Yesterday I ran to Busey Woods, admired the changing leaves and the smells of autumn, and ran a mile toward home. It was the first run in a long time where it was not meant for a future race effort. My legs felt fresh, my mind unburdened, and the old sense of freedom which running had once given me had returned. The last mile of the run was quick, and I sprinted the last couple of minutes.
I have not written about my guitar quest in past 3 or 4 months. Once summer rolled around my mind began to focus on running long distance and so that is what I wanted to write about. However, my daily practice of the guitar did not halt and I found myself making progress as each summer month passed. Now that racing has come to an end I will most likely write more about my guitar practice.
I am currently rereading Jamie Andreas' Guitar Principles book. The few simple exercises which the book describes have helped my fingers gain more relaxation and control. Whenever I find my pinkie or index finger jumping off the fretboard I return to the exercises to regain finger composure and strength. I usually begin a practice session using the exercises and then jump into other things.
The other things are soloing to blues songs, chord transitions, song learning, musical improvisation, and scale exercises.
Soloing to blues songs :
I love doing this and am slowly improving in blues technique. Before I could practice blues soloing I needed to learn and memorize the 5 patterns of the pentatonic scale since that scale is the one used most in blues/rock songs. I tacked a printout of the scale patterns on my studio wall and study it every practice session. If I get lost during a scale exercise or solo I read the chart to remind myself of where the notes are located on the fretboard.
I have been studying the scale for 6 months and am surprised I don't know it better. On the other hand I have the 5 patterns memorized and don't get lost as often when moving around the fretboard.
On the other side of the equation is having the fingers move efficiently from note to note. I am happy to say that there has been improvement in finger dexterity and coordination, making scale play more musically pleasing.
Having achieved memorization of the scale along with basic finger dexterity, I am currently working on techniques which transform the notes into blues music. String bending, back and forth quarter bends, slides, and hammers/pulls must be done with a quick effortlessness as one moves from note to note. I am currently far from the speed and comfort needed, so my current practice is focused on becoming comfortable with these techniques.
Listening to various blues songs has improved my musical ear. When I began it would take me a few minutes to find which key the song was in. Now I sometimes can head straight to the correct key in just a few seconds from listening to the first few notes of the bass or lead guitar in the song.
Chord Transitions :
After working on scales I will shift gears and practice chord formations and transitions. I find that my chord work follows the beat of the scale work - the more agile my fingers become in moving from note to note within a scale, the easier it is to move from chord to chord.
The first few months I worked on the popular major/minor chords, but lately I have been incorporating the lesser played ones. I have discovered that while on their own they don't sound great, but when hooked up with a major chord they become quite musical. An example is in the song Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles. The D chord gets the most emphasis but there is a beautiful part where it moves from E7 to D. The off sounding E7 becomes the perfect compliment to the full harmony of D. A full E chord doesn't work, as it would be similar to placing two bright colors side by side in a painting.
When practicing chords the right hand gets a chance to work on strumming and picking patterns. When doing scale work the picking hand usually moves in a sequential order, but I allow myself the freedom to experiment with chord picking patterns and strums. Holding a G chord I find that I can pick random strings in various patterns to make a large combination of sounds. When I combine another chord the possibilities of sound patterns become even larger.
Song Learning :
To keep things musical I am always looking out for songs to learn. House of the Rising Sun was the first song I learned and as I continue to practice it I find different ways of playing it. I have also learned We Are Going to Be Friends, Here Comes the Sun, Dead Man, and a few others. Since my fretting and picking skills are still at the beginning level I am not good at playing these, but as each month goes by I become a little better.
I have a long term goal of learning the classical piece Asturias. I currently can play the first 20-25 measures of it. One segment of 6-8 measures I find to be particularly difficult, but after 3 months of working on it my fingers have become stronger and I am making improvements with it. The main problem is stretching the fingers when moving from note to note. With practice my fingers have learned to stretch wider and I find that when I go back to playing normal chords and scales it is easier to do after having worked on the Asturias finger stretches.
Musical Improvisation :
Sometimes when the sun is going down, or I am feeling more solitary than usual, a musical mood overcomes me and I pick up the guitar and start playing. The more I practice the better the improvisation becomes.
Lately the improvements have been startling and it makes me want to practice more. I have reached the point of the quest where quitting due to being overwhelmed with new material and the subsequent lack of ability to do anything with the guitar is safely past. Without the proper dedication, discipline, and knowledge of what it takes to learn something difficult, it is possible to quit the guitar after just a few months. Sore fingers, not being able to make pleasing sounds, and seeming lack of progress will weed out the people with incorrect attitudes. Those not willing to practice daily, not willing to study, and who believe they will become proficient after 1 or 2 years of work are the ones who will need to change their attitudes, or quit. I constantly have to keep in mind that I am doing something which requires a minimum of 8-10 years of work before something good can be seen/heard. It takes a leap of faith to put in a lot of work when the results are not guaranteed, and if they do occur, won't be seen/heard for a decade.
Fortunately I have already been through the process with darkroom photography, and the sense of achievement one feels when the results finally do arrive is supreme. When darkroom photography was wiped out by digital I decided that I needed to find another activity which offered the same type of working time table. Digital photography is the perfect medium for the person who wants to see fast results without having to put in much work. After 3-4 weeks of study and practice one can master digital photography. After all, how hard is it to push a button, transfer the file to the computer, then tweak the image in Photoshop? The millions of superb images seen on the internet proves that anyone with a finger and an eye can make a great digital photograph. I want/need something that offers more of a challenge.
I know I will eventually return to painting, and thus resume my work with images, but for now I want to work with something which I believed I would not get to in this lifetime. Perhaps I can do both. After all, I currently practice guitar only 1-2 hours per day. I could possibly fit in 2-3 hours of painting and be learning two things at once. It is worth thinking about.
Scale Exercises :
I find scale exercises to be rewarding and fun. It is similar to running, once I get the fingers moving I can turn off my mind and just float for 25-30 minutes. Not only is it good for the fretting hand and the learning of the pentatonic scale, but the picking hand gets a great workout. I have lately seen big improvement in the accuracy of my picking. I don't strike the wrong string as much as I used to, the speed is improving, and the hand more relaxed.
Along with the pentatonic scale I find working with the chromatic scale (moving the fingers along every fret of the board) to be just as fun. It is especially difficult down at the first four frets since the arm is furthest away from the body. It is hard to stay relaxed with the arm stretched out and the fingers also stretched on the wider first frets.
