I tried to practice deliberately today. I was successful, at least for a while, by going back to something I had started to work on last year sometime. I revisited another one of my abandoned projects, if you will. The project of note was Clapton's version of "I'm Tore Down." I had started learning that sometime early on in the life of the blog, and then gotten away from it around the time of the "Stairway" experiment. In going back tonight, I made sure that I was focused in during the bit of time that I had, so that, even if it wasn't enough for me, I would still get something that felt like progress out of it.
I started with the scale that all of the riffs & licks are based on (C minor pentatonic). I played through it slowly at first, and then with increasing speed. I discovered that, having done a little bit of work last year, both the scale and the backing guitar parts felt familiar underneath my fingers more quickly than I had expected them to.
I'm also noticing that when I'm playing, I have to make a conscious effort to ensure that my hands are relaxed. This, to me, says that I don't trust my knowledge yet. I do notice, however, that if I can get them to relax, my playing improves, and that I tend to think less and feel the notes more. Maybe it's a question of being warmed up enough before I dive in. In all likelihood, it will end up being a combination of the two.
I didn't spend enough time with the guitar today, in part because I wound down from work in front of the TV. If I had gotten home and thrown myself into practicing, I would have relaxed and been musically productive. All I know is that I'm getting somewhere, and of late, the steps seem to be quicker than they have been.
I started with the scale that all of the riffs & licks are based on (C minor pentatonic). I played through it slowly at first, and then with increasing speed. I discovered that, having done a little bit of work last year, both the scale and the backing guitar parts felt familiar underneath my fingers more quickly than I had expected them to.
I'm also noticing that when I'm playing, I have to make a conscious effort to ensure that my hands are relaxed. This, to me, says that I don't trust my knowledge yet. I do notice, however, that if I can get them to relax, my playing improves, and that I tend to think less and feel the notes more. Maybe it's a question of being warmed up enough before I dive in. In all likelihood, it will end up being a combination of the two.
I didn't spend enough time with the guitar today, in part because I wound down from work in front of the TV. If I had gotten home and thrown myself into practicing, I would have relaxed and been musically productive. All I know is that I'm getting somewhere, and of late, the steps seem to be quicker than they have been.
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