G4 GUITAR BLOG

Reading Music for Guitarists

2012-01-27T16:24:00.000-08:00

As guitarists we basically have two choices when it comes to reading music and both are important.

Music Notation - As displayed is a system of reading music that dates back hundreds of years and once understood will allow you to sight read (read & play) much like reading a book out aloud. Music notation is the language of music and like reading words in a book is a must for any musician. The first step to learning to read music notation is to memorise and say the lines (Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit) and spaces (FACE) as you move through the music. Do it very slowly and on every note say "Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit" or "FACE". For example if the note was a B rather then guess it say "Every Good Boy". Literally counting up the lines. If you do this daily for at least 6 weeks reading will be easy. Avoid trying to guess notes. This first step gets you familiar with the notes and with practice the notes will jump out at you like the letters of the alphabet. Its all just about familiarity which comes with practice.

Guitar Tab (Tablature) - I can be seen below the notation. In this case we use 6 lines which represent the 6 strings of the guitar. The numbers indicate the fret numbers (not necessarily finger numbers). Tab is more like a map directing you where each note is to be played. This can be very useful especially for electric guitarists. There are many signs and symbols used in tab to express the hundreds of different techniques used. Personally I can not imagine a world without guitar tab.

Many students who start with tab never learn to read music but this is a big mistake. Reading notation has numerous advantages but as mention it is the language of music. Tab is purely for guitarists whereas musical notation is used by all musicians.

Free download - If you would like a free copy of our Chords and Reading Book please email myself at g4guitar1@gmail.com

Please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

Australia Canada USA

The secret to improvisation

2012-01-21T16:45:00.000-08:00

I recently received a question via one of our teachers asking about improvisation. Here is my answer.

Improv is always a good question. I think the best quote I ever heard was from Miles Davis. "There are no wrong notes". I usually tell students we improvise everyday. Whenever we have a conversation we don't usually read from scripts. Our conversations are completely improvised. We use a common language (keys, scales etc.) and we use familiar phrases and we mimic our peers. There really is no good or bad improvisation. It just depends on what you like. I can say that I heard a great guitar solo but it could be great for one of two reasons. 1. It may be technically well executed and/or 2. It may appeal to my musical taste.

You do need technical ability

In saying all that there is no mistaking a guitarist who lacks technical skill trying to pull off a difficult solo. It would be like me trying to recite Shakespeare on a London stage. My lack of skill would be obvious. The trick is to keep developing the technical skills which is what the G4 Guitar Method is all about while listening to your favourite players, learning their coolest solos and then letting your own style flow through. This is best achieved by jamming with as many musicians as possible. Like a good conversationalist who frequents social events a good guitarist will regularly attend jam sessions.

What do you want to say?

The way to develop your improvisational skills is much like language. In language its best to read with a dictionary on hand. In music you should listen and then try to analyse what you hear then play it back. The more you listen the more you will come to know what you like. This will also give your technical practice more meaning. Many students who feel stuck with improvisation simply don't know what they are looking for. When we improvise like when we speak we need to have something to say. When I first heard Stevie Ray Vaughn as a teen I knew he had something special. There was so much energy behind his guitar playing and although the songs were structure he improvised the guitar licks and solos for the most part. I didn't necessarily want to be SRV but I was inspired by his energy injected into every note he played. He wasn't just playing notes he was speaking through his guitar.

Please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

Australia Canada USA

Posted 2 days ago by David Hart G4 GUITAR

The value of music theory

2012-01-18T22:51:00.000-08:00

I know when I was a teen learning guitar was simply about learning songs. I recall my motivation for lessons was just about finding someone who could workout some songs I really wanted to learn. I had little to zero interest in learning scales, reading or music theory. I found such topics laborious and even irrelevant but then came a turning point at around 17 years of age. I was a relative late comer to music (starting at 14yo) so in contrast to many of my musical colleagues who began music lessons at age 5yo and 6yo my aural skills were weak. Unfortunately the later in life you begin learning music the harder it will be to master the aural skills. Much like language. Young brains absorb new languages at an astounding pace as any parent knows and music is really just a language. Young music students almost always have an advantage over late starters especially when it comes to aural ability.

Using theory to fill in the gaps

While I did not really understand this advantage as a teen (at the time I just thought they were more naturally gifted) I recognised my ear was not as reliable as I would have hoped. This was the early 80's by the way and there was no Internet and guitar tab was rare. We mostly had to rely on our teachers writing out songs and of course our own ears. I realised (thanks to my teacher) that music theory actually compensated for my poor aural skills. Music is made up mostly of predictable patterns. Understanding the theory behind those patterns made it easier to work out songs. I could literally predict the next chord or pattern. My ear may have been weak but my understanding of musical theory soon filled in the gaps. I now understood the value of music theory.

Balancing skills and songs

Aural is just one of several guitar skills you need of course but the above is just an example of the importance of skill development opposed to simply learning songs. Songs for the most part will come and go. Go ahead and learn your favourite songs because that is what its all about but always be mindful of the skills and try to balance your practice time evenly between skills and songs. When you have the skills learning new songs should become easier. If you have difficulty learning a new song try to assess why and isolate the skills you perhaps need to work on.

Please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

Australia Canada USA

Overestimating your ability

2012-01-08T16:56:00.000-08:00

In a study conducted some years ago teenagers were asked before their exam what mark they expected to get to assess how accurately their belief matched their result. They found that boys tended to over estimate their results where as girls underestimated. As a result the boys were disappointed with their mark and the girls were pleasantly surprised. Given the choice I think most of us would prefer to come in higher than expected but as always there is more to the story. The boys on average tend to be over confident but with out going into it here it is important not to confuse low expectations with low self esteem. Confidence is closely linked to self esteem so while we want to lower our expectations we don't want to lower confidence.

Overestimating is part of the human condition

Many experts say that optimism is an essential part of our well being. We have all heard a thousand times that to be successful you need to be confident in your ability. Believe and you shall achieve they say. This is of course true to a large degree and an idea I regularly promote. Why would you attempt something that seemed unachievable? Even the most pessimistic person attempting the impossible believes there is a slight chance of success. The reality is we humans on the whole tend to over estimate our chances of success and this is a good thing but does have some negative side effects. The truth is most progress comes from people who over estimate their real chances of success but somehow end up beating the odds. If we were always realistic about our chances of success there would be very little progress. So what is the downside?

The downside of overestimating our ability

The bad news is our generous overestimations can lead us to disappointment as shown in the above example which can in turn lead us to abandon our goals. Nearly every book I have ever read on success talks about the need to accept and embrace failure. The underlying theme is almost always the same. Failed, failed, failed, failed, failed, success. Failure is just a necessary part of the journey. Failure they say is actually a good thing because it shows you are stepping outside of your comfort zone. When you succeed the first time at a new endeavour the odds are it was luck or the challenge was too easy. The problem is most of us don't like failure. When we fail we beat ourselves up and often completely give up on our goal. I have seen this with guitar students many times and their decision to give up is never based on logic. It is an emotional decision.

Failure is a relative experience

The point of paragraph one was not to compare boys with girls but to demonstrate how success and failure are relative experiences. If you find yourself wanting to give up guitar on a regular basis I suggest you take a closer look at your expectations. Wanting to give up by the way is not unusual. I certainly went through it as a teen and often felt like guitar was not worth the time and effort. When students pick up the guitar they tend to believe on average that they will be a half descent guitarist within six months. Six months later they are questioning their progress and whether it is all worth it. It just seems to be going slower than expected. Their perceived lack of progress may be real or imaginary depending on their expectations. Either way the feeling is the same. They feel they have not met their expectations and are therefore a failure.

You are not alone

Successful actors, musicians, dancers, pilots, surgeons, sports people, politicians, business people have all doubted themselves at times. No matter who they are or how great you think they are they have all questioned their ability and their level of talent rarely has anything to do with it. It is their personal expectations that determine failure or success in their minds. If failure feels like the norm to you then try lowering your expectations. Remember that giving up on your dream to play guitar is almost always an emotional decision rather than being based on facts. Guitar takes time to learn of which every great guitar player can testify.

Please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

Australia Canada USA

Why you should practice early...

2012-01-05T17:53:00.000-08:00

Morning practice for many makes all the difference. In fact it can be the most important practice session of the day. There are several reasons why.

Freedom. When we practice in the morning we don't need to spend the day thinking about how we are going to fit in our practice later in the day. If you have a busy day thinking about how and when you will fit in your practice it can feel like a burden rather than a pleasure.

Clear. We are generally more alert in the morning oppose to later in the day or evening when we have a head full of the days events. Our heads are clear so the quality of our practice is often better.
Theme. You can set a theme for the day. E.g. G major scale. So as well as your morning physical workout you can add an mp3 to your ipod and listen through out the day to develop your aural awareness. You can also visualize the scale to help memorise.

Skipping. Leaving something till late in the day often means if something comes up you are likely to skip practice that day. Morning practice ensures you have done something (even 10 mins) therefore you are moving forward.

Uninterupted. I find I am less likely to get interrupted. Friends tend to ring at night more so then 7am in the morning.

Relax. At night you can just relax and jam out. Make the morning focus time and night chill time.

Faster. Those who practice in the morning also have the luxury of doing more practice at night. This means an option for faster progress if you so desire.

Feeling good. Perhaps the most important point is how it makes you feel. When you have a routine of morning practice you will feel good for the day because you know your dream of playing guitar is actually coming true. Each day as you leave for school or work (or not) you can feel good about the fact that your practice is done.

If you choose to do morning practice I can assure you it will pay off.

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

Rehearsing failure

2011-12-28T15:53:00.000-08:00

I should point out that I am not about to suggest you practice guitar with an aim to fail. Rehearsing failure is a technique that will help you to be prepared and to deal with failure when it arises. I first heard about this strategy in a book about successful sports stars. In high level sport a critical mistake can shake your confidence and end up costing you the game. Dealing with your mistakes quickly and refocusing are critical.

Are you prepared for failure?

Think of safety instructions or a fire drill. These are simply preparations for when things goes wrong. You hope you won't need them but in the event that something does happen you will be prepared. In the infamous 9/11 New York terrorist attacks it was those people who had done routine evacuation drills who mostly survived. They knew what to do when disaster struck. Failing guitar is hardly a disaster but the same principals apply. You need to be prepared for the day you decide to quit. A decision to quit is the only kind of failure when it comes to learning guitar. Being prepared will improve your odds.

Learn from your past

Imagine you had decided that 'Stairway to Heaven' was a song you wanted to play within your first year of guitar lessons. By the 6th month mark you were still struggling to hold down the first few chords and as a result you felt like a failure. At this point you decide to quit declaring you just don't have what it takes. Rehearsing this situation before it occurs can dramatically reduce the chances of you really failing by throwing in the towel. Try to imagine yourself in different situations. A good place to start is to look at other pursuits you have begun but later quit. What happened? How did you feel? Why did you start and why did you then quit? Perhaps you took up tennis or golf or you started a business or a diet or a fitness plan. Look closely at the reasons and then using your imagination apply them to guitar.

Strategies for dealing with failure

By rehearsing in your mind the failing scenario you will be better prepared to deal with it. You simply need to imagine yourself failing and how you will feel and then work out how you will respond. Try writing down the various scenarios and then write your strategy for ensuring you do not quit. One strategy I use is what I call the contract strategy. Firstly when I decide to take up something new I set a short time frame. With guitar let us say 3 months. I then commit to practicing for the 3 months. At the end of the 3 months I review my contract. There is also the delay strategy. In this case when I feel like quitting I delay my decision for another week to see that I still feel the same next week. I have used this with many guitar students as well. When they say to me they are going to quit I ask them to give it one more week and then see how they feel. It works in about 50% of cases. Look for the strategies that work for you and by being prepared you will rarely fail.

Please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

Posted 1 week ago by David Hart G4 GUITAR

Don't choose guitar teachers based on convenience

2011-12-20T16:33:00.000-08:00

We live in a world of convenience. In real-estate they shout 'Location, location, location because location usually means convenience. Quality may win out in the long run but short term convenience wins hands down. Think of fast food. Fast simply means convenient. A drive-through where your meal is ready within a few minutes without getting out of your car is about as convenient as it gets. Home delivery while a little slower is basically on a par. Either way these convenient foods reduce your need to burn calories while also delivering foods high in calories and low in vitamins.

More convenience

How about the convenience store? Right around the corner, open late and easy parking. What's the cost? High prices, poor selection and definitely no advice. Even the big supermarkets are convenient because everything you need is in one place but often what you are buying is not ideal. What about a movie at home? Film makers spend millions of dollars making a movie which was designed to be watched at a cinema yet we often choose the convenience of home and get an inferior experience. The list goes on.

Convenient guitar teachers

Convenience almost always comes at a cost and this also applies to guitar teachers. The first place people look for a teacher is in their local area. Makes sense because who wants to drive 30 minutes to a teacher when there is one just around the corner. A good example are public schools. Many parents opt for a guitar teacher at their child's school. Now while some of these teachers are probably quite good this is very much a lottery. Most schools who offer guitar lessons have no actual input or control over what these guitar teachers teach. It is highly unlikely they are screened because there is usually no one qualified in guitar to know what a qualified guitar teacher really is. A good test is to ask your school who hired and trained the guitar teacher. Many of these teachers have little or no teaching experience and are often self-taught music students themselves.

Find the best (not the most convenient)

To avoid the convenience trap try to avoid selecting your teacher based on location. Be prepared to travel to find the best teacher for you. I suggest you ask the following questions of any teacher before you start.

Do they use a method of teaching? Be wary of teachers who seem to improvise their lessons from week to week. A good clue is lots of hand written material.
Are there clearly defined benchmarks? Ask the teacher what are the expected outcomes of their course and how will you know when you reach them.
Is your teacher committed to teaching? Some teachers are very nice people but are not actually committed teachers. Your fees might help to put them through university but they see teaching as a source of income not a career. The result is a guitarist willing to trade their time for your money opposed to a trained professional committed to your success.

Please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

The balancing act of great guitar teaching

2011-12-16T19:21:00.000-08:00

Some years ago I noticed guitar teachers generally operate from two distinct styles.

1. Consultation teaching
Most guitar teachers primarily use the consultation style. They will ask you a question like “What do you want to learn?”. The lessons will then be based around the songs, riffs or ideas you have specifically mentioned to keep you engaged and coming back each week. In my early years of teaching this seemed like a logical way to teach. After all I am being paid by the student so they should get to decide what they want to learn right?

2. Structured teaching
Structured teaching basically opposes consultation teaching because there is a set plan. In the strictest sense the student does not get a say. It is like school or university. You might get to choose the classes but the teacher/lecturer decides the content of those classes. This also seemed quite logical once explained to me. After all the teacher should know what's best right?

The popular choice
The consolation method is the popular choice among guitar teachers for a few reasons. Firstly it is easy. The decision making is left to the student. As a teacher I don't need to think about what I am going to teach you each week. I just ask you and being a trained musician with an internet connection I can easily work out almost any popular song. Secondly it keeps students happy. When given the choice most students would rather learn their favourite songs. As a guitarists I understand this because I too feel the same. Who wants to practice boring old scales? Thirdly its good for business, in the short term anyway. Happy students are happy to keep paying.

The risky choice
The structured teacher is taking a risk but it is one that has the student's long term interests at heart more so then their short term happiness. Structured teachers if strictly structured can lose a lot of students in the early months but usually end up with more success stories. A structured teacher is usually following a proven path whereas the consultation teacher is improvising and is often changing course from week to week. There are no long term goals in place and although the student enjoys the lesson over time they gradually become frustrated.

A case for structure
Structured teachers focus more on the skills of guitar playing. By focusing on skills you will ultimately be able to teach yourself songs you want to play in the way you want to play them. Think of it like language. I can teach you to recite from memory your favourite stories and that is definitely a skill but if I instead teach you to read and write you will eventually be able to teach yourself. The process literally speeds up because you are now literate.

Finding harmony
I am not suggesting that any teacher should work strictly to a structure with no improvisation at all. The best teachers can balance the two. My point is most teachers are consultation teachers with little or no structure in their teaching which ultimately results in students who have no real sense of where their lessons are heading. The ideal situation is to have a teacher with a well structured proven method who is willing to take your personal interests into consideration. They should ask questions but not be too eager to please you. Great teachers focus on the big picture and that means combining structure with your personal interests.

Please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

Applying video game mentality to learning guitar

2011-12-11T16:19:00.001-08:00

Personally I have never taken to playing video games. I am sure many people find them exciting and perhaps a great way to wind down from a stressful day. What I do find fascinating though is the dedication and investment of time some people make to mastering their favourite games. The games seem to tap in to their competitiveness. Its as though the game player's very survival depends on winning the game. This same competitiveness does exist among some guitar players. I have seen it many times in students and its extremely powerful but there is a distinct difference between video games and guitar. With guitar the rewards take more work so as a result many people lose interest before reaching this point. I know from years of teaching that if I can get you in to the game of learning guitar you will be hooked. The challenge for me as a teacher is to get you practicing often enough and long enough to reach the tipping point. That point where there is no turning back. The point at which you are hooked for life and practice is no longer a chore but a pleasure or even an addiction.

So how do I get you hooked?

