Pros/Teachers - What is the most important tip you can give?

[David L]

Part of the problem with learning the chords to simple 3 chord tunes is the ambiguous nature of the progression-(where exactly does that IV chord happen?, are we playing a V here?) Non-diatonic chords are obvious and easy to hear when they happen, but diatonic notes sometimes have a choice of harmony that sounds good.

[farmerjones]

Part of the problem with learning the chords to simple 3 chord tunes is the ambiguous nature of the progression-(where exactly does that IV chord happen?, are we playing a V here?) Non-diatonic chords are obvious and easy to hear when they happen, but diatonic notes sometimes have a choice of harmony that sounds good.

Oh yes. Michael Martin Murphy's Carolina in the Pines. The first change sounds good either way. Its only when one gets to the second (or is it 3rd?) change does the correct choice reveal itself. The point is good one. Use your ears and if the change doesn't sound obvious, the correct change may reveal itself later. Then one must remember.

A note on remembering; Seems like I only remember what I "have to" remember. If I make a lyric sheet, I get tied to it. If I make a lyric and chord sheet, I get tied to it. If I make a lyric sheet with the chords only marked on the first verse and chorus, unless the chords are very simple, a train wreck will happen. Call it rehearsing or practice, if you want to be able to work without a net (cheat sheets) practice/rehearse without a net.

[Jess L.]

... the most valuable technique you might practice daily, a technique/drill you once used and was very important to your current ability level, or just a general tip... that could greatly accelerate the playing of others...

Backing tracks, for practice. Either variable speed (via software or internet links) for people who are comfortable with and have access to computer stuff, or else a regular plain ol' easy-to-use CD-r or other recording media, that has the tune & backing track recorded in at least two speeds: slow and regular.

For my own learning, I prefer to create backing tracks that also include a light unobtrusive melody for the tune itself, it helps me to not lose my place in the tune if I stumble on a difficult passage and try to recover gracefully (that is VERY important, if you make a goof just keep on pickin' & try to jump back into the tune as smoothly as possible, not where you left off, but where the tune is now). Also, having the melody present helps the learner to come up with their own variations that fit in ok with the 'normal' way of playing the tune, useful practice for playing with other people later.

[jshane]

I just thought of another thing:

Avoid practicing "wrong". It is tempting to practice a tune at a quick tempo-- but if one does so and reaches a tough phrase that causes one to stumble or insert a "spare" beat for two, the error is actually reinforced(practiced). It becomes incorporated into how one plays the tune.

[Don Julin]

Learn to play downbeats with downstrokes and the &'s with upstrokes. It's all pretty easy after that.

[Will Patton]

What a cornucopia of helpful tips! Pete's advice to relax behind the instrument is basic, up and down picking, learning tunes, all invaluable. I pretty much play every day and I start by playing scales/arps in Ab, Eb and Db just to stretch the old fingers. Then I'll learn a tune,these days either Bach, be-bop or a French-Canadian tune. I keep a notebook of what I'm working on and revisit every day for about 2 weeks, adding some new ones and letting others marinate. One thing that works for me, and I haven't seen addressed specifically here, is to think of the tune as phrases - - not just notes following notes. It's easier to learn and more organic. And then sing along as you play the phrase - connecting that singing part of the brain to the finger brain. If there's a passage that always stumps you, it is usually the right hand picking mechanics - - see Don's post above.

[Brian Evans]

What fun to read this thread and all the really excellent advice. I clicked on it wondering if my personal best advice would be there, lo and behold the first reply had what I thought was the best advice I could offer a beginning player just nailed! In short, play songs and play with rhythm. Play songs so that you learn something you can play again and again, and gain great pleasure from. Play with rhythm so other people like what you play as well as you do. Good foundation stones for a beginning player I think.

[pops1]

I have told my students " If you practice an hour a day for eight years you will be X good. If you practice eight hours a day for one year you will far exceed that and be so much better." In other words you get out what you put in, and it is exponential. The more you put in the more you get out, the more you get out the more fun you have and the more fun you have the more you put in. And it is all about the fun, isn't it.

[Nate Lee]

Someone may have already said this, but one change made a huge difference for me. For many years, my focus was strictly on notes. I played lots of notes, and I learned tons of songs and licks. I was doing all the "stuff", but it never sounded that great. When I started using most of my practice time to work on tone and timing, everything changed very rapidly. Suddenly all the old tired licks that I thought were boring, or juvenile, started to sound great. Even simple licks that I thought were for beginners started to sound musically interesting to me. Complex licks and tunes only sound as good as the tone and timing they are being played with. If you can learn to play simple things with great timing and tone, you will sound like a pro. After that you can learn the complex stuff, which will sound that much better because of the time put into mastering the basics.