By Ted Becher


Like lots of guitar players I spend a lot of time day dreaming concerning music when I am faraway from my guitar. Over the course of these "dreams" I have made the following ideas which have aided me to become a much better guitarist and also musician. I have broken this musical development into three elements:

- Practice - Playing - Performance

To grow as a music performer, and to get good at your craft as a guitar player I feel it's important to focus on these three parts. Although they all come together, every one deserves particular attention.

Practice

Practice is all about discipline, concentration and delaying gratification. Living in a culture where everything happens so quickly, it is oftentimes difficult to get the "practice groove". You must find that space where you're part of the thing that you are practicing; repeating an exercise in a mantra like manner can be a meditative encounter. Practicing is NOT playing. Sometimes it drifts into playing, and when this is creating creative outcomes stick with it. However if you are just wandering, return on track to the task at hand: practice.

Playing

Guitar players spend a great time noodling; I do know this first hand. We start playing a single thing and then move to the next and back to the very first thing. Most of the hours spent with the guitar are spent "playing around". The "Playing groove" is the simplest groove to find of the three. This is exactly where you find new licks, write songs, write solos, find out other player's solos by ear etc. Putting some structure to this endless wandering can assist produce more outcomes.

Performance

Performance generally takes place facing an audience of at least one individual (or a recording unit... a whole other topic all together). The piece of music is played completely from start to finish without regard to error. It has been said that one performance is worth two practices (maybe more). A performance offers insight into your mental and physical comfort and control of the instrument as well as the songs. It is the naked reality and there's no chance for cover up. Performance as a soloist is more reveling .




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