Music is a group experience, whether it’s a group of people playing together or an audience listening. When we practice we get used to playing alone, and if you play for your own enjoyment you might not have even thought about playing for or with anyone. Some people never play for anyone’s ears than their […]
What listening to new music can do for your playing
Listening to new and unfamiliar music can really stimulate your playing, even if you don’t actually try to play it. Many people only listen to music they already know. Sometimes it’s simply the comfort of the familiar, or nostalgia of some kind. And old song can be an old friend and a reminder of things past. […]
Performing makes you a better player.
Performing makes you a better player, even if you don’t have any interest in getting up in front of an audience. The idea of people listening might just make you nervous. Even seasoned performers can still get the jitters before they walk on stage. Some suffer from stage fright through entire successful careers. But if you don’t […]
What’s The Best Way To Learn To Play
There’s no best way to learn to play an instrument, period. And no right or wrong way, no matter what anyone might tell you. I stumbled across a blog post the other day in which the writer took a quote I had given in an interview and used it – negatively – to make his […]
Walking the walk
I’m writing this on New Year’s Day 2018… …and like so many of us I’m taking the opportunity to think about what I can do better. I spend so much of each day giving advice, and I believe in what I’m saying. All the positive feedback I’m getting reinforces that belief, along with the results […]
The Perpetual Beginner: 5 tips for smoother playing
Many guitar students come to lessons with the same basic problems. They’re problems that aren’t hard to solve, but are easy to miss. You might be mostly self-taught, or maybe you’ve had lessons that weren’t as effective as they could have been. Some people have just had bad advice. But in every case, there are a […]
