Herb Smith, Guitar Player & Teacher

Frank Gambale on Why it's Important to Learn Blues

2009-11-21T13:11:00.003-05:00

I have a lot of teenage guitar students who understandably want to be rock stars. I did too. If you want to be a rock star the best way is to learn the blues. It allows a relatively easy way to understand the foundation of all our popular music. I came across this video recently that explains why very well I think.

Roland Dyens

2009-11-05T12:32:00.005-05:00

French guitarist Roland Dyens seems to have it all. Great technique and the feel that it takes to put that technique to good use. As one reviewer put it, "Roland Dyens is more than a classical guitarist. He's a great musician too." This one is a tango, played masterfully. And oh, by the way, he composed it too. It's called Tango en Skai:

Food for Thought

2009-10-14T10:34:00.002-04:00

I was 'putering around looking for inspiration and came across this short video. Described by the person who posted it as "A simple, three-step process that musicians, writers, artists, and other creative people can use to achieve success", it may be just that. Think backwards. Comments invited.

My New Favorite Guitar Player

2009-10-02T10:58:00.004-04:00

Listen to my new favorite guitar player, Jason Vieaux as he explains his interpretation of how to play a Bach fugue. I love the way he breaks it down into its beautiful simplicity.

Now let's here how he approaches a completely different classical guitar style, playing one of my very favorite pieces, "Caprichio Arabe" (Arabic Caprice) by one of the greatest of guitar composers, Francisco Tarraga. Here performed live.

Sage Advice

2009-08-29T13:22:00.003-04:00

Music advice from Tommy Emmanuel. I can't add to this.

For those of you who may not know of Tommy's playing, here's a pretty good example:

I Team Up With a Master Baroque Architect

2009-08-19T08:47:00.006-04:00

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to play at the Sir Christopher Wren Chapel on the campus of William and Mary. I had been asked to play for about a half hour before the ceremony, the processional, a little candle-lighting music during the ceremony, and the recessional. I also played a set at the reception.

The couple requested that I play from the balcony. I got there early (I don't like to rush) to get set up, warm up and importantly, find just the right spot. I was in the chapel alone for awhile before anyone arrived and I sat to the right side and played for a few minutes, the left side for a few more and then I sat in the middle (in front of the organ pipes in the photo). There I found a very small spot with a low riser and a stool. The second I sat down and stroked a chord, shivers went up my spine. For the first time in my life I was hearing my guitar resonating back towards me (without amplification mind you) from throughout the entire room. It's hard to describe. I wasn't hearing the sound coming directly from the guitar as I normally do, I was hearing it reverberating back to me from everywhere.

As people started to arrive in the chapel I could see heads turning, looking around trying to find where the music was coming from before they spotted me, some turning complete circles. It was the most acoustically perfect place I had ever had the privilege to play. I hope I get to do it again. My kinda livin'.

Revenge is Sweet (sometimes)

2009-07-10T15:18:00.004-04:00

Listen to how Dave Carroll of "Sons of Maxwell" gets his revenge on United Airlines. Here's the story in his words: "In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didnt deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say no to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world. United: Song 1 is the first of those songs. United: Song 2 has been written and video production is underway. United: Song 3 is coming. I promise."

Go get'em Dave. Click here for "United Breaks Guitars". (Again, I had to put a youtube link because of the size.)

I Love My Job

2009-06-30T08:05:00.007-04:00

One of the benefits of playing guitar is that from time to time pretty girls will come up and ask to have their pictures taken with me. These two very kind young ladies traveled all the way from China(!) for this one, taken at my Beachstreet USA gig this past Sunday evening. Thanks to Song Qingyun (Sienna) for sending them!

Facebooking

2009-06-12T09:28:00.003-04:00

I'm becoming a fan of Facebook. I signed up for Facebook a while back when people started asking me if I had a page there, but I didn't pay much attention. Since then I've learned a lot. For one thing, if you make friends with Lynn Kelley on facebook, you get a LOT of new friends links and contacts, which is a very good thing. Thank you Lynn.

Another thing I found out is that it's a great place to find old friends you've lost touch with. When I was in my early 20s I was in the USAF band (honorably discharged after four years, mind you). I played with some great musicians and made some great friends I've since lost touch with. This week I was able to contact some folks that I hadn't talked to in almost 30 years. One was a guy named Burdette Becks. Burdette was as natural a musician as you could find — a jazz flute player and singer. Come to find out he's living in Germany and over the years has played with the likes of Bob Hope, Wynton Marsalis, Dionne Warwick, Lou Rawls and more. He's told me that his band may be coming to Newport News for a gig in the future. I hope so and I'll let you know. You should check out his site to hear some great music that includes some seriously good guitar playing.

Another friend was Paul Sammons. Paul was the penultimate bandmate, a (really) great arranger, guitar player, singer and plain ol' entertainer, plus a nice solid guy to boot. Oh, and though he was kind enough to never do it in front of us, he played the trombone too. We would cuss Paul sometimes during rehearsals for making us play a tune for the umpteenth time, listen to each other, keep a solid groove, pay attention to dynamics.... pretty much all the things that real bands do that amateurs don't. But you can bet when we saw the response we got from our audiences, we stopped cussing and started thanking Paul for his leadership. If you want to see something really funny, click on Paul's Memory Lane page and just by chance, see a picture of me playing the 1960-something cherry-red Gibson ES335, which I still own. I paid 300 bucks for it back then. I'm pretty sure it's worth more now. The picture is of us playing at the Iowa State Fair in 1978 and is the last one on the page. I'm on the right, and yes that is a cowboy hat. Paul is happily living out his "retirement" in Arizona and is the star of The Saguaro Sunset Band. No doubt, Saguaro sunsetters are boogieing hard when Paul's band cranks it up.

Simplicity

2009-06-03T12:53:00.008-04:00

There's real beauty in simplicity in all kinds of music, but especially "light entertaining music", as a friend reminded me this week. Here's a great example of what I'm talking about. Earl Klugh has been coming up with simple, beautiful chords and melodies for a long time now. Here's a very young Klugh showing us that sometimes less is more.

