How do Rockstars become Rockstars?

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

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

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

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

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

That's my take on it...

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

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Count the minutes

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

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

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

To find a teacher near you checkout our LOCATIONS page.

For more information about G4GUITAR please visit our website.

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PLAN your PRACTICE

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

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

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

Please email: david@g4guitar.com.au

To find a teacher near you check our LOCATIONS.

For more information about G4GUITAR please visit our website.

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Why Learning Guitar is Good for the Environment

There are many ways you can spend your time. Surfing the net, watching TV, playing video games, going for a drive, going to the movies or going Shopping. So how do these options compare to guitar? Lets look at TV. An average TV uses around 200 watts per hour. More if its a plasma TV. Apart from the fact that the guitar requires a small amount of timber and the occasional string change there are no other environmental effects. We don't even need to bother with carbon emmission studies here. Think about it. Image if you bought a quality acoustic guitar and exchanged just one hour a day of TV for one hour of guitar over a lifetime. That equates to around 27,000 hours. If every Australian turned off their TV for one hour a day and played guitar instead we would save 600,000,000,000 hours of electricity over a lifetime. I know... some of you don't want to play guitar so take up drums or saxophone. Doing it for the environment is a great thing but who knows you might just discover you enjoy playing music along the way.

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

For more information about G4GUITAR please visit our website.

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Learn Happy Birthday from David Hart -G4GUITAR Program Director

The Story of Guitar

The BBC have put together a great bunch of interviews with guitarists. I recommend you take a look. It features Edge (U2) showing off how he gets the sound for Streets with no Name. David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Pete Townshend (The Who), B.B. King and others.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/musictv/guitars/

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

For more information about G4GUITAR please visit our website.

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Great Guitar Players - George Benson

For a full bio on George Benson check Wikipedia.