after you read this send me an email and tell me why you think there's a crazy surfer duck and a palm tree in the picture!
I'm Always Asked About.....
PRACTICING I am always asked in my clinics about how much or how do
I practice.
Yes, you should have a dedicated practice schedule. Myself, I
practice everyday mostly at the same time if I can. Also, I
practice all during the day, like if I am watching television or
just sitting around.
Hint: The thing is to keep the guitar or whatever
instrument in your hands as much as possible so that you and
the instrument become one.
Remember at this point in your
practice you don't really have to concentrate on anything in
particular, just let your mind be free and let your hands go
where they want to. In this way you will find yourself stopping
and
saying wow, what was that I just did. This is what I like
about this type of practicing.
Hint: If you can, record yourself as
much as possible so that you can hear where you are going and
then you can see if you are in the pocket.
Listen UP!!! If you take the following advice, it will set you apart from your peers when playing instrumental music!
- Tell the song's story just as you would if you were talking or
singing. Use pauses, inflections, put some emotion in it.
- You don't have to play every note that you know at
once just as you would not say everything there is to say in
one sentence.
- Try to think in phrases...Like blah blah this
or that. Not blah blah blah blah blah blah etc. You know how you feel when somebody is talking and just rattling on and on? Well, it's the same thing when playing music.
Remember that you
should always practice your scales and
things like that but you should also get used to playing what
you are feeling. I personally find that if you don't think about it and just
play from your heart that you will be a lot more interesting in
your choice of things you play.
Practice is also good for expanding your musical
vocabulary as much as possible, there is always something
new to learn...in fact, you never stop learning when you play music! Listen to all kinds of music, even if you think you don't like it. Steal a few licks, nobody will know where you got them from and you'll be playing with some things in your arsenal that other kids don't even know about. Would you believe that some of the best slide guitar ever played is in Hawaiian music??? It's true. So don't just listen to rock, or rap, or jazz, or any one thing - listen to lots of things!
I hope you've found this helpful, 'cause it's all about you. In the meantime, if you have any questions
you'd like answered, or are curious about different things in the
music business, send me an email.
Peace,
NICO
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