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Guitar Development And Enjoyment: A Fine Line
I consider myself more of a teacher than a performer when it comes to what I do as a profession. This is only because the majority of my income comes from teaching rather than performing. Because I spend less time practicing than someone making a living from performing, I have to strive, like most, to balance the fine line between guitar development and enjoyment in my playing.
Consistent Improvement Trumps Difficult Songs
It goes without saying that we all want to improve our playing. But the steps to that improvement are many times vague and sometimes in the distance. I know I have heard a piece of music in my past and thought, “that is the next piece I’d like to play.” Then upon receiving the music and working on it for a couple of months, I realize it was beyond my current skill level. Does this mean I wasted the months I spent working on it? Absolutely not! But it does mean that I could have possibly made more incremental progress and achieved a more consistent improvement in my technique with a better plan.
A Better Approach To Guitar Development
That better plan always tests whether a piece is a step or a leap above our current level. Of course, this is hopefully the job of the teacher you are studying with. If not, then you have more work and self-reflection to do than those that do study with a good teacher. The goal is to move up your technical and musical ability in gradual steps over long periods of time in order to make habits from your learning.
I believe a general rule of thumb is to observe the length of time to get a piece of music to continuity at a 75% tempo. This means being able to play through the piece from memory or at sight with the correct rhythms and in continuity at 75% of the desired tempo. My time frame for this is 3 to 4 weeks. I feel that if I am able to accomplish this, then I know the piece is within my skill set.
The Fine Line Between Guitar Development and Enjoyment
I don’t give up on a piece immediately if it takes a little longer. However, I do ask myself if it is worth the time right now considering the enjoyment of playing the piece. Here is where the fine line comes into play with enjoyment. The goal, as I see it, is to make music. If we are constantly working on the next piece, then we never really enjoy actually making music.
The Journey Begins When Learning The Piece Ends
After a piece has been learned then the real journey begins. It takes the music and puts it at the forefront of learning rather than the technical work that usually takes us away from the music. You have to find pieces that can fulfill the development of your ability with the ability to express yourself with those pieces in a reasonable amount of time. This creates joy in your practice and in your playing.
I have two degrees in guitar performance and was privileged to study under Aaron Shearer, Tom Kikta, David Skantar, Ken Karsh, Tim Bedner, and currently Christopher Berg. Outside my editorial work on this blog, I teach full-time across many genres including classical, jazz, blues, rock, funk, and metal.
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