ThePretender Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I've been reading this book by the eminent cognitive psychologist Gary Marcus. It's an autobiographical examination of how we learn to play music, especially as we get older. Lots of good anecdotes about his picking up the guitar for the first time at age 40. Gives me hope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfox14 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Is there anything in the book that could help me practice more? I can't seem to get myself to do it enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePretender Posted January 30, 2012 Author Share Posted January 30, 2012 He provides a lot of examples of how new guitarists should practice as well as the habits of "well known" professionals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdd707 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I heard about this on NPR (yes, some people in Alabama listen to NPR) last week. The interview with the author was great so I ordered the book and it came just today .... look forward to reading it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I heard about this on NPR (yes, some people in Alabama listen to NPR) last week. The interview with the author was great so I ordered the book and it came just today .... look forward to reading it. JDD, can you give us some insight when you get it? As an older guitarist struggling to get out of a rut, I would love to find some ideas to help me move forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdd707 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Is there anything in the book that could help me practice more? I can't seem to get myself to do it enough. The answer is simple .... buy another Gibson. That usually increases my practice time for about 6 months. Another hint .... I never think of it as practice .... that's not fun .... it's all just playin' .... or hummin' and strummin' in my case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdd707 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 JDD, can you give us some insight when you get it? As an older guitarist struggling to get out of a rut, I would love to find some ideas to help me move forward. Will do Nick ... see my post above written while you were posting ...... us bass fisherman have a saying regarding how to become a better fisherman i.e. catch more and bigger bass. Basically its TOW ... time on the water. For pickers it would be TWG .... time with Gibsons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Will do Nick ... see my post above written while you were posting ...... us bass fisherman have a saying regarding how to become a better fisherman i.e. catch more and bigger bass. Basically its TOW ... time on the water. For pickers it would be TWG .... time with Gibsons. Agree. However, not all time on the water is created equal. There are undoubtedly more efficient and less efficient ways to utilize the same amount of time. For me, it's not time in: it's how that time is used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdd707 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Agree. However, not all time on the water is created equal. There are undoubtedly more efficient and less efficient ways to utilize the same amount of time. For me, it's not time in: it's how that time is used. Point well made .... bad practice will NOT make one a better picker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Howard Roberts had some books that were fantastically motivating in the introduction, but near impossible to play the first note. That was from the days when guitar music was converted to piano music then trombone and violin and then even if you could plonk through the piece it sounded nothing like it. Since then they have brought out Tab Books with CDs so you can hear what it is, and the dvd lessons where you can see,hear and almost smell!! Have a look through the Stefan Grossman or the Homespun dvds. Most of them are great - start easy and work up to harder or you can really put yourself off. They are really incredible compared to stupid stuff that came out in piano music. Lessons from a teacher are always good - you would be surprised how many older guitarists go - it really is fun. I went to jazz lessons with an old geezer that kept saying: 'Why are you coming here?' to spur me on. I couldn't find anybody locally that played fingerpicking blues, but the Freddie Green jazz chords and appeggios kept me so busy. Full time job! (There was a couple of 10 year old twins learning guitar in the time slot before me - wow and wow! If you wre thinking you were useless, they didn't help, but after that it was all uphill!) BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 To practice is, , , , to practice. As short as that - Mark Knopfler says it has to be an obsession and adds : You gotta fall asleep doin' it. Wizzard Martin Barre from mighty Jethro Tull brings his guitar everywhere, never uses books to look up chords and states : Finding them yourself is the biggest pleasure. Okay these are the hard-core people, and maybe the attitude above - for the more average players - belongs to the younger years (Barre still carries the 6-string to f.x. the beach and elsewhere). But no matter what stage you're in, you gotta forget about the level of comfort that sneaks in everywhere after reaching a certain age. Practice, , , as said in line 1 - we all know how to practice, but maybe have forgotten that it takes guts, patience (and hard fingertips). I have had many periods where I didn't exercise, even years. Played oh yes, but no real rehearsals. Statements like Knopflers and Barres inspired me to move. So did this answer from a member here who posted a performance that really impressed me some time ago. I dared to ask him how he practiced and now dare to quote his answer. I'll keep it anonymous as this went on 'behind curtain'. He said : "I practise now about 1 hr a day, but over the last 10 years i have averaged about 2 to 3 hrs a day. I always make an effort to focus my practise on my weakness and always strive to improve.. I will not be beaten, I get frustrated and I go again with passion.. somedays i cant be bothered but still make an effort. I can get myself into a different place mentally when I play, not always but thats the drug for me, , , like a zone or dreamworld. I make the guitar work for me.. thank you."... ....................................................................................,,,Now that's the spirit right there – No easy feathers ! ................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................ ....................................................................................... ....................... .................................................. "It took me 17 years to learn that riff, , , " Stephen Stills around 2000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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