I of course know that you ultimately decide your outcome but if I can convince you to stay on course long enough my work is done. My strategy for convincing you is quite simple. Practice everyday for at least 30 minutes on specific skills and you will reach the tipping point. If I can convince you to stay on track I know its only a matter of time. I have seen students who after 5 weeks decide that guitar is not for them. Typically they will say they don't have the time or don't have the talent. I will then explain that neither time nor talent are the real issues. You will rarely hear a video gamer making such excuses. They will turn off their phone, skip meals, reduce sleep all in an effort to master the game. Sure this is unhealthy behaviour and I am certainly not recommending any of the above but merely pointing out the lengths they will go to. So what is the problem with the above mentioned guitar student?

Getting in the game

The problem with guitar is that it takes time to get hooked and into the game. Video games are designed to get you in as quickly as possible. The game designers know that if a game is too difficult or complicated at entry level it is unlikely to be successful. Learning guitar can be structured in the same way. In fact that is what we have done at G4 to some degree but guitar is guitar so we can only do so much. Its just the nature of guitar and this means it will still take time to get you into the game. When students say they are giving up because they don't have the time I know that what they are really saying is guitar is no longer a priority because it just does not seem worth it. The practice is not exciting them like a video game. Its just dull, boring, tedious exercises. My job as a teacher is to map out the path and show them that if they stick it out they will be a reasonable guitarist within 2 years and it will be well worth the effort. Once they reach the level of a reasonable guitarist those dull exercises turn into cool licks, riffs and songs. At that point they realise the sky is the limit.

One of my roles as a teacher is to convince you that if you practice consistently for long enough you will get the same excitement from learning guitar as you would from a video game except it is a sustained excitement. If you would prefer to be an accomplished guitar player opposed to an accomplished Guitar Hero player then its worth sticking it out. If you are in any doubt just ask any accomplished guitarist.

Please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Free Download

2011-12-07T16:04:00.001-08:00

G4 GUITAR METHOD

Free Download

Download your free copy of the G4 GUITAR METHOD.

Get the
Complete Package
Special Offer

Now only $55

We are currently offering the Complete G4 GUITAR METHOD package for only $55 (Normally $99). The complete package includes the following items;

Over 50 pages of materials

Suitable for both children and adults.

The 7 Essential skills
Rhythm book
Chords & Reading book
Hammers & Pull offs
Finger Exercises
365 Day Challenge
Junior Student Checklists
Senior Student Checklists
Theory pages

Support

We include 30 days full email support which means that if you have any questions regarding the method and materials just pop an email and we will usually respond within 48 hours.

Free Bonus

We will also include a free 30 minute face to face online or face to face lesson with a qualified G4 GUITAR Teacher.

Cost

Now only $55 for a limited time.

Making your payment

All payments can be made via bank transfer. Please email a copy of your receipt tog4guitar1@gmail.com

Commonwealth Bank

Account Name: G4 GUITAR

BSB: 064432

Account Number: 10408162

Delivery

The complete package will be in the form on downloadable PDFs. Once your payment is made please send an email to this address and we confirm your payment and send you a link to the download page.

Questions

If you have any questions please feel free to email g4guitar1@gmail.com

What makes a great guitar teacher?

2011-12-07T02:05:00.000-08:00

When asked the question of what makes a great guitarteacher all I can really do is tell you what questions you should ask when seeking a teacher because these are the questions that I believe are most relevant to your actual long term results. So here goes.

Do they use a method of teaching? Be weary of teachers who improvise their lessons each week with no obvious plan. A trademark of this kind of guitar teacher is hand written material. It is of course appropriate for teachers to write specific notes or exercises that apply to you but it should be less than 50%. You need a teacher with a plan and hopefully one that have proven actually works.

Do they have a progress tracking system? This is critical. If a teacher has no system of measuring your progress it is too easy to overlook important skills. The essential skills required to learn guitar need to be constantly developed and monitored.

Are there clearly defined benchmarks? As a student you may know what songs you eventually want to play but with out some benchmarks along the way it is highly likely you will lose motivation. A good teacher will have clearly defined benchmarks to ensure you stay motivated and on track.

Are they a good teacher or just a nice person? We all like people who are friendly, patient and kind. Unfortunately these qualities while important are not always enough. Some teachers are very nice people but are not effective as teachers. While they may be inspiring the student to turn up each week for a friendly chat they may not be getting results. A clue here is to check whether you feel inspired to practice each week and if the teacher honestly cares about your progress or seems more interested in winning your friendship. A good indicator is when you say you have not practiced and the teacher says its okay. Its NOT OKAY! No practice and you are wasting your time and money unless what you are really paying for is a friend.

After more than 25 years of teaching and recruiting teachers I have found that the best teachers seem to be able to positively inspire their students. They are friendly, honest and genuinely want to see their students succeed. Great teachers see their students as a reflection of their own commitment to teaching. If their students are not passionate they question their own passion towards their teaching.

At G4 GUITAR we of course use the G4 GUITAR METHOD along with checklists to carry out this very function. There are 7 Junior levels, 3 Senior Levels plus AMEB all with certificates awarded on completion which makes it very easy for students.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us via our website at http://www.g4guitar.com.au

Why would you want to learn music theory?

2011-12-03T15:42:00.000-08:00

Theory to many guitar players is considered dull, boring and perhaps mildly useful at best. As a young teen I could not see what triads had to do with playing Van Halen or Led Zep. I would grin and bear it as my teacher explained a theoretical concept hoping he would just get to the riff I wanted to learn before my lesson was over. I didn't care whether the song was a 1, 4,5 progression or whether the cadence was perfect or not. It just had to sound good. But then one day I became very curious. I wanted to know it all and the more I studied the more exciting it became. Learning theory was unlocking the mystery of music and it was fascinating.

Example
By understanding chord theory you can work out any chord for yourself. Not only will you have no need for a guitar chord dictionary but you will be able to see how chords connect. At age 16 years when I finally understood chord theory my friends thought I was amazing. I became the 'go-to' guy for chords. For example a Cm7 chord is made up of three elements. The pitch (C), the triad (m = minor) and the embellishment (7=adding the 7th note from the scale). Once you understand these elements the chords become easy understand. There are few more steps to the process of course but they are not difficult. In a few sessions you will literally understand how just about any chord is formed. And thats only one of the many benefits of learning music theory.

Theory for Guitarists

We are currently putting together some theory PDFs aimed specifically at guitarists that will soon be available so stay tuned. Below is an extract of one the pages.

The Youtube revolution - What it means

2011-11-27T15:43:00.001-08:00

Youtube is definitely driving a revolution of learning because it is based on the idea of rapid evolution. The more people who can collaborate on an idea often the faster it will evolve. The video above points out this fact out and shows examples of dancers who have learnt purely from Youtube videos. While I am extremely excited about this revolution I am cautious about overstating the idea of actually learning from Youtube. I think we need to be careful not to take the approach that one hat fits all. While some students will become great guitarists with nothing more than an Internet connection most will probably not. I believe the Internet is driving both inspiration and innovation which is fantastic but developing fundamental skills has not changed. The Internet may introduce new and wonderful ways to play a guitar but the essential skills have not changed and are unlikely to change. What's more is Youtube does not know you or understand your needs. When learning guitar like say learning a language what we need most is a teacher who knows your particular needs hopefully with a method that can be tailored to suit those needs.

Questions and answers

Youtube surprisingly is creating more questions then it answers. Youtube is inspiring people to learn guitar but can also leave them with unanswered questions. Every student is different and when a video is made it may be good for one student but not another. Its the Goldilocks scenario. Too hot, too cold, just right. When you go searching for Youtube videos most will be too advanced, too simple or just irrelevant. I uploaded some videos for beginner students and while I got some good comments of appreciation others would criticise making comments that I was going too slow or giving too much explanation. I knew these comments were from frustrated guitar students who felt I could have said in 2 minutes what I took 10 minutes to say. This was because they were obviously more advanced and did not need so much explanation.

Nothing beats a teacher

There is no question that Youtube is the best thing since the invention of the guitar but it should compliment your lessons not replace them. Students who only learn from Youtube are in fact spending a lot of time searching and watching Youtube videos and often less practicing. Youtube videos unfortunately need to be watched before you can decided whether they are relevant to you. There are those individuals who no doubt sit with their guitar watching Youtube videos for 8 hours a day and become amazing guitarists and if you have the time why not. For the rest of us who don't have that luxury we need to make sure we make the most of our time and that is where a teacher comes in. A good teacher will know what you need to be working on at any given point. They will know the next logical step. You won't spend hours searching for what you need.

Work hard and smart

A teacher is still and probably always will be your best option for learning guitar. When we hear of great guitar players who were self taught we don't see the whole picture. The whole picture usually shows someone practicing for hours and hours everyday for several years. Their method for success is simply hours invested. Its like the person who has a million dollars from working 14 hours a day for 20 years. They might be rich but they didn't necessarily work very smart. I do believe in working hard but also smart. A good teacher will show you how to be efficient with your time and a smart student will find a good teacher.

Please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Why expectations matter

2011-11-17T19:55:00.001-08:00

When we first begin a new project (E.g. guitar) it is likely that we will have unrealistic expectations. Have you been to a movie highly recommended by a friend only to be disappointed? Compare that to a movie by one of your favourite directors with familiar actors a somewhat predictable plot based on a well known formula. The first example while sometimes just a really bad movie recommended by a friend who thinks Elvis movies are cinema classics is really just a movie that did not meet your expectations. When we are told a movie is brilliant we expect our idea of brilliant and anything less is disappointing. Whether we like it or not we have expectations about almost everything in life and in some cases those expectations are met and in other cases they are not but our expectations often affect our decisions. When it comes to learning guitar your expectations play a major role in whether or not you decide to continue learning or give up especially in the early stages.

Where did my student go?

I have seen guitar students who role up for their first lesson with their brand new $1500 Maton guitar, half a dozen books on how to play guitar with the excitement of a 6 year old on Christmas morning. Then within a few weeks they disappear. In my early years of teaching this would surprise me but over the years it became an all too familiar pattern which I learned to recognise early. It was simply that their expectations were not being met. I knew in order to keep these students from throwing in the towel too early it was important to set them straight from the outset. Their expectations were way too high and they were expecting too much too soon.

Hope for the best but expect the worst

It is true that some students are better at focusing and putting first things first and there are also students who walk into their first lesson with a musical history so therefore have a head start but over the long term the above differences tend to even out. A good teacher will help the student to prioritise, the less focused student learns to focus and any musical history tends to be less and less relevant. The important fact here is staying in the game. Staying in the game is about understanding your own expectations. If you expect to be playing the entire Beatles collection within a few months you will be disappointed whereas if stringing a few chords together in time is enough you will likely be pleased with your progress. This should not be confused with goals. Its good to aim high but just don't expect too much. The old saying 'Hope for the best but expect the worst' will serve you well.

Parents - Do you think your child has realistic expectations?

Most guitar teachers are familiar with parents who when inquiring about lessons for their child say something like the following; "Is it possible to borrow or hire a guitar for a few weeks just to see how she/he goes?" I understand of course that some parents don't want to spend $100 on a new guitar only to find out a few weeks later that their child's interest has waned. The problem with this approach though is it sends the message that the parent perhaps does not have faith in their child's ability to learn guitar. But here's the thing, questioning your child's ability to follow through is not actually a bad thing. Most parents know their child extremely well so their instincts should not be ignored. If you are a parent and know your child is unlikely to follow through it is better to address the reasons why before they start. Even if your instincts are telling you they are 80% likely to follow through then address the 20%. Talk to your child about what will be involved with learning guitar. Daily practice, weekly lessons, initially sore fingers, good days and bad days, boring exercises at times and so on. As a parent you know your child so as much as possible laid it all out for them so there are no surprises.

Good teachers address your expectations early

A good guitar teacher knows that your expectations must be met if you are to continue long term. Unmet expectations soon wear us down. Unless your teacher has some kind of magical powers your pace of learning is quite predictable based on the amount of practice you do on a consistent basis. Basically practice equals progress. A good teacher might be able to get you to practice more than you would otherwise or focus more of the essential skills and therefore help you to progress quicker but ultimately if your expectations are not met you will still be disappointed. The teacher's goal therefore is to evaluate your expectations and then ensure they are realistic and inline with what is reasonable given your average practice times. This is one of the many reasons why you should be using the *Practice Log. Your teacher needs to know how much you are practicing to know what you should be expecting in terms of progress.

*Practice Log is available in the G4 Guitar Method Kit.

Please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

A Steve Jobs lesson for guitar students

2011-11-15T19:41:00.001-08:00

I recently read that when Steve Jobs rejoined Apple his first priority was to axe as many of their products as possible and focus on only a few key products. Initially there were about 300 different Apple products which he managed to cull back to around 10. Jobs certainly did not invent this philosophy but he did make a great case for the less is more argument.

A lack of focus

I decided many years ago to take the same approach with teaching guitar. In my early years of teaching I witnessed too many students with guitar cases full of half tabbed songs often from previous teachers. If I then asked them to play a complete song they would confess to not actually knowing a song from beginning to end. The problem was not really the fact that they could not play a complete song. After all many songs include sections that are simply beyond the beginner student and may take years to learn. For example there might be a simple intro but a challenging solo or chord. The real problem was they seemed frustrated, lacked focus and were not heading in any real direction. When one song got too hard they just moved on to a new one. Every week!

Songs are projects

Students who jump from one song to another (affectionately know as 'Riff junkies') often fall into the habit of skipping difficult sections or what they may perceive as boring. Songs should be seen as projects. You should aim to finish any song you start. If you learn say the intro and then find the verse too difficult don't just give up. Instead talk to your teacher and ask them what you need to do to be able to play the section in question. In other words what skills do you need to develop. It may require a skill that will take you several years to learn but that's okay. The process of developing this skill will lead you often to new discoveries.

Short and long term projects

Not all songs are equal of course. Some will be short term projects and others long term projects but either way, don't take on any project you do not intend on finishing. Perhaps do some research first. Ask your teacher to be honest with you as to how difficult the song will be for your current level and how much practice will be required. I saw a video recently of a very respectable session guitarist who said it took him more than 20 years to perfect Van Halen's 'Eruption' and perfect it he did. It was the closest I had ever heard to the original. Even closer than live Eddie who always plays it slightly different live.

Becoming more selective

Taking the approach of finishing what you start will help you to become more selective about the songs you choose to learn. Like Jobs you need to throw out the hundreds of songs and focus on just a few. Don't try try to be the ultimate guitar jukebox. Your friends might be impressed initially but as a guitarist you will be compromising your playing. Its better to play a few songs really well than a lot of songs poorly. .

Your 'Ultimate Song List'

To help students to focus I created a blank list called the Ultimate Song List (USL). (To receive a copy please visit the G4 Guitar Student Site) On this list students write down a maximum of 25 songs they ultimately hope to be able to play. I usually ask students to fill this list in over the first few weeks. The list is not written in stone at this point. It is simply a starting point. Students are free to change songs at anytime but their list can never be anymore than 25. When they are satisfied with their list they can see they then have a clear direction. New songs and riffs may come along and of course they can learn other songs but the USL is the goal. It keeps the student focused and acts as a reminder of where they are heading.

Please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Latest TweetJust in time for the Aussie summer http://t.co/sJ70fTh8

Follow @g4guitar Reply Retweet 11:16 Nov-15

Get this email app!

Want a signature like mine? CLICK HERE.

A Lesson in Persistence

2011-11-09T21:18:00.000-08:00

As children we are all born into particular circumstances. Our family, neighbours, local community and even country will have an impact on how we turn out as adults. In the USA for example there are certain neighbourhoods where your odds of ending up in prison are high. Children who grow up in these areas are introduced to crime from an early age and simply know no better. There are often very few opportunities where they can escape their fate.

Teaching us a lesson

Despite the grim reality there is hope for children in some of these areas. KIPP schools in the USA offer an amazing opportunity to children in these less fortunate areas. KIPP schools are free but the standards are high and they only accept students who accept their terms. In areas where most children will never reach college at KIPP 95% of their students graduate high school and most go on to college. KIPP is turning education on its head and is fast becoming America's most talked about schools.

So what do they do differently?

KIPP schools understand something very important. They know that all children given the opportunity can excel but the secret is persistence. KIPP schools operate from early in the morning until 5pm in the afternoon. Too much time at school many might say but the kids love it. KIPP knows that their students have more time to problem solve. When a child is taught to persist they solve more problems and as a result their confidence grows. To children success is like sugar. Once they get a taste they want more. I once read that Asian students tend to perform better at maths problems compared to the rest of the populations because they persist longer on the problem. This happens because usually their parents work with them at a young age but that's for another blog.

Persist and you shall succeed

As a guitar teacher and an entrepreneur I know the importance of persistence. Those students who persist get results and then their confidence grows. When we give up too soon we never realise our potential. Now when I say persist I don't mean persisting with your weekly guitar lesson or even daily guitar practice. I mean to persist on solving a problem or developing a skill. When a child is learning to play a new song and its difficult they will often want to stop or play something more familiar. By pushing them to go just a little longer they improve their ability to persist. Do this on a daily basis and overtime they will learn to persist much longer and therefore achieve more but a word of caution. Don't push too hard too quickly. Build them up gradually. Perhaps reward them for persisting.

