Scott's Tips (Part 3)

Tip #10

My Favorite Quotes and Sayings That Apply to Musicianship

So much of what we as musicians accomplish is due to our mindset or philosophies. We as guitarists live in the age of the "Lick of the Month" club. We expect some dude or dudette to sit in their room transcribing the coolest licks for us so that some lame guitar magazine can plop it on a silver and feed it to us. Sadly, many players can regurgitate licks, but they lack the heart, desire and insight, that true musicians have. I do not expect you to adopt all (or any) of these thoughts I have collected, but they are definitely part of what I am. I hope a few of them at least make sense to you.

Tip #11

Changing Chords Smoothly

One of the biggest hurdles to jump as a guitarist, is the mastery of two or three chords. It requires the conditioning of unwilling muscles and tendons to properly play chords.

Tip #12

Abandon 90% of all Visual Media

This is how most people can FIND the time to practice that don't think they have.
  1. TV
  2. VCR
  3. Video Games
  4. Web Surfing
  5. Chat Rooms

Tip #13

Be an Archaeologist (Dig Deeper than the Surface)

Some only know the music that is going on currently. Some only know the music that is from the past. Some limit themselves to one, maybe two styles of music to listen to. We all have limits, but it is up to each of us to determine the extent of those limits. Be open to learning from music that you may not have thought "worthy" of listening.

Tip #14

Gaining Familiarity With the Bass and Guitar

  1. A 1/2 step is 1 frets distance. A whole step is 2. Knowing that the natural 1/2 steps occur between e-f and b-c, on each single string, say aloud while playing every single natural note up to the twelfth fret. For example , on the A string, A,B,C,D,E,F,G,AThe 12th fret is the octave of whichever string you are on. The fret markers on the fingerboard and the side of the neck correspond the same letter names one octave higher(12 frets higher).
  2. Associate the notes on the neck used for relative tuning.
  3. Familiarize the shape of particular intervals as they lay on the fingerboard. Start with octaves, as they will expand your ability to find the same letter-named note on a different part of the neck.
  4. Applying the above knowledge, play the following "game." Name any note. Let's say, G. Now , without allowing ANY mistakes, locate every G on the instrument. No guessing, no wrong answers allowed, PERIOD? (The natural 1/2 steps are e,f and b,c every other consecutive note is a whole step.)
  5. Enable yourself to become a fluent reader on your instrument. This is an on going process with many rewards.
  6. Learn and apply music theory to your instrument. (scale and chord construction etc.)
  7. Maintain (or develop) a child-like curiosity for learning and discovering new things in music.
  8. Know what a whole or a half step looks like when going to the next string. Believe it or not, many string players know what half and whole steps look like on a single string, but are dumfounded by what to do going from one string to next. If you are one of those people, try this. On a single string, at the 5th fret, play a note with the first finger. Then play a note one whole step higher in pitch with the third finger. Do it again while singing both notes. Now, play the note that WAS played by the first finger with the 4th finger. Using your ear, find the note formerly played by the 3rd finger with your 1st finger.(This is much easier to show than to explain)

Tip #15

Using a Metronome for Maximum Musical Improvement

What the hell is a metronome? It is a mechanical or electronic time -keeping device. It is used by musicians to maintain or develop a steady tempo. A metronome is the single most important tool a musician can possess other than their instrument itself. Metronomes range in price from $15.00 to $200.00, depending on their quality. They are calibrated to "tick" from 40 to 208 beats per minute. What benefits are there in using a metronome?
  1. keeping time while practicing
  2. keep an accurate record of/ and guage progress (or lack of) on a given exercise or piece
  3. to know proper tempos given for anexercise or piece
  4. expose technical difficulties within an exercise or piece
  5. to push your technical limits and escape the dreaded plateau
How to Use a Metronome
  • Be sure to play with the metronome. Many people turn it on and are then oblivious to it's steady pulse. It is then reduced to background noise.
  • More later, peace frog brutha! Nine dimes is mine so fine don't drink brine it do nuttin' fer yah spine. I'm tired.

    Tip #16

    Create Your Own Opportunities

    Do not wait around thinking that opportunities of a musical nature will fall in your lap. You need to pursue what you want.

    Tip #17

    Play Gigs!

    A gig is a musical performance. Whatever you do, play for others, regardless of the size of the audience. Here are some ideas.

    Tip #17

    Positive Attitude