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How To Get More Time for Guitar

At the beginning of this year, I made a commitment to play guitar every day.  It wasn't exactly a New Year's resolution, just a realization that if I wanted to improve, I would need to apply myself in a more disciplined fashion than I had previously. 

Over the last ten years, I managed to run ten marathons, ultimately qualifying for and running Boston Marathon.  While I don't consider myself particularly athletic, it was clear that I was able to improve my marathon times over the years by putting in more miles and more regular training.   I think that anyone --of any age and any lifestyle-- who wants to run a marathon can do so.  All you have to do is like running and do it regularly.  So why not apply the same techniques to guitar?  Consistency is key, so that means playing every day if you can.  So here are a few tips for getting more time to play.

Play at a Regular Time

When I'm in training for a marathon, I drive 30 minutes to my office and then go running first thing in the morning.   If I need to get up at 6:00 am to do it, no problem.  I know I will get it done and my day will start out that much better.  Same for music.  Having a regular time makes it more likely you'll get it done.  Schedule it on your calendar every day if you need to.  For me, my guitar playing time is immediately after dinner.  My wife knows I'm going to disappear into our office and she won't see me for an hour.

Start with Just 15 Minutes

As with running, the hardest thing is just getting started.  You might think you don't have an hour available and therefore be tempted to skip it completely.  But as Ignacio has suggested on IG Blog, if you aim for just 15 minutes, you can always find the time.   Even if it's 11 pm and I haven't played guitar, I will at least play scales for 15 minutes before going to bed.  And as my wife says, "don't let sleep get in the way of rock and roll."

Keep Your Guitar Ready to Rock

For years, I had my guitar in its case parked out of the way where I would never see it.  Out of sight, out of mind.  Then I got smart and I bought a couple of cheap stands.  Now my acoustic guitar is in the living room, not too far out of reach and I have my Steinberger electric about 12 inches from my desk, plugged into my Line 6 GuitarPort.   I just pick up the guitar, put on headphones and I'm ready to play with the benefit of drum tracks, effects, loops, etc.

Get a Travel Guitar

I have a Speedster Travel Guitar which I take with me whenever I travel.  It's small enough that I can carry it on board airplanes and play guitar in airport terminals, taxis or in the evenings in my hotel room.  I also take it with me if I drive for a meeting and arrive early with time to kill.   Alternatively, if you routinely spend time in a second home (in-laws, friend's place) with time on your hands but no guitar, consider buying a cheap $100 used Strat that you can stash for emergency playing.  I have several cheap guitars stowed at relatives' places around the country.  Believe me, it takes the edge off holiday visits!  If you spend all day in an office, consider keeping a guitar there and playing for 30 minutes before you head home.  While having a second guitar is an added expense, if you amortize the cost over the number of extra hours you'll play, it's well worth it. 

Unplug Your TV

The easiest way to get more time for guitar is to simply not watch television.  I don't watch a lot of TV, but since I got married, I find myself watching one show a year religiously.  These days I'm addicted to LOST as well as the Olympic track & field coverage.  Lucky for me the Olympics are over now and LOST won't be on again until February 2009.   The average US male watches 4 and a half hours of television per day!  And since I'm watching much less than that, there sure are a lot of couch potatoes out there.  Believe me, no matter how much time you spend watching TV, you'd be better off playing guitar.  And if you must watch TV, at least play scales while you're doing it.   Or if your vice is going out and partying with the guys 5 nights a week, well, that's not going to improve your playing at all. 

Farm Out Your Chores

Some duties, like driving your kids places are hard to get out of.  But others, like mowing the lawn or weeding the garden aren't going to make you a better person.  Pay the kids, or your neighbor's kids or a lawn care professional to take care of these things.  Look at what chores are bogging you down and figure out a way to do them faster or find someone else you can pay to do them.  And who cares if the lawn goes to seed?  Hey, it's rock and roll!   Do you think Kirk Hammett mows his lawn?

Add Structure and Purpose to Your Playing

Don't just noodle around playing the same chords and same songs you've always played.  If you want to improve you need to add some structure and purpose to your playing.  For me, this was the biggest missing piece in my playing.  I would look at songs, try them for a few minutes, find them too hard, and then just revert back to what I knew.  I don't have a perfect solution, but I have found that Doug Marks' Metal Method videos give me some context and structure for improving my playing.  The DVDs helped explain to me for the first time how different scales fit together and how you can use them in songs.  I'm only part way through the course, but it's made a difference in how I approach learning.  (BTW, that's Doug at the top of the posting with an excerpt from YouTube.)

