-

POINTERS K . A most commonmlstake ls to blame the left hand when the rlght hand lc at fault, or vice versa. Watchout for this. L . Get the progression off the paper and Into your head as 3oon ar posrlble. Memorizlng the chord changes allows you to focus all of your attentlon on what you are playing rather than readlng the muslc.
M . The objectlves put forth In this book are attalnable only lf the reader follows

each step of the pnogram without deviation from the schedule (that means no mlssed days, hourr shortened, tlmc frames dlsobeyed, key centerl mlsrd, Introduclng hammer-onrs,pull-offls, before stated, playlng dotted elghth cixteenth notes instead of elghth noter, etc., etc.) lf you do it, you get lt. lf you donrt; you donrt. ln the Growth Process, we all go through perlods in which we lre actlvatlng new nerve fwrctlonr, both ln the braln and throughout other partr of the body. Thls type of grcwth work drawr a tremendou3 amount of systentlc energles. The overall physlcal feellng ls llke pulllng a traln uphlll, and the psychologlcril spln-off ls the feellng that we are gettlng nowhere. Thls will perslst for some perlod of tlme. We then tend to go Into a natural state of rest, fra plrteau.rl During thls rest period, we tend to feel that we have the world by the tall and great progress ls taking place. Actually the reverse ls true. The progress was madedurlng the uphill climb, not durlng the rest period. The rest perlod wlll contlnue for someperlod of time. Donrt worry about lt. Then the road wlll becomevery rough agaln, and we wlll begln to becorneaware of our weaknegtg. This wlll last untll we select the speclflc lrea to attack flrgt. We wlll then begln the uphlll cllmb agaln and plateau again only to meet our deflclencies face to face agaln. So, on and on lt goes, but your practlce reglmen must remaln congtant.

N.

SelfRest Plateau Questlonl SelfQuestlonl

PO

NTERS

o.

Coping ttith The Mental Hazards Of Developing A High Degree of Facility ln lt is extremely important to cerrectly place the blame when things lmprovising. seem to be going wrong. For example, your guitar may sound out of tume, which is certainly possible. However, keep in mind that it may actually be in tune with itself, but out of tune with an air conditioner, refrigerator motor, or traffic noises--' from outside. When your music sounds bad to you, the natural reflex is to stop playing. So before you blame yourself for a problem, make sure that you have accounted for elements in your environment that may be superimposing a subliminal orchestration over what you are playing. Learn to ferrot out the real problems. There seems to be something about the guitar. at least for the serious performer, that creates an overload of humility. A certain amount of this is okay and selfquestioning is essential to oners progress, But do not fall into the trap, as many do, of blaming yourself when something else is wrong, as this will not cure hidden problems. Also be aware of your bio-cycles. Every person has natural high and low points running in approximately monthly cycles. During low periods, you may feel very down and discouraged, but this must not interrupt the regularity of your practice routine, as far as the project lessons in this book are concerned. You must continue to practice with controlled discipllne, no matter how you feel about things from day to day.

P.

a.

R . You will find that once you reach a given level of speed, and maintain playing at that level or faster, for approximately 2l days, on a daily basis, -- the ability acquired during that period of time will be permanently imprinted and assimilated by your nervous system. You could lay off for six months, come back and practice hard for about 2-3 weeks and it will come right back. lt seems that once this ability is programmed clearly, the rest is mostly a matter of muscular strength and agility.

s.

Practicing an hour a day 6 days a week is great, but 12 hours is better. There will be some days when you may feel like playing for long periods of tlme. This is great when you feel like it, but donrt force it. Exchange solos and comping. Trade off in sequence. The group dynamics is superior to private study for a program of this sort.

T . An'Accelerator -- form a group of other guitar players.

U . Another hazard to watch out for -- when tunes are played with a specific feel,
i.e. steady eighths or dotted eighths, sixteenths (shuffle) or triplets (12181 , etc., they tend to have slow, medium and fast tempos that are just right for that particular rhythm feel and any other tempos inbetween feel awkward and difficult to play on. This applies even to the most experienced players. You should expect that, during the process of building up your speed, you will encounter long periods when the tempo feels awful and, from time to time, points where the tempo is just right. Donrt blame yourself -- just be aware of the real problem.

18

H O WT O D O P R O J E C T L E S S O N SF O R W E E K SO N E T H R O U G H qtx A. Play only eighth notes, continuo'rt: and uninterrupted. No rests. No phrasing. No hammer-onrs. No pull-offls. No other ornamentation. ttNothingr but stead-y eighth notes. Use Alternate Picking only. No two strokes in the same direction, to make up strokes sound as strong as down strokes. .e. strive

c.

Do nol set your metronome to a use the metronome only to track lempos in the boxes provided. from day to day. This is to be

desired speed and try to rise to meet it. Rather, your progress. Keep a daity record of your (NOTE: Your tempo may vaiy stower or faster expected.)

D . D.o-ea9h proiect lesson for six consecutive days, with one day off. Avoid skipp.ing , for whatever reason. The effect is hazardous to progress. " 9"y Regularity is essential. Follow the steps faithfully as given.

