| As a former engineer, I constantly ask myself: "What is | | | | When this happened I had to isolate the issue (sweep |
| the best way to learn guitar?" (or more specifically | | | | picking) and get this working before adding it back into |
| "What is the best or most efficient way learn a | | | | the main song. |
| musical instrument?". This is especially true after I went | | | | Music is a language - the way we learn a language is |
| back to college at age 36 to study jazz guitar. With | | | | by imitation. Early on ,we learn words and phrases |
| pretty good technique from being an 80's shredder, | | | | without really understanding what we're saying, then |
| and with a good work ethic (from Master's Degree in | | | | we assimilate the information and eventually innovate |
| Engineering, and Diploma in Object-Oriented | | | | or improvise in daily life when we speak sentences to |
| Programming) people were telling me I'd have no | | | | each other. Learning a style of music like rock or jazz |
| problem learning jazz - I just needed to "learn the | | | | should be the same way. Most of us never learned all |
| theory" since I already had the chops. Boy was this a | | | | the technicalities of the English language but we picked |
| wrong assumption! | | | | it up by listening, reading, speaking and making mistakes |
| In Classical music, in which I don't claim to be an expert, | | | | and being correct by our parents or teachers. Learning |
| musicians spend a lot of time playing songs. These are | | | | music should be the same. |
| scores by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Paganini, etc and | | | | There are many components to being a well rounded, |
| these composers usually have written many etudes. | | | | professional musician, especially when improvisation is |
| This means 'study' in English and provides a means to | | | | required. You need to learn scales, intervals, triads, |
| develop one's chops, but in a musical manner. Sure | | | | arpeggios, chords, sight reading and ear training to |
| these musicians also practices their scales. When you | | | | name a few. These things as practice items |
| go to see a classical concert, the performer has | | | | themselves should be a smaller percentage of your |
| undoubtedly spent countless hours playing and | | | | overall practice time (say 20%). You need to have at |
| replaying the piece until it is up to speed and perfect. | | | | least the basics down -such as the ability to alternate |
| While no one really understands how learning works | | | | pick, hammer on, pull off, chords, etc. I had top marks in |
| exactly in the brain, the usual comments are that this | | | | courses like jazz theory, put in tons of practice time, |
| practice builds up muscle memory in the hands and | | | | but still wasn't happy with my improvisation ability. Most |
| head. I doubt any musician could play a challenging | | | | times it felt like a deer in the headlights. |
| piece at full speed the first time it is placed in front of | | | | I recently was lucky enough to find Jazz Sax Etudes |
| them. There are stories of famous jazz musicians | | | | by Greg Fishman from Chicago. He teaches differently |
| who couldn't solo over songs like Giant Steps at first | | | | than most, using tunes to inspire and teach students, |
| because of the unusual chord progressions - these are | | | | and focusing on the songs. His instructions are to first |
| people who were excellent musicians, knew all their | | | | get the tunes up to full speed BEFORE diving into all |
| scales and theory but were frozen. I view | | | | the theory. |
| improvisation and the spontaneous combination of | | | | So in summary, my point is that the best way to learn |
| pre-rehearsed ideas, not as mysterious as many | | | | guitar in any style is by learning songs you love. Songs |
| artists would like to project. Even Charlie Parker was | | | | you love will inspire you to keep practicing and to get |
| quoted as saying "Learn the changes, then forget 'em". | | | | better. These songs will teach you the techniques you |
| I interpret this to mean "learn what works over the | | | | need to learn. Transcribe the songs, slow them down, |
| progressions, get them into your ears so that you hear | | | | buy a book to get the correct tab, do whatever you |
| them and reproduce them without much thinking". | | | | have to do to get the song down on paper. |
| When I think back to how I learned guitar, I spent most | | | | Remember that at slower speeds any song is |
| of my time trying to learn songs. This was because I | | | | playable by anyone! I use software called "Amazing |
| was inspired after hearing a song. I needed to be able | | | | Slow Downer" to slow down tunes and then I play |
| to play that tune! The challenge was that often these | | | | along with the slowed down version. Play it slower at |
| songs were so far beyond my technical ability at the | | | | whatever speed you can play it perfectly, then slowly |
| time. And they usually incorporated way too many | | | | increase the speed until you have it at the actual |
| techniques in just one solo - bends, slides, hammer ons, | | | | tempo. If you have problems at speeds of 50% or |
| pull-offs, two-hand tapping, sweep arpeggios, economy | | | | less, isolate the problem areas until they match your |
| picking, legato playing, pinch harmonics, you name it! | | | | ability with the rest of song. |