Guitarology #3

Gettin’ Good

One of the great things about playing guitar is that it is a daily adventure. The adventure of learning something today that you didn’t know yesterday. The adventure of doing something today that you couldn’t do yesterday. The adventure of being better today than you were yesterday, and even better tomorrow.

Now as we all should be aware, Cosmic Law Vol. 1, section 24, sub-paragraph 12b states, "For all reward a price must be paid." In terms of actual ability to play, that price is practice. "Arrrgh!",I hear you moan. Yes I know, the word "practice" usually conjures up images of endless repetition of scales whilst being rapped on the knuckles by a blue rinsed spawn of Satan. But it ain’t necessarily so. For us it can also be just picking up the instrument and playing it. Guitar playing is a physical activity and like most physical endeavors the more you do it the easier it becomes. The thing is, it’s not about sitting down and going," Right, I must now practice for the next four hours or until my fingers bleed whichever comes first."

First thing, take the instrument out of the case and put it where you can easily get at it. This might seem obvious but it’s like this, if you’ve got the guitar under the bed how likely is it that you will spontaneously go fetch it when you hear a tune on the stereo that you’d like to play along to? W hen that riff pops into your head while watching TV, are you really going to get off the sofa and run to the garage to get out the ax? If you have a guitar THERE you’ll pick it up. You’ll pick it up even when you’re not intending to. It may be for only a few minutes but that’s a few minutes more than if you couldn’t just reach out for it. Very often you may intend to only play for a few minutes and find hours have passed.

If you’re in a situation where you must consider others living around you remember, an electric guitar doesn’t have to be plugged in to be played. You can still hear it well enough to know if the notes are right. A good friend of mine, Graham Williams, one of the best guitarists I have ever heard, commonly watches TV while playing along to theme songs and commercials! I had my Tele brought to me when I was in the hospital. I ended up doing a private concert the nurses!

I once went to an interview for a day job. When the company director heard I played guitar, he pulled a Strat out from behind a filing cabinet. Seems he played in a rock and roll band on weekends and practiced in the office.

Guitar is one of those nice things in life that will give you back exactly what you put into it. I was told a story by bass guitarist Pino Palladino. Pino is from South Wales, an area of fiercely proud working class people. When Pino was in his teens his mother asked what he was going to do for a job. Pino said he wanted to be a bass player. His mother said, "Fine, but you’ll work at it like a real job or else find a real job." So Pino worked at it. Like eight hours a day worked at it. Is it any great surprise that Pino Palladino became one of the best paid and most sought after players in the world and well......Pino?

Do yourself a favor. Copy this below and put it where you can see it.

"The question is not, ’How long have I practiced?’ but, ‘When was the last time I had the guitar in my hands?’ " - Merle Travis

Courage

© 2000 Steve Power ©Guitarology #3 Gettin’ Good

One of the great things about playing guitar is that it is a daily adventure. The adventure of learning something today that you didn’t know yesterday. The adventure of doing something today that you couldn’t do yesterday. The adventure of being better today than you were yesterday, and even better tomorrow.

Now as we all should be aware, Cosmic Law Vol. 1, section 24, sub-paragraph 12b states, "For all reward a price must be paid." In terms of actual ability to play, that price is practice. "Arrrgh!",I hear you moan. Yes I know, the word "practice" usually conjures up images of endless repetition of scales whilst being rapped on the knuckles by a blue rinsed spawn of Satan. But it ain’t necessarily so. For us it can also be just picking up the instrument and playing it. Guitar playing is a physical activity and like most physical endeavors the more you do it the easier it becomes. The thing is, it’s not about sitting down and going," Right, I must now practice for the next four hours or until my fingers bleed whichever comes first."

First thing, take the instrument out of the case and put it where you can easily get at it. This might seem obvious but it’s like this, if you’ve got the guitar under the bed how likely is it that you will spontaneously go fetch it when you hear a tune on the stereo that you’d like to play along to? W hen that riff pops into your head while watching TV, are you really going to get off the sofa and run to the garage to get out the ax? If you have a guitar THERE you’ll pick it up. You’ll pick it up even when you’re not intending to. It may be for only a few minutes but that’s a few minutes more than if you couldn’t just reach out for it. Very often you may intend to only play for a few minutes and find hours have passed.

If you’re in a situation where you must consider others living around you remember, an electric guitar doesn’t have to be plugged in to be played. You can still hear it well enough to know if the notes are right. A good friend of mine, Graham Williams, one of the best guitarists I have ever heard, commonly watches TV while playing along to theme songs and commercials! I had my Tele brought to me when I was in the hospital. I ended up doing a private concert the nurses!

I once went to an interview for a day job. When the company director heard I played guitar, he pulled a Strat out from behind a filing cabinet. Seems he played in a rock and roll band on weekends and practiced in the office.

Guitar is one of those nice things in life that will give you back exactly what you put into it. I was told a story by bass guitarist Pino Palladino. Pino is from South Wales, an area of fiercely proud working class people. When Pino was in his teens his mother asked what he was going to do for a job. Pino said he wanted to be a bass player. His mother said, "Fine, but you’ll work at it like a real job or else find a real job." So Pino worked at it. Like eight hours a day worked at it. Is it any great surprise that Pino Palladino became one of the best paid and most sought after players in the world and well......Pino?

Do yourself a favor. Copy this below and put it where you can see it.

"The question is not, ’How long have I practiced?’ but, ‘When was the last time I had the guitar in my hands?’ " - Merle Travis

Courage

© 2005 Steve Power

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