JELN Music & Guitar

Help your brain to memorize and recognize

joe — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 01:13:36 +0000

A brief advice for all of you who are practicing and getting better in guitar, is to always (or to try when possible) to follow what you are playing with the ‘correct’ music sheets.

Why? Because that is the best way to get the brain to memorize and to recognize the two messages that every symbol communicates in a music sheet (pith and rhythm… I told you before about this).

In addition, your brain will establish an excellent communication with your hands, which are the ones who execute the instructions given by the music sheet.

Last but not least, feet also have to be educated to follow the rhythm… but you might start working in the dialogue between brain-hands-musicsheet by now.

Metronome

joe — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:43:10 +0000

A fundamental tool for guitarists is the metronome. Basically, a metronome provides you with an auditive guidance of the “time signature” that a song/melody/piece is meant to be played.

I will provide you with some links to download or take advantage of useful resources regarding this topic:

Jazz Guitarists

joe — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 06:48:14 +0000

The music style “Jazz” is often the pinnacle of what a superb guitarist can play. Thus, I strongly suggest you to start listening the work of great musicians that are remarkable for their work in jazz guitar. Some of them include:

Pat Metheny
Kenny Burrel
John MacLaughlin
John Patitucci

Two basics: Pitch and Rhythm

joe — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 05:11:25 +0000

When you grab your guitar for the first time, get in mind that all the music that you will play and hear is created by a musical instrument (guitar, bass, trumpet, sax, vocal chords) that is being performed or instructed to produce a sound with a desired Pitch and Rhythm.

I suggest you to start “visualizing” the music, according to those two fundamental elements of music, and even more fundamental for those who wants to read music notation.

Your task: To realize how a trumpet, a guitar or even the singer’s voice; produce music which is compounded by those two elements.