This week’s diary entry was delayed for two reasons. First, I was camping this past weekend and that kept me away from technology for a few days. Those days just happen to coincide with the days when I usually write this entry. The second reason for the delay was that the experience of practicing in… Read More Diary of A Bad Guitar Player: Natural Guitar
One thing that I have been thinking about this week while practicing is what happens on those days when you just don’t have it. I don’t mean days when you lack motivation. That is one thing, of course, but I have found that that is something you just have to fight through. I am talking… Read More Diary of a Bad Guitar Player: Days When You Don’t Have It
After one week of focused on trying to taking better care of my hands, my fingers are feeling much better and I am starting to look for ways to begin building more strength in them. If you are struggling with soreness in your playing, I highly recommend making the following additions to your practice routine.… Read More Diary of a Bad Guitar Player: New warm-ups and new challenges
This should have been a good week of practice. I am close to locking down one of the fingerstyle songs I have been learning and I made significant progress on the other song that has been my primary focus for the last three weeks. But as thrilled as I am with that progress, there is… Read More Diary of A Bad Guitar Player: Weakness is my biggest weakness
This week I added the ultimate toy for any bad guitar player- a loop station pedal. I have considered getting one for years but held off because I always felt like I should work on my playing and not add gear that would just add to the goofing off at the expense of actual playing.… Read More Diary of a Bad Guitar Player: Gone Loopy
I have been thinking about rhythm a great deal this week after writing about “locking-in” last week. Rhythm is so essential to music- play it poorly and you will sound terrible, play it well and even simple things shine. But while rhythm is an essential concept, it is not a simple one. Playing with great… Read More Diary of a Bad Guitar Player: Feeling vs Counting
Hello again, my guitar playing friends. Well, it has been another week in quarantine and another week of solid practice. I am seeing progress on the two new fingerstyle songs I am working on and that feels great. On the other hand, I have really gotten away from ear training this week and I feel… Read More Diary of a Bad Guitar Player: Let’s talk about Locking In
A million days into quarantine (approximately), my practice on the guitar has fallen into a steady routine. I am working on new fingerstyle songs, practicing the ones I learned the last week, working on improving on one or two of the songs I know and play regularly with a focus on implying the changes and… Read More Diary of a Bad Guitar Player: Fingerstyle learning and deep listening
The final week of the challenge was an interesting experience. I played the Whole Tone scale, which is something that jazz musicians use frequently but which I had never learned and really did not “get” from a sound perspective for the first days of practicing. I eventually started to hear it in context and that… Read More Diary of a Bad Guitar Player: Week 4 of the Guitar 30 Challenge
Week 2 Focus- Minor Pentatonic, Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor Week 2 was a great learning experience. Like many great learning experiences, it was alternately frustrating and enlightening, humiliating and invigorating. I learned a lot about what I still need to learn and even managed to learn a little about what I was hoping to learn.… Read More Diary of A Bad Guitar Player: Week 2 of the Guitar 30 Challenge
