Are you progressing too slowly?

A student recently ask me a question about their progress. They were concerned that they were not progressing quick enough after comments from someone who said they thought their progress was slow. Here was my response;

Your progress. Ultimately we (G4GUITAR) can only guide you. Your personal progress will depend on many factors and is always personal. Some people pick up a guitar and within months play like they have been at it for years others take several years. The main factors are as follows;

Musical history - Did you learn music as a child?
Family - Music is like a language. If other family members played music chances are you will have a better start. Tommy Emmanuel, Van Halen and even Mozart are/were all children of professional musicians.
Innate ability - Some people just seem to have a gift. Same as anything really.
Discipline - Practicing daily and working on the skills will make all the difference.
Confidence - Not all great players are skillful. Being a confident player is important. Eric Clapton (slow hand) is an example. He does not even come close to today's shredders yet he is still known as a Guitar God. When you play always try and imagine the feeling you are trying to portray. Its not just about the notes. Feel is vitally important.
Social - Play with other players. Music is like a language. If you don't practice playing with others you won't progress very quickly. Mixing it up with other players will also help you to evaluate where you are at. You will get to know your own style.

Remember that learning guitar is not a competition. If it were it would be an Olympic event. The skills you learn with G4GUITAR can be applied to most styles but if your goal is to be a great player you need to practice like one and listen to the great players. We can't do that for you but we do provide the content of your practice via the G4GUITAR METHOD and combined with our online advice (blogs, TWITTER etc) you will find most of what you need.

Don't forget to grab a free copy of the G4 GUITAR METHOD.

DOWNLOAD FREE COPY of G4GUITAR METHOD.

Do the ONLINE TOUR once you have downloaded your copy.

If you have any questions please email: david@g4guitar.com.au

To find a guitar teacher near you checkout our LOCATIONS page.

For more information about G4GUITAR please visit our website.

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Live Music Concerts - What's all the fuss?

Live music is one of those topics that when described by one person who was at the concert to another who was not is actually quite annoying. When someone says to me "I saw this amazing band. They were so tight and the guitarist was so good it was scary. The songs were simply magical and the singer hit every note perfectly" it just makes me realise I missed something special. The problem with this kind of explanation is it gives me no clue as to the experience. All I know is you had a good time and I missed out. What I would prefer is for them to simply say "I recommend you see this band/ guitarist. Trust me, you will not be disappointed." That is all I need to hear.

But I say this yet I am as guilty as the next person. When I come away from a great concert you just want to tell everyone. A great concert can be a life changing experience. I recall seeing Stevie Ray Vaughn as a teenager at the Sydney Opera House and I felt like I was in Heaven. The inspiration from that concert alone was enough to keep me practicing for a lifetime. Not to be Stevie but just to play.

If you truly want to play guitar I suggest you make sure you see a world class concert at least twice a year and then catch some local up and coming talent once a month if possible. I think its vitally important to keep you motivated and focused.

If you do see a gig/concert of any description let me know how it went down. I will happily post your review on our blog.

Don't forget to grab a free copy of the G4 GUITAR METHOD.

DOWNLOAD FREE COPY of G4GUITAR METHOD.

Do the ONLINE TOUR once you have downloaded your copy.

If you have any questions please email: david@g4guitar.com.au

To find a guitar teacher near you checkout our LOCATIONS page.

For more information about G4GUITAR please visit our website.

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Where to from here?

Many guitar students will reach a point in their learning where they will complete all the G4 GUITAR Levels and will want to go to the next stage. At G4 GUITAR we see our role as taking you to a level where you will be accepted into a higher education course enabling you to become professional. That leads us to the question of 'Where to from her?'

For Rock guitarists I would suggest (if you can) going to the Musicians Institute (MI) in Hollywood California USA for a few reasons. Of course many of the teachers are world class guitarists but also you will have the opportunity to network with other musicians. This is an important part of becoming successful in the rock/pop world.

My next recommendation would be Berkley Music College in Boston USA. Berkley caters well for both rock and jazz. If jazz is your preference I would recommend Berkley over MI.

If you prefer to stay local Sydney has the Conservatorium of Music. There are also Musician's institutes in some major cities which offer some certified courses but I would research the courses first to ensure they offer what you are looking for.

Don't forget to grab a free copy of the G4 GUITAR METHOD.

DOWNLOAD FREE COPY of G4GUITAR METHOD.

Do the ONLINE TOUR once you have downloaded your copy.

If you have any questions please email: david@g4guitar.com.au

To find a guitar teacher near you checkout our LOCATIONS page.

For more information about G4GUITAR please visit our website.

Follow me on TWITTER
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GUITAR WORLD 50 GREATEST GUITAR SOLOS

Greatest Guitar Solos of all time is really a tough one. I know that there are so many factors to a great guitar and the most important being that I can listen to it a thousand times and still love it. We see and hear solos that often impress us with speed and accuracy but is that enough? I personally don't think so. A great solo must be like a great speech. Its not the speed at which its delivered or the complexity of the grammar but its the overall delivery and whether it moves you.

The following list was compiled by Guitar World. It may or not be your choice but its a good place to start if you are looking for inspiration.

GUITAR WORLD 50 GREATEST GUITAR SOLOS.

Don't forget to grab a free copy of the G4GUITAR METHOD.

DOWNLOAD FREE COPY of G4GUITAR METHOD.

Do the ONLINE TOUR once you have downloaded your copy.

If you have any questions please email: david@g4guitar.com.au

To find a guitar teacher near you checkout our LOCATIONS page.

For more information about G4GUITAR please visit our website.

