Why babies are smarter...

The following video is about the ground breaking revolution in brain research on babies. We have reached a critical turning point in the understanding of how children learn and how the early months and years are critical. In this video Patricia Kuhl points shows how babies learn a language and how as we get older it becomes more difficult.

Learning language and learning music by many experts has been described as almost identical and in fact many refer to music as a language. After all many of the elements are same. So we can only assume that babies who are exposed to music in the same way as language would gain a huge advantage. If as a baby your parents played jazz around the house the odds are you would have an ear for jazz. If your parents actually played music than we would assume the effect was even greater.

Many great musicians are the children of musicians. Among some of my own influences are Eddie Van Halen (whose middle name is actually Lodewijk which is derived from Ludwig Beethoven as Eddie's father was a successful clarinetist), Tommy Emmanuel whose mother was a lap steel guitarist, Santana whose father was a violinist and Mozart who was the son of one of Europe's leading music teachers. So if you are a parent or planning to be a parent than I am sure you will find this video fascinating.

Understanding the G4 GUITAR METHOD

The question of what is the G4 GUITAR METHOD is among the most common we receive. I think a better question is what does the student need to know to ensure success. So here goes. 

The G4 GUITAR METHOD is a basically a format that puts the essential skills into categories. There are 7 skills plus songs. Each level comes with a checklist and the goal for each student is to complete the skills on each checklist within 6 to 9 months. 

Less time writing, more time learning.

The G4 GUITAR METHOD was designed for both private and group learning. Having checklists ensures no skill is overlooked while also reducing the time spent writing things down. When I see teachers spending half the lesson writing notes for students I see valuable lesson time lost. Teachers write notes so students basically know what to practice but with the G4 GUITAR METHOD when a student goes home and wonders they should be practicing all they need to do is look at their checklist. If a box is not ticked they need to practice this skill. If they don't understand what is required they should skip it and work on what they do understand. For example if a student is not sure how to play a particular arpeggio they should work on another skill or song. If the only boxes not ticked are skills they do not understand its time to ask the teacher. If they are still confused than its time to speak to me.



Consistency across all levels 
 
The checklists are laid out in a consistent format so once a student understands level 1 they can then easily understand level 2 and so on. The first level is the hardest because this is where students learn to understand the format of the G4 GUITAR METHOD. Probably the biggest benefit of all is the fact that parents can also monitor their child's progress from week to week.
  
Parent involvement can make the difference


For parents I recommend you keep an eye on your child's checklist from week to week while also consulting the teacher on their progress, strengths and weaknesses. Parent involvement makes all the difference. It is important to note that 30 minutes a week is only enough to guide students. Unlike school where students attend 30+ hours a week 30 minutes is only enough time to explain what needs to be done. The real work is done at home and parents are really the deciding factor. 


Its only a tool

Remember that the G4 GUITAR METHOD is only a tool and like any tool its how you use it. Like the guitar itself if used incorrectly you can't expect a desirable result but when used correctly you will create something amazing and often inspiring.

If you have any questions please feel free to email me directly at david@g4guitar.com.au 


Kind regards,

David Hart - Program Director

Join us at G4GUITAR FACEBOOK.
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Visit the G4 GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

Why positive motivation is essential to learning guitar

Who is in the driver's seat?


Motivation is like driving a car but who is actually doing the driving? Your positive or negative motivation?  Positive motivation could be hearing a great song and rushing out to buy it on iTunes whereas negative motivation might be paying off your credit card to avoid a late payment. For most of us the negative motivations run our lives or are in the driver's seat so to speak. The trick is to put your positive motivations into the driver's seat especially if you want to succeed on guitar. The driver gets to make the final decision so if you want to achieve your goals it makes sense to make sure your positive motivations are in control.

Don't go to extremes

This of course doesn't mean we just neglect our negative motivations because that would of course be extreme and a recipe for disaster. It just means we make a plan that ensures everything gets done and both sides are being attended to and most importantly your desire to play guitar doesn't get sidelined. The 2 BIGGEST reasons students stop their lessons (and by our estimates around 85% give up guitar completely) is they say they either have no TIME or no MONEY or both. In other words the negative motivations force them to give up their passion. This in effect is going to the extreme on the negative side.  Bills must be paid of course but if all your time is spent worrying about paying bills and there is no time for music (your passion) something is seriously wrong. Its time to reassess. When I put my positive motivators in the driver's seat I am always questioning whether my current strategy is including my guitar because if there is no guitar its a losing strategy.

Increase you positive motivation

The negative motivations will come without any effort (like a back seat driver constantly telling you how to drive) but the positive motivations require effort.  No amount of instruction, 'How to' books or magic guitar methods will help you if you lack positive motivation. In almost any long term endeavor especially one where results can take years it's important to incorporate a motivational strategy otherwise you will soon be finding yourself questioning whether it's worth the trouble. Despite the fact that staying motivated is so simple I like anyone can and do at times lose focus when neglecting this area.

The teen exercise

Whenever I lose track of what is important (and we all do at times) I go back to what mattered to me as a teenager. During our teenage years we take over the driver's seat from our parents. Most of us literally get our driver's license at this point and this really is a great metaphor for our lives in general. A car spells freedom. We are no longer riding in the back seat begging our parents to go where we want to go.  We are free to go anywhere we wish but over time our back seat driver takes over and we soon forget where we are going and become swamped by the negative motivators. Of course priorities change but the teenage years can still give us clues to what makes us happy and what really matters. As we come into the so called real world and get a real job and take on real responsibilities we push our passions aside. I am not suggesting we detach ourselves from reality but a little balance would be nice.

