How did players learn guitar pre-internet? Wearing out vinyl in the 60’s and 70’s and having a limited pool of guitar books and resources to learn from in the 80’s is a familiar story. It seems almost impossible in this digital age that these players managed to learn guitar this way. Did these players have it easier in some ways?
We now have ‘data smog’ caused by Youtube, online subscription sites, apps, and hundreds of books and DVDs to choose from. With all the benefits that learning guitar with digital help can bring, it can also lead to some problems.
An overwhelming feeling of ‘where do I start?’ – what is the best material for me to achieve my goals? What is quality material and what should I avoid?
How to maintain focus on one subject of practice long enough to absorb it? The problem of skimming through topics and moving on is an easy trap to fall into. Perhaps the answer to this is to switch off the internet for a while.
Musical jealousy. It is easy to find virtuosic, perfect performances on youtube that are inspiring. But, these can give an unrealistic impression of the ability of the players you see. Questioning: how many takes were required to get the finished recording? And, was the performance really improvised? Can help to put things into perspective. Still, seeing a never-ending stream of seemingly brilliant players (and many are) can make you question yourself. You can be left asking ‘what is the point of playing when someone already excels in that genre?’
As a practising guitarist, you need to develop a filter for material to include in your practice schedule. Filtering while being open to learning from new music, players, teachers and online materials can be difficult. To avoid the frustration that feeling overwhelmed with the material can bring, learning to filter is a skill that you can develop. How you filter the information that you consume is dependent on what your goals as a guitarist are.
How can you get more time to spend on reaching your guitar playing goals? Eliminating non-essential information and overlooking what is unimportant to your goals can help. Rid yourself of the anxiety of being bombarded with information.
Choosing quality materials to learn from can also be difficult. A good teacher can help you to select resources.
Practising with youtube/Netflix/or tv in the background is an easy habit to fall into. This can be ok sometimes; it depends on the type of practice that you are doing.
Motor skills- can be (somewhat) practised with distractions.
Active learning – requires full concentration.
Being creative with a distraction can sometimes work. Waking up and ‘unconsciously’ playing. Playing when tired. Playing ‘under the influence’. Many musicians have done this and created some great songs. Being in a state where your inner monologue and critic is switched off and not being critical and judging what you are playing.
With all the distractions that the digital world gives us, here are some suggestions for maintaining focus and enjoyment in your practice.
Stop playing and listen. Revisit some albums that first inspired you to start playing. Explore some different music. Pick an album that you love or a new album that you have meant to buy and listen with full attention. Get in the zone in a darkened room; like you would watch a film, real, dedicated listening time.
Playing things that inspire you and remind you of why you started playing. Dig out the tab book that you obsessed over when in your formative guitar playing years. Relearn those songs and solos and remind yourself of the joy you had when first playing.
Learn a new style. Delving into a new style can be refreshing and help you to look at the guitar differently. If you have been working hard on a specific style for a while and hit a roadblock, trying something different can make a difference in your mental outlook. Ever wanted to try percussive acoustic? Now could be the time!
Practise less and create more. If you are feeling creative then its ok to flow with that and not be overcome with guilt that you have not ticked off every item on the practise list. Being creative was likely motivation for you to start playing, so go and create.
Having an outlet – a reward for your practice = not feeling frustration. Feeling reward in your playing makes it more likely you will want to pick the guitar up again to practice. Practising the guitar with an outlet in mind can motivate you to take action with your playing. Putting the new concept or line into action in your outlet is the reward for your efforts in the practice room. The outlet could be a band, a jam session with another player, an audio recording that you upload and share online, making videos for YouTube or blogging about your playing. Anything that allows you to put into action what you have been practising. Having an outlet creates accountability. For instance, by committing to turn up to band practice, you will practise more. Your practice will likely be more effective as you have a committed outlet. Commit to posting a video to YouTube once a week for a year or uploading to Steemit or making a blog post with video/audio.
Switch off the wifi? Really? The internet provides the practising guitarist with some fantastic resources. But, it is good to switch things off for a while. I can help you regain focus on your practice and revitalise your playing. You may think that this can pose some problems.
• so much of modern life revolves around being online.
• Being social and much communication occurs through online platforms.
If checking Facebook or your emails throughout the day has become a habit, set a time to be ‘available’ online. A daily ‘window’ in which you carry out any essential online work can help with focus. You can let people know that this is when you are available, so they are aware when you will respond to their emails. This could have a positive impact on helping you to clear the smog. It could help you to become a more focused guitar player and get you on track to reach your guitar playing goals.