Check out the KIPP Schools Video online.

Please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Is your brain wired for guitar success?

2011-11-06T00:32:00.000-07:00

Functional MRI scans are now revealing a lot about how the brain actually works. Researchers today are curious to learn about a whole range of brain functions and how they relate to real life. One such area of research is the brain of successful people. Apparently successful people across a broad range of areas show some similarities in brain activity. Contrary to popular belief there is no real relationship between I.Q. and success. Success it turns out has more to do with the way we respond to situations and especially how we respond to failure or set backs and this definitely applies to successful guitarists.

Guitar will test your brain

Learning guitar is actually a very difficult challenge and one that will test you especially over the long term. Learning guitar at first is exciting because our naturally optimistic outlook has us believing that it will only be a matter of months before we will be playing our favourite songs. It is true that some songs are quite simple but it is unlikely that every song you hope to play is actually simple enough to knock over in a few months. Many of the skills you will need to acquire will take years to learn. This reality will often frustrate and question whether you have the talent or whether its worth the effort. The statistics show most will abandon their guitar dreams within the first year. Most of us will question our commitment on a regular basis and it is how you answer this question that will decide whether or not you succeed.
Rewiring your brain for guitar success

The researchers found that the FMRI scans of those who were successful actually showed a different result to those who gave up. There were actually different thought patterns in the brain of successful people. This may lead you to believe that you either have a successful brain or you don't. Fortunately we are not born with one brain or the other. The term plasticity is now used to describe how our brains work. This means our brain can be shaped but it takes work. You must begin by being aware of how you respond to a situation. Knowing and understanding this will increase your chances of success. They found the most common traits of successful people were persistence and resilience and such people know how to respond to themselves when in times of doubt.

So how do successful people respond?

Imagine you have been learning guitar for a few months and the practice seems tedious and the rewards small. You get home from a hard day at school or work and the last thing you want to do is more study. By being aware you will be able to listen to what you are actually saying to yourself. If you do not feel like practicing chances are your self talk is negative in terms of guitar practice. The successful person's brain will still have the same negative thoughts but they respond differently by challenging their own opinion. E.g. Negative brain "Practice is boring and besides if I had talent it wouldn't be so difficult". The positive brain argues "Maybe it's boring at times and yes it's challenging but the practice will get easier and my playing will improve. It's just a fact. More practice equals more progress."

Why not talk yourself into practicing

We often talk ourselves out of practice through justification. You might say to yourself that you have too many immediate priorities but deep down you know its just an excuse. The above is just an example but the idea is to train your brain in overturning your negative thoughts with positive ones. Justification is part of human nature but if its sabotaging your dreams you need to question it. When you notice yourself talking yourself out of practicing challenge yourself and talk yourself back into practicing. You should also consider the fact that if you are able to do this exercise on guitar you can then apply it to other areas of your life. If you give up on guitar then your negative brain has won. If your positive brain wins your confidence will grow because you now know that success is in your hands and not just a matter of luck. You will have literally rewired your brain for success.

Guitar teachers are wired for success

A good guitar teacher can help you develop the successful brain. After all they have done it. A guitar teacher is someone who overcame the same doubts that you will go through. A good teacher will not only teach you how to play guitar but if you dig a little deeper they will also share with you their personal challenges and how they overcame them. A good guitar teacher knows how to get you over the humps and a great guitar teacher knows how to prepare you for the humps before you even get to them.

Please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

So you want to be a guitar teacher

2011-10-29T17:58:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I am asked the question by a student "What do I need to do to become a guitar teacher?" The short answer: If you believe you know enough about guitar and are confident you can communicate what you know you are at least ready to give it a go. Teaching is somewhat like performing on stage. You need to learn your material, practice until you are confident and then just step up and do it. To become a good teacher like a good guitarist takes experience. When you begin teaching especially where you are being paid you will most likely make many of the classic mistakes but that's okay. We often learn more from our mistake than our successes especially those mistakes that are embarrassing or painful in someway. Research has shown we are best at retaining information when learnt through an emotionally charged negative experience. How often have you said to yourself after a humiliating experience 'I will never do that again'. Still, I think we all want to avoid such experiences if possible so for those of you who want to become guitar teachers here is my advice.

Find a mentor

A mentor will make a huge difference for several reasons. Firstly you can learn from their mistakes rather than your own. By watching, listening and if possible asking questions you can learn more in one hour from a good mentor than you could from 10 hours of actual teaching. Next a mentor gives you a vision of hope. When you first start teaching it is easy to lose your confidence especially when you become frustrated because your students are showing no signs of progress or dropping out of lessons. A mentor sets a path for you to follow. Think about how you were inspired by great guitar players. You may not have known them personally but they still unwittingly mentored you. I have almost always had mentors in the areas where I hope to progress and I believe they have made all the difference. Especially with teaching. As a teacher you are looking for teachers not necessarily guitar players. Anyone who you believe to be a successful teacher will make a good mentor.

Use a method

When I began teacher some 25 years ago I would mostly make up each lesson as I went along. A typical lesson would begin with a quick revision of last week's lesson followed by 'So what do you want to do this week?' I had no clear direction for my students. I just wanted to make them happy by giving them exactly what they requested. In some cases they would bring in a song but there were always those students who would just say "I dunno". This was especially true of young children. They honestly did not know what they wanted to play. In most cases it didn't take long for both student and I to become confused about where it was all heading. I knew I needed a guitar method. When I began to look for guitar methods all I could find were books on reading music and they were missing many important elements of learning guitar so I knew I had create something that would cover at least the essential skills. The G4 Guitar Method was basically the answer.

Keep learning

Too often teachers neglect their own learning. They stop going to a teacher because they feel they can teach themselves. Whenever I would interview a teacher my first question would be "Do you have a teacher?" and if the answer was no I would ask why not. After all they are selling the concept of lessons yet they themselves do not have a teacher. The best teachers know the value of a teacher. The know that a teacher means a lot more than just information. A teacher keeps them feeling accountable and moving forward. When we have a teacher we of course have a mentor but probably the biggest benefit of having a teacher is you now how it feels to be a student. Understanding how your students feel will dramatically improve your own teaching.

Involve parents

When I began teaching it simply did not occur to me to include parents in the process of their child learning guitar. I just assumed my young students understood what they had to do and would do it. When I failed to get results I just believed they were too young to learn guitar. It wasn't until I witnessed the success of a piano teacher with young children that my opinion began to shift. Teaching adults and teens is very different to teaching young children. Adults and teens are old enough to understand the process and to take personal responsibility. They know learning guitar takes time and requires practice if they hope to progress. Young children on the other hand need support from parents. Practicing one skill for months can seem like a lifetime to a young child. They quickly lose interest and need parental support. When parents are involved in the process there is almost always a dramatic improvement. Parents also help to feedback what is happening at home. Young children may not always be able to articulate the way they feel or what is happening at home whereas a parent can make all the difference.

Want to become a G4 Guitar Teacher?

If you are interested in becoming a G4 Guitar teacher please visit the G4 Guitar Teacher Application page on our website.

Please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Your child is NOT too young for guitar

2011-10-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

Any parent who witnesses the development of their child can't help be amazed at how much they learn in such a short period. Their development is truly phenomenal. To put this into perspective, a child under 5 learns an average of 1000 new words a year and manages to put it all together to the point where by 5 years of age they can converse fluently with anyone who speaks the same language. This is all while learning to survive in the unknown world around them. Any adult who has traveled to a foreign country and lived in a remote area where no one speaks the language might have some idea of what this is like. Also remember that unlike the adult the child has no point of reference. They can't ask questions like "In your language how do I say .....?"

Gifted children are everywhere

Now naturally when a parent sees their own child learning at such an incredible rate they can't help but feel their child is gifted. You might think I am about to disagree but the fact is your child is gifted as are all children compared to adults. If adults were to learn at even half the rate of a child we could all complete a university master degrees on any subject every year. When you stop for a minute and think about the mind boggling pace of a young child's learning it is truly phenomenal. Even those children who at school perform below par at times demonstrate unique talents that are not always obvious in their youth. Chance are they are just developing a different part of their brain that is not connected to the school curriculum. We only have to look at Einstein (teacher said "Einstein, you will never amount to anything"), Sir Isaac Newton (failed at school), Thomas Edison ( teacher said he was too stupid to learn anything), Steven Spielberg ( placed in a learning-disabled class) as some good examples.

Is your child too young to learn guitar?

Parents sometimes hold back their children from learning music often believing that they are too young. This surprisingly is quite common with guitar. There is a misconception in the public that guitar should be learnt later. When asked most parents will say children should start guitar between 7 years and 12 years. Even many music teachers believe this to be the ideal starting age but we need to make a distinction between popular opinion and actual fact. I am not about to say that I have any scientific proof that starting guitar from 2 years of age is best but I am quite convinced that starting early has definite advantages providing it is done right. When we compare the elements of learning guitar to similar skills a young child learns we see that starting early is often critical. Playing guitar requires fine motor skill development and can be compared to a skill like hand writing. Even by the age of 3 or 4 most children can write their name in most developed countries. My 2 year old daughter can hold a guitar pick and individually pick each string on the guitar. While this may seem a simple task it is actually very difficult (just ask a robotic engineer) so it demonstrates how sophisticated a child's brain really is. The aural skills of music can be compared to language and there is no question that the best time to start learning any language is the day you are born or even earlier. Imagine waiting until age of 7 before introducing your child to reading and writing.

Some points to consider when starting young

While I fully encourage starting children as early as possible on guitar there are a few points to consider. Firstly do not put the same expectations on to a 2 year old as you would a 10 year old. Allow them room to experiment. This may mean banging the guitar, pulling strings, turning the tuning pegs etc. It is all part of the early learning experience. Secondly you are not looking for results in terms of performance. You just want them to become curious. You can use the the guitar to play games. With my 2 year old for instance we have given each string a familiar character. E.g. the low E string is Shrek while the high E string is Fiona so now several times a day she will pluck a string and say it's character name. Lastly its important to be aware that many guitar teachers have zero experience with young children so they will simply say they are too young. What they really mean is your child is too young for them to teach. What you need to do is seek out a teacher who is prepared to work with young children. If this is not possible where you live start by enrolling them into an early music development course. Also feel free to contact myself if you have any questions.

Please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Can you know 'too' many songs on guitar?

2011-10-18T23:52:00.000-07:00

I recently read an article about Steve Jobs and how when he rejoined Apple his first priority was to axe as many of their products as possible and focus on only a few. Initially there were about 300 different products which he managed to cull back to around 10. Jobs certainly did not invent this philosophy but he did come close to perfecting it and proved that less can be more. A lot more.

Party tricks

I have seen this with guitar students time and time again. Typically they have a guitar case full of half tabbed out songs and when asked to perform they happily show off a dozen different riffs or intros to songs but no actual complete pieces. The problem is not really the fact that they cannot play a complete song but it usually highlights an underlying issue. Many songs include sections that are simply beyond the beginner student so rather then develop the skills required many students just move on to a new song. For example there might be a simple intro but a challenging solo so the student will learn the intro almost like a party trick hoping they will never be put in a situation where they are required to play the song in it's entirety.

Songs are projects

Students who jump from one song to another often fall into the habit of skipping difficult sections or what they may perceive as boring. Songs should be seen as projects either long or short depending on the difficulty. You should aim to finish any song you start. If you learn say the intro and then find the verse too difficult don't just give up. Instead talk to your teacher and ask them what you need to do to be able to play the section in question. In other words what skills do you need to develop. It may require a skill that will take you several years to learn but that's okay. The process of developing this skill will lead you often to new discoveries. Like Jobs treat songs like products and get good at a few songs rather than average at many.

Focus on skills

When we focus on developing a specific skill there is a real sense of achievement whereas jumping from one song to another can leave you feeling frustrated. Taking the approach of finishing what you start will help you to become more selective about the songs you learn. Like Jobs you need to throw out the hundreds of songs and focus on a few. Don't try try to be the ultimate guitar songster but instead work on a Top 10. Your friends may even be impressed initially by your extensive repertoire but you will end up dissatisfied with yourself knowing that you are not really improving your guitar skills. Playing a hundred riffs that all require the same level of skill will not make you a better guitar player.

Your ultimate song list

To get around this problem I created what I call the Ultimate Song List (USL). On this list students write down a maximum of 25 songs they ultimately hope to be able to play. I usually ask students to fill this list in over the first few weeks. Once the list is complete it's not written in stone. Students are free to change songs at anytime but their list can never be anymore than 25 songs. It usually takes 6 to 12 months for a student to finalize their list. When the list is complete the student has a clear direction. New songs and riffs may come along and of course they can learn other songs but the USL is the goal. It keeps the student focused and acts as a reminder of where they are heading and what skills they need to develop.

If you like this blog please 'like' us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

How to positively influence your child to practice guitar

2011-10-07T21:43:00.000-07:00

This is a good question and I will begin by saying that forcing a child to learn against their will tends to backfire over the long term. There are definitely responsibilities in life that children need to accept whether they like it or not but guitar should not be one of them unless you live on an island where playing guitar is critical for survival. Generally speaking force when applied to learning guitar will only cause them to hate the guitar, their teacher and probably their parents. While I may be stating the obvious it can be frustrating for parents who have spent hundreds of dollars on a new guitar and lessons only to find out a month or two later their child won't practice and refuse to go to lessons. The good news for parents is you can positively influence your children to learn guitar but like your children it takes patience and commitment.

There must be a way

I have been teaching for over 25 years and in my early years of teaching guitar I saw a lot of children start guitar and give up within the first few months. I found this difficult to accept. I felt like it was a personal failure each time a student quit guitar. I felt I was letting my students and their parents down. People were paying me to learn to play guitar not to give up. I decided I had to find a way. I experimented with many ideas but also sort expert help by reading about great teachers, talking to successful teachers as well as listening and watching them teach. There was of course not one easy solution but I did notice one key factor that stood out among teachers who were successful with young students.

Parent involvement

Parent involvement was the key. Once I began to involve parents in the process I saw a dramatic reduction in student drop outs. Teaching guitar is completely different to school because we only see students once a week for a relatively short time. This is simply not enough time to make any real progress. A lesson is mostly about monitoring progress and planning the week ahead. Your guitar teacher has no real way of ensuring practice therefore progress happens at home but at the same time it is progress that parents are paying for. No parent wants to fork out hundreds or even thousands of dollars for guitar lessons for no result even if their child is enjoying the lessons. A good teacher knows that involving parents means students are more likely to get the help and support they need at home between lessons. Parents are almost always the one who make the difference between success and failure and there is a good reason why.

Daily routine
The secret to success for children is also about creating a daily routine. (Just like brushing their teeth, doing homework etc.) Children need their parents to help them to establish the routine of practice. This takes 3 to 6 months (sometimes longer) of monitoring your child or better still sitting with them while they practice but the impact will usually last a lifetime. I can almost guarantee you that if you sit with your child each day for 3 months (15 minutes a day) you will succeed especially if you communicate with the teacher from week to week to ensure you are understanding what is expected. Parents are the secret ingredient.

If you like this blog please 'like' us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Would you like to master guitar in just a few weeks?

2011-10-06T01:03:00.000-07:00

We have all seen the ads claiming that you can master the guitar in a few months or even weeks. These types of ads play on a part of our personality that secretly wants there to be a magic system of learning. This is the part of you that you really want to ignore because there is no magic system. There are of course good and bad methods but the best methods are the honest ones that make it clear that there are no magic spells. Its simply all about practice. In the following paragraph I am going to describe what typically happens to students who believe guitar can be learnt in weeks or months. The result is usually not good.

Super keen Cliff

Let's call the student Cliff for reasons which will become apparent. Cliff is full of enthusiasm at his first lesson and is ready to be the next guitar hero. Cliff practices like crazy clocking up several hours a day despite his sore fingers. He believes that at any moment his fingers will suddenly be blazing up and down the neck with the speed of Petrucci and the feel of Santana. After weeks perhaps even months of practice he suddenly just quits guitar lessons never to be seen or heard from again. For young inexperienced teachers this often comes as a complete shock. Some teachers even feel they may have offended their student in someway. They can't believe someone like Cliff who was so dedicated could just stop so suddenly.

What happened to Cliff?

I choose the name Cliff not because I once had a student named Cliff who matched the above profile but because a cliff is basically a sudden steep drop off the side of a hill. If someone was running as fast as they can toward a cliff they would suddenly just drop. To the observer when Cliff reaches the edge he just suddenly disappears. I think we have all been like Cliff at some point. I remember some years ago deciding I wanted to be super fit so I went out and bought all the gear, signed up to the gym and started an intense program of running, swimming, cycling and weights only to get sick a month later due to over training. My body was just not ready. I went over the cliff and it was a fast painful drop to the bottom.

Avoiding the cliff

Avoiding the cliff starts by being realistic about your expectations and mapping out a plan that will work for you. I have found that it's better to start small and lift the intensity gradually. As with say fitness don't begin by running marathons. Start with a stroll around the block. Guitar takes years to learn if you hope to play well so there is no rush. If you increase the intensity in steps you are less likely to overdo it in the early months and statistics show this is the time most people give up. Avoid becoming a statistic by easing into it. Guitar is not strenuous physically like jogging but mentally the effect can be the same or worse because at least with exercise you get a rush of endorphins afterwards.