Conclusion

Create a positive motivation plan. Get a calendar (Google's is free and easy to use) and create a positive motivational calendar where you ensure you plan events like buying a new song or two, going to a concert, watching a DVD or even updating your motivational play list on your iPod. Regular planned doses of positive motivation works. If you are a skeptic try it for a month and see what happens.  Good luck.


Kind regards,

David Hart - Program Director

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/G4FACEBOOK

Visit the G4GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

Which are the most popular guitar chords?

Zipf's law basically suggests that the frequency of the number one item will often be double that of number two and so on. Of course this is not a hard and fast rule but it's surprising how often it shows up. For example when we think of successful bands it would be hard to argue the success of The Beatles. They are without a doubt the most successful band of all time. In the UK No.2 is Queen as far a record sales are concerned. The Beatles had 17 No.1s and Queen had 6.

We can apply Zipf's law to chords. There are certain chords that pretty much rule the pop music world. To explain this idea and also allowing for the beginner let me explain the 7 basic chords you will find in any key using the key of C as the example. They are as follows;

C, DMIN, EMIN, F, G, AMIN, BDIM.

In this case C is considered chord 1, DMIN IS 2 and so on. So the most popular chord combination of all time is the 1, 4, 5. In the key of C this would be C, F and G. Below I have listed the most popular keys and 1,4,5 combinations.

C F G
G C D
E A B
A D E

See how many songs you can find that use the 1,4,5 combination.

The next step is to add the 6th which is a minor. In the key of C this means adding the AMIN chord. E.g. The Beatles song 'Let it be' has the following chord progression.
C / G / AMIN / F / C / G / F / C.

We don't need another Hendrix.

I find it amusing when someone is hailed as the next Hendrix or Segovia. Why be the next when you can be the first. With success on guitar one can easily get lost in the idea that by possessing the same level of skill as Hendrix you will rise to the same level of success. Unfortunately this is a myth. As a child i would listen to Jimi Page (Led Zeppelin) and believe he was sent from the Heavens and no one could possibly come near him. Then i heard Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Van Halen, Joe Pass, Larry Carlton, Al Di Meola, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and so on. I came to realize that they were all unique and all amazing in their own way. I also realised that it was not just their skill (although important of course) that brought them attention but their unique style. We are all unique and all have the ability to become great guitar players but what makes a great player and a combination of many hours of practice, passion and a focus on creating their own style. You should of course recognize what your strengths are and run with them when forging out your style. It's good to emulate great players but your goal should not be to clone them.

In summary it is best to learn the fundamentals and constantly develop them but get to know what is important to you and where your strengths lay and of course follow your musical passions. Most of all be the best you! We don't need another Hendrix. We want something new and fresh.

Choice is not necessarily a good thing

In recent years there have been many books written on the subject of choice. Probably one of the best reads is 'The Paradox of Choice'. The basic message is that choice is not necessarily always a good thing. We believe that no choice is a bad thing and that the many choices are good. In fact we associate choice to freedom. In many cases choices are positive and should be available.

When raising children the experts advise giving children positive choices rather than direct orders. E.g. "Would you like carrots or potatoes with your meal?" If a child was given unlimited choices they might choose ice cream or chips.  In one example a study where people were either given the choice of deciding whether to turn off the machine that was keeping their relative alive versus those who were not given a choice and the doctor choose to turn off the machine showed those who were given the choice were more likely to suffer from depression and guilt later on. In this case being given no choice was the better option.

So how does this apply to learning guitar. There are so many options for learning guitar that the choices can leave us overwhelmed and often directionless. Sticking to one method or program will have its drawbacks of course but it will create a clear direction and as the research clearly shows your chances of success will be dramatically increased.

In another example of a similar nature they found people who were on diet programs (almost any program) lost more weight on average than those who just tried to lose weight through improved eating and exercise. They believe the programs had the effect of instilling confidence into the dieter that they were on a path that would lead them to success so were more likely to stick with it.

Programs make choices for you and reduce the chances of getting off track. When it comes to succeeding on guitar a program like the G4 GUITAR METHOD will keep you on a clear path and limit the usual distractions that students face when learning guitar. Its not the be all and end all but it will get you to the first level which often the most important.



David Hart - Program Director

Join us at G4 GUITAR FACEBOOK.
http://bit.ly/G4FACEBOOK

Visit the G4GUITAR METHOD Website
www.g4guitar.com.au

Right handers should mimic while lefthanders should mirror

I received an email from a left handed guitarist wanting lesson materials specifically for left hand players. While this is great the reality is 99.9999% all books and learning material are written for the right handed guitarist. I then suggested to the following;

I understand how you feel as I have taught quite a few left handed students over the years and developed techniques for teaching them using right hand materials. The problem I found was exactly as you say they were trying to mimic rather than mirror. At first it felt like a step backwards but once they learned to mirror suddenly everything became a lot easier. Jimi Hendrix actually became the most amazing guitarist through this very technique. He was able to watch guitarists on stage and quickly learn what they were playing through mirroring. In recent years scientists have discovered our brains actually have what are called mirror neurons. This means when we watch another person our brains fire in sympathy as if we were doing the actions of the person we are observing. With some actions we switch this around so we mimic and in other actions we mirror. You have developed the mimic approach as any right hand guitarist would but by switching to mirroring you will in effect learn much faster. It is worth the effort to switch because you are left handed. Right handers should mimic for best results and left handers mirror unless of course you are watching a left handed guitarist.

I hope that helps and who knows you might become the next Hendrix or Paul McCartney.