Focus on the Positive

I used to think that good guitar players had some innate musical talent and I just came up short in that department.  So for years  my view of my skills was "I suck at guitar."  Geez.  What was I thinking?  No wonder I didn't make progress.  Now I've got a different perspective: I'm learning guitar.   Even if I don't have innate talent, I've decided it just doesn't matter.  What matters is putting in the time.  The progress may be slow, but I know that I will continue to improve.  The more I practice, the better I will get.  It worked in running, so why not in guitar?   And don't listen to anyone who comes up with reasons why they failed or why you shouldn't try.  One of the things I like about the Metal Method course is the positive attitude of Doug Marks.  He's also got some good newsletter articles on motivation. 

Reward Yourself

Every once in a while, it's good to reward yourself with something that will motivate your playing.  While I think for most people buying a new expensive guitar will not improve their playing, sometimes a splurge is worth it if it means you'll spend more time at it.  The Line 6 GuitarPort and RiffTracker products have given me the incentive to find more time to practice and also made that practice time more valuable.  And they don't cost that much either.  Once in a while, I'll go see a local music gig and come out more fired up and motivated as a result. 

Let me know if this is helpful.  And If you have other time saving tips, add them below in the comments.

• Metal Method:  Complete DVD Course, Speed Kills, SRV Guitar Style
• Amazon: GuitarPort, RiffTracker
• Line 6: Pocket Pod, TonePort GX, Pod, Variax

Graveyard: Classic '70s Rock from Sweden

Heaven knows I can't get enough of my two favorite Swedish rock bands Brainpool and the soon to be defunct Hellacopters.  Luckily, I've just discovered another great Swedish rock band called Graveyard.  These guys are straight out of the '70s with long hair, long guitar solos and a sound that's reminiscent of Free or some of the more tuneful songs by Black Sabath.   

The band played earlier this year at Austin's South by Southwest music confab and has a tour through the Southern US and all the way to California in the fall.  Check 'em out on iTunes, MySpace or Amazon.  Hey, even Rolling Stone liked them.

• Graveyard: MySpace
• Amazon: Graveyard

Elvis Costello & The Police Live Video

Following on my write ups on Elvis Costello and The Police live at Shoreline a few weeks back, I've decided to post some videos from the show.  Unfortunately, the quality is low as I was far back in the 2nd section.  Still, it gives you at least a flavor of things.  And remember, I risked life and limb --or at least being thrown out of the show.  So I hope it was worth it for the die hard fans!  (Photos and reviews are in the original postings.)

Next time I guess I better get more expensive seats or a bigger zoom lens.  If anyone has recommendations on a digital camera that's better than the Canon G9 for gigs, let me know.  The G9 is nice and compact, but the zoom is just 6x and there's still some shutter lag compared to an SLR.  But at least I can bring it into gigs without too much hassle. 

• Amazon: Momofuku, First 10 Years, Police Anthology, Everyone Stares (DVD)
• Elvis Costello: Official Site, Unofficial Wiki, Tour
• Police: Official Site, News, Tour
• GuitarVibe: Costello at Shoreline, The Police at Shoreline

A Better Travel Guitar?

I've been using a Speedster Traveler Guitar for a couple of years now.  It's not the best guitar in the world, but I travel a lot and when I'm on the road, it's much better than no guitar.  I've never had to check it, but I've come close to having to choose between my laptop and my guitar a few times in Europe.  However, the guitar definitely takes a beating.  Last trip, it fell on out of the overhead compartment on some guys head.  Twice.  ("Dude, quite messing with my axe!") 

I try to play guitar every single day, no matter where I am.  So I've played the Speedster in taxis, on planes, early in the morning waiting for meetings, whatever.   If my flight is late, I just whip out my guitar, plug it into a Pandora headphone amp, pop on some headphones and I'm good to go. 

But there are a couple things that bother me about the Speedster.  Mostly it just doesn't have the quality construction I want in a guitar.  The sustain is mediocre and the tuners don't hold that well.  And even though the Speedster is pretty compact  (28" long) and light weight (4 pounds) because of it's headless design, I can't help but wonder whether I could get something just a bit smaller and more durable.  Ideally, something I could put inside my suitcase when I'm on the road.