Start small and avoid burnout

When you go too hard you risk burn out so take it easy and set yourself up for life. The goal for beginners is to stay in the game and staying in the game is about pacing yourself. The real goal of any life long pursuit is to work on developing consistency. You should of course have clear and definite goals as these goals give you a direction but your practice needs to become a daily routine that works for you and the best way to find out what works for you is to start small and build on it. Some people can focus for 20 minutes a day others 60 minutes but what usually happens is beginners are most comfortable with 20 minutes a day and over time their practice sessions naturally get longer. The Cliffs of the world start out at 60+ minutes a day and soon find it tedious and quickly lose interest when they don't get instant results. So start small and lower your expectations and you will not be disappointed.

If you like this blog please 'like' us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Guitar's historical rise to fame thanks to Rock

2011-10-03T17:06:00.000-07:00

In 1962 a Decca records spokesperson made the following comment after being presented a Beatles demo; "We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out."

It just goes to show that the experts do get it wrong sometimes. Guitar in the years to follow would become the center of the pop music world at least in the western world. By the late 60's guitar bands were all the rage. Even Elvis would strut the stage with a guitar despite the fact that he only knew a few basic chords. Chuck Berry in my opinion laid the foundation not only for guitar but Rock n roll influencing almost everyone including Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Angus Young and of course The Beatles who in turn influenced most of the popular guitar players today.

The 70's and the rise of disco

By the end of the 60's guitar was synonymous with rock music but by 1970 it appeared as though everything possible in terms of rock music had been done. The 70's was the era of disco which dominated the pop scene but as they say, 'If you can't beat em...' Guitar bands like KISS for example who were venturing towards a disco sound while maintaining their rock roots were not unusual. Even serious jazz guitarists like George Benson turned to disco. It seemed that 'Stayin alive' musically speaking meant going disco. Yet despite the concerns of the day that rock was dying and disco had taken center stage the 70's still manage to produce some of the all time great guitar rock songs. Songs like 'Stairway to Heaven', 'Smoke on the water', 'Hotel California', 'TNT' and 'Sweet home Alabama' became the songs most requested by guitar students for years to come. In hindsight it was the rock songs of the 70's that catapulted rock into the 80's ushering in a new era of Guitar legends.

The 80's - Guitar worship

The 1980's could arguably be named the age of guitar. Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Guns n Roses, Journey, Queen, U2, Metallica, AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, Toto, The Police are examples of guitar based super groups who ruled the 80's music scene even though several were formed in the 70's or even 60's. Even Michael Jackson got in on the act recruiting several guitarists from the above mentioned bands to play on his albums. The guitar hero had truly peaked. Guitarists like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Slash and my personal favourite Van Halen were literally worshiped. Teenagers everywhere wanted to be guitarists. The 80's was also a time for virtuosos rock guitarists. There were literally dozens of guitarists who were able to make a room full of very accomplished guitar players jaw's drop to the floor in amazement. Rock guitar had in someways become a circus with audiences being wowed with the latest techniques often combined with effects. Guitar skills were worshiped especially by the youth but by the end of the 80's audiences for the most part had grown tired of the freak show it seemed and were back looking for catchy songs.

A time for Grunge

While some of the 80's guitarists continued into the 90's and virtuoso rock guitarists were still popular the 90s brought something new to the table. Grunge was the new sound which was actually somewhat retro being based on Neil Young's raw guitar sound. The most popular band was Nirvana despite only releasing three albums over 4 years. The 90s also saw a decline in guitar bands in the charts but there was still plenty on offer for guitar lovers such as Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Sound Garden, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Green Day and so on.

Rock guitar from 2000 onwards

The guitar has experience a slight decline in the last decade but the quality and quantity of great guitar music is still out there. Much has changed mostly due to the internet especially in the way music is distributed but rock guitar is well and truly alive and well. You just have to know where to look.

If you like this blog please 'like' us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

So what's happened to guitar since 2001 and why is it on the way back?

2011-09-28T22:33:00.000-07:00

The guitar enjoyed a boom for a long time but in recent years guitar as we know has slipped a little but due to new circumstances is set to rise again. The guitar enjoyed uninterrupted growth in popularity until 2001 because there was no real competition. Its one big advantage was convenience but then something happened. Technology caught up.

The computer came along

Desktops, laptops, iPads, iPhones etc are now offering convenient musical options. In a sense it was the piano/keyboard's revenge. The new technology made it possible to play keyboard, write songs and do full band arrangements without even owning a musical instrument. Computer technology is in actual fact the most versatile musical instrument available today and has recently become the most convenient one. It stays in tune, it remembers your songs, it has unlimited range of sounds and possibilities and its easy to learn and it always sounds great. It has surpassed the guitar for convenience, sound quality and it seems price. I will point out that I am in no way suggesting a computer can replace the feel of a real guitarist playing a real guitar but you need to spend a lot more to get the sound quality.

Affordable tools

Digital music programs have also became affordable and even free in some case and are of a high enough quality that anyone with a basic music knowledge can produce quality recordings. With computer technology making music with a keyboard is easy whereas plugging in, setting up and tuning your guitar takes more effort. It would be easy to assume that people play guitar because its popular. While this is indeed true the guitar basically became popular because it was convenient. Some popularity was lost because technology became more convenient but the reason guitar is set to rise again is because guitar technology has now arrived.

So what about the future?

Guitar is back. Guitar took a dip but the quality of software like Guitar Rig 5 is making it possible to skip the amp and mic process altogether. Go back to the 60's and solid body electric guitars were heavy. Add your Marshall stacks effects racks and you were suddenly carting around about the equivalent of an upright piano. Guitarists with back, neck and shoulder injuries were becoming common place. The guitar itself was still convenient but rock guitar especially required some heavy lifting. Computer technology for keyboards (MIDI) has been developing for decades but guitar was mostly left out of the picture. In the 60's and 70's when MIDI was developing guitar players really had no interest in plugging their guitars into anything other than an amp. This is in turn meant developers tended to leave guitar players alone.

The guitar amp may be a thing of the past soon

By 2001 guitar players began disappearing from the pop charts. Guitarists like everyone else were starting to realise that computer technology had stepped up its game. Over the past decade we have seen dramatic improvements in guitar amp modeling technology and now many of the skeptics are beginning to change their mind. I think 2011 is the turning point because guitarists are back in the game. They can now plug in and get studio quality sounds (something keyboard players have had for many years now). This makes it very convenient. Recording decent guitar tracks does not required a million dollar studio with state of art equipment. This means guitar players will be recording more music and in turn more people will want to play guitar. I think guitar players using amp stacks will always be around but their glory days are probably behind them. Marshall by the way on Ngram has been dropping in popularity since 1980.

If you like this blog please 'like' us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

The rise and fall (and rise again) of guitar

2011-09-25T17:58:00.000-07:00

I was recently checking out the popular songs on iTune and noticed that most songs were void of any obvious guitar. Almost all of the tracks were based on beats with bass, synths, piano and vocals. A few tracks had acoustic guitars being strummed in the back ground or a funky rhythm guitar like Maroon 5's latest song but guitar was rarely noticeable. I decided to do some research to find out if guitar was losing popularity rather than just making a conclusion based on the iTunes top 100.

The Google Labs answer

Google are on a mission to scan every book ever written into digital format. To date they have over 5 billion words scanned. Having all these words connected to dates makes for some pretty serious data. I discovered that some clever minds at Google labs have created a program called Ngram which is now available to anyone to run the frequency of a word over time. In effect this gives a very accurate picture of how popular a word was at a given time in history. This in turn can tell us how popular something has been over time. Perfect! Now I was able to enter some keywords and find out how popular guitar has been over the last 100 years or so. I initially typed the word guitar and you can see it really started to take off in the 60's but prior to that was probably about as popular as any other musical instrument. Piano by contrast peaked in the 1940's and dropped quite dramatically by the early 60's. Guitar had obviously taken over. Guitar's rise to the top was probably a combination of factors but my guess is The Beatles had something to do with it.

Ngram searches

BTW - I have included a few extra Ngram searches. 'Guitar teacher' as you can see has not seen a decline. Guitar teacher is peaking and may still be rising. Rock guitar peaked in 2001 and dropped sharply after that. Jimi Hendrix peaked in about 1970 almost disappeared around 1980, rose to a new high in 2000 and has dropped away sharply ever since. Interesting!

Guitar's decline in popularity

Guitar reached its peak in about 2001 and has declined in popularity (although only slightly) ever since. One might conclude that guitar is on the way out but I beg to differ. I believe guitar is about to boom again as I will explain. From what I understand guitar became popular in the 60's because of popular music but the question is why did popular musicians choose guitar? Pop music of the 50's and 60's was based on blues and blues was mostly played by African Americans who simply couldn't afford to buy a piano. Guitar no doubt came up through Mexico. Blues had been around for sometime but when electric guitars came on the scene the rock n roll revolution began. Even so what really made the guitar popular when you stand back was its convenience and price tag. No other instrument was able to give singers the backing they needed at the low price and pure convenience of the guitar. Pianos were expensive and inconvenient. Almost all other instruments were ineffective when it came to backing up singer. Guitar's convenience won out.

So what's happened since 2001 and why will the guitar rise again? I am going to answer these questions in my next blog so stay tuned.

If you like this blog please 'like' us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

How sleep effects your guitar learning

2011-09-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

Musicians have long been thought of as night owls. We imagine jazz musicians playing in New York style basements and rock musicians playing pubs till the early hours. Almost all live work will be in a night time venue. A musician looking for a career in music with no late nights is probably a teacher. Late nights are not really a problem providing you are not trying to live a double life. In other words combining the musician hours with a 9 to 5 job. I have met far too many guitarists who live such lives including myself at times but the research shows that if you are serious about improving your guitar playing cutting back on sleep is not a good option.

Late night guitar practice

Sleep deprivation and it's effects is described in detail on the Wikipedia page if you are interested but what I am concerned about is how it effects learning guitar. It's easy to fall in the habit of practicing late at night. At first your practice sessions are short so it's no big deal but as you get more in to practicing the nights get later but unfortunately your school or work still begins at the same time the next morning. As a result you cut back on sleep. In the day you feel drowsy but come the evening you get your second wind and kick on in to the early hours. You may feel okay generally but the question is how is your lack of sleep effecting your brain's ability to learn.

Less than 7 hours and performance begins to drop

In recent years thanks to Functional MRI scanning researchers have been able to observe how well our brain learns in all sorts of situations. Learning on less than the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep shows a rapid decline in the brains ability to learn. If for example you sleep only 6 hours a night you can expect an obvious drop in performance. You may not even notice it but your mind will drift sooner.

3 Steps to learning

There is basically a 3 step process to learning new material. 1. Acquisition 2. Consolidation 3. Recall. Each step is vital and each is affected by how much sleep you have had. A lack of sleep will cause a decline in your brains ability to function during all three step. If we lack sleep while trying learn new material (acquisition) our brain is unable to focus. To give you an idea here is a quote from a sleep study report I read recently - 'The arithmetic task led to significantly decreased activation in the bilateral prefrontal cortex and parietal lobes.' When we are low on actual sleep our brains seems to be asleep on the job.

Consolidation and recall

Consolidating happens during sleep. Researchers know that sleep is a critical time for processing what we have learned throughout our waking hours. Our brain seems to sort, organize and perhaps even delete the new information. The exact process is still unclear but what is certain is that a lack of sleep will affect the consolidation stage. Lastly recall as it suggests is your ability to access the information in your brain. We all know what it feels like late at night when we are tired and are trying to remember something we had to do.

Try practicing in the morning - You may be surprised

If you are learning guitar it is best to do less practice at a time when you are most alert. It's fine to jam and play around late into the evening but if you want to get the most out of your practice for the least amount of time invested (most bang for your buck) aim for mornings or at least a time when you are fresh and alert. The following article may be helpful if you want to know more. Sleep, Learning and Memory.

If you like this blog please 'like' us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Guitar for a lifetime

2011-09-21T04:24:00.000-07:00

Whever a new student enrolls for lessons my first question is; "How long do you intend to play guitar for?" Many look at me with a half smile as if I am asking a trick question and hesitantly reply with "Forever I guess". The reason I ask this question is not so much for my information because almost everyone who takes up guitar does so with the idea of playing for the rest of their life but I just want to make a point as I will explain below.

Lifelong commitment

Everyday I speak to people who 'want' to learn guitar. Some have decided they are no longer going to ponder the idea and instead take action. When adults enroll to learn guitar they will often say how they wanted to learn when they were younger but kept putting it off for one reason or another. Guitar really is a lifelong love affair and anything less is probably a waste of time. I have been playing guitar for almost 30 years and apart from the first few years when it seemed all too hard I have never considered stopping even when it felt like I had no time for practice. There were times due to injury where I could not play for one reason or another but I was certainly thinking about it.

Guitar forever

So my point in the question from above is this: When students learn guitar the early years are difficult and most feel a growing impatience when their progress is slow. My question "How long do you intend to play guitar for?" allows me to point out that 2 years of dedication and consistent practice is a small price to pay for a lifetime of guitar bliss. The learning of course doesn't stop after 2 years but I have found that the first few years are the make or break. As a rough estimate I would say those who get to the 2 year mark have about a 90% chance of sticking to guitar for life compared to those in their first 6 months who have less than a 50% chance. (Please note that a good teacher/coach can make a difference). My question helps to put this into perspective and helps to change their focus. Don't expect too much too soon is my message especially if you have signed up for life.

Lifelong means from now

If you desire to play guitar your desire will most likely be with you for life whether you act on it or not. My advice is not to make excuses as to why you don't have the time because you will never have the time. You need to make time. Still I am yet to meet someone who really doesn't have the time. Its about priorities. If playing guitar is in your top 5 then you need start learning today. Not tomorrow or next week or after your second cousin's wife's 30th birthday party but NOW! Turn off the TV or computer, leave work 30 minutes early, forget the hour lunch break, get up a little earlier. Do whatever it takes because tomorrow there will be another excuse.

If you like this blog please 'like' us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

How do you become conscientious?

2011-09-18T15:08:00.000-07:00

Continued from the last blog I will attempt to answer the above question.

Just to recap in the first blog we spoke about the research that showed conscientious people tend to live longer. To read the first blog please visit the G4 GUITAR website and scroll down to the blog.

This is a tricky question because their is no simple answer and I won't pretend to be any kind of expert. I will simply answer the question from the perspective of a guitar teacher. My interest as is likely yours is to know how this applies to learning guitar. The majority of conscientious people in my opinion are just big kids. They turned their childhood hobbies into lifelong pursuits or even better careers. In the case of guitar most people who play and learn guitar either started as a child or first became interested as a child. If you are the exception it is likely your interest in music did indeed occur during your childhood.

Given the choice, how would you spend your time?

As a kid I loved listening to music and experimenting with sounds. I began writing songs as a young teen almost from the moment I learnt my first guitar chord. I didn't do it for any other reason than I enjoyed the creative process. I could spend hours at a time working and experimenting with music. I think the key to being conscientious is to go back to what it is that given the opportunity you would spend the majority of your time doing. It does of course need to be something of a positive nature. I therefore would rule out TV watching, video games and hanging out at cafes for extended periods. Revisit your childhood and look at what you enjoyed. How did you spend your free time? Failing that start experimenting. E.g. Pick up a guitar and sign up for some lessons and see what happens.

Not all stress is bad

Now before we go any further it is important to point out that just because you are conscientious about something it doesn't mean you will avoid stress. According to the study stress is very much misunderstood and in itself is not a problem. In fact stress usually goes hand in hand with a life of purpose. Those who have purpose are rarely going to walk a smooth path without resistance. If you know where you are heading there will be brick walls and hurdles along the way. Straight lines are somewhat rare in the pursuit of one's goal. For a better understanding read the book 'The Drunkard's Walk'. Now in regards to the guitarist the biggest complaint from students is there is never enough hours in the day and we have a mountain of responsibility and somehow we expect ourselves to fit in 30+ minutes a day of guitar. This can become stressful especially if the bills start to mount. For those who are clear that life without guitar is no life at all facing such situations is just part of the challenge and not a reason to throw in the towel. They simply eliminate those less important priorities like TV, Internet etc. There is also the stress of practice itself. This takes concentration and self discipline along with constant pep talks with yourself to stay motivated especially during those times when progress feels slow.

The social factor

The longevity study also points out the importance of positive social connections. A support group if you like. When it comes to guitar it is likely that you will come into contact with other musicians or lovers of music. One study conducted some years ago in Europe found that school aged children involved in music did better overall at school and they believe it was because they were more socially active through their participation in the school band. Social connections can go either way. That is they can be healthy or unhealthy. If you are socially connected to a group of people who indulge too much in unhealthy activities it is likely you will too but if you are connected to an active group of musicians it will almost always be a positive experience. Choosing your social activities and therefore your social groups will improve your odds of a long healthy life according to the study. In the case of guitar I would suggest starting with a teacher because they will usually be able to connect you up with other like minded music students in your area.

