Summer is here: Don't be bored, Get good!

Summer is here. Man, oh man, soon I'll be working on my car's A/C yet again.

But, for all you young punks who can sing the Alice Cooper song "School's out for summer",
you've got long days ahead, filled with fun and video games.

Now, some folks get bored in the summer. So, check this. If you've got time to be bored, that means you've got time to get GOOD on the guitar. Sure, maybe you're plugging along, doing well with guitar lessons, and learning your favorite songs.

HOWEVER - Sometimes, there's a quantum leap I see in some of my students. Suddenly, they "get it." They start to seriously apply themselves, and magic happens. Pretty soon, they're jamming on songs two or three levels above their current level, and most importantly, they're asking darn good questions.

Why not give up a few hours of TV or "World of Warcraft" and dedicate yourself, and get scary good? Why not make this quantum leap happen for you? Remember, soaps are like.. soap. They wash away (and usually leave a scum!)

But your music - that's a different story. You'll develop a great skill, further an art, and who knows, you might just make it big. But that can't happen in front of a TV set, or on instant messenger.

Ready to put yourself through Guitar Boot Camp?

SIR!

It's where we crush your soul through demanding exercises, brain busting theory problems, and the creative use of arpeggios.


POODLEMAN'S RECOMMENDED PRACTICE MARCH
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Time: 1 to 4 hours

Important notes (Read this, bucko.): Use a metronome. When you practice, practice. Don't jam. There's a difference, and try to separate 'em. It can be hard, but if it was easy, everyone would do it. And if anyone has any questions regarding the material outlined below,
drop me an email at professorlonghair@comcast.net and I'll be glad to set you straight.

1st block:

Warm up. Move around, do gym stretches, wring your hands like your great aunt finding out that her poodle ate her crossword puzzle.
Then, start off with some basic exercises, especially the "1 2 3 4" finger chromatic exercise. For example, put your finger at the 1st fret, second finger at the 2nd fret, etc. Play that along each string, and starting from each fret.


2nd block:

Left hand workout. Using legato technique (hammer on and pull off) , run scales, especially modes. Practice them in variations, too. Try broken 3rds, steps of four, etc. Feel free to make your own patterns, too.

Not only are you working out your left hand, but you're memorizing scales, too. Very important if you wanna get good!

Remember, play at least three quarters of these exercises with legato (hammer on and pull off) technique.

---John Petrucci Way Cool Pointer---

Play a pattern using strictly legato technique for one minute straight. Take a break, and do it again. Ouchie! And a great way to build up your hand.


3rd block:

Right hand workout.

Practice similar scales, but pick everything. Of course, alternate pick the exercises. Don't make me throw something at you! Sir!

Practice string skipping and picking across strings. Meaning, instead of hitting three notes on one string, such as in a scale, try this: Play an exercise involving a pattern on just just one note per string. Remember! Maintain strict alternate picking. You might be surprised at how hard it can be. And of course, try skipping strings. A good song to work on is the classic by Guns 'N Roses: "Sweet Child 'o Mine."

4th block:

Applying it all.

Now, here's the fun part. You've gone through the mill, so you deserve a treat. Plus, application is important. You don't want to sound like a hippie, but you don't want to sound like a robot, either.

If you haven't already, download the Hammerhead drum machine. It's free, and you should practice with it.

http://www.threechords.com/hammerhead/

Flip it on, and jam with it! Try using the techniques you've given your blood for, and have fun! Sir! And if you don't....Drop down, and give me twenty diminished arpeggios, soldier!
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Of course, feel free to modify this to suit your needs. And despite all the intimidation, this is just an idea. You won't be doomed to playing for Boxcar Racer if you don't follow everything to the letter....I guess...

So the time is now! And what the heck are you doing on the computer? Go practice, soldier!

Mister Clean

As an educator, my goal is to inspire my students to become the musicians they want to be.
For some, it’s playing the Verizon Center, and for others, jamming around a campfire is the goal.
And for some of you, you may have already decided, or are about to come to the conclusion, that the music industry is for you. And I’d like to share an important lesson that I’ve learned about that subject.

When I decided to pursue a career as a professional musician, there were some examples that were important to me. Of course, the great musicians I admire, because that’s the ultimate goal. But also this person that I knew who was a “clean musician.” As we all know, the field of music can sometimes be a cesspool of humanity. And it drives me crazy. I hate that aspect of my career. But there was this good example of a person for me.

