Recently I was listening to James Altucher (he has an excellent podcast ), and he was talking about an exercise he did every day: he wrote down 10 ideas .
This can be to improve his business or just about any area of his life. He's an entrepreneur but I thought, "Ok, I'm going to apply that to music ."
The idea is to conserve or strengthen your ability to produce ideas, so your creativity. From my background, I know that the questions we ask are often the best way to move forward . I also noticed that creative solutions had to be found to overcome the difficulties that we encounter in a piece, an exercise or in all areas.
So I'm launching a new section entitled " 10 Ideas " where I will offer you not just ideas but also concrete ways to improve your game.
I'm going to talk to you about 10 simple ideas to improve your game today . I say today because, for me, it is extremely important that you try to implement something right now .
1. Release the body tension
Play a song you know well or are working on right now.
Now try again and focus on being relaxed : note if there is tension in your neck, shoulders, forearms, tendons ... if so, try to relax and have the least amount of tension.
Continue even if you make "mistakes". Observe, note these observations.
2. Play 2 times slower exercises and use a metronome
Take an exercise that you do and where you have difficulty. Now divide the tempo by two : if you are at 80 bpm, for example, start from 40. Try again.
What do you notice? Write down your feelings and ideas.
If you still can not, stop the metronome and work on the point that is wrong. Are you able to determine what's wrong? Keep going until you get to play the exercise as perfectly as possible.
Now with a metronome, increase from 2 to 5 bpm every 30 seconds until you reach the point where you start having trouble again. Maybe it's 70 bpm, maybe it's 85 because you've progressed. It does not matter.
You just have to continue doing this exercise every day, until you reach the desired tempo.
3. Change pick
It can be a detail , but it's not a thing: your pick determines the sound you produce.
If the pick is flexible, it will be difficult to have a clear attack in a round-trip exercise for example.
If your pick is too hard, you may not be able to do funk or some rhythm! Personally I use the Dunlop Jazz III exclusively .
4. Register 10 times in a row with a specific goal
Take a piece you are working on right now:
During the next half hour, you're going to focus on a single element. Why not the rhythm? You will not worry about sound, your position, speed, cleanliness, etc. just the pace.
1. Record yourself a first time, listen. Listen only to the rhythm. What do you notice? Write down your observations.
Think about how to make your rhythm better. Is it a question of accentuation? Do I play next to the metronome? Do I respect the note values (white, black, eighth ...)? Maybe it does not sound at all, and it will take time.
2. Record yourself a second time, listen. Again, only the rhythm. Do not try to judge. Notice. Is it better or worse? Correct if necessary.
3. Record yourself a third time, do not listen. Write down your observations first (not necessarily in writing) and then listen.
Does what you see confirm your impression? Do you have ideas to improve your pace?
Continue with one of the 3 methods for a dozen times.
5. Replay a song you have not played for 6 months
Write down progress or things that require practice.
Maybe you have a recording of this piece of 6 months ago. Compare.
Note the differences, what you prefer, what you do not like.
Do more of what you prefer, reduce or completely stop what you do not like.
6. Write down your strengths and weaknesses.
Take a sheet of paper, and write down your strengths and weaknesses:
Forces: creativity, melodic richness in improvisations, ...
Weaknesses: lack of rhythmic precision, technique of right hand not very clean, ...
Try to imagine a way where a weakness (eg lack of rhythmic precision) can be a force (try to play rubato)?
Maybe these weaknesses can become strengths, maybe not.
7. Try to improve by 1%
By that I mean: take a piece that you work, try to improve only one small aspect , the smallest possible. It can be anything as small as going up 1 bpm on the metronome. Learn a new agreement. Learn to use a range of which you know the fingering, but with which you have never tried to do anything.
Tomorrow, do the same thing.
Two days later, again.
And do not stop.
8. Take today the resolution ...
- to practice your technique every day
- to learn a new piece a week or a month (for example: a new jazz standard a week)
- to take classes
- to practice with a friend
- to stop always making the same mistake that slows you down.
- (your solution)
9. Singing what you play (for improvisers)
Take a backing track (you can do it without accompaniment). During the next 10 minutes, you will do an improvisation only based on the song.
For me, when I started doing this exercise, it was a revelation. What I could sing, I could often play it later!
Try.
10. Read an article or re-read an article you like and apply an idea today.
Do not wait : We recommend playing with a metronome, so take your metronome and go.
It is recommended to make a pull off pulling the rope outward by a small movement, do it. It is recommended to play without effect (distortion, reverb, delay ...) to work your technique, do it.
We recommend playing in a group quickly, call your neighbor and schedule a session this week. We recommend you transcribe a solo phrase and apply it in your improv, let's do it.
Why is this important? Often we read articles, books, we buy a method, and finally we remove nothing or something we will reuse in 2 years. It is already that, but I try to make the habit for some time to apply systematically what I read .
It can be a simple exercise or a new way of learning something. I do mini-tests: if it works, I keep; if it does not work, I move on.
Whatever your level, try to apply at least one little thing as soon as you learn something.
At worst, it does not work today, but you will still have learned something. At best, you can come across the idea that is revolutionizing your approach to the guitar.
The most important thing is to try.
Do not wait for the perfect program, the perfect method, the perfect moment, the ideal conditions ... it will never happen.
I hope that these few ideas will help you, share in the comments your little tips to improve your game today!
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