One main reason, I think, that some guitar players become great and some (like me) struggle has a lot to do with timing and motivation, specifically the timing of motivation.
I was reading up on my new god (praise JP) and his practice routine. He said that when he was younger, he practiced six hours a day, but now that he's a professional musician and has a different schedule he practices about an hour or two a day.
Six hours a day?
Really?
Shit.
I can handle an hour or two, but six?
Monday, August 16, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
I have a new guitar god
Praise be to John Petrucci! Honor his name and keep it holy!
OK, so I took that analogy a bit too far. But it shows how much I'm completely blown away by this guy's playing. This isn't new news for anyone who already knew of him (like 99% of the guitar playing population), but I'm a little late to the game. I was familiar with his band, Dream Theater, through their drummer Mike Portnoy who is part of the Transatlantic supergroup, and I remember hearing "Pull Me Under" on MTV - you know, back when they used to actually play videos - but I never had a chance to really get into their music. I acquired some of their stuff when I first discovered modern progressive rock but I was more interested in Spock's Beard, the Flower Kings and the aforementioned Transatlantic. I knew I'd get to them eventually, and eventually turned out to be this week.
OK, so I took that analogy a bit too far. But it shows how much I'm completely blown away by this guy's playing. This isn't new news for anyone who already knew of him (like 99% of the guitar playing population), but I'm a little late to the game. I was familiar with his band, Dream Theater, through their drummer Mike Portnoy who is part of the Transatlantic supergroup, and I remember hearing "Pull Me Under" on MTV - you know, back when they used to actually play videos - but I never had a chance to really get into their music. I acquired some of their stuff when I first discovered modern progressive rock but I was more interested in Spock's Beard, the Flower Kings and the aforementioned Transatlantic. I knew I'd get to them eventually, and eventually turned out to be this week.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
DeQuervain's Revisited, or Why the Hell Isn't it Happening Anymore?
I made a big deal on this blog about my DeQuervain's tenosynovitis and how it has always affected my playing, even when I was a kid. I even set up an experiment to see if scale length had any affect on the symptoms (it didn't, at least at the time). But something odd has happened lately.
It stopped.
Yup, it just stopped. Just like that (imagine me snapping my fingers when you read the word "that"). And I've been playing my guitar a lot lately. A whole lot. I just got a DigiTech RP90 and I've been spending hours playing with all the settings. I've also had some really good practice sessions over the past few weeks.
So why has my DeQuervain's suddenly gone away?
It stopped.
Yup, it just stopped. Just like that (imagine me snapping my fingers when you read the word "that"). And I've been playing my guitar a lot lately. A whole lot. I just got a DigiTech RP90 and I've been spending hours playing with all the settings. I've also had some really good practice sessions over the past few weeks.
So why has my DeQuervain's suddenly gone away?
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