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[Last article] [Theory of Learning Index]
Way back in article 1 in this series we defined learning
as: ". the process by which we expand our understanding and
ability". So far in the series we have focused mainly on the
subject of understanding.
But guitar playing is principally a physical activity. All
very well to understand how a minor seven flat 5 chord blends
in with the locrian mode of the major scale, but your knowing
that doesn't make you able to play one so beautifully that it makes your audience weep!
So let's look at the physical side of learning.
Physical learning is all about making and breaking habits.
You can dress this up in the fanciest of terms but that's
what it boils down to.
When we are learning to play guitar we are utilising a natural
function of mind and body that works something like this:
"The more often you repeat a physical action the more automated
it becomes"
By automated, we don't mean that it is necessarily stiff
and robotic in its action, we simply mean that our muscles
appear to coordinate their actions with little or no conscience effort
on our part.
So when we first come across the instructions for playing
'House of the Rising Sun' we have to interpret them on a 'blow
by blow' basis:
First comes the A minor chord. With your first finger, press
the second string against the first fret. Then the second
finger goes on the fourth string at the second fret.. and
so on. It all has to be done in painful detail.
But with practice, these actions get automated - they become
habits. You see the symbol Am on the chord chart and whack!
Down go all three fingers at once - no thought involved.
Ultimately the whole song goes on auto-pilot and you find
yourself sitting in front of the evening news on the telly
with your attention focused on the middle-east crisis whilst
your fingers are picking their way through the intricacies
of the Animals version of 'House of the Rising Sun'. Someone
shouts "Stop playing that guitar while we're trying to watch
the telly and you say "Oh sorry, I didn't even notice I'd
picked my guitar up!" - It's become a habit.
So step one, if you want to learn to play guitar, is: form
lots of habits. A lot of students get that far and then settle
into a sort of rut. Because step two is psychologically harder.
Step two is: start systematically breaking the habits you
have learned!
So if you have always played 'House of the rising
Sun' in A minor, figure it out in D minor or G# minor. Play
it with barre chords. Work out a punk version with 5th chords.
Play it Jazz style with two chords to every bar.
Same goes for individual chords. If you are in the habit
of playing the C chord with open E on the bottom string try
using the four finger version with G in the bass instead or
take the G major chord and double up the Ds by adding the
3rd fret on the second string. These are all ways of making
our playing more colourful. Try never to get stuck in the
same way of doing things. Explore the alternatives.
So that's what I mean by making and breaking habits. It's
what you should be doing perpetually as a developing musician.
And It's what you should be getting your students to do as a guitar
teacher.
[Last article] [Theory of Learning Index]
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How
learning got a bad name for itself
