The Scary Truth About Getting Better
Many guitarists, musicians and teachers of all arts and activities will debate the issue of practice in it’s many forms. As students, players and perhaps even raptors, we wonder if all those exercises and boring scales are really required to get better. To really answer that you have to ask the right question:
WHAT do you want to get better at doing?
I can tell right now that the more you do something, the more familiar you’re going to become with it and the better you’re going to get at it. It’s the same for those little kids on the soccer team and same for those big kids in Guitar Center. We seem to learn through repetition.
Practice can add Speed, Accuracy and Familiarity with your specific instrument.
I like to use metaphors for almost EVERYTHING. One of my favorites for practice is Driving. The first time out to a new place, you’re checking street signs, looking at your Google Maps via BlackBerry, iPhone or whatever device you get obsessed with as I do. (Berry, for me), so naturally you’re trip is going to be a tad awkward, include perhaps some U-turns and even a delay in changing that annoying song on the radio, while you’re looking for your destination. Once you learn where this place is, you can not only get there more directly, but you can get their faster each time as you know the direct routes.
As far as what to practice, practice what you want to get better at. Learning scales will do you no good if you have no interest in knowing or using them (right now anyways). If you want to play lead, learn a guitar solo - it’s the same as a scale position broken up into sections, which is the point in knowing a scale in the first place - to use it. This just eliminates that middle man for now. And who knows, maybe you’ll want to know why it works later. But don't fool yourself if you're playing only one repetition correct and think you have it mastered. It usually takes about 20-80 reps to really 'get' it, so get to practicing!
And yes, I did say Raptors.
WHAT do you want to get better at doing?
I can tell right now that the more you do something, the more familiar you’re going to become with it and the better you’re going to get at it. It’s the same for those little kids on the soccer team and same for those big kids in Guitar Center. We seem to learn through repetition.
Practice can add Speed, Accuracy and Familiarity with your specific instrument.
I like to use metaphors for almost EVERYTHING. One of my favorites for practice is Driving. The first time out to a new place, you’re checking street signs, looking at your Google Maps via BlackBerry, iPhone or whatever device you get obsessed with as I do. (Berry, for me), so naturally you’re trip is going to be a tad awkward, include perhaps some U-turns and even a delay in changing that annoying song on the radio, while you’re looking for your destination. Once you learn where this place is, you can not only get there more directly, but you can get their faster each time as you know the direct routes.
As far as what to practice, practice what you want to get better at. Learning scales will do you no good if you have no interest in knowing or using them (right now anyways). If you want to play lead, learn a guitar solo - it’s the same as a scale position broken up into sections, which is the point in knowing a scale in the first place - to use it. This just eliminates that middle man for now. And who knows, maybe you’ll want to know why it works later. But don't fool yourself if you're playing only one repetition correct and think you have it mastered. It usually takes about 20-80 reps to really 'get' it, so get to practicing!
And yes, I did say Raptors.