Former New York Yankees great, centerfielder and probably future MLB Hall of Famer Bernie Williams is a pretty good guitar player. Listen to how he takes a simple, familiar melody and makes great music with it. Hear how he enhances it with the harmony he lays around it. And yes, that really is Bernie Williams playing. (I had to put a link to this one because the size of it didn't fit in my blog layout. It's a link to youtube:)

Bernie Williams' Take Me Out to the Ballgame

'Round Midnight

2009-04-29T09:00:00.003-04:00

'Round Midnight, Thelonius Monk's 1944 classic has been called the perfect jazz standard. Listen as Dutch guitarist Olaf Tarenskeen plays his own very, very nice arrangement:

Next I've found a beauty called "The Reluctant Bride" by Ralph Towner. (Isn't that a thought provoking, melancholy title?!?) Some of you may remember Towner from his work with the Paul Winter Consort, and the group "Oregon". Enjoy!:

Cesar Camargo Mariano & Romero Lubambo

2009-04-17T10:11:00.002-04:00

I came across this piano/guitar duet recently and had to post it. Rarely have I heard such good cooperation between these two instruments. Mariano and Lubambo play "Curumim" with very clever virtuosity. Enjoy:

Great Guitars Videos

2009-04-01T09:13:00.004-04:00

In my never ending search for great guitar videos (so you won't have to) I've come up with a couple of beauties. Julian Bream and John Williams, two of the greatest classial guitarists in the world team up here for for a very lively and fun dance by Claude DeBussy called "Golliwog's Cakewalk":

Next here's Bream and Williams again, playing one of the great all time guitar duets in my opinion. Just wait until you hear them light this piece up — brilliant technique combined with fire. Also, there are some terrific (if brief) close-ups of each of their right hand techniques. Manuel De Falla's Spanish Dance #1:

I Learn an India Arie Song

2009-03-25T10:38:00.003-04:00

I was asked to play for a wedding this Saturday. I'll be playing for about a half hour before the wedding and for a little while after. During the ceremony I'll be accompanying the bride as she sings a song I was asked to learn for the occasion. Yesterday we had a rehearsal that went very well. She has a very nice voice and the song is beautiful. I thought I'd share it with you. It's by India Arie who, as an aside, is the daughter of former UVA basketball star and NBAer Ralph Sampson. The song is called "Ready for Love".

Music & Wisdom from a Great Guitarist

2009-03-14T17:31:00.006-04:00

Friend and guitar student Ben loaned me a CD of guitar great John Williams' "El Diablo Suelto, Guitar Music of Venezuela". A quick internet search told me that "El Diablo Suelto" translates as "In an Uproar". It is full of incredible music and guitar playing. I haven't yet found a video of Williams playing any of these pieces but I did come across one played very nicely by Danish guitarist Peo Kindgrin. The piece is by Alfonso Montes and is called "Preludio de Adios":

Whether you're familiar with Williams or not, I hope you'll take time to listen to this one. It's a great example of his playing. This is a Prelude from the Bach Lute Suite #4:

Later I came across this interview with Williams on guitarteacher.com. It's full of good information: John Williams Interview

Another Ibanez Jemsite Post by Moi

2009-02-25T08:59:00.007-05:00

It's been a month since my last posting, sorry. Times flies. Sometimes I'm in playing mode, sometimes I'm in writing mode. On really good days, both.

I hurt my back and was having trouble moving around for awhile. The day after I hurt it I caught a cold. The glass definitely stayed half full though. It gave me some time to practice. All I could do was sit in one position anyway, so what was to stop me?

I'm excited to say I've had another post published by Ibanez Guitars' Jemsite. After my last post there the hits on my humble blog skyrocketed. According to my sitemeter I had hits from places I never imagined I'd have hits from — all over the U.S and Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Iceland, The United Kingdom, France, Spain, Bosnia, The Czech Republic, Egypt, Israel, India, Australia and more; even Hanoi and Islamabad (imagine!). I'm still waiting on Japan but have high hopes. I see it as a great un-tapped resource.

In this post I write about zoning whilst playing guitar. I found it a difficult subject to write about, but it's dear to my heart so I couldn't let that stop me. For those who know me well (and you know who you are), this might clear up a few things you may have wondered about me. My thanks again to Jemsite publisher Awesome Ava for her awesome (of course) support, plus her editing prowess that makes the whole thing much more readable.

Here's the link:
http://www.jemsite.com/blog/43-general/781-zoning-issues.html

My kinda' livin'.

Ibanez Guitars' Jemsite

2009-01-21T11:31:00.001-05:00

Last week I was asked by the Awesome Ava of Ibanez Guitars' Jemsite to write a posting for their Jemsite guitar forum. I was honored. The Jem Guitar was personally designed for Ibanez by legendary guitarist Steve Vai. I had the chance to hear Vai play years ago when he toured with Frank Zappa and The Mother's of Invention (as a "stunt guitarist", according to his MySpace page). Awesome.

My thanks to Awesome Ava for finding my humble blog all the way from beautiful Tel Aviv, and asking me to write for them. I hope to add more in the future. I also hope you'll take time to look at their forum, whose readers I'm guessing are a lot younger then I.

Here's a direct link to my post:
http://www.jemsite.com/blog/43-general/763-tips-from-a-guitar-vet.html

My kinda livin'.

Music on Deaf Ears

2009-01-02T09:26:00.005-05:00

"Evelyn Glennie is simply a phenomenon of a performer."
— New York Times

Can a deaf person be a musician? In my searches through the web for good music-related stuff (so you won't have to) I came across a video of Evelyn Glennie that I had to share with you. Glennie, a Grammy winning percussionist has been profoundly deaf since age 12. She regularly plays barefoot for both live performances and studio recordings, to better "feel" the music, and says to have "taught herself to hear with parts of her body other than her ears".

Glennie has recorded with, among others, Bjork, Sting, Bobby McFerrin, Emmanuel Ax, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. She won Grammies for her recording of Bela Bartok's "Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion" and also for collaborative work with Bela Fleck. Amazing.

Here's a youtube recording of her playing Scott Joplin's classic Maple Leaf Rag.

Unsurprisingly, Glennie has become a much-sought motivational speaker. If you really want to hear something amazing, see (and hear!) her "How to Listen to Music with Your Whole Body".

