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Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
my mate played at the same place it looks like ...hes playing backstage with Tommy Emanuel..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsJoCaari38
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
Having heard you play I'm sure you practice at least 25 hrs a day
Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21)
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Football is rubbish.
The study also showed that those with a natural aptitude were more inclined to give it up and not put in the hours.
From 16-24 I practised around 8 hours a day (unfocussed) I loved playing - it was my greatest joy. It doesn't show now - skill is a thing that must be maintained and upheld - use it or lose it.
Aged 41 I played for about 20 minutes last night for the first time in months - I loved it. Best thing I've done for myself for ages.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Football is rubbish.
b-(
This is very true.
The biggest issue that limits what most people can ultimately achieve technique wise is poor foundations. This is especially true of those who are self taught or who have never sought out a really good teacher. People practice too fast and with no tempo structure and assume if they can do something then they must be doing it right.
The amount of players I see with completely poor posture, awkward hand positioning and really misguided basic techniques is staggering. This, as with any discipline, will not limit you from becoming good at it but eventually you will hit a plateau where poor foundations limit what you can achieve with your playing. As musicians guitarist especially seem obsessed with playing this solo of that riff. Guitar teachers seem to cater for this thing short term show-off pieces will make it seems as if their tuition is making good progress.
As a really simple example I have had so many students who come along and can play reasonable complex stuff despite the fact that they only pick in one direction. To them they fact that they can play this cool solo means that picking in one direction is not hindering them and they are reluctant to change. That's fine but it's not an over challenging sum to realise that they are doing twice the work of someone picking more economically in both directions.
Around 16 years ago I was one of the first group of guitarist to go through the guitar institute's degree program. I was by far one of the youngest on the course and there were guys who had been gigging for longer than I had been alive and I was in awe of them. The first step the tutors took - who at the time were Shaun Baxter, Dave Kilminster, Iain Scott, Max Milligan and Barry Langdon was that most of what you have already learned and can do is probably fundamentally flawed. Being young and wide eyed I was eager to learn and open to any concepts these 'wise men' had to impart on me. The older guys who had had their way of playing for years were understandably more reluctant to go back to being taught like a beginner. Shaun Baxter in particular was incredibly strict about hand positioning and technique and not shy about pointing out even the smallest flaws in a constructive manner. Every exercise was practiced at 80bpm to get the foundation right, then slowly increase the speed. I've always compared it to Tai Chi. Over four intensive years those who listening accelerated ahead and those who took the "pfft" attitude fell away and dropped out as piece became more and more advanced.
After I left I was offered the chance to go to Berklee in California and see how things are done. In the states they seem to rush their kids less when learning and basics such as scales and exercise seem to be the criteria by which student progression is judged. Although Berklee's teaching is more theory and composition based, the strong fundamental exercises and understanding students had developed meant they tended to pick up new pieces far quicker and with less limits.
I think we all have a limit and someone like Vai (who was brought through Berklee's system) is undoubtedly the product of precise and focused practice coupled with a large helping of extreme natural flair. That said, the foundation techniques of our playing will ultimately limit us.
It's boring and it's not cool but if you take a comparison to someone like Usain Bolt, there is no doubt he has slowly practiced his release from the starting blocks for years and years under the scrutiny of his coaches to ensure that a simple flaw in his technique isn't hindering the employment of his natural talent.
This sums me up perfectly. I just know I would be better if my fingers didn't fly so far from the fretboard, I know how to put it right , it just a question of spending some time trying to unlearn 25 years of doing it wrong. There are other issues , but one at a time
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