Waiting for the Muse – Guitar Lessons Lynchburg

The Muse: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muse

One of my ‘Behavioral Modification Pacts’ this year (formerly known as New Year’s Resolutions) is to become more aware of ‘tail-chasing’ and immediately stop all activity and just sit. No TV, no reading, no internet, no mindless practicing; just sitting.

As a Type-A, production-at-all-costs sort of a fellow, there is a need for me to stop frequently and seriously consider what I am doing and why. It’s OK to do absolutely nothing sometimes.

The greatest effects of this pause are a decrease in mental scrambling, a relaxed attitude, and, funny enough, BETTER productivity.  There has not been much of an increase in productivity, but less wasted time and fewer mistakes that require more time and effort to correct. Plus, I am enjoying what I am doing instead of just ‘Completing a Task’.

There is also a more meaningful connection to the activity in which I am engaging. No matter if it’s practicing music, teaching, watching TV, research, time with family, or just eating; I am more ‘In The Moment’ with my chosen activity.

-Justin

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The Mount Rushmore of American Music

Someone told me a story today about a radio show discussing the Mount Rushmore of American Music. She was taken aback that one of the personalities didn’t see the validity of having Johnny Cash as one of the people represented.

She and I were definitely in agreement that someone was clueless.

My friend then gave me the challenge of offering my suggestions of the other three on the Mount Rushmore of American Music.

My choices are:

Louis Armstrong

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Armstrong

 

Jimi Hendrix

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimi_Hendrix

 

Michael Jackson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson

 

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4 Triads Linear Arrangement Inversions – Guitar Lessons Lynchburg

Triad inversions are: Root position, 1st Inversion, and 2nd Inversion.
The root position for D Major is D, F#, and A.
1st Inversion is: F#, A, D
2nd Inversion is: A, D, F#

The point here is to learn them moving up the neck as they change arrangements.

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3 Triads String Arrangements – Guitar Lessons Lynchburg

Playing single-note arpeggios with the D Major triad. I am only using the root position order of the notes.

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2 Triads Arpeggiated – Guitar Lessons Lynchburg

Playing single-note arpeggios with the D Major triad. I am only using the root position order of the notes.

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1 Triads Introduction – Guitar Lessons Lynchburg

Triads are three note chords. There are four types: Major, Minor, Augmented, and Diminished.

Most people only know of two; Major and Minor. In this video and the other related videos I am using D Major with is composed of D, F#, and A.

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Knowing Your Instrument 1 – Guitar Lessons Lynchburg

An introduction to the concept of knowing your instrument or ‘How this crazy thing arranges my notes.’

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Duplet Quadruplet Logical Picking Exercise – Guitar Lessons Lynchburg

I don’t count quarters, eighths, sixteenths, etc. I count ‘events per beat’.

This is the way the body and mind process rhythm. The other bits are how we write rhythms in our western system of music notation.

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Swing Reverse Swing – Guitar Lessons Lynchburg

Swing = Long, Short, Long, Short…etc.

Reverse Swing = Short, Long, Short, Long…etc.

The concept applies to a technical exercise in this video, but I’m sure you can develop plenty of applications for music.

(Video has been update to, you know, not be wrong. Good catch by a viewer/commenter.)

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Let It Ride – Guitar Lessons Lynchburg

Bachman-Turner Overdrive tune.

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