Many music teachers out there tend to make the learning of music and guitar very complicated, but the legendary teachers are the ones who can make even very complicated concepts and practices simple. Many music students tend to complicate things as well, and think that if it is not complicated it can’t be good.
It is a standing joke around our studio that “everything is easy”. Yes, if it is not easy I believe we are doing something wrong as teachers. Many people believe rocket science is beyond them, but if you know anything about it, then that is simple too. The trick is in making complicated things easy for yourself.
Whenever we have had major name guitar players here for workshops like, Bruce Forman, Mike Stern, Robben Ford, etc., they all talk about how they tend to keep even the most complicated of things very simple and that they have the systems in place to achieve that. They invent systems that work for them. By keeping things simple means they can do things on the fly that many other players would not be able to do.
As guitarists we tend to make things more complicated for ourselves as we get more advanced, but that is the time we should be working on making things easier. For example, you could easily write a model solo over that chord progression you find a bit tricky to navigate, and improvise over the model solo. Or slow something down to 40 beats per minute to work on some tricky passage or technique you are working on. Just slowing things down can make a lot of things a lot simpler.
Just think for a minute and find something you are having trouble with. Then, think how can I make that problem simpler than it is now? Thinking like this will improve your practising and playing immensely.
How are you going to put this simplifying concept into your practising immediately?
Do you need any help or other information on today’s topic of interest? Or maybe enquire about guitar lessons with master teacher Kevin Downing? If so, just reply to this email or call (06) 357 0057