E . T!re-key centers bracketed in the chord prog-ressions represent only one analysis

of the progression. other views may be apptiea as welt. ror exarildlo, *,ilt encounter key center brackets in which a given chord could be viewed a's a lll orVl chord of one key, but indicated as a ll chord of another. In these situations oners individua-l preference can- prevait. ltts just a matter of where you want the change of tonality to occur. Also, there are ilmost unlimited scale and chord substitution possibilities. Feel free^to use any harmonic devices at your dlsposal. lf theyrre_rlght, they will sound right and if ihey,re wron!;, you wifl know ii immediately. The chord voicings shown in the proiect lessons are comrnonguitar voivings which are intended to assure a clear understanding of the progressi-on and, in aldition, may serve as a good.study in the application of I'garden-variety'r guitar chords. However, other voicings may be used at your own- discretion.

F.

G . The week end tempo obiectives shown at the top of each project lesson are scheduled to increasg by two metronome points'daily. lt'may be good to remember that these are only obiectives. Care shoutU be takin not to sac"i"fi". and precision in order to meet the tempo goals. These will always come in time. """u""ry The tempo obiective plan is symmetricar, 6ut the learning curve'is not. Play Legato. Hold each note as tong as possible Do not rush or drag

Great attention should be given to holding steady time. the tempo.

t9

WEEK ONE

PROJECT LESSON I-A J

Week End Tempo Obiective

PREPARATION

= 60

Step I Step 2 Step 3

Clear your work area of all things not pertaining to thislesson. Tune your guitar. Warmup. Play notes slowly at all parts of the fingerboard. Objective: To eliminateany Iflamstr between the right and left h a n d s.

50 MINUTE PROGRAM Step 4 2 min Play eighth notes once through the progression to establish your tempo of the day - the speed at which you can play through the piece without mistakes. Mark down the day's tempo in the appropriate box below. LOG OF DAILY METRONOME ETTINCS S

Step 5

10min

Pre-record yourself playing the chord changes (sustained - no rhythms), with the metronomenearby so that it will sound on the tape like aplick track. Rcpeat the progression non-stop for l0 minutes. Break! Set the guitar down. Stand up and rewind the machine. Focus yoffihord prdgression. Know the key centers and memorize the progression. r'Get it off the paper and into your head'r. Play uninterrupted eighth-notes over the progression as it is played back, to the conclusion of the pre-recording. Break! Set the guitar down, stand up and stretch, etc. eighth-notes to the conclusion of the preLie down, etc.

Step 6

2 min

Step 7 Step I Step 9

10 min 2 min l0 min 2 min 10 min 2 min

Play uninterrupted recording. Break!

Step r 0 Step l l Ste p 1 2

Rest aw6y from the guitar.

Play uninterrupted recording.

eighth-notes to the conclusion of the pre-

Break! Lie down. Relax all parts of the body. Close your eyes. Breathe deeply and rhythmically, Practice visualizing yourseif playing the project the way you wish you had.

Total

50 min

Check off each step as it is finished 20

EXAMPLE

FOR

PROJECT

LESSON

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Remembert This exampte and alT other examples for the prciect lessons are qqdels of ttre type of solo line to be improvised. The lmportant cdfrGiiiEiatlonis ine spontaneous Invention of your own solo line. The point of the project lessons is to hone y6FtEch: nique to a level that will facilitate and not hinder the tmmediate reproduction of any and alt of your musical ideas. Use the examples as source material and for reference, but when doing the proiect lessons, itts rrevery man for himselft,

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HOW TO DO PROJECT LESSONSFOR WEEKSFIFTEEN, SIXTEEN AND SEVENTEEN

(2 1 D AY REVTEW ) 9p t9 now, our goal has been to gradually rach a tempo of ) = lltwith ctean execution by the end of the fourteenth week. Whether you have or have not attained this tempo, write d.o*l the present maximummetronomesetting (the setting at which you ortlfiy through the project lessons free of mistakes).

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Following is a 2l day "gestationrr period aimed toward affixing your present maximum -one technique as a permanent reflex capability, a point at which may go without playing

for_long p_eriods time, but with about two to three weeks of practic6, regain ttre of full technique.

The following here is a suggested schedute (you may change the order at will). W E E KF I F T E E N Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day One Two Three Four Five Six One Two Three Four Five Six One Two Three Four Five Six Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Project Project Project Project Project Project Project Project Project Project Project Project Project Project Project Project Project Project Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson l-A l-B 2-A 2-B 3-A 3-B t-A 4-B 5-A 5-B 6-A 6-8 l-A 4-A 2-A 5-A 3-A 6-A

tt,EEKSIXTEEN

W E E KS E V E N T E E N D a y Day Day Day Day Day

78

*r

LESSONREVIEW WEEKSEVENTEEN PROJECT

I

End TempoObiective 1 = t,12 Week

I PREPARAT ON Step I Step 2 Step 3

Clear your work area of all things not pertaining to this lesson. Tune your guitar, Warmup. Play notes slowly at all parts of the fingerboard. Obiective: To eliminateany I'flams" between the right and left h a n d s.

