like – I won’t tell anyone.

Getting started on ukelele is actually pretty easy, but gaining a true understanding is a little trickier. It just requires that we clear up a few basic concepts. Let’s get our uke on, six-stringers!

Pick a Uke, Any Uke

The standard ukelele comes in three flavors: soprano, concert and tenor. Soprano is the smallest size and is the one people think of when they think “ukelele”. However, concert (the next size up) and tenor (the next size up from concert) are probably better alternatives for guitarists, since the longer fingerboard allows more room for fretting. All three of these sizes are tuned identically, making them interchangeable from a pitch perspective.

Note: I’m eliminating the baritone uke from this discussion, since it is lower-pitched and is really just a small guitar. It’s probably the least popular size due to the fact that it doesn’t have that classic, high-pitched ukelele sound.

The tenor, in particular, is a great choice for guitarists since it is closest to guitar size. It also happens to be the ukelele that I settled on. This is my Kala tenor, which is a limited edition cedar top with glossy finish and koa back and sides. I was so impressed by the easy transition from guitar to this size that I’ve been recommending tenor models to anyone who will listen! Here’s my partner in crime:

Uke Tuning

Unlike banjo or mandolin tuning, the ukelele is strung and tuned just like the highest four strings of a guitar in standard tuning, with two exceptions:
1 – The open strings are all tuned up a 4th
2 – The 4th string is an octave higher

Let’s review that again, shall we?

The relationships between the strings are the same as the guitar; that is…

The top four open strings are tuned like a major 6 chord:

The 3rd string is the root
The 2nd string is the major 3rd
The 1st string is the major 6
The 4th string is the perfect 5th

The difference is that a standard guitar is tuned like a G6 chord [D (5), G (root), B (3), E (6)], while the ukelele is tuned like a C6 chord – a perfect 4th higher than the guitar [G (5), C (root), E (3), A (6)].

NOTE: A perfect 4th interval is equivalent to 2-1/2 steps, or a 5-fret distance.

This means that the ukelele is equivalent to the guitar with a capo on fret 5. When you capo a guitar on fret 5, the open strings spell out a C6 chord…or uke tuning!

The 4th string is the same letter name as guitar, but it’s tuned up an octave. This is similar to the high G string (in the lowest position) on banjo. It’s called reentrant tuning and gives these instruments their distinctive sound. It may feel weird for a little while to have a higher pitch on a lower string, but you’ll become accustomed to it. Some uke players restring with a low 4th string, but I’ve elected to keep mine legit.

The high 4th string has some strategic advantages when plunking out melodies, but for the veteran guitarist, those advantages may be outweighed by the disadvantages of not being able to get any notes lower than the open 3rd string. Some time invested will help you to work through the uke’s limitations, though, and indeed, that is one of the characteristics that make it the instrument it is. Don’t fight it – just go with it!

Uke Chords

How exactly does this tuning know-how help me play the uke?

Well, since the uke’s strings are tuned in the same pattern as the guitar’s – albeit a 4th higher – you can play the same chord shapes on the uke as you would form on guitar! Here are a couple “bullet points” for easy recall:

MUSICAL MATH: UP A 4TH

The only adjustment we have to make is a little “musical math”: rename the uke chord shape four pitches higher than the guitar chord.

For example, if you hold a chord shape on the uke that looks like a guitar’s D, you would call it a G – four pitches higher than D. To confirm the name change, imagine capoing your guitar at the 5th fret and playing a “D shape”: the chord is actually G.

This makes the chord shapes easy to visualize and hold, but a bit tricky at first to name! Over time it will get easier, but initially you’ll have to do the “musical math”. If you’re already familiar with the circle of 5ths, however, you can use that knowledge to your advantage here, as it accomplishes the same thing. Simply move one letter name to the LEFT (counterclockwise) on the circle and you’ve ascended by a perfect 4th. So a D shape becomes G…a G shape becomes C…a C shape becomes F…and so on. Music theory for the win!

