Anybody who's every tried to play an instrument knows that it's not
easy. What surprised me a few days ago is that I'd forgotten this
fact. I started playing guitar around age 12. My dad, who also played a bit
of guitar, thought I was a no-hoper. He was surprised when I finally
became quite proficient. I had the same experience a few years later
when trying to teach my younger brother. He seemed pretty hopeless
and couldn't even get his fingers around basic chord shapes. I didn't
think he had it in him, but he persevered and now he's a pretty decent
guitarist/pianist/bass player/singer/songwriter
(http://www.paperbeatscissors.com). I've watched him stick with all
of these and become what most people would term a 'natural'. His
perseverance has been very inspirational to me because I know that he
worked at it. If anyone is a natural at anything, then that thing is persistance in
the face of adversity. In this case it's sticking with it and
try-trying again every time you don't succeed. Applying this simple
rule basically allows pretty much anyone to do pretty much anything. What I want to talk about here is not the initial learning. Everybody
knows that picking up a new skill is going to be difficult. If you've
never held a guitar before, then putting your fingers on the fretboard
and holding down three or four strings while strumming with your other
hand is going to take a huge amount of concentration and it's going to
be messy for a long while. Eventually though it will start to feel
'natural.' I can remember very clearly the first time I managed to play 'Wild
Thing' at the proper tempo on the guitar. I recall how I could slide
my index finger back on the same string to help me get from the open D
chord to the open E chord. This little trick made it possible for my
fingers to get in the right places quickly enough to play the song. That's nearly 20 years ago. I don't play much any more, but it's a
bit like riding a bike. I feel like I could learn a new song on the
guitar pretty easily once I've brushed away the cobwebs. Therein lies
the danger. The fact that I feel like a guitarist makes it even more
frustrating when I struggle to play something simple. In this particular case I wanted to play an open chord sequence that
involved playing D minor over a C root. I've played open D and D
minor chords many times, but it turns out I've never had to put a C
root in there. That small change involves changing the fingering of
the chord to something unfamiliar. Suddenly, rather than my brain
telling my hand to play a shape, it has to tell my fingers to play
certain positions on certain strings. So, instead of sending the
message "D minor over C" it has to send the messages "put your first
finger here, and your second finger there, and your third finger there
and your pinky there." Quite a difference! The point is that even if you have theory coming out of your ears, you
know exactly what's happening musically, and you've played the guitar
for 20 years, there is no shortcut to being able to play this chord.
In order for it to become 'natural' you have to compress the
information and your fingers have to learn a new shape so that your
brain can just send the message "D minor over C." The process of
learning the new shape will be quicker for someone who's already
comfortable playing the guitar, but my point is that it still takes
time. You need to be aware of this so you don't get put off. The same applies on the drums. That's why I'm always looking for the
"simple things that seem difficult." The things that you feel like
you "ought" to be able to do because you're a drummer. Nothing falls
into that category. The things you "ought" to be able to do now are
the things that you've practised and can do. The things you "ought"
to be capable of doing in the future covers pretty much everything -
just be aware that it'll take time. I think gardening provides a good analogy. Even the best gardener in
the world needs time in order to produce a tomato!
easy. What surprised me a few days ago is that I'd forgotten this
fact. I started playing guitar around age 12. My dad, who also played a bit
of guitar, thought I was a no-hoper. He was surprised when I finally
became quite proficient. I had the same experience a few years later
when trying to teach my younger brother. He seemed pretty hopeless
and couldn't even get his fingers around basic chord shapes. I didn't
think he had it in him, but he persevered and now he's a pretty decent
guitarist/pianist/bass player/singer/songwriter
(http://www.paperbeatscissors.com). I've watched him stick with all
of these and become what most people would term a 'natural'. His
perseverance has been very inspirational to me because I know that he
worked at it. If anyone is a natural at anything, then that thing is persistance in
the face of adversity. In this case it's sticking with it and
try-trying again every time you don't succeed. Applying this simple
rule basically allows pretty much anyone to do pretty much anything. What I want to talk about here is not the initial learning. Everybody
knows that picking up a new skill is going to be difficult. If you've
never held a guitar before, then putting your fingers on the fretboard
and holding down three or four strings while strumming with your other
hand is going to take a huge amount of concentration and it's going to
be messy for a long while. Eventually though it will start to feel
'natural.' I can remember very clearly the first time I managed to play 'Wild
Thing' at the proper tempo on the guitar. I recall how I could slide
my index finger back on the same string to help me get from the open D
chord to the open E chord. This little trick made it possible for my
fingers to get in the right places quickly enough to play the song. That's nearly 20 years ago. I don't play much any more, but it's a
bit like riding a bike. I feel like I could learn a new song on the
guitar pretty easily once I've brushed away the cobwebs. Therein lies
the danger. The fact that I feel like a guitarist makes it even more
frustrating when I struggle to play something simple. In this particular case I wanted to play an open chord sequence that
involved playing D minor over a C root. I've played open D and D
minor chords many times, but it turns out I've never had to put a C
root in there. That small change involves changing the fingering of
the chord to something unfamiliar. Suddenly, rather than my brain
telling my hand to play a shape, it has to tell my fingers to play
certain positions on certain strings. So, instead of sending the
message "D minor over C" it has to send the messages "put your first
finger here, and your second finger there, and your third finger there
and your pinky there." Quite a difference! The point is that even if you have theory coming out of your ears, you
know exactly what's happening musically, and you've played the guitar
for 20 years, there is no shortcut to being able to play this chord.
In order for it to become 'natural' you have to compress the
information and your fingers have to learn a new shape so that your
brain can just send the message "D minor over C." The process of
learning the new shape will be quicker for someone who's already
comfortable playing the guitar, but my point is that it still takes
time. You need to be aware of this so you don't get put off. The same applies on the drums. That's why I'm always looking for the
"simple things that seem difficult." The things that you feel like
you "ought" to be able to do because you're a drummer. Nothing falls
into that category. The things you "ought" to be able to do now are
the things that you've practised and can do. The things you "ought"
to be capable of doing in the future covers pretty much everything -
just be aware that it'll take time. I think gardening provides a good analogy. Even the best gardener in
the world needs time in order to produce a tomato!
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