Obviously in this kind of package, you've got to compromise on something.  For the price (under $500), the Speedster is pretty darned good and I can recommend it to anyone who wants to get more playing in.  They also have a few different models to chose from, including the EG-1 which has better quality components and a built-in headphone amp.  But I'd like to get something with higher quality components and a shorter overall body size.  And I'd be willing to pay more. 

PalmGuitar has an interesting take on things that gets rave reviews from their customers.  They've got a high quality electric guitar with a 20.2" scale, smaller even than a 22" scale mini Fender for kids.  While that's not as small as a Lapstick which has a 17" scale, you can tune it like a standard guitar (EADGBE), making it easier to adapt to.  But unlike the Traveler Guitar and the Lapstick, the Palm Guitar has a conventional headstock, which means despite it's shorter scale, end-to-end it's just two inches shorter than the Speedster. 

If only there was a way to get the best of all of these.  Maybe what I need is a custom headless guitar with better components and a shorter scale.  Has anyone experimented with a custom travel guitar?  Should I upgrade the tuners on the Speedster?  Anyone used a Traveler EG-1 or the PalmGuitar?  Let me know your thoughts.

• PalmGuitar: Main site, V2.0
• Lapstick: Main site, Review, Interview with Phil Neal
• Traveler Guitar: Main site

Guitar Mastery

 

A few weeks back I read an article on Robert Renman's terrific Dolphinstreet guitar web site called "Play Like a Pro in No Time."  I know Robert's no BS artist; he's a serious guitar player, a web developer and a dedicated marathon runner.  He's a guy who's serious about his craft.  So naturally, there is no short cut to learning guitar; it takes hard work and discipline.  Robert mentioned a book called "Mastery: The Keys to Success & Long Term Fulfillment" written by George Leonard in 1992.  Since I was interested in learning about learning, I decided to pick up a copy on Amazon.

The book's central question is: what is it that sets apart mere dabblers from those who are truly masters, whether in sports, business or the arts?  After all, if you could unlock the answer, then you could develop a blueprint for improving performance.  And that's exactly what Leonard set out to do.

While the book could be dismissed as "self help" fluff, Leonard took an in-depth look at how people learn and develop skills. The results are fascinating and at-odds with the normal "quick fix" approach that is prevalent today, whether in books like "Learn Java in a Weekend," online guitar lessons or fad diets.

Leonard describes the stages people go through in learning and what sets apart the masters from the hackers, the dabblers and the obsessives.  A key take away is that learning (or more aptly, accomplishment) is based on achieving a series of plateaus, each of which may have the occasional setback.  With dedicated practice (and hard work) you occasionally break through to a new level, which is yet another plateau. Mastery is based on loving the practice of what you're doing and accepting that there will be long plateaus, occasional setbacks and perhaps rare breakthroughs.

As I was reading the book I was thinking back to my experience as a marathon runner. If you've ever run or even witnessed a marathon, you may be surprised to see the runners at the finish.  But they all have perseverence and a love of running.  Even though I managed to run quite a few marathons, I never thought of myself as having any particular natural talent or ability.  But if you do enough running, and challenge yourself occasionally, you will become quite good at it.

I also hit my share of plateaus over the years.  For a while it seemed impossible to break a marathon time of 3:30 due to repeated injuries.  But I changed my training, pushed harder and ultimately was able to break through, qualifying for and running Boston Marathon a couple of years ago. While it took a lot of time commitment for early morning runs speed work outs, and weekend long runs, the running itself was never a hardship. I loved going out and running 15 or 20 miles; for me it was meditative.

In January, I decided to apply this "brute force" marathon approach to learning guitar, where I've been a "hacker" for 20+ years, never really pushing myelf and never breaking out beyond the basics.  So I decided I would play every day --even if it was just 15 minutes of scales.  And I also realized I needed to put some structure in my learning and try new things.

After reading Leonard's book, I realize this "brute force" approach is more appropriate than I thought.  As long as you love the practice and stay committed to learning and improving, you will develop mastery.  In guitar, guys like Michael Angelo Batio, Sonny Landreth, and Kirk Hammett, may have had some innate abilities early on, but they sure as heck loved what they were doing, put in the long hours to hone their skills and had the humility and wisdom to never stop learning.

