Did you get into arpeggios as a kid via Eric Johnson? To my ear, his playing is super melodic and strays from that minor pentatonic shred thing that can get really old fast...
Yes, exactly. He was my biggest hero from the time I was 10 until I got to college. I always appreciated his unusual but very deliberate melodic sense and the meticulous sounds he coaxed from the guitar.
I'm finishing up The Inner Game of Tennis now and I'm seeing a lot of the connections w/ playing guitar. What do you tend to use as a concentration technique when you're soloing? For me, it's a total catch 22 cause the moment I tell myself to focus and relax it all goes out the window. Gallwey suggested getting tennis players to say "bounce" or "hit" as a type of focusing the mind during play and not letting yourself get too hyper-critical. So I guess I'm interested if there are any tips you could share or you've heard from guys like Sutton, TR, or Norman.
Thanks, Chris!
PS: my wife and I are catching the KC show on Sunday. My work (a high school) does a cool think where they give you a little money to do something that'll re-charge your batteries, so we got a babysitter, got some tix for Sunday, then checking out some cool guitars at Mass Street Music in Lawrence before heading home. Have a great show!
I'm trying to un-learn some bad habits that I've picked up over the years by tapping eighth notes w/ my foot and making sure a down pick happens on a foot tap, and the up picks on an off beat. I think this is a right way to ensure my pick pattern is correct.
Another question I have w/ respects to flatpicking is how do you relax and get into the zone or flow? Any recommedations or books? I saw an interview where Bryan Sutton said Julian Lage recommended a book from Abby Whiteside and he reads a lot of sports psychology type stuff.
Paul, that is a great thing to practice because it will give you some perspective on what you are actually doing. As soon as you feel that you are able, stop tapping your foot and see if the new habit that you have been ingraining is sticking.
I actually just started reading a GREAT book on this very subject that Bryan Sutton told me about 12 years ago and that I’m just now getting around to: The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey. There is a similar book called the Inner Game of Music that is based on the tennis book, but I would skip it.
I'm finishing up The Inner Game of Tennis now and I'm seeing a lot of the connections w/ playing guitar. What do you tend to use as a concentration technique when you're soloing? For me, it's a total catch 22 cause the moment I tell myself to focus and relax it all goes out the window. Gallwey suggested getting tennis players to say "bounce" or "hit" as a type of focusing the mind during play and not letting yourself get too hyper-critical. So I guess I'm interested if there are any tips you could share or you've heard from guys like Sutton, TR, or Norman.
Thanks, Chris!
PS: my wife and I are catching the KC show on Sunday. My work (a high school) does a cool think where they give you a little money to do something that'll re-charge your batteries, so we got a babysitter, got some tix for Sunday, then checking out some cool guitars at Mass Street Music in Lawrence before heading home. Have a great show!
Sorry we didn't get to say hi in KC, now that the tour is over I'm getting caught up on my Sonic Junctions and I'm only just seeing this!
I have a few concentration techniques that I tend to use. The first one is making sure that I'm remembering to breathe. There's nothing more foundational than that and yet we sometimes hold our breath and it causes tension. So I have gotten in the habit of taking a calm breath and closing my eyes - even for just a brief moment - before I have to play a solo or a difficult technical passage. I might also check in with my feet's connection to the earth (the connection is always solid) and register if my pelvis feels balanced and neutral (it always does). Basically, I focus by checking in with my body to make sure that all of these foundational elements are ok. Unless something is really wrong, they're reliably always going to be ok. This serves to ground me and bring me to the present.
Did you get into arpeggios as a kid via Eric Johnson? To my ear, his playing is super melodic and strays from that minor pentatonic shred thing that can get really old fast...
Yes, exactly. He was my biggest hero from the time I was 10 until I got to college. I always appreciated his unusual but very deliberate melodic sense and the meticulous sounds he coaxed from the guitar.
Duke,
How did you end the song at the 7:30 mark? It looks like some kind of dim chord walk up.
Paul
I'm finishing up The Inner Game of Tennis now and I'm seeing a lot of the connections w/ playing guitar. What do you tend to use as a concentration technique when you're soloing? For me, it's a total catch 22 cause the moment I tell myself to focus and relax it all goes out the window. Gallwey suggested getting tennis players to say "bounce" or "hit" as a type of focusing the mind during play and not letting yourself get too hyper-critical. So I guess I'm interested if there are any tips you could share or you've heard from guys like Sutton, TR, or Norman.
Thanks, Chris!
PS: my wife and I are catching the KC show on Sunday. My work (a high school) does a cool think where they give you a little money to do something that'll re-charge your batteries, so we got a babysitter, got some tix for Sunday, then checking out some cool guitars at Mass Street Music in Lawrence before heading home. Have a great show!
Thanks Chris! If you come across any more books/articles about the mental side of playing, please do share.
I'm trying to un-learn some bad habits that I've picked up over the years by tapping eighth notes w/ my foot and making sure a down pick happens on a foot tap, and the up picks on an off beat. I think this is a right way to ensure my pick pattern is correct.
Another question I have w/ respects to flatpicking is how do you relax and get into the zone or flow? Any recommedations or books? I saw an interview where Bryan Sutton said Julian Lage recommended a book from Abby Whiteside and he reads a lot of sports psychology type stuff.
Paul, that is a great thing to practice because it will give you some perspective on what you are actually doing. As soon as you feel that you are able, stop tapping your foot and see if the new habit that you have been ingraining is sticking.
I actually just started reading a GREAT book on this very subject that Bryan Sutton told me about 12 years ago and that I’m just now getting around to: The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey. There is a similar book called the Inner Game of Music that is based on the tennis book, but I would skip it.
Thanks Chris! If you come across any more books/articles about the mental side of playing, please do share.
I'm finishing up The Inner Game of Tennis now and I'm seeing a lot of the connections w/ playing guitar. What do you tend to use as a concentration technique when you're soloing? For me, it's a total catch 22 cause the moment I tell myself to focus and relax it all goes out the window. Gallwey suggested getting tennis players to say "bounce" or "hit" as a type of focusing the mind during play and not letting yourself get too hyper-critical. So I guess I'm interested if there are any tips you could share or you've heard from guys like Sutton, TR, or Norman.
Thanks, Chris!
PS: my wife and I are catching the KC show on Sunday. My work (a high school) does a cool think where they give you a little money to do something that'll re-charge your batteries, so we got a babysitter, got some tix for Sunday, then checking out some cool guitars at Mass Street Music in Lawrence before heading home. Have a great show!
Hi Paul,
Sorry we didn't get to say hi in KC, now that the tour is over I'm getting caught up on my Sonic Junctions and I'm only just seeing this!
I have a few concentration techniques that I tend to use. The first one is making sure that I'm remembering to breathe. There's nothing more foundational than that and yet we sometimes hold our breath and it causes tension. So I have gotten in the habit of taking a calm breath and closing my eyes - even for just a brief moment - before I have to play a solo or a difficult technical passage. I might also check in with my feet's connection to the earth (the connection is always solid) and register if my pelvis feels balanced and neutral (it always does). Basically, I focus by checking in with my body to make sure that all of these foundational elements are ok. Unless something is really wrong, they're reliably always going to be ok. This serves to ground me and bring me to the present.
I, too, would love to hear more about your Collings.