50 MINUTE PROGRAM Step 4 2 min Play combinations of eighth notes and eighth note triplets once through the progression to establish your tempo of the dav - the speed at which you can play through the piece without mistakes. Mark down the dayrs tempo in the appropriate box below. LOG OF DAILY METRONOME ETTINGS S

t^eP 5

l0 min

Pre-record yourself playing the chord changes (sustained - no rhythms), with the metronome nearby so that it will sound on the tape like a click track. Repeat the progression non-stop for 10 minutes. Break! Set lhe ggitar down. Stand up and rewind the machine. Focus your attention on the chord progression. Know the key centers and memorize the progression. rrGet it off the paper and into your head". Play uninterrupted eighth notes and eighth note triplets over the progression as it is played back, to the conclusion of the pre-recording. Break! Set the guitar down, stand up and stretch, etc

Step 5

2 min

Step 7

l0 min

Step 8 Step 9 Step 1 0 Step il Step l2

2 min 10 min 2 min l0 min 2 min

Play uninterrupted eighth notes and eighth note triplets to the conclusion of the recording. Break! Rest away from the guitar. Lie down, etc.

Play uninterrupted eighth notes and eighth note triplets to the conclusion of the pre-recording. Break! Lie down. Relax all parts of the body. Close your eyes. Breathe deeply and rhythmically. Practice visualizing yourself playing the project the way you wish you had. Check off each step as it.is finished.

Total

50 min

AND TWENTY (REVTEW) WEEKS EICHTEEN,NINETEEN

--*morr'r, r^""=

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Up to this point in the pnogram, our technical resources have been limited to (a) alternate down and up strokes and (b) duple tlme and trlple time. Now letrs expand the resources to include (a) hammer-onrs, (b) pull-offrs and (c) glissandi or slidesBy introducing these devices into your work studles. you can expect an almost immcdiate, dramatic acceleration of technique in general. One main reson for this ls that the duties of the picking hand are greatly reduced. in that 2 sr urore tones can be phyed wlth only onc picklng stroke. ln Example 15,. seven notes are sounded ulth one attack of the plck. The picking stroke shown as ( $ ) means either a down or up stroke may be used. Example18

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For those of you who have been playing for someUme, hanmer=onrs pull-offr, and slides arc nothing new. But for those who may not be so famillar with them, the follouing examplesbriefly describe and demonstratethe basic principles.

82

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t'strong slam-(irsmmer) your 2, l, or 4th finger &wn on the sam string. This hammer-like action" produces another tone {hiEher in pitch} without having to strike the string again. Thus wG are able to sound 2 or more nots for the price of one picking stroke. NOTE: Not only is it important to hammer-on strongly enough to sound like a plucked string, but the rhythmic character of the PassEgc must-be precise. Example l9
q,i*l

:: (a) Strike . not very straight shad move. The Hammer-on technique itself is a presssd with the lst, Znd, or 3rd finger (b) while the string is stil{ vibrating, beinq

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tt shor,lldba pointed out that it k poeuiblc ts sound any ton, group of to*rer or chords without any initial pick stroke at all, if the hammer-on is forceful anough. Thls ie efpccislly trtre lf-the amplifier is turned up to a hlgh vslurne eetting.

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with the Znd, 3rd, or tlth fingers. {c} pluck the preparatory thieher} tone and"' y-lrj*.:n* string is vibrating,.(dl pult the finger {ptaying the higFer pitch} away rrom the string, toward the side of the fingerboard in a pluckindaction. This allows the lower note (still heing hld) to sound, ln other wordi, pick the strinq a second time-wlth the fingerin{ hand. rtt* buil-off shoutd be ,t*Tri^"nil;h'i;" tone a.pp.roximatingthe loudness of the origina! {pickEc striig}. RT:_ou:*__"_:olicl Also'-.great care should be taken to maintain rhythmic contlol otine puli-ofi."' "uon't rush, or drag the time. " Keep the rhythmic character of the phrase precise, Exarnpte 20

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SLtDES (CL|SSANDt) The execution of- the gliss (or glissando) simply involves stiding from one note to another. The slile may cover oneor more frets, either ascendi-ng or descending and may be used for chords as well as single note playing. pick the first note jr - -rtes and, without lifting the finger(s), slide up or dbwn to a new note or notes. re slide is indicated as a line connecting one note to another. Example 22 ,l

H O W T O D O P R O J E C TL E S S O N SF O R W E E K SE I G H T E E N , N I N E T E E N A N D T W E N T Y Review the following Proiect Lessons incorporating hammer-oflts, pult-offrs and slides. not break away from the-pnogram or time frames. The following is -;redule (you may change the order at will) " "rgt.rt".L W E E KE I G H T E E N Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day One Two Three Four Five Six One Two Three Four Five Six One Two Three Four Five Six Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Review Project Project Project Proiect Project Proiect Project Proiect Project Project Proiect Project Proiect Proiect Proiect Proiect Project Project Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson Lesson l-A l-B 2-A 2-B 3-A 3-B 4-A 4-B 5-A 5-B 6-A 6-8 l-B tt-B 2-B 5-B 3-B 6-8

WEEK NINETEEN

W E E KT W E N T Y

85