:The Flash Advancer

You’d be amazed to find out that some of the most complex sounding pieces of music are actually simple to create. Take the piano lesson “Caverns” for example. Here we use just one chord in the left hand to create a harmonic foundation for the right hand improvisation.

The right hand plays both melody and bass notes but the left is just playing one chord. The sound that is created is full and rich! But how can this be? After all, only one chord is used. The secret is in how the chord is played.

We use a simple ostinato pattern to create the backdrop. Now this backdrop is the key to the whole piece. It quietly goes on in the background while the right hand is busy playing melody. Bass notes are also called into play with the right hand crossing over the left. Back and forth the right hand goes and we end up with 2 minutes of music using just one chord!

This is an excellent example of the power of limits. We know what the chord will be - in this case D minor. We know that we will be playing melody notes from the D Dorian mode. Now we can relax and enjoy the act of making music. With the decisions of what to play out of the way, it makes the act of creating all that easier.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

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Have you ever started learning a lick or exercise and stopped practicing it before you had mastered it? Now I don’t know you, but my guess the answer to the question is yes! Why is that? Why did you stop, when it was something that you REALLY
wanted to learn?

There are quite a few reasons for it, but the one I would like to mention now is what I call the “point of discipline”. This is the point when the initial enthusiasm of learning that new lick/exercise wears off. It is no longer so new and exciting. This is the time when you will have to use your self-discipline to complete the task at hand.

A lot of guitar players will tell you at this point…”Hey man, guitar’s supposed to be all about fun! If I have to use my self-discipline, I’ll no longer enjoy it.” If anyone says that to you, have a look at their playing. Most of the time they are not very good :)They have not reached a virtuoso level of playing, so why listen to them!

The point of discipline is when most guitar players quit. Rather than using their self-discipline to TRULY master the lick/exercise, they stop practicing it and move onto
something new. It’s tempting isn’t it? We’ve ALL done this at some point in our development as a guitarist. But what’s the cost of doing this?

Some of the negative consequences of quitting at the point of discipline include:

1.You’ll never reach the virtuoso levels of guitar playing. Can you imagine virtuosos like Yngwie Malmsteen, Rusty Cooley, Michael Angelo etc, quitting before they have mastered what they are working on? I don’t think so! They didn’t become so incredible by being quitters. They have learned to tap into their self-discipline.

2. You’ll never have that feeling of pride that comes with truly mastering something.

3. You won’t learn to confront your present technical limitations and overcome them. This will mean that you’ll learn a lot of new things but your overall level of playing won’t become elevated.

4. You’ll know about 1007 bits of songs, but if someone asks you to play a song from start to finish, you can’t.

Not a pretty picture is it? So what are some things that you can do about it? Here are a few ideas…

1.When learning a new lick or exercise, set a speed goal. Keep practicing the lick/exercise until the speed goal has been reached. Realise that this can sometimes take weeks, months (or even years!).

2. Learn to enjoy using your self-discipline. Feel proud about yourself every time you follow through and master something.

3. Use visualization. See yourself in your mind’s eye becoming a guitar virtuoso. This will help keep you motivated and enthusiastic!

4. Make a commitment to completion. With everything you learn, refuse to quit. Keep working on it until it has been mastered.

I guarantee that if you learn to tap into your self-discipline your guitar playing will improve at an accelerated rate! Of course, if you want to sit on the couch watching TV and eating
bags of potato chips,dreaming about one day becoming an awesome guitarist, that’s cool also!

Copyright 2005 by Craig Bassett. All Rights Reserved.

Craig Bassett is a professional guitarist, guitar tutor and author living in Auckland, New Zealand.

Master the notes on the guitar fretboard…
Master the Guitar Fretboard.

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