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How Music Theory Can Help Your Guitar Playing – The Major Scale

April 8, 2010 By 2 Comments

The Major Scale and Music Theory (Watch the Video in a new window)

Why This One Key Tool Can Revolutionize Your Learning

Music is such a great thing and truly its own unique language and world (Music Theory is that language).  It can bring us in, wrap us up and transport us to entirely different sates of being.  I find it fascinating just how much music means to us and just how much it might be overlooked by some.  Regardless of if you’re looking right at it or unconsciously consuming it, the point is that music impacts us all.

Now since we’re all guitar players here and specifically focussing on the conscious and deliberate side of music, I thought I’d write a brief explanation of why music theory is so important and integral to improving and understanding at this wonderfully unique language.

A Few Facts About Music and Us as Guitar Players:

  • We make music
  • We are speaking another language
  • Fluency of that language increases our skill and diversity

Ok, so if you can play a chord or a series of notes, you are making music.  You belong to the group that has an interest and desire to converse in the language of music.  Now what makes good music is subject to taste and opinions, but at the underlying core must be harmony, congruency and the ability to have your language skills be understood by others.  And this is where the value of music theory comes in.  Music Theory is the method behind music…the explanation for how these pitches play together to create harmony.  Without this knowledge you are left to the discernment of your ears.  You are like a blind man that can indeed walk and feel out his surroundings, but you are unable to see where you’re going.  This is why theory is so important.  Without being able to see, how can you paint your greatest masterpiece or grow to your highest ability?  At some point along your journey you will hit a plateau where you feel the need for more information and to have greater understanding for instrument.

I imagine that I am such a firm believer in theory, because I, much like many of you, started without it and had to begin teaching myself.  Once I started down this road, there was no turning back and it is an on-going journey of more discovery and learning.  It is incredibly empowering to have the sight to see where you’ve been, where you are and where you want to go musically (that also applies to life, but that’s another blog post :-) ).

If you’ve been thinking about music theory and wondering what it all means and if you should decide to invest the time in understanding this language that seems so complex or overwhelming at times, then I’d like to invite you to watch this video.  In it I will talk about my own experience and just how and why music theory isn’t that hard to grasp.  You can start today and literally be making sense of it all today too!

I know how you feel.  I was there.  I’ve felt the ‘what’s the use’ and I’ve said the, ‘I don’t need to follow rules’ as well as a bunch of other excuses.  Believe me when I say that, music theory can change your guitar playing world and help you improve beyond measure.  Ok, that’s enough preachin’ at ya…I mean we’re here to have fun and enjoyment (which this is).  Come watch the video and I’ll see you soon.

To Your Success,

-Andrew Hand

Filed Under: Guitar Lessons, Guitar Scales, Learn to Play Guitar, Music Theory Tagged With: , , ,

3 Key Steps to Playing the Guitar Successfully

April 5, 2010 By 1 Comment

When Learning Guitar Is Frustrating This Can Help

If you’ve ever played guitar or are playing guitar now, then I’m sure you’ve felt some frustration at some point.  Am I right?

The guitar is a wonderful instrument, but it can seem as if there are so many things to learn.  In my personal guitar playing journey, I’ve met many frustrations, but they have only served to help me improve and be wonderful rewards.  If you’re feeling any frustrations in your guitar learning then I think these 3 key steps can help keep you mentally in the game and committed to playing and practicing more.

  • Remember that your mood is going to affect your playing and learning…so be in a good mood when you pick up the guitar to practice or attempt to learn a new technique.  When you’re not in the right frame of mind new methods can be hard to grasp and implement.
  • Create a balance between playing for fun and learning time.  It’s important to not just pick up the guitar and always just goof around or jam, especially when you’re just beginning.  It’s also really important not to get bogged down with too much practice and theory.  While it’s true that there can never be enough theory :-) , there also can never be enough fun had.  Both are vital, but both must be in balance.  So take some time to rethink your practice and playing regimen.  Is there equal time given to both practicing and playing?  I’ve found that for me the great balance is that when I’m writing songs, I am playing and having fun and then there are specific times when I practice.  Those practice sessions begin to juice me up to want to write, which is fun and so I even get more into the practicing.
  • The third and last step is, play with other people.  I think this might be one of the most important things.  You can really learn a lot by just getting together and playing with others.  The best thing is that it puts you in a state of wanting to perform well, which is a great thing when you’ve been practicing.  Your friends are going to want to impress you and share what they know and you in-turn want to do the same.  By playing with each other you open the door to sharing styles, techniques and influences and if you have any interest in doing music professionally then this kind of collaboration will build you a healthy backbone for networking and playing with other musicians.

So that’s it!  Those would be my top key ideas to keep in mind as you begin or continue your journey with this fine instrument.  Having the right mindset and tools is the key to mastering your goals.  That’s why I’m such a big believer in learning resources and it is what’s continued to move my career as an artist along.  If you’re looking for a great tool to keep you on the right path to guitar mastery, then I think you’d really like and benefit from my guitar course “Music Made Easy” .  It is a comprehensive course to teach you what you need to know to master music and guitar, so check it out and take your learning to the next level!

To your highest success and fulfillment,

-Andrew Hand

Filed Under: Guitar Lessons Tagged With: , , , ,