Most Common Music Problems and their Solutions (Part 2)
Find the resolution to the conflict
When you practice properly you are going to experience conflict. You are going to find a section, a stanza, a beat, a melody, a chord, or a riff that you find difficult. This is normal, and should be expected. How you approach the conflict is important? You must find a way to break it down in smaller pieces. Look at where you need to go, and explore ways to get there. Finding out how to get to where you want to be is sometimes a more satisfying feeling, then when you arrive at your goals. Don’t make mountains, out of mole hills, keep exploring and discovering ways to reach your goals.
Don’t try to put everything together too quickly.
Break the songs into parts. As you break it down, you are simplifying the song. The song becomes more manageable, as your comfort level increases add in other parts ONE at a time. Eventually, you will get it right. Now, after you get it right, play until it you can can’t get it wrong. When you have reached that level of mastery, then you OWN the The song. is yours.
Sometimes it is better to remember to listen instead of watching.
Don’t forget to listen, when we get too caught up in producing the sound sometimes we forget to listen to the sound we are producing. The sound is the result. Keep in the mind the results are what you are looking for.
I don’t believe I can do this.
The truth is you CAN do it. It is not a matter of faith. It is a matter of trying, and not giving up. Science has discovered that it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill. The 10,000 hours is independent of the skill. The number of hours is seldom shorter than 10,000, and shows up again and again independent of the profession.. This is what it takes to be world-class expert in anything: pianist / composer, professional golfer, professional basketball player, master thief, chest player. The point is your skill is based on practice and honing your skills, not on your talent. Truth be told, you don’t have to put 10,000 hours in to master a few songs. Consult the book “This is Your Brain on Music” for more information.
Go beyond the academic understanding of chords.
The more you understand how the sounds are created, the easier it is to reproduce those sounds.
Too much tension in right hand.
Play softer
Too fast cut phrase short
Play slower, feel the transition, play softer
Remember how you first felt as a student.
When we remember how we first started out. We can allow ourselves to relax, because we came a long way. When we think of ourselves as students, our ability to become more objective about our progress is strengthened. We can then establish or reset our goals properly.
Sequentially setup your fingers into a chord, instead of placing all fingers at once at first.
When you first start to learn a chord, set up your fingers sequentially into the chord. Then, after you know where your fingers are suppose to go. You can practice going back and forth between the previous chord, and then the following chord. Then connect and play all three. When it sounds all smooth and clean, you can move on.
Chord Transitions
1) Make sure you know where they are going, before you get there.
The goal is to form the next chord, and how to do it. Go back and forth between the chords
2) 2) Grab the chord vs forming the chord
You will need to form the chord slowly and sequentially at first, before you can grab and hold and play the chord cleanly.
3) 3) Use anchors were you can.
Anchor your weak fingers (usually the pinky) this makes forming the chord easier.
4) Use hand grip exercisers, if you are still having trouble holding the chord. You finger muscles might be just weak, and you need some mini-hand grip exercises.
Problems with holding Barr Chords
1) Don’t have your finger too high up the fret.
2) 2) Practice
3) 3) Use just one finger if other three strings are held down.
4) 4) Look for economy of movement (see Chord Transitions section)
5) 5) Radius fret board
Substitute humming for words.
This is part of the synergy of music. I have taken a few classes with master musicians. They were both world-renown instrumentalists. Both say to get their music right, you have to hum or sing. This is where your natural brain functions come in. The most basic line of communication for humans is the voice. When we hum the melody line while we play, we are synergizing our melodic understanding with our vocal communications. This synergy helps convey the timing and feeling of the song. The nuisances and subtleties reveal themselves, and the feeling and meaning become richer.
Reduce chord transition time, look to optimize
The ease of transition from one chord to another chord, from one note to another note, from one stanza to the next stanza is part of the grace of music. You need to find ways to make the transition smooth and clean. It might be a new way to shape a chord. It might be using different fingers, and might include changing to a different chord in the same family. After all sometimes it is easier to find the right sound with an easier chord shape, then hold a more difficult chord with a very similar sound.
Try to feel the music as much as you can
Try to tune yourself into the music. Feel it as completely as you can. Try to understand the relationships that the artist is trying to convey. Feel the emotion in the chords, melody, and lyrical line, the harmony or disharmony between the different instruments and vocal components.
You work at your problems with grace.
Frustration is natural, but can undermine your focus. Look at your problems as opportunities to get better. If you accept that you will make mistakes, you can focus better and you remove the stress and angst from the situation. As you practice more, the problems get less and less, and your comfort and ease will settle in. Setup an artificial live performances, and imagine thousands of people coming to see your performance. If you can envision this, and work it out in your mind, your playing will improve, and you will find your way to true musicianship.