If you like this blog please 'like' us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Why conscientiousness equals a long life (of guitar)

2011-09-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

In a longevity study it was concluded that conscientiousness was perhaps the strongest predictor of a long healthy life. The 80 year study carried out in the US (which you can read about in the book 'The Longevity Project') explains this finding in terms of life paths. Those who take a mindful life path are far more likely to outlive those who just float along waiting for life to happen. In other words those with some kind of plan or purpose will fair better over the long haul than those who are betting on fate. This idea has been revealed in many similar studies as well. Those who live life with a purpose tend to live longer, happier more engaged lives and some of the most engaged purposeful people I know are musicians.

Your life purpose

Most serious guitar players have a life purpose even if they work a day job and that purpose is to master the guitar. To some this may seem to pale in comparison to finding a renewable clean energy source or saving the whales but in terms of extending your life it works just as well. The researchers found that it did not matter what you did as long as you were conscientious about it and it did not involve other high risk factors. The question of course is how do you know if you are conscientious or not and if not how do you become conscientious. Let's answer one question at a time.

How do you know if you are conscientious?

Ask yourself what your typical week looks like. How much time do you spend working on projects that you are passionate about? Are you focused on doing a great job or would you prefer to be somewhere else? In the case of guitar this means when you practice are you engrossed in your practice. A conscientious person pays close attention to the details. They are not in a rush to finish and in fact are likely to go overtime. There may very well be a deadline and they will deal with it but the aim is always to get the best result possible. A conscientious person will never just go through the motions. They are meticulous often checking their work several times just to be sure. Most importantly a conscientious person requires no incentives to give 100%. They do it because they see their work as meaningful.

In the next blog I will answer the second question. 'How do you become conscientious?'

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Learning guitar and instant gratification

2011-09-11T15:28:00.000-07:00

Instant gratification seems to be a hot topic these days. I often hear the older generations complaining that young people need to have everything now. If it's not instant they are not interested. I tend to believe we all feel like that at times but extensive research shows that children who learn to wait usually do better in life. I urge parents to checkout the Stanford 'Marshmallow study'.

More than 3 clicks and I'm not interested.

Website designers know very well the importance of providing instant gratification to visitors. In fact it's this need for instant gratification that has driven much of the phenomenal growth of the computer and Internet over the last 20 years. It's been reported that the Internet has almost doubled in speed every year since it went public. When it comes to the net speed matters because speed equals instant. Amazon were one of the first companies to focus on minimizing the number of mouse clicks it takes to purchase after research found that with each click your company sales would go down. Drastically! We have become conditioned to expect much of our life on demand and we don't have time to wait but there are some things that are simply not available at the click of a mouse.

Short term gain, long term dissatisfaction

The irony of instant gratification for those who pursue it is long term dissatisfaction. Studies show that real long term satisfaction mostly comes from those achievements that require a long term commitment. Martin Seligan points out that the more we pursue outcomes that require a long term commitment the happier we tend to be. Children today are more at risk than ever when it comes to the negative effects of instant gratification which may help to explain the recent rapid rise in depression among children. They learn to expect everything instantly and when it doesn't happen they become depressed. The world has become very convenient and almost everything seems to happens at the push of a button and when it doesn't we get irritated. This can also lead one to believe that anything that requires too much effort is a waste of time. After all 5 hours on a guitar is unlikely to make much difference to your playing but spend that time on a new video game and it might be flashing the words 'Congratulations. You are now a level 5 super champion.'

Spending your time wisely

Despite the obvious attraction of instant gratification your best strategy is to avoid such temptation when it comes to the important things in life. It is often better to spend your time focused on the long term benefits of learning guitar then the short term thrills of playing a game. When it comes to children I think learning a musical instrument is a great way for them to see this in action. It certainly worked for me as a child. I started learning music at 14 years of age and while frustrating at times I came to understand that it was a slow gradual process but was well worth the time and effort. Learning music goes far beyond just being able to play music. Its a lesson in life and happiness it seems.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

The G4GUITAR METHOD for intermediate to advanced guitarists

2011-09-07T17:10:00.000-07:00

As an intermediate guitarist it is likely you are wanting to know how to get to the next level. At this stage progress can often seem slow but the fact is if you are working on your skills they will improve. It's kind of like evolution. You don't notice it day by day but look back over time and its quite obvious. The focus therefore should be on developing your technique and this means putting yourself under the microscope. The 7 essential skills included in G4 GUITAR METHOD basically cover the most important areas that need constant focus if you hope to take your playing to the next level. These skills never change no matter what level you are at but where I find intermediate players getting stuck is often in the belief that they no longer need to work on these skills. E.g. Picking, rhythm, scales and so on. So perhaps its best if I explain how they apply to you.

Picking technique in akin to a golfer’s swing or a swimmer’s stroke. Developing your picking technique should be ongoing. Check John Petrucci (Rock) or Frank Gambale (Jazz) for some examples of elite guitar pickers. These guys would spend time everyday just on picking technique.

Chords Depending on the style you wish to pursue will depend on which chords are most important to you. With chords you want to be able to play them quickly but any new chord takes time to learn no matter what your level. If for example you want to pursue jazz then grab yourself a jazz chord book and aim at learning one or two new chords each week but don't rush. The goal should be quality rather than quantity. You should also back this up with a theoretical understanding of how chords are formed so ultimately you can work out any chord (as any good guitar player should be able to do). Devote some time each day to chord development.

Arpeggios are in a sense a combination of picking and chords. Picking and chords should be about isolating the right and left hands where arpeggios bring the two together. If you are learning a particular song that involves an arpeggio and it seems difficult then you need to come back to your skills. Start with picking followed by chords and then work on the arpeggio last and repeat this process each time. i

Scales Scale work will prepare you for learning songs, help you to learn the fret board, recognise patterns, develop your listening (aural) skills and build up finger strength and dexterity. Make sure you use a metronome to help develop evenness and to keep track of your progress. Also ensure you are doing sequences not just up and down the scale. Just ask your teacher for some scale sequence exercises.

Rhythm/Strumming is a huge part of guitar playing. The guitar for many is almost a percussive instrument. In fact the guitar can be tuned in a multitude of ways to make chords simple and easy to play to allow the percussive guitarist to focus on the strumming hand. Strumming should be isolated. You can see this in Latin and Flamenco styles. Practice muting the strings first before attempting to play with chords. Use a metronome when learning new rhythms. Pay close attention to your strumming hand to ensure you are striking the right strings each time. Try buying drumming or percussion books and work through the exercises.

Reading is more than just looking at notes. Music is a language and the written note is like the written word. It is an important part of any language. I would say the written language of music is one of the most amazing systems ever created. It is probably easier than any spoken language yet extremely sophisticated. Being able to read music will allow you to gain a better understanding of many theoretical concepts such as harmonic and melodic structure, rhythm etc. I could write a book on the benefits of reading but we will leave that for another time. Grab a copy of the Real Book and see how many songs you can sight read. If you are new to reading you can download the reading material from our Student Site. For the intermediate reader try playing in different positions opposed to just one position.

Aural refers to the listening side of music. In our case our ability to understand what we hear so we can transfer that knowledge on to the guitar. When you listen to music it should be like when you listen to someone speaking. You should be able to understand and even better recite back what you have heard. There is no greater gift for a musician than having a well trained ear. The good news is your ear can be trained at any age but usually the younger the better. You actually already have a certain amount of training but may not always aware of it.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Do you enjoy guitar practice?

2011-09-06T01:04:00.000-07:00

If your only reason for practicing guitar is to one day become a great guitar player ironically you may actually be decreasing your chances of success. After many years of teaching guitar, associating with guitarists, reading about and living among guitarists and wannabe guitarists you begin to see patterns. Maybe its just a coincidence but I think given the evidence its becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the facts.

Pain does not always equal gain

The journey to mastery is a long, winding and somewhat steep road. Those who suffer practice with the idea of one day becoming masters are unlikely to persist long enough. There are of course a handful who go through years and years of pain and sacrifice to finally reach a point of relative mastery but it's a long shot and you need to ask whether the feeling of achievement which is often short lived is really worth it. At the same time I am certainly not suggesting you avoid hard work or boring practice sessions because they are part and parcel but if you are not enjoying your practice at least some of the time you are far more likely to give up. My point as you will see is that there needs to be more to your practice than a no pain no gain policy if you are going to go the distance.

Success is but a fleeting moment

Let us pretend for a minute that there was a point where you become a successful guitar player. Maybe after 10,000 hours of practice and let us also pretend there is an official list where all the successful guitarists are recorded once they reach this point. If you did happen to reach this point and get listed you would feel a sense of achievement but studies show this feeling of achievement is like a flash compared to the thousands of hours invested. Mountain climbers know this feeling. Reaching the summit is thrilling but the thrill is short lived. Within a relatively short period of time they will be planning their next mountain climb.

Great guitar players love practicing

Learning to love practice is the key. Ask any great guitar player (and I don't mean famous but actually skillful) and you will find someone who is obsessed with practice. They don't care if they have an audience or not. They pick up the guitar because they enjoy developing their playing and taking it to the next level. I know many students find practice boring especially when it comes to the skills such as scales, arpeggios, reading etc. but this is usually because you have not given yourself a chance. Music is like a language and when learning a language the first stages are difficult but once you get to a certain level it becomes enjoyable. The key is consistency and balance. You need to do it everyday and you need to balance the important areas such as skill development with having fun such as trying out new songs or favourite riffs. The more you focus on finding the pleasure in your practice while being mindful of skill development the more likely you are to continue long term.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

The average 21 yo American has spent 10,000 hours on video games. Why not guitar?

2011-08-30T17:59:00.000-07:00

This is an intriguing question. Almost every 21yo I speak to would love to be able to play guitar but few find any real satisfaction in their mastery of video games. In fact they usually won't even admit their gaming obsession. There are no real long term benefits to playing video games and in fact the opposite is true. Research has shown that too much video gaming can lead to depression and anxiety. See the article 'Reduce kids video game time...' If they were to use the 10,000 hours studying or practicing any one of a thousand or more other skills they would find themselves in the top 1%. Whether it be sports, academics or music. Studies done on violinists found the best had done around 10,000 hours of practice.

"Come and watch me play my video game"

If you are going to invest 10,000 hours to master something why not something that offers real rewards. Being a video game master is not something that I would imagine holds the same rewards as guitar. The feeling you get from just 500 hundred hours of guitar practice let alone 10,000 hours is not only truly satisfying but your friends will take pleasure in hearing you perform. Start playing your video game for them and I doubt you will get much interest no matter how good you are.

Why do people invest so much valuable time in to video games?

I recently read that the richest person in Japan now is not a car manufacturer or a phone company or even a banker but the owner of Nintendo. Games are big business. The prime difference between a game and say learning guitar from what I understand is the game is akin to gambling. Gambling is seductive because as studies show small payouts keep you interested and often lead to addiction. They can predict with surprising accuracy at what point the average person will lose interest. In gambling this is important because they want your money but if they get too greedy you will walk away. With video games they are developed in such a way that you receive enough small rewards to keep you in the game and gradually you become addicted. With games they want to keep you feeling challenged. Make it too easy and you get bored. Too hard and you won't bother trying.

Guitar is the 'too hard' game
Guitar as with many worthwhile skills falls into the 'too hard' basket. Guitar just doesn't have the addictive qualities required to pull you in like video games and gambling because it lacks the small rewards. There are small rewards of course but most are infrequent and only begin to appear when you commit to regular practice. Sit at a video game for 10 minutes and it is likely you have already won several times and move to the next level. You get a feeling of real accomplishment. The little voice in your head says 'Hey you are good at this'. 10 minutes of guitar and the result will likely be sore fingers and perhaps a few notes of a riff but with the little voice saying 'This is no fun. Let's do something else'. What makes guitar even more challenging is at times it can take weeks, months or even years to develop some of the skills required to play your favorite songs. The payouts are illusive and at times seem impossible to achieve. This is why after 10 minutes of guitar practice you are more likely to lose interest opposed to 10 minutes of video games but ask yourself the following question. Which option offers the greatest pleasure long term? If in doubt about the answer ask any long term guitarist.

Jane McGonigal's TEDTALK presentation helps to understand why games are seductive.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

The art of learning guitar

2011-08-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

Many musicians see music purely as art. Some will even see structure and planning as the enemy of the artist. Art is in fact the expression of one's imagination and really has nothing to do with 'learning' guitar other than the teacher finding creative new ways to teach when required. Learning guitar is about acquiring the skills needed to express your imagination musically. When you learn guitar what you seek are the skills and you want to know scientifically if possible the best way to acquire those skills. The artist in you needs to be patient and wait for her/his turn. Now is the time to learn.

Playing guitar v learning guitar

When you learn guitar you are not playing guitar. There is a big difference. I often make the comparison to building a house. When you begin building your house you won't be living in it for some time. Building a house and learning guitar both require motivation. When doing either your focus should not be heavily weighted on living in your house (playing guitar) but on staying motivated and enjoying the building process. When we focus too much on the goal we start to cut corners and the result is often a house built on shaky foundations. When you focus more on the work/practice you will begin to enjoy the process. This by the way doesn't mean you ignore your goals. Having goals are very important as they give you a clear direction.

Is the great artist a great teacher?

A great artist is highly respected. In fact when we think of the musicians who influenced us to learn guitar chances are they are just that. Great artists. How can we be like them? Jimi Hendrix influenced many of today's guitarists both directly and indirectly but would he have made a good guitar teacher? I can't personally say but what I do know is I have never read or heard any evidence showing that Jimi was a great teacher. Jimi was a great artist and while it is possible that he may have been a great teacher being a great artist does not qualify him to be a teacher. But please don't misunderstand my message here. I encourage you to seek out a teacher who has the skills and even artistry of a master but make sure they also possess the skill of teaching.

Structure is the key

A great guitar teacher knows that structured learning is the key. With structure your teacher can measure your progress and ensure you are on track. This does not mean the teacher is inflexible or is unwilling to consider your musical influences but a good guitar teacher will not lose sight of the goal and that is to help you develop the skills of good guitar playing. As you develop the skills you will be able to play the songs you personally prefer but if you can find a teacher who shares your musical preferences even better.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Guitar mind games

2011-08-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

When we set out to learn music we rarely consider the psychology involved. Our main considerations tend to be connection to the physical aspects such as how to hold the guitar, where to put our fingers and perhaps the theoretical aspects like string names, general music theory and so on. Dealing with the monotony of repetitive exercises or playing the same old song over and over and over again hundreds of times only to realize you still don't sound like the recording can be somewhat depressing. It's this psychological toll that often breaks many beginner students eventually forcing them to quit. By being more aware of the psychological effects you will know what to expect. This is helpful especially in the early months when you will be questioning whether it's actually worth the effort but let me assure you right now it's more than worth it assuming you do actually have a passion for music of course.

Learning music is fun right?

For the average person music is something to be enjoyed. When you listen to music you do so for one of several reasons. It could be to relax, to lift your spirits, for fun or to create a mood. The problem begins when we place the same expectation on learning music. When we learn music suddenly it goes from being a pleasant experience to hard work. The fantasy quickly dissolves as reality sets in. While to some this may seem obvious the fact is many students who take up guitar approach learning expecting the same experience as listening. Making a film is nothing like watching a film. Watching an Olympic athlete run the 100m is very different to training for the Olympics.

'No pain no gain' or in our case 'no practice no gain'.

Perhaps you have seen one of those commercials selling home fitness equipment with perfectly toned individuals (probably athletes who train 5+ hours a day) using their ABC cruncher machine with a big smile on their face and appearing to be having fun. The machine may help to isolate muscle groups and I am sure works if used correctly but the fun is somewhat questionable. Getting fit requires hard work and daily commitment. The smiles come after months or even years of committed training. Guitar is no different. It will likely take years to reach a level where you can play a range of music that you can truly feel good about. There is no escaping this fact. The basic rule here is to be honest with yourself from the outset because this is a marathon and being honest means you will be better prepared psychologically to go the distance.

Understanding what motivates you

Staying motivated requires understanding your own mind and this in turn requires some research. Firstly you need to know what motivates you. Can you name right now the top 10 things that would motivate you to practice right now. Is it listening to certain songs? Perhaps it's watching a DVD or talking to friends who play or going to lessons. It may even be reading a book on motivation or a biography of famous musician. Anything that makes you want to practice. I personally keep a journal and write a paragraph or two each night on how I felt about my practice and progress generally. This helps me to reflect while keeping my expectations realistic but best of all if I have an off day I can go back and read previous journal entries so as to remind me of the good days. The point is to find what works for you.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Advice for guitar teachers (and parents) of young children

2011-08-21T17:36:00.000-07:00

Parents of young children (under 6 years) often ask two important questions.

1. Do you have experience teaching young children?
2. What do you actually teach?

Teaching young children guitar is an extensive subject that would require a book or two to really cover in detail but a good way to answer these questions is to share with you the advice I would give to a an inexperienced guitar teacher if I had to summarise in one page. So here goes.

Dear Teacher,

Working with young children is a never ending learning experience and when you meet a very young student for the first time you are most definitely under pressure as every child is unique. Here are a few strategies that almost always work well so hopefully they will get you started.