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Guitar learning should be via tested and proven methods

Testing anything takes time and patience. The difference between something that works verses that which does not is either via testing or pure luck. Since luck is not predictable I prefer to test. For guitar students the G4GUITAR METHOD is just that. A tested and proven method.

The G4GUITAR METHOD (G4GM) is based on AB testing. We take two theories and test them against each other to see which gives the best result. Example: Do students aged between 8 and 12 learn better with their parents sitting in on the lessons or not? Or do students who record their practice times daily improve faster than students who take a weekly estimate? We have tested thousands of theories and continue to do so and the results often surprise teachers.

So we want to ask you a favour. Its once again about testing. We want to know what you think by downloading a free copy no strings attached. If thousands of guitarists and teachers are testing out the method we will soon know what they like or dislike and how we can improve on it. There is no catch here. We really want to know what you think so we can make it even better and therefore improve the way we teach our students.

To grab a free copy just follow the links.

DOWNLOAD FREE COPY of G4GUITAR METHOD.

Do the ONLINE TOUR once you have downloaded your copy.

If you have any questions please email: david@g4guitar.com.au

To find a teacher near you checkout our LOCATIONS page.

For more information about G4GUITAR please visit our website.

Follow me on TWITTER
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How do Rockstars become Rockstars?

Watching an episode of Law & Order about desperate young hopefuls in New York City made me realise that many of our students are probably asking the question 'How do Rockstars actually make it?' The lead detective describes how by his estimates 50,000 guitarists every year give up everything on a quest to become the next big thing yet only about 10 (if that) will make the big time. They are very long odds. So why do so many go after the prize? Is it really worth it? Are they just setting themselves up for years of disappointment?

Is it possible to beat the odds and become a rockstar? I have witness thousands of wannbes try yet fail but I have also always had a fascination for those who are successful. What makes the difference? What do the Eric Claptons and the Jimi Hendrixs, the B.B.Kings or Eddie Van Halens of the world have that us mere mortals do not? Were they truly born with a gift or just lucky? While it would be naive of me to say there is one simple answer there are definately clues.

One thing that I have notice amongst not only successful guitarists but anyone from Hollywood actors to famous politicians is they network. The quickest way to get noticed is to stand next to someone famous. This will not make you a great guitar player but people will listen. You will get a chance to be heard. Jimi Hendrix got his break after Keith Richard's girlfriend of the time saw him playing to an empty room in the USA. Notably impressed she introduced Jimi to the right people and the rest is history.

You do need to have something worthy of an audience but you don't have to be the greatest guitarist ever. When you start mixing with the right people you will learn from them. You will rise to the occasion. One of my favourite guitarists of the 80s was Neal Schon. Neal got to play with Santana as a teenager. Naturally he got noticed but he also picked up a few tricks from Santana.

Finally if I were a teen and embarking on a career of becoming a rockstar I would move to Hollywood and spend as much time making contacts as I would practicing guitar. Bottom line is you need to be good at both or at least a master of one to have a chance.

That's my take on it...

If you have any questions please email: david@g4guitar.com.au

To find a teacher near you checkout our LOCATIONS page.

For more information about G4GUITAR please visit our website.

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Count the minutes

There is a saying that says "What you can measure you can multiply". By measuring how much practice you actually do in theory you can improve on your score. I can say with complete confidence that in 99% of cases the students who use a practice log to measure their practice are the ones who improve the quickest and rarely give up. But why?
There are several reasons. The analogy I like to use it what I call the 'Bart Simpson analogy'. His classic phrase "Are we there yet?" is one that if you are a parent have heard many times I am sure. This comes as a result of not knowing how long the journey will take. When we learn guitar frustration sets in because we want to be able to play our favourite songs and we want to know "WHEN?". Our teachers tell us to be patient and keep practicing but gradually our confidence fades and finally we throw in the towel.
If on the other hand I was able to say to you that with 1000 minutes of practice you should be able to play Smoke on the Water and with 10,000 mins the intro to 'Stairway to Heaven' chances are you are going to be more patient. It is not exact science because everyone is different and it also depends on where you put that practice time. But if you measure your practice habitually you start to get a good idea of how much practice equals how much progress.
There are also other benefits. E.g. Most people are naturally self competitive. In other words we like to improve on our scores. One of the reasons computer games are so highly addictive is because we want to beat our high score. Imagine if these games had no scores. Would they be as addictive? When you measure your practice I can assure you that in no time you will be trying to out do your high scores. First month you might do 1000 minutes of practice but in the second month you will be looking to exceed that amount. After 1 year you will be doing 5000+ a month and on your way to guitar legend status.

So start measuring. You can downlod a practice log from our STUDENT WEBSITE on the DOWNLOADS page.

If you have any questions please email: david@g4guitar.com.au

To find a teacher near you checkout our LOCATIONS page.

For more information about G4GUITAR please visit our website.

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PLAN your PRACTICE

One of the best pieces of advice I can offer any student is to plan your practice. Time is precious and you need to make every minute count. Start with short practice sessions of 15 to 20 minutes and break it down into 5 minute topics.

Example;
5 minutes picking practice. Leave your left hand out of it (right if you are a lefty).
5 minutes chord practice. Left hand only. Check our PRACTICE site for ideas.
5 minutes Scale. Start slow with a metronome and stick to one scale. Even one string.
5 minutes song. Work on a small section of a song. Just a few bars.

Make sure your practice is leading you towards your ultimate goal. Try writing out practice plans when you are sitting on the bus or train or in the waiting room at your guitar school. Show your teacher or email me for a second opinion.

Please email: david@g4guitar.com.au

To find a teacher near you check our LOCATIONS.

For more information about G4GUITAR please visit our website.

Follow me on TWITTER
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