Fret Not

2008-12-12T09:35:00.019-05:00

I was changing my strings recently when a very bad thing happened. The screw that holds the B-string tuning gear in place on my guitar was missing, gone, AWOL. I've been playing the guitar for a long time and this had never happened to me. Even the thought of losing one had never occurred to me (charmed life). Evidently the tension of the string had been holding it in place, but when I loosened it, the gear fell off completely (causing a very different kind of tension). Apparently I unknowingly had a screw loose for a good while, and had now lost it completely. (Go ahead, insert joke here.)

This is a very small machine screw, maybe a quarter-inch to 5/16ths long, but it's a fat little thing with a very tight thread count. It could have fallen off anytime, anywhere. I do a quick search around the room I practice in. When that doesn't work I take the methodical-inch-by-inch approach. This is a Sunday afternoon. Believe me, I am not in the mood for the methodical-inch-by-inch approach. I wanted to change the strings in the first place so I could play the guitar. Football is on.

I wave a magnet over every area I can think to wave it. I dig into the couch (interesting, but no screw). Useless. I give up. I go grab a jar of screws I keep for emergencies. Nothing even close. I'm not crazy about the idea, but I grab my old National classical guitar thinking I can maybe cannibalize it. Different thread.

Off to the internet where I find the tuning keys on my guitar are handmade and hand-engraved "Fustero" tuners crafted in Spain and plated in "real gold" (sic). (My guitar is a Ramirez, also made in Spain.) A new set of similar Fusteros retails for about 300 bucks. Ugh. (More than what I paid for the old National.)

Bill Colgan, of Isle of Wight Instruments in Smithfield had been my go-to-guy for guitar repairs for years. Great guy, but he had tragically passed some years ago, still missed by many in this area. Then from somewhere in my brain (how do these things happen?) I remember someone telling me about a woman on the peninsula who had worked with Bill, and had a guitar repair shop.

8:00 a.m. Monday after a quick search, I call Fret Not Guitar Repair, Inc. and leave a message that I need help... fast. At 9:00 a.m. (she doesn't open until 9:00) Margarite Pastella of Fret Not calls me back. She won't promise she can help, but I can come by and she'll see what she can do. By 9:30 I'm off to Newport News.

Like all luthiers, she has jars and jars of screws accumulated over the years but after a good half hour she still hasn't found a match. She's fun to talk guitars with though, and helps me maintain my semblance of sanity. She offers to let me play a guitar she'd built. It was a high quality steel string. I mean beautifully made — real craftsmanship. I didn't ask how much she wanted for it, but I knew it couldn't be nearly what it would actually be worth given the time she had put into building it. Come to find out, Margarite is a certified repair lady for Martin, Taylor, and Fender too. Those companies don't give out those certifications lightly.

She finds a screw that fits. Great(!), except that the head of the screw is so small that as she put's it in, it goes right through the gear and won't hold it in place. Back to looking, and remember this was a LOT of screws to look through. More drama for me.

Finally, Margarite finds a screw that's the right size and thread count. Only one problem — it's about a half inch too long. No problem for her, she whips out a small hand saw and cuts it to length. It takes a long time to cut, too. Problem solved. Margarite had just spent nearly an hour and a half, having dropped whatever she was doing, to help a total stranger. What else do you need to know about Fret Not?

Classical Guitar Basics

2008-12-01T11:48:00.003-05:00

Friend and student Scott Wood had a great idea. Scott is one of those IT guys who is a whiz at computer stuff and has created a new site called Classical Guitar Basics. He has kindly invited me to be a part of CGB, has published some of my posts on there, and allowed me to be a featured instructor for the site. CGB is beautifully designed and features lessons, articles, a blog, and even a participatory forum. There are also some great videos of guitarists (my favorite: Kevin Loh, aged 10, playing Bach), and links to other very good sites.

I hope you'll take some time to give it a look and bookmark it. Scott is a great writer, with a strong understanding of how the mind works as it relates to playing guitar. Let me know what you think!

Studies in Concentration

2008-11-18T11:34:00.008-05:00

I'm always amazed at the concentration of some musicians. Tommy Emmanuel, whom I wrote about in an earlier post is one such guitarist. It is an ability to concentrate that draws listeners into the music in a way that I can't describe, but I know it when I see it. Or better put, I know it when I hear it. I do however get almost as much out of watching these two play as I do listening to them.

Here are two of the best examples. Neither are guitarists, but I had to include them anyway. Both are studies in true grace, and there's a great deal for us to learn here. I encourage you to seek out their music on your own.

First here's jazz pianist Keith Jarrett, performing live, playing George Gershwin's beautiful "I Loves You Porgy", from "Porgy and Bess".

Next, the inimitable Vladimir Horiwitz performing Frédéric Chopin's first ballade. Watch as he pauses before playing to center himself.

'Nuff said.

All My Rowdy Friends at NPR

2008-11-05T07:24:00.013-05:00

Sunday afternoon I had the opportunity to play at The Williamsburg Winery for a function produced by WHRO, our local National Public Radio affiliate. The occasion was a one-of-a-kind event for WHRO's Leadership Circle Members. Making matters even more fun, the featured speaker for the day was Lynne Rosetto Kasper, host of National Public Radio's The Splendid Table show (syndicated locally on WHRO (89.5 FM) on Sunday's from noon to 1:00 p.m.

The Splendid Table was named "1999 Best National Radio Show on Food" by the James Beard Foundation, and "2000 Best National Syndicated Talk Show" by American Women in Radio and Television. Scripps Howard News Service distributes Lynne's advice column, "Ask The Splendid Table." Her first cookbook, The Splendid Table is the only book to achieve the food world's twin crown, The Cookbook of the Year Award from both the Julia Child/IACP and James Beard Awards. Her The Italian Country Table was named one of the best books of 1999 by Cook's Illustrated Magazine. Lynne has written for The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Food & Wine Magazine, and Bon Appetít. Named "One of the 12 Best Cooking Teachers in America" by The James Beard Foundation, she also lectures on food and culture in Europe and America.

Beforehand I took the opportunity to have a walk around Colonial Williamsburg just when the trees were at their autumn blazing best. At the gig the setting, I thought, was perfect for my music, in a rustically beautiful hall surrounded by a whole lot of grape vines. My kind of livin'.

(Top photo with Lynne Rosetto Kasper, courtesy of Anne Peterson.
Williamsburg tree photo courtesy of the lovely Dawn.)