Parent involvement. - Involve parents as much as possible. E.g. Ask the parent to clap along with their child or ask the child to show their parents the parts of the guitar. "Can you show Mum/Dad which string is No.1?"

Keep it fun - Don't worry too much about what they learn in lesson one. Play games and keep it fun. Ask them if they can sing any songs. E.g. Twinkle, twinkle and have a sing a long. By starting with something that is familiar to them they will relax. If everything is new and strange they will feel uncomfortable and out of place.

Parent expectations - Your real client is the parent (not the child). Every parent has certain expectations from the lessons. They want to know that you have the experience to meet those expectations. Once understood explain your plan for their child's education.

You are a stranger - A young child will often be shy at the first lesson because you are a stranger. Some parents can misunderstand this shyness for a lack of interest so it helps to explain to the parents that this is normal and that it will take time for their child to become comfortable at the lesson. Next show the parent what you would like them to do at home.

Confidence - Lessons with young children often come with surprises such as a child refusing to participate in the lesson. Treating such situations as normal will reassure parents that you are confident because the reality is young children just need time to become used to a new environment. I will often to say "The first few weeks are usually a bit strange for them so don't be surprised if next week he/she doesn't want to come to the lesson. The trick is to come anyway and in a month or two they will look forward to coming. Its all about routine and familiarity."

Hope that helps and please feel free to email me at anytime.

David.

Keep searching

Starting out young is the best time so if you are a parent with a young child now is the time to get them started. Some teachers do not take on young children so keep looking until you find a teacher who accepts younger students and if at first you don't succeed keep searching.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

The importance of fundamentals

2011-08-17T17:31:00.000-07:00

I recently watch a football game where both teams were evenly match but the more experienced team (the average player had played more games at this level) appeared to be sticking to the fundamentals even when the pressure was on. The less experienced team took the lead in the last 10 minutes and it looked like they were going to win. I couldn't help noticing how calm the experienced players appeared considering they were about to lose one of the most important games of the year. In the final minutes they scored, took the lead and won the game. They may have very well lost but it would have been mostly due to a lack of time or opportunity rather then error or poor judgement. Their experience taught them to stick to the fundamentals as it is almost always the best option.

Refining the skills is what matters

Over the years I have read hundreds of books and articles on teaching and coaching and one of the most repetitive messages is 'Stick to the fundamentals'. In saying that it's important to point out that the more experienced team did not win the game in the final minutes just because they stuck to the fundamentals. Sticking to fundamentals is a long term strategy. When we stick to anything long enough we get good at it. Fundamentals are just that. Fundamental skills needed in the activity at hand. Anything else is optional. Experienced players know that each game is just a chance to refine these fundamental skills. One game over a whole season is relatively unimportant. In fact when we are too focused on winning the game we lose sight of the bigger picture. When we stick to the fundamentals we refine those fundamental skills over weeks months and years and our overall game improves. Eventually we get so good that mistakes are rare and that is when the magic appears.

All songs are based on the fundamental skills

Every skill whether it be playing a football game or playing guitar is based on fundamentals. With guitar for example correctly picking, strumming, fingering chords, playing scales etc are fundamentals. A footballer might develop their kicking to improve their accuracy when on the field whereas a guitarist will develop her/his picking to get a better result when playing a song even if they have never played the song before. When you stray from the fundamentals you lose the foundation of great guitar playing. Your playing becomes unstable and therefore unreliable. When the pressure is on let's say for an important performance and you are nervous sticking to the fundamentals and focusing on the bigger long term picture will help you to do your best at the time and to avoid placing too much importance on any one performance. Devote time each day to develop the fundamental skills and when it comes time to perform treat it as another practice session.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

FIND A G4 GUITAR METHOD TEACHER

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Why do children really want to stop lessons?

2011-08-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

This is perhaps the most important question parents will need to ask at some point because understanding the answer may prevent your child giving up guitar unnecessarily. In fact I would go as far as to say over 90% of children give up on guitar due to a misunderstanding. When I take teachers through our teacher training program I point out that parents know their children better than anyone. A parent is often much more likely to recognize when their child is not happy, frustrated or losing confidence. Parents are almost always the first person to know when things are not going well and this explains why teachers can often be surprised when a parent calls up to say that they will be stopping lessons. I then go on to explain to teachers that while parents know their child they do not necessarily know how to respond to their child when the learning experience is not going well. Naturally when parents see their child unhappy they respond by ending the apparent source of their misery. Guitar practice. This outcome can fortunately be avoided.

The three stages

When children decide to stop lessons they usually move through a three stage process.

Stage 1. Frustration. The work set by the teacher is too challenging or misunderstood resulting in frustration.
Stage 2. Loss of confidence. The child begins to lose confidence due to the ongoing difficulty or lack of understanding.
Stage 3. Practice stops. At this point they just stop trying deciding its not worth it.

Frustration

Frustration is your first sign of trouble ahead. Parents who are aware of this early sign should speak to the teacher and if possible sit with their child when they practice. A good strategy is to ask your child to teach you. When they teach you they think differently. Suddenly they are the expert so aim to see the problem from a different perspective. Parents who address frustration from the outset will rarely see their child move to stage 2.

Loss of confidence

The most obvious signs of a loss in confidence come in the form of self defeating statements like "I can't do it" or "It's too hard". A loss in confidence is really just honesty. They see that the task is above and beyond their current ability or understanding. All too often well meaning adults will simply respond with "Come on. You can do it!" While these words are encouraging they don't make for practical advice. When a task is too difficult the trick is break it down. I use the 'step' analogy. Imagine a 2 year old climbing adult stairs. If the steps are too high they give up. Put smaller steps and they can do it. This is where an experienced teacher makes all the difference but parents can play a big role by monitoring their child's practice and speaking to the teacher.

Practice stops

By this point it can be difficult but not impossible to get them back on track. The best solution is to discuss the current practice with their teacher and try to start fresh. If the teacher is unable to help and the situation does not change it may be time to find a new teacher. Different teachers have different strengths and weaknesses so if your child is not responding it does not mean the teacher is not a good teacher but rescuing students at this stage may just not be one of their strengths.

The best approach

The best approach is to work closely with your child and teacher from day one. Parents who work closely with their children will usually get a better result and the issue of wanting to stop guitar lessons is unlikely to ever arise. When a child wants to stop lessons the first two stages have probably been overlooked. The only real exception to this is when a child is forced into learning in the first place but that's another topic. In my experience very few students really want to quit guitar. They just want to escape the frustration and regain their confidence and too often giving up appears to be their only viable option.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

G4 GUITAR METHOD -Inquire Now!

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/g4facebook

Visit the G4 GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

The Art of Persistence

2011-08-10T18:08:00.000-07:00

I will often say that persistence is perhaps the most important trait required by a successful guitar student but lets take it one step further by understanding how you become persistent. After all persistence is obvious in hindsight. When we look at successful people in anything it is all too easy to say they were persistent therefore they succeeded but the real question is how and why did they persist.

3 categories

There are basically three categories of guitar students. Those who persist without any conscious decision, those who consciously persist and those who do not persist. Those who persist without consciously thinking about it are the lucky few. Guitar practice just happens. Each day they will pick up their guitar and work on the current skills and songs giving it no more thought then eating breakfast. Its just part of their day and requires no motivational self talk or reminders from parents or well meaning friends. If this is you think yourself very lucky and the rest of what I am about to write is probably of no use or interest to you.

How to persist

Those who consciously persist account for the majority of successful guitar players. The real question any beginner needs to ask is 'How can I ensure I will persist?' Most beginners will give up and not because they made a conscious decision to quit. They just suddenly find one day that their guitar is sitting in the corner collecting dust then soon after it finds it way to storage or eBay. The persistent guitarists do something very different. They know that each day is a new day and requires a conscious effort to decide no matter what they will practice. They leave nothing to chance. They have B, C and D plans ready when required.

Persistent students are prepared

The persistent guitar student is basically prepared for every occasion. He/She will keep a daily practice log, add a reminder to their calendar, enroll for weekly lessons, keep their guitar on a stand in view but most importantly dedicate a set time each day to practice. The persistent student knows that some days they will look forward to practice but other days they will search for excuses to avoid practice. They also understand that its a marathon not a sprint. Its consistent practice over years that makes great guitar players. They understand their biggest challenge is not the guitar itself but their own mind. The persistent guitar student learns to ignore the voice that says 'It's not worth it' or 'You have better things to do' or worse 'You have no talent so stop wasting your time'.

Mastering persistence

Success on guitar is the result of persistence so your goal is to master the art of persistence. The good news is it gets easier. The longer you persist the less effort you will need to keep persisting. A good analogy I once heard is its like launching a Space shuttle. Getting it off the ground and outside Earth's atmosphere takes a lot of energy but once in space away from the Earth's gravitational pull very little energy is required. In guitar terms the launch period is probably about the first 500 hours of practice. After that you will cruise. But remember if you stop and start it would be like the Space shuttle falling back to Earth and having to relaunch. Set a plan to practice everyday for a year or two and you will find yourself in orbit.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

G4 GUITAR METHOD -Inquire Now!

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/g4facebook

Visit the G4 GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

Are piano students just better students? Part 2

2011-08-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

Continuing on from the previous blog Are piano students just better students?
the second lesson I gained from the piano teacher experience was to observe and question every situation especially where someone is getting results. In this case the answer was not obvious at first but I realised the power and influence of the teacher is often seriously underestimated. Even by teachers. In my early years of teaching I would have said that teachers play only a small role in the success of their students. My belief at the time was good students were naturally motivated to learn and practice guitar but the piano teacher experience soon made me realise this could not be true. I say this because I strongly believe a teacher is your best option when it comes to learning guitar but if your (or your child's) first experience with a teacher is not what you hoped for don't stop there. Keep looking and trying different teachers until you find the right teacher but do give each teacher a chance. At least 3 months unless it is obvious they are not the right teacher for you.

Its a family affair

When it comes to children successful teachers know that its a family affair. When I see teachers struggling to teach children the first question I ask is "Do you involve the parents?" and as you may have guessed the answer is usually no. Many parents of course don't get involved for various reasons. Perhaps they know nothing about guitar or music so prefer to keep out of it. It may be they have several children or work and their time is limited or they are not available to attend the lessons. Or it could be they feel their child is old enough to be responsible for their own lessons and learning. In each and every case an effective teacher will find a way to involve parents.

The child’s brain

Children are not permitted to drive, vote or watch certain kinds of movies for a very good reason. They are not yet ready. In fact a child's brain is not fully developed until their early 20's which explains why 18 and 19 year olds are the most likely to be involved in fatal car accidents. Its not so much they lack driving experience as they lack control over their emotions. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that stops us from acting out irrationally and for late teens (mostly boys) driving fast and reckless is basically a lack of rational thinking. After all, if you have less than a few years of driving experience isn't this the time to drive slower and with more caution? If you want to see this in a more extreme example notice how a 2 year old will have a tantrum over the smallest trivial event. Controlling their emotions is very difficult at this age. Children need help from their parents and teachers. Some more than others and every situation is different.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

G4 GUITAR METHOD -Inquire Now!

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/g4facebook

Visit the G4 GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

Are piano students just better students?

2011-08-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

In my early years teaching guitar I worked along side a piano teacher. We both had roughly the same number of students but there was an obvious difference. Almost all of her students were improving at a good steady rate whereas my students were inconsistent. At first it wasn't so obvious but after a year or so the disparity between our students was quite remarkable. What made me really take notice was the low turnover of her piano students compared to my guitar students. The piano teacher rarely lost students whereas for me it was almost a weekly occurrence. I know it wasn't personal because many students did not want to stop lessons but their parents realised it was pointless due to the obvious lack of progress. I remember coming to the conclusion that piano students were just better students but as with many untested theories it turned out to be a false conclusion. The difference was the teacher not the students.  

Discovering the piano teacher's secret  

One afternoon the piano teacher rang me and said she would be late and asked me if I could explain the situation to her students. I was free so rather than leave the student waiting idle I asked him to show me what he was learning. Immediately he proudly showed me his practice log pointing out how much practice he had done during the week. On closer inspection I could see his log was filled in almost every day. When he began to play I asked how long he had been learning and I was stunned to learn he had only began 6 months earlier. When the next student arrived the story was much the same. I then asked the teacher whether she believed the practice log made a difference and her response was something like "I am not sure but I do know the students who use the practice log tend to progress faster".  

My experiment  

It was time to run an experiment. I divided my students into two groups. Group A kept a practice log. Group B did not. Group A students soon moved ahead of group B students in most cases. The practice log really did make a difference but I was not sure why. I decided the best way to find out was to use one myself. What I noticed almost immediately was a feeling of accountability. If I did not fill in my log I felt I was letting myself down. There was also a kind of self competitive desire to increase my practice time. If I did 20 mins a day this week I wanted to go for 25 mins a day the next week and so on. If my record for a month was say 4000 minutes I felt compelled to beat my high score the next month. Measuring my practice times motivated me to do better. It's a strange phenomenon but one that works. It's the reason video games are so popular. Most video games are pointless and do nothing more than make you better at the game itself. Let's face it, nobody really cares if you have the high score on a video game yet people are driven often addicted to improve on their score. As you can see if you want to improve your guitar playing start by measuring your practice.

I did learn another very important lesson from the piano teacher which I will share in my next blog.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

G4 GUITAR METHOD -Inquire Now!

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/g4facebook

Visit the G4 GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

Advice from Maroon 5 guitarist

2011-08-02T18:21:00.000-07:00

The following is an extract from an interview with Maroon 5 guitarist James Valentine and he makes a very interesting point. See my comments below.

Interviewer: When you started playing, did your parents ever make you practice?

Valentine: My parents made me start taking piano lessons when I was 8 and I hated it and they made me practice piano. I discovered guitar a few years later and they never had to ask me to practice guitar. In fact they had to come into my room and tell me to stop and go to bed. But forcing me to take piano, I think that definitely set up the discipline of being able to sit and practice and I took that to guitar. I think that's important. We sort of need to teach children to do that. I sound like an old curmudgeon now, but when I see kids playing Guitar Hero I think like, "Man if they applied half the time to playing a real guitar that they do to playing Guitar Hero they could be very skilled guitarists."

Parents need to be involved

Note Valentine says he was forced to play piano but then goes on to say we sort of need to teach children to do that. Teaching children self discipline by force is not necessarily required. Parents do need to set the rules but they should also work with their children and support them. In the case of Valentine the piano lessons and practice had paid dividends (music literacy) giving him a distinct advantage when it came to learning guitar. He was motivated to play guitar because he had the basic skills. Its like reading. If you can already read picking up a book or magazine is a pleasure. If you can't read its hard work. Children need help from their parents getting over this early hump. Most children cannot learn guitar from scratch anymore than they can learn to read. We don't want to force children to learn music but as parents if we leave it up to our children to decide whether they will practice or not chances are they will be playing Guitar Hero rather than a real guitar.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

G4 GUITAR METHOD -Inquire Now!

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/g4facebook

Visit the G4 GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

Improve your guitar playing by measuring

2011-07-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

I recall some years ago seeing the phrase 'What you measure you can multiply'. At first I was confused. After all I can measure my height but I can't multiply it. As I read on I realized the author was referring to self improvement such as a physical skill, fitness, finance etc. Even once I understood I still felt the idea was a little weak in terms of practical advice until I put it to the test. My first experiment was to measure my practice each day in terms of actual minutes and sure enough week by week my practice began to increase (multiply). I realized I had done the same with my swimming over the years. Whenever I timed myself I would work at improving my time say over a set distance and every time it worked like a charm. I also noticed how the serious gym junkies would measure everything from body fat to the number of reps and so on. I then started to notice coaches in everything from football to piano measuring everything and anything possible.

The 4 hour work week

In the popular books by Tim Ferris called 'The 4 hour work week' and 'The 4 hour body' he makes a strong argument for using your time effectively so you only have to work 4 hours a week. The books are a worthwhile read but his advice for achieving results can be summed up in one word. MEASURE. Tim is all about getting the maximum result for the minimum investment of time. The idea of the 4 hour work week is to only work for 4 hours a week and get the same result you would working 40 hours. He explains that when we measure something we can improve on it and maximize it. For example if you walk for 1000 steps today tomorrow you can do 1100 steps until you reach your goal of say 10,000 steps a day. You could then improve the time efficiency of you walk by walking stairs and therefore getting the same result in half the steps and perhaps half the time.

How much do you really practice?

Occasionally I will have a student who will say "I don't need to write down my practice times because I usually do 30 minutes a day regardless". The interesting fact here is these same students tend to become disillusion when they don't progress as quickly as they hoped. Measuring your practice even if its the same everyday still has a strong psychological effect. Firstly and probably most importantly you quickly come to realise how many days in a month you miss. Over a year this could be 20% or more. Knowing this fact allows you to be more realistic about your expectations. Secondly writing down your practice feels like an honesty test. When we tell ourselves we practice 30 minutes a day its easy to do 25 minutes and call it 30 minutes. When we have to write 30 minutes in the box and we know we only did 25 minutes we tend to feel a little guilty and know we are cheating ourselves. When we write things down we tend to paint a more accurate picture.

