Post by Mojo on Feb 9, 2011 16:06:54 GMT -5
Let's share our "catapult moments", those realizations, tricks, exercises, etc... that helped us get to the next level as guitar players.
For me, the top three are:
1. Ditching the pick to play with my fingers only. I tried so hard to be this guitar player who uses a pick, because that's what i saw everybody do. Then one day I couldn't find one, so I played with my fingers instead, and phrasing and articulation fell into place. Later on, when thinking about it, I realized the fact that Mark Knopfler and Chet Atkins are my two biggest influences, which was a hint that I ignored for far too long
2. Forcing myself to use my pinky on my left (fretting) hand. Again, another huge boost to my playing. Speed, reach, and new riffs were now possible that until then were not.
3. Turning on the TV, but turning off the volume, and playing along for a while. Before you know it, you're engrossed in what you are watching, and the conscious part of your brain stops worrying about the guitar playing. This, for me, always leads to discovering new riffs or new chord progressions, or to nailing something that I couldn't play before because I just played it, unbeknownst to me, for the past 30 minutes while I focused on something else. This is a trick that I stole from Mark Knopfler, and I thank him for sharing it in interviews
Your turn
For me, the top three are:
1. Ditching the pick to play with my fingers only. I tried so hard to be this guitar player who uses a pick, because that's what i saw everybody do. Then one day I couldn't find one, so I played with my fingers instead, and phrasing and articulation fell into place. Later on, when thinking about it, I realized the fact that Mark Knopfler and Chet Atkins are my two biggest influences, which was a hint that I ignored for far too long
2. Forcing myself to use my pinky on my left (fretting) hand. Again, another huge boost to my playing. Speed, reach, and new riffs were now possible that until then were not.
3. Turning on the TV, but turning off the volume, and playing along for a while. Before you know it, you're engrossed in what you are watching, and the conscious part of your brain stops worrying about the guitar playing. This, for me, always leads to discovering new riffs or new chord progressions, or to nailing something that I couldn't play before because I just played it, unbeknownst to me, for the past 30 minutes while I focused on something else. This is a trick that I stole from Mark Knopfler, and I thank him for sharing it in interviews
Your turn