Guitarristas Femeninos

2008-10-03T08:36:00.006-04:00

I have several female guitar students and thought it would be nice to include a few videos of our great female guitarists. Very good student and friend Ben turned me on to Mexican duo Rodrigo y Gabriela, and I've been in like with Gabriela ever since. She's a terrific rhythm guitar player (the unsung hero of any ensemble). Her flamenco-style tambour (or in English, beating on the guitar while simultaneously strumming) is as good as you will hear (are you listening Abby?!?):

French guitarist Ida Presti (1924 - 1967), has been called by some the greatest classical guitarist of the 20th century. Presti was a student of Andres Segovia, who called her fondly, "Ida Prestissimo". (Prestissimo, in musical terms means to play "as fast as possible".) She is probably most famous for her duets with husband/guitarist Alexander Lagoya but was a great soloist in her own right as heard here. This is a very old video but well worth listening to. Presti playing the Villa Lobos Prelude #1:

This is one of the first pieces that truly inspired me to learn classical guitar. Presti and Lagoya playing a Domenico Scarlatti sonata:

Sharon Isbin is another great guitarista. Listen to her interpretation of Vals Op. 8, No. 4 by Barrios:

There are many more I could have included here. Classical players Alice Artz and Liona Boyd, jazzer Emily Remler, and modern/pop players too like Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt and Phoebe Snow plus many more. I urge you to do your own searches for these guitarists. Send me your favorites.

A Don't Miss

2008-09-17T08:41:00.008-04:00

House Concert
On Saturday, October 4th, we have a rare opportunity to hear two very, very good guitar players. National Flatpicking Champion Robin Kessinger will be teaming up with National Fingerstyle Guitar Champion Todd Hallawell for a house concert in Norfolk. I've spent part of the morning looking at their respective websites and listening to them on Youtube. Both come with plenty of credentials and a lot of style. Here are a couple of my favorites from the many rave reviews I've read:

“When Robin Kessinger performs, you can hear the ghosts of generations past joining in to help blend the notes from his guitar into the familiar strains of old-time-tunes.”
—Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine

"Hallawell attacks his steel-strings with the precision of John Williams and punch of Jerry Reed...an extraordinary fingerpicker"
—Andy Ellis / Guitar Player Magazine

High praise.

Robin and Todd will also be giving a guitar workshop from 10:00 to 3:00 that same day. You can bring your guitar or just show up and observe. There will be a lot to learn and enjoy either way.

I've been to a lot of concert venues in many places and my favorite's have always been the ones that have a small, intimate setting where I can listen and watch up close and personal. What could be more intimate then a house concert, sitting on the lawn? (Bring a chair.) And with BYOB no less. This is an opportunity to see and hear a couple of great players up close. At 15 bucks it's is a bargain.

For more information you can contact Mark Rhodes at 757.287.2387.

Online Lessons

2008-09-03T11:19:00.004-04:00

I came across another good music site the other day. This one is devoted to learning, is easy to use, and thorough. Here you can find simple lessons on the staff, clefs and ledger lines, note and rest durations, measures and time signatures, key signatures, major and minor scales, intervals, etc. It also goes beyond the basics and to more advanced theory:
Music Theory

This is a very handy little tool for learning the notes on the guitar neck. Test your knowledge:
Fretboard Trainer

The same site has an ear trainer. Knowing your intervals is a must for any type of musician:
Ear Trainer

Your Guide to Jazz Guitar

2008-08-19T11:24:00.006-04:00

Belgian guitarist Dirk Laukens has a great website for jazz guitarists and people who want to be jazz guitarists. I've been a subscriber to his forum for a few months now and find it to be a great reference resource. Forum members are polite, knowledgeable and eager to help. You can find tons of useful information just reading past posts on a huge number of topics.

The site has much more to offer beyond the forum though, for beginner, intermediate and advanced players. You can download his online, "The Jazz Guitar Chord Book" to use as a reference for instance. I recommend that you subscribe to the newsletter, and forum both. There are free online guitar lessons, a "Licktionary", guitar solo transcriptions and free sheet music. Check out the section on guitar gear, and don't miss the free jazz guitar mp3 section.

Your Guide to Jazz Guitar

Dirk also blogs about guitar:

Jazz Guitar Blog

My Kinda Livin'

2008-08-06T13:15:00.019-04:00

I've played for probably hundreds of weddings in my guitar-playing career, but I've never played at one that brought a lump to my throat. That is, until now. This past weekend I had the honor to be invited to play at a very special wedding in Charlottesville, Virginia. My very dear friend Johnny Bland's son, John Michael, was the groom to his beautiful, now-wife Betsy. (Yes, that's right THE Johnny Bland, singer and guitar-stylist of Johnny Bland and the Baddadz fame!) My job was to play while people were gathering around, and being seated waiting for the show to start and then to play three pieces for the ceremony: Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, and Sleepers Awake!, plus the Pachelbel Canon in D. All very beautiful, stately pieces, well-chosen by the bride, and perfect for the occasion.

The wedding was at Veritas Vineyard & Winery in Afton, just west of Charlottesville (Check out the link and be sure and look at the photo gallery on the right side of the page). We sat outside in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains overlooking a beautiful hillside full of grapevines, and into the valley beyond. You could see for miles and the day was as perfect as the couple. Hummingbirds fed at the flowers around the altar while I played and during the ceremony — I kid you not. My thanks to the Blands and the Boehms, their families and friends for having me. It was a day I'll never forget.