It’s my hope that I can be a positive example to you, as my friend was for me.
I don’t smoke, drink, or do drugs. (Regardless of appearance, and zany behavior!) I never have, and I never will. And I’d like to do my part to bust a harmful image associated with musicians. I don’t consider it “cool” to get high or drunk. I don’t need it to play my music. And I certainly don’t need it to have a good time!

I’ve been around a bunch of it, too. I’ve come home smelling pretty funny sometimes, but still in full posession of my senses. And I value them very highly, what little I have of ‘em.

At first, sometimes I would feel a little silly...When at a party, with all my friends getting trashed, this guy came up to me and said “come on, dude, have a shot with me!”
“Nah, man, I don’t drink.” It wasn’t received well, but let me tell you, it feels good now! And since I’ve got my feet in the world, it’s my style.

When I was 18, I was playing at a dive bar in Southern Maryland. Some guy wanted to buy the band drinks all around. I took him up on it, and ordered a Coca-Cola.
That’s the only kind of coke I take.

Cheers!

Trip to the Art Museum

So! I went to the art museum...In downtown DC.

And so did everyone else in the free world. Man, there were a lotta people there.
Of course, I can't go anywhere and just look at something. As you all know, I'm always trying to relate things to music. Here's a few things I learned while around some top notch works by dead people.

1. If you ever meet Jesus, don't tell any dumb blond jokes around him. You might insult him (at least according to most of the paintings of him.)

2. You never, EVER want to go back in a time machine.

3. I feel better about my bad hair days...Seems like they had a lot of 'em back then.

4. All disciplines have their own version of theory. We musicians learn about it, and painters use their own rules as well. If you get a chance, visit one of these places with an artist, or someone who knows about art. You might get some cool ideas for music. It's neat to visit a "cousin" of music theory....Art theory!

5. George Washington needed some hair gel.


6. Revolutions are good. Not exactly the war thing, but in art, and in music. I saw paintings from old stodgy people, to abstract splashes of color. If everyone had fit their vision to what the guy before him had done, we'd still have paintings of....George washington (but with no hair gel!)

The same goes for music. If we were bound by the rules of classical music theory, there wouldn't be blues, and there certainly wouldn't be Ozzy.

So keep that in mind, especially when you write a song, or invent something new on the guitar. If it sounds good to you, IT IS GOOD.

It doesn't matter what anyone else says.


Learn from everyone, and especially look up to the best in the field: Stevie Ray Vaughan for blues, Eddie Van Halen for rock, Monet for painting stuff, Andy Warhol for when you need to be reminded what a soup can looks like.....but not Van Gogh for ear training! GAAAA!

If you get a chance, look to everything for inspiration: In nature, in graffiti, in the east wing of the National Gallery of Art. It's all there, and most of it is free. So wake up, put that video game down, and start paying attention!

The center of the universe?

"I went to this concert...."
"I've got a neat car......"
I I I !

A lotta folks out there, and each one of us the middle of the story we tell. Each individual the
center of the world. The world certainly spins around a lot of people - it's a wonder it spins at all.

*I* first had this idea planted in my mind during an SAT test. The verbal section
had this really neat excerpt for a book, talking about how we all think that we're the leading
actor/actress on the stage of life. A rather err....Good point, especially when you think about
how we're really NOT. If you disagree, consider your importance next time you're in a traffic jam.
"I need to get over a lane." Yep, you, and ten thousand other "I's", all stuck on I-95 north.

I love to take life lessons and apply them to a musical situation. More often than not, music is an excellent mirror.

Us guitarists have the bad reputation of being too loud. Hey, more of us in the monitors, right?

If we zoom out a bit, and see the band as the big picture, and not our personal goals, we take a big step in the right direction of becoming a musician, and not just a guy or girl who plays guitar.


And this doesn't mean being timid, and turning down. If you can honestly say that the big picture needs more guitar, turn it up! But do look at that picture, first.

I've been yelled at before by bandleaders because I was too quiet. (That's probably a first in guitar playing history.) I guess I was putting my personal goals (not totally bombing onstage) in front of the big picture...Making some music!

So try this at your next gig, or even dinner with your family.

Instead of viewing yourself as the main story line, try picturing yourself as one of many actors on a stage. And then - what's the play about? Making you important? Or having fun, and making some great music? In fact, a sense of relief may be felt when you "decentralize" your world, and view your true place in the cosmos....

http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/nebula/2006/35/image/a/format/large_web/




Crank it up!

- PM

PS. Try this in life, too.