As part of my curriculum, I also decided to get off my butt and buy some instructional DVDs.  I didn't want to get some superficial course with a bunch of infomercial phoney-baloney hype.  I wanted something that was proven, that would give me a mix of skills and knowledge so I could keep learning.  It's not about learning riffs, it's about developing a framework for continuous improvement. 

I decided to order Doug Marks' Metal Method course.  It's been around for 20 years, has an active online forum and Doug seems to be a patient instructor.  (I'm not a metal head, and the course is more about classic rock than hard core head-banger stuff.)  I'm not through the course yet, but it's helped give me a context for what I'm learning and how the pieces fit together.  And it's giving motivation to play more.  So far, so good!

• Amazon: Mastery: The Keys to Success
• Metal Method:  Complete DVD Course, Speed Kills, SRV Guitar Style
• Dolphin Street: Video Lessons, Blog, Running

Sonny Landreth Live at Moe's Alley

Sonny Landreth has been on tour promoting his latest album "From the Reach" and I managed to catch one of his two bay area gigs down at Moe's Alley in Santa Cruz.  Moe's remains one of the best clubs in the area and it's a surprisingly intimate club for as legendary a player as Sonny Landreth.  I went early to make sure I could get a good spot for photos.  I managed to squeeze in about 5 feet from the stage over on the left, near where Sonny was set up.  I've never seen Moe's this crowded before; it was packed wall-to-wall. 

Landreth's most famous song is his 1985 homage to New Orleans "Congo Square" from the album "South of I-10" but he remains somewhat of an unknown outside the realm of slide guitar fans.  But when you see him play live, it's clear why he's considered one of the greatest living guitar players.  No less than Eric Claption has said Landreth is "probably the most underestimated musician on the planet and also probably one of the most advanced."

I've posted some photos and video  from the show which was awesome.  Landreth played several cuts from his latest CD including "The Milky Way Home", "Storm of Worry," as well as some of his classic songs "South of I-10," "USS Zydecoldsmobile," "Native Stepson," "All About You" and "Pedal to Metal."  In fact "Pedal to Metal" is an apt description of the show, which maintained high intensity for more than 90 minutes.  My only disappointment was that they never played "Congo Square."  Still, it was a great show and the opening act Mighty Mike Schermer was decent also.  I'll post a separate write-up of that later on.

Listening to a Sonny Landreth CD is one thing, but seeing it live is a completely different experience.  There's a richness and layering of sounds coming from the band that is all the more impressive considering it's a trio.  What's most amazing is to see how much more sound Landreth is getting out of the guitar than any other player I've witnessed.  He's creating all kinds of crazy chords, voicings and bending with his left hand while using the slide and simultaneously his right hand is flying all over the place strumming, plucking and feathering the strings in ways I've never seen anyone play before.  You can see his techniques especially in the videos of "Port of Call" and "The Milky Way Home" below.   

Landreth will be touring through Texas and then out to the East Coast and finishing in October with more California dates and a headliner at the MGM Grand in Vegas.

• Sonny Landreth: Official site, News, Tour
• Amazon: , Grant Street, South of I-10, From the Reach
• Photos & Video: PicasaWeb, YouTube

Hellacopters Final Album

One of my favorite rock bands from Sweden, The Hellacopters, is splitting up.  They've recently put out their seventh and final album, "Head Off" and announced that it's their final tour of Europe.  I doubt they'll make it back to the US since they've never had as big a following over here as they deserve. 

The Hellacopters hold a special place for me as I discovered their music about 3 years ago on a business trip that left me pretty much stranded in Stockholm on a holiday weekend with a broken laptop and not a lot to do.  I bought 3 of their albums including the newly released "Rock & Roll is Dead" and was blown away.  And that's when I wrote my first blog post on GuitarVibe.

"Head Off" is a good album, but it must be noted that it's an album of cover songs.  The band picked songs that they felt were in the style of The Hellacopters, but somehow I can't help but wish they had mixed in a few original songs for their final send off.  Hopefully they'll shoot some more video to capture their final tour this fall. Meanwhile, I'll see if I can figure out some way to catch one of their final shows.  Here's a clip from YouTube of "In the Sign of the Octopus" originally performed by The Robots.

• Hellacopters: Official site, Tour Dates, MySpace, YouTube
• Amazon: Head Off, Rock & Roll is Dead, Goodnight Cleveland (DVD)