Obscure Guitar Links

2008-07-26T10:34:00.015-04:00

I'm always looking around the web for guitar stuff (so busy, devoted readers of my humble blog won't have to) and lots of times I find things that would be very helpful to guitar players. Also I find things that anyone can enjoy. Today I thought I'd share a few, some aimed at students, and some for general listening pleasure:

Music Theory for Experienced Guitar Players — In spite of the word "Experienced" in the title, this is a pretty good site for anyone who wants to learn the rudiments of music theory as it relates to guitar:

http://www.zentao.com/guitar/theory/

The C-A-G-E-D system is a method for learning the fretboard. It is a guitar-specific system for learning the shapes of the basic chords C, A, G, E and D on the guitar and how they interrelate. Here is a site that explains its fundamentals:

http://www.cagedguitarsystem.net/

And another in a little more detail:

http://www.highcountryguitar.com/caged.htm

Dutch guitar player Matt Otten is kind enough to put jazz guitar lessons on youtube. He has a lot of good pointers for improvisation. There are good things here for students and also just for general listening:

http://youtube.com/user/mattotten

Another Youtuber, Swedish Guitarist Per-Olov Kindgren has a very nice way with the guitar. His videos can be enjoyed by guitarists and non-guitarists alike:

http://youtube.com/user/AndanteLargo

This is a piece, performed by Mr. Kindgren, I had never heard entitled Arroyos de la Alhambra (the link is to a zip file of the sheet music that you can download), by 19th century Spanish guitarist and composer Angel Barrios. I liked it so much that I found the music on the web and learned it. I taught it to super-student Sean Morse (who learned it by rote, believe it or not) and now plays it at least as well as I do (should I be mad or excited?). Still, I get great comments about it on my gigs now. It's a beauty:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz1jnDe4gTE

Another Dutch player Hans Van Leeuwen, here plays something he calls Django — Jazz Meets Flamenco. The tune was written by jazz giant, pianist John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet. I just stumbled on it and thought it was great:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4566DWMbyIM

I hope you'll write and tell me your thoughts about any of these, or make suggestions about others I should include in my blog.

Reader/guitarist Lyle Robinson has asked that I add this site and his blog. There's lots of really good information here:

http://www.jazzguitarlife.com/

http://www.jazzguitarlife.com/blog/

Motor Memory Musings

2008-07-02T08:10:00.016-04:00

My last few blogs have been kind of generic guitar-related ramblings, so I thought I'd write a learning-specific blog today on how I use the idea of motor memory in learning guitar. To paraphrase late Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, sometimes I don't know how to define something, but I know what it is when I see it. So allow me to rely on Wikipedia for a definition of motor memory: "(Motor) memory is fashioned over time through repetition of a given suite of motor skills and the ability through brain activity to inculcate and instill it such that they become automatic." (Click the link if you're interested in further reading.) That's not really a strict definition, but you get the idea. Think of walking — the movements are solidified in the brain and you do it without thinking. When I walk I'm not thinking "step, step, step, step". I just do it. To take this thought just a tad deeper, I could say that when I walk, rather then think "step, step, etc." I'm actually thinking of the place that I'm walking to, and with that goal in mind the motor memory kicks in and off a-rambling I go. Now let me attempt to bring these thoughts around to how I see using them in learning to play the guitar.

One Note at a Time
When I'm practicing something I've never played on the guitar, whether it be a new song or classical or chord melody jazz piece I try to remember that what I'm really doing is learning motor memory. I've read that we have two sides to our brains, one for learning and doing some things and the other for learning and doing other things. Now I can't remember which side is which and I'm not sure I care, but the fact remains. Observance and intuition tell me that when learning guitar, I have a logical part of my brain, and a musical part of my brain that play equal roles in the process; neither being more important than the other. I'm not qualified to get into a spiel on the psychology behind this, but I think there are processes where we use the two together too, and for our purposes here I'll call this aspect of thought the arbiter. (I started to say "judge", but decided that sounded so judgmental, and I try to avoid making students feel like they are being JUDGED[!]. . . picture me in black robe and long white wig and you'll understand).

The musical side of my brain is very strong willed and tries to get me to play even difficult passages "musically" right from the start. Many guitar players, myself included many times in the past, want to listen only to this side of the brain and start a process of learning that is not conducive to the kind of accuracy involved in learning motor memory. Call it The Whittle Approach. Practicing this way goes something like this: play something a 100 times and make a 100 mistakes. Practice it another 100 times and make 99 mistakes. Keep this process up and whittle the mistakes down to say, a handful. This actually can work to a degree, but experience and observation tells me that this process never really gets to the point where you acquire the confidence of playing mistake-free every time you do it (allowing for true human error of course). I may do it right when I'm feeling "hot", but not when I'm not.

Experience and observation also gave me the desire to look into the process a little deeper. Here's where the arbiter comes into play. Arbiter-Herby tells me to abandon the whittling-down method of Musical-Herby and allow Logical-Herby to demonstrate how it's really done. Forget the music for a minute. Logical-Herby knows that I can't play the second note (or chord) until the motor memory is locked in and truly knows how to play the first note. And he knows he'll never learn the motor memory required until he repeats it over and over slowly. Let me emphasize: S-L-O-W-L-Y(!). . . repeat this as a mantra for the rest of your guitar-playing-life. First note, second note. . . first note, second note. . . first note, second note, etc.

Here a beautiful thing happens: Musical-Herby (who is closely related to Show-Off-Herby) pipes in and says "Hey! I see what you're doing now! And I can do it better! (And he's right, Logical-Herby is a very uninspired guitar player.) Musical-Herby jumps all over the motion that he has just learned from Logical-Herby and plays it. . . musically! He says to himself "I see what you're trying to do here" and he does it with confidence and perfect intention. But beware, Musical-Herby also sets a trap here: he's not really lying, but he is mistaken. Musical-Herby now thinks, "okay, I can take over from here" and he starts back into The Whittle Approach. It's very important for me to allow Arbitor-Herby to jump back in and play his part, by passing the ball back to Logical-Herby and letting him do his thing. Second note to third note, second note to third note, over and over (again — S-L-O-W-L-Y) to build the motor memory that connects the passage. Then add the first back into the process: first, second, third (need I say slowly again?). When and only when, logic has taught Musical-Herby his lesson, Arbiter-Herby allows him to take back over and play it. This may seem like a bit much, but here's an important point. You are learning motor memory even when you don't practice this way. Motor memory has no opinions. If you continue to glide over the mistakes, it will learn your mistakes, and play them if you don't train it with great care.

I could go on here but again, you get the idea. Repeat this process and be stirred. Think now of what I said earlier about walking. Don't think "step-step-step". Think of where you want to go. Your goal. Where you want to go is to be able to play the piece in its entirety with motor memory firmly locked and loaded. Once you can do this, you can allow your own musical self to take over, play with confidence, and enjoy.

TommyFest in Virginia

2008-06-09T09:45:00.016-04:00

Thursday night I met friends, Ted, Don, Mike and Linda for refreshments in Hampton and from there we headed to the Tommy Emmanual concert at the Ferguson Center for the Arts at Christopher Newport University. (Quick aside, the Ferguson Center is a great place for a concert — very intimate, approximately 450 seats with not a bad one in the house).