In this case, having no guitar experience actually works to your advantage, since the more time you’ve invested in the guitar, the more difficult it may initially be to rename the chords. For me, the renaming is the hardest part, since these chord shapes have been drilled into my head as a “G” or a “D” for decades. But little by little, I’m starting to gain some facility with it and you will too.

IMAGINE THE 5TH AND 6TH STRINGS

The other small issue is that, since we’re only dealing with 4 strings on the uke, you’ll have to imagine the guitar chord’s 5th and 6th string notes.

For example, a C chord on guitar has your 3rd finger on string 5 and a muted 6th string. On the uke, you would simply eliminate those two notes and just play that “C” shape with fingers 1 and 2. Add the “rename” and that C shape is now called an “F”, a perfect 4th higher than C, as if it were on capo 5 (it’s technically called “F/A’, since A is the lowest note, but I just think of it as a regular ol’ F chord):

BRING IT ALL TOGETHER

As a knowledgeable six-stringer, you can figure out plenty of chords on ukelele without the need for a chord book. Check it out:

1 – Pick a guitar chord. Let’s say open Am.
2 – Play it on the uke in the same position you would play on guitar (strings 4, 3, 2, 1 on frets 2, 2, 1, 0)
3 – Visualize where your fingers would go if you had strings 5 and 6. In this case, the Am chord does not require additional fingers since string 5 would be played open and string 6 would not be played.
4 – Count up the musical alphabet 4 letter names, starting on A as “1″. Answer = Dm.
5 – You’re playing a uke-style Dm chord.

Let’s try another that needs the visualization:

1 – Pick an open G.
2 – Play it on the uke at fret 3.
3 – Visualize where your fingers would go on strings 5 and 6.
4 – Count up 4 pitches. Answer = C.
5 – You’re playing a uke-style C chord.

NOTE: Counting up the musical alphabet is a “quick and dirty” approach to finding the 4th above the root. However, it is more accurate to count up 2-1/2 steps. An example would be an F chord converted to Bb, a perfect 4th higher. If you went the “quick and dirty” route, you would have said B. The “step approach” reveals the answer to be Bb.

Moveable Shapes

It’s pretty easy to get started on ukelele in the open position, and you can plays lots of tunes with those chords, but as you probably know from your guitar studies, the musical world opens up to you once you learn your moveable shapes. And moveable shapes often involve barring across multiple strings.

Again, the chord shapes on the uke mimic the look of the barre shapes on guitar, minus the notes on strings 5 and 6. If you’re familiar with partial chords on the top four strings of the guitar, this will be a piece of cake. Just name them a perfect 4th higher than the chord that they would appear to be.

NOTE: The following chords are all shown as they appear on guitar. Simply rename them a 4th higher for ukelele.

To get to this “second level” of chords, make sure you can play the three common major chord shapes with their roots on strings 1, 2 and 3…

…as well as the three common minor chord shapes with their roots on strings 1, 2 and 3:

It would also be helpful to have some knowledge of the three dominant 7 chord shapes as well, as these will open up more song possibilities:

Look Ma, No Pick

No pick is necessary for strumming chords on the uke. It’s traditionally played with the thumb or index finger, with a strong preference toward the index finger. You simply strum downward by extending the index finger and striking the strings with the back of the fingernail. You strum upward to bringing the finger back into the palm.

It’s also somewhat common to strum with the thumb – usually for beginners – but I find that approach very limiting and would rather strum with the index finger. I do like to use the thumb, however, for emphasizing certain chords or melody notes. The pad of the thumb is much more sensitive to the strings than the back of your index finger, of course, so using the thumb to bring out melody notes or even to drag across a chord at an important spot in a song is what I would call a “best practice”.

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I hope this information has been helpful in getting you started on your own ukelele journey! If you enjoyed Ukelele for Guitar Players, please leave a comment below and share it with others on Facebook or Twitter, or however you like!

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See you next time!