Test the theory

It can at first feel like a waste of time and effort to measure your practice but if you are serious about improving your guitar playing you owe it to yourself to do the A/B test. Spend 3 months measuring your practice and at the end of it see how you feel. Then spend 3 months not writing down your practice and see how you feel. Its best to repeat the test a second time just to be sure. If at the end of one year you conclude that writing down your practice makes no difference then at least you know for sure.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

G4 GUITAR METHOD -Inquire Now!

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/g4facebook

Visit the G4 GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

Great guitar players almost never miss a practice session

2011-07-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

All guitar students have challenges but what makes the difference in the end is their dedication to practice. Some students may have poor rhythm where others might be unable to clearly distinguish pitch or a thousand other factors. No one guitarist is strong in all areas and therefore need to practice to over come their personal weaknesses. In a sense we are all equal players. On your journey to guitar mastery you will likely meet other guitarists who seem naturally gifted in areas where you struggle but on closer inspection what separates great guitar players from the rest is consistency.

The answer is practice

When I come across guitarists who shine in areas I find difficult I see it as a great opportunity to watch and learn. My mission is to understand how they perform so effortlessly what I find challenging. In some cases the guitarist had a particular interest in a certain skill. One example is sweep picking. I remember years ago the first I saw Frank Gambale sweep picking and it was unbelievable. His hand hardly moved and in a split second he ran through an arpeggio with what seemed like perfect precision. Frank went on to explain that it took him years of practice to perfect sweep picking so I went home, practiced for a few weeks and got annoyed because it wasn't happening. Even though Frank had clearly said it took years I somehow wanted a result within weeks. There are no shortcuts and it was then I realised that only though years of consistent practice would I ever be able to sweep pick like Frank.

Consistent practice

As a teacher I became passionate about what made great guitar players great and the conclusion was not just practice but consistent practice. In almost every case I found that the more consistent a student was with practice the more quickly they advanced. Some students would have a good week followed by a bad week or two followed by another good week but the result was almost always the same. These students would eventually give up or simply not progress. It was the students who were consistent about their practice that ultimately progressed. Consistent practice allows you to get a feel for your practice. If you do say 30 mins a day you learn how to use that time. If you practice 90 mins one day and then miss the next two days you will not get the same result. The inconsistency does not allow you to form the habit.

Our strengths are our habits

Almost anything you are good at is a habit. E.g. speaking, reading, walking, using a computer, brushing your teeth etc. These are all habits. I know I am pointing out the obvious but I say this because time and time again I see students learning guitar who are frustrated because they are not progressing quick enough yet their practice is inconsistent. The answer to their frustration is clear yet they fail to recognise their lack of consistency. Some students see the guitar like riding a bike. After a few attempts they expect to be sounding like Santana. Unfortunately it takes time to get your guitar to sound like it should. Your main aim should be to establish a consistent practice routine.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

G4 GUITAR METHOD -Inquire Now!

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/g4facebook

Visit the G4 GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

What is your goal as a guitarist?

2011-07-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

Learning guitar could be compared to taking a long difficult yet rewarding journey. Knowing exactly where you are going and then having a plan will help you to reduce time going around in circles or ending up lost and frustrated. As with any difficult journey there are constant challenges both physically and mentally. The drop out rate on guitar is extremely high because students become frustrated due to their perceived lack of progress. I prefer to see this problem as a lack of CLARITY. When you are clear about where you are heading and have a plan and a timetable of how long it will take you will naturally become more patient. Impatience for the most part is just a lack of knowledge. The 'Are we there yet?' scenario. Think about when you wait for a train. If it you know you have 20 minutes to wait you accept it and perhaps read a book or catch up on phone messages. On the other hand if the train is running late with no idea of when it will actually arrive every minute feels like an hour.

Your Ultimate Song List

Some guitar students will often procrastinate about what kind of guitarist they want to be while at the same time being frustrated because they feel they are going nowhere. If this is you my suggestion is to just pick something. Anything. Pick a goal and starting moving in that direction Choose a style of guitar or a particular guitarist, band or even particular songs. Any goal is better than no goal at all. When students enroll we give them a blank sheet with 25 lines called the Ultimate Song List. (You can get a free copy from our Student Website) We then ask students to write out 25 songs they would ultimately like to play. The idea is to create a real sense of purpose to their practice. The list is not set in stone and can be updated at anytime. I know when a student has trouble filling in this list that we have a problem that must be addressed before we go any further. In some cases I will even suggest to students to take a break and come back to me when they have 25 songs on their list. In most cases they are back the next week with list in hand.

Getting help

The role of any good teacher or method is to help you firstly to set clear goals and then to map out a plan. The G4 GUITAR METHOD gives students a clear direction that takes into consideration that students will eventually find their own direction. For this reason we focus heavily on the essential skills because these skills will prepare you for almost any style. Rarely are you going to regret learning essential picking techniques, chords, arpeggios, scales, rhythm, reading and aural (ear training).

Inspiration

It was once said that 50% of learning music is listening as this provides the inspiration you need. If you want some ideas search the internet for all time great guitar players or start by asking family and friends who they like. In no time at all you will discover something new and inspiring and your list will quickly grow. There has never been a better time in history to find inspiration because the Internet has more inspiration than anyone person could ever need.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

G4 GUITAR METHOD -Inquire Now!

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/g4facebook

Visit the G4 GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

Is your biggest challenge TIME?

2011-07-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

The number one challenge for many guitar students seems to be finding enough time to practice. Actually time today is perhaps everyone's biggest challenge. Where did all the time go? The typical reply when asked about practice might be "I had a super busy week last week with a million things to do but hoping for a better week this week". Interestingly though it seems to be the same people with the same story each week. My guess is the real issue not so much a lack of time but a lack of time management. Time management like any skill requires practice which in itself requires more time. We are a peculiar species because we have the most advanced brain in the known universe yet we fail to use it to work on our biggest problems. Time is the biggest issue for most so let me get straight to the point and give you my top 3 pieces of time management advice which I am confident will solve your time problem.

Tracking your time

If you ever hear yourself saying you have no time than it's the same as saying you have no money. People who claim to have no time or no money most of the time are really saying they are not managing their time or money. Tracking how you spend your time will reveal where your time is actually going and you may even be surprised at how much time (like money) you waste. Our brains have the ability to automate repetitive daily tasks to the point where we may not even notice them after a while. For instance you might check your phone messages each morning followed by emails followed by a little net surfing and before you know your morning has disappeared. On closer scrutiny you can turn a 2 hour phone/Internet session into 30 minutes simply by setting a time limit. There are even programs now that will do it for you. When we answer every call and every email 5 times a day we end up with 5 times as many replies and therefore 5 times the time is required. If your situation (E.g. You run a business) requires you to answer so many calls and emails you need to hire an assistant. If you can't afford an assistant than you need a new business plan.

First things first

Do your most important tasks first. Write a list of all your tasks then prioritise your list. Next create a schedule and begin with your most important tasks. As mentioned above allocate a set amount of time for each general task. E.g. 60 mins for exercise, 30 mins emails twice a day, 60 mins for guitar and so on. Now write them on to a weekly planner. What most people find is there is not enough time to do everything. While initially it may be disheartening to realize you don't have enough time to master guitar, cooking, a foreign language, get a degree in medicine, become a triathlete, coach your nephew's football team and do a photography course all while trying to keep up a social life and be the most popular person you know on Facebook it is a reality check. Many people never do the above exercise and end up living life as a crisis. Interruptions come from every direction. Phone ringing, emails appearing etc. It is easy to just react to everything as if it were a crisis but the worst part is they never realise that they are simply trying to achieve too much and there is no order to their madness. They just do whatever seems most immediate.

Practice log - (Download from G4 GUITAR Student Site)

Its important to log your practice even if it is zero. This will give you a measurement to work with. Knowing how much practice you are doing will help you to be honest with yourself but will also inspire you. Students who use the practice log almost always do better. In fact my own student statistics showed that students who use the practice log daily are far more likely to still be learning guitar in 6 months. In fact I could predict with 95% accuracy which students would be still learning after a year based on their practice log. The more they filled in their log the more likely they were to be learning guitar a year later. The reason the practice log is so powerful predictor of future success is because students can see the investment of time they are making and get a real sense of how practice equates to progress. Even when your progress is slow you will feel good about your effort. Progress can at times appear to come in bursts. It's as though our brain requires you to play a particular song or practice a certain skill x number of times before it sinks in. Suddenly one day you realize you can play something effortlessly often after months or even years of practice. The practice log keeps you aware that this is not really the case. Your progress is a direct result of the time invested into practice.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

G4 GUITAR METHOD -Inquire Now!

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/g4facebook

Visit the G4 GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

Is success on guitar random?

2011-07-11T01:24:00.000-07:00

In recent years there have been quite a few books written on the subject of how random events control our destiny. Books like 'Outliers' and 'Blink' by Malcolm Gladwell can leave one feeling like a victim if taken too seriously. Gladwell describes how your birthday may have played a big role in whether you went on to succeed in life. The year, the place, your nationality, your parents etc all play a role in determining your possible outcomes in life. Add to this the pure randomness of life and becoming successful on guitar for example will look like a long shot. After all how many people ever really achieve their teenage dreams (and don't say your teenage dream was to own a house with a pool)?

The Drunkard's walk

The Drunkard's walk is a mathematical term that refers to a succession of random events. An example might be the stock market or a weather pattern or a person's life. Basically anything where the next step cannot be 100% predicted in which every new step is random to some degree.This usually occurs where there is a number of variables that can determine the outcome. The term comes from that of a drunk person walking. You never know which way they will sway or if indeed they will be standing when they take their next step. If you drew a line after their walk it would appear random in comparison to the person walking in smooth consistent strides. The Drunkard's walk can also be applied to the life of every living person whether they be a sports champion, a politician, a billionaire, an artist or a homeless person. No one can avoid the random events that occur on their life journey due to the infinite number of variables.

Hendrix and the random events that led him to success

If you read the Jimi Hendrix biography you will quickly see how it was a combination of both planned and random events that took him to the top. When Hendrix was just a young child he would pretend to play guitar on a broom stick. He obviously had a passion for guitar at this early age and despite the fact that he had no guitar was already preparing for his future. Hendrix had many setbacks along the way but a series of random events took him to the UK where he found fame and then returned to the US and went on to become perhaps the most famous guitarist of all time. It would be easy to assume that Hendrix was extremely talented and was therefore destined to be a superstar but without many of the random events that occurred he may have just become another musician playing the clubs across the America or worse.

If randomness rules why bother trying?

Now if randomness plays such a big role in success is there any point in even trying? The answer is yes of course. The point is Hendrix would likely still have played and practiced just as hard. Even if he didn't become famous he would have been doing what he loved. Random events do play a role in our lives and do influence our outcomes but only a conscious effort to practice will ever make you a great guitar player. Hendrix made a conscious decision to practice for hours everyday and to see as many guitarists as possible and learn at every opportunity. The random events did play a very important role and in this respect you can say Hendrix got lucky but his guitar skills were not the result of luck.

Snakes and ladders

Randomness to me is like the game 'Snakes and ladders'. The aim is to get to the top and reach your goal. The snakes are random events that set you back and the ladders are those fortunate events that push you closer to your goal. If you keep moving toward your goal the odds are you will get there. Some people will be lucky and avoid most of the snakes and stumble across lots of ladders where as others will keep landing on snakes but as anyone who has played the game will testify, with perseverance you will eventually get to the top. The great thing about real life is we are all at the mercy of random events. I believe its what we do when faced with a set back that makes the difference.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

G4 GUITAR METHOD -Inquire Now!

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/g4facebook

Visit the G4 GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

Do you have the X Factor?

2011-07-08T18:24:00.000-07:00

The X-Factor is sometimes misunderstood as inborn natural talent. You either have it or you don't. We have no doubt all heard someone at sometime say that such and such has the X-Factor as if they always had it. The X-factor in actual fact is usually the result of years of study and practice and even then often goes unrecognised for years. In the case of actors and musicians they will likely experience hundreds of failed auditions before finally becoming recognized. The classic scene from the show X-Factor where the undiscovered talent seems to just come out of nowhere is far from reality. The show portrays this idea to excite people sitting in their lounge rooms that they too might have the X- Factor.

The truth behind undiscovered talent

Undiscovered talent is likely just talent that took years to reach maturity and shows like X-Factor provide a quick and easy way to reach the public but even so there is usually still much work to be done in terms of a polished performance. Its unlikely that Susan Boyle will be strutting the stage like Madonna or Steven Tyler anytime soon. Pick any successful act today and I can almost guarantee they worked very hard and had more than a few set backs along the way. It's just par for the course.

So why do people fall for the X-factor myth?

When we pay closer attention to the media, Hollywood and Cinderella type stories we can better understand how we get seduced by the myth. In fact I would say we want to be seduced. We want to believe that suddenly with no effort we will possess some amazing talent that will solve all our problems. When I was a kid growing up in the 70's the most popular TV shows were 'Bewitched' and 'I dream of Jeannie' which had characters who possessed magical powers. These shows while obviously complete fantasy were popular because we wanted to believe them. Who wouldn't want such powers or a relative who could zap the school bully or instantly turn you into a guitar hero? The fact is these shows were just the obvious examples. The more subtle shows were the ones where the character just happens to be a naturally talented singer or dancer or athlete etc. To answer the question, we fall for the X-factor myth because it gives us hope but I am sorry to say it's a false hope. The good news is the truth is in fact a much better deal because for most of us its achievable.

Forget the X-factor and focus on the Why-factor

When someone possesses extraordinary talent rather than assuming they were born with the X-factor simply ask the following question."Why is this person so talented or successful?" This question will lead you to the truth which is almost always about hard work and persistence. Sure some people get lucky breaks and some are born with certain advantages or into favorable conditions but there really is no evidence to support the idea that without such advantages you have no chance. In fact talent is nearly always learned and the result of practice and is often the result of hardships. Once you accept this fact the only thing between you and your talent goal is practice. Forget the X-Factor and focus on the Why and for guitar that means practicing.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook. Thank you.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

G4 GUITAR METHOD -Inquire Now!

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/g4facebook

Visit the G4 GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

Your first and most important guitar lesson

2011-06-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

When students attend their first guitar lesson most are eagerly expecting a bunch of exercises that will set them on the path to success. The truth is while exercises are definitely important your first lesson should include a large dose of understanding about what makes a successful guitarist. Anyone can do exercises yet only a small percentage of people ever achieve their goals on the guitar and understanding what the successful guitarists do differently will give you an advantage from the very first lesson.

Deliberate Practice

Becoming a proficient guitarist is firstly about establishing the habit of practicing like a proficient guitarist. The difference between the novice and proficient guitarist is deliberate practice. The term 'deliberate practice' refers to a style of practice that is all about being aware of your practice as you go through the motions. In other words don't just play a chord progression but closely analyze how you can improve it. Are your fingers sitting close to the frets? Can you improve the speed at which you move from one chord to any other chord?

Old habits die hard

I think it's important to point out that establishing a new habit like deliberate practice is no easy task. Whenever we set out to establish a new habit we have to remember that we need to make time by dropping usually another already established habit. For example you may be exchanging your precious relaxation time for guitar practice. In the early stages when you are motivated it seems easy to give up 30 minutes of chill time for guitar practice. Can you hear yourself saying "I've had a tough day at work/school and I'm just not in the right mood for guitar practice today so I think I will skip it." Almost without noticing 3 or 4 days have slipped by and somehow no guitar practice has been done yet on closer inspection the lounge and TV have received their usual daily attention.

What is going on?

Established habits require little if any conscious thought but if we think new habits will just form themselves we will likely be disappointed. You probably can't even remember the experience of taking a shower on any given day last week but you know you did because it's a habit. You see your brain automates much of what it can so as to leave you to worry about the events that are not habitual such as finishing a school or work assignment or getting tickets to a concert that are predicted to sell out within hours of going on sale. Because habits run on automatic programs in the background they are hard to erase. Erasing and replacing takes constant awareness and effort.

From 9% to 100% compliance

The question of how to erase and replace is a difficult one but let's look at a positive example and see if we can then apply it to guitar. In one study using cameras around the wash basins in a hospital doctors were found to only washed their hands a mere 9% of the time. In an effort to change this habit the management at one hospital in California decided to try to improve their hand washing rate by implementing a new strategy. They ended up achieving a 100% compliance rate from staff. An incredible turn around. How did they do it?

A formula for establishing new habits

There were 4 key steps to their winning strategy;

1. Make it easy. They put hand sanitizers all around the hospital.
2. Be supportive. Doctors who were found washing their hands were rewarded with a gift voucher such as a Starbucks voucher.
3. Motivate. Images of live bacteria were displayed around the hospital motivating doctors to act.
4. Repetition and consistency. Habits form when we repeat the action for a period of time especially on a consistent basis.

Let's apply this to guitar.

1. Make it easy - Keep your guitar on a stand and if possible create a dedicated area for practicing. Have your music on a good quality music stand and everything you need on hand. Its even worth making copies of material you are practicing so it can stay permanently in your practice area while the other copy can go with you to lessons. When your practice material is staring you in the face it makes it very easy. I also suggest you allow sometime each day to make sure your practice area is clean, organized and ready.