For those of you not familiar, Tommy Emmanuel is a native of Australia, with a small but strong army of fans world-wide. When I say small, I mean relatively small... say, compared to Britanny Spears. Tommyfest, as it is appropriately called, is a yearly three-day event but this was the first time I had made it. I knew of Tommy Emmanuel's music and had watched his live performances on youtube, and I knew he was going to be good, but I had no idea what I was really in for. I find myself wanting to write to y'all about this experience, but the fact is I don't really know where to begin. TE does so many different things on the guitar so well that it leaves me kind of speechless.

I don't want to get into the list of exhausted adjectives used already to describe his performances, so let me just say this: TE played that poor guitar within an inch of its life (and that poor guitar looked like it too); at times sounding like Earl Klugh, at times Chet Atkins, then Stevie Ray Vaughn, even Django Reinhardt. That said, don't let me make you think that TE is anything approaching a copycat artist; there was never any question who was playing the guitar here. It was all-Tommy-all-the-time. But he had incorporated the styles of many other great guitar players and blended them into a style that is all his own. Call it alchemy. At one point he started playing percussion on the guitar, with a snare brush in one hand. With eyes shut you would have thought an aboriginal marching band was strutting proudly through the hall.

A great part of my enjoyment too, came from TE's totally self-deprecating persona. even acting as stagehand for the other players in the show. Anthony Snape, another Australian, evidently hand-picked by Tommy opened the show, followed by Stephen Bennett of Gloucester, Virginia who later joined TE for a few duets. Both very good performers.

I remember afterwards saying to my friend Ted Pollard, who is a seriously good guitar player that I think I'm becoming a "total Tommy Emmanuel sell-out". I guess I could say that he's a pillar of modern guitar technique. That sounds lofty, doesn't it? In a very strange way, I felt like I had never heard anyone play the guitar before (and I've heard some of the best).

As I said before, the videos don't do him justice but I want to include one here for your enjoyment anyway. This is TE playing his original song "Angelina". The tune was in my mind for the next several days. In a couple of shots you can see the scratches on the finish of that poor guitar. Note too, the hybrid technique he's using with his right hand — playing with pick and fingers. I suggest you look at all of his stuff on youtube. Click: Tommy Emmanuel's Angelina.

Oh what the heck, here's another fun one of TE playing (click:) "Mombassa", another original with percussion solo. Listen carefully at the beginning and hear him affecting the sonorous sound of the didgeridoo.

Guitar Stories

2008-06-03T10:35:00.022-04:00

One of the great things about the life I lead is the opportunity to go out and play guitar at ever-changing scenarios, and for ever-changing faces. Playing the kind of music I play often gives me the opportunity to perform at wedding receptions for instance, or to play in someone's home. Part of the fun of this is that I'm playing for people when they're most relaxed, surrounded by family, friends, friends-of, and business acquaintances. I've done my share of playing in restaurants, bars and pubs, which can be a lot of fun, but this is different.

Now one of the amazing things about playing the guitar is that everyone seems to have an interest in it on some level, be they guitar players or not. It's an instrument, that's so versatile that it fits naturally into any kind of music, has universal appeal, and it just seems to react at the gut-level. When I'm playing in this kind of setting, it gives people an opportunity to get physically close to the guitar (and guitar player) in a way that they might not always get a chance. It also gives them a chance to perhaps hear styles of music played on the guitar that they don't normally listen to. Also, given that outside of the people who hired me, there's a better then good chance that no one else there has ever heard of me.

Usually on this kind of gig, my job is to play ambient music. The hosts want the atmosphere of live music, but still want people to be able to converse at normal levels, so my volume is adjusted accordingly. (I think this is a great idea by the way, and strongly urge you to do it for your own parties.)

Here's the real fun part. While I'm sitting there doing my ambiance thing, it's not unusual for someone, or even a few people to pull up a chair and sit right next to me, within a couple of feet. On occasion these people are not the designated driver for the evening. This is when this gut-level reaction to the guitar becomes most obvious. Naturally conversations start, and I find people want to share their guitar experiences with me as players, students (and we're all students) or great experiences they've had in the audience. Sometimes I meet new students this way, or get new gigs.

But mostly I get to hear all kinds of stories; lots of times about people's favorite guitar players. Chet Atkins is still very popular, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page of course; George Benson, Django, I even hear Segovia, Bream and Williams stories. I could go on. Oh, and Roy Clark is still much more popular then he probably realizes. Anyway I love these conversations — I have a few guitar stories myself.

It can be really funny, it's an education for me, and it gives me insight on people's reactions to this instrument. Maybe the most fun part of all is ebb and flow of music and conversation. Plus it gives me a chance to play a gig within the gig so to speak. While being my ambient self, I'm doing a personal mini-concert for the people sitting around me who've taken an interest.

This past weekend I was asked by Roland and Pam M. of Virginia Beach, who had heard me play at another event, to play for a private party in their beautiful home. My thanks to Roland, Pam and beautiful daughter Sarah who were just the kind of people that make my job so great — gracious and generous hosts, who right from the start provided just the kind of atmosphere that makes any musician comfortable.

So picture this. I'm at a party where everyone around me is there just to have a good time, people tell me amazing funny stories, great jokes more suitable to someone else's blog, and I'm playing guitar. Life is beautiful. Once again, my kinda livin'.

A Weekend in the Life of Your Humble Guitar Player

2008-05-16T09:23:00.009-04:00

I Am Not a Guitar Hero
Ever since I started taking on students last year, I've been hearing a lot about something called "Guitar Hero". I had no idea what it was but soon had heard enough to know that it was: (1) some kind of video game; (2) loved and adored by teenagers near and far, and; (3) something that if my students practiced the real guitar as much as they played it, they would by now all be shredding through real guitar leads at the speed of... well, sound.

Last Friday night I had the opportunity to set aside all presumptions and see, once and for all, Guitar Hero for myself. My friends Bruce and Cara (who is a really, really good cook, and who may very well be terribly embarrassed that I've mentioned their names) invited us over for dinner and GH introduction. After a relaxing dinner, overlooking the Nansemond River, it was time to take on the Guitar Hero pros. I felt like an idiot... although (as often happens) I have to admit there was a lot of fun in my idiocy. Bruce and Cara, neither of whom have ever played the guitar, are established guitar heroes and proved early on they were quite capable of kicking my... uh... backside with riffs and licks that would make Clapton, Santana, et. al., proud.

After zinging along at an uncanny efficiency of near-100%, they turned the instruments over to Dawn and me, who zinged through ZZ Top's "La Grange" (a rock'n roll classic, and probably the easiest song in the game) on what is deceivingly called the "easy level". Dawn, who has never played the guitar either, as you can guess, zinged much better then I did, causing her, in her excitement, to do a Guitar Hero-inspired twirl at the end of the song and smash our hero guitars together, and causing me to start bug-eyed calculations in my head about how much it would cost to replace two Guitar Hero guitars. Fortunately, the guitars remained intact and my calculations were for naught (what's a rock'n roll guitar without a few good dings in it, right?).

Okay, I hereby admit: Guitar Hero is a lot of fun, and I can see why so many people enjoy it. (And NO SCALES REQUIRED!) I'll be ready next time!

A Chance at Guitar Redemption
Saturday was a busy day for me as I had the opportunity to perform two gigs in Olde Towne Portsmouth (the best kept secret in Hampton Roads). The first was an afternoon playing the guitar outdoors for the Olde Towne Business Association's Mid-May Open House. This year's Open House ran simultaneously with the annual Gosport Arts Festival, and later I played for the art show's awards banquet in the Children's Museum (which has a really terrific model train display) and had the opportunity to mingle with some of the best artists around. I met one artist from Brooklyn and another who had traveled here all the way from Washington (state) for the show. A lot of fun and once again, my kinda livin'.

Mother's Day at Westminster Canterbury
On Sunday I played and accompanied the lovely Dawn for the Mother's Day Luncheon at Westminster Canterbury, overlooking the bay in Virginia Beach. The staff couldn't have been more accommodating, and the clientele couldn't have been nicer. It was a real treat to play Gershwin for an audience, some of whom remember when the timeless music of George Gershwin was the popular music of the day.

And now, back to the scales...

Thanks to The Farley Center

2008-04-29T09:11:00.012-04:00

This past Friday was a busy one for me, as I had to play at two different places in Williamsburg for Williamsburg Place/The Farley Center. The first was a dedication for The Farley Center, followed by a dinner at the Woodlands Conference Center, a few miles away. The Farley Center, according to their web site is dedicated to helping people "overcome substance use disorder".

The settings at both places couldn't have been nicer. I played outside in front of The Farley Center for the dedication, set in their enclave of impressively designed buildings amid a beautiful forested area, and the day was just perfect — sunny and seventies. Later, at the dinner in the Woodlands Conference Center, I got to sit next to a huge window overlooking a wooded hillside, complete with waterfall and play the guitar. My kind of living.

My thanks to Gina Thorne and the Staff, and especially the patients and alumni at The Farley Center, all of whom had very kind words.

Lessons at a New Location

2008-04-14T12:18:00.003-04:00

If you haven't heard, AL&M is moving to a new location, where they won't have space available for guitar lessons. I have nothing but nice things to say about my association with AL&M, but life goes on. I wish Tommy Parker and the staff of friends I made there all the best.

I have moved all of my AL&M students to Morningstar Music Learning Center (mmlconline.com) in the Pembroke area of Virginia Beach. Morningstar is owned and operated by Wesley and Marianne Stevenson, who are also musicians themselves and very nice people with sincere, lofty goals. My studio there is easily four times the size of my old one, informative posters relating to the guitar cover the walls and once again, I feel at home. If you live in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area and would like to take lessons there, please call me (757 377 9498). I'll also continue to give lessons at my home in Olde Towne Portsmouth. Morningstar also offers lessons in piano, bass, violin and fiddle.

The Scales of Progress

2008-04-01T09:03:00.015-04:00

One of the most important technical aspects of learning to play the guitar is practicing scales. Having said that, I can envision many of the readers of this blog forming that "I smell excrement" look on their faces, wondering if they want to read on at all. (I DON'T LIKE that teacher! He makes me plays scales!.... harumph!)

We guitarists see other people playing grand things, or hear grand music in our heads and want to cut right to the chase, and practice those grand things directly. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line after all, right? This can seem to make scales look trivial, even a waste of time. Over and over I've heard from students (and thought myself on many occasions) that playing scales is boring... like, uh... TOTALLY.

But the reality is that practicing scales will enable you to really be able to play those grand pieces that you want to play. They lay the groundwork that give you the chops. Moreover, practicing the tricky passages that arise in any piece of music without laying this groundwork inevitably leads to the frustration that comes from playing something over and over maybe hundreds of times, and never being able to consistently pull it off.

So here is a problem I face as a guitar teacher: I have to ask myself what is it about playing scales that turns students off, and what can I do about it. It's my job after all to help students learn, help them keep the interest they brought to the lessons in the first place, and hold their attention all the while.

So where do I start? First of all, I have to grant that practicing scales can very frustrating. Many students tend to take a haphazard approach to scales, feeling almost as if it's something that they have to do because they've been told how necessary it is; otherwise they'll feel guilty. So they spend a few minutes running through them mindlessly, with or without the metronome, hear some good passages, some mistakes, wrap it up and tell themselves they'll come back tomorrow and it'll be better. On to that piece I really want to learn! But when tomorrow comes they do the same thing, never really grasping what it is they can accomplish with scales.

The Exciting Truth About Scales: Empowerment!
That's right, playing scales empowers you! Plain and simple. A huge cause of the frustration of scale playing is that they expose every
flaw in your technique. Who wants their flaws exposed? How do you deal with the frustration of exposed flaws? There's only one way — with honestly. If playing scales exposes flaws, let's face those flaws honestly and dissect them. 100% of the flaws that are exposed here have one root: somewhere there is tension. Tension in the fingers, the hands, the wrist, the elbow, even shoulders or back.

Monitor Thyself
So what can you do to ease this tension? Make an honest assessment of yourself by monitoring every aspect of your technique. There is no reason fingers, hands, or wrists should feel any differently when they are positioned on the guitar, then they did when they were hanging loosely at your sides. Let them hang, and feel it. THEN, bring them up to the guitar again and allow that same feeling of ease.