2. Be supportive - If possible surround yourself with supportive people. This is where a guitar teacher can make a big difference. Many guitar students think of their guitar teachers simply as providers of knowledge but your teacher plays an important support role as well. In fact this is probably the number one reason you should have a teacher. Of course friends and family are also an important part of your support team.

3. Motivate - Surround yourself with inspiring sights and sounds. Find music that inspires you and try to continue explore new music because you never know what you will find. It only takes one great song to fire you up when you are going through an inspirational dry spell. Images are also very powerful such as posters and videos in your practice room.

4. Repetition and consistency - The first 3 steps will get you thinking about your guitar practice on a daily basis but it's only when repetition and consistency kick in that you will see the habit take shape. Try to avoid seeing yourself as a failure if you do not reach the 4th step straight away. Keep going back to step 1 until you get it. In most cases if step 4 is not happening it means the first 3 steps need more work.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook. Thank you.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

G4 GUITAR METHOD -Inquire Now!

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/g4facebook

Visit the G4 GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

Priming yourself for guitar practice

2011-06-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

In a university research study a class of students were instructed to look at the lecturer with interest when he was standing on the left side of the room and with disinterest when on the right side of the room. The lecturer was unaware of the experiment but gradually he spent more and more time on the left side of the room. Follow link for more examples.

Understanding the unconscious mind

This experiment demonstrates the power of our environment and the role our unconscious mind plays in our own behaviour. It was the lecturers unconscious mind that directed him to favor the left side of the room. Apparently our conscious brain can only process a very small amount of information opposed to our unconscious which takes in massive amounts of information. The understanding of the brain in recent years has come a long way and now brain researchers know that our unconscious mind controls much more of what we do then previously believed. So the question is how can we use this information to help us learn guitar?

Priming students to do more practice

Priming the unconscious brain is basically anything that sets the stage for an action. Priming doesn't guarantee an outcome but increases the chances of it occurring. Is it possible to prime ourselves for guitar practice? The above experiment gives us clues as to how it may be possible. Firstly I will apply it to teaching. Over the years I have noticed that teachers who focus positive attention on even the smallest of efforts from students in a particular area will usually see the student's confidence and therefore attention increase in that area. The best example is the 'Practice Log'. (Visit our G4 Downloads page for a free copy) G4 GUITAR teachers ask students to use the Practice Log to record their daily practice. Those teachers who diligently checks the Practice log each week and praise the efforts of their students find the majority of their students increase their practice times. The more positive attention from the teacher the more practice that gets done. Negative attention by the way usually works in reverse. "Why haven't you practiced?" results in less and less practice.

Give it time

Focus your attention on even the smallest of efforts and you will almost always see them grow. Avoid being negative or berating yourself for not doing enough practice. Just keep filling in your times in your Practice log and acknowledging your effort. This doesn't mean you should delude yourself. Be honest of course. For example lets say you are doing 20 mins practice a week knowing that you should be doing at least a few hours to make any real progress. In this case just sit down and work out a schedule that will see you gradually increase your amount of practice. You don't have to suddenly do an hour of practice a day. Just add a little each week until you reach your target. The key is to measure your practice time.

Focus on something. Anything!

Studies show that people who weight themselves daily are less likely to gain weight. By focusing on their desired weight they tend to stick to it. As a teen I began jogging in an effort to get fit. Initially I decided to go out one day and just do it but the result was always the same. I would last a few weeks and then get bored or distracted and stop. I would repeat this pattern every 6 months or so whenever I realized it was time to lose those extra kilos. It got to the point where whenever I began my jogging program I knew it was only a matter of time before I would quit. In my early 20's I began reading books on coaching and teaching to become a better guitar teacher. The message was almost always the same. 'You need to measure something. Anything.' It didn't matter what as long as it can be used to measurement growth. In the case of jogging I could measure time actually spent jogging, distance, speed or days jogged in a particular month. Once I began measuring I felt challenged to keep improving. It was the fact that I was keeping some kind of score that motivated me to go out and see if I could improve on my score. Without any system of measurement it just feels like another boring old pointless jog.

Pay attention to your unconscious mind

Our unconscious mind works much harder then our conscious so understanding this fact will give you an advantage to learning guitar. Everything from the music you hear to the images you see to the environment in which you practice will affect your long term success on guitar. Being aware of what your unconscious mind takes in may just make all the difference.

If you like this blog please join us on Facebook. Thank you.

http://bit.ly/g4facebook

G4 GUITAR METHOD -Inquire Now!

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/g4facebook

Visit the G4 GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

The first 6 months of guitar is make or break

2011-06-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will." Vincent T. Lombardi

Sadly the majority of people who decide to take up guitar will not get past the first 6 months. I came to realize this fact in my first few years of teaching after becoming increasingly frustrated with the number students who would give up in the early months. I remember going to my own teacher at the time and asking where I was going wrong only to be told "That's just how it is". Not long after I began teaching along side a piano teacher and noticed that very few of her students were dropping out. Was piano different to guitar or did this teacher know something I did not?

The piano teacher's secret

The piano teacher indeed did have a secret which I soon adopted into my own teaching and quickly found my student dropout rate plummeted. It was pretty simple really although initially counterintuitive to my beliefs at the time. The piano teacher was upfront with her students from the very first lesson. She would explain that learning piano was challenging and almost without a doubt you will want to give up within the first 6 months. The teacher than shocked me by saying that if they didn't feel they had what it takes to stick it at for at least one year it's best they don't even begin because they would only be wasting everyone's time and money. At the time it seemed to me that such a speech would leave many students feeling despondent but as I began to apply a similar strategy there was a noticeable difference not just in dropout rates of my students but an increased commitment to practice.

The beginner fantasy

The reason such a strategy works is firstly because it is addresses the big problem. The fantasy about learning music. Almost every student who takes up guitar will want to give up in the first 6 months mostly because their fantasy of learning didn't match the reality. In the words of Paco Pena guitar is 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration. Its mostly hard word for a little pleasure especially in the first year. When the hours and hours of practice don't result in you being the next Jimi Hendrix giving up guitar will look like a good option. Understanding this fact before you even start will make all the difference. When you are under no illusions the journey will match your expectations much more accurately.

Prepare for the worst and hope for the best

The above quote is one of my favourites. The reason such a strategy works is because it prepares students for the future. When a student takes up guitar it is highly unlikely they are thinking about giving up. They are unprepared for giving up. It's only when the reality of daily practice and a lack of instant results sets in that the motivation begins to wear off that they are faced with the idea of giving up. When students understand what is coming they can prepare for it. I will even go as far as asking them what they will do when this day comes. Most are actually unsure and my advice is simply this. "Talk to me (your teacher) before doing anything. What I don't want you to do is to quit without giving me the chance to talk you out it."

Commit for 12 months and then decide

Another reason the strategy works so well is because students make a 12 month commitment. The first year is tough and students who go the distance are very unlikely to quit guitar at that point. 12 months is long enough to understand the process of learning guitar. The cause (daily practice) results in the effect (skill). It's also a long enough time to develop the long term habit of practice.

Commitment

Finally I believe the strategy works because it gets to the heart of what learning guitar is all about from day one. Commitment. Success on guitar has nothing to do with natural ability and everything to do with your commitment to learning guitar. If you walk into your first lesson with the idea of finding out whether you have musical talent you will probably be disappointed because talent comes from practice and lots of it. Talent comes from hard work and there is so far very little evidence that great musicians are born. Find me a great musician who never practices and you will probably find a liar.

If you like this blog please tell your friends. Thank you.

G4 GUITAR METHOD -Inquire Now!

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/g4facebook

Visit the G4 GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

Progress Takes Time

2011-06-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

I think its important to understand firstly that as a guitar student your first and only real priority is to practice. I say this because many guitar students are fixed on their progress. It's the classic "Are we there yet?" question. Many students are not interested in the journey, only the destination. Why is this such a problem you ask? Simple. You will spend 95% of your time on the journey. If you don't enjoy the journey it's going to be a very unpleasant experience. What matters most is a commitment to practice rather then worrying about progress. In fact I urge you to try and ignore your personal progress and instead focus on your practice. The more you can to focus on your practice the more likely you are to reach your goals.

Progress is a distraction

The reason your focus should be on practice more so than progress is because this is something you have complete control over. I am not suggesting that progress is unimportant because it is of course the purpose to your practice but its best to leave the job of progress assessment to someone else. Preferably a qualified guitar teacher. Progress is usually slow, unpredictable and relative. A focus on progress will be a roller coaster ride. You may or may not progress as quickly as you hoped. In most cases your progress will appear to come in short bursts. This is because you may need to practice say a scale 500 times before your fingers respond and another 5000 times to really get control. Even then you will have good and bad days. So focus on say 30 minutes a day practice for a year and let progress come when it's good and ready.

Put your teacher is in charge of progress

Not only is it best to leave the job of assessing your progress to your teacher it should actually be a relief. Your teacher should have the experience to assess and guide your practice in the right direction. If you don't trust your teacher's judgement then it's time to find a new teacher. When it comes to your teacher trust is paramount. As discussed above your main job is to do the practice and let's be honest, you are really not qualified to be assessing your progress because you don't have the experience. Experienced teachers understand what to expect based on the amount of practice you do in an average week.

Keeping a practice log

You can help your teacher by keeping a practice log. Simply write in how many minutes you practiced each day. Visit the G4 GUITAR student website for a free download. The practice log allows your teacher to make an accurate assessment. If you are doing say 30 mins a day your teacher will have a certain expectation. If this expectation is not being met they can look more closely at what you are doing with your 30 mins each day. It's important to understand that the more your teacher knows about your practice habits the better. Turning up for your lesson and showing what you can do certainly gives your teacher a good idea of how you are progressing but with out some kind of time measurement there is nothing to base that progress on. If you were doing say 60 mins a day with poor practice habits you would still be progressing but your teacher might be assuming you are doing 20 mins a day based on your progress with out a practice log. Like any investment your teacher needs to know how much time you are investing to assess whether you are getting the best return.

Goals are important

I would like to point out that ignoring progress is not the same as ignoring your goals. It's important to keep your goals for guitar in mind when you practice but as a reminder of why you practice and how your practice relates to those goals. If in doubt about how your practice relates to your goals it is best to ask your teacher. In fact I recommend you do so anyway. Once a month simply ask your teacher "How does this exercise relate to my personal goals?"

If you like this blog please tell your friends. Thank you.

G4 GUITAR METHOD -Inquire Now!

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/g4facebook

Visit the G4 GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

Learning guitar and the point of no return - Will you make it?

2011-06-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

"Don't be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin." - Grace Hansen

It's almost guaranteed that all guitar beginners no matter what their initial level of enthusiasm about practicing and learning guitar will want to quit at some point and if statistics play a roll its likely sooner rather than later. Gyms understand this concept very well and its the reason they ask members to sign up for a 12 month minimum. You may very well turn out to be the lucky 1% who never even considers the idea of throwing in the towel but for the rest of us nothing beats a B plan. For the 99% the B plan will increase your chances of reaching what I call the point of no return. This is the where giving guitar is no longer an option for you and it generally occurs between 6 months and 2 years for most people. You see we you will reach a point where you feel you have invested too much time and energy to give up. For myself this happen around the 1 year mark.

The importance of a B plan

When you begin learning guitar you are in a positive motivated state so having a B plan seems unnecessary but then that day will come when you just say to yourself "It's not worth it. Life's too short to waste it plucking strings on a stupid guitar. Besides I don't have any special talent". In some cases giving up is a gradual one. Day by day, week by week you spend less and less time on the guitar skipping your lessons until your guitar finds its way to storage or for the serious quitter sold to the highest bidder. Either way you are unlikely to escape the black hole of ex-guitar players. In fact if there was a website for ex-guitar players with out B plans it would probably be more popular than Facebook.

A point about passion

I think its worth noting that It could be easy enough to conclude that the above scenarios are justified because you didn't have the the passion in the first place but you would wrong. The passion that drove you to go out and buy a guitar and perhaps start lessons is usually very deep rooted often coming from your childhood. Research has shown that our musical tastes tend to peak at around age 14 years. It is highly likely your interest and passion for guitar started during this time whether you are consciously aware of it or not. When we are in the phase of giving up we have just lose sight of our passion for music but it will return often with a large dose of regret for not continuing with your lessons and practice a year or so earlier. Think how much closer you could have been to your goal of playing guitar had you just stuck it out. If only you had a B plan.

Creating your B plan

For most the A plan is usually a promise to yourself to practice at least once a day for the foreseeable future. The best B plan therefore I have found is to make a commitment now to persist for one year no matter what with rewards and consequences if you don't. The goal should be to practice 5 to 7 days a week for a year rather then worrying too much about how good you will be at any point. Each practice session should be about making small improvements. It will be tough at times but writing up a schedule of the days and times you plan to practice is the first step. You should also write out a sheet with 365 days and cross off one number each day you do a full practice session. This type of strategy helps you to remain patient knowing that at the end of the year you will have fulfilled your commitment and reached your goal. Remember its not about how good you are. It's about staying committed for a full year. What's the point in making amazing progress in the first 3 months if you give up in the 4th month? The name of the game in the first year is to stay in the game and establish the habit of picking up the guitar daily.

TAKE ACTION - The G4 GUITAR 365 Day Challenge

The absolute worst thing you can do now is not take action so here is your challenge. Print out a 365 day sheet from the G4 GUITAR Student Website Downloads page and cross off one number each time you do a full practice session. To work out how much to practice 13 years and over should do 30 minutes per day. Subtract 2 minutes per day for each year less than 13. E.g. A 10 year old would subtract 6 minutes doing 24 minutes per day and a 5 year old would subtract 16 minutes doing 14 minutes per day.

If you like this blog please tell your friends. Thank you.

G4 GUITAR METHOD -Inquire Now!

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/g4facebook

Visit the G4 GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

Seeking perfection on guitar

2011-06-09T17:14:00.000-07:00

"Artists who seek perfection in everything are those who cannot attain it in anything." - Eugene Delacroix (1798 - 1863)

There was a time when I believed being called a perfectionist was a compliment. To my former self perfectionism meant taking care of the details and never settling for anything less than a perfect result but as I came to realise this was not the best approach. Recent research has found that perfectionists are the most likely to actually never reach their goals and in extreme cases become frustrated and even depressed. If you have perfectionist tendencies and are learning guitar the following is worth noting.

Perfectionists don't take failure well

The first problem with perfectionism is it's lack of tolerance for failure. Those who are fixed on a perfect result in everything they do will spend most of their time being disappointed because perfect in anything is either unobtainable or comes at the end of a long and arduous quest. In other words perfection is only ever a fleeting moment at best. Imagine spending months practicing a song to perfection. You reach the perfect execution and for a brief time you can bask in perfection but within a relatively short period the song no longer excites you anymore than say your ability to walk. Yes there was a time when you could not walk and at around age 1 you perfected this skill. From that day forward the excitement of perfecting walking no longer thrilled you.

Try optimal rather than perfection

Tal Ben-Shahar Ph.D. is probably the world's No.1 expert on the subject of perfectionism. In his book 'The Pursuit of Perfect' he goes to great lengths to highlight the importance of pursuing optimal outcomes over perfect ones. An optimalist aims for the best outcome but is not obsessed with a perfect outcome. As an optimalist you see failure as the best outcome given the circumstances but more importantly you see failure not as failure but just as part of the journey and a chance to learn. Optimalists know that life is about the journey not the goal. We spend most of our life in the pursuit of goals and for brief moments we enjoy the achievements but we quickly move on to the next challenge. Those who do not enjoy the pursuit itself will spend much of their life in misery. The perfectionist tends to spend most of their time being unhappy because perfection is rare. Maybe 1% of one's life at best.

Paralyzed by the fear of failure

The perfectionist will often avoid attempting something for fear of failure. If they can't be perfect the first time it's safer just to avoid it. In terms of learning guitar the perfectionist will commonly make the mistake of trying to perfect each new skill or song each week before their next lesson. If the skill or song can't be perfected in time they will find an excuse to either skip the lesson or avoid having to play for the teacher. A perfectionist guitar student will often divert attention away from the challenge for fear of failure and might say something like " I really want to (or need to) learn a different song this week so could we take a look at that instead?" In many cases such tactics work especially with private guitar teachers who want to avoid making their students feel uncomfortable. A good teacher will see it for what it really is and will look for ways to present the same challenges in a new and positive way.

Your inner perfectionist

I think we all have perfectionist tendencies and its really just a matter of being aware. As good as your teacher may be it is ultimately up to you or in the case of children their parents to recognise when you are perhaps expecting too much of yourself. Aim high but remember to aim for an optimal result rather than a perfect one. I remember hearing about a speech writer who at the time would write speeches for political leaders in the US. On this occasion he wrote a speech for Henry Kissinger and each time he presented the speech Kissinger would say "Is this the best you can do?" Feeling deflated he would go away and rewrite a new speech and again Kissinger would repeat "Is this the best you can do?" Eventually the speech writer said "I am sorry Sir but its the best I can do" and Kissinger replied by saying "Good. Well I will read it then".

G4 GUITAR METHOD -Inquire Now!

G4 GUITAR METHOD Lesson Inquiry

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/g4facebook

Visit the G4 GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au