When playing your scales, honestly and with constancy, monitor yourself for tension. You'll find it somewhere. Deal with it and relax it. Are your fingers really as relaxed as they can be? Is there tension in the back of your hand? Your wrist? Your Elbow? Only you can find it and relax it. Find that part of your brain that will let it go and feel the effortlessness. If I ask you to freely wiggle your fingers away from the guitar, you can do it easily. That is how it should feel when you're fingering the fretboard. Think of the great players you've watched play the guitar. You see a sense of ease even in the most difficult of passages. That's what makes them great players. How do they do it? It sounds like an oxymoron, but it's because they have worked to honestly assess the tension, let it go, and felt the ease. And they did this work S-L-O-W-L-Y. So slowly that they can't possibly make a mistake.

Try it. (Again) S-L-O-W-L-Y. Suddenly, you're overcome with a true lightness of touch that you'd never had before, and feel the real ease that truly empowers you with confidence, ability and certainty. Playing scales in this way enables you to learn what it really feels like to play the guitar well (and easily!).

NOW, armed with that feeling, that sense of tension-free ease, go off and enjoy playing grand pieces! Learn those pieces equipped with the ability and experience that make it easy to play the guitar well, difficult to play it poorly!

(As always, I invite you to write me with any questions or comments concerning this blog. Click here.)

A Great Night for a Great Cause

2008-03-13T09:06:00.006-04:00

I got a letter today in response to a guitar gig I did a few weeks ago along with my sometime partner (and terrific vocalist), Dawn Newsome, written on behalf of the staff and Trustees of the Virginia Living Museum (VLM). The event, the Bacchus Wine and Food Festival, is an annual fundraiser for the VLM. Just approaching their beautiful building in Newport News, widened my eyes, but then walking through the front door gives one that sense of entering into an extraordinary environment. According to VLM Executive Director, Page Hayhurst, "The Museum serves more than 250,000 tourists, family members and school children each year," with "a contribution to the local economy [of] approximately $9 million annually." I can believe it. It truly is a beautiful place, with a fascinating website (linked above). I didn't get to see nearly as much as I plan to on my return trip.

The festival was sold out to 700 attendees this year, the wine was flowing along side a toothsome spread, and smiles were everywhere. On top of all this there was live music(!) played throughout the museum's various rooms. I always enjoy playing in this kind of setting with people simultaneously enjoying the music and all the milieu has to offer. We gave out a ton of business cards, and of course I always like that.

In her letter, Ms. Hayhurst was kind enough to say that our performance "added another delight for our supporters" and that the VLM's development department has "added [our] name to the Museum's recommended entertainment listing." My thanks Ms. Hayhurst, and the staff and Trustees of the VLM. We loved it as much as you did.

"Make Haste Slowly"

2007-12-07T11:20:00.013-05:00

I got an email from a prospective student today with a common problem that many of you may recognize. Here is the original letter (with name changed) and part of my response:

Hi Herb,

Thanks for the reply. I am self taught and been playing for 12 years with all the books and a few lessons. I have been tinkering with Leyenda and Bourre in e minor for years and can do bits and pieces but would love to master them someday.

Ron

Ron,

I know just where you're coming from when you say you know bits and pieces of certain pieces, without learning them in their entirety. I'm just guessing that you've kind of "plateau-ed" in your learning and playing. This happens with a lot of people who study classical guitar and is perfectly normal. I think I can be a lot of help with that. I've been doing straight guitar gigs -- all guitar solos, no singing -- of three to four hours for many years. I did a three hour gig last night with no music in front of me. I don't tell you this to toot my own horn, but only to convey that i know how to learn an entire piece, without the understandable frustration that can build up with practicing a piece over and over without seeing any real progress in learning the entire piece. Honestly, you're just the kind of student I'm looking for.

Sincerely, Herb.

Whether you're playing the classical guitar, or your favorite songs, knowing bits and pieces of music without being able to play them all the way through is a common problem. With all the new instructions, ideas and thoughts that go into programming the brain to learn the motor-memory that it takes to learn an entire piece — oh, and with good hand positioning and technique, keeping it in time and trying to be musical — it's easy to be overwhelmed. When I learn a new piece, I go about it the same way I would if I were a beginner — I play it so slowly that I can't possibly make a mistake. It works every time and has the great added benefit of helping one towards the ideal of total concentration. Once you can do this it's only a matter of speeding up incrementally — but again at a very slow rate. You've probably heard the phrase "Make haste slowly". It certainly applies here. I've tried to learn pieces too quickly before and have always been dogged afterwards with spotty performances of the particular piece. Sometimes when I feel "hot" I may get through it okay, but at other times being sloppy and unsure. Whenever I take the trouble of "making haste slowly", as partially defined above (and as I always do now), I learn much more quickly(!) in the long run, and am much more prepared to pull it off when I have to on a gig. It's a tortoise and hare story. The tortoise wins every time.

Guitar Instruction

2007-11-19T11:35:00.005-05:00

Recently I've had a few people contact me about guitar lessons. I had given guitar lessons in the past but hadn't taught in a number of years, concentrating mainly on practice and performance. I was once a guitar instructor at Tidewater Community College for music majors. A couple of months ago I decided to start taking on students and I've had a great time teaching. So far I've been blessed with students who actually practice and listen to instruction well and I'm seeing great improvement. It has had unforeseen benefits for me as well. My own focus in my playing has improved sharply. It has gotten me to "practice what I preach" and has helped me become a better "practicer" and ergo, a better player.

I think of my style of teaching as intuitive and it is based on teaching students to learn to really focus on what they are doing. It sounds simple, and it is, but how often do we really focus in our day to day lives? It takes practice, but it is applicable to any aspect of life. I recently read an article by web guitar guru Jamie Andreas on what she calls "perfect intention". Perfect Intention, as she describes it is hearing music "being played by someone who is investing every particle of themselves into every note, the totality of their physical, mental, and emotional selves". That's a pretty heady statement and it describes well the kind of focus I'm taking about. If you'd like to read Jamie's full article, click here.

I truly believe that anyone can learn to play guitar and I base my teaching on aiming for this kind of perfect focus and applying it to the guitar. If it has a spillover effect on other aspects of your life, so much the better. Learning the guitar is a lifelong experience. A very fun and rewarding lifelong experience. If you really want to learn to play the guitar and this brief description of my approach appeals to you, I hope you'll contact me.